Got home yesterday from the wedding of [livejournal.com profile] zachkessin and [livejournal.com profile] kmelion, which was quite lovely, and very much in a different mode from the other weddings I've been to. This one was sans the descriptions of what was going on or who was who, many of the English translations, and a seating arrangement, although I think that people went for that sort of seating anyways. That said, the photographer, I believe, missed the table full of Brandeis types for the table shots he was doing (aka the "classic spontaneous Cohen shot", as dubbed by my mother for my father's family's tendency to take such carefully staged table shots at every event where they possibly can). But well, there was dancing, and I think we sort of made sure that there kept being dancing- it got off to a sort of low-energy start, and some of us saw that, decided that we were going to dance, Now, and did so with enough energy that it went on for a pretty decent amount of time. All the practice I've gotten from being asked to encourage dancing and be out there with energy at some bnei mitzvah at home that I've been invited to, seems to have paid off in technique at least. The whole wedding felt very short- the ceremony maybe because there was less translation, and it was a traditional, not egal ceremony of course, which shortens things.

The oddest occurance of the wedding was right after Ma'ariv- I got back, and was putting my siddur and kippah away (I finally gave up on finding something that would look ok in an orthodox setting, look properly formal for a wedding, and still provide enough head coverage that I felt comfortable praying- no seems to have been deadly offended), and this girl came up to me, and asked me if I always prayed with a minyan (I said I'm working on it), and told me she'd never seen something like that. I said I was egalitarian- she'd never heard the word. I asked her if she knew anyone who davened (Prayed) at a Conservative shul- she said no. So I briefly explained the concept. But for a young woman (definitely over 15, probably under 18) not to know what egalitarianism is? It was frightening, rather. (She was, by the way, the daughter of the photographer, not family or a friend of either side.)

Dave's here, got in yesterday before dinner.

From: [identity profile] danablanks.livejournal.com


It is scary for her not to know what egalitarianism is. Sigh.

I hope you are having fun. I say hi to you both! :)

From: [identity profile] shirei-shibolim.livejournal.com


Some people deal with things they don't like by condemning them, but others just ignore them and hope they'll go away. If this girl was raised in an environment with the latter attitude, it would make sense that she'd never heard of gender egalitarianism.

Not that this is good, mind you. Just a way to explain it.

From: [identity profile] debka-notion.livejournal.com


Possibly better than open condemnation- it gives her a chance to make her own opinion without her parents' bias, at least openly without their bias. With teh little information that she has now, maybe her only impression will be "that's weird, but the girl seemed nice enough", which isn't a horrid thing for someone in that position.

From: [identity profile] shirei-shibolim.livejournal.com


Certainly better in terms of ecumenical relations. I've never really understood why people take that route, though, since it's quite ineffective at preventing said behaviors in young people, whatever those behaviors may be.

To rephrase with something resembling coherence: Young people who encounter problematic behaviors without any prior information won't avoid them the way the elders might like. This girl's parents would probably be quite upset if she were to go egal, but then, they never did anything to stop it.

Am I making any sense here? I've been breathing paradichlorobenzene for a few hours, and I'm not sure what that does to my comprehensibility.

From: [identity profile] debka-notion.livejournal.com


That made sense. I guess the parents want to turn a blind eye, and think that maybe that'll mean that their daughter will never see it either. Hey- in that community, maybe she wouldn't have. And well- protecting her from the idea for 16ish years shows that it must work for a while...

From: [identity profile] shirei-shibolim.livejournal.com


It's the active ingredient — the only ingredient, really — in the brand of mothballs with which we nuked the kitchen moths. Not worth the irritated mucosal membranes, believe me.

(The back of the box could be summed up as follows: "Just pretend you've come across a caché of sarin gas and are deploying it in your home — your own home, you lunatic — and you'll have some idea of how best to handle these seemingly innocuous little pellets. Oh, and keep out of reach of pets.")
(deleted comment)

From: [identity profile] debka-notion.livejournal.com

Re: Don't kill me!


In these contexts egalitarian means equality between men and women. Ideally I prefer a temple/synagogue/shul without a seperation between men and women, but I don't flip out if there is one.

From: [identity profile] nuqotw.livejournal.com


There was a French woman who visited Penn Conservative once. Afterwards, she asked me about the business of women leading/leyning/counting and was utterly amazed at the egal that I take for granted.

The question you were asked raises a subtle point -- I have discovered that many Orthodox people incorrectly believe that men are obligated to daven with a minyan; her question indicates that she believes davening with a minyan to be a male practice, but not necessarily davening in and of itself. The question she really should be asking is if you daven ma'ariv regularly, since most people who hold that women are obligated to some level of t'fillah rule that shaharit and minha are required. but not ma'ariv.

Being a closet egal Jew right now, it is amazing at how sheltered some people are -- even "liberal Orthodox" people. I'll be sitting at meals and I get to listen to how women don't understand the hiyyuv of t'fillin and what an absolute pain it is, yet it doesn't occur to the speaker that there are observant women who lay t'fillin.

From: [identity profile] shirei-shibolim.livejournal.com


I have discovered that many Orthodox people incorrectly believe that men are obligated to daven with a minyan . . .

We're not?

Being a closet egal Jew right now, it is amazing at how sheltered some people are -- even "liberal Orthodox" people. [Insert tefillin issue]

To be fair, part of the reason for that is that very few women actually wear tefillin. Of course, part of it is also that the orthodox community, which makes up about 10% of American Jewry, tends to think of itself as the majority group.

From: [identity profile] debka-notion.livejournal.com


Maybe the distinction made is that one is obligated to daven with a minyan if you can?

From: [identity profile] shirei-shibolim.livejournal.com


Well yes, that's only fair. My impression has always been that a man/person, egalitarianism being the deciding factor, should seek a minyan if possible.

From: [identity profile] debka-notion.livejournal.com


Now I wish I had my source sheet from the shiur I went to this year on women and davening- there were a few orthodox opinions that held that women were obligated to ma'ariv- and one or two that basically worked out to "women should be obligated to ma'ariv, but none of our grnadmothers did, so they can't be". Of course, there were also a few opinions that said women had to pray once a day in whatever way they want, as long as they get in Shevach, bakashot, and hodayah. Darn confusing thing. Most of what I remember about specific opinions was the R. Ovadya Yosef had a weird opinion as usual.

From: [identity profile] shirei-shibolim.livejournal.com


Could you talk to whoever gave the shiur? I'd be interested to know more about the sources.

From: [identity profile] debka-notion.livejournal.com


Can do when I get back to school. IN the meantime, I can rummage in the great-green-folder from which things do no emerge- I might just have the source sheet myself still.

From: [identity profile] fleurdelis28.livejournal.com


What I've heard is that women are obligated to pray twice a day on whatever schedule they can best manage, with a minyan of course if they can, but if not oh well. Whereas men are required to make a minyan if humanly possible. (I may be exaggerating slightly there.

What I learned about ma'ariv is that when it was instituted the men chose to obligate themselves to it by performing it three times with intent, whereas women did not. Therefore men are now obligated to it and women are not. shirei_shibolim has pointed out this logically sort of falls through on a whole lot of levels, but it was taught with a straight face and seemed to make sense at the time. As it is, it ended up forming the logical foundation for my personal egalitarianism, so...

From: [identity profile] fleurdelis28.livejournal.com


I have witnesses who tell me you wore t'filin to the Orthodox minyan, nuqotw... ;P
.

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