| |
| |
|
Just Between Us - FREE Spiritual Information for anyone interested. |
|
|
|
Chicken Soup with Chopsticks: A Jews Struggle for Truth in an Interfaith Relationship (excerpts)
Does God care if I marry a gentile? Even as I started dating a Chinese girl, I knew I was embarking on a remarkable adventure. I just had no idea where and how far the adventure would take me. The more events unfolded, the more I realized that my view of the world and how I lived in it were being profoundly and permanently altered... If the problem with marrying a gentile was that my religion prohibited intermarriage, why should that bother me? Perhaps not everything in Judaism made sense, and as an intelligent and thinking individual I could take from my heritage what I felt was meaningful and disregard the rest... The possibility that God Himself does not want a Jew to marry a gentile is not something I recall being taught explicitly. This may be because, even though I believed in God in my own nebulous way, I didn't take seriously the proposition that God authored the Torah. For one thing, I considered many claims in the Torah absurd: that the world is less than 6,000 years old, that Noah lived more than 900 years and built an ark to house the planet's animals, and that a sea parted miraculously to enable the Hebrews to escape their Egyptian pursuers. As far as I was concerned, these were stories with possible moral messages but not actual facts. If the Bible were true, then the theory of evolution, and much of science, must be wrong. In a world where humans went to the moon, performed brain surgery, and saw and talked to people on the other side of the planet, I had far more trust in what modern science presumed than in what the Bible stated... Quest for a Life Partner I was expected to marry one of my people. Not to do so would be a shocking betrayal of my family. The prohibition against intermarriage was so ingrained that it was hardly an appropriate subject to bring up for a family discussion... Whereas my siblings sought only Jewish spouses, I kept my options open. I was not convinced of the necessity to restrict my search for a mate to those of my religion, especially as we constituted a tiny minority (a fraction of one percent) of the human population. Moreover, I encountered females, from various religions and backgrounds, who were extremely nice, good-natured, and attractive. My motto about intermarriage, as in other areas of life, was "I'll cross that bridge when I come to it." Sino-Attraction In the summer of 1994, three years after I left my parents' home in Montreal and was living on my own in Toronto, I met Belinda. I was twenty-nine; she was twenty-five. We quickly became friends. "Would you like to see my snake?" Belinda asked, as I dropped her off in front of her building. My heart pounded and raced. "Okay," I heard myself saying. I knew that sooner or later she would show me her pet. I hadn't reckoned it would be so soon. Belinda ran inside and returned shortly with a tiny corn snake tucked into her sleeve. Once in the car, she let me hold it. It was the first time I had held a snake. Instinctively, I applied my peripheral vision to the clammy, slender creature in my palm, imagining it was some inanimate object. Belinda reached for my other hand. "What do you think about our relationship?" she asked. It was the first time we had held hands. Thoughts of the biblical symbolism of the serpent and the fact that she was Chinese pulsated through my mind. At the same time, I was taken aback by her forthrightness. It was only our second date.I took a slow, deep breath. "As you know, Belinda, I'm marriage-minded. You told me you were too. But, I'm not interested in just getting married, having children, and leading a normal life. That's the minimum of what I would expect. I want to reach for the moon, grow together with a life-long partner, embark on an adventure with this person that would make a difference in the world." The snake began to slither its way up my sleeve, and I pleaded for help. I don't recall anything else we talked about that evening. * * * When I met Belinda, I had little interest in religious Judaism. I was unaware of its unique spiritual treasures and their relevance to today's world. In fact, like many of my peers, I had an affinity for secular Jewish culture, and that is where it stopped... In college and university I took courses in political philosophy and became interested in Marxism, Platonism, socialism, humanism, feminism, and any other "ism" that was popular in academia. I wondered if any of them was the key to fixing the world and ushering in a utopia. I delved into the teachings of Christianity and Buddhism. I traveled to the Arctic for a month, hoping to taste native spirituality. I joined the army and sought, but did not find, patriotic pride. I spent two summers in Israel working on a kibbutz and interviewing the vatikim, or elders, those idealists who left the relative comfort of their European homes in the '30s and '40s to go to a harsh and barren land and pioneer a new experiment in socialism. At one point I seriously considered moving to a kibbutz and dedicating my life to the principle "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need." Later, when I moved to Toronto, I toyed with New Age ideas and started frequenting an ashram... Belinda and I began to explore different religions together, and we frequently talked about spiritual matters. We also talked about Disney, travel, computers, and Indian food. We were amazed at how much we had in common. Like typical romantic couples, we spent most of our free time with each other, sometimes engaging in juvenile activities. One of our favourite pastimes was to go to parks and look for trees to climb. Once we played an entire game of Chinese checkers seated high up on tree branches, with a bag of snacks hanging beside us. I knew that when my parents found out about my latest girlfriend they would vehemently oppose the relationship unless, perhaps, Belinda were to convert to Judaism. I feared being ostracized by my immediate family. Perhaps on a deeper level, I feared cutting myself off from my ethnic roots. As painful as these thoughts were, they did not deter me from pursuing the course on which I had already embarked. If you find these excerpts interesting, you will find this true story fascinating. Discover more about Chicken Soup with Chopsticks at http://www.PaperSpider.Net Order: 1-888-BOOKS-88, Wholesalers: Ingram, Baker & Taylor Jack Botwinik grew up in a culturally rich environment, speaking five languages. He attained a Master of Arts degree in Political Science from McGill University in Montreal. He worked for Toronto's Welfare Department for several years, before landing a job with the Correctional Service of Canada. Jack's experience in dealing with destitute and under-privileged people, and his re-examination of his religious heritage, significantly altered his outlook on life. In addition to speaking in public, and appearing on radio and TV, Jack helps couples in interfaith dating relationships by listening and talking to them one-on-one. Jack enjoys spending time with his wife and young children.
MORE RESOURCES:
Spirituality - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Garden of Agony (Part 1) Eden, the garden of ecstasy is no longer available to us. We left it in sin and shame and it cannot be regained. Do Good Luck Symbols, Charms, & Talismans Really Work? Symbols and symbolism are popular in almost every civilisation, culture and religion that has evolved on Earth. They are deeply ingrained in the way of our life itself. How Long, O Lord? A Meditation on Habakkuk In Habakkuk, the prophet cries out in a lament complaint twice, only to hear back from God a very unassuring response: Wait for me to answer.And Habakkuk's complaints are legitimate. The Pizza Parable Behold, a certain young maiden did often times and at strange hours greatly desire a pizza. This would often happen in the second or the third watch, when home delivery was not available. How Big is God? WOW .. Choosing Our Parents There's a Native American belief that before we are born, we choose our parents. It actually ties in pretty nicely with the reincarnation idea that we prearrange certain circumstances before each life so as to learn different lessons. Understanding a Tarot Card Reading Getting the most from a Tarot card reading relies on the reader's ability to perceive not only the symbolic meaning from the spread, but also the mystical significance. Although every card of both the Major and the Minor Arcana possesses its own individual symbolism within the representative images on the cards, it is the deeper, spiritual enlightenment of the cards that leads to a greater understanding. How A Grudge Can Affect You As we go through life we all have to deal with feelings of anger, resentment or bitterness when people hurt us. Can you think of someone who has hurt you so badly that you are finding it really hard to let go of the pain or grudge?Tracey's first husband beat her every time he got drunk. Gods To Do List - Get Specific! I know eyebrows are probably raising about now, but let me tell you this works ! How does God know what we want or need if we don't get specific and let Him know ?All you have to do and I do this on a monthly basis and update it accordingly is make a list. I make mine like a grocery list and put the title at the top of the list. The One Who Heals It's late. But it's usually those words that you cannot sleep without getting down that are the ones worth saying the most?these moments are few and far between- especially when one learns that it is better to listen than to speak. A Broken and Contrite Heart "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." Psalm 51:17, NIVWhat an interesting week this last week has been. Bone Box of the Rich and Famous The contrast between the two men could not have been more striking. Caiaphas, the high priest, was among the rich and famous, arguably the most powerful Jew alive in A. For I, the Lord, Heal You! With those words recorded in Exodus 15:26, God proclaims to man the source of all healing.. Are You Building Your Own Cistern? You're looking at one star in the middle of a dark sky.. The Science of Enlightenment I would like to share my experience, working with the Mind Resonance Process(TM) (MRP), a new modality to achieving personal mental, emotional, physical and spiritual fulfillment, of the meaning of the term "enlightenment".MRP is a simple yet profound tool that helps an individual clear their bio-field of negativity i. What Animal Communicators Do Many people are awakening today to the idea that the animals who live with us are more than child substitutes, more than "pets". The term "pet" means an animal who lives with us for our amusement or as our companion. The Power Of Prayer - Gush Katif Needs You Now You can't help but feel a sense of electricity in the air. History is unfolding, make that prophecy is being fulfilled, and will continue to be fulfilled daily from now until the coming of the Lord. The Simple Plan of Asking and Receiving The QuestionReally picture this in your mind.. A Short Journey to Your Divine Self By invoking an external God to whom we look for help we often lose sight of the fact that we have within us the very power that we seek in such an external force. Now of course I don't just expect you to believe this in the way that religions of the world expect you to believe the converse. Afraid Of Reading The Bible? I Was! A magnificent source of life insurance and it's FREE. You can't fault that! You won't find me preaching to anyone about religion.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
