[faegeleh-deactivated20200902]

The Kreismesser: Women and Magic Swords in Jewish Tradition by Jill Hammer

I have always had a particular fascination with women warriors—particularly ancient and medieval ones. Joan of Arc was a favorite, as was Artemis, Greek goddess of the hunt. My father had a sword …

“It’s notable that it is women who wield the kreismesser, and the bride who circles the groom rather than the other way around.  It seems clear that in these Jewish rituals, women are considered to have a protective role—even though, according to scholar B. Ann Tlusty, Germanic sword magic was entirely the province of men and was a kind of “hypermasculine magic.”  It might have been that women were considered experts in protective magic, as they cared for birthing women and infants—or that women were viewed as sources of life, therefore containing protective power within themselves.  

As I consider the kreismesser, the eyes seem particularly significant to me: they are on guard, watching, paying attention.  In some way, the spiritual practice of the kreismesser is about vigilance, about paying attention to what happens to those around us.  The sacred circle may be meant to keep things out, but it’s also meant to keep us in, and connected to one another. Interestingly, one protective practice Jewish women in the Rhineland did at the time of a birth was not to wield swords but to make twelve candles, or a single large braided candle, representing the twelve tribes.  These candles were an indication of togetherness and witness of one another….

…My friend and colleague Taya Shere often says that “protective” rituals shouldn’t be viewed as about “protection”—we can’t always keep painful things from befalling those we care about.  Such rituals, she says, should be about filling ourselves up with our own essence and power so we can meet whatever comes with readiness and love. When I think about magic circles, I think about how we can work to draw circles—of defense, sustainability, peace– around what we wish to preserve and save.”

[linguist-breakaribecca]

Trans-inclusive language in religious texts is SO IMPORTANT. There is nothing in some young people’s lives that can either validate or dehumanize them so quickly as how they see themselves represented in the words of their religion.

May all who need to see these words find them.

[starlightomatic]

Some more trans Jewish resources! More blessings for gender transition Mikvah ritual for gender transition Blessing for chest binding Prayer for closeting/misgendering yourself Name change ceremony Baby naming ceremony with a single gestational father

[apocalypsicorn-deactivated20180]

This was such a blessing for me to see today! Thank you Adonai for having this come across my timeline.

[mapsontheweb]

Jewish Kingdoms

[yidquotes]

Having a relationship with God is a feathery thing. One never really knows what God is thinking, when God is present, how we can truly bear witness to God’s will in the world. And yet, through prayer we are reminded of all that is Holy in our world and in ourselves, and through this we form a bridge of connection. We become partners with God in the perfection of this world. It is then that we can truly make God holy. By repairing the brokenness in ourselves, by repairing the brokenness of our world, we repair the brokenness that has resided within God since the first moment of creation and in this way we can indeed make the Holy One, whole once again.

Rabbi Joe Rooks Rapport

[yidquotes]

“As Jews, we know what it is to feel vulnerable and powerless. God chose the Jewish people as the archetypal strangers. Why? So that we would never forget that person behind the barbed wire, barricade, or checkpoint. That family forced to hide or run, that couple carrying all their belongings on their backs, or more basically – those people of a different color, faith or philosophy. We are mandated by our tradition to remember, and protect, and, yes, love the stranger – because we are that stranger. This is what we were Chosen for.”

— Rabbi Angela Buchdahl

[littlegoythings]

Jewish Americans are least Islamophobic faith group, survey finds - Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Meanwhile, 45 percent of the Muslim-American respondents had favorable views of Jews and just 10 percent had negative views.

A majority of Jewish Americans have positive feelings about Muslims – and the feelings are mutual — according to a survey released Wednesday.

The 2019 American Muslim Poll, conducted in January, found that 53 percent of Jewish Americans reported having positive views of Muslims — the highest of any non-Muslim faith group surveyed — compared to 13 percent with negative views. The same percentage of Jews reported that a candidate’s endorsement of a Muslim ban would decrease their support for that individual.

Likewise, 45 percent of the Muslim-American respondents had favorable views of Jews, while just 10 percent reported having negative views. The remaining respondents were neutral.

Personally knowing a Muslim may contribute to the positive sentiments: 76 percent of Jewish-American respondents said they knew a Muslim, compared to 54 percent of the general public, and 45 percent of the Jews said they are close enough with a Muslim that they would call them if they needed help.

Among white evangelicals, as many as 44 percent held unfavorable opinions about Muslims, more than double those with favorable views, 20 percent.

The poll was commissioned by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, a research and advocacy organization for Muslim Americans. Among the 2,376 respondents were 804 who identified as Muslim and 360 as Jewish.

The margin of error was 3.6 percent, but higher for Jews and Muslims: 7.6 percent for the former and 4.9 percent for the latter.

[yidquotes]

To put it plainly, Jewish law allows for abortion. For the first 40 days of gestation, a fetus is considered “mere fluid” (Talmud Yevamot 69b), and the fetus is regarded as part of the mother for the duration of the pregnancy. It is not considered to have the status of personhood until birth; the Mishnah (Ohalot 7:6) teaches that if the mother’s life is in danger from the pregnancy, even in labor, the fetus may be sacrificed to save her life, unless the baby’s head has already emerged. Only then, according to Rashi (Talmud Sanhedrin 72b), is the fetus or baby considered to be a nefesh, a soul. Elsewhere, the Mishnah (Arachin 1:4) teaches that “If a [pregnant] woman is about to be executed, they do not wait for her until she gives birth. But if she had already sat on the birthstool, they wait for her until she gives birth.” Birth, not gestation, is the critical marker, here.

This body of literature, needless to say, comes in stark and striking contrast to arguments that life—and personhood—begins at conception.

Interestingly, many Christian communities derive their prooftexts against permitting abortion from the Hebrew Bible, like verses about God forming humans in the womb (Psalm 139:13, Jeremiah 1:5, Isaiah 44:24)—texts which don’t even register in the Jewish legal conversation on this topic. To put it simply, we don’t derive matters of Jewish law from Psalms. - Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg

[comedownstairsandsayhello]

I’d like to point out too, since that thing about executing a pregnant woman sounds pretty brutal, that Jewish law places EXTREME limitations on the death penalty. The burden of proof is much higher than in many cases— you’d need 23 judges and two witnesses who could demonstrate that the defendant was explicitly warned that what they were doing was a capital offense, and proceeded anyway. If the verdict was too fast or was unanimous, it’d be taken as a sign of bias and they’d automatically acquit. The rabbis said that a court that executes more than one person in a generation would be considered a gang of murderers. Rabbis Akiva and Tarfon boasted that they if they had been on the court, being brilliant legal scholars, they could have found a way to acquit anyone.

tl;dr Judaism is really and truly pro-life in the sense of actually valuing life

[jhscdood]

A good thread on Lashon Hara (“evil tongue”) and how it threatens vulnerable communities in particular

[echthr0s]

here is the link to the thread on twitter, for those of you like me who find this ^ particular format a little difficult to read

[yidquotes]

When you are asked in the world to come, “What was your work?” and you answer, “I fed the hungry,” you will be told, “This is the gate of Adonai, enter into it, you who have fed the hungry.”

Midrash Psalms 118:17

A LGBTQ/Queer Jewish Reading List (in no particular order)

Nice Jewish Girls, a lesbian anthology edited by Evelyn Torton Beck

Twice Blessed, edited by Christie Balka and Andy Rose

Queer Jews, edited by David Shneer and Caryn Aviv

Mentsh: On Being Jewish and Queer, edited by Angela Brown

Found Tribe, edited by Lawrence Schimel

Balancing on the Mechitza: Transgender in the Jewish Community, edited by Noach Dzmura

Between Sodom and Eden, by Lee Walzer

God vs. Gay?: The Religious Case for Equality, by Jay Michaelson

Through the Door of Life: A Jewish Journey Between Genders, by Joy Ladin

Blood, Marriage, Wine, and Glitter, by S. Bear Bergman

Keep Your Wives Away from Them: Orthodox Women, Unorthodox Desires, edited by  Miryam Kabakov

Torah Queeries: Weekly Commentaries on the Hebrew Bible, edited by  Gregg Drinkwater, Joshua Lesser and David Shneer

Kulanu (All of Us): A Program & Resource Guide for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Inclusion, by Richard F. Address, Joel L. Kushner, and Geoffrey Mitelman

Judaism and Homosexuality: An Authentic Orthodox View, by Rabbi Chaim Rapoport

Queer Theory and the Jewish Question, edited by Daniel Boyarin, Daniel Itzkovitz, and Ann Pellegrini

Queering the Text: Biblical, Medieval, and Modern Jewish Stories, by Andrew Ramer

The Passing Game: Queering Jewish American Culture, by Warren Hoffman

Wrestling with God and Men: Homosexuality in the Jewish Tradition, by Rabbi Steven Greeberg

Like Bread on the Seder Plate: Jewish Lesbians and the Transformation of Tradition, by Rebecca Alpert

This list doesn’t include all the memoirs, all the fiction short story collections. They’re mostly books I’ve read— some of them, like “Like Bread on a Seder Plate” and “Queer Jews” I grew up with, others, like “Torah Queeries” and “Keep Your Wives Away From Them” I read on my own time. They range from Orthodox to Reconstructionist to Reform, and encompass a variety of ways of tangling with Jewish tradition.

If you are curious about LGBTQ people in the Jewish tradition, I urge you read at least one if not more of these.

[thetransintransgenic]

Also, as of… like, two days ago, @darkhei-noam‘s book A Rainbow Thread of texts from throughout Jewish history/tradition.

[physticuffs]

please I am dying to know what one is supposed to do if one farts while praying

“He went and found the tanna, who recites the tannaitic sources before the study hall, reciting the following baraita before Rav Yehuda: One who was standing in prayer and sneezed from below waits until the odor dissipates and resumes praying. Some say: One who was standing in prayer when he felt the need to sneeze from below, retreats four cubits, sneezes, waits until the odor dissipates and resumes praying. And before resuming his prayer, he says: Master of the universe, You have formed us with many orifices and cavities; our disgrace and shame in life are clear and evident before You, as is our destiny with maggots and worms, and so we should not be judged harshly. And he resumes his prayer from where he stopped.”

-Berakhot 24b, text copied from Sefaria–“sneeze from below” is a delicate way to refer to farting.

to summarize: if you fart while praying, you step aside, wait till the smell goes away, and then say “realistically, Hashem, this is on you for making us this way.”

this isn’t even the best part of Berakhot. before this, they have an argument about how much skin has to be showing for you to be considered naked. one of the rabbis asks “what if your pubic hair is poking through your clothes?” (GET LOOSER CLOTHES) and another rabbi straight-up calls him an idiot. and then just a little while after the farting passage, there’s this beauty:

“The Gemara asks: What are the circumstances of feces like earthenware? Rabba bar bar Ḥana said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: As long as one throws it and it does not crumble, it is still considered moist. And some say: As long as one can roll it from place to place and it does not crumble.”

-Berakhot 25a

to summarize: if you play with poop, you can tell whether it’s wet or dry.

it goes on in this vein for a loooong time. there are debates about whether you can say prayers in dirty alleys. there are debates about whether you can say prayers in a place where you can see pig, dog, or human feces. there are debates about whether you can say prayers next to someone who’s peeing, or next to a patch of pee. there are debates about what direction to face while pooping. apparently it’s different depending on whether you’re in the Galilee region versus Judea. 

i couldn’t take the Talmud seriously if i tried.

[likeniobe]

woodcut illustrations of judaica by antonio frasconi for yentl the yeshiva boy by isaac bashevis singer

[divinum-pacis]

Essential Judaism: Purim

Purim literally means “lots,” a name that is derived from Haman’s casting of lots to determine the day for his proposed massacre of the Jews. Needless to say, a celebration of his failure calls for great joy and merriment. In the synagogue, the reading of Megillat Esther/ the Scroll of Esther is met with cheering and shouting. Congregants are supposed to drown out the mention of Haman’s name. At the same time, Jews are supposed to get drunk enough that they cannot distinguish between “Blessed be Mordecai” and “Cursed be Haman,” so the proceedings get pretty wild. Adults and children alike come to services in costumes, dressed as Esther, Mordecai, and other figures, carrying groggers/noisemakers traditionally made of wood, pots and pans to beat on, and the occasional semi-illicit bottle. Many synagogues will offer a Purimspiel/Purim play and even a Purim rabbi who delivers a mock-serious sermon, called a Purim Torah, in the Talmudic style.

Like many Jewish holidays, Purim is associated with a particular food, the little triangular pastries called hamantaschen/Haman’s pockets. Filled with prunes, apricots, or poppy seeds, these tasty little items are one of the highlights of the holiday. They take their name from the triangular hat and pockets allegedly worn by Haman.

As joyous as the holiday is, it is also a time for serious reflection on the duties of a Jew towards her community, particularly in a post-Holocaust world. The day before the holiday is a minor fast day, the Fast of Esther, timed to coincide with Esther’s own fast on the day during which she decided to tell Ahashverus that she is a Jew and to avert the massacre of her people. One of the primary obligations of Purim, beyond the revelry, is to make donations to the poor. One should give money to at least two needy people or good causes, send gifts of food or drink, called shalakh mones (Yiddish), to friends. And, finally, one should have a Purim seudah/festive meal, with family and friends sharing in the joy of the holiday.

Source: Essential Judaism: A Complete Guide to Beliefs, Customs, and Rituals, 1st ed. by George Robinson, pgs. 117-18.

[determinate-negation]

unfortunate that the united states has been very successful at controlling narratives around word war 2 and positioning itself as the polar opposite of nazism and the main force fighting fascism when america was complicit in the holocaust. not only did american press report positively about hitler and the nazi party up until the end of the 30′s, some publications cooperated with nazi germany, american companies had investments and connections to nazi germany that they maintained until american involvement in the war, and companies like ibm in particular gave nazis the technology necessary to make the holocaust possible in the first place. some company owners themselves had nazi sympathies like henry ford and others just saw it as a business opportunity. the us denied entry to european jewish refugees and deported jewish refugees back to germany, many senators and other government officials during the 1930s openly supported nazism and worked to prevent the us from taking a side in ww2, and during the 30s large pro nazi rallies were held across the us. american eugenics movement, american race laws and american genocide set the model for the holocaust and there shouldnt be any discussion of nazism and the holocaust without also discussing the extent of american complicity in it. 

anyways heres some material on it

ibm and the holocaust

hitlers american friends

ap press cooperation with nazis

hitlers american model

general motors and nazi germany

operation paperclip

us reporting on the rise of fascism

[jewishconvertthings]

Hi! I wanted to share something that might help others in their davening while they’re still conversion students. 

As many of you probably know, one of the morning blessings is related to thanking Hashem for not making them a gentile (“…shelo asani goi”), or alternatively, for making them Jewish (“…she'asani yisrael.”) Now, clearly this could get a bit awkward for a convert to say, but is even more so for a conversion student. 

That being the case, I looked for an existing alternative and couldn’t find anything for a long time. (I have subsequently discovered that completed converts are apparently supposed to say “….she'asani ger,” but I still like my version of it.) 

What I came up with in the interim was “….who has called me to become Jewish,” which @progressivejudaism  was kind enough to help me translate into “….asher kara li laasot yisrael.“ 

I don’t know if anyone else will find this useful, but I wanted to share in case someone did! 

[studyisaformofworship]

I reblogged this before and wanted to add something! I met with my rabbi and he absolutely loved “…who has called me to become Jewish/of the people Yisrael”. However, he said “laasot” wasn’t, in his opinion, the right grammar for it. He offered me the translation “…asher kara li lihiyot yisrael.”

I’m still only learning the aleph-bet so obviously I don’t know if one is more right than the other, but I wanted to offer it!

[jewishconvertthings]

Thank you for sharing this wonderful addition!

[jewishconvertthings]

So since this has started going around again and there have now been a few comments on this post to this effect, I’d like to address the issue directly:

Namely, multiple people have pointed out that gerim are Jews (which is true) and that even prospective gerim have Jewish souls/stood at Sinai with the rest of klal Yisrael if they are meant to convert/ultimately do end up converting (which is a Midrashic teaching.) Therefore, there’s no problem just saying the regular bracha.

Two points: This post was never meant to be prescriptive, but rather to offer a solution to a situation that happened to make me, personally, uncomfortable and that I suspected others might find awkward as well. If you don’t feel awkward using the regular bracha or the “…. she'asani ger/giyoret” version, great! You’re honestly on better halachic standing. On the other hand, if this IS useful to you and helps you be more engaged in davening, then great! That’s why I shared it. Neither choice is inherently better - just useful for different people.

Also, while that Midrash is gorgeous, using it in this way felt weird to me, because if conversion students are already essentially Jewish, then why the whole conversion process? Again, others might feel differently, but to me it felt like jumping the gun. This was my solution, that I decided to share in case other people might find it useful. If it’s not useful for you, then don’t worry about it.

The second point, which goes toward my comment about halacha is: if you are halachically stricter, you probably don’t want to use this and/or want to ask your rabbi first, because any deviations from the traditional liturgy could be viewed as saying a bracha in vain. My orthodox rabbi loved the formulation of this in spirit, but had this concern about it halachically. A Conservative rabbi I asked did not share this concern and encouraged me to do what I needed to in order to deepen my kavana. Other Conservative rabbis might disagree, however. So if you’re part of a more traditional movement, check with your rabbi first.

As a final note, now that I am Jewish? I’ve switched to the standard formulations (haven’t fully settled on one yet, but leaning towards the Conservative version because it fits better IMO.)

[virtual-beit-midrash]

A few more variations for gerim (x):

1. “she’hich’nisani tachat kanfei hashechina” (who has put me under the wings of the Shechina) 

2. “she’lo asani ke’goyei ha’aratzot” (who didn’t make me like the nations of the lands)

3. “she’asani yisrael” / “she’asani yehudi” (who has made me Israel / Jewish)

4. “she’lo asani oved kochavim” (who has not made me an idol worshipper)

5. “she’lo samtani goy” (who has not made me now a gentile)

6. bless without saying God’s name

7. don’t say the blessing

[jewishconvertthings]

Thank you @virtual-beit-midrash for this phenomenal addition to this post!!

[jewishconvertthings]

Hi! I wanted to share something that might help others in their davening while they’re still conversion students. 

As many of you probably know, one of the morning blessings is related to thanking Hashem for not making them a gentile (“…shelo asani goi”), or alternatively, for making them Jewish (“…she'asani yisrael.”) Now, clearly this could get a bit awkward for a convert to say, but is even more so for a conversion student. 

That being the case, I looked for an existing alternative and couldn’t find anything for a long time. (I have subsequently discovered that completed converts are apparently supposed to say “….she'asani ger,” but I still like my version of it.) 

What I came up with in the interim was “….who has called me to become Jewish,” which @progressivejudaism  was kind enough to help me translate into “….asher kara li laasot yisrael.“ 

I don’t know if anyone else will find this useful, but I wanted to share in case someone did! 

[studyisaformofworship]

I reblogged this before and wanted to add something! I met with my rabbi and he absolutely loved “…who has called me to become Jewish/of the people Yisrael”. However, he said “laasot” wasn’t, in his opinion, the right grammar for it. He offered me the translation “…asher kara li lihiyot yisrael.”

I’m still only learning the aleph-bet so obviously I don’t know if one is more right than the other, but I wanted to offer it!

[jewishconvertthings]

Thank you for sharing this wonderful addition!

[jewishconvertthings]

So since this has started going around again and there have now been a few comments on this post to this effect, I’d like to address the issue directly:

Namely, multiple people have pointed out that gerim are Jews (which is true) and that even prospective gerim have Jewish souls/stood at Sinai with the rest of klal Yisrael if they are meant to convert/ultimately do end up converting (which is a Midrashic teaching.) Therefore, there’s no problem just saying the regular bracha.

Two points: This post was never meant to be prescriptive, but rather to offer a solution to a situation that happened to make me, personally, uncomfortable and that I suspected others might find awkward as well. If you don’t feel awkward using the regular bracha or the “…. she'asani ger/giyoret” version, great! You’re honestly on better halachic standing. On the other hand, if this IS useful to you and helps you be more engaged in davening, then great! That’s why I shared it. Neither choice is inherently better - just useful for different people.

Also, while that Midrash is gorgeous, using it in this way felt weird to me, because if conversion students are already essentially Jewish, then why the whole conversion process? Again, others might feel differently, but to me it felt like jumping the gun. This was my solution, that I decided to share in case other people might find it useful. If it’s not useful for you, then don’t worry about it.

The second point, which goes toward my comment about halacha is: if you are halachically stricter, you probably don’t want to use this and/or want to ask your rabbi first, because any deviations from the traditional liturgy could be viewed as saying a bracha in vain. My orthodox rabbi loved the formulation of this in spirit, but had this concern about it halachically. A Conservative rabbi I asked did not share this concern and encouraged me to do what I needed to in order to deepen my kavana. Other Conservative rabbis might disagree, however. So if you’re part of a more traditional movement, check with your rabbi first.

As a final note, now that I am Jewish? I’ve switched to the standard formulations (haven’t fully settled on one yet, but leaning towards the Conservative version because it fits better IMO.)

[jewish-privilege]

Rachel Riley lists the anti-Semitic insults she's received from 'Labour' trolls

Rachel Riley has listed the anti-Semitic insults she’s received from ’Labour’ trolls.

The Countdown star told how people who try and speak out are subjected to “gaslighting” by those who say anti-Semitism doesn’t exist.

In a powerful speech in Parliament the TV star reeled off a shocking list of abusive names she has been called online.

“In the name of Labour I’ve been called a hypocrite, lying propagandist, tits, teeth and ass clothes horse dolly bird, weaponiser of anti-Semitism, fascist, right-wing extremist, Nazi sympathiser, Twitter cancer, thick Tory, brainwashed, an anti-Semite, white supremacist, hate preacher, Zio political trollster, not a real Jew, a child bully, conspiracy theorist, a paedo-protector minion puppet who my dead grandfather would be disgusted by.”

And she explained that the offensive names were tweeted by people whose profiles contained “the red Labour rose coupled with the Palestinian flag and the hashtag of Get the Tories out and Jeremy Corbyn for PM. Along with the standard claim to be against racism in all forms” as their “signature give aways”.

She said that anti-Semites make out that the “victim becomes the aggressor” as a form of “gaslighting”.

Ms Riley, who has come under increasing levels of abuse since she spoke out against anti-Semitism acknowledged that speaking out could damage her TV carrer while those attacking her speak with impunity.

She said: “one misplaced word from me could be ruinous.”

Adding: “No one should have to jeopardise their safety or their careers speaking out against antisemitism. We need to remember our history,“ she said.

And she paid tribute to those standing up against abuse - particularly ex-Labour members.

Speaking at a packed-out event in Parliament to mark the National Holocaust Memorial Day, the mathematician said: "This is a national scandal.”

Ms Riley, whose “mum’s Jewish and dad is Man United” told how she had had to research the Holocaust to be able to fight the trolling.

She told of spending six hours researching on Christmas Day but said it was necessary so she could call out the abuse…