Sunday afternoon, I went with the wife, her sister and a friend of ours from college to see Cirque du Soliel's latest touring show, Kooza. www.cirquedusoleil.com/kooza
Based in Canada, Cirque du Soliel attracts performers from around the world to do amazing feats of tumbling, juggling, balancing, and other circus acts. Clowns are a big part of the show. Animals such as lions and tigers and bears (o my!) and elephants and many other fantastic and exotic creatures are not to be found. Cirque du Soliel focuses on the human element and the amazing feats that the human body can accomplish.
Having seen "Dralion" and "O", I've come to expect great things from the "Circus of the Sun." "Kooza" did not disappoint.
Clowns are a big part of Cirque du Soliel and they opened the show. They also did some skits in between some of the acts. They were all very amusing and even did some magic. And periodically, an audience member was brought up on stage.
There were contortionists, 3 girls ranging in age from young teen to young adult, who stretched and bent their bodies in ways I didn't think possible for a human to endure. But they managed to do it all flawlessly and keep smiles on their faces.
A high wire act involving bicycles and jumping rope and other daring balancing acts brought forth gasps and exclamations of surprise and delight.
A juggler, with the help of his dancing assistant, juggled balls, clubs and rings. I think the most he had going at one time was 8 rings. Very impressive stuff.
A platform about 8 feet high with a chair on top of it was brought out. A man balanced on it by doing a handstand. Applause. Another chair was brought out and added to it. He balanced on this one as well. And then another chair and another chair and another chair and he kept doing handstands and other balancing acts with the chairs as the stack kept getting higher and higher. Cheers and applause. I believe 8 chairs in total were balanced one on top of the other.
There were tumblers who did flips off of giant seesaws (for lack of a better term). They would be launched several feet in the air, do some twists and flips and land feet first on a big mattress. The best was when a performer did the feat in stilts and landed perfectly upright on the mattress.
By far, the most impressive act was what's called the Wheel of Death. Two giant wheels, without hubs or spokes, connected by metal posts in a complex web were suspended from the ceiling. Two performers, one for each wheel got into the wheels are started running around inside. They also made the entire mechanism rotate so that they were several dozen feet in the air. A truly phenomenal act. People held their breath as the performers were not connected by any cables to prevent them from falling.
It was truly a great show. If y'all ever get the opportunity, and can afford the ticket prices, or better yet, know someone who can, go see Cirque du Soliel. You won't be disappointed. One caution: if you happen to see them in Vegas, be warned that "Zumaniti" does contain nudity. I personally haven't seen it, but know this from ads that I've seen when I was in Vegas. :)
Monday, April 28, 2008
movie reviews
In the last couple weeks, since my return from the Carolinas, I've seen a couple movies.
Street Kings and The Forbidden Kingdom.
Street Kings (Rated R) stars Keanue Reeves, Forrest Whitaker and Hugh Laurie. Reeves plays a gung ho LAPD detective who breaks the rules to get the bad guys. His captain (Whitaker) always has his back and has worked hard to promote Reeves to his current status. Laurie is an Internal Affairs Division (IAD) detective trying to clean up the corruption in the LAPD. Reeves' antics have gotten him in trouble with his ex-partner and Internal Affairs before. Reeves was going to talk with his ex-partner about IAD. But before, he can do so, his ex-partner is gunned down in a convenience store. Now, Reeves has the task of solving his ex partner's murder while staying a step ahead of the bad guys (be they gangsters or crooked cops).
It's a violent movie. Plenty of gun battles and blood and guts. High stress situations bring out colorful language and there are plenty of f-bombs and other less than edifying terms of speech. The script is ok. I thought Whitaker did a great job. Laurie's character is very much like his Gregory House, MD character from the tv show. That is, very abrasive and rude but excellent at his job. Reeves hasn't had a major blockbuster since The Matrix trilogy. However, this latest venture will not catapault him back to stardom.
The Forbidden Kingdom (Rated PG 13) stars Jet Li and Jackie Chan
A young man from South Boston is magically teleported back to ancient China by means of a special staff. He discovers that he has to return the staff to its rightful owner, the Jade Monkey, who has been imprisoned for 500 years in rock. Along the way he meets with a drunk master (Chan) and a monk (Li) and an enigmatic young woman named Yellow Sparrow (who refers to herself in the third person) who's on a personal mission of revenge.
The martial arts scenes and there are plenty of them are very well done. They account for most of the 113 minutes of the film. Chan is at his usual humorous self. Li still provides plenty of bang for the buck in terms of his martial arts prowess. The young man from Boston even learns a few moves himself. The movie is meant to be light hearted escapist fun. Don't look too hard for deep messages-everything's pretty much on the surface.
Street Kings and The Forbidden Kingdom.
Street Kings (Rated R) stars Keanue Reeves, Forrest Whitaker and Hugh Laurie. Reeves plays a gung ho LAPD detective who breaks the rules to get the bad guys. His captain (Whitaker) always has his back and has worked hard to promote Reeves to his current status. Laurie is an Internal Affairs Division (IAD) detective trying to clean up the corruption in the LAPD. Reeves' antics have gotten him in trouble with his ex-partner and Internal Affairs before. Reeves was going to talk with his ex-partner about IAD. But before, he can do so, his ex-partner is gunned down in a convenience store. Now, Reeves has the task of solving his ex partner's murder while staying a step ahead of the bad guys (be they gangsters or crooked cops).
It's a violent movie. Plenty of gun battles and blood and guts. High stress situations bring out colorful language and there are plenty of f-bombs and other less than edifying terms of speech. The script is ok. I thought Whitaker did a great job. Laurie's character is very much like his Gregory House, MD character from the tv show. That is, very abrasive and rude but excellent at his job. Reeves hasn't had a major blockbuster since The Matrix trilogy. However, this latest venture will not catapault him back to stardom.
The Forbidden Kingdom (Rated PG 13) stars Jet Li and Jackie Chan
A young man from South Boston is magically teleported back to ancient China by means of a special staff. He discovers that he has to return the staff to its rightful owner, the Jade Monkey, who has been imprisoned for 500 years in rock. Along the way he meets with a drunk master (Chan) and a monk (Li) and an enigmatic young woman named Yellow Sparrow (who refers to herself in the third person) who's on a personal mission of revenge.
The martial arts scenes and there are plenty of them are very well done. They account for most of the 113 minutes of the film. Chan is at his usual humorous self. Li still provides plenty of bang for the buck in terms of his martial arts prowess. The young man from Boston even learns a few moves himself. The movie is meant to be light hearted escapist fun. Don't look too hard for deep messages-everything's pretty much on the surface.
Friday, April 25, 2008
The Yeomen of the Guard
The Yeomen of the Guard (or, The Merryman and His Maid) by Gilbert and Sullivan (or, G & S)
The play began with the arrival of Queen Victoria and her court, of which our friend played the part of being the Queen's right handmaiden. Everybody stood and the whole cast and some members of the audience sang, "God Save The Queen."
"The Yeomen of the Guard" tells the story of Colonel Fairfax (Steven Lumpkin), wrongly imprisoned in the Tower of London on a charge of sorcery. He has a secret admirer, Phoebe (Evelyn McCauley), who sighs with hopeless love for Fairfax. Wilfred Shadbot (Jim Burnette), head jailer and assistant tormentor, looks on with jealous eye, as he hopes to catch Phoebe's eye. Dame Currithers (Karen Gray), Tower housekeeper, cares not for Phoebe's lament as she believes Fairfax to be guilty.
Phoebe's father, Sergeant Meryll (Richard Dideriksen), believes in Fairfax and hopes that with the arrival of his son, Leonard (Ben Neufang), will come a reprieve for Fairfax. Alas, none is forthcoming. Behind Fairfax's imprisonment is the jealousy of his cousin Sir Clarence Plotwhistle (sir not appearing in this production), who stands to inherit the Fairfax estate should Fairfax die unwed. Fairfax asks Sir Richard Cholmondeley, the Lieutenant of the Tower (Richard Palmer) to find a woman willing to marry him. The dowry would be a hundred crowns. Sounds simple enough, but where to find a mate?
Enter a jester, Jack Point (John Adams), and a merrymaid, Elsie Maynard (Katherine Anderson). The Lieutenant approaches Elsie with Fairfax's proposal. Despite some heming and hawing (mostly by Point-who harbors a desire to marry Elsie), Elsie agrees. Fairfax never actually sets eyes on Elsie, as he is locked in his cell and she does not enter it.
Meanwhile, Meryll has conceived of a plan (with the help of Phoebe and Leonard) to help Fairfax escape.
Chaos ensues when it is discovered that the prisoner has escaped. Elsie is still married. Point cannot marry her. Phoebe cannot marry Fairfax as he is married to Elsie. Point comes up with an elaborate plan, with the help of Wilfred the jailer, to prove Fairfax is dead.
More chaos and hilarity ensues when the plans of Meryll and Point unravel. Part of the unravelling was done by Phoebe-unwittingly, and part by news that a pardon for Fairfax has arrived and that Fairfax (who is very much alive) is coming to claim his bride.
A very well done production. Superb job by all the leads. I was especially impressed by Ms. Anderson (Elsie). A nice blend of humor and drama. Mostly humor. The orchestra (while one of the violins was out of tune) got a well deserved ovation for the music it provided during the show. It would be easy to crticize by saying a couple lines were missed and you couldn't hear all the parts when multiple people were singing different lines at the same time. But hey, it was not so bad as to be distracting. The pros far outweigh any petty criticisms that could be levied. Any mistakes in lines-and they must have been very few indeed-were well covered over. The actors obviously took pride in their craft. The set design, while not overly elaborate, served its purpose well and was used effectively.
I liked the musical humbers very much. And the wife pointed out that "I Have a Song to Sing, O!" (done by Point and Elsie) was also done by Peter, Paul and Mary. The story and action flowed smoothly from scene to scene. I thought the dance numbers were well choreographed and performed. Having done marching band and taking ballroom dancing lessons, it is not a small thing to be able to perform the correct steps and their number at the right time in the music. And this was not merely moving feet, but hands and arms as well, and all the while singing. High marks are given to all who made the Durham Savoyards Ltd production of "The Yeomen of the Guard" a great show.
The play began with the arrival of Queen Victoria and her court, of which our friend played the part of being the Queen's right handmaiden. Everybody stood and the whole cast and some members of the audience sang, "God Save The Queen."
"The Yeomen of the Guard" tells the story of Colonel Fairfax (Steven Lumpkin), wrongly imprisoned in the Tower of London on a charge of sorcery. He has a secret admirer, Phoebe (Evelyn McCauley), who sighs with hopeless love for Fairfax. Wilfred Shadbot (Jim Burnette), head jailer and assistant tormentor, looks on with jealous eye, as he hopes to catch Phoebe's eye. Dame Currithers (Karen Gray), Tower housekeeper, cares not for Phoebe's lament as she believes Fairfax to be guilty.
Phoebe's father, Sergeant Meryll (Richard Dideriksen), believes in Fairfax and hopes that with the arrival of his son, Leonard (Ben Neufang), will come a reprieve for Fairfax. Alas, none is forthcoming. Behind Fairfax's imprisonment is the jealousy of his cousin Sir Clarence Plotwhistle (sir not appearing in this production), who stands to inherit the Fairfax estate should Fairfax die unwed. Fairfax asks Sir Richard Cholmondeley, the Lieutenant of the Tower (Richard Palmer) to find a woman willing to marry him. The dowry would be a hundred crowns. Sounds simple enough, but where to find a mate?
Enter a jester, Jack Point (John Adams), and a merrymaid, Elsie Maynard (Katherine Anderson). The Lieutenant approaches Elsie with Fairfax's proposal. Despite some heming and hawing (mostly by Point-who harbors a desire to marry Elsie), Elsie agrees. Fairfax never actually sets eyes on Elsie, as he is locked in his cell and she does not enter it.
Meanwhile, Meryll has conceived of a plan (with the help of Phoebe and Leonard) to help Fairfax escape.
Chaos ensues when it is discovered that the prisoner has escaped. Elsie is still married. Point cannot marry her. Phoebe cannot marry Fairfax as he is married to Elsie. Point comes up with an elaborate plan, with the help of Wilfred the jailer, to prove Fairfax is dead.
More chaos and hilarity ensues when the plans of Meryll and Point unravel. Part of the unravelling was done by Phoebe-unwittingly, and part by news that a pardon for Fairfax has arrived and that Fairfax (who is very much alive) is coming to claim his bride.
A very well done production. Superb job by all the leads. I was especially impressed by Ms. Anderson (Elsie). A nice blend of humor and drama. Mostly humor. The orchestra (while one of the violins was out of tune) got a well deserved ovation for the music it provided during the show. It would be easy to crticize by saying a couple lines were missed and you couldn't hear all the parts when multiple people were singing different lines at the same time. But hey, it was not so bad as to be distracting. The pros far outweigh any petty criticisms that could be levied. Any mistakes in lines-and they must have been very few indeed-were well covered over. The actors obviously took pride in their craft. The set design, while not overly elaborate, served its purpose well and was used effectively.
I liked the musical humbers very much. And the wife pointed out that "I Have a Song to Sing, O!" (done by Point and Elsie) was also done by Peter, Paul and Mary. The story and action flowed smoothly from scene to scene. I thought the dance numbers were well choreographed and performed. Having done marching band and taking ballroom dancing lessons, it is not a small thing to be able to perform the correct steps and their number at the right time in the music. And this was not merely moving feet, but hands and arms as well, and all the while singing. High marks are given to all who made the Durham Savoyards Ltd production of "The Yeomen of the Guard" a great show.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Carolinas trip, part 4
Saturday, we got up around 9:30 or so...I think. Maybe later. We went out for breakfast at IHOP. I got harvest and berry pancakes. Good stuff. We did some shopping for dinner, groceries, gas, some phone gadgets (blue tooth and ear piece, I think). That took the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon.
Back at the ranch we sat down to play Phase 10. Fun game. Frustrating at times when you don't get the phase you need and others do. But hey, for me, "the next best thing to playing and winning is playing and losing." We had to be ready to leave by 5:30 so our friend could be at the theater in time for make up and costumes at 6. The show was at 8:00. So, the wife got as far as Phase 9, I think and then we had to stop and prepare for the second first night seder. :)
So I chopped six apples for Charoset. The wife put together the cinnamon, sugar, grape juice, nuts, etc. Then there was chicken and broccoli to make for dinner. Thanks be to God I married a woman who knows how to cook.
Not having remembered to bring our Haggadahs (service books for the Seder.) Haggadah comes from the word aggadah, meaning story or legend. We went off the cuff. It helped having just done a seder the day before at my brother's house. So I went off of memory. And I'm pretty sure we got all the important details covered. We sang some songs. Had all four glasses of grape juice. Discussed the matza and egg and parsley and bitter herbs and salt water and paschal lamb and the redemption from slavery in Egypt. Speaking of the paschal lamb, traditionally, there's a lamb shank bone on the seder plate representing the paschal lamb that was slain and whose blood was put on the doorposts of the Israelites' houses so that the Angel of Death would "pass over" their houses during the plague of the first born. Well, we didn't have a shankbone. So I told our friend that my family has a cardboard bone. So she drew a bone on a piece of paper and we used that instead. :D
The whole thing, start to finish from preparing the meal and getting everything ready, to doing the seder, to eating the meal, to concluding the seder, to clearing the table took less than an hour. Talk about fast. Phew! Good thing we were done that quickly too, because we had to get to her show.
To be continued...
Back at the ranch we sat down to play Phase 10. Fun game. Frustrating at times when you don't get the phase you need and others do. But hey, for me, "the next best thing to playing and winning is playing and losing." We had to be ready to leave by 5:30 so our friend could be at the theater in time for make up and costumes at 6. The show was at 8:00. So, the wife got as far as Phase 9, I think and then we had to stop and prepare for the second first night seder. :)
So I chopped six apples for Charoset. The wife put together the cinnamon, sugar, grape juice, nuts, etc. Then there was chicken and broccoli to make for dinner. Thanks be to God I married a woman who knows how to cook.
Not having remembered to bring our Haggadahs (service books for the Seder.) Haggadah comes from the word aggadah, meaning story or legend. We went off the cuff. It helped having just done a seder the day before at my brother's house. So I went off of memory. And I'm pretty sure we got all the important details covered. We sang some songs. Had all four glasses of grape juice. Discussed the matza and egg and parsley and bitter herbs and salt water and paschal lamb and the redemption from slavery in Egypt. Speaking of the paschal lamb, traditionally, there's a lamb shank bone on the seder plate representing the paschal lamb that was slain and whose blood was put on the doorposts of the Israelites' houses so that the Angel of Death would "pass over" their houses during the plague of the first born. Well, we didn't have a shankbone. So I told our friend that my family has a cardboard bone. So she drew a bone on a piece of paper and we used that instead. :D
The whole thing, start to finish from preparing the meal and getting everything ready, to doing the seder, to eating the meal, to concluding the seder, to clearing the table took less than an hour. Talk about fast. Phew! Good thing we were done that quickly too, because we had to get to her show.
To be continued...
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Carolinas Trip, part 3
(Those wondering how many of these posts I'm going to make about our trip will just have to wait and see. :) )
Friday, in the morning, we went to an Abbot Farms store near Cowpens. We wanted to get peach cider and boiled peanuts. Peach cider is a truly tasty treat. Get ya some, if ya can. It's worth the trip down (or up) from wherever you are. Boiled peanuts are peanuts, in the shell, that are boiled in salt water. Three ingredients and addicting as all get out. You can't eat just one. My mother in law had asked that we bring some back. So we ended up getting a half-gallon's worth. I wasn't sure that would be enough. I thought we'd eat through that much before we made it back home. Good to know that we didn't :)
And walking around in the store you will see all manner of peach products on display: peach cider, peach salsa, peach cobbler, peach preserves. And there's pickled vegetables of different kinds and the wife picked up a jar of pickled beets. I hain't tried em yet. Speaking of food... I forgot to mention that when we were at Fatz Cafe the day before, the wife and I tried fried green tomatos for the first time. Another traditional southern dish. And those were very yummy as well.
Ok... so we came back, hung out for a bit, had lunch and then it was time to get ready for Seder ("order"-the service with meal on Passover). Now, seder is traditionally held on the first and/or second night of Passover. But Passover didn't start till sundown on Saturday, when we would be in North Carolina. Since me bro wanted to have seder with us and mom, we had an early seder. Not only was it early (by a day) but it was also early by several hours, since the wife and I had to drive up to North Carolina that night to see our friend.
Seder went well (mostly). My niece and nephew did not follow along with the seder very well at all. My nephew more so. He wanted to run around and be noisy. My niece was pretty content to sit in her chair and sample the matza and charoset. I don't know if she had any gefilta fish or horseradish. I suspect not. My nephew got put in timeout for misbehaving and from the hallway, we could hear him yell, "I'm angry! I'm very angry!" It was hard not to lol out loud.
Dinner was salmon, mashed potatos and green beans. A well cooked, well prepared meal by me bro and sis in law.
We said grace after the meal (I think we did) opened the door for Elijah, had the last two (of four) cups of wine and did the closing prayers. And then the wife and I had to get up and go.
We figured it would take about five hours to get from my bro's to our friend's house. We wanted to leave by 7 so we could get to her by midnight, about the time she'd be coming back from the show.
I dunno what it is about night travel, but we got off the highway and were about 2 minutes from our friend's residence by 11:00. Four hours? Really? Yep. Not bad, not too bad at all. Well, since we were early, we decided to go to Denny's and wait for her there.
And we meet up around 12:30 and finally get to her home by around 1:00. Good night.
To be continued...
Friday, in the morning, we went to an Abbot Farms store near Cowpens. We wanted to get peach cider and boiled peanuts. Peach cider is a truly tasty treat. Get ya some, if ya can. It's worth the trip down (or up) from wherever you are. Boiled peanuts are peanuts, in the shell, that are boiled in salt water. Three ingredients and addicting as all get out. You can't eat just one. My mother in law had asked that we bring some back. So we ended up getting a half-gallon's worth. I wasn't sure that would be enough. I thought we'd eat through that much before we made it back home. Good to know that we didn't :)
And walking around in the store you will see all manner of peach products on display: peach cider, peach salsa, peach cobbler, peach preserves. And there's pickled vegetables of different kinds and the wife picked up a jar of pickled beets. I hain't tried em yet. Speaking of food... I forgot to mention that when we were at Fatz Cafe the day before, the wife and I tried fried green tomatos for the first time. Another traditional southern dish. And those were very yummy as well.
Ok... so we came back, hung out for a bit, had lunch and then it was time to get ready for Seder ("order"-the service with meal on Passover). Now, seder is traditionally held on the first and/or second night of Passover. But Passover didn't start till sundown on Saturday, when we would be in North Carolina. Since me bro wanted to have seder with us and mom, we had an early seder. Not only was it early (by a day) but it was also early by several hours, since the wife and I had to drive up to North Carolina that night to see our friend.
Seder went well (mostly). My niece and nephew did not follow along with the seder very well at all. My nephew more so. He wanted to run around and be noisy. My niece was pretty content to sit in her chair and sample the matza and charoset. I don't know if she had any gefilta fish or horseradish. I suspect not. My nephew got put in timeout for misbehaving and from the hallway, we could hear him yell, "I'm angry! I'm very angry!" It was hard not to lol out loud.
Dinner was salmon, mashed potatos and green beans. A well cooked, well prepared meal by me bro and sis in law.
We said grace after the meal (I think we did) opened the door for Elijah, had the last two (of four) cups of wine and did the closing prayers. And then the wife and I had to get up and go.
We figured it would take about five hours to get from my bro's to our friend's house. We wanted to leave by 7 so we could get to her by midnight, about the time she'd be coming back from the show.
I dunno what it is about night travel, but we got off the highway and were about 2 minutes from our friend's residence by 11:00. Four hours? Really? Yep. Not bad, not too bad at all. Well, since we were early, we decided to go to Denny's and wait for her there.
And we meet up around 12:30 and finally get to her home by around 1:00. Good night.
To be continued...
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Carolinas Trip, part 2
Thursday, the wife and I went out for breakfast at McDonald's (of all places) but they had fried chicken biscuits (!). Then we stopped to pick up film for the camera.
Me brother wanted to go to The Biltmore Estate up in Asheville, NC on Wednesday, but with the timing of when we were coming down, it was decided to move that to the next day. The plan was to leave by 9:00. Well, with a 3 year old and a 1 1/2 year old, the best laid plans of parents do often go awry. I think we finally got going by 10:30-not too shabby.
The Biltmore (www.biltmore.com) is a ginormous piece of property. Think of the biggest house you've ever seen, then multiply it by 10. Miles and miles of land. Not only does the estate house the largest home in America, there's also a vineyard, a restaurant, a hotel, a conservatory, lots of gardens, horse trails and walking trails. For sheer magnitude and variety of flora, the closest thing I can compare it to (that I've seen) is Longwood Gardens in PA (www.longwoodgardens.org) Longwood Gardens has a much bigger conservatory.
Getting to the Biltmore was no mean feat as the written directions me bro had did not comport with the map. Hrmmm.... So that took a while. Then to find the parking lot takes at least 20 minutes. It's not labeled very clearly which way you have to go so we had a choice of A or B. Me bro chose B. It wasn't till we got 15 minutes into the park and found that we couldn't go any farther and had to turn around that we realized, we should have taken A. Fun times :)
For the privelege of entering the estate and being able to tour the house and gardens, it's a mere $45.00. If you want a self-guided audio tour, that's $51.00 And of course you can purchase a season pass for little less than a tank of gas (i.e. an arm and two legs). The wife and I have a 3 story multi family home. About 2100 square feet. It would fit inside the banquet hall of the Biltmore, or The Tapestry Room, or the library (which has 10,000 volumes-another 13,000 volumes are distributed throughout the mansion). The servants lived better than we do. The "small pantry" holds enough to feed an army. There's a bowling alley (how cool is that?) and an indoor swimming pool. There are four floors of rooms. Who needs a gym membership? You can get all your exercise going from room to room and up and down stairs. Out of necessity, there were upstairs and downstairs servants. One of the coolest features is that there are stairs outside the glass doors that you can walk out onto and be several stories high and get a tremendous view. Unfortunately, they didn't let us go out the doors onto the stairs.
We paid a visit to the gift shop. Since we weren't allowed to take pictures inside the mansion (castle) we got a book of postcards that showed the interior. The wife sampled some wine and bought a bottle of the house Chardonnay. She prefers sweet to dry.
And we visited the tulip gardens. Every variety and color of tulip you could imagine was represented. My niece liked the yellow ones very much and would put her nose right down into them and caress the sides of the flower like she was wafting the scent. Very cute.
So, if y'all are ever down in Asheville, NC make a visit to the Biltmore. The gardens alone are worth the trip. And that's free (aside from parking) :) But the mansion itself is something my limited vocabulary cannot do justice in describing. It must be seen.
On the way back home, we stopped at Fatz Cafe. (is that a great name for a restaurant or what?) So we got cheese grits. That's some good stuff right there, I tell you what. There's just some foods south of the Mason Dixon that the North can't get right. Grits is one. Cornbread is another. Being a Yankee, I'm used to ordering iced-tea and have it be sweetened. You have to specify that you want unsweetened iced tea. But way down south in Dixie, things are reversed. Iced tea is naturally unsweetened. You have to say you want Sweet Tea. So we did. And the wife got a half-rack of ribs and I got chicken and pasta. Good down home southern cooking. Nutirional information? Please. If it tastes good, that's all the nutritional information you need right there. Can you pronounce the ingredients? Good enough.
So, all in all, a grand day out.
To be continued...
Me brother wanted to go to The Biltmore Estate up in Asheville, NC on Wednesday, but with the timing of when we were coming down, it was decided to move that to the next day. The plan was to leave by 9:00. Well, with a 3 year old and a 1 1/2 year old, the best laid plans of parents do often go awry. I think we finally got going by 10:30-not too shabby.
The Biltmore (www.biltmore.com) is a ginormous piece of property. Think of the biggest house you've ever seen, then multiply it by 10. Miles and miles of land. Not only does the estate house the largest home in America, there's also a vineyard, a restaurant, a hotel, a conservatory, lots of gardens, horse trails and walking trails. For sheer magnitude and variety of flora, the closest thing I can compare it to (that I've seen) is Longwood Gardens in PA (www.longwoodgardens.org) Longwood Gardens has a much bigger conservatory.
Getting to the Biltmore was no mean feat as the written directions me bro had did not comport with the map. Hrmmm.... So that took a while. Then to find the parking lot takes at least 20 minutes. It's not labeled very clearly which way you have to go so we had a choice of A or B. Me bro chose B. It wasn't till we got 15 minutes into the park and found that we couldn't go any farther and had to turn around that we realized, we should have taken A. Fun times :)
For the privelege of entering the estate and being able to tour the house and gardens, it's a mere $45.00. If you want a self-guided audio tour, that's $51.00 And of course you can purchase a season pass for little less than a tank of gas (i.e. an arm and two legs). The wife and I have a 3 story multi family home. About 2100 square feet. It would fit inside the banquet hall of the Biltmore, or The Tapestry Room, or the library (which has 10,000 volumes-another 13,000 volumes are distributed throughout the mansion). The servants lived better than we do. The "small pantry" holds enough to feed an army. There's a bowling alley (how cool is that?) and an indoor swimming pool. There are four floors of rooms. Who needs a gym membership? You can get all your exercise going from room to room and up and down stairs. Out of necessity, there were upstairs and downstairs servants. One of the coolest features is that there are stairs outside the glass doors that you can walk out onto and be several stories high and get a tremendous view. Unfortunately, they didn't let us go out the doors onto the stairs.
We paid a visit to the gift shop. Since we weren't allowed to take pictures inside the mansion (castle) we got a book of postcards that showed the interior. The wife sampled some wine and bought a bottle of the house Chardonnay. She prefers sweet to dry.
And we visited the tulip gardens. Every variety and color of tulip you could imagine was represented. My niece liked the yellow ones very much and would put her nose right down into them and caress the sides of the flower like she was wafting the scent. Very cute.
So, if y'all are ever down in Asheville, NC make a visit to the Biltmore. The gardens alone are worth the trip. And that's free (aside from parking) :) But the mansion itself is something my limited vocabulary cannot do justice in describing. It must be seen.
On the way back home, we stopped at Fatz Cafe. (is that a great name for a restaurant or what?) So we got cheese grits. That's some good stuff right there, I tell you what. There's just some foods south of the Mason Dixon that the North can't get right. Grits is one. Cornbread is another. Being a Yankee, I'm used to ordering iced-tea and have it be sweetened. You have to specify that you want unsweetened iced tea. But way down south in Dixie, things are reversed. Iced tea is naturally unsweetened. You have to say you want Sweet Tea. So we did. And the wife got a half-rack of ribs and I got chicken and pasta. Good down home southern cooking. Nutirional information? Please. If it tastes good, that's all the nutritional information you need right there. Can you pronounce the ingredients? Good enough.
So, all in all, a grand day out.
To be continued...
Monday, April 21, 2008
My Trip to the Carolinas
So the wife and I planned to leave last Tuesday night after work. Well. Turns out, I had a board meeting that night and the wife had choir rehearsal. OK. So we'll be done by 9:00 p.m. No biggee, we wanted to travel overnight (less traffic) and get there by midmorning. Hmmmph. The board meeting took much longer than expected and I wasn't done till 9:30. Fine, half an hour, not too far off schedule. Then I find out, we have to go back home (half an our from synagogue) and do some last minute stuff. So we finally get money and gas and get going by 10:50 p.m. Yeah. I take the first shift and drive from 10:50 to 2:00 a.m. Everything was fine except for NY. Who knew that there'd be construction on the TappanZee bridge at midnight?! Five lanes suddenly became 2. We were actually stopped. Not moving. Stopped. For what felt like half an hour. Good thing the wife was sleeping. She hates being stopped in traffic. The wife took the second shift, from 2-7:30. I woke up sometime around 5:30. Couldn't tell you why. But I got to see the sun come up over the Blue Ridge Mountains, which is a sight to see. And I drove the rest of the way and we got to our destination by 12:45.
Me mum and dad have a house on the same street as me brother, about 5 houses away. And to think they had moved down to SC to be away from the rents, not right next door, which was the case when they were living up here. "Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony."
So me mum and bro and sister in law are doing landscaping in the front and side yard of me parents' house. Greetings and salutations and hugs all around. And we get unpacked. And we bought a ton of stuff, including an air mattress and futon mattress, since the rents don't actually live in this house year round and consequently have no furniture to speak of in it. So what shall we do first, help with the landscaping? Ha and ha. The wife, having the self proclaimed, "black thumb of death" was not about to get her hands dirty. Me? I'm allergic to gardening ;) So, we assumed the role of supervisors. Hey, somebody's got to watch the workers :)
We spent some time with me nephew and niece. They're very energetic and loud and happy and of course, cute. The bro and his wife prepared dinner for us, which was nice. After spending 15 hours in the car, you don't want to go back out (at least for a little while).
My sister in law wanted to watch the Democratic Presidential debate that was being aired on ABC. I think we were able to withstand about 15 minutes of it. Media driven questions about OLD issues (Jeremiah Wright, Hillary lying about being under attack in Iraq) and political answers. Who CARES about this stuff, really? Nothing about health care reform or the Iraq War or the recession. At least, not in the first fifteen minutes. If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't seen it, count yourself lucky (or blessed).
To be continued....
Me mum and dad have a house on the same street as me brother, about 5 houses away. And to think they had moved down to SC to be away from the rents, not right next door, which was the case when they were living up here. "Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony."
So me mum and bro and sister in law are doing landscaping in the front and side yard of me parents' house. Greetings and salutations and hugs all around. And we get unpacked. And we bought a ton of stuff, including an air mattress and futon mattress, since the rents don't actually live in this house year round and consequently have no furniture to speak of in it. So what shall we do first, help with the landscaping? Ha and ha. The wife, having the self proclaimed, "black thumb of death" was not about to get her hands dirty. Me? I'm allergic to gardening ;) So, we assumed the role of supervisors. Hey, somebody's got to watch the workers :)
We spent some time with me nephew and niece. They're very energetic and loud and happy and of course, cute. The bro and his wife prepared dinner for us, which was nice. After spending 15 hours in the car, you don't want to go back out (at least for a little while).
My sister in law wanted to watch the Democratic Presidential debate that was being aired on ABC. I think we were able to withstand about 15 minutes of it. Media driven questions about OLD issues (Jeremiah Wright, Hillary lying about being under attack in Iraq) and political answers. Who CARES about this stuff, really? Nothing about health care reform or the Iraq War or the recession. At least, not in the first fifteen minutes. If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't seen it, count yourself lucky (or blessed).
To be continued....
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
The Apostle Philip
Philip
(John 1:43-46)
Philip was of the town of Bethsaida, like Andrew and Peter. Philip is found by Jesus as Jesus is leaving (Bethany?) to go to Galilee. I'm not sure where Jesus found Philip. Is Bethsaida between Bethany and Galilee?
Jesus said to Philip, "follow me." And what does Philip do? He went and found Nathanael (Bartholomew) and said, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
Nathanael is not impressed. "Nazareth!" (Can't you just hear the contempt in his voice?) "Can anything good come from there?" Not put off, Philip answers, "come and see."
From this vignette, we see that Philip knew of the hope of the Messiah as stated in the Law and the Prophets. And somehow, Philip was convinced that Jesus was it. The only recorded conversation that passed between Jesus and Philip, up to this point, was 'follow me.'
I wonder what else Philip saw or heard from Jesus that convinced him to tell Nathanael that he, and others, had found the Messiah.
(John 6:1-7)
At the far shore of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus went up a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The Passover feast was near. And Jesus saw the large crowed and he asked, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" To whom did Jesus ask this question? Not Simon, not Andrew, not James or John. It was Philip.
Maybe Philip was closest to Jesus when Jesus asked this question. John records that Jesus did this to test Philip. Jesus already knew what he was going to do. What kind of test was it? A test of faith? Faith in what? That Jesus could provide for the people? Philip, surmising the situation responds, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!" Based on this answer, I'm not sure if Philip passed the test.
(John 12:20-21)
After the triumphal entry, some Greeks, who were in Jerusalem for the Passover feast, approached Philip and said they would like to see Jesus. Why Philip? Because he was from Bethsaida? Did Bethsaida have a large Greek population?
What did Philip do? Did he go tell Jesus right away? He went and got Andrew and both of them told Jesus. I wonder why Philip got Andrew.
(John 14:1-14)
Jesus comforts his disciples by telling them that he is going to prepare a place for them in his father's house and that he will come back for them.Jesus tells them they know the way to the place he is going. Thomas asks, how can we know the way? Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."
And then Philip pipes up, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." I don't know if that shows faith or lack thereof. But Jesus' response sounds like a rebuke. "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?"
So, there you have it, four passages, all in John, regarding Philip. He's only barely sketched. He was from Bethsaida. He brought Nathanael (Bartholomew) to Jesus. He looked at matters practically. Eight months' wages won't afford even a bite for 5,000 people. He was not a loner. He says to Nathanael, "we found the one Moses wrote about and of whom the prophets also wrote." He takes Andrew with him to relay a request by some Greeks to see Jesus. He does not seem to grasp the concept that Jesus is the way to the Father. "After all this time together, don't you know me Philip?" Depending on how it's said, that could cut to the heart. I wonder if this inspired Philip to be a missionary, if in fact he became one. Anybody know if went out and preached the Gospel? What happened to Philip after the events recorded in the NT?
(John 1:43-46)
Philip was of the town of Bethsaida, like Andrew and Peter. Philip is found by Jesus as Jesus is leaving (Bethany?) to go to Galilee. I'm not sure where Jesus found Philip. Is Bethsaida between Bethany and Galilee?
Jesus said to Philip, "follow me." And what does Philip do? He went and found Nathanael (Bartholomew) and said, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
Nathanael is not impressed. "Nazareth!" (Can't you just hear the contempt in his voice?) "Can anything good come from there?" Not put off, Philip answers, "come and see."
From this vignette, we see that Philip knew of the hope of the Messiah as stated in the Law and the Prophets. And somehow, Philip was convinced that Jesus was it. The only recorded conversation that passed between Jesus and Philip, up to this point, was 'follow me.'
I wonder what else Philip saw or heard from Jesus that convinced him to tell Nathanael that he, and others, had found the Messiah.
(John 6:1-7)
At the far shore of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus went up a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The Passover feast was near. And Jesus saw the large crowed and he asked, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" To whom did Jesus ask this question? Not Simon, not Andrew, not James or John. It was Philip.
Maybe Philip was closest to Jesus when Jesus asked this question. John records that Jesus did this to test Philip. Jesus already knew what he was going to do. What kind of test was it? A test of faith? Faith in what? That Jesus could provide for the people? Philip, surmising the situation responds, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!" Based on this answer, I'm not sure if Philip passed the test.
(John 12:20-21)
After the triumphal entry, some Greeks, who were in Jerusalem for the Passover feast, approached Philip and said they would like to see Jesus. Why Philip? Because he was from Bethsaida? Did Bethsaida have a large Greek population?
What did Philip do? Did he go tell Jesus right away? He went and got Andrew and both of them told Jesus. I wonder why Philip got Andrew.
(John 14:1-14)
Jesus comforts his disciples by telling them that he is going to prepare a place for them in his father's house and that he will come back for them.Jesus tells them they know the way to the place he is going. Thomas asks, how can we know the way? Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."
And then Philip pipes up, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." I don't know if that shows faith or lack thereof. But Jesus' response sounds like a rebuke. "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?"
So, there you have it, four passages, all in John, regarding Philip. He's only barely sketched. He was from Bethsaida. He brought Nathanael (Bartholomew) to Jesus. He looked at matters practically. Eight months' wages won't afford even a bite for 5,000 people. He was not a loner. He says to Nathanael, "we found the one Moses wrote about and of whom the prophets also wrote." He takes Andrew with him to relay a request by some Greeks to see Jesus. He does not seem to grasp the concept that Jesus is the way to the Father. "After all this time together, don't you know me Philip?" Depending on how it's said, that could cut to the heart. I wonder if this inspired Philip to be a missionary, if in fact he became one. Anybody know if went out and preached the Gospel? What happened to Philip after the events recorded in the NT?
Monday, April 7, 2008
Tazria (brings forth seed) Lev 12:1-13:59
The priest is to examine the sore on his skin Lev 13:3
According to the Talmud*, "a priest may inspect all the leprosy symptoms save his own leprosy symptoms." Mishnah Nega'im (Plagues) 2:4
*The Mishnah (repetition) is the written codification of the oral law said to have been handed down by God to Moses at Sinai along with the written Torah and passed on from generation to generation of sage and disciple. The Mishnah was compiled by Rabbi Judah the Prince around 200 AD. Further commentary on the Mishnah was added throughout the centuries. This commentary is known as the Gemara (completion) and was finished around 500 AD. Together, the Mishnah and Gemara make up what is known as the Talmud (learning, or study).
Perhaps you have heard the following: "A lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client." It is hard for us to be objective about ourselves. Especially if we are the ones in power who get to pronounce who is clean and who is not, we would be tempted to pronounce our selves clean. "It's just a flesh wound." "I've had worse." "I feel fine." "I'm getting better. I think I'll take a walk." (Quotes courtesy of Monty Python und der Holie Grailen)
On the seventh day the priest is to examine him Lev 13:5
"The priest is to examine the whole person, not only the diseased limb. He is to see what is whole and healthy about the person, not only what is afflicted." Meshekh Hokhmah. (A commentary on the Torah by Rabbi Meir Simhah ha-Cohen of Dvinsk)
When a person is ill, it is common to identify that person by what ails him or her. In focusing on the ailment, we may miss that there is a whole person. And it doesn't have to be an ailment, it can be anything about a person. When Hannah, Samuel's mother, was praying in bitterness of spirit before the Lord at the temple in Shiloh, Eli the priest 'watched her mouth' and accused her of being drunk. Had he taken time to ascertain the situation, he would have known that Hannah was a deeply grieved woman who was pouring out her soul, not drunk from wine.
When anyone has an infectious skin disease, he must be brought to the priest Lev 13:9
Why would he have to be brought? Wouldn't a person go on his own? Maybe, maybe not. Before Jesus healed the invalid at the pool, he looked straight at the man and said, "do you want to get well?" John 5:6 What a question! The man had been lying at the pool unable to get to the healing waters. Yet other people went in ahead of him and offered no help. It must have been incredibly frustrating. Why ask that question then? Wouldn't it seem obvious that he would want to get well? People in uncomfortable situations may elect to stay in that situation. Change is hard and can be scary. Even if the change is for the better, it's not always pleasant to have to through with it. And for another matter, we may not always be aware or acknowledge to ourselves that we need help.
In the case of tzara'at of a house, it is said that "he will come" (Lev 14:35), meaning the person will go by himself. It was thought that tzara'at first affected a person's home. If the person did not repent, it affected his clothes. If he remains unrepentant, it affects his body. By this time, he has become so used to his wicked deeds that he sees nothing wrong with them. At that point, he must be brought to the priest by others.
What is this about being unrepentant and tzara'at moving from house to clothes to body? Tzara'at was considered a divine punishment. It was seen as an outward manifestation of inward moral corruption. The classic example is at Numbers 12 where Miriam is stricken with leprosy for speaking against Moses. The tzara'at on the walls of the house was a warning from God to change your ways.
"The Talmud tells us that if a person commits a sin once and then a second time, he comes to think of that particular action as permissible." Iturai Torah (a Chassidic commentary on the Torah)
"The punishment for sin is another sin. The reward for a mitzvah is another mitzvah." Pirkei Avot (Chapters of the Fathers). Sin and obedience bring their own rewards. Once a person sins, it become easier to do so again. And the more often you do, the more natural it seems to you.
Objections invariably get raised about tzara'at being a divine punishment. What about people who are born with defects or contract some loathsome disease through no fault of their own? Are we not blaming the victim? This is not a new question. Jesus once healed a man who had been blind since birth. And the disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" John 9:2 And the answer Jesus gave is one which should echo in our ears today. "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." John 9:3
We are not God. We do not get to decide if someone who has a scaly affection has been somehow morally corrupt. The work of God is done through humanity. We are the work of His hands. Doing justice, loving mercy, walking humbly with God. How do we do this? By loving our neighbor, and the stranger, as ourselves. It's up to the priests to make the determination if one is unclean or not. And whatever the priest says, so it is. And if a person be pronounced clean, he is to be treated as such, despite appearances.
The person with such an infectious disease must wear torn clothes, let his hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of his face and cry out, 'Unclean! Unclean!' Lev 13:45
At first blush, this may seem rather harsh. It's not enough that the person has be isolated from the community? He also has to advertise that he's unclean? Isn't that humiliating? I thought the Bible was against public embarassment.
Advertise? Yes. Rashi notes that "the sufferer must warn all that approach that he is impure so that they stay away from him lest they become contaminated." If you're sick with the flu, you stay at home so as not to infect your coworkers. You don't go out to visit or host parties yourself. You are saying that you are unclean and warning people to stay away.
The Talmud has another viewpoint. It is consistent with Judaism and the Talmud in particular that different viewpoints are presented. One calls out not only to warn others of the contagion (Moed Katan "little festival" 5a), but also to elicit compassion and prayers on one's behalf. (Chulin "ordinary things" 78a)
There are some who will give you a full organ recital if you ask how they are. That is, they will list in detail every problem with every organ in their body. Every disease known to man, and some as yet undiscovered, inhabit the frail body of this person. And then there are those who will not admit of illness. If I don't acknowledge it, it's not real. Or, I don't want to be a complainer or an organ recital. Or, there are others worse off than me, what do I have to complain about? Does not God care about those made in His image? The work of God to heal those afflicted with illness cannot be done unless the person is presented (by him/herself or others) to be healed. And if we are not equipped with the medical knowledge and skill to physically heal the sick, we can at least pray and offer our compassion.
And one final note on this verse: Rabbi Abraham Twerski read the verse as "the impure shall call out 'impure.' " That is, people tend to project their own failings onto others. "A corrupt person sees corruption all around." (Talmud Kiddushin "holy things" 70a)
The impure person is not saying s/he is impure but that everybody else is. This is not the impure person warning others to stay away from him because he is impure but rather he sees everybody else as impure. If I am impure, so are you. What, you think you're holier than me? Doesn't the Psalm say that 'there is no one who does good, not even one'? Who are you to look down at me? Get off your high horse. And to such a person, you have to ask, "do you really want to get well?"
Have a good week, y'all.
According to the Talmud*, "a priest may inspect all the leprosy symptoms save his own leprosy symptoms." Mishnah Nega'im (Plagues) 2:4
*The Mishnah (repetition) is the written codification of the oral law said to have been handed down by God to Moses at Sinai along with the written Torah and passed on from generation to generation of sage and disciple. The Mishnah was compiled by Rabbi Judah the Prince around 200 AD. Further commentary on the Mishnah was added throughout the centuries. This commentary is known as the Gemara (completion) and was finished around 500 AD. Together, the Mishnah and Gemara make up what is known as the Talmud (learning, or study).
Perhaps you have heard the following: "A lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client." It is hard for us to be objective about ourselves. Especially if we are the ones in power who get to pronounce who is clean and who is not, we would be tempted to pronounce our selves clean. "It's just a flesh wound." "I've had worse." "I feel fine." "I'm getting better. I think I'll take a walk." (Quotes courtesy of Monty Python und der Holie Grailen)
On the seventh day the priest is to examine him Lev 13:5
"The priest is to examine the whole person, not only the diseased limb. He is to see what is whole and healthy about the person, not only what is afflicted." Meshekh Hokhmah. (A commentary on the Torah by Rabbi Meir Simhah ha-Cohen of Dvinsk)
When a person is ill, it is common to identify that person by what ails him or her. In focusing on the ailment, we may miss that there is a whole person. And it doesn't have to be an ailment, it can be anything about a person. When Hannah, Samuel's mother, was praying in bitterness of spirit before the Lord at the temple in Shiloh, Eli the priest 'watched her mouth' and accused her of being drunk. Had he taken time to ascertain the situation, he would have known that Hannah was a deeply grieved woman who was pouring out her soul, not drunk from wine.
When anyone has an infectious skin disease, he must be brought to the priest Lev 13:9
Why would he have to be brought? Wouldn't a person go on his own? Maybe, maybe not. Before Jesus healed the invalid at the pool, he looked straight at the man and said, "do you want to get well?" John 5:6 What a question! The man had been lying at the pool unable to get to the healing waters. Yet other people went in ahead of him and offered no help. It must have been incredibly frustrating. Why ask that question then? Wouldn't it seem obvious that he would want to get well? People in uncomfortable situations may elect to stay in that situation. Change is hard and can be scary. Even if the change is for the better, it's not always pleasant to have to through with it. And for another matter, we may not always be aware or acknowledge to ourselves that we need help.
In the case of tzara'at of a house, it is said that "he will come" (Lev 14:35), meaning the person will go by himself. It was thought that tzara'at first affected a person's home. If the person did not repent, it affected his clothes. If he remains unrepentant, it affects his body. By this time, he has become so used to his wicked deeds that he sees nothing wrong with them. At that point, he must be brought to the priest by others.
What is this about being unrepentant and tzara'at moving from house to clothes to body? Tzara'at was considered a divine punishment. It was seen as an outward manifestation of inward moral corruption. The classic example is at Numbers 12 where Miriam is stricken with leprosy for speaking against Moses. The tzara'at on the walls of the house was a warning from God to change your ways.
"The Talmud tells us that if a person commits a sin once and then a second time, he comes to think of that particular action as permissible." Iturai Torah (a Chassidic commentary on the Torah)
"The punishment for sin is another sin. The reward for a mitzvah is another mitzvah." Pirkei Avot (Chapters of the Fathers). Sin and obedience bring their own rewards. Once a person sins, it become easier to do so again. And the more often you do, the more natural it seems to you.
Objections invariably get raised about tzara'at being a divine punishment. What about people who are born with defects or contract some loathsome disease through no fault of their own? Are we not blaming the victim? This is not a new question. Jesus once healed a man who had been blind since birth. And the disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" John 9:2 And the answer Jesus gave is one which should echo in our ears today. "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." John 9:3
We are not God. We do not get to decide if someone who has a scaly affection has been somehow morally corrupt. The work of God is done through humanity. We are the work of His hands. Doing justice, loving mercy, walking humbly with God. How do we do this? By loving our neighbor, and the stranger, as ourselves. It's up to the priests to make the determination if one is unclean or not. And whatever the priest says, so it is. And if a person be pronounced clean, he is to be treated as such, despite appearances.
The person with such an infectious disease must wear torn clothes, let his hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of his face and cry out, 'Unclean! Unclean!' Lev 13:45
At first blush, this may seem rather harsh. It's not enough that the person has be isolated from the community? He also has to advertise that he's unclean? Isn't that humiliating? I thought the Bible was against public embarassment.
Advertise? Yes. Rashi notes that "the sufferer must warn all that approach that he is impure so that they stay away from him lest they become contaminated." If you're sick with the flu, you stay at home so as not to infect your coworkers. You don't go out to visit or host parties yourself. You are saying that you are unclean and warning people to stay away.
The Talmud has another viewpoint. It is consistent with Judaism and the Talmud in particular that different viewpoints are presented. One calls out not only to warn others of the contagion (Moed Katan "little festival" 5a), but also to elicit compassion and prayers on one's behalf. (Chulin "ordinary things" 78a)
There are some who will give you a full organ recital if you ask how they are. That is, they will list in detail every problem with every organ in their body. Every disease known to man, and some as yet undiscovered, inhabit the frail body of this person. And then there are those who will not admit of illness. If I don't acknowledge it, it's not real. Or, I don't want to be a complainer or an organ recital. Or, there are others worse off than me, what do I have to complain about? Does not God care about those made in His image? The work of God to heal those afflicted with illness cannot be done unless the person is presented (by him/herself or others) to be healed. And if we are not equipped with the medical knowledge and skill to physically heal the sick, we can at least pray and offer our compassion.
And one final note on this verse: Rabbi Abraham Twerski read the verse as "the impure shall call out 'impure.' " That is, people tend to project their own failings onto others. "A corrupt person sees corruption all around." (Talmud Kiddushin "holy things" 70a)
The impure person is not saying s/he is impure but that everybody else is. This is not the impure person warning others to stay away from him because he is impure but rather he sees everybody else as impure. If I am impure, so are you. What, you think you're holier than me? Doesn't the Psalm say that 'there is no one who does good, not even one'? Who are you to look down at me? Get off your high horse. And to such a person, you have to ask, "do you really want to get well?"
Have a good week, y'all.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Parsha HaChodesh
Exodus 12:1-20
This is the fourth of four portions that are read in the weeks preceding Passover. The other three portions are shekalim ("shekels" Exodus 30:11-16), zachor ("remember" Deut 25:17-19 read on the Sabbath before Purim) and parah ("cow" Numbers 19). HaChodesh (the month) is read when the Sabbath coincides with the beginning of the month of Nisan.
"This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year." Ex 12:1 The Jewish year begins in the spring and is marked by the Exodus from Egypt. While the secular year starts in the month of Tishrei with Rosh HaShannah, the spiritual or religious year commences with the month of Nisan. For those who may not know, Nisan begins tonight. And Passover is a mere two weeks away.
On the tenth day of the month every man of a family is to take a lamb for his household-one lamb per household. And if the family is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with
their nearest neighbor. You don't get to pick and choose who you're going to share the lamb with. It's your closest neighbor.
The animals are to be a year old, without defect. In Hebrew, the term is 'tamim', meaning perfect, worthy, or unblemished. And they can be taken from the sheep or the goats.
They are to be taken care of for four days, after which they will be slaughtered on the fourteenth day of the month. And it's done at twilight. The blood is put on the tops and sides of the doorposts of their houses.
The meat is to be eaten roasted over the fire along with bitter herbs and bread without yeast (matzah). God specifically commands that the meat not be eaten raw or cooked in water, but roasted, head and all. It must all be consumed. Nothing is to be leftover till morning. And it is to be eaten in haste, with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. The Israelites had to be ready to go.
"Eat it in haste, it is the Lord's Passover." 12:11 From this and succeeding verses, we get the name for the holiday of Passover. God will see the blood on the doorposts and 'pass over' the hosues of the Israelites when He goes through the land of Egypt and smites all the firstborn of man and beast. In Hebrew, Passover is called Pesach. Pesach comes from the Hebrew root p,s,ch meaning to protect.
In verse 14 we are given the command to commemorate this day and celebrate it as a festival of the Lord for the generations to come. What day? The 14th of Nisan. There are two traditions that have been incorporated into one holiday: The paschal lamb offering and meal and the feast of unleavened bread.
Unleavened bread is to be eaten for seven days from the 14th to the 21st of the month. Many Jews, however, will observe the feast of unleavened bread for eight days. This tradition arose as a result of the Babylonian conquest of 585 BC and the Jews were driven from the land of Israel. Since the Jews were not living in the land of Israel, and it was before time zones and satellites and GMT and so forth, those far outside Israel could not be sure when the full moon occurred in Israel. So, an extra day was added just to be sure. Since a festival is to be held on the 1st and 7th days of the holiday, if an extra day is added, it allows for Jews on the far side of the world to have a festival on the same day as Jews in Israel. It's a worldwide celebration of God's deliverance from slavery.
The importance of eating nothing leavened is stressed by the dire warning that anybody who eats anything leavened will be cut off from his people. The same punishment meted out to those who make improper use of sacrifices or violate the Sabbath or abrogate the covenant of circumcision.
It's considered of extreme importance to not eat any leaven for the seven days of Passover. Some go so far as to say you can't have any leaven in your houses at all. And for a few days and nights before Passover, they will go through their houses dilligently searching for any leaven. Me, I just refrain from eating leavening. Interestingly enough, Jews who don't normally keep kosher throughout the year, will strictly adhere to the no leavening rule of Passover. And products that might be considered kosher throughout the rest of the year may not necessarily be kosher for Passover. To be safe, I looke for the "kosher for Passover" phrase on the food that I purchase. (This does not apply to fresh fruits and vegetables, however).
"And when your children ask you, 'What does this ceremony mean to you?' then tell them, 'It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.'" Then the people bowed down and worshiped. Ex 12:26-27
We are to teach our children the story and meaning of Passover. It is to be handed down from generation to generation. Indeed, each person is to consider as if the Lord Almighty redeemed him/herself from bondage in Egypt. This makes the holiday personal and relevant. And since God personally redeemed me from the house of bondage, I owe God a debt I can't ever fully repay. I owe God. He owes me nothing. For the privilege of being free, I am to be in His service for His glory. Would that I could. What is this too, too solid flesh that imprisons my spirit and has me do the things I ought not to do and doesn't do that which I should? But thanks be to God that He continues to bless us with life, health and the opportunity to do good.
And now, at the end of the chapter, we have the report that God came and struck down all the firstborn in Egypt-from Pharaoh to the firstborn of the prisoner and all the livestock as well. And there was much wailing and weeping throughout the land of Egypt.
This is the fourth of four portions that are read in the weeks preceding Passover. The other three portions are shekalim ("shekels" Exodus 30:11-16), zachor ("remember" Deut 25:17-19 read on the Sabbath before Purim) and parah ("cow" Numbers 19). HaChodesh (the month) is read when the Sabbath coincides with the beginning of the month of Nisan.
"This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year." Ex 12:1 The Jewish year begins in the spring and is marked by the Exodus from Egypt. While the secular year starts in the month of Tishrei with Rosh HaShannah, the spiritual or religious year commences with the month of Nisan. For those who may not know, Nisan begins tonight. And Passover is a mere two weeks away.
On the tenth day of the month every man of a family is to take a lamb for his household-one lamb per household. And if the family is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with
their nearest neighbor. You don't get to pick and choose who you're going to share the lamb with. It's your closest neighbor.
The animals are to be a year old, without defect. In Hebrew, the term is 'tamim', meaning perfect, worthy, or unblemished. And they can be taken from the sheep or the goats.
They are to be taken care of for four days, after which they will be slaughtered on the fourteenth day of the month. And it's done at twilight. The blood is put on the tops and sides of the doorposts of their houses.
The meat is to be eaten roasted over the fire along with bitter herbs and bread without yeast (matzah). God specifically commands that the meat not be eaten raw or cooked in water, but roasted, head and all. It must all be consumed. Nothing is to be leftover till morning. And it is to be eaten in haste, with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. The Israelites had to be ready to go.
"Eat it in haste, it is the Lord's Passover." 12:11 From this and succeeding verses, we get the name for the holiday of Passover. God will see the blood on the doorposts and 'pass over' the hosues of the Israelites when He goes through the land of Egypt and smites all the firstborn of man and beast. In Hebrew, Passover is called Pesach. Pesach comes from the Hebrew root p,s,ch meaning to protect.
In verse 14 we are given the command to commemorate this day and celebrate it as a festival of the Lord for the generations to come. What day? The 14th of Nisan. There are two traditions that have been incorporated into one holiday: The paschal lamb offering and meal and the feast of unleavened bread.
Unleavened bread is to be eaten for seven days from the 14th to the 21st of the month. Many Jews, however, will observe the feast of unleavened bread for eight days. This tradition arose as a result of the Babylonian conquest of 585 BC and the Jews were driven from the land of Israel. Since the Jews were not living in the land of Israel, and it was before time zones and satellites and GMT and so forth, those far outside Israel could not be sure when the full moon occurred in Israel. So, an extra day was added just to be sure. Since a festival is to be held on the 1st and 7th days of the holiday, if an extra day is added, it allows for Jews on the far side of the world to have a festival on the same day as Jews in Israel. It's a worldwide celebration of God's deliverance from slavery.
The importance of eating nothing leavened is stressed by the dire warning that anybody who eats anything leavened will be cut off from his people. The same punishment meted out to those who make improper use of sacrifices or violate the Sabbath or abrogate the covenant of circumcision.
It's considered of extreme importance to not eat any leaven for the seven days of Passover. Some go so far as to say you can't have any leaven in your houses at all. And for a few days and nights before Passover, they will go through their houses dilligently searching for any leaven. Me, I just refrain from eating leavening. Interestingly enough, Jews who don't normally keep kosher throughout the year, will strictly adhere to the no leavening rule of Passover. And products that might be considered kosher throughout the rest of the year may not necessarily be kosher for Passover. To be safe, I looke for the "kosher for Passover" phrase on the food that I purchase. (This does not apply to fresh fruits and vegetables, however).
"And when your children ask you, 'What does this ceremony mean to you?' then tell them, 'It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.'" Then the people bowed down and worshiped. Ex 12:26-27
We are to teach our children the story and meaning of Passover. It is to be handed down from generation to generation. Indeed, each person is to consider as if the Lord Almighty redeemed him/herself from bondage in Egypt. This makes the holiday personal and relevant. And since God personally redeemed me from the house of bondage, I owe God a debt I can't ever fully repay. I owe God. He owes me nothing. For the privilege of being free, I am to be in His service for His glory. Would that I could. What is this too, too solid flesh that imprisons my spirit and has me do the things I ought not to do and doesn't do that which I should? But thanks be to God that He continues to bless us with life, health and the opportunity to do good.
And now, at the end of the chapter, we have the report that God came and struck down all the firstborn in Egypt-from Pharaoh to the firstborn of the prisoner and all the livestock as well. And there was much wailing and weeping throughout the land of Egypt.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Play Ball
Spring has finally commenced with the beginning of the baseball season yesterday. Several teams had opening day festivities. The Red Sox and A's got a head start on everybody else by starting their season in Japan. Anybody else find it odd that the American Pastime should begin its season not in America but on the far side of the world?
A couple teams did not begin play yesterday. The New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays were rained out. As a life-long (meaning, as far back as I can remember) fan of the Yankees, I have been eagerly anticipating this season. With a new manager and some new players brought up through the farm system, I'm hopeful that the Bronx Bombers can make their final season in Yankee Stadium a World Series winning one.
Here's to 27 in 2008! Bring order back to the Empire. Every Red Sock and member of RSN (Red Sox Nation) is an enemy of the Republic. Hunt them down. Kill them all. Show no mercy. The Empire WILL strike back!
A couple teams did not begin play yesterday. The New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays were rained out. As a life-long (meaning, as far back as I can remember) fan of the Yankees, I have been eagerly anticipating this season. With a new manager and some new players brought up through the farm system, I'm hopeful that the Bronx Bombers can make their final season in Yankee Stadium a World Series winning one.
Here's to 27 in 2008! Bring order back to the Empire. Every Red Sock and member of RSN (Red Sox Nation) is an enemy of the Republic. Hunt them down. Kill them all. Show no mercy. The Empire WILL strike back!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
