Tuesday, December 22, 2015

10 TEVET FASTING AND ITS GLORIOUSNESS



Fasting, but not fast, instead doing it slowly, a steady climb upwards, avoiding temptations, avoiding foods and drinks, not anointing today with lotions, wearing sackcloth, getting into a mood of solemnity, wanting today to be hungry, desiring mournfulness, reaching out to fellow Jewish landsmen, depleting strengths, weakening the body to bring thoughtfulness to the brain, tasting nothing pleasing, feasting stopped, gluttony ceased, body dehydrating, feeling like crying, crying because we once had a Temple in Jerusalem, and we do not have it anymore.

Studying how we can replace sacrifices with acts of lovingkindness, how the blood had to stop flowing, blood as a life source, a gift of oxen blood to G-d, to sacrifice a lamb on an altar, the lambs who were being worshiped by the Egyptians as gods, lambs who were fed before the Hebrew slaves were fed, lambs who were so cute and gentle that the Egyptians used them to take the place of G-d, and then tried to force the Hebrew slaves to worship them too, so instead became sacrificial gifts to the one and only true G-d, and nutritious meat to feed the Kohayne and Levite Priests.

It is not about saving the lamb from extinction, it is about treating one's fellow human neighbor as a friend, loving your neighbor, and so we do not destroy the mosque that stands now where the 1st and 2nd Temples were standing.

Having morals, having dignity, having a code of ethics, saying "Shalom" as a greeting that means peace and saying it again and again as hello and good bye.

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