Foundation of Boundaries: 13 Days of the Omer
Today is thirteen days, which is one week and six days of the Omer, in the year 5783. יסוד שבגבורה, Yesod ShebeGevurah, Foundation of Boundaries.
Judaism Is Not Universal
Many people are upset that Judaism is not a universal philosophy, spiritual practice, or people.
You can be born Jewish.
You can choose to become Jewish.
Our goal is not to make everyone Jewish.
Many anti-Jewish tropes are built on this fact.
Judaism Recognizes Free Will
With the exception of the Hasmonean dynasty 2,500 years ago,
Jews don’t force people into our belief system.
Progressive Judaism does not claim to be a superior path to relationship with God.
This is my path. Our path.
Values Are Universal
Not killing.
Not stealing.
Not lying.
Being kind to the stranger.
Choosing life: actual life, not potential life. Women and their bodies are always more important than clusters of cells inside them.
Ethics May Differ
My bodily autonomy is not up for debate.
Though, I recognize humans can differ on how much they accept collective responsibility for one another.
Housing, food, child care, education, and healthcare: we can disagree on how much we are collectively responsible for these things.
Acknowledging Difference Makes Us Stronger
Rather than pretending one size fits all, let’s revel in our diversity.
I am the product of a very specific history.
A great-grandfather who was forced into the Russian army, probably as a child soldier.
A grandmother who survived the death of both parents in childhood and her husband in middle age.
A grandfather who traveled through Ellis Island with his siblings and mother to meet his father on the other side of the ocean.
A poor Jewish family in Chicago who moved to Fairfax.
A poor Jewish family in Cleveland who moved to the San Fernando Valley.
A butcher shop in Watts, one of two businesses left standing on Charcoal Alley during the riots.
Minster Baths, where actors got a shvitz to sober up before filming a movie.
My Jewish roots are deep and they are specific. It is my ethnic heritage, my spiritual tradition, my philosophic choice.
What boundaries hold the foundation of your formation?
Image by Наталья Баранова via Pixabay