Tomorrow evening ushers in the Jewish festival of Sukkot (סוכות), painfully translated as "The Feast of the Tabernacles." You'll excuse me for referring to it by its Hebrew name henceforth.
It's a bit of a funny festival in that there are a bunch of rituals and traditions that lots of people don't understand. Not that they're by any means incomprehensible but they're just not as easy to interpret as apple and honey for a sweet New Year, or the contents of the seder plate whose explanations (on a basic level, at least) are reasonably apparent and commonsense.
Not so with Sukkot.
Nonetheless, Sukkot is a festival that continues the trend through the recent High Holydays of a growing sense of joy happiness, such that Sukkot is the festival for which we are told "ושמחת בחגיך והיית אך שמח" - be joyful on your festival and you will be only happy.
I very much intend to heed this command - with the arrival of my sweetheart tomorrow, I anticipate that I will indeed be happy and this festival will be particularly joyful.
May it be a great time for us all; may you have a chag sameach and a wonderful year.
25 September 2007
30 August 2007
Get out of the way - QUICK! - I'm a Skin Doctor!!
Doctors are a privileged bunch, having the knowledge, training and opportunity to help people at their most vulnerable, saving life and limb. It is for this reason that doctors - junior, senior and in every specialty - have pagers (that's "beepers" for the Yanks) so that when an emergency situation arises they can be instantly informed and do what's required to save the day.
My question had been answered but in doing so it left me with another: Why was this young woman at a pharmacy??
Perhaps her dermatologist wasn't carrying their pager....
As such it's quite common that lectures, tutorials and teaching sessions of any sort will be interrupted by the beeping and vibrating of pager and/or mobile phones, informing the doctor of a situation to be dealt with.
Often, doctors ignore these pleas for help (often they're mundane requests to complete paperwork, do simple procedures and the like)
One specialty, however, seems to be very diligent in their page-answering, obviously having to respond many calls for life-saving treatment.
It's not the surgeons, rushing to deal with the incoming multiple-trauma following a car accident.
It's not the cardiologists, hurrying to stent a coronary artery of someone verging on permanent heart cell death.
Nor is it the interventional radiologists, speeding to save someone's brain from the developing ischaemic stroke.
And not the obstetricians, off to the labour ward to perform an emergency twin caesarian.
It's those apparent kings of the medical emergency, the dermatologists, who answer their pages rapidly, diligently, unfaultingly.
So it lead me to wonder -- what exactly is a dermatologic emergency?
My question had been answered but in doing so it left me with another: Why was this young woman at a pharmacy??
Perhaps her dermatologist wasn't carrying their pager....
11 July 2007
Onward and Upward!
Another rotation finished and another trip to the airport..... I'm going to Israel!!! :-D
11 June 2007
Lessons for the Living
Last week, as part of a trial innovation in our medical curriculum, I participated in a new session on breaking bad news, something that is part of the nature of any career in medical practice.
Little did I know that what remained of that week would bring bad news to me. Specifically, on Shabbat, the death of my grandfather Kurt Yehuda HaKohen Nothmann. It’s true what they say – no death is really expected, even when it’s known to be coming.
Poppy led a long life, ended in its 90th year, in which much was done and achieved, despite the adversity of being orphaned and losing most of his family at a young age, the loss of the rest of it (aside from one sister who had made it to the Promised Land) in the Holocaust and the personal and political limitations that are inherent in that. When he arrived in Australia, having left Germany on perhaps the last boat available to Jews, he has no money or belongings and was a citizen of nowhere, having been stripped of German nationality by the Nuremberg Laws. He was as his ancestors were when our family name was created. He was a man with nothing -- A Nothmann.
And yet from this nothing he built a life here, despite being a stranger in a strange land. He contributed to society and joined the Australian Defence Force – though of course as a German, even as one who’d been stripped of his citizenship, he wouldn’t be permitted to serve overseas. He married his beloved Dora, my Nanna, on the 25th of December, 1940 as Christmas was when the Army would release him for long enough for the wedding and the overseas honeymoon in Manly. Together they began a successful bakery business and, thankfully, a successful and happy family. My brother Joel has more about Poppy’s life at www.joelnothman.com/blog/
Instead, I’ll focus more on Poppy as a person.
Poppy was a wonderful man. Whatever was happening, at least until his decline over recent months, he always seemed to have something to smile about. Whatever was being discussed or whoever was arguing at the table he always had a knowing grin on his face; there was always a clever comment on its way. Bright and knowing, Poppy was great to be with. From taking us, and other kids, to the park to feed the ducks to Anzac Day marches and memorials with other active members of the National Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen, Poppy was able to relate everyone around him.
As well as this, Poppy was probably the most patient person I’ve ever met. Also amongst the kindest and most generous. A gentler soul one has never met.
I’m sure that, if we were all just a little more like Poppy, the world would be a much better place. If we could all just be a bit more giving, a bit more accommodating; more patient and kinder. If we could see things in perspective and keep on striving – whatever we’ve been through isn’t really that bad, and there’s so much more that makes life wonderful. Poppy was like that and, through those attributes and attitudes, he helped make my childhood and upbringing as wonderful as it was.
May Poppy always be remembered this way, as I will surely remember him. May he serve as a role model, and may we do what we can to emulate him and improve the world around us. May his soul be blessed and move swiftly to the World to Come.
Little did I know that what remained of that week would bring bad news to me. Specifically, on Shabbat, the death of my grandfather Kurt Yehuda HaKohen Nothmann. It’s true what they say – no death is really expected, even when it’s known to be coming.
Poppy led a long life, ended in its 90th year, in which much was done and achieved, despite the adversity of being orphaned and losing most of his family at a young age, the loss of the rest of it (aside from one sister who had made it to the Promised Land) in the Holocaust and the personal and political limitations that are inherent in that. When he arrived in Australia, having left Germany on perhaps the last boat available to Jews, he has no money or belongings and was a citizen of nowhere, having been stripped of German nationality by the Nuremberg Laws. He was as his ancestors were when our family name was created. He was a man with nothing -- A Nothmann.And yet from this nothing he built a life here, despite being a stranger in a strange land. He contributed to society and joined the Australian Defence Force – though of course as a German, even as one who’d been stripped of his citizenship, he wouldn’t be permitted to serve overseas. He married his beloved Dora, my Nanna, on the 25th of December, 1940 as Christmas was when the Army would release him for long enough for the wedding and the overseas honeymoon in Manly. Together they began a successful bakery business and, thankfully, a successful and happy family. My brother Joel has more about Poppy’s life at www.joelnothman.com/blog/
Instead, I’ll focus more on Poppy as a person.
Poppy was a wonderful man. Whatever was happening, at least until his decline over recent months, he always seemed to have something to smile about. Whatever was being discussed or whoever was arguing at the table he always had a knowing grin on his face; there was always a clever comment on its way. Bright and knowing, Poppy was great to be with. From taking us, and other kids, to the park to feed the ducks to Anzac Day marches and memorials with other active members of the National Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen, Poppy was able to relate everyone around him.As well as this, Poppy was probably the most patient person I’ve ever met. Also amongst the kindest and most generous. A gentler soul one has never met.
I’m sure that, if we were all just a little more like Poppy, the world would be a much better place. If we could all just be a bit more giving, a bit more accommodating; more patient and kinder. If we could see things in perspective and keep on striving – whatever we’ve been through isn’t really that bad, and there’s so much more that makes life wonderful. Poppy was like that and, through those attributes and attitudes, he helped make my childhood and upbringing as wonderful as it was.
May Poppy always be remembered this way, as I will surely remember him. May he serve as a role model, and may we do what we can to emulate him and improve the world around us. May his soul be blessed and move swiftly to the World to Come.
Poppy: we love you and miss you and will remember you for the rest of our lives. Thank you for being who you were, and making us who we’ve become.
23 April 2007
Rollercoaster
The last day has been one of the most emotionally hectic of my life, if not the single most hectic such day.
The highs and lows came and just kept on coming.
The engagement party itself - wonderful, gorgeous, so much fun and so happy - was a high like nothing else I've experienced.
The Yom Hazikaron* ceremony afterwards - my first since firmly deciding that I will be making aliyah** - was amongst the deepest sorrows I've felt in a long time.
Back home and opening presents - reminders of the wonderful future that awaits us - my spirits were again buoyed.
And then packing her bags and seeing her off - my future is once again beyond my reach.
Highs and lows, it's been a tough day. An emotional rollercoaster.
But at least this rollercoaster is running on track and I can see where it stops next. A rough ride, perhaps, but well worth it! As I continue along my track, my future approaches... and I couldn't be happier, because a finer bride-to-be doesn't exist, anywhere.
* Yom Hazikaron is the memorial day for Israel's fallen and missing soldiers, as well as victims of terrorism.
** aliyah means going up and refers to migration to Israel because, of course, Israel is on a spiritually higher plane than the Diaspora.
The highs and lows came and just kept on coming.
The engagement party itself - wonderful, gorgeous, so much fun and so happy - was a high like nothing else I've experienced.
The Yom Hazikaron* ceremony afterwards - my first since firmly deciding that I will be making aliyah** - was amongst the deepest sorrows I've felt in a long time.
Back home and opening presents - reminders of the wonderful future that awaits us - my spirits were again buoyed.
And then packing her bags and seeing her off - my future is once again beyond my reach.
Highs and lows, it's been a tough day. An emotional rollercoaster.
But at least this rollercoaster is running on track and I can see where it stops next. A rough ride, perhaps, but well worth it! As I continue along my track, my future approaches... and I couldn't be happier, because a finer bride-to-be doesn't exist, anywhere.
* Yom Hazikaron is the memorial day for Israel's fallen and missing soldiers, as well as victims of terrorism.
** aliyah means going up and refers to migration to Israel because, of course, Israel is on a spiritually higher plane than the Diaspora.
10 April 2007
High Above Sydney, On Top Of The World
So... tonight, way up Centrepoint, i asked Shimrit Chobotaro (my girlfriend, duh!) to marry me.
On one knee, overlooking what has been my life for the last 25 years and looking up at she who will be the rest of my life, I popped The Question.
Needless to say, she answered in the affirmative...
On one knee, overlooking what has been my life for the last 25 years and looking up at she who will be the rest of my life, I popped The Question.
Needless to say, she answered in the affirmative...
02 April 2007
matza meshugaas / charoses neurosis
First, apologies for the use of the Ashkenaz. I will usually very strongly resist use of that spelling, preferring the Sefard/Israeli pronounciation but... well... it rhymed.
The period leading up to Pesach (Passover) is always a bit mad. By "a bit" I really mean "completely". This year was no exception.
So, aside from needing to be up early today to make it to hospital in time for the group birthing clinic, this morning I got up early to continue the cleaning that others had been doing for the preceding days and mum had been doing overnight until 3:30 - and which will continue this morning!
Why do we do this?
This is the time of year when we remove all chametz (leaven) from our homes, such that for the week of Pesach we're unable to see any in our homes.
As a backup plan, anything we neglect to get rid of, we sell and ritually disown ourselves of. But realy that's a 'just in case' measure - the cleaning is truly manic, an attempt to literally rid ourselves and our lives of leaven (there are many interpretations for what this represents, if people are interested we can go into that in a few days).
And this is what Jews worldwide have been doing these last few days.
Manically, neurotically, fastidiously and with more than a touch of obsession-compulsion cleaning our homes and lives.
With this in mind, is it any wonder that all Billy Crystal characters are a bit nuts?
Chag Kasher v'Sameach to all the Jews out there, Happy Easter to all the Christians and to everyone else... just enjoy the long weekend!
The period leading up to Pesach (Passover) is always a bit mad. By "a bit" I really mean "completely". This year was no exception.
So, aside from needing to be up early today to make it to hospital in time for the group birthing clinic, this morning I got up early to continue the cleaning that others had been doing for the preceding days and mum had been doing overnight until 3:30 - and which will continue this morning!
Why do we do this?
This is the time of year when we remove all chametz (leaven) from our homes, such that for the week of Pesach we're unable to see any in our homes.
As a backup plan, anything we neglect to get rid of, we sell and ritually disown ourselves of. But realy that's a 'just in case' measure - the cleaning is truly manic, an attempt to literally rid ourselves and our lives of leaven (there are many interpretations for what this represents, if people are interested we can go into that in a few days).
And this is what Jews worldwide have been doing these last few days.
Manically, neurotically, fastidiously and with more than a touch of obsession-compulsion cleaning our homes and lives.
With this in mind, is it any wonder that all Billy Crystal characters are a bit nuts?
Chag Kasher v'Sameach to all the Jews out there, Happy Easter to all the Christians and to everyone else... just enjoy the long weekend!
11 March 2007
Zachor et Yom HaShabbat L'Kadsho
זכור את יום השבת לקדשו: ששת ימים תעבוד ועשית כל-מלאכתך: ויום השביעי שבת לה' אלוקיך: לא-תעשה כל מלאכה
(שמות כ' ח')
Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord, your G-d; you shall not do any work
(Exodus 20:8)
By Jewish law remembering the Shabbat and keeping it holy involves a number of things, based on the 39 melachot (defined types of work) that were involved in the building on the mishkan or sanctuary during the period of wandering in the wilderness. This is a long story in itself and isn't what I intended to write about but, needless to say, the prohibitions include a lot of things which are part-and-parcel with ordinary life in the modern world - driving or using a computer, playing music or writing, using a phone or flicking a light switch. Hey, even cooking and carrying outdoors are restricted.
A few months ago, when I arrived in Israel, I decided I'd give it a go. I'd been thinking about it for a while but never actually did it, I was a bit concerned about the impact it would have on my life. But when in Rome, do as the Romans do (anyone seen that stupid movie Anchorman?) and, in Jerusalem, Shabbat is certainly done!
So I gave it a try.
And really quite enjoyed it, so I kept it going so long as I was in Israel, quite sure that things would be too difficult when I got back to Sydney.
Now I've been back a month and am loving keeping Shabbat. Rather than being stressed about the wasted say in which I "can't do anything" I find myself more relaxed, more in tune with myself.
I have a day in which I can sit and read (Jewish, medical, neither or a combination), sleep in the sun or on the couch, go for a walk, enjoy the finer things and not have to worry about the time, all the other things i have to do. And I come out of it energised for the week ahead.
How strange that unplugging yourself can leave you so recharged. Or perhaps when we unplug like that we're really plugging into something else at the same time.
Anyway, the point is it's wonderful and I think this change in my life will be a permanent one (inevitable exceptions to be made in my professional life for Pikuach Nefesh, the saving of a life).
So, to everyone out there, have a great week - six days of work - and then a wonderful day of rest, free of all that work. So for then, Shabbat shalom!
(שמות כ' ח')
Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord, your G-d; you shall not do any work
(Exodus 20:8)
By Jewish law remembering the Shabbat and keeping it holy involves a number of things, based on the 39 melachot (defined types of work) that were involved in the building on the mishkan or sanctuary during the period of wandering in the wilderness. This is a long story in itself and isn't what I intended to write about but, needless to say, the prohibitions include a lot of things which are part-and-parcel with ordinary life in the modern world - driving or using a computer, playing music or writing, using a phone or flicking a light switch. Hey, even cooking and carrying outdoors are restricted.
A few months ago, when I arrived in Israel, I decided I'd give it a go. I'd been thinking about it for a while but never actually did it, I was a bit concerned about the impact it would have on my life. But when in Rome, do as the Romans do (anyone seen that stupid movie Anchorman?) and, in Jerusalem, Shabbat is certainly done!
So I gave it a try.
And really quite enjoyed it, so I kept it going so long as I was in Israel, quite sure that things would be too difficult when I got back to Sydney.
Now I've been back a month and am loving keeping Shabbat. Rather than being stressed about the wasted say in which I "can't do anything" I find myself more relaxed, more in tune with myself.
I have a day in which I can sit and read (Jewish, medical, neither or a combination), sleep in the sun or on the couch, go for a walk, enjoy the finer things and not have to worry about the time, all the other things i have to do. And I come out of it energised for the week ahead.
How strange that unplugging yourself can leave you so recharged. Or perhaps when we unplug like that we're really plugging into something else at the same time.
Anyway, the point is it's wonderful and I think this change in my life will be a permanent one (inevitable exceptions to be made in my professional life for Pikuach Nefesh, the saving of a life).
So, to everyone out there, have a great week - six days of work - and then a wonderful day of rest, free of all that work. So for then, Shabbat shalom!
27 February 2007
Back to school
So here we go, after the two most academically intense years of most of our lives and then a relative hiatus (ie having to do something kinda academic but not having exams or anything) for the least 10 weeks, back to school.
We head back, next week, to what will (hopefully!) be the last 9 months of our undergraduate, not to mention un-paid, medical education.
And after that, scary as it is, we get to done graduation robes, throw our hats in the air and write drug charts. Diagnose and treat Australia's unwell (ok, those who can't afford private halth cover anyway). Save (and lose) lives on overnight shifts when nobody senior is around.
But anyway, that almost a year from now. In the meantime we're back at uni & hospital learning how stuff. Which, I think, won't be so easy as I've become acutely aware recently of just how much I've forgotten.
So, tell me again - the knee bone's connected to the... what?
We head back, next week, to what will (hopefully!) be the last 9 months of our undergraduate, not to mention un-paid, medical education.
And after that, scary as it is, we get to done graduation robes, throw our hats in the air and write drug charts. Diagnose and treat Australia's unwell (ok, those who can't afford private halth cover anyway). Save (and lose) lives on overnight shifts when nobody senior is around.
But anyway, that almost a year from now. In the meantime we're back at uni & hospital learning how stuff. Which, I think, won't be so easy as I've become acutely aware recently of just how much I've forgotten.
So, tell me again - the knee bone's connected to the... what?
17 February 2007
Summertime, and the livin' is easy...
I decided I'd give myself some time to adjust to being back in Sydney before blogging on it, so here i am, a week-and-a-bit after landing and...
Sydney is, well, Sydney. The skies are blue, the weather is warm (albeit perhaps too sticky) and one is enveloped by the sounds of summer: the interminable chirp of cicadas, birds squawking morning and night, the shrieks of annoying neighbours' children as they try to kill each other in the pool, the strange music wafting over the fence from the 50 year old wannabe rock stars next door.
I can sit, for most of shabbat, and read in the garden wearing nothing but a pair of shorts.
I can see my family again, everyone seems glad to have me back. Great to be able to see my grandparents, aunts and uncles, the whole mishpokha. And friends, of course. Wonderful friends, one in particular who was my reason for returning so soon (damn that wedding! :-p) So yes, things are pleasant, things are nice.
I can't complain. It's summeritme and the livin' is easy. Fish are probably jumping, somewhere, and i wouldn't have a clue how the cotton's looking. anyone?
It's Sydney. Easy. Comfortable.
But it's not Israel. It's certainly not Jerusalem and it's not even Tel Aviv. (apologies to any readers offended at my not having mentioned their city, notably Be'er Sheva, Yoqnam and Qiryat Ata.)
A week here and I'm suffering withdrawal. (will Valium reduce my cravings?) and maybe a touch of [sub-clinical] depression (perhaps fluoxetine will help?)
no. i know what this condition needs - Holy Land infusion, provided on a continuous basis. Pretty simple, really. Only issue is the couple of little things i have to deal with here before i get the prescription filled for that constant infusion. Like finishing med school and surviving my intern year. yeah, little things like that.
But I know I can make it.
I just hope that Israel, and all the things drawing me there, are going to be waiting for me...
Sydney is, well, Sydney. The skies are blue, the weather is warm (albeit perhaps too sticky) and one is enveloped by the sounds of summer: the interminable chirp of cicadas, birds squawking morning and night, the shrieks of annoying neighbours' children as they try to kill each other in the pool, the strange music wafting over the fence from the 50 year old wannabe rock stars next door.
I can sit, for most of shabbat, and read in the garden wearing nothing but a pair of shorts.
I can see my family again, everyone seems glad to have me back. Great to be able to see my grandparents, aunts and uncles, the whole mishpokha. And friends, of course. Wonderful friends, one in particular who was my reason for returning so soon (damn that wedding! :-p) So yes, things are pleasant, things are nice.
I can't complain. It's summeritme and the livin' is easy. Fish are probably jumping, somewhere, and i wouldn't have a clue how the cotton's looking. anyone?
It's Sydney. Easy. Comfortable.
But it's not Israel. It's certainly not Jerusalem and it's not even Tel Aviv. (apologies to any readers offended at my not having mentioned their city, notably Be'er Sheva, Yoqnam and Qiryat Ata.)
A week here and I'm suffering withdrawal. (will Valium reduce my cravings?) and maybe a touch of [sub-clinical] depression (perhaps fluoxetine will help?)
no. i know what this condition needs - Holy Land infusion, provided on a continuous basis. Pretty simple, really. Only issue is the couple of little things i have to deal with here before i get the prescription filled for that constant infusion. Like finishing med school and surviving my intern year. yeah, little things like that.
But I know I can make it.
I just hope that Israel, and all the things drawing me there, are going to be waiting for me...
06 February 2007
"I'm flying on a jet plane..."
Yes, it's an old song.
It's also how i'll be some 7 hours from now. Flying. On a jet plane. Back to Australia. Most people wouldn't complain about such things but... well, I'd really rather stay here.
My trip here, under the guise of a medical student elective term, was really about a journey of discovery (how much more sickeninly kitch could i get?!) which has, to some degree, provided me with answers to some of the questions with which I came here hoping for some assistance.
What career path I want to pursue: well this one still hasn't been answered, though my list of differentials has perhaps been narrowed a little. More details later, perhaps during my next (Obs&Gynae) rotation.
Place of religion in my life: I think the role Judaism plays (as distinct from Jewish Community) in my life is on the path to expansion. What exactly this means is yet to be seen but it's interesting and, frankly, something I see as being important in my future. Undoubtedly there will be people amongst family and friends unhappy with such moves but really... too bad.
Whether I see my future life and career in Israel: frankly put, the answer would seem to be YES. Not much more to say about that except that there's a couple of years before it becomes reality so you have some time to deal with the concept. And yes, of course you'd be welcome to come visit me! Again there will be people who are close to me who will be unhappy with such a move and, undoubtedly, will be waiting for my yeridah with bated breath but I feel that it's something I need to do to complete me.
What I want out of a relationship: well, I think perhaps I've found her... Yes, by now I've told everyone something so I might as well go out and tell you all the same things - her name is Shimrit, she's a 26 year-old sabra, gorgeous, intelligent, friendly, funny and so much more... basically all the things one wants in a relationship - except that she lives on the other side of the planet. She lives here. Well actually she lives in Tel Aviv but, considering how much time spends at work it seems she may as well live there at times... So yes, she's incredible. What more can I say?
I don't want to write any more as I'd like to actually make use of my last few hours in the Israel, the Land flowing with milk and honey (though I just ate meat so no milk for a bit).
My time here has been wonderful, truly incredible. To anyone who hasn't been to Israel before, regardless of your religious background or feelings, I highly commend it to you. It's an absolutely magical place. And to anyone who has been before but, perhaps it's been some time... come again! Strange, incredibly wonderful things happen here, the people are wonderful and the country... it's Israel and there's no place quite like it.
So my promise to the Promised Land - I'll be back, soon! And to anyone else - feel free to join me!! :-D
It's also how i'll be some 7 hours from now. Flying. On a jet plane. Back to Australia. Most people wouldn't complain about such things but... well, I'd really rather stay here.
My trip here, under the guise of a medical student elective term, was really about a journey of discovery (how much more sickeninly kitch could i get?!) which has, to some degree, provided me with answers to some of the questions with which I came here hoping for some assistance.
What career path I want to pursue: well this one still hasn't been answered, though my list of differentials has perhaps been narrowed a little. More details later, perhaps during my next (Obs&Gynae) rotation.
Place of religion in my life: I think the role Judaism plays (as distinct from Jewish Community) in my life is on the path to expansion. What exactly this means is yet to be seen but it's interesting and, frankly, something I see as being important in my future. Undoubtedly there will be people amongst family and friends unhappy with such moves but really... too bad.
Whether I see my future life and career in Israel: frankly put, the answer would seem to be YES. Not much more to say about that except that there's a couple of years before it becomes reality so you have some time to deal with the concept. And yes, of course you'd be welcome to come visit me! Again there will be people who are close to me who will be unhappy with such a move and, undoubtedly, will be waiting for my yeridah with bated breath but I feel that it's something I need to do to complete me.
What I want out of a relationship: well, I think perhaps I've found her... Yes, by now I've told everyone something so I might as well go out and tell you all the same things - her name is Shimrit, she's a 26 year-old sabra, gorgeous, intelligent, friendly, funny and so much more... basically all the things one wants in a relationship - except that she lives on the other side of the planet. She lives here. Well actually she lives in Tel Aviv but, considering how much time spends at work it seems she may as well live there at times... So yes, she's incredible. What more can I say?
I don't want to write any more as I'd like to actually make use of my last few hours in the Israel, the Land flowing with milk and honey (though I just ate meat so no milk for a bit).
My time here has been wonderful, truly incredible. To anyone who hasn't been to Israel before, regardless of your religious background or feelings, I highly commend it to you. It's an absolutely magical place. And to anyone who has been before but, perhaps it's been some time... come again! Strange, incredibly wonderful things happen here, the people are wonderful and the country... it's Israel and there's no place quite like it.
So my promise to the Promised Land - I'll be back, soon! And to anyone else - feel free to join me!! :-D
30 January 2007
No Choice...
I had been planning for some time to ignore the fact that I have many things to do and very little time in which to do them and, finally, post something more to my blog.
Today, after a month without a post, I have no choice but to write.
For those who are unaware, today a terrorist suicide-homicide bomber exploded himself and others in a bakery in the Israeli tourist town of Eilat.
This is the second time I've been in Israel furing such an attack, the previous time being just over 4 years ago, in early January 2003. That was in the middle of the "intifada", the terrorist war waged on behalf of the Palestinian Authority by a variety of Palestinian paramilitary groups; this campaign, apparently, resulted from the failure of talks at Camp David and Taba in 2000 and the apparent inability of the Palestinians to establish statehood, despite being offered just that. Oh yes, and of course "the occupation"
At the risk of sounding callous, that attack (which killed over 20 and injured over 120) was expected. This one wasn't.
We are now at a different point in history, politics isn't as it was 4 years ago.
We are now in the post-Gaza era, in which left-wing policy was instituted by one of the long-time champions of the Israeli right - that is, the withdrawal from Gaza without arguing about the terms and conditions which the Palestinians would have to meet beforehand.
That's right: it was a freebie, a giveaway. Israel acting on the world's calls to "end the occupation"
And then something like today's event happens.
The bomber, claimed by Islamic Jihad, was a young Gazan man. Whatever "occupation" it was that Israel was supposed to be responsible for hasn't been present in Gaza for some time now, since the withdrawal. That should be clear from the interfactional murder that is daily news in Gaza which could never have occurred while the Israeli Defence Forces maintained a presence on the streets.
Islamic Jihad said that, in effect, this bombing was unavoidable; that this murderous act was to be a wakeup call to Hamas and Fatah, the main Palestinian factions currently embroiled in civil strife in Gaza - a wakeup call intending to remind them of their common enemy and the goal they should be persuing together. That is, the destruction of the Jewish State.
As mentioned, Islamic Jihad is not even one of the parties involved in the current factional disputes, so the "desperation" and having "no choice", as we've heard previously for the justification of such unjustifiable crimes against humanity (yep, check with Amnesty), do not really explain the situation now either. There is always another option, something that doesn't involve in the intentional targeting of innocent civilians in pizzerias, nightclubs, buses, or bakeries. This is not desperation, this is not an accident; this is the conscious, premeditated targeting of innocents.
The only true explanation is as it always was - that indeed terrorist bombings such as today's are indeed the result of an occupation, however not "the occupation" that Israel is daily blamed for.
The occuption that is to blame here is the occupation of the minds of the Palestinian people, particularly the youth, with ideologies of Islamist expansion or of a Nasserist view of the Arab world.
This is the occupation that exists that threatens the future of the region and, until this is recognised by the world at large, there will be no sustainable solution to the problems that have developed over the last half-century.
Regardless, todays events are now the reality of the world and my day and, for some reason, it's had a much greater impact on me than the last time I was here when a bomb went off, despite the prior having been a much a larger bomb. For the first time in many years I recited Psalm 20 and would request, whatever you believe and whomever you are, that you do something equivalent.
Wherever we are in the world, and whatever we believe, may our thoughts and prayers be with the people of the region and Am Yisrael for a peaceful future for all of us.
Today, after a month without a post, I have no choice but to write.
For those who are unaware, today a terrorist suicide-homicide bomber exploded himself and others in a bakery in the Israeli tourist town of Eilat.
This is the second time I've been in Israel furing such an attack, the previous time being just over 4 years ago, in early January 2003. That was in the middle of the "intifada", the terrorist war waged on behalf of the Palestinian Authority by a variety of Palestinian paramilitary groups; this campaign, apparently, resulted from the failure of talks at Camp David and Taba in 2000 and the apparent inability of the Palestinians to establish statehood, despite being offered just that. Oh yes, and of course "the occupation"
At the risk of sounding callous, that attack (which killed over 20 and injured over 120) was expected. This one wasn't.
We are now at a different point in history, politics isn't as it was 4 years ago.
We are now in the post-Gaza era, in which left-wing policy was instituted by one of the long-time champions of the Israeli right - that is, the withdrawal from Gaza without arguing about the terms and conditions which the Palestinians would have to meet beforehand.
That's right: it was a freebie, a giveaway. Israel acting on the world's calls to "end the occupation"
And then something like today's event happens.
The bomber, claimed by Islamic Jihad, was a young Gazan man. Whatever "occupation" it was that Israel was supposed to be responsible for hasn't been present in Gaza for some time now, since the withdrawal. That should be clear from the interfactional murder that is daily news in Gaza which could never have occurred while the Israeli Defence Forces maintained a presence on the streets.
Islamic Jihad said that, in effect, this bombing was unavoidable; that this murderous act was to be a wakeup call to Hamas and Fatah, the main Palestinian factions currently embroiled in civil strife in Gaza - a wakeup call intending to remind them of their common enemy and the goal they should be persuing together. That is, the destruction of the Jewish State.
As mentioned, Islamic Jihad is not even one of the parties involved in the current factional disputes, so the "desperation" and having "no choice", as we've heard previously for the justification of such unjustifiable crimes against humanity (yep, check with Amnesty), do not really explain the situation now either. There is always another option, something that doesn't involve in the intentional targeting of innocent civilians in pizzerias, nightclubs, buses, or bakeries. This is not desperation, this is not an accident; this is the conscious, premeditated targeting of innocents.
The only true explanation is as it always was - that indeed terrorist bombings such as today's are indeed the result of an occupation, however not "the occupation" that Israel is daily blamed for.
The occuption that is to blame here is the occupation of the minds of the Palestinian people, particularly the youth, with ideologies of Islamist expansion or of a Nasserist view of the Arab world.
This is the occupation that exists that threatens the future of the region and, until this is recognised by the world at large, there will be no sustainable solution to the problems that have developed over the last half-century.
Regardless, todays events are now the reality of the world and my day and, for some reason, it's had a much greater impact on me than the last time I was here when a bomb went off, despite the prior having been a much a larger bomb. For the first time in many years I recited Psalm 20 and would request, whatever you believe and whomever you are, that you do something equivalent.
Wherever we are in the world, and whatever we believe, may our thoughts and prayers be with the people of the region and Am Yisrael for a peaceful future for all of us.
30 December 2006
In the Promised Land with the Chosen People
It's hard to believe I've been in Israel 3 weeks already. On the one hand it seems like I've been here ages and have already done some awesome stuff; on the other there's so much more to do and so little time in which to do it.
I suppose I should apologise for not having posted much so far - the simple reality is that there have been too many thing to write about and, being my mother's son, I've had difficulties deciding what to write about.
This is my fifth time to Israel but, really, is very different to all the others - the first was when I was 12 with the family of a friend, and the intermediate three were in the summers of 2002/3-2004/5 with AUJS Israel Programs. Really, this is the first time I've actually been able to properly interact with Israelis as an adult, and the first time I've really had to take care of myself here in any way.
I knew that this time would be different so, while I came with lots of questions, I didn't really have many expectations as to what I would find, other than what one is told of Israelis - that they are loud, aggressive, impatient, lying/cheating/theiving etc. In my assessment, three weeks in, these stereotypes are ... well, kinda true, to some degree. I guess that's why they're stereotypes! But really this aspect of the national persona is not what is predominantly felt (at least not in Jerusalem, where I've spent most of my time) but rather it has become clear to me that the word that should be used more than any of those above is simply "nice".
Ok, so they use their elbows to make sure they get on a bus, it's rare that one can delineate a queue and people honk each other on the roads all the time .... but they're actually incredibly friendly and generous, willing to help when they can and very warm. A lot like Aussies I guess but in my experience, around the world not everyone is like this.
And more than Australians, Israelis seem to care about each other in a fairly active (some would say intrusive) way - unsolicited advice given on the street and such, but also people on the buses actually talk to each other (God forbid!!), and even to the groups of people with Down's sydnrome one sees on occasion travelling the city, and invitations are freely made for meals with people one's just met with very few questions asked other than "do you have a place for dinner?"
It's strange, we have a society where everyone is rushing somewhere from somwhere else; where everything is of world-class standard but people don't get paid enough; where the people and the country are in a constant struggle for survival in the face of military and political threats from many directions ... and everyone, rather than fighting tooth and nail (other than in traffic and queues) , is out there looking after each other. It's incredible, really, and I think there's a lot that can be learnt from this nation. I hope that in Australia, as we drift towards a dog-eat-dog American-style mentality, we can take a page from Israel's book and learn to band together, rather than to drive ourselves apart. Perhaps the Chosen People in the Promised Land can still be that historical Light Unto the Nations...
I suppose I should apologise for not having posted much so far - the simple reality is that there have been too many thing to write about and, being my mother's son, I've had difficulties deciding what to write about.
This is my fifth time to Israel but, really, is very different to all the others - the first was when I was 12 with the family of a friend, and the intermediate three were in the summers of 2002/3-2004/5 with AUJS Israel Programs. Really, this is the first time I've actually been able to properly interact with Israelis as an adult, and the first time I've really had to take care of myself here in any way.
I knew that this time would be different so, while I came with lots of questions, I didn't really have many expectations as to what I would find, other than what one is told of Israelis - that they are loud, aggressive, impatient, lying/cheating/theiving etc. In my assessment, three weeks in, these stereotypes are ... well, kinda true, to some degree. I guess that's why they're stereotypes! But really this aspect of the national persona is not what is predominantly felt (at least not in Jerusalem, where I've spent most of my time) but rather it has become clear to me that the word that should be used more than any of those above is simply "nice".
Ok, so they use their elbows to make sure they get on a bus, it's rare that one can delineate a queue and people honk each other on the roads all the time .... but they're actually incredibly friendly and generous, willing to help when they can and very warm. A lot like Aussies I guess but in my experience, around the world not everyone is like this.
And more than Australians, Israelis seem to care about each other in a fairly active (some would say intrusive) way - unsolicited advice given on the street and such, but also people on the buses actually talk to each other (God forbid!!), and even to the groups of people with Down's sydnrome one sees on occasion travelling the city, and invitations are freely made for meals with people one's just met with very few questions asked other than "do you have a place for dinner?"
It's strange, we have a society where everyone is rushing somewhere from somwhere else; where everything is of world-class standard but people don't get paid enough; where the people and the country are in a constant struggle for survival in the face of military and political threats from many directions ... and everyone, rather than fighting tooth and nail (other than in traffic and queues) , is out there looking after each other. It's incredible, really, and I think there's a lot that can be learnt from this nation. I hope that in Australia, as we drift towards a dog-eat-dog American-style mentality, we can take a page from Israel's book and learn to band together, rather than to drive ourselves apart. Perhaps the Chosen People in the Promised Land can still be that historical Light Unto the Nations...
28 December 2006
miracles happen
I was going to post/email a piece begging people to send me their phone numbers after I lost mine a couple of days ago. I realised that I'd lost it as I was entering the bus station (taking it out so I wouldn't beep going through the metal detectors) and figured it was gone forever. Since using it last I had been in a bus, a taxi and numerous streets. It was never going to come back. Not in the Middle East.
However, as things turn out, I'm not sending that email (but if i don't have your number, please do send it!) as i now have my phone back.
The taxi driver, Isi, called a friend of mine (out of my phonebook i guess) who contacted me on MSN and i walked out in the (snow-covered!!!) streets of Jerusalem to collect it.
When I thanked Isi I told him I had expected that that the phone would never return. He smiled and said "We've just finished Channuka. Miracles happen"
Thank you Isi - quite a ben adam, a mensch.
I have many other things to write about (people, drinking, concerts, drinking, fighter pilot graduation ceremonies, drinking, snow in Jerusalem...) but this was something that was immediate. more posts coming soon at flyingdoctorblog.blogspot.com :-)
However, as things turn out, I'm not sending that email (but if i don't have your number, please do send it!) as i now have my phone back.
The taxi driver, Isi, called a friend of mine (out of my phonebook i guess) who contacted me on MSN and i walked out in the (snow-covered!!!) streets of Jerusalem to collect it.
When I thanked Isi I told him I had expected that that the phone would never return. He smiled and said "We've just finished Channuka. Miracles happen"
Thank you Isi - quite a ben adam, a mensch.
I have many other things to write about (people, drinking, concerts, drinking, fighter pilot graduation ceremonies, drinking, snow in Jerusalem...) but this was something that was immediate. more posts coming soon at flyingdoctorblog.blogspot.com :-)
07 December 2006
The Un-Promised Land
I meant to post on this for some time now but never got round to it, thanks to my placement in Port Maquarie - which could be a couple of posts in itself! Nonetheless, here it is now...
Since seeing a friend of mine, (now Dr) Dean, undertake his medical elective term in Israel 2 years ago it's been something I've been psyched to do myself.
I know that some Aussie unis have made problems for people wanting to study in Israel over the past few years but, given that someone from my uni (Sydney) did their elective in Israel last year, I thought shouldn't have any problems. Right?
If only it were so simple.
One of my colleagues who was planning on doing her elective in Israel applied early in the year but was given hassles on the basis that Israel is dangerous.
After some lobbying on our behalf by a Professor, she was approved. Unfortunately she has subsequently made other plans anyway and won't be joining us :-(
In any case, the groundwork was laid and we would be allowed to go, so when I formally presented my application it was smooth sailing... until recently.
5 weeks prior to my anticipated departure a bulletin was posted to students that someone in the university structures was head-kicking the faculty into disapproving electives that had already been approved, if the destination country was one to which DFAT had recommended reconsidering travel. So yes, that's me. 5 weeks from departure!
Obviously I'm not going to be too happy with that! So after spending a frantic day on the phone to pretty much anyone who may be of assistance, the weekend (in which I packed and drove up to Port Macquarie for my 4-week attachment) was spent in limbo, not knowing what was happening around me...
The next week was tense, fraught with dealings with anxious students whose plans had been ripped out from under their feet, with communal leaders going in to bat for us, and with faculty and university officials evasively dealing with enquiries, with nobody taking responsibility for the new dictum.
Nonetheless, with the help of some people who know people, we had a new ruling put in place. We would have to sign some more rubbish bits of paper (another tree bites the dust) and have a meeting with the Dean but we'd be allowed to go. Yes, despite the "latest and final" decision advertised in that bulletin, we were again allowed to go!!
So, just the other day, I had this meeting with the Dean. He admitted it was a formality, offering that the Faculty could provide me with an alternative elective experience and watching me sign something that just said i was going to be responisble for myself and that the uni doens't really want me to be there. And then we discussed the memorandum of understand he'd been organising with the Faculty of Medicine Technion in Haifa (Israel's MIT, as he put it) and that I should think about taking that up as well...
Obviously the Dean's very convinced of the merits of that "latest and final" decision posted as a bulletin...
So yes, less than a week prior to my departure I had the seal of (dis-)approval to go and learn with the world's experts in their field, at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem, in Jerusalem, Israel!
And now, here I am 2 days from departure writing a blog instead of packing.
2 DAYS!! awesome...
לשבוע הבה בירושלים! - next week in Jerusalem!
Since seeing a friend of mine, (now Dr) Dean, undertake his medical elective term in Israel 2 years ago it's been something I've been psyched to do myself.
I know that some Aussie unis have made problems for people wanting to study in Israel over the past few years but, given that someone from my uni (Sydney) did their elective in Israel last year, I thought shouldn't have any problems. Right?
If only it were so simple.
One of my colleagues who was planning on doing her elective in Israel applied early in the year but was given hassles on the basis that Israel is dangerous.
After some lobbying on our behalf by a Professor, she was approved. Unfortunately she has subsequently made other plans anyway and won't be joining us :-(
In any case, the groundwork was laid and we would be allowed to go, so when I formally presented my application it was smooth sailing... until recently.
5 weeks prior to my anticipated departure a bulletin was posted to students that someone in the university structures was head-kicking the faculty into disapproving electives that had already been approved, if the destination country was one to which DFAT had recommended reconsidering travel. So yes, that's me. 5 weeks from departure!
Obviously I'm not going to be too happy with that! So after spending a frantic day on the phone to pretty much anyone who may be of assistance, the weekend (in which I packed and drove up to Port Macquarie for my 4-week attachment) was spent in limbo, not knowing what was happening around me...
The next week was tense, fraught with dealings with anxious students whose plans had been ripped out from under their feet, with communal leaders going in to bat for us, and with faculty and university officials evasively dealing with enquiries, with nobody taking responsibility for the new dictum.
Nonetheless, with the help of some people who know people, we had a new ruling put in place. We would have to sign some more rubbish bits of paper (another tree bites the dust) and have a meeting with the Dean but we'd be allowed to go. Yes, despite the "latest and final" decision advertised in that bulletin, we were again allowed to go!!
So, just the other day, I had this meeting with the Dean. He admitted it was a formality, offering that the Faculty could provide me with an alternative elective experience and watching me sign something that just said i was going to be responisble for myself and that the uni doens't really want me to be there. And then we discussed the memorandum of understand he'd been organising with the Faculty of Medicine Technion in Haifa (Israel's MIT, as he put it) and that I should think about taking that up as well...
Obviously the Dean's very convinced of the merits of that "latest and final" decision posted as a bulletin...
So yes, less than a week prior to my departure I had the seal of (dis-)approval to go and learn with the world's experts in their field, at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem, in Jerusalem, Israel!
And now, here I am 2 days from departure writing a blog instead of packing.
2 DAYS!! awesome...
לשבוע הבה בירושלים! - next week in Jerusalem!
19 October 2006
Leadership crises
I went to a meeting this afternoon, by invitation, to take part in assessing ideas for the review of the medical curriculum at the University of Sydney (Australia's premier medical school) with a group of 8 (plus the 2 professors running the Review) in which I was one of only two students.
I felt distinctly under-qualified sitting there with people who (as well as their being medical doctors) have a PhD or Master’s as well as having finished their postgraduate medical training but it was great being given the opportunity to be there to give input into the next generation of medical education.
The Professor who was chairing today opened the meeting by explaining that the people around the table (excluding himself and the other Professor) are the future leaders of the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Medicine. A strange thought and not something I’d expected to be applied to me but nonetheless, I'll usually take a compliment when it's offered by someone as esteemed as Professor Gouslton.
The thought of being a Faculty leader isn't an entirely new one to me - I have to say I have had thoughts (during one of my occasional delusions of grandeur) of myself behind a desk in these wonderful old buildings with the door labeled Professor Simon Nothman, Dean of Medicine. Then I woke up from the daydream.
Nonetheless, the topic of leadership is pertinent at this time.It's this time of year that many organisations contemplate their upcoming leadership. Recently I've been involved in running the elections for the Australasian Union of Jewish Students nationally, and in speaking to candidates on the state level about their candidacy. All the while, as I'm dealing with other people's leadership, I can't help thinking about my own...
Medsoc, the medical students' society at uni, seems to have had a couple of problems this year. Not to say that the organisation hasn't done good things, which it has, but rather that there have been problems with regards to leadership and struggles within the executive.It's also become clear, to one with experience in running student organisations, that some of the issues faced derive from a lack of fairly basic leadership training. While, certainly, there are some good/effective leaders (not always the same thing!) in the organisation there's nothing in place to teach those without it some basic leadership skills and techiniques.Also Medsoc, in my opinion, shoudl get involved again in general student issues. it used to be the case that every year at least one memebr of the Univeristy Union was a med student - now the level of apathy has reached such height students won't even vote, much less nominate!
I hear you all asking what the crisis in all of this is, as we approach the end of this blog entry. The answer, as always, is a question:
Is it enough for me to be able to diagnose these problems and others?
Is suggesting a management plan sufficient?
Or do I need to take an active role in the treatment of this disorder?
So I find myself once again contemplating offering myself for the vice presidency, a position in which I'd really be able to use what I've learned elsewhere and give all I can to the organisation, but one which would likely chew up what remains of my 'free' time.
So what do you out there think? To run or not to run, that is the question....
I felt distinctly under-qualified sitting there with people who (as well as their being medical doctors) have a PhD or Master’s as well as having finished their postgraduate medical training but it was great being given the opportunity to be there to give input into the next generation of medical education.
The Professor who was chairing today opened the meeting by explaining that the people around the table (excluding himself and the other Professor) are the future leaders of the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Medicine. A strange thought and not something I’d expected to be applied to me but nonetheless, I'll usually take a compliment when it's offered by someone as esteemed as Professor Gouslton.
The thought of being a Faculty leader isn't an entirely new one to me - I have to say I have had thoughts (during one of my occasional delusions of grandeur) of myself behind a desk in these wonderful old buildings with the door labeled Professor Simon Nothman, Dean of Medicine. Then I woke up from the daydream.
Nonetheless, the topic of leadership is pertinent at this time.It's this time of year that many organisations contemplate their upcoming leadership. Recently I've been involved in running the elections for the Australasian Union of Jewish Students nationally, and in speaking to candidates on the state level about their candidacy. All the while, as I'm dealing with other people's leadership, I can't help thinking about my own...
Medsoc, the medical students' society at uni, seems to have had a couple of problems this year. Not to say that the organisation hasn't done good things, which it has, but rather that there have been problems with regards to leadership and struggles within the executive.It's also become clear, to one with experience in running student organisations, that some of the issues faced derive from a lack of fairly basic leadership training. While, certainly, there are some good/effective leaders (not always the same thing!) in the organisation there's nothing in place to teach those without it some basic leadership skills and techiniques.Also Medsoc, in my opinion, shoudl get involved again in general student issues. it used to be the case that every year at least one memebr of the Univeristy Union was a med student - now the level of apathy has reached such height students won't even vote, much less nominate!
I hear you all asking what the crisis in all of this is, as we approach the end of this blog entry. The answer, as always, is a question:
Is it enough for me to be able to diagnose these problems and others?
Is suggesting a management plan sufficient?
Or do I need to take an active role in the treatment of this disorder?
So I find myself once again contemplating offering myself for the vice presidency, a position in which I'd really be able to use what I've learned elsewhere and give all I can to the organisation, but one which would likely chew up what remains of my 'free' time.
So what do you out there think? To run or not to run, that is the question....
15 October 2006
Priestly Curses
Following a conversation with a new friend about the fact that I'm a Kohen (of the family of Jewish Priests) and the implications that had for my life I decided to delve into such matters.
For those who don't know, a Kohen is not allowed to come into contact with (or within a certain distance of) a dead person, nor are they allowed to marry a convert or divorcee. These rules are for the purpose of maintaining purity of those who perform the Temple service and, despite the fact that the Temple is not currently extant, they have been retained for many generations.
So yes the first issue is that, as a medical student, there's not much room for not dealing with death so, a number of years ago, I asked my Rabbi about this and he granted me an exemption from this rule, presumably on the basis of pikuach nefesh (the sanctity of human life and that virtually anything is excusable on the basis of saving a life).
The question then came to the issue of marriages and restrictions related to that. The restriction on not marrying divorcees is (potentially) reasonable if purity is the goal to be attained however the rationale behind not marrying a convert was less clear. In Judaism converts are considered no less Jewish than someone born Jewish and, often, are actually more observant. So what was the aetiology of this ruling?
As one does these days, I googled a few terms to see what we could find…
I had assumed that the issue relating to marrying a convert was about purity. It turns out that's not entirely true. The reason given for a Kohen not being allowed to marry a convert is not actually (directly) related to purity as I had presumed, but rather (and I was impressed by this) has to do with an interpretation in the Talmud of the term "harlot".
Wikipedia says that for a Kohen, marriage is prohibited to the following:
- a divorcee (even re-marrying one’s own ex-wife)
- a woman who has committed adultery, been involved in incest, or had [sexual] relations with a non-Jew.
- a female convert, out of concern for what may have occurred to her while she was a gentile (Talmudic law).
A born-Jewish woman who has had premarital relations may marry a kohen if and only if all of her partners were Jewish.
Something I find exceedingly odd, is that, apparently, a child of a Jewish mother and non-Jewish father, while halachically Jewish, is prohibited from marrying a kohen, by rabbinic law.
According to AllExperts.com, "any Kohen who makes such a marriage [with an
inappropropriate woman] loses his priestly status". This is of great import as it also means that any sons born to that man in the future would also not being Kohanim, whereas otherwhise they would have been.
A very strange perspective came from http://www.ottmall.com/mj_ht_arch/v12/mj_v12i05.html, in which it was stated that there was a ruling such that "in the case of a non Orthodox conversion he could receive the Kohen aliyah since he was not really married since she was not really Jewish, a rare advantage of a non Halachic conversion"
Hmmm, I certainly can't see myself agreeing with that one...
Also, it seems that the different streams have different rules. Specifically, Reform doesn't recognise priestly status anyway, Conservative Judaism allows and recognises such marriages, while Orthodox Judaism does not (or at least not without the sacrifice of one’s priestly rights)
This all having been said, whether I were or weren't to break this rule regarding marriages, it wouldn't be the only one - the laws of Niddah, for example, as well as many non-relationship related laws. Furthermore, considering Jewish law regarding relationships, I’m already in trouble. A question arises, however, when looking again at the case of marrying a Jewish woman who’s engaged in pre-marital sex (as is so common these days) – it’s OK if she’s only slept with Jewish men but not if she’s slept with non-Jews. The question then is that of why there appear to be no rules about who I should be able to sleep with prior to marriage – after all, isn’t it my supposed purity that we’re trying to maintain here?
Clearly there's a conflict here, again, between tradition and the realities of the modern world. The question is what each person makes for themselves of it, when considered on balance... (and, even better, if you can find a rabbi who you'll know will rule in your favour!)
As always with me there are no answers, only more questions. :-)
please feel free to comment!
For those who don't know, a Kohen is not allowed to come into contact with (or within a certain distance of) a dead person, nor are they allowed to marry a convert or divorcee. These rules are for the purpose of maintaining purity of those who perform the Temple service and, despite the fact that the Temple is not currently extant, they have been retained for many generations.
So yes the first issue is that, as a medical student, there's not much room for not dealing with death so, a number of years ago, I asked my Rabbi about this and he granted me an exemption from this rule, presumably on the basis of pikuach nefesh (the sanctity of human life and that virtually anything is excusable on the basis of saving a life).
The question then came to the issue of marriages and restrictions related to that. The restriction on not marrying divorcees is (potentially) reasonable if purity is the goal to be attained however the rationale behind not marrying a convert was less clear. In Judaism converts are considered no less Jewish than someone born Jewish and, often, are actually more observant. So what was the aetiology of this ruling?
As one does these days, I googled a few terms to see what we could find…
I had assumed that the issue relating to marrying a convert was about purity. It turns out that's not entirely true. The reason given for a Kohen not being allowed to marry a convert is not actually (directly) related to purity as I had presumed, but rather (and I was impressed by this) has to do with an interpretation in the Talmud of the term "harlot".
Wikipedia says that for a Kohen, marriage is prohibited to the following:
- a divorcee (even re-marrying one’s own ex-wife)
- a woman who has committed adultery, been involved in incest, or had [sexual] relations with a non-Jew.
- a female convert, out of concern for what may have occurred to her while she was a gentile (Talmudic law).
A born-Jewish woman who has had premarital relations may marry a kohen if and only if all of her partners were Jewish.
Something I find exceedingly odd, is that, apparently, a child of a Jewish mother and non-Jewish father, while halachically Jewish, is prohibited from marrying a kohen, by rabbinic law.
According to AllExperts.com, "any Kohen who makes such a marriage [with an
inappropropriate woman] loses his priestly status". This is of great import as it also means that any sons born to that man in the future would also not being Kohanim, whereas otherwhise they would have been.
A very strange perspective came from http://www.ottmall.com/mj_ht_arch/v12/mj_v12i05.html, in which it was stated that there was a ruling such that "in the case of a non Orthodox conversion he could receive the Kohen aliyah since he was not really married since she was not really Jewish, a rare advantage of a non Halachic conversion"
Hmmm, I certainly can't see myself agreeing with that one...
Also, it seems that the different streams have different rules. Specifically, Reform doesn't recognise priestly status anyway, Conservative Judaism allows and recognises such marriages, while Orthodox Judaism does not (or at least not without the sacrifice of one’s priestly rights)
This all having been said, whether I were or weren't to break this rule regarding marriages, it wouldn't be the only one - the laws of Niddah, for example, as well as many non-relationship related laws. Furthermore, considering Jewish law regarding relationships, I’m already in trouble. A question arises, however, when looking again at the case of marrying a Jewish woman who’s engaged in pre-marital sex (as is so common these days) – it’s OK if she’s only slept with Jewish men but not if she’s slept with non-Jews. The question then is that of why there appear to be no rules about who I should be able to sleep with prior to marriage – after all, isn’t it my supposed purity that we’re trying to maintain here?
Clearly there's a conflict here, again, between tradition and the realities of the modern world. The question is what each person makes for themselves of it, when considered on balance... (and, even better, if you can find a rabbi who you'll know will rule in your favour!)
As always with me there are no answers, only more questions. :-)
please feel free to comment!
07 October 2006
Simply AWESOME!
Tonight I did something I don't often do, in that I went out to a club on a Friday night. There was a reason for this divergence from the usual, that being that my brother Jeremy's band De Stijl (www.myspace.com/DeStijlBand) was playing.
No, sorry, let me rephrase that - They were headlining, and they absolutely rocked!
Seriously the best gig I've seen since Homebake 2001. Really incredible.
Anyway, make sure you get to see them (& get your hands on their upcoming EP) because they're absolutely worth it (and because when they're famous [note when, not if] that signed EP will be valuable)
So yeah, simply awesome...
No, sorry, let me rephrase that - They were headlining, and they absolutely rocked!
Seriously the best gig I've seen since Homebake 2001. Really incredible.
Anyway, make sure you get to see them (& get your hands on their upcoming EP) because they're absolutely worth it (and because when they're famous [note when, not if] that signed EP will be valuable)
So yeah, simply awesome...
06 October 2006
Judgement Day
As should be plainly obvious by now, Yom Kippur (where God has that task of deciding who will live and who will die) occurred earlier in the week.
A judgement day of another sort has just come and gone at the end of this week - that's right, the Medical Program Assessment Committee (?self-appointed gods) have gathered to pass judgement and make decisions of their own.
Not whether people live or die, just whether they pass or have to repeat. Some would probably argue that repeating is a harsher punishment.
Nonetheless, the Faculty's nasty email didn't come and (thankfully) the list put out today confirms that, indeed, there's next to nothing in the way of me becoming a doctor.
Scary shit, I'd recommend you take out private health coverage well before that happens!
So yeah, me as a doctor - who'd've thought it possible...? (Yes, I agree, it is utterly ridiculous!)
So on we march, through the trials and tribulations of medical education ... with no more big exams to deal with, ever*!
(* in saying "ever", what is really meant is "for some, if ever so brief, period of time - probably a couple of years at most". but hey, who's a stickler for details?)
A judgement day of another sort has just come and gone at the end of this week - that's right, the Medical Program Assessment Committee (?self-appointed gods) have gathered to pass judgement and make decisions of their own.
Not whether people live or die, just whether they pass or have to repeat. Some would probably argue that repeating is a harsher punishment.
Nonetheless, the Faculty's nasty email didn't come and (thankfully) the list put out today confirms that, indeed, there's next to nothing in the way of me becoming a doctor.
Scary shit, I'd recommend you take out private health coverage well before that happens!
So yeah, me as a doctor - who'd've thought it possible...? (Yes, I agree, it is utterly ridiculous!)
So on we march, through the trials and tribulations of medical education ... with no more big exams to deal with, ever*!
(* in saying "ever", what is really meant is "for some, if ever so brief, period of time - probably a couple of years at most". but hey, who's a stickler for details?)
03 October 2006
Nuts to you!
Some Jews have a tradition that on Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) and usually for the 10 Days of Repentance until Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) they don't consume nuts.Now, nuts don't usually make up a large part of my diet so this wouldn't be a problem, except for the fact that my mum's honey cake (truly amongst the world's best) contains walnuts.
Given that honey generally and thus honeycake are traditional this time of year (symbolic of a sweet New Year) this ban on nuts has caused a little consternation, particularly in recent years.
So the question ought to be asked where this nut ban derives from. The answer, we're told, is the result of equivalence between nuts with sin, in terms of gematria.
Clearly for many the concept of gematria will require a brief investigation. In short it's the process whereby each Hebrew letter is allocated a number based on its position in the alphabet (or, rather, the aleph-bet).
The first letter, aleph (א), is 1. The tenth, yud (י), is 10 then increasing by tens to the 20th letter, kuf (ק), which is 100 and then finishing with tav (ת) on 400. These numerical values are used by Jewish mystics to assist in interpretation of hidden meanings behind words, amongst other uses.
Back to the question of the nut ban, we're told that nuts and sin find themselves equally valued in terms of their gematria scores.
My brother, a bit of a scholar with too much time on his hands, decided to test this out and sat down with a pen and paper calculating scores for any of the many terms for sin and comparing them to the relatively few words for nuts.He came up blank, unable to find this apparent equality that should disqualify us from eating this Rosh Hashanah dessert delight.So I decided that this year I'd ask the Rabbi at synagogue how it worked. Of course I forgot to ask, so instead looked it up on google (google knows all!)
The first relevant response to my sercah terms got me to JewishSF.com, which claimed what I'd heard previously - that אגוז (egoz, nut) and חטא (khet, sin) are equally valued. When I worked it out, I came to the same conclusion as my brother - that the results were in fact not equal, but rather differ by 1. Working was as follows:(אגוז א(1) ג(3) ו(6) ז (7in total, adds to 17.(חטא ח(8) ט(9) א(1in total, adds to 18.
Now, admittedly it's a while since my university maths courses but i'm pretty sure that 17 isn't the same as 18.
Investigating a little further, I found myself at the ohr sameach wesbite (ohr.edu, ohr sameach meaning "new light" in Hebrew. And no, I won't spell it "someach") which informed me that it works, as long as you spell khet wrongly, excluding the final letter, aleph, with a gematria value of one. To me this sounds a little bit dodgy and i'm not sure how such a tradition (and a deleterious one at that!) got started based on such shaky mathmatics, not to mention spelling.
So there you go, Myth Busters, we've got one debunked here. I won't be advertising this silly nut ban (perhaps named after those who promote it, rather than what you're not allowed to eat?!) and certainly don't plan to stop ingesting that most delicious of honey cakes any time soon.
Wishing all a happy & sweet New Year, and to be signed & sealed in the Book of Life.
Given that honey generally and thus honeycake are traditional this time of year (symbolic of a sweet New Year) this ban on nuts has caused a little consternation, particularly in recent years.
So the question ought to be asked where this nut ban derives from. The answer, we're told, is the result of equivalence between nuts with sin, in terms of gematria.
Clearly for many the concept of gematria will require a brief investigation. In short it's the process whereby each Hebrew letter is allocated a number based on its position in the alphabet (or, rather, the aleph-bet).
The first letter, aleph (א), is 1. The tenth, yud (י), is 10 then increasing by tens to the 20th letter, kuf (ק), which is 100 and then finishing with tav (ת) on 400. These numerical values are used by Jewish mystics to assist in interpretation of hidden meanings behind words, amongst other uses.
Back to the question of the nut ban, we're told that nuts and sin find themselves equally valued in terms of their gematria scores.
My brother, a bit of a scholar with too much time on his hands, decided to test this out and sat down with a pen and paper calculating scores for any of the many terms for sin and comparing them to the relatively few words for nuts.He came up blank, unable to find this apparent equality that should disqualify us from eating this Rosh Hashanah dessert delight.So I decided that this year I'd ask the Rabbi at synagogue how it worked. Of course I forgot to ask, so instead looked it up on google (google knows all!)
The first relevant response to my sercah terms got me to JewishSF.com, which claimed what I'd heard previously - that אגוז (egoz, nut) and חטא (khet, sin) are equally valued. When I worked it out, I came to the same conclusion as my brother - that the results were in fact not equal, but rather differ by 1. Working was as follows:(אגוז א(1) ג(3) ו(6) ז (7in total, adds to 17.(חטא ח(8) ט(9) א(1in total, adds to 18.
Now, admittedly it's a while since my university maths courses but i'm pretty sure that 17 isn't the same as 18.
Investigating a little further, I found myself at the ohr sameach wesbite (ohr.edu, ohr sameach meaning "new light" in Hebrew. And no, I won't spell it "someach") which informed me that it works, as long as you spell khet wrongly, excluding the final letter, aleph, with a gematria value of one. To me this sounds a little bit dodgy and i'm not sure how such a tradition (and a deleterious one at that!) got started based on such shaky mathmatics, not to mention spelling.
So there you go, Myth Busters, we've got one debunked here. I won't be advertising this silly nut ban (perhaps named after those who promote it, rather than what you're not allowed to eat?!) and certainly don't plan to stop ingesting that most delicious of honey cakes any time soon.
Wishing all a happy & sweet New Year, and to be signed & sealed in the Book of Life.
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