Saturday, March 12, 2011

Eiruvs and Ben Kenobe

Ok. For those of you who don't know the religious jewish community. let me tell you what an Eiruv is. It is an interestingly simple but not too terrific boundary that orthodox jews put up around a community so that they can carry their keys or that they can push a baby carriage on the sabbath. I do not have one in my town and I will report to you that the emotions of the orthodox jewish community are a serious concern of my own health a being. But that said, I do not have any personal experience with any true orthodox jews nor did they ever come into my 1000 family or larger jewish community to bring us the "light" of their ways so I must say I have no problem criticizing this ambivalent religious community that has not really explained its ways to me and has not ever taken me in its hand to bring me closer to Torah observance. An eiruv is a large thick wire that is draped on say telephone poles or roof tops and corms a closed barrier. The argument is that you can indeed carry say your keys to and from synagogue if you are in the eiruv because carrying is permitted in a fixed borded and the eiruv is a true fixed border. People serve thier interests by checking the eiruv to make sure that its intact. Not only is this not Torah in my opinion but it is foolish and makes Jews look like children who are just looking to make sure that their obi wan keno be doll is still in their possession. I believe that the eiruv was an interesting concept and was needed to be a scientific experiment, but that is not really what it is really going to do for your community. It is not a border that is circumscribed in your hearts and it is just a physical surrounding that one makes to begin a community. Great. Have your borders, but it is not in your heart and you can not possibly enjoy the security that any eiruv brings to your own established soul. It is a blessing to be mindful of Torah requirements but I personally say that pushing a baby carriage that may carry some of your necessities is not against Torah and that if you wish to carry your keys to synagogue, go right ahead. If you are really concerned about carrying keys as you should be, tie a string around the key change and attach it to your garment. Thus the keys are now part of your daily wear. So they are not being carried. They are being worn. That would serve to obligate the silly need for this eiruv and if I have offended you people who like the eiruv, I say that you have offended me as I never met you or any of your children in my entire life until I was say in my mid thirties and by then all the harm of missing torah observance was missed. So mark my words, you threw the first stone. I am just going to put your name in my book of friends I missed and remember that you were more concerned with your community's borders rather than my own personal health and being. Thanks.

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