Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Embedding our lives with Torah

Orthodox Jewish life mandates that we have a mechitza in the synagogue to divide the men and women. 
The lax ways of the Reform and Conservative among other Jewish movements have decided that having such an innovation is disruptive to the way of life that they wish to enjoy and despite the fact that it is likely part of Oral Torah as I think it is, these break away Jewish movements have indeed removed all of the Torah ordinances from their communities.
The fact is that with this break from Jewish Law, our communities grow insolent and without the true meaning of a kosher lifestyle and organized orderly way of Jewish life.
I must say that I now find going to any synagogue without a mechitza to be very troubling and I wonder if I will indeed return to even the finest place I grew up as a Jew.  This troubles me in many ways as I wish not to be aggressively at odds with the Jewish persons and friends I have known for many years.

But suffice to say, this is how I seem to be relevating today and this is how I think that G-d has directed me so far in life.

I can not get around it.  If there was only a token or a way that I could go to a congregation that does not use the Mechitza and feel orderly and just when we are saying Kaddish, I would have to say that it would be great.  I would do it.

But so far, I am yet to discover the cure to this damage in our synagogues.

So in efforts of more Tikkun Olam, I have decided to donate a small amount to the Society for Clinical Vascular Surgery.  If I can not help the fellow Jewish lives be lived in a more organized and healthy fashion, perhaps I can offer a way for those who have carotid, aorta, femoral and other vascular defects and deficiencies to be healed from their suffering.  I will feel better knowing that I contributed to the health of some person or persons who may have endured painful ways of life that threaten their very existence. 

With this, I 'pay it foward' once again, hoping that perhaps in some way and day and age, this horrible practice of turning your synagogue into your den is no longer the way of our people.
Maybe it will work. 

Tikkun Olam!  Let the healing begin!

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