Comments on: halakha is your friend http://danyaruttenberg.net/2005/05/31/halakha-is-your-friend/ Danya Ruttenberg's website Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:04:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.2 By: Anonymous http://danyaruttenberg.net/2005/05/31/halakha-is-your-friend/#comment-417 Anonymous Tue, 24 Jan 2006 02:53:00 +0000 http://danyaruttenberg.net/2005/05/31/halakha-is-your-friend/#comment-417 That thing about the ego is very fine and intelligent. Bottom line is, even our respecting halakha involves ego, because we feel more powerful afterwords. More powerful even than the biggest immoral-rich-thug having orgies every night in his beverly hills mansion. And definitely more powerful than all those pubescent teens looking forward to be just like him. Sof davar, hakol nichma. Et haeolohim yéra veet mitzvotav shemor. Ki zeh: kol haadam. When we shall serve for no reward (like Moses, who never entered the land and the BESHT, who abandoned his olam haba), when we can really understand what that means, we can serve truthfully. That thing about the ego is very fine and intelligent. Bottom line is, even our respecting halakha involves ego, because we feel more powerful afterwords. More powerful even than the biggest immoral-rich-thug having orgies every night in his beverly hills mansion. And definitely more powerful than all those pubescent teens looking forward to be just like him. Sof davar, hakol nichma. Et haeolohim yéra veet mitzvotav shemor. Ki zeh: kol haadam. When we shall serve for no reward (like Moses, who never entered the land and the BESHT, who abandoned his olam haba), when we can really understand what that means, we can serve truthfully.

]]> By: Judith http://danyaruttenberg.net/2005/05/31/halakha-is-your-friend/#comment-416 Judith Sun, 12 Jun 2005 13:07:00 +0000 http://danyaruttenberg.net/2005/05/31/halakha-is-your-friend/#comment-416 The hard part is figuring out which parts need to be changed and which don't. What is the source of the decision besides the ego? I am just as adamant as you about feminism and gay rights and egal practice, but you haven't really addressed the difficulty, and that is what the fundamentalists can nail us on. I was very impressed with the day of learning at JTS a few years ago on gays in Judaism, because it used the rules of halachic decision-making and the source texts of our halacha to find halachic ways to pursue justice on these issues. I think change has to come that way for it to not just come across as "preference." The hard part is figuring out which parts need to be changed and which don’t. What is the source of the decision besides the ego? I am just as adamant as you about feminism and gay rights and egal practice, but you haven’t really addressed the difficulty, and that is what the fundamentalists can nail us on.

I was very impressed with the day of learning at JTS a few years ago on gays in Judaism, because it used the rules of halachic decision-making and the source texts of our halacha to find halachic ways to pursue justice on these issues. I think change has to come that way for it to not just come across as “preference.”

]]> By: B http://danyaruttenberg.net/2005/05/31/halakha-is-your-friend/#comment-415 B Thu, 09 Jun 2005 13:07:00 +0000 http://danyaruttenberg.net/2005/05/31/halakha-is-your-friend/#comment-415 Umm, could you come be the rabbi for my synagogue? :) Seriously, I completely agreed with this post, and it's rare that I hear another young Jew discuss halakha as a form of Divine service, while acknowledging the clash with modern sensibilities as well as the validity of other religions. Keep up the good work! Umm, could you come be the rabbi for my synagogue? :) Seriously, I completely agreed with this post, and it’s rare that I hear another young Jew discuss halakha as a form of Divine service, while acknowledging the clash with modern sensibilities as well as the validity of other religions. Keep up the good work!

]]> By: Maayan http://danyaruttenberg.net/2005/05/31/halakha-is-your-friend/#comment-414 Maayan Tue, 07 Jun 2005 01:45:00 +0000 http://danyaruttenberg.net/2005/05/31/halakha-is-your-friend/#comment-414 I really liked what you have to say here. I especially appreciated the part about learning to trust halacha through the spiritual reinforcements that came along with doing things that were hard. I agree with you that we can't always count on receiving those reinforcements. All the same, I received so much unexpected benefit when I started keeping kosher. Even some of the things that I thought would be the hardest (talking to my parents about it, for instance) turned out to lead to positive and surprising results. Knowing that helps me to believe that my future steps towards halachik Judaism may also provide me with unexpected rewards and that I have to trust, even if I can't see them right away. Na'ase v'nishma, you know? I really liked what you have to say here. I especially appreciated the part about learning to trust halacha through the spiritual reinforcements that came along with doing things that were hard.

I agree with you that we can’t always count on receiving those reinforcements. All the same, I received so much unexpected benefit when I started keeping kosher. Even some of the things that I thought would be the hardest (talking to my parents about it, for instance) turned out to lead to positive and surprising results.

Knowing that helps me to believe that my future steps towards halachik Judaism may also provide me with unexpected rewards and that I have to trust, even if I can’t see them right away. Na’ase v’nishma, you know?

]]> By: Rachel http://danyaruttenberg.net/2005/05/31/halakha-is-your-friend/#comment-413 Rachel Sun, 05 Jun 2005 11:30:00 +0000 http://danyaruttenberg.net/2005/05/31/halakha-is-your-friend/#comment-413 Douglas Rushkoff has done some stuff with a metaphor similar to your source-code one -- for a while his <a HREF="http://opensourcejudaism.com" rel="nofollow"> site was a kind of Judaism wiki (only not using wikicode), where he was encouraging people to involve themselves with the source code of the tradition. These days that url seems to point to his blog, though, so who knows... Douglas Rushkoff has done some stuff with a metaphor similar to your source-code one — for a while his site was a kind of Judaism wiki (only not using wikicode), where he was encouraging people to involve themselves with the source code of the tradition. These days that url seems to point to his blog, though, so who knows…

]]> By: Danya http://danyaruttenberg.net/2005/05/31/halakha-is-your-friend/#comment-412 Danya Fri, 03 Jun 2005 15:47:00 +0000 http://danyaruttenberg.net/2005/05/31/halakha-is-your-friend/#comment-412 Thanks! Never seen the source code metaphor before, it (plus the extended dial-up, DSL, wireless metaphor about how your relationship to God is lately) came out of conversation with my friend Laura. We're both low-level geeks who are friends with real geeks.... *shrug* Thanks! Never seen the source code metaphor before, it (plus the extended dial-up, DSL, wireless metaphor about how your relationship to God is lately) came out of conversation with my friend Laura. We’re both low-level geeks who are friends with real geeks…. *shrug*

]]> By: DJR http://danyaruttenberg.net/2005/05/31/halakha-is-your-friend/#comment-411 DJR Fri, 03 Jun 2005 02:28:00 +0000 http://danyaruttenberg.net/2005/05/31/halakha-is-your-friend/#comment-411 You wrote: "And I, for one, am very reluctant to tinker with the source code, to assume that my shitah (idea about something) is going to get both myself and generations of communities where we need to go more than the thing that's already on the books." I think the source code metaphor is brilliant! Have you seen it before? For anyone who's involved in programming, it's quite vivid and apt. You wrote: “And I, for one, am very reluctant to tinker with the source code, to assume that my shitah (idea about something) is going to get both myself and generations of communities where we need to go more than the thing that’s already on the books.”

I think the source code metaphor is brilliant! Have you seen it before?

For anyone who’s involved in programming, it’s quite vivid and apt.

]]> By: Anonymous http://danyaruttenberg.net/2005/05/31/halakha-is-your-friend/#comment-410 Anonymous Wed, 01 Jun 2005 04:38:00 +0000 http://danyaruttenberg.net/2005/05/31/halakha-is-your-friend/#comment-410 ~ks here... Well said. One of the priests at Zen Center has referred to taking the bodhisattva vows as "practising beyond one's preference"... admitting that not once during the 5 years he lived at the monastery did he feel like getting up at 3:00 in the morning to meditate was what he REALLY wanted to do at that moment. ~ks here…

Well said.

One of the priests at Zen Center has referred to taking the bodhisattva vows as “practising beyond one’s preference”… admitting that not once during the 5 years he lived at the monastery did he feel like getting up at 3:00 in the morning to meditate was what he REALLY wanted to do at that moment.

]]> By: Rachel http://danyaruttenberg.net/2005/05/31/halakha-is-your-friend/#comment-409 Rachel Wed, 01 Jun 2005 02:47:00 +0000 http://danyaruttenberg.net/2005/05/31/halakha-is-your-friend/#comment-409 This is GREAT. Seriously. I shower you with rose petals. This is awesome. And my personal practice looks very different from yours, so I'm not just saying that because what you're saying matches my lifestyle. This is GREAT.

Seriously. I shower you with rose petals. This is awesome.

And my personal practice looks very different from yours, so I’m not just saying that because what you’re saying matches my lifestyle.

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