whew-- back to blog: It's a scary time, all over again

It always seems I'm more "open" to the expression of blogging when I'm traveling on business. Its been almost a year, Meir Simcha is now with Eli, joining him in J'lem, and we're all a bit older and "wiser" (maybe!).

I'm listening as I drive to M. Medved's book-on-tape, Right Turns, and I'm amazed by his account of this Yale years, the end-of-the-war time of '71-'75 and the disasters that afflicted the Vietnamese after the US pullout in April, '75.

Are we about to see the same things happen in Iraq?

I signed the "pledge" today. See Hugh Hewitt's blog, or TruthLaidBear.com.

I wasn't really "aware" back then, I was only 16. But-- now is scary. And the issue isn't simply the awesome destruction which would come in the wake of a precipitous US pullout from Iraq. The enemy-- radical, militant, Islam-- wants to win in an existential struggle with the West. I, and my loved ones, and many, many people I know, will be at risk for terrors far, far worse than those which occurred on September 11th if they win this war.

And Nancy Pelosi thinks its not a war, its a problem to be solved.

Whew. Got to blog. Sign the pledge.

Eliezer has returned safely!

Good news-- received a call today from Elli-- he arrived in Yerushalayim safely. Davening maariv and crashing before shabbos.

Thank G-d for little favors. And with a kid-- for big ones, too.

Happy Passover! Matza musings .. .

No posts since end of March-- whew.

Passover certainly creeps up on you, and then, I forget all about me.

Its the chometz/matza; ego/selflessness "difficulty".

On one hand, chometz is a prohibited substance, like ego. Edge G-d Out.
On the other hand, that same substance, the rest of the year, is fine. How can something which is no good for me spiritually, somehow become fine? If ego is bad, how does it become good?

Just a thought, but maybe this idea will help as an analogy--

The addicts of the 12-step program have the following wonderful passage in Bill W.'s book, "12 and 12", pg. 40:

. . . it is explained that the other steps of the A.A. program can be practiced with success only when step 3 is given a determined and persistant trial. This statement may surprise newcomers who have experienced nothing but constant deflation and a growing conviction that human will is of no value whatsoever. , , but now it appears that there are certain things which only the individual can do. All by himself, and in light of his own circumstances, he needs to develop the quality of willingness. Trying to do this is an act of his own will (emphasis mine). . . It is when we try to make our will conform with G-d's will that we begin to use it (i.e. our will) rightly . . .

In the language of the Jewish sages of the Talmud, "asay retzoncha retzono . . . ", Make your will His will.

Matza and chometz are really the same thing, just under different circumstances. Matza is, after all, just humble bread. So-- by eating bread, but in the humble state, we remind ourselves how to relate to the bread the rest of the year. Ego in the service of G-d is no vice. But, the test is-- would I forgo any reward for the deed? If the answer is yes, then, the ego is not "edging G-d out." This is the chometz which not only is not a prohibited substance, but it must be used as a holy offering on the holiday of Shavuos, the special Double Loaves brought on the alter.

Torah and ego are not incompatible. Thy will, not mine, be done.


When I get too busy and I stop posting, then my Ego is taking over, and I forget about caring for myself, and connecting with the world out there. I am no longer in the service of His will, but of mine.

Happy last days of the holiday!

Joel Stein, again.

Amazing how some people don't realize that maintaining moral positions is not just a rhetorical flourish , but a stand required of one by character, by what's right.

Horror at the Holocaust stems not from my cultural background as a Jew, but from my cleaving to a moral system of right as taught in G-d's Torah, which values all human life and abhors what they did. My personal connection then is a part with this moral stand.

Hence, my distaste at Mr. Stein's "humor"--

"But I kind of like the Mexicans. I find it hard to hate people who clean my house and serve delicious, cheap food. If the Germans could learn to dust and make a decent taco, I think we would have stopped making Holocaust movies a while ago."

(If you'd like, the whole screed is here: http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-oe-stein28mar28,1,511993.column?coll=la-headlines-pe-california&ctrack=1&cset=true)

I remember the Holocaust and what the Germans did not because the Germans are "not a nice people" whom I don't like. They are who they are, and many, many stood up for what's right. But-- and here's the key-- many did not, and lest we forget, (and pardon the truism, but its true, alright) we will be doomed to repeat it. It's about character, stupid.

To use just this image in such a piece is-- tasteless. Worse, it reveals, if it needed revealing, a lack of moral vision and judgement. Another reason, if I needed one, not to buy the LA Times.

Yale-- better choice

What's with them? Why not this "international student"? Check out this: http://www.opinionjournal.com/diary/?id=110008148

Just saw the results of the election in Israel-- truely, the Almighty watches His nation, again. Am I happy that Olmert won? Of course not-- I believe he represented the most present danger we could confront to our culture and spirituality in the State. But-- he didn't win big, and that will hold him back.

Poor Bibi.

Interesting note, when you total the Torah-learning, Sabbath-observant (i.e. UTJ, Shas, and Mizrahi), you have 26 mandates, more than the second party, Labor, and only less than the "ideology-less, policy wonks" (HT-- David Horowitz at Jpost) in Kadima. You won't see that fact on any talk show. For all we know, Israel is a land of G-dless secularites. Hah.

Got to get out to Muleshoe (Texas, of course), but can't wait to post later on my Alma Mater's dithering on the Taliban "International student" controversy.

But what did I just see this morning from the LA Time's Joel Stein! He "flippantly" asserts that moral outrage at the Nazis can be assuaged by some "nice people"-- he just doesn't get it.

Once again, he attempt at humor-- its not funny. And the underlying sentiment is just wrong.

Later.

Just made it to Clovis, New Mexico, having passed through Moriarity, and Fort Sumner (home of the grave of Billy the Kid), and lots of forest, and desert, and . . . empty, empty land. Lots of it. One visit down in ABQ, and one more tomorrow in Muleshoe. Texas, of course.

I enjoy this traveling as I do the rounds, seeing the factories. Puts my time in LA in perspective. After all, when do I smell the city, in LA? Now come on, I'm not putting anyone on, or trying to embarrass anyone, but our sense of smell is so precious, and we have lost the sense almost, as we can use it outdoors. What about the great pine smell as I pulled into Mammoth Mountain to ski? Or the icy rush high in the Wasatch Front Range? And now, in a small town in a rural area, as a freight pulls through (hotels are always by the rail line, be it Mohave or Clovis), the aroma of cowpies is, well, pungent.

Its so human. Its so real. I love it.

And the beat goes on . . . or, why I have to sit and post ODAAT

OK-- for those of you who aren't familiar with "ODAAT", it has reference to the program of recovery from addiction, and stands for "One Day at A Time". I use it in my title for today's post, because I see this process-- being a member of the blogosphere-- as a wonderful tool for growth and emotional, spiritual, and intellectual development. One Day At A Time.

It was, for me, a long day today. I was of service kosherizing a factory in Ventura, getting ready for another koshering trip to New Mexico, helping my family prepare for Passover, anticipating my son's arrival tomorrow from Jerusalem, for the first time in a year-- in short, a normal, "routine" Sunday in the life of a Venice Rabbi. And I record it here, because I find the process of blogging forces me to focus on my responsibility to share this with others. Perhaps, just perhaps, someone will read something I share and identify. Perhaps, just perhaps, I'll say something which will bring a smile, a tear, and our souls will be connected beyond the finite bonds of Internet connectivity. And as this happens, I find myself responsible to reaching out beyond myself, to share with an unseen, but always felt, mass of kindred brothers, walking their own walk, ODAAT.

The fact that I now have a "forum" (when in reality I always had one; now, with VeniceRabbi.blogspot.com its just so more present) draws my attention throughout the day ("Has anyone sent a comment? Does anyone ever really read it? ad infinitem . . . ) Its as if the Almighty has positioned Himself as the "Reader" of my life's blog, and I have to get out a daily post, for His sake, so He can see I'm working it. Yet, really, He's always been there, and now, I just substitute all of you for Him. In that sense, my blogging is a part of me that was always there, just it lacked a focus, a clear place where it had to be expressed. With the blog, it must come out-- how can I leave a day go by without at least one post!

So, indeed, the beat does go one, as it always has. But today, I've another tool to help me stay aware of it, and record it, and connect with the Reader of the Universe. Just for Today.

You don't buy your bagels at Hudson's

On the way back driving last Tuesday to Salt Lake City from Moab, Utah, I passed the time enjoying the incredible creations of the Creator of the World (i.e. the Buttes near Price, and the saw-toothed mountains of the Wasatch Front Range) and listening to my car radio. It was on the latter that I was treated to a view of the "bizaro" world that I felt I was entering upon tuning in to the MSM.

I didn't have much reception, so I was forced to tune to the local FM NPR station. Much to my relief, it was a piece on the President's news conference on Iraq that morning and he was in rare form. But then-- I heard him call on "Helen"-- later characterized by the NPR reporter as "Helen Thomas, queen of the Washington press corps". I was stunned at the disrespect, ney, scorn, implicit in her question to the President.

" . . . what was the "real reason" you invaded Iraq, Mr. President . . . ?!"

And when after what followed was a passionate, articulate, ringing statement of personal principle (see transcripts for Mr. Bush's full answer, what basically was that "I learned on 9/11 that the world changed, that we were under attack, and that I would use all the resources at my command to defend the American people")-- this "Queen" was asked by the NPR interviewer--

"Do you think that the President answered your question?"

Now, as I sat there driving, I couldn't believe my ears. Helen Thomas' cynical disrespect was bad enough to endure, but the President's firm restatement of principle was a relief that made it worthwhile. Yet, to now ask, "did he answer your question"-- of course he did! I just heard it-- didn't the interviewer?

And Helen's answer? "Of course he didn't!"

In which world do they live? I was taught in high school debating class, that while you may disagree with your antagonist, but you respect his right to his opinion and you strive to understand it. Helen Thomas and the NPR reporter certainly didn't understand what the President said, and they did not because they assume that their values are the only the values that exist. No other values exist to buttress any other conclusion. Hence, the President must have been manipulating, obfuscating-- but not answering the question.

I realized that the world they live in is not my world. I may not always agree with the President, but I understand from where he comes.

In their world, he is incomprehensible because he doesn't share their values.

I can't wish for dialogue, because we live in differing worlds. Dialogue, discussion, debate, communication is only possible when we live together. My world is totally different that theirs because our values are so very different. I can't expect more from them-- because they don't use the same language, the same rules, that I do. I hear an inspiring answer, and Helen Thomas, "of course", doesn't.

I pondered this tragedy (for like Helen, undoubtedly, many of these people are fine individuals, with whom I'd like to share and debate, but alas, cannot, since so many of people like me-- the religiously-observant, the conservatives, the supporter of Israels, or whatever-- are simply not allowed to express opinions based on our differing values).

If we're so different, I guess I can't feel that bad. You don't buy bagels at Hudson's, they used to tell me in Detroit. What do I expect?

I guess my job is to continue to teach, to share, to present my values in a way they can understand. Maybe then we can someday hear when one of us answers a question.