Friday, March 20, 2009

Bring Some Joy To Your Seder Table!

Here and Here

posted by A Simple Jew @ 4:24 AM   4 comments

4 Comments:

At March 20, 2009 at 1:02:00 PM EDT, Blogger A Simple Jew said...

"So if the chart is so wonderful, why do you dislike it so much? I dislike the chart because it gives me a feeling of doing the mitzvot with no emotion. It makes it into a cold premeditated act."

(Life-in-Israel)

Rafi G wrote a post back in 2006 that is worth reading again now here.

 
At March 20, 2009 at 1:56:00 PM EDT, Blogger DixieYid (يهودي جنوبي) said...

With the 2nd link, I think perhaps that is too cynical. It's just one sheet and everyone does need to know what shiurim to eat at the Seder. You can't just wing it and expect to eat the proper shiur.

On the other hand, there's nothing per se wrong with the 2nd link of course. We must keep halacha and it would be handy to have a practical guide to getting our shiurim for various mitzvos right. But the legitimate criticism is that for many people, the shiurim is the *whole* focus. These people focus only on the guf of the mitzvah, and not its neshoma. And we all know that a guf without a neshoma is DEAD! And so I think there is a problem with a culture about mitzvos that focuses only on the *practice* of the mitzvos and only pays lip service to the inner purpose of the mitzva.

 
At March 20, 2009 at 2:15:00 PM EDT, Blogger DixieYid (يهودي جنوبي) said...

In the 2nd paragraph of my initial comment "2nd link" should have said "first link."

 
At March 20, 2009 at 3:01:00 PM EDT, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Some people have an ingrained character trait of perfectionism. In truth this is as much a kind of flaw as such traits as flattery or jealousy. If such an individual were to use this measurement chart, they would only be following after their own lower nature and would keep them stuck in their katnus.

On the other hand some people by nature are the opposite to this: they disdain rules and details. Such people would probably greatly benefit by using this chart and reading that book. It would help them oppose their lower nature.

The Noam Elimelech says:
"A person was only created in order to overcome their inborn tendencies. Therefore one should spur oneself to fix one’s emotional attributes…
He should specifically do the opposite of what he had in mind to do."

One other thought: Even though worrying about precise measurements and getting it "just right" seems to contradict the concept of the limitless expansion of consciousness we can access on the first night of Pesach--the truth is that there is nothing like the contemplation of contradictions to really blow your mind.

If you're about to dissolve completely in En Sof and completely lose connection with this world, you have your little matzoh chart to help you come back safely.

 

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