I had another study session with my chavrusa. Always fun. (It's funny, I started learning with a chavrusa to get closer to Orthodoxy. Boy, did THAT one backfire!)
We were discussing the need to work. I think that one can easily fulfill the mitzvah of "learning night and morning" by attending a Daf Yomi shiur before work, and then looking over the daf after dinner. On Shabbos, of course, learning can go into much greater depth. There are a few (emhasis on "few") great minds who can learn all day, but for at least 99.99% of the learning boys warming a bench in yeshiva--get a damn job, guys! After all, some of the greatest Torah minds in history worked full-time. Also, there are how many references again in the Torah, Mishnah and Talmud that state the need to earn a living. Let's start with the curse of Adam: You shall earn your bread by the sweat of your brow. Since childbirth still hurts like hell (G-d's curse to the female half of the population), I'm guessing that part one is still in effect. Then there are the lines in Pirkei Avos about Ein kemach, Ein Torah (When there is no flour, there is no Torah), or something about study without work is meaningless. And then, there is that great line from the Talmud: Whoever does not teach his son a trade teaches him to steal. (Unfortunately, we've seen the truth of that statement a few too many times in recent history.)
Finally, let's look at some of the great Torah minds. People like Rashi and the Rambam. More recently, the Chofetz Chaim. One could state that they worked only a minimum number of hours and then spent the rest of the time learning. But the point is, they worked! They didn't knock on stranger's doors looking for a handout. They didn't commit felonies, violating the very Torah they purport to love. They pulled their own weight and still became some of the greatest Torah scholars in history.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Starting up with Thing 2
Since Thing 1 has been "doing school" every day, Thing 2 has wanted her own work. So, I bought her a little box and filled it with crayons, scissors and a glue stick. She's been doing Kumon First Steps workbooks, two a day (we've done Let's Fold and Let's Color at the beginning of the year, then Let's Cut Paper and Let's Sticker and Paste. Now We're on More Let's Fold and More Let's Color.). However, she wants more. Specifically, she wants the goodies for doing more.
At the completion of every book in their curriculum, the kids get an ice-cream party. Since Thing 1 has switched from Shush and Say Six back to Aleph Champ, the the reward also includes a medallion for every book started. Thing 2 also wants medallions. So, I made a deal with her. I said, "If you finish the first book, you'll get two medallions, red and white." (Aleph Champ takes the Hebrew reading process and breaks it down into color-coded books--white, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and brown. Thing 1 is on Blue.) Thus far, it's been working. Thing 2 does her page a day, and is so far up to the letter yud. We'll see how it goes.
At the completion of every book in their curriculum, the kids get an ice-cream party. Since Thing 1 has switched from Shush and Say Six back to Aleph Champ, the the reward also includes a medallion for every book started. Thing 2 also wants medallions. So, I made a deal with her. I said, "If you finish the first book, you'll get two medallions, red and white." (Aleph Champ takes the Hebrew reading process and breaks it down into color-coded books--white, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and brown. Thing 1 is on Blue.) Thus far, it's been working. Thing 2 does her page a day, and is so far up to the letter yud. We'll see how it goes.
Friday, January 6, 2012
"But They're Jewish!"
When I was in college, I had a friend who invited my to an Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity party. (A E Pi, as it was known, was the on-campus Jewish fraternity.) As far as I was concerned, frat parties and the AztecQueen do not mix. I'd heard too many stories of roofie rapes. However, when I said as much to my friend, she answered, "But you don't understand. They're Jewish!"
Really. The last time I checked, circumcision does not affect the hormones.
I've heard many people remark at the criminal sexual behaviors of various ethnicities, but I don't know where that came from. As Norma Rae put it, "I ain't never had any trouble with black men. Only trouble I ever had was with white men." Unfortunately, that extends to Jewish men. My first date with an Orthodox man, I had to tell him in no uncertain terms that he was going too far. So much for shomer negia. Suffice it to say, I never wanted to go out with him again. Even worse, that wasn't my first problem in that area. I used to babysit for my cantor's children. The cantor, who worked as a doctor, was separated from her husband and they split custody of their kids--and my services as babysitter. One night, her estranged husband made a pass at me in his car with his kids in the back. I was all of 19.
Yes, I am aware that there are a lot of Jewish men who know how to be gentlemen. Yes, these poor excuses for men are aberrations. But, I don't think we should assume that a man's Jewishness will automatically make him a safer, better person.
Really. The last time I checked, circumcision does not affect the hormones.
I've heard many people remark at the criminal sexual behaviors of various ethnicities, but I don't know where that came from. As Norma Rae put it, "I ain't never had any trouble with black men. Only trouble I ever had was with white men." Unfortunately, that extends to Jewish men. My first date with an Orthodox man, I had to tell him in no uncertain terms that he was going too far. So much for shomer negia. Suffice it to say, I never wanted to go out with him again. Even worse, that wasn't my first problem in that area. I used to babysit for my cantor's children. The cantor, who worked as a doctor, was separated from her husband and they split custody of their kids--and my services as babysitter. One night, her estranged husband made a pass at me in his car with his kids in the back. I was all of 19.
Yes, I am aware that there are a lot of Jewish men who know how to be gentlemen. Yes, these poor excuses for men are aberrations. But, I don't think we should assume that a man's Jewishness will automatically make him a safer, better person.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
The three Rs of the GOP
Well in Iowa, it was a big day for the three Rs--(Mitt) Romney, Rick (Santorum), and Ron (Paul). Supposedly, Gov. Romney won by a mere eight votes. All three came in pretty close. We'll see who's still left standing after Super Tuesday. And, judging by the sheer number of candidates in the GOP, that person running against Obama may not even have the initial R.
A turning point?
This week, when I got the Jewish Press, I immediately turned to the editorial pages, as is my custom. I saw several articles condemning the actions and the mindsets of the extremists in Israel, and that cheered me right up. Then I read the editorial column. And my smile faded.
While the editor's column did condemn the violent actions and "holocaust" demonstrations of recent days, it made one statement that perturbed me. The column read "it is important that the Jewish tradition of modest dress and separation of the sexes not be called into disrepute because of the excesses of some zealots." (Jewish Press, January 6, 2012, pg. 5 Editorial). I'm sorry, but a line like that takes the entire piece and turns it into an apologetic. The Jewish religion has many traditions, it is true. And, yes, the hallmark of an Orthodox synagogue has always been the mechitza. However, there has never been, at least to my knowledge, any concerted effort to take that mechitza into the public square. Also, until the twentieth century, everyone in Western culture dressed modestly. Many of the halachos of tznius date back less than a century.
However, among these many traditions, there is also the tradition of kindness to one's fellow man. The tradition of, as it says in the siddur "honoring father and mother, acts of kindness, early attendance at the house of study morning and evening, hospitality to guests, visiting the sick, giving assistance to a bride, burying the dead, absorption in prayer, bringing peace between a man and his friend, or a man and his wife. And the study of Torah is equal to them all." (Talmud Bavli, Shabbos 127a) Equal perhaps, because Torah study should lead to all of them. Let us hope that it still does. That these mitzvos will eventually become as important as modesty.
While the editor's column did condemn the violent actions and "holocaust" demonstrations of recent days, it made one statement that perturbed me. The column read "it is important that the Jewish tradition of modest dress and separation of the sexes not be called into disrepute because of the excesses of some zealots." (Jewish Press, January 6, 2012, pg. 5 Editorial). I'm sorry, but a line like that takes the entire piece and turns it into an apologetic. The Jewish religion has many traditions, it is true. And, yes, the hallmark of an Orthodox synagogue has always been the mechitza. However, there has never been, at least to my knowledge, any concerted effort to take that mechitza into the public square. Also, until the twentieth century, everyone in Western culture dressed modestly. Many of the halachos of tznius date back less than a century.
However, among these many traditions, there is also the tradition of kindness to one's fellow man. The tradition of, as it says in the siddur "honoring father and mother, acts of kindness, early attendance at the house of study morning and evening, hospitality to guests, visiting the sick, giving assistance to a bride, burying the dead, absorption in prayer, bringing peace between a man and his friend, or a man and his wife. And the study of Torah is equal to them all." (Talmud Bavli, Shabbos 127a) Equal perhaps, because Torah study should lead to all of them. Let us hope that it still does. That these mitzvos will eventually become as important as modesty.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Indoctrination?
Recently, over at Love, Joy, Feminism, I saw a post about homeschooling and indoctrination. The author, LibbyAnne, argues that without proper oversight, homeschoolers could teach whatever they want, even blatant lies and indoctrination.
However, I'm not sure the same argument couldn't be made against private schools. In Lakewood, boys' yeshiva high schools spend up to fourteen hours a day teaching religious subjects--and almost no time teaching secular ones! I, as a NY homeschooler, must subject myself to stricter oversight than a NJ private school! (of course, if I lived in Lakewood--Thank G-d I don't--I would face almost no regulation either.) Moreover, many of the same problems come up--children being taught that creationism is science, that fossils were created by Hashem to test our faith, and secular pursuits (such as college) are evil. (I once had to explain to a neighbor what "kamikaze" meant--she had never heard the term before.)
Truth be told, as much as the regulations scare me, I rather like them. I don't plan on using homeschooling as an excuse to shelter or indoctrinate my kids, so submitting curricula, annual evaluations, and test scores doesn't bother me in the slightest. I also want my kids to think for themselves--something easy to teach when there's no looming worksheets. Besides, I always loved standardized testing, and usually scored above 90% across the board. We'll see how far the apple falls from the tree on that one.
However, I'm not sure the same argument couldn't be made against private schools. In Lakewood, boys' yeshiva high schools spend up to fourteen hours a day teaching religious subjects--and almost no time teaching secular ones! I, as a NY homeschooler, must subject myself to stricter oversight than a NJ private school! (of course, if I lived in Lakewood--Thank G-d I don't--I would face almost no regulation either.) Moreover, many of the same problems come up--children being taught that creationism is science, that fossils were created by Hashem to test our faith, and secular pursuits (such as college) are evil. (I once had to explain to a neighbor what "kamikaze" meant--she had never heard the term before.)
Truth be told, as much as the regulations scare me, I rather like them. I don't plan on using homeschooling as an excuse to shelter or indoctrinate my kids, so submitting curricula, annual evaluations, and test scores doesn't bother me in the slightest. I also want my kids to think for themselves--something easy to teach when there's no looming worksheets. Besides, I always loved standardized testing, and usually scored above 90% across the board. We'll see how far the apple falls from the tree on that one.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Frum JAPs
When I was growing up, I heard about a fantastic creature called the JAP. The JAP, or Jewish American Princess, lived a life that, to my mind, belonged to the world of Robin Leach. They lived in huge houses, drove fancy cars, wore designer clothes, had cleaning help, and planned weddings and bar mitzvahs for their children that were, to put it mildly, over the top. More importantly, they expected all of these luxuries. Being called a JAP was considered an insult in my family. Part of the reason I became Orthodox was a desire to get away from the JAP mentality. To my great disappointment, it was alive and kicking here.
However, the JAP mentality, the entitlement mentality, does not affect only the wealthy frum of Boro Park. It has also crossed a few continents to Israel (so I guess they would be JIPs?). Among those who throw things and scream at the less-than completely covered up, the entitlement mentality is alive and well. If I knock on your door, you WILL give me money. If I don't want to serve in the army because I'm too busy reading books, you WILL exempt me. If I want to have ten kids while continuing to read books all day, you WILL support my family. If I don't want to sit next to a woman, you WILL push them to the back. If the sight of a woman's picture offends me, you WILL blot it out. If I decide that your school building is in my neighborhood, you WILL vacate it. Or, just like the JAP, I will make your life a living hell. If you protest my treatment of you, I WILL drag you through the mud.
This is what happened in Israel over Motzaei Shabbos. The local thugs in payos don't like the way the media portrayed them? The Fourth Estate shows them to be the criminals they are? Even the Agudah is telling them to tone it down? Fine. They'll just protest in concentration camp garb and yellow stars, They'll dress their children like Holocaust victims. And they'll call the Israeli government Nazis. But, you see, that doesn't really work. See, playing the victim and pulling out the N-word against the officials of a Jewish-run state (many of whom had ancestors killed in the same Holocaust) doesn't really work. All it does it up the chillul Hashem factor, already at an all-time high, by about 100 decibels. And it shows the Israeli government the true nature of your entitlement mentality. And make no mistake. Even with your yarmulkes, you're still JAPs. And the rest of the world is getting fed up with you.
However, the JAP mentality, the entitlement mentality, does not affect only the wealthy frum of Boro Park. It has also crossed a few continents to Israel (so I guess they would be JIPs?). Among those who throw things and scream at the less-than completely covered up, the entitlement mentality is alive and well. If I knock on your door, you WILL give me money. If I don't want to serve in the army because I'm too busy reading books, you WILL exempt me. If I want to have ten kids while continuing to read books all day, you WILL support my family. If I don't want to sit next to a woman, you WILL push them to the back. If the sight of a woman's picture offends me, you WILL blot it out. If I decide that your school building is in my neighborhood, you WILL vacate it. Or, just like the JAP, I will make your life a living hell. If you protest my treatment of you, I WILL drag you through the mud.
This is what happened in Israel over Motzaei Shabbos. The local thugs in payos don't like the way the media portrayed them? The Fourth Estate shows them to be the criminals they are? Even the Agudah is telling them to tone it down? Fine. They'll just protest in concentration camp garb and yellow stars, They'll dress their children like Holocaust victims. And they'll call the Israeli government Nazis. But, you see, that doesn't really work. See, playing the victim and pulling out the N-word against the officials of a Jewish-run state (many of whom had ancestors killed in the same Holocaust) doesn't really work. All it does it up the chillul Hashem factor, already at an all-time high, by about 100 decibels. And it shows the Israeli government the true nature of your entitlement mentality. And make no mistake. Even with your yarmulkes, you're still JAPs. And the rest of the world is getting fed up with you.
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