Monday, June 29, 2015

"Mansplaining the Morning Blessings"

"It's not about the extra mitzot," says Rainbow Tallit Baby.  I consider this very informative post a must-read.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Ofir Ben-Shitrit gets some company: "Anonymous"

Ofir Ben-Shitrit is now joined by another Orthodox woman who loves to sing for all to enjoy.  Unfortunately, since she's a Baalat T'shuvah (roughly, "returnee" to Orthodoxy) to the "Ultra-Orthodox" version of Orthodox Judaism, she's afraid to reveal her identity, as many Orthodox Jews hold the opinion that it's forbidden for a man to listen to a woman sing.  (See here.)  I wish her luck--it's a tough decision, whether to go public and ruin her "Ultra" status or go silent again and remain vocally frustrated.

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Thursday, June 18, 2015

Chodesh Tov, and a new beginning for me

Those bored by my "health" posts can skip this one and try this one instead.

Since I'm tired of getting sick from so many foods, I've taken the plunge:  These guys are starting me off on the Autoimmune Paleo Diet and gradually moving me to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet after my digestive tract has had time to do some initial healing.  I can't cheat for at least three months, not even on Shabbat or Yom Tov.  Wish me luck.

Bye bye sugar too
Bye bye chickpeas too
No chummus!  I’m gonna cry

Bye bye pain
Bye bye tummy woes
Need health, heaven knows
Bye bye bad health goodbye
Bye bye bad health goodbye
Hello good health say hi

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Parshat Korah, 5775/2015 edition

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Comments of the day

From Harry Maryles' (latest) rant against the ordination of women as Orthodox rabbis:
Trying to understand why these kinds of actions will create a new denomination/movement, but the erasure of women (among other things) doesn't create the same fissure between Centrist Orthodoxy and Haredim.




I will just briefly say that in my view one cannot be a rabbi if the traditional functions of a rabbi are limited by Halacha.
Let's think about this for a moment. One of the traditional functions of a Rabbi involves funerals.
Kohanim are generally forbidden from taking an active role in a funeral.
So, by this logic, they cannot be Rabbis.
And so, you have managed to exclude the Priests from the clergy.

Quick & very belated note re B'haalot'cha confusion

This is one of those interesting challenges that the Torah occasionally presents:

Numbers, chapter 10 (from Parshat Behaalotecha/B'haalot'cha (whatever)

כט  וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה, לְחֹבָב בֶּן-רְעוּאֵל הַמִּדְיָנִי חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה, נֹסְעִים אֲנַחְנוּ אֶל-הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר אָמַר יְהוָה, אֹתוֹ אֶתֵּן לָכֶם; לְכָה אִתָּנוּ וְהֵטַבְנוּ לָךְ, כִּי-יְהוָה דִּבֶּר-טוֹב עַל-יִשְׂרָאֵל. 29 And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law: 'We are journeying unto the place of which the LORD said: I will give it you; come thou with us, and we will do thee good; for the LORD hath spoken good concerning Israel.' 

If, as I've heard, Chovav/Khovav (Hobab) is another name for Yitro (Jethro) and Reuel is also another name for Yitro, who is the person named here?  Is Chovav the same individual as Yitro, or is he the son of Yitro?  Personally, I'm inclined to think that this is Yitro's son, just because Yitro would have been pretty old, if even still alive, at this point in the story.

Thursday, June 04, 2015

Is anyone talking about this?

Caitlyn Jenner looks gorgeous enough to make me jealous.

But I assume that she'll have to continue for the rest of her life to take estrogen, and/or whatever feminizing drugs she's using, to persuade her body to conform to what her brain tells her that she is.  What price will she pay in terms of her health?

Here's another point that folks are talking about (see New York Times op-ed article):  Ms. Jenner chose not only to change her gender, but also, to change her age, so to speak--though she's only a year younger than I, she looks easily 15-20 years my junior.  How does that make the rest of us older women look by comparison?  Why are women expected to be ageless?

Does this singing duo sound familiar,or just fishy?:)

Salmon and Garfunkel, anyone?  :)

Throw the rotten tomatoes at my husband, not at me--I don't call him the Punster for nothin'.  :)

Hey, hubster, watch out--incoming!  Duck!  (Quack!  :) )
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