Which is Winning, Good or Evil?

I once learned that evil feeds on good and can't exist without it.  Good, however, does not feed on Evil. Good can exist without Evil.  But things have gotten so mixed up for so long, I don't even think people believe that there can be good all day long and no bad.  Evil is an illusion.  Much like a shadow that can't exist without the actual real thing.  Perception is winning over reality right now though.  But later, we will see that good HAS to win only because as long as there is Evil, the illusion, the parasite feeding, there has  to be good lurking somewhere. Evil can't exist alone.  So as long as there is Evil , the battle is being waged.  

I would like to turn the tide already though.  Good needs to stand up already. Too many casualties in this war!!

Enough already!

Some Sad Post links...(Dealling with Racism)

Dealing with racism...

First we have the Black  or Biracial Jew having to deal with the yiddishe word "shvartze" which, yes, technically it just means black but its usually said in a slurred way because, well, its a slur.

Zien Shver blog

Then there's an Israeli Jew who got called Terrorist because he looked Sephardi or more Arabic.

story from PopChassid 's blog

Does anyone realize that everyone is suffering alone?

Introducing Aaron Samuels Jew of Color Poet

The Blatantly Bad Jew

I know Hashem runs the world.  I trust His Torah and try to live by it as best I can.  Its makes things easier to live in an Jewish neighborhood amongst other Jews.

Yet...

I know that there are righteous non-Jews out there.  Will there ever be a community of righteous Jews and righteous non-Jews as opposed to all non-Jews lumped together (with the righteous ones having to fend for themselves among the haters) or all Jews lumped together (with the simple ones having to fend for themselves among the cold hearted, cunning ones)?

I wonder if that is what Matisyahu, the singer, went through.  Am I having an identity crisis?

I guess the big question would be, why should I -if I'm trying to be a good Jew- lump myself together with both good and blatantly bad Jews? Is there any good in the blatantly bad Jew?

By blatantly bad Jew i mean someone who is mean and hurtful without remorse.  Someone who will steal like any other robber, except with excuses as to why they should take whatever they are stealing. Someone who studies the Torah because they know there is wisdom to gain from it, but their heart is in the wrong place.

(How different are they from the secular Israeli Jew? I think the secular Jew does what he does because his taivah/desires push him in that direction.  A blatantly bad Jew knows he ought to behave a certain way and so puts up a front, but deep down he does just what his taivah wants him to do. He's a hypocrite!)

The Haitian Revolution from a Kabbalistic Perspective

Firstly, i'm not a kabbalist. This musing is all just skimming the surface.

About a month ago, I came out into my front yard and happened upon a hummingbird nest.  The brightly blue colored papa and greyish colored mama hummingbirds were there and they were tending to their baby hummingbird.  Crouching nearby was a cat!

As soon as the cat got too close for comfort, the papa hummingbird sprung into action! He flew right in front of the cat's face.  Then quickly dodged the swiping paw. Again, went the papa, right into the cat's face and out again. Each time the papa retreated, he went farther and farther from the nest -bringing the cat with him.  After a while, I realized he was luring the cat away from the nest.  What strategy!!

Eventually, the cat lost interest in trying to get the bright blue bird and went away. whew.

But that got me thinking, every creature that Hashem created has its power and its way of defending itself.  If they "work it" well enough, they can fight even the most formidable of enemies no matter the size.

Some time later, I was thinking about tribal people, these earthy people who live off the land. Africans from their villages, Native American Indians and their old way of life.  I wondered if they really had any defense against the onslaught of European invaders who took their land, their lives, their everything.

These people seemed as if they were untouched by the whole Adam and Eve story. They were naked and just fine.  Just fine until they were informed that they were naked. Its as if they were very natural, very normal, very heart oriented.  I remember reading an article by Phylis Chesler, where she tries to understand how is it that "third world people" whom she thought were so sweet and innocent, could crumbled to such violence and cruelty as she has seen in the middle east.  Personally, i think its just called "keeping things real."  When they are well, things are well. When they are angry, they smash. But when the enemy is as slithering and as sneaky as a snake, there's no time to smash and fight and thrash. By the time they realize what's up, the battle is already halfway finished.

So how could they have fought this enemy?

This makes me think of the Haitian revolution.  These captured Africans who were led to the "new land" the Island of Hispaniola made a secret ceremony in which every abled bodied man ready and willing to fight, had to drink the blood of a pig as a seal that they would do whatever they could to succeed in this legendary fight. And so they did.  And they won their independence!

From a Torah perspective this is a very interesting ritual.

In the Jewish world, thankfully, we have the Torah. Specific instructions and guidance. Eat kosher, it says.  Stay away from promiscuous women, it warns.  Beware of Amalek, it admonishes.  No one else was told to beware of Amalek.  Also, we have the teaching that Esav (Amalek's grandpa) was a wicked person, so we know to be weary.  But what of tribal people with no warning?

In the case of the Haitians, again I don't know what prompted them to do this ritual - it certainly wasn't a normal ritual done before a fight.  But it could, form a Torah perspective, be seen as taking the sword of Esav to strike.

Esav is called the Hunter, He is the fighter.  He is the man with the sword who exacts punishment.  Esav is also likened to a pig. Why? Because at a first glance, the pig looks kosher.  It has the split hooves.  But only after killing it and seeing its belly will one realize that it doesn't chew the kud.  Sneaky!!  Esav also pretends to be so pristine and clean and so good.  He seems to have all the right motives.  He seems to look like an angel.  But he has wickedness in his heart!  Essentially, what the Haitians did was to take the sword from Esav and gave their enemy a good beating. What would have been the Native American Indian's way of "taking the sword from Esav"?

Everything has a Beat

This is just like a kabbalistic teaching! Wisdom from Africa.

Thank you for your Patience

Friends, Readers,

To all those who have ordered books and magazines, I thank you for your patience. Things are taking a tad bit longer than I had hoped, but its acoming.


Baruch Hashem!

Rabbi Ovadia Yosef Passed Away

Baruch Dayan haEmet.

The former Sephardic Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, was nifter today (passed away).  The funeral was held today -it was the largest funeral in Jerusalem so far.

More here.

and here.

Ketoret Jewish Children's Books

Be sure to get ALL Ketoret Series of Jewish Children's Books....

To order these books, please email nevemiriam@yahoo.com. Payments can be made via Paypal (Margaret Lindenberg).

Israeli Forces join with Kenyan Police

Please G-d, cause this to end well during this beautiful holiday of Sukkot.

Negotiation strategies.



News on Kenya (not about Israeli forces joining)

Sukkot, Sukkot, Everywhere!

Yes, its the festival of booths, sukkot where everyone builds little huts and lives in them fearlessly to recognize --its from G-d that security comes from, not from super locks and police, etc.

Here are the halachot (laws) of building a sukkah

In the African communities, some are just now finding out what is sukkot, so they can celebrate it better next time around.  Others have got it together with an African pizzazz too!!

Here is a sukkah from Awka, Nigeria made with bamboo sticks and palm leaves. Totally kosher!!

G-d willing, next year we'll have more communities ready with their sukkot.

Happy Holidays!!! Chag Sameach!!

Rebuilding the Beit haMikdash: Musings on Tisha B'Av

Putting Jews aside for a moment, I got a whooper for you :-)

I think the Chinese got it right when they invented the yin -yang symbol to represent the forces in life.  I think there truly are these  "white" and "black" forces.   The difference i'd add is that its not a mere circle but a spiral. winding upwards and downwards in all the dimensions of life.  I do think Black people are thus because they represent the black forces and whites are thus because they represent white forces, its not strictly that way (remember there is that white dot in the black side and the black dot in the white side) but more or less like that. Hispanics, Asians, etc also fall into these two categories depending on how they think.

The whites are in the clouds.  The negative thing about that is that its all sheker /lies.  Not reality, just the imagination at work there. So imagination vs what is real is almost fuzzy.  Maybe that's why many need studies and surveys to actually verify many obvious truths.  The positive side to that is there are no limits, if you can think it up then there's a chance it can be created, why not? I think therefore I am.  The imagination is great.

The Blacks are on the ground. The earth (same place where according to a midrash, Hashem threw down truth).  The negative is that we can be quick to admit our wrongs or see ourselves negatively because truly we are filled with bad and good and without Hashem's help, we lost!  The positive side to that is because we know what's up (when we are connected to truth) and we can actualize things.  Bring it down to earth, make it real, keep it real.

Like two sides of the brain, they do very different work for the "body".  But because of bad middot /bad character traits, they hate each other because one thinks they are superior to the other.  Usually its the Whites who think this, but for the sake of sounding fair, i'll say both.

Heck, the truth is the Whites usually think they are superior and see blacks as "mules" (very physical, real actual. like chomer /donkey represents physicality) and want to ride them to actualize things (??)  and Black folks see Whites as confident because of their seemingly thorough research and thoughts. Both problematic.

Now enter the Jew.  If these people were like the two sides of the brain, then the Jew would be like the Pineal gland.  Or like a mini-brain.  The part that is suppose to bring the left and right side, the black side and the white side into unity and harmony.  The True, Blue (techeilet) Jew can do it.  But he needs his anchors, his mitzvot, his Torah, his prayers, his knowledge. These will balance him right in the middle.  Without those things, he will tend to fall back either towards the White way of thinking or the Black way of thinking (this is regardless if he's hispanic, asian, etc).

This true, blue Jew way of thinking  --if it was actualized and made into a real concrete material, i think it would be the Beit HaMikdash.  But unless the Jewish people are ready to think like this, without secret partiality towards their white idols or whatever, things are not going to change, and the beit HaMikdash won't get actualized.

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In the case of Trayvon Martin, anyone who wants to get "black" about it can see clearly that its not right that Zimmerman followed the 17 year old even when the police told him not to and that (2) he confronts the guy and (3) he shoots to kill.  Wrong is wrong, no matter how its packaged.

A White society can see this same situation and decided in their WILL what they actually want to be. From there they will use their intellect to to reason why what they want is right.  That would be as far as things go.

What will probably happen is (1) as all lights eventually reach the earth and leaves a course light in its wake (i.e. reality happens) Zimmerman will eventually be riddled with guilt.  This G-d aweful "white guilty" may insue which doesn't help anyone, but make White folks behave in self destructive manners and he will probably want to go out and hurt again. And (2) all the Zimmermans out there will feel validated in their idea that Blacks are dangerous --all the more so since they are bummed out from all the Trayvon Martin cases that occurred-- and the cycle continues.

Can the True Blue Jew step in and bring a tikkun here?

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Step by Step

"Now the LORD said unto Abram: 'Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto the land that I will show thee."

Genesis 12:1

 Some days this is just how I feel.  I try to follow where I think God is leading me. Sometimes I go with a smile and sometimes I go kicking and screaming. But either way, I go.

Also, it seems like I have two very different feet. And each step spans worlds. As if once upon a time I was completely split into two. One part of me was always Jewish -just in a floaty spiritual sense -nothing physical to show for it.  That was one foot.   And another part of me is the Black woman me. The Haitian, Black -American me.  This was the physical part that the world saw and that I recognized. This was the other foot.

After much much abuse in my life (sorry to keep bringing that up but it was truly a significant part of my life. who forgets being chased?  Who forgets getting beaten? Who forgets name callings? And all this for about seven years. Its just not so easy, so bear with me) it has caused me to be the split person that I am.  With no point joining the two. Two legs and no groin! Two parts netzach and hod, and no Yesod.

Well, as I try to repair myself. Perfect my yesod, bring out Malchut -which means shining God's glory into the world and not hiding myself and living a life of fear, anger, worry, etc. Some how more and more of my legs are being revealed and its joining at the point. I hope I'm making sense.

But its just not easy. I think people actually get offended when they see a Black person happy with their lot. Its like we're suppose to be unhappy and forever burden to the "white man".  There are studies and surveys to promote this all over the place.  Even I, having lived in America for so long, must work against that mindset.   In fact, when i made friends with some people in Nigeria, one of my first reactions -which I needed to check- was that I wondered what I could do to "help" them.  This western mindset that Blacks are always "in need"  especially Blacks not in America, is not healthy. Why do people feel offensive when a Black person is happy? Why do people want to work so hard to take away her/his happiness? what does her/him being happy hold that is threatening to the world? Hmmmmm....

Another problem is that the Judaism that I love is not very popular. Breslov!! Na Nach!! These things were once banned not so long ago. And interestingly, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov was all about happiness!  Hmmmm....

On both footing I get very little people support.

Anyway, I have to keep being me. Keep going step by step; one footstep -understanding better Black folk's place in this world bringing it to the spiritual plane; another footstep -rejoicing in my Jewishness and bringing it down to the world.  keep searching and coming closer to myself. Keep heading for that promise land!

Black and Jewish Goapele

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.(woman singing)




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Black & Jewish in the News

The seed, Yoseph Robinson, is germinating already.

His untimely death has definitely put Black and Jewish on the map. The NY Times wrote a piece on the topic.

Now its up to us, the living ones, to prune and work it for the general good. Bezrat Hashem (with the help of G-d)


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The above article is very negative and victim-insistant. lol.  There is another side and I feel its important that WE -the Black and Jewish people- must be the ones to show that side. Most people would have a need to keep up in the victim status mold, the nebech, the problematic mold.

It's not just us, there is a core group that needs many many victims to uplift their non existent self esteem. But because its non existent, no amount of victim will ever be sufficient. C'mon gang, lets beat our own iron while the fire is hot!!!

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