learn more about Judaism

Since my last entry I’ve read more of the Torah (now partway through Numbers, plus bits of Deuteronomy from the weekly Torah portions for the last two weeks. I went to a Conservative synagogue in my town for Saturday morning service and a bat mitzvah. I might try going to a Reform one as well soon, but we don’t have many (if any) Orthodox shuls around here, and I think it’d be a huge culture shock anyway. The folks at the synagogue were nice, but there was a good deal of Hebrew. I find noncomprehension discouraging unless I’m really invested in the material, so I think I need to clarify my priorities and think about whether or not to study Hebrew before I decide to attend frequently. I will be checking out the speaker series though, and probably go to at least one Friday night service. They’re also having “Elul classes” (Elul being the month before Rosh Hashanah, the new year) which sounds interesting.

I’ve also read several books from the library about Judaism. I especially liked Nothing Sacred, which is about the potential in Judaism for resistance and social change, and describes that as much more important than following the various rules to the letter, and The Woman Who Laughed at God, which is about resistance and “countertraditions” in Jewish circles throughout history.

I’ve gotten involved in an online Jewish community (on Second Life). I attended some virtual candle lightings and I hope this week I can make it to the Torah discussion, which is supposedly for all levels of knowledge.

In spite of my Jewish heritage (technically I’m not Jewish) I know relatively little about Jewish religion and culture. Taking a class about Jewish women’s history and culture this spring sparked an interest in knowing more, and I made a challah for our class potluck. I started reading Torah (in English, an online version) but haven’t gotten any farther than Bereshith/Genesis. This was already enough to get me a compliment on my religious knowledge (from a lapsed Catholic), which I found amusing given that I was raised Unitarian and am fairly irreligious.

I had this idea around the same time of spending a year (based on the Jewish calendar, starting on September 18) on a bit more focused exploration of Judaism. I’d like to connect with local Jewish groups, go to Temple, observe Shabbat (at least on occasion), and read both the Bible and whatever histories, biographies, novels, and other books on the subject seem interesting. I might study some Hebrew and/or Yiddish. Kosher’s not really a problem, except for Passover, since I am vegetarian, but I’m not sure how much I’ll observe the holidays.

Perhaps it’s my upbringing (in a mostly secular environment, Judaism was portrayed as the religion with the most relevance for me) but it seems right somehow to do this.

As a different point of view, I’ve been reading a few novels from the perspective of Jewish teens. “How to Ruin a Summer Vacation” and “Freefall” One is an American visiting Israel and the other is an Israeli deciding what part of the military she wants to join. “Freefall” (the military one) is better, but “How to Ruin a Summer Vacation” is a first in a series. I will read more novels as well.

I always thought that Yiddish was just another name for Hebrew. Nope, evidently it’s a mix of German and Hebrew that eventually became its own. Huh!

I just watched the Nova program on the “Bible’s Buried Secrets”. Yeah!
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/bible/program.html

The Learning Company presents college courses on things. I got “Jewish Intellectual History 16th to 20th Century” from the library this week.

I’m half-way through Jewish Literacy: The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People and Its History by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin. I had to stop because classes got really busy. I’ve graduated, so once I catch up at work I can finish up and start learning more!

I would to know more about Judaism. I will attend Temple (at least once) to see what it’s about. I want to try to celebrate Shabbat. I want to learn about other customs, holidays, and values that I may choose to incorporate into my life. I want to learn Hebrew.

www.jewfaq.org

I’m thinking about getting ‘Basic Judaism’, by Milton Steinberg. Has anyone read it? What do you think about it?