I was just out for a walk. It’s a beautiful sunny day in Pico-Robertson.
I passed these kids playing. They were laughing and shooting each other with water guns.
At least one kid wore a t-shirt that read “Stop the genocide in Darfur”.
It seemed incongruous. How does one enjoy life while wearing a t-shirt with that message?
It all seemed very Jewish. We’re keenly aware of humanity’s capacity for cruelty. At the same time, we want to enjoy life. How does one reconcile these conflicting impulses?
The Jewish tradition has about the best guidance that I know of. It sets aside time for prayer and reflection. It sets aside time for work. It sets aside time for celebration. We need wisdom about how to lead a life and the Jewish tradition provides specific directions.
I wear a yarmulke and fringes during my waking hours. They are to remind me about God. So should one wear a yarmulke and fringes while masturbating (a sin according to every religious tradition I know of)? The blogger who asks that question, Heshy Fried, is now engaged to be married. A hearty mazal tov to Heshy and to his beautiful Chabad bride.
Heshy is consistently the funniest Orthodox blogger I know.
I once hooked up with a student from AJU. When we were grappling, she said she liked to talk about Torah in bed. And she was serious.
She also shared later that evening that she’d been arrested for hooking up with a girl in the back of a car.
