Reflections and Criticism

Day 210: Shabbat

This week has been much needed after last week. Vacation has been a welcome change of pace: we've been on the go, driving from place to place, and now we end our week with some downtime on the Oregon coast. Getting to watch the sunset over the Pacific, mist setting in over the rock monoliths down the shore, and people starting bonfires has been a wonderful way to end this week.

• "The Dust of Forbidden Speech": N/A
• A Twenty-Four Hour Experiment: I miss this. I should implement this at least once a week and slowly grow it to forever. I should always be in control: of both my mouth and the rest of me.
• Don't Bear a Grudge: N/A
• Picking Up Stumbling Blocks: People are really good at littering. There, I said it as nicely as possible. It seems to be a talent people have. But litter isn't just a stumbling block for people, think of the animals! I don't mean to get all preachy and Birkenstock-y on you, but really, litter affects more than just humans.
• The Limits of Self-Sacrifice: N/A
• "Go and Gather the Feathers": How does one figure out if their words or actions would have consequences before they say or do something?

Day 211: Make Sure You Have a Friend Who Can Criticize You

I do. I have many. And I'm thankful I do. Many of my friends will criticize my actions and I do appreciate that. Granted, they do it politely (which is the only way I think it's okay) but they still do it. They keep me in check and help me adjust my life choices when I need to.

Rabbi Telushkin says that if you don't have any friends who can criticize you, you don't have any real friends. I find this harsh but I can't say I think he's wrong. Keep that in mind when you consider your friends and your friendships. Don't get rid of your friends but think of the kind of impact they have on you and appreciate the ones you love.

Light as a Feather

Day 208: The Limits of Self-Sacrifice

When we think of our loved ones, or at least when I do, I pray that no harm comes to them, that they remain happy and healthy, that they travel safely, etc.

And I generally believe that, heaven forbid, it was a question of my loved ones' lives or mine, I'd rather they live. Judaism however, believes that you have a duty to yourself before others in cases of triage. It is more important that you live, you don't have to be a martyr to save the life of your friend. I'm not sure that Judaism frowns upon saving the life of your friend instead of your own, but it is certainly not required of you.

Day 209: "Go and Gather the Feathers"

I don't think it would have been possible to have made it through 13 years of Jewish day school and youth groups without having heard this story: http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/812861/jewish/A-Pillow-Full-of-Feathers.htm.

It is difficult to realize the consequences of things you say, I know I'm not always aware of the impact of things I say before I say them. I think it's a skill to hone, filtering your thoughts and knowing and understanding what is appropriate and what isn't. A lifelong challenge, I'm sure, but a challenge worth attempting to complete.

"[...] before you speak negatively, and perhaps unfairly, of others, make sure you are not spreading feathers to the wind, feathers that you will never be able to retrieve" (300).

Mental Blocks and Filters

Just a warning, if my writing seems sporadic or less engaged, it is only because I'm on vacation with my family. I'll be back to consistency soon!

Day 205: A Twenty-Four-Hour Experiment

"[...] if I were to ask you to go for twenty-four hours without drinking any alcohol, and you said that you couldn't, that would mean you were an alcoholic. And if you couldn't go for twenty-four hours without smoking a cigarette, that would mean that you were addicted to nicotine. And if you couldn't go for twenty-four hours without speaking unkindly about or to another, that means you've lost control over your mouth, and regaining such control will require vigilance." (294)

I took this challenge upon myself and from 1 am on Friday morning to 1 am on Saturday morning, I did my best to speak ill of/to absolutely no one. I did fairly well: my goal was always in mind and I did end up filtering myself a couple times. I think I did lose it once though, when I got on the highway and was behind a car going only 40 miles per hour; I shouted (in the privacy of my own car) "you're not even going the speed limit!" but I think that was my only slip up.

Part of the challenge is not only to speak no ill but also to imply no ill whether through gestures, body language, or other actions. I discovered the part about implications on my own when I was talking to one person who is not a fan of another person even though I get along with both of them individually. 

In the end, I found this challenge very rewarding and would like to incorporate it more often into my life. Having control over my mouth is something very important to me and I believe I can always improve.

"It is not within everyone's power to be beautiful, but all of us can make sure that the words that come out of our mouths are." (295)

Day 206: Don't Bear a Grudge

I cannot think of a more apt way to phrase today's section than a quote taken from a recovering alcoholic treated by Rabbi Abraham Twerski: "Carrying resentments is like letting someone whom you don't like live inside your head rent-free."

Day 207: Picking Up Stumbling Blocks

Stumbling blocks come in all shapes and sizes: they aren't necessarily only things that might cause a person to stumble. In this case, stumbling blocks are anything that could cause damage to another person or is, simply put, litter.

Just like the Boy Scouts, we should "leave no trace": throw away litter, stamp out lit cigarettes, stop ourselves from littering in the first place.

Message Sent

Day 203: Shabbat

This week...not stellar. In fact, it was far from stellar. That mistake I made overshadowed my whole week and generally made me feel cringeworthy at best all week. There were also bright spots though, many of my friends showed a lot of support despite my choice and were there to listen and for me to cry to. In addition, I got to bond with a couple friends I haven't seen in a long time and froyo never tasted so good. Lastly, I somehow managed not to fail my online course, I scrape by with a passing grade!

• Have You Written an Ethical Will?: N/A
• Three Traits That Reveal Your Character: N/A
• "Until the Day of One's Death": N/A
• When the Old Become Frail: N/A
• Beyond the Letter of the Law: N/A
• Consult with Your Spouse, Consult with Your Friends: N/A

Day 204: "The Dust of Forbidden Speech"

Just as people can be fluent in verbal speech, people can also be fluent in body language. By shrugging your shoulders, rolling your eyes, etc. when someone brings up another person, you convey to that person your contempt or disdain for the person of which they speak. 

This action is just as bad as lashon hara, "evil speech." The same goes for alluding to someone's tainted past or verbal innuendos of any kind. So watch what you say and watch what you do, and don't convey any messages you didn't mean to send.

Secret's Out

Day 202: Consult with Your Spouse, Consult with Your Friends

If there's anything I did a lot of today, it was consulting with my friends. I made a choice that impacted people that are near and dear to my heart in a negative way, hence it was a stupid choice. And I made the decision to do it on my own, almost worse.

After the fact, I looked to my friends not necessarily for consolation, because I accept responsibility and I know that what happened truly was my fault, but I looked to my friends for any ounce of support I could find or someone to just sit with me while I cried.

If I were to tie the things I learned today and last night to this lesson, I would add that it is not only important to consult with your loved ones, but it is equally as important to surround yourself with a group of friends that will be honest to you and still support you. It is sometimes important to be reminded that we did a bad thing, but it is also as important to be reminded that despite that bad thing, we are still deserving of love and fairness.

Obligations

Day 199: "Until the Day of One's Death"

Just because one has required from work does not mean that they have retired from life. Jewish life, that is. People who have retired from their jobs, from work, forever are clearly not required to keep working, however, they are required to continue being active members of the Jewish community and, I would add, their other communities

To paraphrase a popular Jewish saying, even if the work is not ours to complete, we are still obligated to participate in it.

Day 200: When the Old Become Frail

It is often difficult to remain patient when an older person has forgotten something or when the person can no longer care for themselves. I myself have gotten frustrated quickly at people with memory loss and hearing problems. I know I should be patient, it seems sinful to be anything but, but even as I work on it, I still find myself frustrated sometimes.

"Show respect to an old man who has forgotten his learning through no fault of his own, for we have learned that the fragments of the old tablets [the Ten Commandments] were kept alongside the new tablets in the Ark of the Covenant."-Talmud Bavli, Brachot 8b

Day 201: Beyond the Letter of the Law

Sometimes *often* people make mistakes. They weren't intended to harm anyone but sometimes they do whether emotionally, mentally, spiritually, or physically.

It is necessary to recognize when these mistakes are made. It is necessary to treat them as mistakes.

If someone was working in your house and they accidentally broke a vase, it is necessary to understand that it was an accident and not maliciously intended. While it is in your rights to ask for reimbursement for the vase, it is also necessary for you to continue treating those workers with respect and as a proper boss should.

What Does This Tell You About Yourself?

Day 195: One Boss in a Million

There are few bosses out there who understand their employees: their lives, their financial or familial situations, etc. But every so often, we find that one boss in a million who is willing to go out of their way to support and help out their employees. All bosses should ideally be caring people who are willing, able, and ready to be there for their workers.

I was talking about this section to one of my friends and he made me realize that this "boss" we're talking about isn't just our boss at work or anything along those lines, our true boss is Hashem. God is that one boss in a million (remember, monotheism) who knows all of us beneath Him as well or better than we know ourselves.

I really have to start thinking about these sections not only in a face-value way, I have to start thinking of them as spiritual tips.

Day 196: Shabbat

Goodness gracious! This week is over! I have now finished my internship (I was sent off by my co-workers with brownies, and chocolates, and a sweet card), I can see the light at the end of the tunnel for my math class, family vacation is fast approaching, and I'm starting to see people again.

This week came with some surprise, people I didn't expect to see, words I didn't expect to hear or say, feelings I didn't expect to feel, and I wouldn't have changed any of it. This week was the perfect storm and I have been deafened by its thunders and shocked by its lightning. It. Is. Time. For. Shabbas. Shabbat shalom!

• Find Work for the Developmentally Disabled: N/A 
• An Employer Must Know How His Employees Live: N/A
• Confession and Your Neighbor's Soul: Some of the secrets were taken care of this week, I'm slowly working on the others.
• How Can One Repent Who Has Committed the Ultimate and Unforgivable Sin?: N/A
• When a Jew Acts Dishonestly Toward a Non-Jew: I feel really bad that I didn't take the time to understand this section as well as I could have so in the future I'd like to come back to it and study it in more depth.
• One Boss in a Million: N/A

Day 197: Have You Written an Ethical Will?

If you haven't yet, I'm in the same boat. I'm about to be a sophomore in college, I don't feel that now is the time for to me to be thinking about these things, but inevitably I will...because I'm a worrier. Mom and dad had me sign a very generic will on my 18th birthday last year and that's as far as I've thought about death in relation to me.

Though I haven't yet written one, I would like to write an ethical will to my family one day explaining my thoughts or philosophies and what I hope for the future of my family. I think it's just as important that one's family knows their minds and spirits, as well as they know the personality of their loved one.

Day 198: Three Traits That Reveal Your Character

"You can recognize a person's real character by his wine cup (koso), his purse (kiso) and his anger (kaaso)."

1) His cup (koso): Does the person drink alcohol? How do they act when they are drunk? I'm not the kind of girl who enjoys drinking, it's rare to find an alcohol that I enjoy, but it happens every so often because I live (for the most part) on a college campus. Though I've never been drunk or tipsy, I find that when I do drink, I either become increasingly talkative and happy or quiet and tired. Never the both but always just one.

2) His purse (kiso): Is the person stingy or generous? I try to be generous, but generosity is, I believe, a combination of something you work hard to achieve and something you are born with. I often have the intention to give or to help someone, but I also sometimes feel that it is not my place to help or other things happen and I am unable to give. However, I always collect tzedaka and am quick to give extra change to a pushke if there is one around.

3) His anger (ka'aso): Does the person get angry easily? How do they act when they are angry? Do they say things that are unfair or inappropriate when they are angry? This is also something I've worked very hard on. I believe now that I am more slow to anger because I understand that oftentimes, people don't mean to upset me (something I couldn't really grasp when I was younger). I think I'm good at remaining calm in times of confrontation and I don't say unfair or inappropriate things when I'm angry. I try to take a step back and reassess where I am and what I'm feeling and thinking. 

Thoughts on Honesty

Day 193: How Can One Repent Who Has Committed the Ultimate and Unforgivable Sin?

I don't mean to make light of this type of situation but after reading and seeing Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, I'm left remembering the scene where Professor Slughorn is aghast at the prospect of Tom Riddle splitting his soul in 7 pieces by murdering 7 people. How could anyone even consider killing 7 people? Isn't even a single person too much?

Judaism believes that people like Tom Riddle (a.k.a. Voldemort) have no true way to repent for taking someone's life. The closest a murderer can come to forgiveness is the devotion of his life to repentance and acts of loving-kindness.

Day 194: When a Jew Acts Dishonestly Toward a Non-Jew

"Dishonesty is dishonesty, and, regrettably, there have always been some dishonest Jews. However, for a Jew to attribute his dishonesty to Judaism is to turn God into his accomplice in crime. Such an act is known in Jewish law as a chillul Hashem, a profaning of God's name; it is one of a very few sins that the tradition deems unforgivable" (279).

Conflicts

Day 191: An Employer Must Know How His Employees Live

My boss at my internship has been very kind. Two of my co-workers have no way of getting to work in the morning so he picks them up on his way in. It is this small display of kindness that makes me believe that bosses should know what is going on in their employees lives.

Just like a teacher, a boss is in charge of a group of people. If one of those people is acting strangely, employees should feel comfortable coming to their boss for the appropriate help.

Having insight into employee's lives helps bosses not only have empathy but support their workers better.

Day 192: Confession and Your Neighbor's Soul

Secrets aren't okay to keep and I know this because I'm keeping one. I haven't told anyone and it's driving me crazy. There's someone I need to tell something, but do I tell them soon or not soon? Reading this portion today has confused me more. Internal conflicts man, they're rough.

I'm actually having a hard time getting the main point of this section. It's going to take a little bit m ore thought.

Reflections and I'm All Caught Up!!

Day 187: A Pragmatic Reason for Forgiving Others

Nobody's perfect. Whether that is a fact or merely an opinion, I believe we can all agree that nobody is perfect. Now here's some logic for you: if nobody is perfect, that means that we all do things we aren't necessarily proud of or happy about, we sin. We want to be forgiven for the things we do wrong. Some things we do are wrong to others, but some things we do are wrong for ourselves or even for God. If we do bad things to others, we want them to forgive us. This also means that we will have bad things done to us. How can we expect forgiveness from God if we do not forgive others for things they have done to us?

That wasn't so eloquent, so to sum up: if you forgive others for the bad things they do to you, God forgives you for your own sins.

Day 188: Charity Is Not Enough

Giving charity is a good thing (another thing we can all agree on) but being able to give to the poor as well as safe them from embarrassment is an even better thing:

For Samuel and Ablat were sitting, while certain people were going to a lake.⁵  Said Ablat⁶  to Samuel: 'That man is going but will not return, [for] a snake will bite him and he will die.' 'If he is an Israelite,' replied Samuel. 'he will go and return.'⁷  While they were sitting he went and returned. [Thereupon] Ablat arose and threw off his [the man's] knapsack, [and] found a snake therein cut up and lying in two pieces — Said Samuel to him, 'What did you do?'⁸  'Every day we pooled our bread and ate it; but to-day one of us had no bread, and he was ashamed. Said I to them, "I will go and collect [the bread]".⁹  When I came to him, I pretended to take [bread] from him, so that he should not be ashamed.' 'You have done a good deed,' said he to him. Then Samuel went out and lectured: But charity¹⁰  delivereth from death;¹¹  and [this does not mean] from an unnatural death, but from death itself.

(Source: http://www.come-and-hear.com/shabbath/shabbath_156.html)

Day 189: Shabbat

Whew, what a whirlwind of a week! I've been trying to catch up on this blog, get ahead for my online course so that I can take the final exam a week ahead of schedule (so I can avoid taking it on my family's vacation), and on top of all of that working at my internship!

It's crazy, I only have 4 more days of work. I feel like I just started there.

I'm looking forward to Shabbas and to Shabbas dinner with family friends. I love seeing them and I love cooking and I'm excited to combine both!

• Help Someone to Find a Spouse, Help Someone to Find Work: N/A
• Do Good...Now: N/A
• Teach Your Child Torah: N/A
• Teach Your Child the Value of Human Life: I feel like I would opt to save the stranger's life without question, but I don't feel that this takes away from my love of animals or nature. There was a small snake in my driveway today, too small for me to see while I was driving... If I had known it was there I would've tried not to run it over, but instead I found it as I was going to check the mailbox. I said Baruch Dayan haemet....I wasn't quite sure what else I was supposed to do. I've never had the misfortune of running over an animal before and I hope I don't have it again.
• A Pragmatic Reason for Forgiving Others: N/A
• Charity Is Not Enough: N/A

Day 190: Find Work for the Developmentally Disabled

"The highest degree of aid to a Jew in want is...providing work for him so that he may become self-supporting." -Laws Concerning Gifts to the Poor 10:7, Mishneh Torah

I remember so clearly the birth of my cousin. He was born with a cleft palate and developmental delays. Through special schools (both Jewish and secular) and different types of therapies, he has become higher functioning and truly a delight to see grow up.

My whole family sometimes wonders though, what kind of life he will have. We hope the best for him and we hope he finds something he loves to do. His bar mitzvah is later this year.

Rabbi Telushkin writes today about the high mitzvah of finding work for the developmentally disabled. I feel such a connection to this and I'm inspired to go look up organizations that carry out this mission. I'll be back to you in a week with organizations like this, both for my own knowledge and contentment (and maybe future volunteer purposes) and for whoever might one day read these words.

Every Parent is a Teacher

Day 185: Teach Your Child Torah

In 6th grade, I entered an essay competition that was required for all 6th graders in my school. The essay was about why I appreciated my Jewish day school education. Honestly, I remember virtually none of it, but I can tell you now why I do appreciate my Jewish education.

My paternal grandfather came to this country from Belarus. He was educated in a cheder, at home, and in supplemental schools as his Jewish education.

When the time came for my parents to decide where to send me to school, they thought about what they wanted me to know. They wanted me to know more than they did, so they sent me to Jewish day school.

I loved it. I loved the culture, the language, the familiarity of it all. And when it came time for me to personalize my Jewish courses, I chose rigorous text study. I was the only girl in my Talmud class (which made my promposal fun), I talked to my teachers after class and after school, I studied on my own outside of school. I thought of questions. I always wanted to learn more, and here I am. Appreciating the way my parents fulfilled the obligation of teaching your children Torah.

Day 186: Teach Your Child the Value of Human Life

If your dog and a person you didn't know was drowning, who would you save first?

If you answered your dog, I can't blame you. I'm sure you've been through a lot with your dog and I'm sure you love them very much, however, I think you might be disregarding the value of human life. Not necessarily because humans are more intelligent or because according to religion we have souls, but because we should feel empathy for other people.

Of course both humans and animals wish to survive, but first we should save those for which we feel empathy.

Good Writes

Day 183: Help Someone to Find a Spouse, Help Someone to Find Work

Teachers, parents, and bosses have been preaching the same thing for ages: write it down. Well, in this case, writing down people's situations (whether they are single or looking for work) can help you help them.

By keeping track of people who are single and interested in meeting someone romantically or people who are looking for a job or in need of other types of help, you give something big to someone who needs it.

"The highest degree [of charity], exceeded by none, is that of the person who assists a poor Jew by providing him with a gift or a loan, or by entering into a partnership with him, or helping him find work; in a word, by putting him in a position where can dispense with other people's aid." -Maimonides

Day 184: Do Good...Now

There are so many opportunities in this world to do good things: we could help an elderly person with a task they struggle with, we could give charity, we could teach someone a new skill or a bissel Torah. 

While we often have the urge to do good things, the urge passes and they never get done. It is vital that we act on those urges as soon as we can. 

On a slightly related noted, I saw a woman tonight at the Israeli dancing session I go to. I recognize her because, 5 years ago when I first started dancing, she was the first person I saw walking into the building. I've never actually spoken to her but I went up to her tonight and told her I why I recognized her. I'm not sure if I freaked her out or if she appreciated it, but it made me feel good just talking to her. This might not count as doing good, but it sure as heck counts as feeling good.

Reflections etc.

Day 180: Should a Woman Have the Right to Do What She Wants with Her Body?

Just like the previous entry, it all depends on what you believe. I will, again, be leaving my personal views out of this and writing only about what I read in the book.

Because Judaism believes that our bodies belong to God, we also believe that destroying our bodies through the use of addictive drugs or tattoos, or cremation, is disrespectful to our bodies. [Personal note: this is where I like to say that our bodies are indeed temples. They are temples through which we praise God in our personal ways.]

Because of these beliefs, Judaism also believes that permission for an abortion "should be based on the reasons for terminating the pregnancy [...] and not any absolute right of a woman--or for that matter, a man--to do what she wants with her body."

Day 181: Rabbi Aryeh Levine and the Mitzvah to Visit the Sick

Bikur cholim can be a very difficult mitzvah to carry out: some people are uncomfortable around sick people or in hospitals, most times it is mentally and sometimes even physically taxing. Nonetheless, it is a high mitzvah and we should try to emulate the practices of Rabbi Aryeh Levine z"l in his methods of bikur cholim. Three of his practices were outlined in today's section:
1) He made sure to visit those people who were most in need of his help
2) He made sure to visit both the physically ill and the mentally ill
3) He made sure to visit and to help the parents of sick children

Day 182: Shabbat

• What Does the Sick Person Need?: N/A
• Should a Doctor or a Close Family Member Tell the Truth to a Person Who Is Dying?: N/A
• Is Your Work Sacred?: Yes. So much yes. I still feel so good about the connections I felt and made while reading this passage.
• Is Abortion Murder? Should a Woman's Right to Abortion Be Absolute?: N/A
• Should a Woman Hav the Right to Do What She Wants with Her Body?: N/A
• Rabbi Aryeth Levine and the Mitzvah to Visit the Sick: N/A

[Still Playing Catch Up]/Masechet Abortion?

Day 177: Should a Doctor or a Close Family Member Tell the Truth to a Person Who Is Dying?

I've been writing this blog all year. Therefore, I'm fairly certain it's become clear that I had multiple deaths in  my family on the same day only a few months ago, so writing this entry is very personal and very difficult.

I've been told many times, that people seem to know when they're dying. I've heard about my grandfather's death, my uncle's death, my aunt's death, and the deaths of so many relatives. They were ready to die, it was unexpected, he knew it was his time...all things I've been told about my loved ones.

Judaism tells us that we should most definitely lie to a dying person so that they should never know how truly serious their condition is. They should die in a state of calm rather than anxious and uncomfortable.

Honestly, I'm not comfortable continuing to write this entry and I feel I summed up the main message. Before I start crying, I think I'll  move on.

Day 178: Is Your Work Sacred?

There seems to be a spiritual connection in everything we do, see, feel, hear--experience. I actually do believe this! I love having spirituality pointed out to me when I fail to see it myself.

Last Shabbas, I heard a wonderful d'var Torah given by an educator who works at my shul. He talked about the blessings he said during his travels and his climb up Kilimanjaro. What an inspiration! I loved the brachot he included and I found his attitude very similar to mine when I was hiking across Israel last year.

On the topic of spirituality and everything, this most definitely fits also for our work. Some connections are obvious: be definition, a rabbi's work is sacred. But others? Not so much. In the book, there was a story about a taxi driver and how his work was spiritual because he might have been taking a groom to the house of his future bride for his proposal, or taking a cured person home from the hospital for the first time.

We were challenged to find the spirituality in our own jobs, so a challenge for me it will be. I don't want to focus on my future...I don't want to look for the spirituality in being a teacher because I don't find that challenging. Instead, I'd like to focus on my job right now: an intern at an educational database.

I get to write daily. I write kid-friendly articles about people, places, fun-facts, folktales, etc. Maybe a child is reading a biography I wrote and is inspired by the person and their actions. Because they want to emulate that person, they go on to do big things and inspire others. That's super cool, I'm really happy right now just thinking about that. I hope it happens. It would be an honor to inspire a student before I even enter my own classroom.

Day 179: Is Abortion Murder? Should a Woman's Right to Abortion Be Absolute?

Due to the extremely political nature of this topic nowadays, I will NOT be including my own opinion in this entry (partially because my opinions are still being formed and partially because of its political nature). This entry will be entirely formed from quotes and paraphrases directly taken from pages 257-259 of the book:

"People on the right [...] generally believe that life starts at conception and that abortion is murder. Liberals generally maintain that life starts at birth, and that since a woman should have the right to do what she wants with her body, she should be allowed to abort her fetus [...]. Strangely, many people who embrace these positions do not necessarily live their lives according to them. [...] one rarely finds miscarriages being mourned with the same intensity that the death of a human being is mourned [...] On the other hand, many who claim to believe that woman should have the right to do what she wants with her body opposes legalizing prostitution."

These are the times when abortion is considered a viable option in Judaism:

• if it saves the physical or mental well-being (such as in cases of rape and/or incest)  of the mother
• if the child would be born with Tay-Sachs or other severe illnesses or deformities

Judaism's answers to both questions in the title of this section is "no."

Reflections and snoitcelfeR

Day 175: Shabbat

• When You Hear That Someone Is Taking a Long Trip, Make Sure That They Take Along Some Extra Money: N/A
• Steady Giving: N/A
• Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: What the Torah Says: N/A
• Can Veal Be Kosher?: N/A
• Should a Jew Wear Fur?: N/A
• When Giving Enough Is Not Enough: N/A

I know I had talked about finding the articles about those new laws but I didn't get to, sorry!

Day 176: What Does the Sick Person Need?

I've found in the past that when visiting sick family members in the hospital, it's easiest to go in thinking about what you need to do for that person. We usually think that bringing them flowers will brighten up their room, giving them a hug will in some way comfort them, reading to them or talking to them will enlighten them or give them something to do for a little while.

Well... what if that isn't the right way to think? What if instead of doing what we'd normally do, we think about what that person really needs? I've heard stories of people who are sick and want to be productive but can't get out of bed. They learned to knit and built a business from their room. This person found the value of productivity. All their friends and family would bring them yarn and patterns and they would just knit. Their family recognized that what they really needed was to feel productive.

Fur and More

Here's to more catching up!!

Day 173: Should a Jew Wear Fur?

In continuing with our theme of preventing cruel treatment of animals, we are posed with an age old question: is fur okay to wear?

As one might expect, there are many opinions but two main ones are presented: if the animals were killed in a relatively humane manner, it might be kosher to wear the fur. However, if the animals were treated badly and killed in an inhumane manner, it might not be kosher to wear the fur.

Rabbi Telushkin suggests checking into how the animals were killed, but that leaves me with a question. If one were to inherit a fur coat and still want to uphold the principle of tza'ar ba'alei chayim, how would they be able to check into the history of the coat? Ideas?

Day 174: When Giving Enough Is Not Enough

How are we so lucky that such wonderful, intuitive, empathic individuals exist in our world? And there are many of them! Each, I'm sure, with their own strengths. I just want to learn from them all.

I'd like to share a story that was told in the book today instead of interpreting it on my own. I don't believe it needs any extra explanation or any other thoughts added to it:

Once before Passover, someone came to him with the following question: “Rabbeinu, can a person fulfill the obligation of drinking the four glasses at the Seder with milk?”

“Are you ill?” the Rav asked him.

“No,” the man replied. “Thank G-d, I’m in good health, but wine is very expensive this year and I have no money for it.” The Rav took out 25 rubbles from his pocket and gave them to him. However the man did not want to accept it, and he said, “Rabbi, I came to ask a question, not to ask for charity!”

“This money,” said the Rav, “is a loan until G-d helps you. You can pay me back after the holiday.”

The man took the money, thanked the Rav, and went back home. As soon as he left, the Rebbetzin asked her husband, “Why did you give him 25 rubbles? Enough wine for four glasses costs only one or two rubbles!”

Rabbi Yosef Dov smiled and said, “You heard his question: Is it permissible to fulfill the obligation of drinking the four glasses at the Seder with milk? If he was going to have meat during the Seder, he wouldn’t be able to drink milk. I understood from what he said that he had nothing for the holiday, so I gave him enough that nothing would be lacking for him.”

(http://www.hevratpinto.org/tzadikim_eng/125_rabbi_yossef_dov_soloveitchick.html)

Behinds!

July 1 is the 183rd day of the year...I last wrote on day 170. I feel horrendously guilty! Between my internship/driving to and from my internship, my online math course and the midterm I took for it today, visiting my brother in Chicago, experimenting with the number of hours of sleep I can function on, and attempting to spend time with my parents and a friend here and there, I have had zero time to write here.

Which is also a bad thing. I don't like thinking that I sometimes don't have time to study or learn or read what I'd like to read. So here's the deal: I'm going to add-in a couple days entries here and make up the rest SOON. [I don't want to give myself a deadline because I don't want to be disappointed if I don't meet it.]

ALSO side note: just a thought I had today. I'm so thankful to God for the determination He gave me. I'm driven and relatively focused and I owe many of my successes to these traits which I believe both God and my biological parents get some credit for. I just realized that when I do something and come out of it proud of myself, the first thing I do alone is thank God for how well it went. Okay, that's it. Back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Day 171: Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: What the Torah Says

"A righteous person knows the soul of his animal."-Proverbs 12:10

We have this concept in Judaism, tza'ar ba'alei chayim, the prevention of cruelty to animals. I think a lot of animal lovers find something special in Judaism because our religion tries to go out of its way to be kind to animals: we can take the eggs from a nest as long as we shoo the mother bird away to prevent distressing her, we must kill the animals we will eat as fast and painless as possible, animals are even supposed to rest on the Sabbath!

Recently, I saw something about some sort of new animal cruelty prevention laws being implemented somewhere in the U.S. I can't find anything on it now but if I see something, I'll include it in my Shabbas entry!

Day 172: Can Veal Be Kosher?

One of my non-Jewish co-workers was telling me the other day that because of her morals and beliefs, she refused to eat veal...until she found out one day that her father had been making his meatballs with it for years without telling her.

I didn't really think about what was so wrong with veal until...well...right now actually.

To spare you the gory and possibly disturbing details, it depends who you ask about the kashrut status of veal. If you believe that kashrut is all about how the animal is killed, then veal can be kosher. However, if you believe that kashrut is also about how the animal is raised and treated, then you might believe that veal is not kosher.