Spiritual, Not Religious, Authentic Judaism : B.S. Decoded

(This is my rebellion post. I officially wrote my last MHK blog post a week ago. But I'm a contrary person, so I am rebelling by posting again. Enjoy.)

Human beings generally don't like being labeled or stereotyped. But sometimes, stereotypes contain some truth. It may be an exaggerated and demonized version of the truth, but it's truth nonetheless. For the purposes of this post, I'm talking about those who try to avoid open and clear labeling of their religious beliefs - those folks who are "spiritual", not "religious" or "authentic". Take, for example, born-again (or once-born) Evangelical Christians. 

Mezuzah - Paper or Plastic-Wrapped Animal Skin?

For over a year, I've had an absolutely beautiful, stunning mezuzah case I bought for $5 at a sale at Rodals Quality Judaica. Mezuzahs are often known as the beautiful, decorative cases found on the doorposts of many Jewish homes. However, the actual mezuzah is not the case, it is the scroll inside. The word mezuzah literally means "doorpost".

Lashon Tova : Sarcasm, Holy Speech, and Speaking From The Heart

When I was in Israel on seminary, I noticed paper taped to the fridge door in the dorm kitchen. It talked about something called, "Loshon Hora", or correctly pronounced, "Lashon Hara". What is Lashon Hara? If I understand correctly, it translates as "evil tongue", or "evil speech". The halacha (Jewish Law) surrounding Lashon Hara is interesting, because it relates specifically to gossip, or discussions that could cause embarrassment to another human being. What makes this subject interesting is that the laws focus on gossip that is true (there are separate laws for false gossip, known as "Motzi Shem Ra"). Lashon Hara is seen as a such a serious crime that it's said to be equivalent to murder. Up on my bathroom wall, I have a paper that says,

The Big Fat Mess - The Controversy of Messianic Judaism

When, after years of denial, I finally admitted to myself that I adored Jesus, I wasn't very comfortable with that fact. I'm still uncomfortable with it. In fact, I cringed when I wrote the first sentence of this post, and I've cringed each time I've read it since. I was committing the ultimate sin. Jews have been persecuted, quite literally, for thousands of years. And the most enduring and brutal persecutions have been perpetrated by Christians in the name of Jesus.

Mamzerim : Real People, Real Problems

The title of this blog , "Mamzer Hakodesh", literally means "The Holy Bastard", or even, "The Holy Abomination". I used it for several reasons, one is about being a Jewish-born Christian, one is about looking at the Torah and Bible with fresh perspectives, another about being from an inter-faith and interracial family. One is about the idea of Jesus himself as a bastard; also the idea that sacredness is found in profanity.

Random Traffic Checks... For Jewish Identity

So it was Friday night, and having eaten a pre-Yom Kippur meal with my family, I'd headed over to a meeting. I had just reached the cafe where my pals and I were going to hang out. As I was locking up my bike I ran into an old neighbor of mine. He introduced me to his girlfriend, and that is when she realized that she was a close friend's colleague. Small world.