Perhaps another day I will write more about today's funeral. For now I thank those who commented within around the last post. Rabbi Borchardt was my father's (HSLABW) first cousin by marriage. His children are thus my second cousins. He was a chashuv man and has left behind a great family and legacy.
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Here are some question for you that might relate to Shavuot:
At what age did your physical height reach its peak?
When you were a child did you keep track (perhaps with a chart or marks on a wall) of your height as you grew?
Was your physical growth exciting?
As a child were you excited about mitzvot as you got to observe them?
Do you recall when/where you first learned of the concept of emotional/spiritual/non physical growth for a human being?What early memories do you have of experiencing Sukka/Lulav, Seder/Matzah, Shavuot/Staying up all night?
When did you first hear the idea of spiritual growth within Judaism?
As a child did you hear of the idea of meaning behind mitzvot?
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Wishing everyone a happy and meaningful Shavuot. If you're curious what Erev Shavuot on this blog looked like last year... and the year before... and from that same year but pure Torah... and more Shavuot Torah... and A Shavuot Story...
posted by rabbi neil fleischmann @ 3:11 PM
4 Comments:
Good questions...pondering....
Height. I remember when I first grew taller than my mother. I think it was in ninth grade. I was 5'5" to her 5'4". I thought this was just the beginning and assumed I would continue growing until I reached some willowy height. But 5'5" was it for me.
My father measured our heights and marked them on the kitchen wall in the first house where we lived. I think we were all (four of us) quite interested and a bit competitive as to who would be tallest.
I had mixed feelings on the mitzvot. Some came to have unusual meanings that were unique to the situation. In my home, only my mother (not her daughters) lit candles for Shabbat. So I did not start lighting candles until I went away to college. Thus lighting Shabbat candles for a long time had a tinge of loneliness - Shabbat without my family.
I'm not very learned on what exactly constitutes a mitzvah and what is just something you do. For instance, I was excited about learning Chumash. But whether that is actually a mitzvah for girls, I don't know. Then, in ninth grade, one of the Rabbis offered to teach girls Talmud. I was very much intrigued and went to the first few lessons. We started with Pesachim, diving right in with no explanation of the form or structure of Talmud. I was completely lost and soon stopped going, rather disenchanted. I tried again about five years later, taking a class at Rabbi Riskin's shul in New York. The rabbi teaching there did a much better job introducing women to the Talmud and the class was quite interesting. I found myself growing intellectually, though, rather than spiritually.
Spiritual growth was not a topic of conversation for my family or, perhaps, my community when I was growing up. I think my first glimmers of that were from NCSY activities, including a trip to Israel with NCSY.
I first stayed up all night learning with some other girls in high school. We did pretty well, with a minimum of horseplay and kidding around. We had snacks to see us through the night. The walk home after dawn was special.
Thanks Miriam. Its post Shavuot and I'm tired - I hope to reply more in time...
I apologize for posting on the holiday itself. I wasn't as aware as I should have been.
Also sorry about the long comment... but you did once write that you liked answers to your question... ;)
I love that you answered Miriam and was ot thinking about when you posted, just that I'm tired and that Ihope to reply and dialogue it out more soon, please G-d.
I got a call from a Jewish orgaization over the holiday that had no clue about this holiday and that I'd be in holiday mode - so it seemed. And a Jewish non-Orthodox friend called me and left a message wondering why I wasn't back from school in the evening. Shavuot, maybe needs to be put ou there more.
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