Physical Judaism Appreciated – Introduction

Physical Judaism Appreciated – Looking Behind the Spiritual Veil – Some Helpful Facts ⇒ Many books deal with quasi-ineffables: thoughts, intentions, meanings, morals; altruistic values, ethical dimensions, spiritual growth; theological primacy, philosophical unification, divine doctrine; causes, reasons, beliefs; origins, elevation, sanctity; purity, holiness, inner light; why, wherefore, etc.; etc. ⇒ Other books address performance: what to do, how to do, when to do, who may do; improving, growing, refining, perfecting; happiness, clarity, vision, intimacy; learning, sharing, aging, maturing; intention, prayer, charity, repentance; ritual, living, mindfulness, sacrificing.

All of these categories are meaningful for me: to appreciate some bigger “picture”, and – to rejoice in the grandeur of their details. ⇒ All of these are personal: part and parcel of my own inheritance, of my peaceful obligations of receiving – from my parents, elders, spouse, and teachers; of actualizing in my life and in my life-space, – and of my transmitting traditional wellbeing to – my children, my exemplary neighbors, and my students. 

I personally, privately, and publicly hereby: rejoice in all of these – YET – I notice that – many important aspects have been lost, or – are currently greatly under-appreciated: Physical Judaism : The objects and The actions (therewith). ⇒ Thus, I will try to present some relevant details: for the Honor of Torah, Givers of Torah, and Receivers of Torah; for Actualizers of Torah, Seekers of Torah, Enlighteners of Torah; for the Observant, the Precise, and the Cautious; for the Radical, the Skeptical, and the Critical; for the Practical, the Pragmatic, and the Conforming; for the Confused, the Distant, and the Detached. 

For me, the most relevant details – must address the physical features, which – being neither causes nor reasons, – are consistently latent energetic facts. ⇒ Alternately considered: most physical attributes are ‘typically’ creative plausible conjectures; back into the times of their conception, technology, and ordinary life; simpler times of careful measured scarcity or awe inspiring abundance; sincerely shared with love; actively appreciated with jubilation; an earlier epoch of friendship, tribal brotherhood, nationhood; generations of honor, delight, pleasure; and fragile emotions.

Appreciating the physical – details, features, attributes, and aspects: increase awareness, awaken visceral memories – (of deep long-forgotten enlightenment events), – enriching experience, and enhancing belief. ⇒ Physical ‘details’ relate to actions: items necessary to accomplish these ‘practices’, – rituals associated with such intentional ‘acts’, and – typically words; said (or heard) therewith.

…now… {Ultra Silent <> Halacha Preamble} with Hebrew m/f ‘gender’ designation! Sefer Devorim 30.11/12 “For this commandment (f) which WE-Parents-as-if-ONE command you (m) today, (she is) not too entrancing for you (m), nor is she far off. She <The Torah> is not in heaven that you (m) should say: Who will go up for us to the-heaven (f), to bring it (f) to us, to make us hear her, that we may do it (f).” THUS: The Torah ⇒ She is Our Guide to Accelerated-Maturation ⇒ She (Halacha) is The Torah’s Technology.    {-pause- …whereas BEHOLD the Baba Metzia 59B examples affirm Our Sages assigning Halacha STATUS according to their majority’s opinion → for exemplary Logical Boundary Condition cases! [i.e. the oven of akhnai status → Rejected Metaphorical ‘proposals’: an uprooted carob tree (moving a boundary), a stream flowing backwards (reversing a precedent), a wall leaning inwards (still on the original foundation)] –and- are respectfully Complementary & Consistent with (Sefer Mishlei 1.8: “…my-son… Do not forsake the Torah (f) of your-Mother.”}

Halacha – often translated as “Jewish Law” – may more precisely be rendered as — BIG DATA ‘certified’ — Best Life-Practices Advice : according to the preponderance of life-experience evidence – of tens of millions of lives – – over many thousands of years – which Our Sages have accumulated, distilled, and redacted. 

Halacha – built upon amazingly relevant reorganizations of all human knowledge – respectively reflecting the maturation of mankind’s conceptualizations – is successively exemplified by revolutionary easy-to-use compendiums – Including: Mishneh Torah upon The Mishnah upon Torat Moshe. 

Halacha – is understood TODAY as – being according to the most advanced consensus of – the Holy Sages in Our generation AFTER – having given full consideration to – ALL opinions of relevant experts – in EVERY educated profession, – and AFTER having carefully observed – the contemporary practices of ordinary living – (in ALL of their normal variations). 

Halacha – in addition to any Religious connotation; in addition to any Spiritual aspect; in addition to any Ritual practices; is the Human-Relevant status-category – of ALL objects, actions, and transactions; in each stage of their existence, interaction, transition; and their relative priority, importance, significance. 

Halacha – Best Life-Practices Advice – is really – the integral holistic-sustainable risk-avoiding life-affirming protocol suite – for physical healthiness harmonized with mental vitality awareness – appropriately scaled, resolved, and enhanced for recognition of: the individual, the couple, the home, our extended families, – relationships, community, and trans-generational programs. 

Halacha – (simply stated) – illuminates human choices – in a beautiful sentient world wherein – Torah is a universal paradigm, – a dynamic technology, – a practical path. 

Halacha – leaves the person in Awe – of seemingly infinite ideation (Heaven) – ineffable as it “lovingly” manifests – within – collective intergenerational discussion – among Our ever-beloved Sages. 

Halacha – exemplifies a level of intellectual, – emotional, and physical transparency – that has no known equal – among our fellow ancient indigenous proto-nations, – nor among the Religious-Politik dogma-doctrine actualizations – observable among the more modern “Cultures” – maturing forward beyond their interim instincts – of venerating poverty, suffering, asceticism, etc. – via ? oppression, violence, war, domination, etc.

ATTENTION ! ⇒ WARNING ! ⇒ CAUTION ! ⇒ This is a book of observations and conjectures! This book makes NO claim of authority! This book asserts NO halacha determination! This book is incomplete, inadequate, ineffable! Not to quote! Only to ponder! (Or to falsify!) Private, Personal, Confidential! – For Your Eyes Only –

Physical Judaism Appreciated recognizes that every detail – [of Our sustainable often-ancient rituals] – includes many layers of meaning (and merit). ⇒ Yet, transforming our vantage – to that of the technology – prevalent at earlier times – yields much needed inspiration, sincerity, and familiarity. ⇒ Yes, even if only for YOU, here are many thought provoking examples, – odd speculations, and even perhaps strange considerations. 

Nevertheless, ALL are: 

⇒ firstly – to Support – All of Us – as We are again Emerging – from cumulative long traumatizing Ga-lut <suspension/exile> events, – into a truth affirming Ge’ula <redemption/return> process, – and to progress from this Ge’ula <return/restoration> revitalization, – into a Ge-lui <Life-renewal to Awareness-revelation> epoch;

⇒ secondly – to Liberate – Most ‘safely quoted’ Commentators – who, rather than risking life and limb of Our people, – cautiously avoided frontal head-on collisions with – the (true – albeit) kindergarten-level literalization of – Our earlier viscerally-inherited core texts (TaNaKh) → by creatively expanding the illumination of eternal Torah – into a robust Midrash, transformational ToShBa, etc. ⇒ thereby keeping the maturation of Halacha alive; and 

⇒ thirdly – to Facilitate – Our awakening-primordial Consciousness – to engage in a respectful sharing of life appreciation – (and associated appropriate technologies) with – Surviving Indigenous Peoples – which – TODAY – (surprisingly) comprise a majority of the world’s population, AND – who – TODAY – are continually inspired and spiritually strengthened by – the ongoing examples of Our National Traversal beyond (uncountable, Mutually Familiar, demeaning experiences of) vicious oppression, false bias, arbitrary restrictions, raw hatred, – discriminatory quotas, malicious adversities, colonial arrogance, – subjugations, inquisitions, enslavement, torture, genocide, etc.

NOW – (yes: “now”) begins some instant present moments for sharing – Our asymmetric sensual awareness, egalitarian attention, feelings – looking anew beyond mundane physical experience horizons – into Our foggiest collectivized solidarity sentience – condensing living sparks of primal pragmatism – celebrating silent righteous orientation energies – integrating exemplary associative learning – and – thereby arousing Our robust expanding vantage (of free choice).

Behold – the original Hebrew texts are before us all – awaiting rediscovery – of inherent polite perceptions – underlying Our ordinary life stages, – of clouds of meaning – modestly “clothing” Your private familiarity – embedded resonant universals – omnipresent since before antiquity.

Behold – many ritual items, objects, foods, and activities have undergone – only nominal ‘adjustments’ since discoveries, variations, perfection, – and eventual inclusion among Best Life-Practices Advice boundaries – sometimes ‘in or of itself’ for our mature human survival advantages;

→ sometimes a severe cautionary status assignment for a safe passage – sometimes as a precautionary prohibition ‘lest you might think that’ – sometimes for perpetual memory of unusual best and worst events – most often an elevation of the occasional life process opportunities;

→ expanding your mundane awareness above experience expectations – to awaken you in your life path and appreciate a multitude of things – to do (if you are so enabled) or not to do (lest you damage yourself) – also for perfecting your deepest (inner most – often inaudible) voice;

→ which is an anthology (composite) of ancestral facial configurations – which you sometimes notice – if looking at your face from the inside – hence freeing you to journey through primordial dimensions of time – interconnecting you with all other sentient beings – thus also beware;

→ incline your heart to mature responsibility – avoiding risk – but living – modestly anew between festive abundance and introspective scarcity – and you can be happily surprised by your regret, renewal, and growth – the key being transitions of the womb during birthing to motherhood.

Curious Postscript: 

Except for the ‘Halacha Preamble’ paragraph → The entire text (above) was an ‘Introduction’ – that I wrote – Long Ago – in a single sitting – as a single unformatted ‘sentence’ – to yet another Book (that I will not have time to write) → thus … eventually leading to my various [often: Grammar-Liberated] ‘Times of Israel’ blogs; which can be read, parsed, studied, and reread  – according to the readers’ esteemed whims & eccentricities ⇒ unlike most Shabbat ‘sheets’ – that can be found feeding starving Genezia boxes – by the following Sunday.

BTW: a ‘new’ simple Physical Judaism example ⇒ The minimum quantity of food eaten [about 25-30 grams] – requiring an After-Blessing – is an olive’s bulk (volume)! So, if bread has air pockets or is ‘fluffy, then we consider its volume when compressed. [Likewise for other foods comprising our ‘basic’ meal.] For us ‘modern people’ – in this age of abundance (unimaginable to most prior generations) – What? were our decisive Scholarly Sages thinking when setting this ‘olive bulk’ threshold – to say (Bless – thereafter) “and I ate, and I was satisfied” – since OUR satisfied is a full stomach ⇒ BUT wait → consider ‘concentration’ Death-Camp Shoah ‘survivors’ – for them (and for us!) ‘satisfied’ constitutes a reasonable presumption of not ‘Dying of Hunger’ between this ‘meal’ (an olive bulk of ‘bread’) and the next ‘meal’ (an olive bulk of ‘bread’). 

Simply stated, many Halacha status thresholds were/are set as ‘Best Life Practices Advice’ for risk avoidance in general -and- survival in particular → under the most desperate conditions; including nutritional scarcity,  harsh physical persecution, etc. Curious appreciating that neither our Sages nor ‘other’ Scholars ever considered various physical, emotional, spiritual, and social ‘challenges’ that (may) occur during an age of abundance. → Some further (blunt) observations regarding OUR Age of Abundance in about-generation-theta/ 

⇒ Other practical Physical Judaism Appreciated mitzvah technology ‘illustrations’ included the Tzitzit & Tekhelet ‘together’ paradigm [mitzvah-the-concept/]; common aspect of ‘original’ three Biblical prohibited mixtures (Kilayim) [kilayim-min-hatorah-and-indeterminate-liability/]; (note: Kashrut requires a ‘different’ lengthy discourse on practicality, permissible & prohibited foods, and prohibited ‘mixtures’); the  Parah Adumah specification & the Cohen ‘paradox’ [oh-wow-a-red-cow-mitzvah/]; and the Seven Noahide Laws [a-matan-torah-prequel-noahide-mental-health/]; likewise – forthcoming (at least planned) perspectives on Hafrashat Challah, Tefillin, Brit Milah, and the four Sukkot species.

Essentially, our living in this Age biases us to ‘appreciate’ Mitzvot from a spiritual (emotional-psychological) vantage; instead of unimaginable physical circumstances which set most Halacha ‘status’ boundary condition definitions. Regarding the vast landscape of Torah commentators, they were conscious of the circumstances in their times – both personal surroundings, and the particulars of other Jewish communities. Essentially, given the (sometimes or often) ‘traditional’ hostile attitudes of Christians and/or Muslim ‘governments’ and/or our ‘neighbors’ – every post Bayit Sheni ‘Galut’ text has used wordings, expressions, and/or delicate analogies to convey Torah-True meaning → often avoiding: ‘toxic’ censorship, extortion, pogroms, expulsions, etc. 

Likewise, between Bayit Rishon & Sheni – multiparametric conceptual aspects of Core Hebrew Texts ‘took on’ minimalist literal examples of their ‘meaning’ in translation; to Aramaic, Greek, Latin, Arabic, Yiddish, …, English! Simply, here are word pair examples – that were NOT originally synonyms in Biblical Hebrew: Yerah & Pachad; VaYomer & VaYidaber; Paroah & Melech Mitzraim; Eretz & Adamah; EloHeem & the G?D? ‘word’, etc. THUS(B”H) an untranslatable (Halacha Status Independent) Hebrew-Mind reading/understanding of Torat Moshe is now Required!