For those who have difficulty with the transliterated Hebrew and who don't have access
to Jewish libraries, most transliterated Hebrew can probably be found through Google.
If the word is critical to what I'm saying, then it is explained.
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About what you comment, Debbie, in one sense it would be easy to be critical, because often Reform Jewry's approach to Judaism seems to be 'wholesale jettisoning' of that which doesn't find favor in their eyes. But the greater and perhaps even greatest truth is that Jews as a whole just do not understand that '
God is only relationship', and neither do they understand that this relationship exists because of '
how precious we are to each other': God to man and man to God.
That this relationship exists at all is because Jews - beginning with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – brought it into the world. That this relationship is not exclusive to Jews is why there are Gerim, i.e. meaning that God desires us, but this relationship has to be learned through Jews. Just as Jews had to and continually have to build and sustain the relationship, so, too, do we Gerim have to build and continue building the relationship. The truth of Torah and of being a Jew is that the essence of life IS what we do; not what we proclaim.
Sadly, we discover that for the overwhelming majority of Jews this relationship is neglected, often terribly neglected, even to the point of having no visible existence. How do we know?....because 'whatever God is [to them]' never touches them in any real way. Instead of relationship, all there is estrangement: not attraction; only rejection. “Who's God that I have to pay attention to him?”
And along come we Gerim, Gerim who genuinely feel the vitality of Judaism, i.e. of the relationship with God, and in our doing so we both give affirmation and we give sustenance...to the relationship. All who are mentioned in the 13th blessing of the Shemoneh Esrei are those who commit their lives entirely
to affirming and sustaining the relationship. Gerim aren't included to honor them;
we're included because we're vital.
To exclude Gerim from this group is no different from [those] Gerim who say, “I'm a Jew; not a Ger.” Each one denies, and even rejects, how precious Gerim are...are to Jews and are to God.
Although it may not be visible to us, Chanukah is only about our relationship
in it's most intimate sense – because in our lighting our Chanukah Light, we are telling ourselves and telling each other and telling the entirety of Creation, “It' about us, about we and God.” Ours is not an exclusive message; it's an inclusive one - as we see here in the posting, “Chanukah: Sharing Light”.
Chanukah Sameach - Happy Chanukah,
Daniel Eliezer
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What I write doesn't invite comments within the topic, but I do want you to know
that all are welcome to write me should you have any questions or comments.
I can be reached at: d.e.ben.eitan@gmail.com.