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div.b-mobile {display:none;} </style> </head> <body><script type="text/javascript"> function setAttributeOnload(object, attribute, val) { if(window.addEventListener) { window.addEventListener("load", function(){ object[attribute] = val; }, false); } else { window.attachEvent('onload', function(){ object[attribute] = val; }); } } </script> <iframe src="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734if_/http://www.blogger.com/navbar.g?targetBlogID=12610610&blogName=Mah+Rabu&publishMode=PUBLISH_MODE_BLOGSPOT&navbarType=BLUE&layoutType=CLASSIC&searchRoot=http%3A%2F%2Fmahrabu.blogspot.com%2Fsearch&blogLocale=en_US&homepageUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fmahrabu.blogspot.com%2F" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" height="30px" width="100%" id="navbar-iframe" allowtransparency="true" title="Blogger Navigation and Search"></iframe> <div></div> <div id="wrap">   <div id="blog-header"> <h1> Mah Rabu </h1> </div> <div id="content">   <div id="main-content"> <h2 class="date-header">Wednesday, November 04, 2009</h2>  <div class="post"><a name="3584569596776585232"></a> <h3 class="post-title"> One year later </h3> <div class="post-body"> <p><div style="clear:both;"></div>So show us why we came here<br/>Before we lay on the ground<br/>Give it to us loud and clear<br/>Make the devil turn around<br/><br/>The world around me’s turning<br/>I’m just standing still<br/>The time has come for changes<br/>Do something or we will<br/><br/>--Phish, "Crowd Control"<br/><br/>(This is directed not only to the Obama administration, but to the "filibuster-proof" U.S. Senate majority, the Democratic majority in the New York Senate, and anyone else I helped elect on promises of change.)<div style="clear:both; padding-bottom:0.25em"></div></p> </div> <p class="post-footer">posted by BZ at <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2009/11/one-year-later.html" title="permanent link">7:37 AM</a> | <a class="comment-link" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12610610&postID=3584569596776585232" location.href="https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12610610&postID=3584569596776585232;">0 comments</a> <a class="comment-link" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2009/11/one-year-later.html#links">links to this post</a> <span class="item-action"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.blogger.com/email-post.g?blogID=12610610&postID=3584569596776585232" title="Email Post"><img class="icon-action" alt="" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734im_/http://www.blogger.com:80/img/icon18_email.gif" height="13" width="18"/></a></span><span class="item-control blog-admin pid-1015515819"><a style="border:none;" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=12610610&postID=3584569596776585232" title="Edit Post"><img class="icon-action" alt="" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734im_/http://www.blogger.com:80/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif" height="18" width="18"></a></span></p> </div>    <h2 class="date-header">Tuesday, October 27, 2009</h2>  <div class="post"><a name="1793602465592016090"></a> <h3 class="post-title"> Choice through knowledge </h3> <div class="post-body"> <p><div style="clear:both;"></div>[<span style="font-weight: bold;">UPDATE:</span> Some people were confused about this, so I should clarify that "really" in this post is used in the sense of "actually", not in the sense of "very".]<br/><br/>Mazal tov to <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.mechonhadar.org/yeshivat-hadar1">Yeshivat Hadar</a> on getting their year-round full-time program up and running! <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.thejewishweek.com/viewArticle/c36_a17039/News/New_York.html">This article</a> in the <span style="font-style: italic;">New York Jewish Week</span> is chock full of things to comment on, but I'll leave the full-scale fisking to someone else. Rather than discuss the inaccuracies in the article ("the entire Hadar <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2008/12/independent-minyan-conference-closing.html">movement</a>", "<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2006/02/tree-tree-tree-tree-tree-tree.html">l'shma</a>") or the dreadful <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2009/10/framing-in-forward.html">framing</a> (do the men wear pants too? it doesn't say), I'm going to focus narrowly on one point, and in the process piss off just about everyone.<br/><br/>Look at this paragraph:<br/><blockquote><br/>Making decisions about practices that are in accordance with normative Jewish law and with contemporary egalitarianism is “not as simple as opening a Shulchan Oruch,” the Code of Jewish Law that serves as a basic reference for many observant Jews, Rabbi Kaunfer says. The yeshiva’s students, he says, are encouraged to seek their own answers, in consultation with their teachers at the yeshiva, not to simply ask a rabbinic authority to make rulings for them. “Our gedolim [recognized authorities] are the rabbis of the Talmud and the Mishna.”</blockquote><br/>We'll ignore the "observant Jews" framing, which I'll assume isn't a direct quote from Kaunfer, and the juxtaposition of the reporter's transcription of "Shulchan Oruch" with "not the Ashkenazi pronunciation heard in most Orthodox yeshivot", and focus on the substance.<br/><br/>I've spent much of the last few years fending off the allegation that Kehilat Hadar is "really Conservative" (see, e.g., <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2005/07/move-along-nothing-to-see-here.html">here</a> and <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2005/08/dar-es-salaam.html">here</a> and <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2007/12/results-are-in.html">here</a> and in the comments <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2007/12/results-are-in-take-iii.html">here</a> and <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/features/25372/no-religion">here</a> and <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://rachelgm.blogspot.com/2006/11/everybody-loves-ref-jew.html#c116313836333493273">here</a>), so now I'm going to do something truly irresponsible and suggest that, based on this paragraph, one could argue that Yeshivat Hadar is "really Reform". After all, this paragraph provides a succinct formulation of the Reform doctrine of informed autonomy. And even if that bears little similarity to what goes on in Reform communities, a central piece of the "Kehilat Hadar is really Conservative" argument is "They're practicing true Conservative Judaism even if most Conservative congregations and their members aren't", so this is no different, <span style="font-style: italic;">mutatis mutandis</span>.<br/><br/>Ok, I don't entirely believe that myself (not least because I don't think it's useful or meaningful to say that someone or something is "really X" when they don't identify themselves as such, but not only for that reason), and was just throwing it out there to play devil's advocate. But even if it's not true, I think it's still a valuable intellectual exercise to have to argue <span style="font-weight: bold;">why</span> it's not true. (And when you're done, I leave it as an exercise to figure out why <span style="font-weight: bold;">I</span> don't think it's true, which may not be the same reasons as yours. E.g., it certainly isn't because they daven in Hebrew. See <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2009/02/toward-reform-jewish-narrative-myth.html">this post</a> for some hints.)<br/><br/>But there's another reason I'm introducing this meme (albeit immediately retracting it). The "Kehilat Hadar is really Conservative" meme, though problematic, is useful for one purpose: it gets Conservative communities to look in the mirror and say "There's no reason we couldn't try that here." Likewise, I hope a "Yeshivat Hadar is really Reform" meme might prompt some Reform communities to do the same. Serious text study to enable laypeople to make informed decisions about their individual practice should be the bread and butter of the Reform movement. It should be an embarrassment to the Reform movement, with all its buildings, staff, money, and longevity, that it's being beaten at what should be its own game by a 3-year-old startup organization operating in rented space. So perhaps Yeshivat Hadar's proof of concept will inspire others to think bigger.<div style="clear:both; padding-bottom:0.25em"></div></p> </div> <p class="post-footer">posted by BZ at <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2009/10/choice-through-knowledge.html" title="permanent link">9:24 PM</a> | <a class="comment-link" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12610610&postID=1793602465592016090" location.href="https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12610610&postID=1793602465592016090;">15 comments</a> <a class="comment-link" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2009/10/choice-through-knowledge.html#links">links to this post</a> <span class="item-action"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.blogger.com/email-post.g?blogID=12610610&postID=1793602465592016090" title="Email Post"><img class="icon-action" alt="" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734im_/http://www.blogger.com:80/img/icon18_email.gif" height="13" width="18"/></a></span><span class="item-control blog-admin pid-1015515819"><a style="border:none;" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=12610610&postID=1793602465592016090" title="Edit Post"><img class="icon-action" alt="" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734im_/http://www.blogger.com:80/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif" height="18" width="18"></a></span></p> </div>    <h2 class="date-header">Thursday, October 22, 2009</h2>  <div class="post"><a name="7358581796365939546"></a> <h3 class="post-title"> Framing in the Forward </h3> <div class="post-body"> <p><div style="clear:both;"></div>This week's issue of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Forward</span> includes an <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://forward.com/articles/117306/">oped</a> on framing and liberal Judaism:<br/><br/><blockquote>For liberal Judaism to thrive, it must develop frames to see itself as authentic on its own terms. Orthodox Jews aren’t doing anything wrong by viewing Judaism through Orthodox frames, but we as liberal Jews are missing an opportunity by failing to see Judaism through our own liberal Jewish values. <p>This framing problem manifests itself in subtle ways. When we refer to Jews of other denominations as “more religious” or “more observant,” we undermine our own standards of religious observance, and judge ourselves on a scale external to our own Judaism.</p></blockquote><p></p>If you got to Mah Rabu via the <span style="font-style: italic;">Forward</span>, welcome! <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2005/06/just-crying-out-that-he-was-framed.html">Here</a> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2005/07/count-frames.html">are</a> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2005/08/count-frames-answers.html">some</a> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2006/03/new-york-times-gets-framed.html">other</a> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2006/03/observant_29.html">posts</a> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2007/08/your-head-splode.html">that</a> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2009/04/independent-minyanim-in-washington-post.html">address</a> framing issues.<div style="clear:both; padding-bottom:0.25em"></div></p> </div> <p class="post-footer">posted by BZ at <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2009/10/framing-in-forward.html" title="permanent link">1:05 AM</a> | <a class="comment-link" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12610610&postID=7358581796365939546" location.href="https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12610610&postID=7358581796365939546;">8 comments</a> <a class="comment-link" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2009/10/framing-in-forward.html#links">links to this post</a> <span class="item-action"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.blogger.com/email-post.g?blogID=12610610&postID=7358581796365939546" title="Email Post"><img class="icon-action" alt="" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734im_/http://www.blogger.com:80/img/icon18_email.gif" height="13" width="18"/></a></span><span class="item-control blog-admin pid-1015515819"><a style="border:none;" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=12610610&postID=7358581796365939546" title="Edit Post"><img class="icon-action" alt="" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734im_/http://www.blogger.com:80/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif" height="18" width="18"></a></span></p> </div>    <h2 class="date-header">Wednesday, October 21, 2009</h2>  <div class="post"><a name="3064742339904144499"></a> <h3 class="post-title"> Outer planets update </h3> <div class="post-body"> <p><div style="clear:both;"></div>(Crossposted to <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://jewschool.com/2009/10/21/18443/outer-planets-update/">Jewschool</a>.)<br/><p>Back in <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://jewschool.com/2009/01/06/14722/name-these-planets/">January</a>, we posted about the contest to come up with Hebrew names for the planets Uranus and Neptune, as part of the <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.astronomy2009.org/">International Year of Astronomy</a>. Some of you may have submitted entries. The <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.astronomia2009.org.il/info/sib/uran_nep.htm">finalists</a> have now been announced!!!</p> <p>The two contenders for the planet hereunto known as Uranus are:</p> <ul><li><strong>Oron</strong> - “The name means ‘little light’ , and it hints at the faint light of the planet as seen from Earth due to its great distance from the sun. The name Oron sounds similar to the foreign name [Uranus] and helps in remembering it.”</li><li><strong>Shahak</strong> - “The proposal follows the meaning of the name Uranus, the name of the god of heaven. In Hebrew tradition there is no parallel name for the god of heaven (besides the name of the Supreme God). The word ’shehakim’, in rabbinic literature, indicates one of the seven firmaments, and is also found in our Hebrew, and thus the singular form Shahak is appropriate as a proper name for the planet.”</li></ul> <p>And for Neptune:</p> <ul><li><strong>Rahav</strong> - “The proposal follows the meaning of the name Neptune - the name of the god of the sea. The name parallel to it in Jewish tradition is Rahav - the name of the master of the sea. Thus, for example, the Babylonian Talmud explains the verse [JPS translation: 'By His power He stilled the sea; By His skill He struck down Rahab'] (Job 26:12) as describing the victory of the master of the sea. The name Rahav bears mythological connotations like the Latin name.” </li><li><strong>Tarshish</strong> - “This is the name of one of the stones of the breastplate [Exodus 28:20] whose Aramaic translation (Onkelos) is ‘the color of the sea’ (among other opinions) — and this is also Neptune’s color as seen from Earth — bluish-green. ‘Tarshish’ is also connected to the sea in its other biblical use: the name of a place on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, whose identification is not certain (recall the flight of Jonah the prophet to Tarshish). And on the phrase ‘the ships of Tarshish’, Rashi says ‘Tarshish - name of a sea’. In rabbinic literature and in liturgical poetry ‘Tarshish’ is a synonym for sea, and also a name of angels. Thus the name Tarshish combines the connection to the sea (like the Latin name) and the mythological foundation (angels).”</li></ul> <p>I was one of <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.astronomia2009.org.il/info/sib/uran_nep_p1.htm">25 entrants</a> (including an 8th-grade class in Netanya) who submitted “Shahak” for Uranus, and congratulations to <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://adderabbi.blogspot.com/2009/10/planet-names-update.html">ADDeRabbi</a>, one of 15 people who submitted “Rahav” for Neptune!</p> <p>So the next step is <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.astronomia2009.org.il/info/sib/uran_nep.htm">voting</a>! The vote is being conducted online. Unfortunately for those of us outside Israel, the ballot asks for a <em>te’udat zehut</em> (ID number), so only Israeli citizens can vote. If you’re eligible, vote!!! The fate of two planets is in your hands. The winners will be announced in December at the conclusion of the International Year of Astronomy.</p><div style="clear:both; padding-bottom:0.25em"></div></p> </div> <p class="post-footer">posted by BZ at <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2009/10/outer-planets-update.html" title="permanent link">10:39 PM</a> | <a class="comment-link" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12610610&postID=3064742339904144499" location.href="https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12610610&postID=3064742339904144499;">3 comments</a> <a class="comment-link" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2009/10/outer-planets-update.html#links">links to this post</a> <span class="item-action"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.blogger.com/email-post.g?blogID=12610610&postID=3064742339904144499" title="Email Post"><img class="icon-action" alt="" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734im_/http://www.blogger.com:80/img/icon18_email.gif" height="13" width="18"/></a></span><span class="item-control blog-admin pid-1015515819"><a style="border:none;" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=12610610&postID=3064742339904144499" title="Edit Post"><img class="icon-action" alt="" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734im_/http://www.blogger.com:80/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif" height="18" width="18"></a></span></p> </div>    <h2 class="date-header">Thursday, September 17, 2009</h2>  <div class="post"><a name="6430420182458617006"></a> <h3 class="post-title"> Fifteen minutes </h3> <div class="post-body"> <p><div style="clear:both;"></div>The <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://jewschool.com/2009/09/16/17992/shanah-tovah-matey/">Jewschool version</a> of my <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2009/09/shanah-tovah-matey.html">last post</a> was linked from the official <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://talklikeapirate.com/tlapd09_2.html#world">Talk Like A Pirate Day website</a>!!!<br/><br/>Also, the Howard Dean <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2009/09/question.html">town hall</a> I went to the other day has been <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.usnews.com/blogs/washington-whispers/2009/09/16/howard-dean-blasts-baucus-healthcare-bill.html">making the news</a>, particularly his harsh words for the ridiculous <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.openleft.com/diary/15122/baucus-bill-cant-reach-60-votes">Baucus bill</a>.<br/><br/>Speaking of Baucus: Today I got to see President Obama at a health care rally at the University of Maryland. (Living in the DC area is great!) As <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/9/17/783426/-Crowd-cheers-public-option...boos-Baucus-plan">DailyKosTV reports</a>, the crowd wildly cheered the public option, and booed the Baucus bill. I think I was the one who initiated the Baucus-booing! But as you can hear from the video, it took just a fraction of a second to spread around the whole arena, so there is overwhelming sentiment in favor of <span style="font-weight: bold;">real</span> health care reform.<br/><br/>Obama's speech at the rally had much of the same content as his speech last week to Congress, but he threw in other stuff specific to the college student audience, including a nod to the <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/18/education/18educ.htm">bill </a>passed today by the House to fix student loans and financial aid. Obama was introduced by a UMD student who was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and was able to receive treatment that has been successful so far because she was on her parents' insurance, but will need expensive medication for the rest of her life and is going to be shit out of luck when she's out in the world trying to buy her own insurance (due to her preexisting condition) if we don't fix health care now. Let's do it!<div style="clear:both; padding-bottom:0.25em"></div></p> </div> <p class="post-footer">posted by BZ at <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2009/09/fifteen-minutes.html" title="permanent link">7:48 PM</a> | <a class="comment-link" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12610610&postID=6430420182458617006" location.href="https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12610610&postID=6430420182458617006;">0 comments</a> <a class="comment-link" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2009/09/fifteen-minutes.html#links">links to this post</a> <span class="item-action"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.blogger.com/email-post.g?blogID=12610610&postID=6430420182458617006" title="Email Post"><img class="icon-action" alt="" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734im_/http://www.blogger.com:80/img/icon18_email.gif" height="13" width="18"/></a></span><span class="item-control blog-admin pid-1015515819"><a style="border:none;" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=12610610&postID=6430420182458617006" title="Edit Post"><img class="icon-action" alt="" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734im_/http://www.blogger.com:80/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif" height="18" width="18"></a></span></p> </div>    <h2 class="date-header">Wednesday, September 16, 2009</h2>  <div class="post"><a name="7483660249702798768"></a> <h3 class="post-title"> Shanah tovah, matey! </h3> <div class="post-body"> <p><div style="clear:both;"></div>(Crossposted to <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://jewschool.com/2009/09/16/17992/shanah-tovah-matey/">Jewschool</a>.)<br/><br/><p>Here at Jewschool, we have covered many calendrical confluences, from the <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://jewschool.com/2007/03/02/11939/everything-under-the-sun-is-in-tune/">total lunar eclipse on Purim</a> to <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://jewschool.com/2009/04/19/15976/shape-of-earth-views-differ/">Birkat Hachamah on Erev Pesach</a> to <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://jewschool.com/2007/02/01/11802/celebrating-the-multi-cultural-world-of-spring-holidays/">Ice Cream For Breakfast Day on Tu Bishvat</a>. But all of those pale in comparison to the big one that we’ve been <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://jewschool.com/2007/09/19/12664/jewish-pirate-jokes/">awaiting for years</a>: Rosh Hashanah on <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html">International Talk Like A Pirate Day</a>!!!</p> <p>The 2nd day of Rosh Hashanah fell on September 19, 2001, but that was before <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.theonion.com/content/index/3734"><em>The Onion</em></a> gave us permission to laugh again, so talking like a pirate was the last thing on our minds at the time. Other than that, this year is the first combined Rosh Hashanah / TLAPD since TLAPD was founded in 1995. The next time will be in 2020.</p> <p>So, to help us prepare for this rare conjunction, here are 10 ways to incorporate Talk Like A Pirate Day into the Rosh Hashanah liturgy:<br/>1) (the obvious one) sound the shofARRRRR!<br/>2) …made from rams stolen from another ship<br/>3) (in communities that read Genesis 21) read the story of HagARRRRRR!<br/>4) (in communities that read Genesis 22 on the first or only day) …al echad heHARRRRRim … vaYARRRRRR et hamakom meirachok.<br/>5) Apples and honey can prevent scurvy.<br/>6) …et yom hazikARRRRRRon hazeh…<br/>7) Throw your enemies overboard for tashlich.<br/>8 ) The <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.kehilathadar.org/node/22">HadARRRRR CD</a> is sold out, so get a PIRATED copy.<br/>9) Show up without a ticket.<br/>10) Who shall live and who shall die, who by sword and who by walking the plank! ARRRRRR!!!</p> <p>If you can’t wait until 2020 to do it all over again, Talk Like A Pirate Day 2013 is the first day of Sukkot; start practicing your lulav swordfights! Also it will be none other than Yom Kippur in 2018; I totally want to lein Jonah that year.</p><div style="clear:both; padding-bottom:0.25em"></div></p> </div> <p class="post-footer">posted by BZ at <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2009/09/shanah-tovah-matey.html" title="permanent link">10:19 PM</a> | <a class="comment-link" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12610610&postID=7483660249702798768" location.href="https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12610610&postID=7483660249702798768;">4 comments</a> <a class="comment-link" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2009/09/shanah-tovah-matey.html#links">links to this post</a> <span class="item-action"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.blogger.com/email-post.g?blogID=12610610&postID=7483660249702798768" title="Email Post"><img class="icon-action" alt="" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734im_/http://www.blogger.com:80/img/icon18_email.gif" height="13" width="18"/></a></span><span class="item-control blog-admin pid-1015515819"><a style="border:none;" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=12610610&postID=7483660249702798768" title="Edit Post"><img class="icon-action" alt="" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734im_/http://www.blogger.com:80/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif" height="18" width="18"></a></span></p> </div>     <div class="post"><a name="6022430271153355825"></a> <h3 class="post-title"> Marriage in generalized coordinates </h3> <div class="post-body"> <p><div style="clear:both;"></div>As I <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2009/09/recombobulation-area.html">mentioned</a>, wedding-related posts are coming at some point. In the meantime, some meta notes on the topic: liberal/egalitarian Jewish marriage is in a period of ferment. If our evolving <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.amazon.com/Judaism-As-Civilization-Reconstruction-American-Jewish/dp/0827605293">civilization</a> is characterized by <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punctuated_equilibrium">punctuated equilibrium</a>, we are very much between equilibria at least in this particular area. In a few decades or so, I think things may settle down, but in the meantime, there's no universal standard of how to effect an egalitarian Jewish marriage, either practically or conceptually, and the options are multiplying. This means that everyone who gets married has significant decisions to make. The other night I was speaking to someone else who recently got married, and they were talking about the decisions they had made about these ritual matters, based on the specific constraints of their situation.<br/><br/>I should note that my day job currently includes thinking about <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagrangian_mechanics">Lagrangian mechanics</a>. That night, I got up to use the bathroom, but was still mostly asleep, and in the moments my thoughts were adrift, with the <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://alternativestokiddushin.wordpress.com/">Kiddushin Variations</a> intermingling with the <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calculus_of_variations">calculus of variations</a>, I had an insight that seemed profound at the same time, and in the morning seemed less profound but still worth blogging:<br/><br/>Devising an egalitarian Jewish wedding ceremony is a variational problem. We each have different constraints, and the goal is to find a trajectory that gets us from the initial point to the final point and (at least locally) extremizes the <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_%28physics%29">action</a>. Part of the task that each couple undergoes is choosing the appropriate generalized coordinates that take these constraints into account, and then formulating their Lagrangian. Unfortunately, at that point there are no <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euler%E2%80%93Lagrange_equation">Euler-Lagrange equations</a> to simplify the calculations (and in any case, the equations of motion aren't solvable analytically), so instead we just have to choose and compare possible trajectories by hand.<div style="clear:both; padding-bottom:0.25em"></div></p> </div> <p class="post-footer">posted by BZ at <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2009/09/marriage-in-generalized-coordinates.html" title="permanent link">8:38 PM</a> | <a class="comment-link" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12610610&postID=6022430271153355825" location.href="https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12610610&postID=6022430271153355825;">6 comments</a> <a class="comment-link" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2009/09/marriage-in-generalized-coordinates.html#links">links to this post</a> <span class="item-action"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.blogger.com/email-post.g?blogID=12610610&postID=6022430271153355825" title="Email Post"><img class="icon-action" alt="" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734im_/http://www.blogger.com:80/img/icon18_email.gif" height="13" width="18"/></a></span><span class="item-control blog-admin pid-1015515819"><a style="border:none;" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=12610610&postID=6022430271153355825" title="Edit Post"><img class="icon-action" alt="" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734im_/http://www.blogger.com:80/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif" height="18" width="18"></a></span></p> </div>    <h2 class="date-header">Tuesday, September 15, 2009</h2>  <div class="post"><a name="2217477174674968725"></a> <h3 class="post-title"> Question </h3> <div class="post-body"> <p><div style="clear:both;"></div>Tonight I got to see Gov. Howard Dean at a health care "town hall meeting" at <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.busboysandpoets.com/">Busboys and Poets</a>, where he was answering questions about health care from host <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://wamu.org/programs/kn/about/kojo_nnamdi/">Kojo Nnamdi</a> and the audience, and signing his <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.amazon.com/Howard-Deans-Prescription-Healthcare-Reform/dp/1603582282">book</a>.<br/><br/>This is the question I would have asked, but by the time I thought of it, the line to ask questions was too long, so I didn't bother:<br/><br/>A major argument for the public option is that it provides more competition. Some opponents of the public option have argued that it's not a fair competition, because the government has the ability to subsidize the public option to make it more attractive than private insurance. I want to ask the opposite question: Assuming the public option passes, how do we prevent a future Congress (beholden to the health insurance industry) from deliberately crippling the public option in order to benefit private insurance companies?<div style="clear:both; padding-bottom:0.25em"></div></p> </div> <p class="post-footer">posted by BZ at <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2009/09/question.html" title="permanent link">10:34 PM</a> | <a class="comment-link" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12610610&postID=2217477174674968725" location.href="https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12610610&postID=2217477174674968725;">2 comments</a> <a class="comment-link" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2009/09/question.html#links">links to this post</a> <span class="item-action"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.blogger.com/email-post.g?blogID=12610610&postID=2217477174674968725" title="Email Post"><img class="icon-action" alt="" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734im_/http://www.blogger.com:80/img/icon18_email.gif" height="13" width="18"/></a></span><span class="item-control blog-admin pid-1015515819"><a style="border:none;" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=12610610&postID=2217477174674968725" title="Edit Post"><img class="icon-action" alt="" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734im_/http://www.blogger.com:80/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif" height="18" width="18"></a></span></p> </div>    <hr/> </div> </div>  <div id="sidebar"> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.havurah.org/" target="new"> <img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734im_/http://www.havurah.org/other/2009/NHC09_Final_small.png"> </a> <br/><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.birkat.org/"><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734im_/http://birkat.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/bannerad.png" alt="L'chu N'ran'nah: an egalitarian traditional bencher with an alternative edge" width="150" height="150"/></p> <p>  <p> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2006/12/hilchot-pluralism-part-vi-limits-of.html"> <img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734im_/http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_N9ta1TgwOb8/RlkRrLyFagI/AAAAAAAAAEY/ssO2oSW-srw/s1600-h/BestJewishReligiousB.jpg"> </a> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/search/label/Hilchot%20Pluralism"> <img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734im_/http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N9ta1TgwOb8/RlkRkryFafI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/dg4glU1He04/s1600-h/BestPostSeriesB.jpg"> </a> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.jibawards.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=232"> <img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734im_/http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/4698/1446/223/z/301188/gse_multipart38760.png"></a> <p> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://info.jpost.com/C005/BlogCentral/JIB.2005/"> <img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734im_/http://info.jpost.com/C005/BlogCentral/JIB.2005/i/jib.05.150.finalist.gif"></a> <h2 class="sidebar-title">About</h2> <p>Thoughts about Torah, physics, politics, the independent Jewish scene, education, music, New York, and the intersections of all those areas. Contact: mahrabu at gmail dot com</p>  <div id="profile-container"><h2 class="sidebar-title">About Me</h2> <dl class="profile-datablock"> <dd class="profile-data"><strong>Name:</strong> BZ </dd> <dd class="profile-data"><strong>Location:</strong> New York, New York, United States </dd></dl> <p class="profile-link"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://www.blogger.com/profile/18242965196421853025">View my complete profile</a></p></div>  <h2 class="sidebar-title">Greatest Hits</h2> <ul> <li><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2005/11/profile-of-unaffiliated-jew.html">Profile of an "Unaffiliated" Jew</a></li> <li><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2005/07/taxonomy-of-jewish-pluralism.html">Taxonomy of Jewish pluralism</a><li> <li>Hilchot Pluralism Parts <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2006/02/hilchot-pluralism-part-i-two-table.html">I</a>, <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2006/02/hilchot-pluralism-part-ii-yesodei.html">II</a>, <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2006/04/hilchot-pluralism-part-iii-macroscopic.html">III</a>, <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2006/04/hilchot-pluralism-part-iv-microscopic.html">IV</a>, <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2006/11/hilchot-pluralism-part-v-quorum-call.html">V</a>, <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2006/12/hilchot-pluralism-part-vi-limits-of.html">VI</a>, <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091108200734/http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2008/01/hilchot-pluralism-part-vii-musical.html">VII</a></li> </ul> <h2 class="sidebar-title">When 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