Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site mit-athena.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!unc!mcnc!decvax!mit-athena!martillo From: martillo@mit-athena.ARPA (Joaquim Martillo) Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish Subject: Re: Ann Landers on Judaism Message-ID: <243@mit-athena.ARPA> Date: Sun, 12-Aug-84 00:49:56 EDT Article-I.D.: mit-athe.243 Posted: Sun Aug 12 00:49:56 1984 Date-Received: Mon, 13-Aug-84 00:50:51 EDT References: <154@mhuxv.UUCP>, <585@ihuxs.UUCP> Organization: MIT, Project Athena, Cambridge, Ma. Lines: 88 >I beg to differ with you, Susan. >Ann Landers hit the nail on the head. >You can't live with the rules of the >past while whipping into the future. Either Tischler is saying each generation should reject its intellectual inheritance from the previous generations and start out new, or he is saying the Jews alone should reject their inheritance from previous generations. Since the first possibility is clearly impossible, Tischler must be making the second statement. Since the Jews are being singled out, clearly Tischler is expressing some anti-Jewish bigotry. An unbiased observer -- and I doubt that a Westerner could be an unbiased observer -- would note that in terms of social organization and understanding of legal principles, Jewish thinkers 600 years ago were more sophisticated than modern Western thinkers. An honest observer might suggest Westerners reject the outmoded Western tradition for some Judaizing tradition. >Things change, and it is our duties >as human beings (not Jews, Christians, ...) Another call to attack the Jews. Those disgusting traditional Jews are ignoring their duties as human beings. >to keep up with the changing times. >Kashrut is ancient. Sure, it may >be a nice idea for someone to do, Tischler has an extremely unsophisticated viewpoint. All peoples have some form of Kashrut. Americans avoid eating dog or monkey, but the Chinese see nothing wrong with these foods. Americans will not eat locust but I eat the kasher ones. They taste just fine. Judaism differs from Western traditions only in that kashrut is given the status of a religious ritual. Judaism merely tries to make ordinary everyday acts expressions of sanctity. >but you can't live your life without >thinking of what is going on in life >around you. That is observing kashrut might make you look silly at a business luncheon. Or observing Shabbat might prevent you from putting in overtime. If tradition interferes with your money grubbing chuck the tradition. > The mother's concern >about an emergency call is a very >valid one. Many have already given replies to this moronic point. > The fact that the son >has basically cut himself off from >his parents, not to mention the >world, is sad. A non-sequitur. My family observes kashrut but within my lifetime we have entertained members of the Briganza, Wittelsbach and Hapsburg families. These people value tradition. Some observant friends of mine recently entertained the former ruling family of Tunisia who of course would never even consider eating with Tishler -- he does not observe kashrut. How have we cut ourselves from the world? > He has some duty >to his family members, and I feel >he is being selfish. Oh well, to each >his own. I just hope my kids never >do that to me. I would be very hurt. I can understand. The kids were telling their parents, "You could have given us a spiritually, culturally and intellectually fulfilling life within the Jewish community; instead you chose a materialistic, spiritually-, culturally- and intellectually- empty, money-grubbing Western life-style; your choice sucked!" > Mark Tischler > (312) 355-4254 (home) > (312) 979-2626 (work) > ihnp4!ihuxs!tischler Yaqim Martillo An Equal Opportunity Offender Flames via the net -- I do not like to answer telephones.