this take on the Binding of Isaac is quite insightful I think; it maintains the traditional interpretation of the story as an act of supreme trust while subverting the idea that unjust actions for the sake of God are morally correct. (i apologise for lack of ALT text it's quite long and I couldn't copy-paste)
from Bodoff, L. (1993). "The Real Test of the Akedah: Blind Obedience Versus Moral Choice." Judaism: a Journal of Jewish Life & Thought 42(1): 71-92.
<33
Beloved is man for he was created in the image of God. Still greater was God’s love in that He gave to man the knowledge of his having been so created. - Pirke Avot 3:18
im not crying you are crying!
The golem is too small - but the children who make him, who hand him to their baby siblings to hold who have shaped him with small hands - they make a friend. From the very first children of exile, little ones yearning for their home - they wished for a friend - these small babies - toddlers with halting steps and little tiny children. And so he is shaped to them - to be held.
From all soils but home, he is reshaped - small hands and prayers and hopes - little wishes along with them - from Shiraz to London to Aksum to those that remain in Yerushaláyim - children add buttons, beads, colours and love - the warmth of small hands no matter what happens.
The Golem wishes he was large, that he could protect them - but he can be with them, all the children who are lost to an endless ancient hate - a hand to hold at the end, perhaps a shield from pain.
He lives in a bright place - filled with paints, with colour and toys and he will protect it always and always - though he is very small, he can protect this place now, this little haven and the little ones who pass through the doors.
Inspired by this post
Image description: Three versions of the same picture: a digital painting of a cluster of yellow dandelions on a dark earthy background. Handwritten in white above and below the flowers is the same text in Yiddish in the alef-beys, in romanisation, and then in English. The text reads: "מיר וועלן זיי איבערלעבן", "Mir veln zey iberlebn", and "We will outlive them". /end description
Alright, Chanukah starts tonight, which means it's time for me to finally make a post about different kinds of menorahs.
This right here? This is the Temple Menorah:
There's some debate over whether the branches were straight or curved, but here's a few things we do know:
It had seven branches of equal length.
It was made of one solid piece of gold
It was at least five feet tall.
It used pure olive oil.
The Temple Menorah is what people mean when they talk about The Menorah. It's what you'll see on historical or commemorative artifacts such as the Arch of Titus in Rome or Israeli currency:
During the time when the Temple stood in Jerusalem, the High Priest lit all seven flames on this Menorah every day (using the aforementioned pure olive oil):
No one lights this on Chanukah.
This is a Chanukah menorah:
There are countless variations, but here are the important things:
It has eight branches of equal length, plus a ninth "helper" branch, known as the shamash, which is set apart from the rest of the branches and used to light the others.
It can be made of any material.
It is usually used with wax candles or oil, but, if necessary, one can use anything that burns.
In Hebrew, this kind of menorah is called a chanukiah.
Some Chanukah menorahs, like the one shown above, have the shamash in the middle. Others have it on the side:
Regardless, this kind of menorah is the one that has been lit by Jews on Chanukah for thousands of years. It's the menorah you'll seen in photographs of Jewish households, including this famous picture taken in Germany in 1931:
(The message written on the back of the photo reads: "Death to Judah"/ So the flag says/ "Judah will live forever"/ So the light answers)
On Chanukah, whoever is lighting the menorah will first light the shamash, then the number of candles corresponding to whichever night of Chanukah it is. The first night, only the rightmost candle is lit, the second night the two rightmost, etc. (The newest candle is always lit first):
Again, a valid Chanukah menorah has eight branches of equal length, along with a shamash. There is no such thing as a Chanukah menorah with six branches of equal length and a longer seventh branch, and no valid Chanukah menorah has eight branches of completely different lengths.
If you see either of the above designs (or anything similar) on Chanukah-themed decor, it tells you the creator has absolutely no idea what they're doing and couldn't be bothered to do more than two seconds of research to make sure their product was accurate. Anyone who knows anything about the holiday will laugh at these. (They may buy them anyway, especially if that's all that's available-- my new Chanukah sweater has an invalid menorah pattern, but it's adorable, so I'm still going to wear it. But I am also laughing about it and invite you all to do the same.)
Anyway, have a happy Chanukah, everyone!
OP you need to say this so much louder for the people in the back!
If you’re not Jewish, you can kindly shut the fuck up about the following:
The Talmud
Zionism
What is or is not antisemitism
The word “goy/goyim”
Jumblr: Feel free to add more.
oh woah!! that does help tysm :0 /gen
tbh this has been my experience trying to observe shabbat more traditionally so far lmao. we tear so many things!! (toilet paper & packaging are the biggest ones...)
regardless, has been quite fulfilling thus far :D
There’s evidence of Trump cheating and interfering with the election.
Possible Russian interference.
Mail-in ballots are not being counted or “recognized” in multiple (notably swing) states.
30+ bomb threats were called in and shut down polling stations on Election Day.
20+ million votes are still unaccounted for, and that’s just to have the same voter turnout as 2020.
There was record voter turnout and new/first-time voter registration this year. We definitely should be well over the turnout in 2020.
An investigation for election interference and fraud is required. We desperately need a recount or even a revote. The American people deserve the right to a free and fair election. There has been evidence unveiled of Trump cheating and committing election fraud which is illegal. There is some evidence of possible Russian interference. At least 30+ bomb threats were called in to polling places. Multiple, notably swing states, have ballots unaccounted for and voting machines not registering votes. Ballots and ballot boxes were tampered with and burned. Over 20 million votes that we know of are unaccounted for. With record turnout and new voter registration this year, there should be no possibility that there are less votes than even in the 2020 election.
FBI addressing Russian interference and bomb threats:
Emails released by Rachael Bellis (private account, can’t share original tweet) confirming Trump committing election fraud:
Pennsylvania's Centre County officials say they are working with their ballot scanner vendor to figure out why the county's mail-in ballot data is "not being recognized when uploaded to the elections software:”
Wisconsin recount:
[ID:
Multiple screenshots and images.
The first is a screenshot with a link and information for contacting the White House directly regarding election fraud. The instructions include choosing to leave a comment to President Joe Biden directly and to select election security as the reason.
The screenshot then instructs people to include any or all of the following information in a paragraph as a comment to the president:
32 fake bomb threats were called into Democratic leaning poll places, rendering polling places closed for at least an hour.
A lot of people reporting their ballots were not counted for various reasons.
This all occurred in swing states.
This is too coincidental that these things happen and swing in his favor after months of hinting at foul play.
Directly state that an investigation for tampering, interference, fraud is required, not just a recount.
The second image is from the FBI Twitter account that reads:
The FBI is aware of bomb threats to polling locations in several states, many of which appear to originate from Russian email domains. None of the threats have been determined to be credible thus far. https://t.co/j3YfajVK1m — FBI (@FBI) November 5, 2024
The next four Gmail screenshots of an email sent to Rachael Bellis from Chris T. Spackman that read together as follows:
Dear BELLIS, RACHAEL E., The Dauphin County Board of Elections received a challenge to your absentee ballot you applied for in the November 5, 2024 General Election. The challenge argues that a provision of the Pennsylvania Election Code takes precedence over the federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), which requires states and counties to permit U.S. citizens who move overseas to vote by absentee ballot for federal offices based on their last U.S. residential address.
The full text of the challenge that was filed appears below this email.
You may respond to the challenge in any of the following ways:
1. Call the Bureau of Registration and Election at (717) 780-6360;
2. Email a statement to the Bureau at Election election@dauphincounty.gov. Any statement you submit regarding the period during which you lived in Dauphin County, any family or connections that you still have here, and why you are now residing abroad would be read into the record.
3. Appear in person at a Board of Elections hearing scheduled for Friday, November 8 at a time to be determined in the Commissioners Public Hearing Room, 4th floor of Dauphin County Administration Building, 2 S 20d St, Harrisburg, PA 17111. The meeting is also likely to be livestreamed on Facebook on the Dauphin County channel.
Sincerely,
Christopher T Spackman
TEXT OF CHALLENGE BEGINS
Dear Dauphin County Board of Elections,
I am submitting this challenge to an absentee ballot application pursuant to 25 Pa. Stat.
3146.8(f).
25 Pa. Stat. 3146.8(f) Any person challenging an application for an absentee ballot, an absentee ballot, an application for a mail-in ballot or a mail-in ballot for any of the reasons provided in this act shall deposit the sum of ten dollars ($10.00) in cash with the county board, which sum shall only be refunded if the challenge is sustained or if the challenge is withdrawn within five (5) days after the primary or election. If the challenge is dismissed by any lawful order then the deposit shall be forfeited. The county board shall deposit all deposit money in the general fund of the…
The rest of the forwarded email is cut off.
The last image is a screenshot of the official statement from the Centre County, Pennsylvania Board of Commissioners released on November 6, 2024 that states:
Centre County Working with Ballot Scanner Vendor to Export Election Results.
(Bellefonte, PA) -Centre County Elections Office is working continuously to provide mail-in ballot data in order to post unofficial results.
To this point, all ballots have been scanned, including all mail-in ballots.
Centre County's Election team and IT team have identified that the data are successfully being exported from the mail-in ballot scanners, but that the data is not being recognized when uploaded to the elections software.
Centre County's Administrator, John Franek, Jr. stated, "We have not stopped working, and we will continue to work until unofficial results are posted and reported to the Pennsylvania Department of State."
As a next step, Centre County has begun working with the equipment vendor to adjust configurations to make the two systems-the mail-in ballot scanner and the elections software where data are uploaded -compatible with one another.
We will provide updates as we make progress.
/end ID]