Comments for Sotah

Comment on Meta-discourse on blogs and gender (my favorite!!) by Elly

Elly — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 03:10:43 +0000

Okay, here I go. I am going to try to pick your blog apart. Not because I am mean, or because I am an ignorant religious person, but because I sincerely feel that what you are saying makes absolutely NO sense, and is patently FALSE. I welcome you to respond to me, and I would love to be proved wrong. Thanks:

“Overall, I understand intellectually that Jerusalem has been a holy spot long before Judaism, Christianity and Islam.”

Really? Jerusalem was holy before Judaism? Where did you get that information?

“Our temples where build on the ruins of others. “

What temple did we destroy? The Canaanites were Polytheistic people, and as such did not have 1 large temple. Where are you getting your information from?

“Jerusalem already existed (before 1948) as a hyper-holy city, hell it already existed before Christ and before the Torah as a holy city”

I can’t believe you repeated this nonsense

“Women cannot pray in minyan at the kotel because the Kotel belongs to israel, and in israel the ruling religion does not let women gather and pray.”

No, that’s incorrect. Women CAN gather and pray together in a minyan. What they can’t do, is join in with a group of men to make a minyan. AND THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT THE KOTEL BELONGS TO ISRAEL!!!!!! There are many things that the state of Israel does that goes against the Torah. Israel is not a theocracy

“In this book God commanded the Jews to destroy or conqure the seven nations of Canaan. God gave the Jews a land already occupied by civilizations upon civilizations. Our Mount Zion, the location of our destroyed temples is also the location of the temple we destroyed.”

Again, what temple did we destroy? The Canaanites were Polytheistic people, and as such did not have 1 large temple. Where are you getting your information from?

“The UN give it to us, the world sanctioned our presence, instead of God gave it to us”

Are you seriously comparing humans to G-d?????

“Ownership is no an unalienable absolute, and certainly not a catch all response. Thus, the politics of holiness do not impress me.”

I don’t understand you. Do you believe in G-d? If so than you should not be wasting your time trying to figure him out, G-d doesn’t need to impress you.

Comment on The Girl and the Drash by Zalman Kastel

Zalman Kastel — Sun, 29 May 2011 03:54:45 +0000

I enjoyed this take on the flags. My own post this week followed a similar direction (and R. Kook’s idea about going beyond the flags), not as well written as this one but reflecting on other parts of the parsha, sources and experiences.

http://torahforsociallyawarehasid.blogspot.com/2011/05/ambiguity-and-mystery-vs-clarity.html

Comment on The will of God and leaving Orthodox Judaism by Yossieh

Yossieh — Mon, 23 May 2011 23:17:51 +0000

I find this dialog fascinating. People from all different backgrounds, expressing their deepest, honest emotions is certainly a forum that is to be commended. I have been and still am O all my life. I have had much exposure to much of the world being a professional by training, a consultant and a college professor. I spend a fair amount of my time dealing with people who are not happy with their lot in life either by birth or circumstance and have helped quite a few find a place in life very different from their original background yet quite fulfilling within a framework of religious Judaism that is still spiritually fulfilling while being an active participative life that interacts with the real world.

It seems that some of you have not found a place that would give you the ability to feel comfortable in both worlds. I have come across the extremism that causes so much anxiety in both the religious and secular world. On the other hand, I know of authentic people who can and do provide much more flexibility and understanding then some of the posts have encountered.

I certainly would offer anyone who wishes to have an informative discussion on any topic that could perhaps provide objective information for people to make comfortable considerations and decisions.

I look forward to anything anyone wishes to say and discuss.

The best of everything to everyone.

Comment on The Modesty Erotic by Liz

Liz — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 22:39:23 +0000

Fantastic essay. I was traveling in Egypt last month and the expectation that I, as a non-Muslim foreigner, would conform to the local modesty standard just to respect local culture and prevent harassment was something that gave me a whole lot to think about. I love your way of framing the issue as modesty = constant objectification.

Comment on The Modesty Erotic by The Modesty Erotic

The Modesty Erotic — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 16:08:24 +0000

[...] Cross-posted from sotah [...]

Comment on A Purim Satire by Harley

Harley — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 03:11:53 +0000

Mordechai’s letter states that the Jews are to defend themselves against anyone who tries to kill them. While Haman’s was just kill the Jews. That difference is huge in my mind. Killing for the sake of killing and defending and standing up for one’s self should be noted.

Comment on Dolls: a comparison by Java

Java — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 19:28:29 +0000

Love the Mamamor doll. However, why don’t they include some fathers too? Clearly fathers aren’t giving birth, but they can certainly have a father doll who babywears and bonds. Would love to show that father doll to my daughter, along with getting her a mini Moby to hold her animals or dolls http://www.mobywrap.com/p-18-mini-moby.aspx.

Comment on The radical “Sister-Wives” – a review by A Week in Marriage | Sotah

A Week in Marriage | Sotah — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 04:29:17 +0000

[...] In the meantime, the real life polygamous family from TLS’ Sister Wives, moved from Utah to Nevada, to “explore new job opportunities” or to run away from the authorities who were investigating them for the audacity of flaunting their lifestyle on TLS. I reviewed the show earlier this year. [...]

Comment on the theology of “Skins” – a review of Anwar’s episode by Jemma kaczanowicz

Jemma kaczanowicz — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 04:53:41 +0000

I LOVE Skins! This is such a great show and I love that they have portrayed a Muslim teenager- one who defies peoples stereotypes of how a Muslim is suppose to act. I love how complex the writers of the show have made each of the characters, not just Anwar, it depicts the reality that we are not all as cookie cutter as we may seem. We are complex, hypocritical, religious (some people are), unique beings who are constantly changing.

Comment on The leap of faith & and the narrative of the other at Christmas by DeDe

DeDe — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 19:44:09 +0000

Hey, just found you through Feministing (great post there, by the way). I read “Girl Meets God” a few years ago (and “Permission to Receive” when I was in NCSY as a teen), and loved it. It fascinated me that the core of what attracted Lauren Winner to Christianity — the incarnation — is the ultimate anathema to Orthodox Judaism, at least after the Rambam, yada yada yada — the notion that God can be physical in any way. When I was in high school, I remember learning Rashi on a pasuk in Shemot where God says he will send his hand down against the Egyptians. Rashi says “yad mamash l’hakot bahem”, an ‘actual hand’ to hit them. What could this possibly mean? I asked a Chassidish-learning rav I was learning with at the time, who told me that he asked the very same question to Rav Yerucham Levovitch, past mashgiach ruchani of the Mir. Rav Yerucham said, with a twinkle in his eye, “We think we have hands.”
That still blows my mind. Anyway, love your blog!