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Sep. 19th, 2010 02:03 amDear Self,
Maybe sometime when it is not 2am and you are more awake, maybe you should post about your secret obsession with Yom Kippur in re: defining holiday of being a diaspora religion and not an Israel-based religion?
Here are some things that excite you:
- Avodah, and the decision to replace a ritual animal sacrifice with an extended description of the ceremony as it was practiced when there was still a Temple. Imagining the poor sages circa 73 CE trying to figure out how they were even going to pull the holiday off without a temple to celebrate it in. The fact that nearly 2k years later we're still living with their alternate solution. The reality of, as a 21st century American, having this annual time when you find yourself on your hands and knees while reading a summary of the way your holiday was celebrated when your religion was still in the hands of priests and they were still sacrificing animals and driving other animals off of cliffs to send them to Azazel.
- The number of repetitions of praying for a speedy return of the Temple of David in Jerusalem in our lifetime in spite of the total political awkwardness of doing such a thing.
- "Next year in Jerusalem" as metaphor vs. the reality of one's ability to celebrate in Jerusalem. How incredibly weird it is that Israel as a Jewish state is a reality--so much of this liturgy was written in a world where it was only a dream, but now when you're saying the prayers you also find yourself thinking "That is a TERRIBLE idea. We are a diaspora people now, that is our identity. This religion we had before, that we're talking about? Isn't really the one I'm in."
- Aargh, I can't find my gchat conversation with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
eccentric_hat where we were talking about the physical reality of Israel vs the metaphorical reality and the "[academic word] of specificity". This is frustrating me. Instead I have found this conversation:
Which isn't really related, but made my up late and kinda drunk and before-that-I-was-fasting self giggle. Anyway, the point is, we've got all these place metaphors but the metaphorical stuff that happened there actually happened and you can go to them. This was the conversation we had when I was sort of freaked out about having been to Goliath's tomb and the place where Jesus turned loaves into fishes or whatever.
- Dude, your inability to keep track of loaves and fishes says that you should probably just go to sleep now. It's better that way.
- But also there's that thing with the animal sacrifice and how you're kind of not sure about it, because the Christians have replaced their animal sacrifice with metaphorical human/deity sacrifice with the transubstantiation and such, and the Jews have just replaced their animal sacrifice with an elaborate description of all the things that the High Priests did back when we had them and a place to keep them. And I like my religion with its doctrine of works and all, but still. It makes one think.
Maybe sometime when it is not 2am and you are more awake, maybe you should post about your secret obsession with Yom Kippur in re: defining holiday of being a diaspora religion and not an Israel-based religion?
Here are some things that excite you:
- Avodah, and the decision to replace a ritual animal sacrifice with an extended description of the ceremony as it was practiced when there was still a Temple. Imagining the poor sages circa 73 CE trying to figure out how they were even going to pull the holiday off without a temple to celebrate it in. The fact that nearly 2k years later we're still living with their alternate solution. The reality of, as a 21st century American, having this annual time when you find yourself on your hands and knees while reading a summary of the way your holiday was celebrated when your religion was still in the hands of priests and they were still sacrificing animals and driving other animals off of cliffs to send them to Azazel.
- The number of repetitions of praying for a speedy return of the Temple of David in Jerusalem in our lifetime in spite of the total political awkwardness of doing such a thing.
- "Next year in Jerusalem" as metaphor vs. the reality of one's ability to celebrate in Jerusalem. How incredibly weird it is that Israel as a Jewish state is a reality--so much of this liturgy was written in a world where it was only a dream, but now when you're saying the prayers you also find yourself thinking "That is a TERRIBLE idea. We are a diaspora people now, that is our identity. This religion we had before, that we're talking about? Isn't really the one I'm in."
- Aargh, I can't find my gchat conversation with
eccentric_hat where we were talking about the physical reality of Israel vs the metaphorical reality and the "[academic word] of specificity". This is frustrating me. Instead I have found this conversation:Marjorie: it is so hard!
nobody appreciates his work
me: fact
he was a busy man
people get all huffy because he didn't pay attention to Jesus, but he had a LOT to do
Marjorie: dude, that was NOT HIS JURISDICTION
or something
I can never keep that straight
Pilate and Herod were both like "you deal with this"
me: it is the classic leadership situation where when there is a situation that doesn't technically fall in anyone's jurisdiction (like the Savior of Mankind being killed by his own people) and everyone tries to pass the buck
Marjorie: exactly!
then they say the people wanted them to do it and call it a day
me: exactly!
and then for some reason they get ::blamed:: just because they are overly fastidious with their personal hygiene
Marjorie: "what, you never saw a man wash his hands before?"
me: "it's something people do sometimes. think of it as a mikva, except JUST FOR HANDS"
Which isn't really related, but made my up late and kinda drunk and before-that-I-was-fasting self giggle. Anyway, the point is, we've got all these place metaphors but the metaphorical stuff that happened there actually happened and you can go to them. This was the conversation we had when I was sort of freaked out about having been to Goliath's tomb and the place where Jesus turned loaves into fishes or whatever.
- Dude, your inability to keep track of loaves and fishes says that you should probably just go to sleep now. It's better that way.
- But also there's that thing with the animal sacrifice and how you're kind of not sure about it, because the Christians have replaced their animal sacrifice with metaphorical human/deity sacrifice with the transubstantiation and such, and the Jews have just replaced their animal sacrifice with an elaborate description of all the things that the High Priests did back when we had them and a place to keep them. And I like my religion with its doctrine of works and all, but still. It makes one think.
