#no i am not religious i just wanted to read The Torah to get a better reference point to learna bout biblical geography and biblical archeo

[coughloop]

normal afternoon activities

#no i am not religious i just wanted to read The Torah to get a better reference point to learna bout biblical geography and biblical archeo #logy

[charmedreincarnation]

Hi Maya I was one of your first anons back in March and I manifested my dream life. i just wanted to share some things that helped me, and hope we can all pass some knowledge so we all get our desires life. I did, you did, and everyone reading this can and will so let’s all try to help out by sharing a little of our journey. I’ll never create a blog because tumblr is a mess, so I’ll just share them here bc I trust you as a creator and I hope you agree with what I’m saying. Even if you don’t these are my assumptions and my truth

il get into my methods in one second but users of tumblr there are only 4 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE LAW (Inspired heavily by you bc I used your blog religiously) I will say you’re kind of too nice and I wish I had someone to yell at me like this, and tell me to stop being a victim!!! So if it sounds aggressive it’s because it is in the best loving way possible.OKAY SO.

★you need to understand that you want to fulfill yourself in imagination because you don’t care about the desires only how you feel about it. Bare with me it sounds stupid I know. But I don’t care about men or how they feel about me. I just want to feel worshiped and love, and I could fulfill that in my imagination. I don’t care about money??? It’s fucking paper !!! I just want to feel secure and financially free and want the feeling of buying my favorite clothes without looking at the tag. I GOT THE SAME FEELING FROM PINTREST EVEN WHEN I WAS POOR GODDAMNIT. I didn’t care about getting all As in school when I’ve always believed school is not a representation of intelligence. I wanted to feel recognized adored and respected which I had to feel for myself in my mind before it projected. I don’t care about looking skinny, I just wanted to feel snatched, I wanted to be envied, and feel pretty. And in my mind everyone wanted to be me even when I was ugly and fat. BUT I DIDNT FEEL FAT. Even with no change in the 3D I had my desires. This applies to all your desires, and you really need to understand that.

★you can affirm,visualize, understand states, understand non dualism, use the Bible or Torah m, wall twerk and say “I AM THAT BITXH,” use sats YADADAA . No one cares it doesn’t matter. you don’t have to feel anything or, even believe in wth you’re doing. As long as you think that having it in imagination means it’s yours that’s all that matter. I’ve read so many teachers, Neville, Abraham, Abdullah, Edward art, paid coaches, and they all do different things but say the same thing. FAITH IS KEY. That’s all that matters. Don’t let anyone you otherwise or tell you what you have to do. All teachers were once students, all success stories were once struggled failures, all masters were once lost okay. You are god so have some faith in yourself.

★YOU ARE GOD. You know what a god is, you know how a god works, you know god can do anything with a snap of a finger, kill anyone with a thought, look anyway it wants, have anything everything and create whatever. You are an omnipotent loving creator so create and give yourself everything.

★you can’t over consume, you can think from lack of whatever, and doubt can’t hinder you unless you think it does. Having a desire does not mean you’re lacking or else having the wanting for it would mean that too no? When creators say that I want to slam my head against the wall. Even now I have all my desires and I still think about them constantly. Thinking of new clothes to buy with MY WEALTH, I think of new food to eat that won’t even affect my SNATCHED BODY, i find new places to try and explore bc MY SOCIAL CIRCLE IS HUGE AND IM SO LOVED, I think of new makeup up to try to enhance my GORGEOUS PRINCESS FACE. I think of it in the same way from when I didn’t have my desired (I always had them in imagination but you know what I mean.) so there is no thinking from lack, or else you’re always lacking it lmfao the fuck. Anyways I doubted my abilities up until I manifested my dream life. I was okay with it in imagination and whether it reflected or not it was my escape I was content with. DID YOU SEE THAT. I had doubts up until the very end, and it doesn’t mean shit unless you think it does. Just affirm having doubts and obsessions only speed up your results. That’s really all it is.

Now to my story if anyone cares. I won’t make a blog for reason number 2 and 3 listed above. That’s all you need but if you want more info for curiosity go for it. I know I was curious and that didn’t stop me from getting my dream life. Anyways I have the same story as about everyone else here. My life sucked, I found the law, and it worked! HOORAY!!! But how did I do it???? Easy peasy, in a couple of steps.

☞ I tattooed my four rules above in my mind. When fear and doubt emerged I sunk that shit like the titanic and went with my laws that I created. It’s literally called the law of assumption like come on, stop fighting with yourself when you assume and create reality.

☞I ignored anything that I didn’t agree with. Sometimes I’d get so mad and be like WHAT NO WHY WOULD THAT BLOGGER OR COACH OR ANON or whoever say that?? But am I dumb ??? each of us have our own reality our own bubbles. The fact that it works for them and not for me started to only motivate me more. It doesn’t work bc I assume sooo… sooo why not just assume the opposite and focus on my rules like they did. The law is always in effect and working. Either it’s in your favor or it’s not. It’s up to you

☞I used affirmations bc repetition is the only thing that works for my logical brain. Anything can change with repetition. It’s basic science. So in the morning and night time I would affirm. ONCE. Repetition meant for me doing it everyday and not wanting. The rest of my day was lived in my imaginations. And the affirmation was to remind me in my vulnerable state that I already have my desires. That’s why my affirmation was “I have my desires no matter what, and everything I do brings them to me faster than the speed of light” it was kind of funny and made me chuckle but I accepted it as facts. Look guys…

☞I didn’t repress myself. If I cried or yelled or told myself “FUCK YOU” it wasn’t me tf. It was the devil or something. Be like those Christian fuckers who when their child comes out as gay…it’s the devil within them or whatever. I would talk to myself, yell when doubt emerged and when my thoughts weren’t the ones I wanted. It wasn’t fucking me so get the fuck out I have my desires so who tf are you ??? It will feel weird but you’ll get used to it trust me. If you’re uncomfortable it’s working. Getting rid of bad habits and your comfort in dwelling in bad thoughts is uncomfortable but it’s worth it.

I manifested my dream life back in March. I LITERALLY WOKE WITH MY DREAM LIFE. A complete 180. I won’t talk about my past life bc I completely revised it and I’m the only one who remembers so for the most part it feels like a long nightmare that has past. I’ll just talk about what I changed instead because that’s the stuff we all want to hear. Anyways I’ll just post some of my list here.

♥ my life feels like the song rich kids by freak ocean

♥I’m a pretty spoiled princess who gets everything I want but I’m still kind

♥I revised my entire family from looks to personality to zodiac to religion and etc. i rewrote my story which included my family

♥I have natural admired intelligent

♥my family has a net worth of 500 million dollars, and my entire family stems from old money. (Think aristocrats not slave or colonization money)

♥I can play many instruments and speak many languages

♥ I am 5’2, 100 pounds, I have natural stunning vixen beauty, and the most desires body in the world. I’m the beauty standard and people either want to be me or date me. I am naturally skinny and have no worries about my weight, I have clear skin that only gets clearer with my skincare routine, and I have my desired personality where I’m kind but also don’t put up with any shit from anyone because I know I’m that bitch. I also have great style and embody a princess !

♥my life is a combination of my favorite watpadd stories, Gilmore girls, gossip girl, and mean girls.

♥ too many people pursue me I have too many options

♥I have a perfect school life, social life, family life, friend life, and people always wonder what I did to be “so lucky it’s unfair”

♥my family has multiple mansions in America, monoco,Australia, france, and China.

♥I’m a daddies and mommies money girl

♥I put myself first (I HAD SUFFERED TOO LONG I NEEDED A SOFT LIFE)

♥everyone’s purpose it to make my life easier and make me happier

♥I’m spoiled and privileged in every aspect of my life

♥I’m a master shifter, and manifester

♥I revised my age to 14. I was 18 and graduating but I wanted to redo high school how I had envisioned it all my life

♥I have a “cool mom” people are always jealous how lucky I am

♥I have my main estate in Hollywood hills with my family that’s in a gated, gorgeous, gate kept neighborhood. It is 30,000 sq feet with my dreams decor, dream cars, dream pets, dream house help, dream room with all my stuff saved on Pinterest including decor, furniture, clothes, shoes, makeup and skincare.

♥everything good in my life I have manifested and it’s too much to list. THERES NOT REASON FEAR OR WAIT. Do what you want and assume it still works and it will.

You honestly said it better than I could have. Literally every single one of these points are so valid :)!! I’m glad you think I inspired you love but all I did was allow you recognize your own godly abilities. I’m very proud of you, and have fun girl 🥹❤️

Also. “All teachers were once students, all success stories were once struggled failures, all masters were once lost okay. You are god so have some faith in yourself.” This one million times !!!!! Invest your faith into yourself more than anyone else and you’ll see how fast your reality conforms. I also adore your point about the state of lacking bc I never believed in that. If wanting your desires insinuates it’s not yours, we would have no thoughts since that’s where it all originates from. In fact Edward explains it pretty well.

When Edward looks at lack, he sees it as being something that is only brought about by the individual. He believes that your own actions, thoughts, and attitudes will bring about an artificial scarcity of resources. Edward says that this artificial lack of resources is not actually real—it exists only in our minds, as we focus on the things that we don’t have rather than the things that are available to us.

He believes that true lack only exists when someone has no access to resources—whether those resources be financial, physical, mental, or emotional. When someone has access to resources but they squander them or don’t use them to their advantage, it isn’t a lack of resources that is at fault—it is the individual’s personal choices and attitudes that create the feeling of lack. Same way we see attractive people feel ugly though they have women or men chasing them, modeling opportunities, and experience many examples of pretty privilege lol. You’re a hot girl.. you’re just not using it to your advantage, same way you have everything in imagination and access to anything yet… nothing bc of your own perceptions. That’s not lack. Simply inappropriate usage of recourse. A waste for better use of words.

#law of assumption #manifesation #manifesting #my asks #reality shifting #self concept

[adambja]

Basically I am gonna be direct I am always direct in everything

basically I am gonna do the silva method 2 yes I entered the void state before it was somehow by the help of myself (my subconscious mind) and @rosellesworkshop she really helped me a lot

And..... the first void state story is here

I didn't post anything about what I manifested but basically I typed everything on my google notes and I put an affirmation "I have everything on my void list" and I affirmed in my void state it was pretty easy but such a vivid experience it's so special so peaceful to me but at the same time it was just normal because that peaceful vibe I have been always feeling it my whole life because of my self-concept

what I manifested I can literally say everything but it's almost a lot of things it would take me 2 hours to say it all but gonna make it simple because someone messaged me here asking if it's life-altering?

Yes entering the void state and manifesting in general is life-altering but it isn't that special like it's normal you have been manifesting everything your whole life based on your thoughts your imagination and your feelings also I felt that I am worthy of entering it and manifesting thru it because i just want it and why wouldn't I be worthy of it? No damn reason so yeah I deserve all my manifestations and I deserve to feel good about myself my worth is literally the whole universe with all the people and everything in it

Let me make it so clear

I am gonna do something like getting the limiting beliefs I saw here + the ones I didn't have out and flip it

Basically

Astrology-planets-saturn-saturn in retrograde-mercury-mercury in retrograde doesn't stop me from entering my void state / Astrology-planets-saturn-saturn in retrograde-mercury-mercury in retrograde doesn't stop me from waking up in my void state / Astrology-planets-saturn-saturn in retrograde-mercury-mercury in retrograde can't stop me IT CAN'T

religions doesn't stop me from entering my void state/ religions doesn't stop me from waking up in my void state / religions can't stop me (in fact everything about LOA in every damn religion but people can't simplify every word to understand it fully in every book of the three religions I read QURAN I read THE BIBLE I even read THE TORAH) - I am not religious at all HEY DEAR MUSLIMS Law Of Assumptions isn't haram and Law Of Assumptions isn't shirk at all it's about changing yourselves which is the self which is halal in Islam as their god says it all in here so Dear Muslims wake up and realize your own religion and understand (not just read) your own book I am not even Muslim and I know more than y'all HOW DARE YOU PUT YOUR FELLOW MUSLIMS IN THE DARK when it's actually all there in YOUR QURAN anyways NOW Hey Dear Christians lets get to the bible it's all in here and FINALLY Hey Dear Jewish People almost every part of the torah is full of self-concept Jewish people will understand what I mean and the answer about LOA is here

the void state is real it's me not the void state isn't a place outside of me

Everything/everyone outside of me isn't real everything/everyone is defined by me

My subconscious mind is always helping me and loving me

Nothing from my new self-concept can be deleted damaged destroyed erased or removed or even gone because i did anything wrong when actually nothing is wrong or right it can't be deleted damaged destroyed erased or removed or even gone

Everything lasts forever btw but you don't have to attach to it or control it just let it be what you want

Time isn't real every process is instant in every reality such as entering the void is already instant for me

Just let every thought go you don't have to even do anything to it or flip it just let it be breathe then after a while think ABOUT the reason you have that thought

I am in control of what version I am and of who I am and of what I want to experience and of how I want to experience it!

Assume success as it happened period

I am ALREADY CALM AND COMFORTABLE I JUST live and trust my own subconscious because I know it's just giving me what I want why? I already reprogrammed it to do it I already know it listens to me I already know it loves me too I already know it is me WHO DECIDES ALL THIS! MY SUBCONSCIOUS MIND IS A PART OF ME NOT ANOTHER PART of something that's away from me

Everything i want is meant for me why would i even think about it In the first place?? Because it's already mine

LET IT GO it's easier

I assume that i already got it

i assume that my void state is already mine I can do what I want with it THE VOID IS MINE ITS ME I AM MINE EVERYTHING I WANT IS MINE EVERYONE I WANT IS MINE NO ONE CAN STOP ME

Nothing is actually hard it's MY choice to CHOOSE MY OWN DESTINY AND I CHOSE THAT EVERYTHING IS EASY

The void state isn't hard the void state is easy

The void state isn't your imagination at all it's just you with a deeper sense of self aka it's a deep mediative state

My subconscious mind always accepts everything I want instantly

my subconscious is always listening until i die and my subconscious always makes everything I think of and say or affirm as true

My subconscious mind doesn't have an opinion of me

My subconscious mind is just like a bitch who gives me what I want instantly no matter what and my subconscious mind is so smart my subconscious mind always has a way of making things happen magically period

My conscious mind is full of my good affirmations and my perfect self-concept and just like a bitch AS MY SUBCONSCIOUS MIND

My feelings are stable and I feel safe everywhere with everyone and within myself

The void state is for everyone not for a specific amount of people or like a chosen people it's for everyone

The void state is life-altering

I am the god of my reality forever

I don't have to control anything outside of me i am in control of myself and that's enough because it's all me nothing exists outside of me

Delusional?? I call it imaginative and the imagination is the core of the reality I always love living in my imagination

I am not gaslighting myself - I am not even lying to myself I feel like I am saying the truth to myself because my subconscious always accepts everything I say and think about as true I don't even have to worry about anything!

spirituality doesn't matter calmness and breathing and focusing on nothing and the self matters more than anything

The old story is old let it go the new story is actually who i am so I would call it my current story

My chakras are already aligned and open my chakras can't be blocked or closed

I am already aligned and ready for everything I want

I am already what I want to be instantly

I am love my heart chakra is open I feel love

My desired reality is already mine

I always claim everything as mine because it is mine and my subconscious mind always makes it as true and I am fearless and I know so well I already have it inside of me in my imagination and outside too aka (everything I want is already mine)

There isn't anything such as blockages lmfao bruh I already don't have blockages period

Law of assumptions is assuming that the thing i want is already here with me and I already got it also assuming i already have that perfect self-concept i already have everything I want I already entered my void state instantly easily and effortlessly the same thing with everything you already have your sp or whatever you want

I just focus on controlling what is inside of me and as a result the outside already changed as my thoughts changed and my feelings changed

I can and I always enter my void state/wake up in my void state in any room in any house in any place and at anytime even if it's after midnight I am always able to do what I want because I want to do it

My body is already ready to wake up in my void state / My body is already ready to enter my void state - My mind is already ready to wake up in my void state / My mind is already ready to enter my void state

I don't give anyone my energy or my power and my energy is mine and my power is mine and no one can take my power/my energy from me finally I can't give anyone my energy or my power

I can't give anyone my own self-concept because they don't deserve it it's mine and I deserve it more than anyone because I worked for it I affirmed for it I listened to tapes for it so it's mine no body deserves it even if I love them they don't deserve my self-concept

I always focus on myself and helping myself only I don't have to help others at all helping others isn't my purpose in life forever in every reality helping others isn't good if it takes my time away

Everytime I talk about any manifestation of mine that it already happened to anyone it already happened and it was instant no matter what and telling anyone my manifestations can't stop my manifestations from happening because it already happened and because that's what I want period and my manifestations can't be damaged and my manifestation can't be destroyed and my manifestations are already protected by me and my smart subconscious mind

To understand #46 better WATCH THIS

What is the lesson from #46? Don't be like Cher when she let Tai have her moment and that made cher feel unwanted and unpopular LISTEN STAND UP GIRLS AND GUYS REMEMBER WHO TF ARE YOU YOU MADE THIS THING/PERSON/WHATEVER THAT BIG YOU CAN MAKE THING/PERSON/WHATEVER NOTHING AGAIN IT'S A CHOICE! DON'T EVEN PUT YOURSELF IN A SITUATION LIKE THIS NO ONE DESERVES WHAT YOU HAVE BUT YOU PERIOD YES HELP THEM YES GUIDE THEM BUT NEVER LET IT BE ON YOU! cause they are nothing but assumptions in your subconscious mind period!

I guess I said everything but another question think with me

If you can memorize that memory from your far past how can't you enter your void?? Ofc you can

Assume that you entered it everytime you slept all those years since you were born but you were just unaware now you are aware of it period and wake up there I tried it many times after manifesting my void list it's simple, easy also i understand and realize that my subconscious mind is always listening until i die and my subconscious always makes everything I think of and say or affirm as true and basically use the breathing that @gorgeouslypink put as a technique which is Wim Hof technique it's A M A Z I N G

So I am gonna try the silva method because I made another void list to manifest it thru my void state again but I just wanna try another way to enter and I always wake up in my void state everyday btw because it was written in my first void list it's all for fun now nothing else

Read "my void doc" by @rosellesworkshop

Read this and this by @gorgeouslypink

It might seem so simple and that's seriously it

That's the void state it's simple as hell but some people here and on Twitter just complicate it because of their own feelings and this brings us back to 1.how you breathe daily and 2.your self-concept add to those two things 3.emotional intelligence which is basically choosing your own feelings period!

Have fun with the silva method I bet it already works because everything always works for me instantly!

I know thanked u a lot but thank you again Rosie and everyone @rosellesworkshop @gorgeouslypink @littlemissprettyprincess @angelria111 @voidbaby111 y'all are amazing seriously everything y'all posted helped me in my journey generally

also seeing success stories from @voidsuccess @voidsuccessarchive was very helpful to me I defined all the points ABOUT what did those people who entered or woke up in the void state have and I started defining it as me and as WHO I AM NOW! And I Just Said "That's Me Now" and that's was a change of state inside of me you can check law of states too ;)

Happy pride month to the LGBTQ+ - Y'all are loved

And y'all have a great day/night depends on y'all's time zones GOODBYE!!

Update: I already entered using it too it was too easy I entered while doing it 😭😭

Also like I already wake up in my void state everytime I nap/sleep so basically it was too simple and easy for me

#void success #law of assumption #success stories loa #loa success #loa #stories from the void #void.txt #master manifestor #neville goddard #void state #loassumption #law of manifestation #affirm #success story #self concept #manifestation #law of attraction #manifesting #specific person #islam #muslim #holy quran #the bible #torah #judaism #jewish #the void state #manifesation #abundance

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

So you want to write about a Jewish Ed Teach - a quick guide to writing a Jewish man of color, by a Jewish moc

Given Taika Waititi is Jewish, I am always so happy when I see fanfic authors writing about Ed being Jewish! We need more Jewish poc rep and I'm always happy to see it. That being said, I've also seen a lot of misunderstandings, so I wanted to to write up a few quick guidelines.

Disclaimer: I'm just one Jew with an opinion, and this is based on my own experiences! I'd love if other Jews, especially other Jews of color, in the fandom would like to chime in with their thoughts as well!

It is possible to be a Jewish athiest! Judaism is membership in a people, and belief in g-d is not required (and, in my community, it's even considered a very personal question!). Some of the most observant Jews I know are athiests; belief in g-d and level of Jewish observance are not directly correlated. Cannot overstate how common it is for Jews to not believe in g-d or go back and forth on the question.

On that note, there are different levels of Jewish observance. Every individual is different, but in general there's Orthodox (very strict), and then, way on the other side, there's Reform and Conservative (Conservative does not equal politically Conservative). Conservative and Reform are very similar, except the Conservative movement tends to be more observant of traditional Jewish law and uses a lot more Hebrew. If you live in an area without a lot of Jews (like where I live!), it's very common for Reform and Conservative movements to have a lot of overlap and collaborate on a lot of stuff together.

Not every Jew keeps Kosher, or keeps Kosher to the same level of strictness.

Synagogue services are not like Christian services, especially outside of holiday services. Ordinary Saturday morning services are often more like a group conversation as we try to work new meaning out of the Torah. The B'Nei Mitzvah, the big ceremony that marks a kid being old enough to participate fully in Jewish life, is more like "baby's first thesis defense" than anything else! There have literally been pauses in services I've attended before as someone ran to the temple library to check their sources.

Not all Jews speak Hebrew. Some Jews might not know any, some might be able to stumble through the more important prayers, some might be able to sight-read okay, some might only know religious words but not modern words, some might be fluent! Just about any level of proficiency is believable.

Ed's got a lot of tattoos! Tattoos are a big traditional Jewish no-no, but (again!) different movements and different Jews have their own opinions. I know a Conservative tattoo artist! It's not something that other Jews would comment on (unless they're just assholes) and it wouldn't make anyone kick him out of synagogue services (no joke, I read that in a fic once).

Hannukah is not the only (or even the most important) Jewish holiday; it's just the one most non-Jews know about. The two biggest holidays are Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. I think Ed's favorite holidays would be Purim (you get to wear costumes and put on plays!) and Passover (retelling of a story along with a big meal!).

Depending on the area and the Jewish demographic, Jews of color can sometimes feel uncomfortable in our own community, especially when other Jews automatically assume we must be converts. While this is a real issue, it is not something I want to read authors who aren't themselves Jews of color write about because it is a deeply inter-Jewish issue.

Depending on the community you grow up in, religious trauma isn't as common with queer Jews as it is with queer Christians. The Reform movement has been advocating for queer Jews since the 1960s (you read that right, yes). I'm not saying there are no queer Jews who have religious trauma, I'm just saing it's a lot less common, and I have always felt immediately accepted as queer in Jewish spaces.

The inverse is not true. Queer spaces are not always accepting of Jews (or of people of color, a double whammy!).

A few stereotypes to avoid: Jews are often stereotyped as being greedy and corrupt. Jewish kids are bullied by Christian kids because "we killed Jesus," when I was ten I had another kid ask to "see my horns." Always avoid comparing Ed directly to animals, especially rodents.

If you're a non-Jew looking to write about a Jewish Ed, I recommend doing some research. MyJewishLearning is a great website that's very accessible.

Every Jew interacts with our Judaism differently, so if you're writing a Jewish Ed, please take a moment to think about what it means for him! Membership in a community? Calming traditions that remind him of home, family, and community? A point of pride - we're a resilient lot! Even just a note in his background that he's not as connected to as he might like to be?

#ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd ed teach

[tikkunolamresistance]

i saw you were answering questions about conversion and was wondering if you'd have any advice. i am very set on converting to judaism, it's something that i have been thinking about for many years and i am still very certain about it now. before october 2023, i attended online and occasionally in person services at a shul near me, even though i likely won't be in a position where im able to take the time to become a conversion student and study to convert for at least a few years since ive got a lot going on in my life with work and study atm. however, after october 7th i realised that the shul i was going to is very strongly zionist, as well as all others anywhere near me. i really want to pursue conversion when possible but i just don't see how, considering all the synagogues near me are all so strongly zionist, and im very upset at the possibility that it'll take years and years and years for me to be able to convert, if ever. i am so glad that spaces like these exist online though. thank you for everything you do, and sorry if this was a bit rambly or disjoint

Hi!

Sorry we’re only just getting back to your ask, and do not apologise for your message!

If conversion takes you years and years, so be it— that does not mean that you will be any less Jewish, that your journey will not be a fulfilling one. Engage with Torah, read about Jewish history and the diversity of our cultures! Take this time to weave your own traditions into your practice, as you familiarise yourself with our multitude of holidays! There are so many Jewish foods to cook and enjoy, songs to learn and there are so many more converts out here in the same position as you, friend. It will feel lonely, and strange in this space between fully embracing your Jewish soul, but if your soul truly calls for this and Hashems word, the wait will not feel so daunting.

It is an uncertain time as anti-Zionism grows in places Zionism and Capitalism has tried to silence, and when our shuld and religious spaces are often Zionist it is exceptionally hard to engage with the conversion process. Community is essential, and I think right now a lot of anti-Zionist Jews are reconsidering what our communities look like. Do not be afraid to keep learning, at your own pace, and connecting with G!d. Do not let anything distort the beauty of Jewishness. G!d will always be there, regardless.

We often make posts that call to anti-Zionist Jews to make friends and connections, if that interests you, be sure to check in from time to time as we’ll be making more of those posts and sharing more ways to connect anti-Zionist Jews to both online and real-world communities!

#org responses #anon ask #anti zionist jews #antizionism #jewblr #jumblr

[koshercosplay]

Hi!! I hope this isn't an unsolicited ask but I was hoping you might have some insight.

I'm currently speaking with the Rabbis of my local Reform and Liberal synagogues, hoping to learn more about each movement, because I want to become Jewish. I'm trying to figure out which movement I feel most at home with.

Thing is..I don't want to completely write off Orthodox, I do feel that Orthodox Judaism strongly resonates with me, just like the other denominations. I'm trans and queer and I know that there are some differences in how LGBTQ+ identities are talked about. I know there are probably many Orthodox communities out there that are 100% welcoming and accepting, but it's still something I'm scared of eventually confronting. I'm also afraid that if I do convert with a Reform or Liberal synagogue, I'll not be accepted as 'really Jewish' by Orthodox communities (I read that a non-Orthodox conversion isn't considered valid by Orthodox Jews).

I've been researching my socks off but I'm finding it hard to get any real info about how true this is. You seem to know more about Judaism than me. Is this true, will Orthodox Jews not consider me to be Jewish if I convert with a different movement? Or is that just a gross generalisation?

there are multiple layers to this ask, so I'll try to answer them one by one. This got long so I'll put it under a cut.

it is true that generally, reform and conservative conversions are not accepted by mainstream orthodoxy. there are individual orthodox communities that do accept them, but yes, it's not wrong to say that as a general statement.

if you do convert with another group other than orthodoxy, one would hope that you feel strongly about being a part of that group, and feel connected to that particular community. in that case, it honestly shouldn't matter or affect your life that much about whether or not orthodoxy will "accept" you, since you will not be a part of that community.

case in point: I was born jewish, raised orthodox, and am still religious to this day. many many orthodox jews don't accept ME as orthodox, simply based on the fact that I'm queer. and, of course, many other orthodox jews simply don't give a shit. the right community will accept you for who you are. I currently attend an orthodox shul with my partner, as openly queer people. it's relatively rare, but it's possible.

that's different of course than denying me my jewish identity entirely, but I hope you see my point in bringing it up. if you like, you can try to do research specifically for orthodox queer-friendly synagogues, and contact the rabbi to see if you'd be able to work on conversion with them.

lastly, and honestly this is my most important point: once you convert, your conversion is nobody's damn business. I don't know how aware you are of how strongly the torah insists that we do not ask converts for details about their conversion. it is entirely up to you whether you reveal information about your conversion to others. if anybody asks you if you're a convert, or who you converted with, or anything like that, THEY are the ones unequivocally in the wrong according to halacha (jewish law.)

I strongly recommend what I mentioned above: reach out to an openly queer-friendly orthodox rabbi/synagogue. Rabbi Mike Moskowitz might be a good person to reach out to about this, as an orthodox rabbi who does a lot of trans and queer advocacy. regardless of where you are located, he may have some excellent resources to help you.

I wish you luck in your conversion journey anon, and I hope you find a home in the jewish community. ❤️

#good luck and my heart goes out to you #this is a complex situation to navigate no matter how you spin it #but I hope it works out for you in the end #i quite like rabbi moskowitz on a personal note as well #i've met him several times and once arranged for him to speak at an event at my college #hes a great guy #<3333 #hope this helped anon #asks #long post #answers #anons #jewish conversion #judaism #advice #queer jews #lgbtq jews

[mascchristian]

Reading the Bible…again

Ok here’s what’s happening. For a little history, I have read the Bible two times now. The first time was during Covid when I read the Bible, the Torah, and the Quran as I was exploring and researching different faiths. I ended up getting rid of my Bible and I am still mad about it to this day because damn it was a nice one. The second time was during a religious studies course at my (formerly) Catholic University, where we read the Jewish Study Bible.

Now I’ve decided to pick that same Bible back up digitally so i can read it wherever i want just with my iPad and I am really excited about it!! I honestly will probably go in order just because that’s what my brain prefers but maybe I’ll track it here with my notes we’ll see!! Also if anyone has any recommendations for study bibles that aren’t super expensive (broke college student noises) I’d love to hear them!!

#lgbt christian #side a christian #side b christian #lgbtq christian #folk christianity #queer christian #progressive christian #progressive christianity #christian #christianity #episcopal #episcopalian #jesus christ #jesus #jesussaves #bible #bible study

[wouldnt-it-be-hilarious-if-i]

Books to Read (Judaism Edition)

Currently listening to: Melting by Kali Uchis

Judaism

It's a Mitzvah! By Bradley Shavit Artson

The Outsider's Guide To Orthodox Judaism by Rabbi Arnie Singer

Living a Jewish Life by Anita Diamant

Choosing a Jewish Life, Revised and Updated: A Handbook for People Converting to Judaism and for Their Family and Friends by Anita Diamant

A Short History of the Jewish People by Raymond P. Scheindlin

The Complete Tanakh (Tanach)

The Jewish Holidays by Michael Strassfeld

Jewish Literacy Revised Ed: The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People, and Its History by Joseph Telushkin

Notes

One thing about me is I have the attention span of a well-fed rat. So, I definitely can't promise I'll read all of these immediately. But I identified a few things I thought I could learn more about and decided to add them to a list of books that came up on my fyp on tiktok.

I follow a lot of orthodox Jews on there, and for some reason, it's not something I ever thought about before they started coming up on my fyp. But I find a lot of their traditions and rules very fascinating, so I thought I'd include a short guide on the basics so that I can understand what they're talking about.

Two of the creators I see most on there are Melinda Strauss and Miriam Ezagui. I find their content to be some of the most fascinating because if I'm being entirely honest here, I have almost never seen orthodox Jews outside of science fiction or historical fiction. And that's not because it's super common to see orthodox Jews in sci-fi. It's just because the first time I remember ever learning anything about it was actually on the X-Files.

I learned a strange amount about Judaism from the X-Files, now that I think about it. Because that's also where I first learned about golems. Anyway, I find these two women incredibly fascinating also because they share and explain so many things I straight up just never would have never thought about.

Recently, I think Melinda's daughter, Nora, had her bat mitzvah and it was the cutest one I've ever seen. I see a lot of Jewish creators on my fyp outside of these two, and there was one girl who was rating all the bat mitzvah t-shirts she had gotten over the years. It's a super funny series because she's a really funny person, but it reminded me of the amount of people who have shown their bat mitzvahs on tiktok and also just on other apps as well, and whenever I think about it (which isn't very often but definitely whenever I see any of Melinda's videos now), I cannot get over how cute Nora's was. It was like this super cute 80s/lightning bolt theme? The colors were like pink and black, I think. Very girly. But the t-shirts and everything were so cute.

Anyway, Melinda also goes really into detail about what is kosher and what isn't, talks about all the different rules of Shabbos, and all the different religious observances. It's so cool. Miriam is similar. Her daughters are much younger, but the videos she post really show her life as an orthodox Jewish woman. She talks a lot about marriage. One of the most fascinating things to me was learning about the wigs. It confused the fuck out of me at first because I was thinking it was like a modesty thing, but apparently it's not.

I am also really interested in reading the torah. Y'all have no idea how shook I was when I saw a real one for the first time. My friend showed me and I was like ITS A SCROLL???????? Shook. Like I actually can't name anything else that shocked me more than that. I don't know why but I just wasn't expecting that. But anyway, I found an online translation into English and I'm super interested in it.

Before I stop myself from writing anymore, I was thinking earlier about how when I was a child, I wanted to convert. I was a very serious Catholic, but I think I had a lot of trouble with my faith. So, I remember asking my mom if I had to be Christian and if I could be Jewish instead. She didn't say no. She just ask me if I really believed Jesus wasn't the son of God and if I was really ready to give up Christmas.

The question always freaked me out so badly as kid because the very question felt a tiny bit like I might go to hell for saying anything short of yes. So, I'd just let it go. But I came back to that question a lot throughout my childhood and teen years. Now I really just like to learn as much as I can because I am very passionate about being a good ally to my Jewish friends, and because I lowkey have a type and I do not want to keep sounding like a total dumbass whenever I talk to Jewish girls.

The main things I want to work on learning about are 1). keeping kosher (what is and isn't kosher) because I really want to cook for my friends but I want to stay respectful and ask them what is okay but also have a general idea of what is okay and what isn't. 2). Understanding the nuances of Israel (and Palestine) in politics and in Jewish communities. This topic always makes me so nervous bc I have absolutely no idea where to start and every single time it comes up in conversation people expect me to already have an opinion on it. 3) Knowing more about some of the basics: How to act in synagogue, what to say on the different holidays, what each holiday entails, etc.

My next reading list will be for books about Islam!

[mentally-unstable-avocado]

Lost post ahead. I have a feeling it will influence my followers in one way or another, but I honestly don't care.

CW: Religious talk. Issue with Israel, Hamas, and Palestine. Just overall a rant. Probably some swearing.

Rant Under The Cut

I was raised to be a Christian. I got saved at a young age. As a Christian, I was taught to "Stand With Israel" no matter what. Why? Because according to the Bible, they are "God's Chosen People", that's why. I just always shrugged and went along with it. When this whole thing started, the only thing I heard about it was Israel was being attacked. Considering that this was the only information I knew, I still supported them.

As I see more and more information, I have become disgusted with myself for ever supporting them in this whole shit storm. For quite some time (not sure exactly how much), Israel has been attacking other countries, such as Palestine. When this started, no one batted an eye. But the moment the Palestinians decided that they've had enough of being victims that no one was going to help and started defending themselves, suddenly THEY'RE the bad guys.

I'm not saying that I'm standing with Hamas, either. That's not what I'm saying at all. I DON'T support Hamas OR Israel in this situation. I support the countries that never wanted to be involved in a genocide and are suddenly being attacked (because this isn't a "war", it's just straight up genocide at this point). Long ago, the land belonged to Palestine. They gave a portion of the land to Israel. Now, Israel has decided to follow in the footsteps of their Imperialist supporters and take all the land as their own.

Am I saying all of the people in Israel are bad? No, not at all. But there's enough people for it to be a huge problem. There are good people and terrible people in every group. I am supporting the people who never wanted this to happen. The people who are living in fear, wondering if their kids are going to ever get the chance to grow up. The people who don't even know if they'll ever get to see their kids grow up.

There are a few things that being a Christian in the Southeastern US has brainwashed me into believing. I have outgrown quite a few of them. A lot of them are based on hate and judgement (something that is AGAINST being a Christian). Part of the LGBTQIAA+? Going to Hell. Not a Christian or Jew? Hellbound. That was especially true for Muslims. My pastor constantly says "Allah didn't do it! Buddha didn't do it!" in reference to giving up his life to save the world, however, Allah is another word for God. "Muslims don't believe in the Bible!" Actually, that's not true. The Holy Bible is part of their Trinity of Holy Books (which are the Torah, the Holy Bible, and the Quran). "They don't believe that Jesus is the Messiah!" Again, not true. They don't believe that the real Jesus Christ was crucified, but a replica of him. They fully believe that Jesus has gone to Heaven and will return again one day.

In my opinion, EVERYONE is valid and deserves respect until they do something to have that respect taken away (TERFs are the first example that comes to my mind, though there are many more). I understand that as Christians, we are supposed to support Israel in their time of need, but right now, they DO NOT need saving. What they are doing is wrong and against God's word. One of the Ten Commandments (which are in the Torah, the holy reading of Jews, which is the religion associated with Israel) is "Thou Shalt Not Kill", and another is "Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness Against Thy Neighbor", and let's not forget "Thou Shalt Not Take The Lord's Name In Vain" (which is referring to using God as an excuse to do something heinous. For example "I'm killing these people in the name of God!"). Though I can't quote this next part word for word, I can give the general idea of it. This is from 1 John Chapter 4: "Love one another, for love is of God. He who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love, does not know God, for God is love".

If I am supposed to support Israel during this genocide because "God said so" and "they're God's Chosen People", then I don't think that I can follow this God. What is going on is not what the God in my Bible supports or sees as right. Judgement and revenge is His, not ours.

I've honestly been questioning my religious affiliation. If I can't love God and love who I am as a person, then I don't know what to believe anymore. The God that I know and that I love created all of us and He loves us. A lot of the verses used to put down the LGBTQIAA+ Community are mistranslations. There is one verse that I love to use against so-called Christians. Again, I can't quote it word for word, but you get the general idea. A lot of "Christians" say they will disown and kick out their child if they end up trans or gay. Here's my argument, from the very same Bible they claim to stand behind. "If any man careth not for his own, especially of his own flesh, then he has denied the faith and is worse than an infidel." You know what an infidel is? A nonbeliever. In God's eyes, disowning your own child makes you considered to be WORSE than someone who does not believe in God.

Say whatever the fuck you want about me. I will stand by my opinion until someone gives me a valid reason not to.

Never Stop Talking About This. The More We Talk, The More People Will Have To Listen.

#free palestine #free gaza #rant post #cw: religion #cw: religious themes #cw: swearing #cw: genocide #long post #psa

[sideblgcalloutt]

anyway, now that my friends are here i really am just here for fun if yall wanna do weird shit and have one sided beef then have fun 😭😭😭 yall now where to find me if you want to talk like abults

i also want to say, im not acting like im innocent or the victim. ive been absolutely unhinged im aware. but whats done is done and it wouldnt have been done if i was left alone to begin with. also its going to happen every now and the, like im sorry i dont have a typical reaction or whatever, my brain is different and im gonna mess up sometimes especially when i try to put on this act to be as normal as possible, which made this worse. anyway this isnt a pity party im just saying, sometimes things like this need to happen, and now ive learned from it. and i cant tell you how fucking exhausted it was being filled with so much hatred, i rarely cet like that bc i dont care about others opions but wow i didnt notice how much energy that was taking out of me until i just stopped caring. like God is good. not that it matters but im nonreligious multi faith and people should be able to do whatever they want if its not harmful. itso not really something i talk about but to answer some questions i left organized religion when i was 9 and my thing is i have a lot of different beliefs so lets not get into that if u must know its mainly judaism & islam i follow but its layered its like i just read all the time and ask God to show me the way and i feel it its hard to explain but like being multireligious isnt like the word id use. yes i follow and align with the quran and torah, a lot of other stiff but my relationship with God is like 1x1 like before there was religion thyd go on that rock this isnt about that but im not religious or non religious but like its hard to explain bc its not about the religion hawever this isnt knew like im ethnically jewish and most of my friends have been / or or are muslim (& so is my biological father but i hardly know him) the point is religion was never as black and white for me, i was just scared of going to hell for liking girls but thats a longer story. i actually think religion is a way to soporate us but this isnt about that

btw edge—- just so you know, youre not cool for refusing to apologize for transphbic & harmful behavior toward someone bc u dont like them. it makes you look pathetic. we wont touch on the shit you said about my sa, and etc.

[hadenclairee]

So tbh i've been starting to try to learn about different religions, since I was raised Fundamentalist Christian and then spent some time being an atheist and then had my own weird witch-y thing going on, but never really sat down and committed to learning about other religions until now. And honestly, I wasn't expecting to find comfort and widsom in some of these faiths, or to be anywhere near as drawn to them as I've been - in particularm Judaism. Like, I wasn't even going in that direction (Judaism was on my list of faiths to check out, but it was a few more entries down the list) but recently I listened to a podcast where a former fundie cult member was opening up about her experiences in a cult, and her co-host, who happens to be Jewish, opens up in one episode about his own faith, and it honestly stirred something in me because I learned a ton of stuff I'd never known before about Judaism: I've always just assumed it was just based on the Old Testament (because that's what I was taught growing up, and I guess I still have to un-learn some things), but the host was talking about how some people are both agnostic and Jewish, and don't believe in a literal hell, and that drawing wisdom from the Torah without believing its literal truth (the way my Fundie upbringing did with the Bible) is actually really accepted, and a lot more.

Yesterday, I saw a friend post a photo of a sign in a restaurant offering free food to anyone in need, and the sign cited "Taanit 20b: Whoever needs, let him come in and eat" and honestly, that stands in such stark contrast to the KJV verse I constantly heard cited literally by conservative types that says "The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat". I looked up that whole passage - Taanit 20b - and read it afterwards.

I sought out a podcast, since that's how I like to learn, about Judaism and started listening to OMfG - a podcast by a couple of Rabbis who basically are making a devotional of "Jewish wisdom for unprecedented times". I remember, growing up, my mom always reading a devotional (albeit a Christian one) and I kind of get it now. Some of the early episodes are about dealing with the pandemic, and... yeah, the way the hosts frame the modern world through the lens of their faith really makes me want to learn even more.

So... yeah, unexpectedly, I am learning about Judaism and really enjoying it so far. It seems like really chill faith (I will caveat, I know there's a difference between Reform and Orthodox, and I've steered towards getting more acquainted with Reform Judaism for perhaps obvious reasons - me being a trans woman with religious trauma). I just worry about, like, being a complete outsider to a faith that's been treated particularly harshly by outsiders throughout history. I don't want to come off as, like, being appropriative. I don't think I want to convert or anything at this point or anytime soon (And I know there's a whole process that goes into that), I just want to really focus on learning about the faith, about the Torah, and about the traditions and everything.

All of that being said, what are some good resources for learning more about Judaism?

#judaism #Interfaith #ex christian #ex fundie #universal unitarian #uhhhh how do tags work

[dailyaudiobible]

03/28/2023 DAB Transcript

Deuteronomy 9:1-10:22, Luke 8:4-21, Psalms 69:19-36, Proverbs 12:2-3

Today is the 28th day of March welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian and it’s great to be here with you today as we move forward, kind of making our last push in these last few days of this third month of the year. I guess we’ll be moving into a new month before this week is out. But that is a few days in front of us. It is so nice to be here right now today around the Global Campfire together with you as we take the next step forward. And that next step leads us back into the book of Deuteronomy, the last book of the Torah, the last discourses of Moses to the children of Israel before he becomes a part of history, and we move forward with new leaders. And, so, let's go back out with the children of Israel and a mighty throng as Moses says all the things that he needs to say. Today Deuteronomy chapters 9 and 10.

Commentary:

Okay. So, as we pass through the book of Deuteronomy in these final discourses of Moses there's a bunch of review involved. And if we just stop and think about it we’ve been learning about the rules, like the establishment of this people, and the law and the rules and the statutes and the holidays, we’ve been learning about is stuff for a long time and there's a lot to it. A lot to keep in mind. In fact, it's forming a culture and so it becomes the way of the culture so that it’s just embedded into the tapestry of the culture. If we had to remember all this stuff it would take a good amount of effort to be sure and that can lead us to just wonder what are…so…what are the rules now, then? So, we have this Mosaic law, but we’re told that we don’t have to obey the Mosaic law. We’re told us this in the New Testament, that we’re at least free from the curse of the law. And then Jesus gives commandments in the New Testament and so what are we…like how does this work? How would you know? What are the rules? Like how can you know thank you moving in the right direction? Because there's so much to remember. But in our reading from Deuteronomy today Moses consolidated it down into a way that we can all understand. And he said, “so now Israel, what is the Lord your God asking of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes that I'm commanding you today for your own good.” And it's that “for your own good part” we need to pay attention to. We have read a lot of rules and rituals and customs and observances. We’ve read the whole law, and we’ve been told many many times to not forget. And, so, once again we have to step back and ask ourselves because it feels a lot of times when we get into a religious system that there are all kinds of rules and regulations and a lot of things to remember and a lot of situations and situational things to remember and it can seem like a lot, but if you start peeling it back, peeling back the layers watching how this story unfolded, what we realize is that God gave the law as a framework from which the people could live in safety and in blessing before God. These were the outer boundaries. This was God laying down an awareness for people that there are limits to what you can do before you start to destroy yourself. And if you step beyond these boundaries you are headed in that direction. God didn't free his children from Egyptian slavery simply to re-enslave them because He's a complete control freak. He didn't do that because He's not interested in creating this game or this set of rules to dominate over people and enslave people that He had just set free. What God is interested in is a relationship with us and He told the ancient ones that He wanted a relationship with them and He told them you must be holy because I am holy. This is how we relate to one another, which helps us when we’re considering the rules in the Old Testament or the commands in the New Testament. If we think about this through the lens of relationship, we realize that every relationship we have is governed by rules. Let's just look at our marriages. We may not think of them as rules, but there are things that if we step outside the boundary of what we have agreed to, that that is going to destroy our marriage, destroy our family, and ultimately destroy us. We know that. And I guess we could live our lives in fear of that each and every day or we could realize I love my wife, I love my husband, it is that love that makes me aware of the boundaries that I will not step beyond. Spiritually, the way that Moses is laying this out is the same. If we love the Lord with all of our heart, and all our strength, and all of our mind then we become unwilling to betray that love. God has certainly demonstrated in vivid clarity that He is unwilling to betray His love for us and that He is unwilling to surrender us even when we are the betrayer. The rules aren't to make our lives boring. The rules haven't been given to put us in a cage. We have simply been given the parameters that will lead us into life and an awareness that outside those parameters is destruction and we have been given the opportunity to choose life.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for that. And when we try to make it a list of things that we gotta tic off every day, things that we have to do, well then we have some kind of transactional thing going on, that if we do this then You have to do that. And love doesn't work like that. You have loved us and have withheld nothing from us. It's crazy for us to think that You’re trying to cage us or put us in a box or keep us from doing fun things when You have withheld nothing from us, including the breath of life, including Jesus Your Son. You have come for us and are inviting us to live inside of a relationship, and there are things that we should and things that we should not do in a relationship, and we are learning. And as we become more and more in love with You, Your desires and Your will become more and more apparent to us because we know You and You know us, otherwise known as a relationship. And, so, come Holy Spirit and lead us deeper into this relationship this very day and every day we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com, that's home base and that is where you can find out what is going on around here. So, indeed, check it out.

Check out the different sections like…like the Daily Audio Bible Shop. There are resources there in all kinds of categories, everything from coffee and tea, fresh roasted and sourced and sent right to your door to the Daily…you have things to write in, the Daily Audio Bible journal that has been fashioned over the years and perfected. All of the Black Wing pencils to journal with. A number of things there in the Daily Audio Bible Shop for the journey that we are on. So, check it out at dailyaudiobible.com or using the Daily Audio Bible app. You can access the Shop either place.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if this mission to bring the spoken word of God read fresh every day and offered freely to anyone who will listen anywhere on this planet any time of day or night and to build community around just showing up, the rhythm of showing up around the Global Campfire every day, if that's is life-giving to you than thank you humbly for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner, or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app. That's the little red button up at the top or you can dial 877-942- 4253.

And that's it for today. I'm Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Coming soon…

[fangtastic-bastard]

What were things that helped you decide on orthodoxy (or any tenets of it) vs other movements?

Im really struggling to pick, any advice is appreciated!!

Hi there!

Hmm this is a really good question! When I was first learning about Judaism, I had no idea what movement I wanted to be part of. I had started out reading Essential Judaism by George Robinson, which if I remember right gives a bit of a window into each movement's view of various topics (but it might have leant a certain way? IDK it's been a while).

I visited a few different synagogues in my town (I'm blessed to have more than one option!) to get a feel for services, admittedly Conservative first because I needed to write a paper for a uni class. I'm personally a person drawn toward ritual and tradition in the religious sense, so I at first gravitated toward Conservative because I saw it as a kind of median choice (not the perfect way to say what I mean, hmm) between Reform and Orthodox. Also, I'm bi and trans, and I figured the Conservative movement is alright with that so, yeah?

It was reading about halakha and different approaches to it that got me veering off that course, that and the fact that the conservative shul near me is a long bus ride from anywhere plus a long walk and I don't drive. The halakha bit though was most important, because I intend to drive someday anyway. I read about different movements and what their approach is to "why is the Torah important?" and what makes halakha binding (or sometimes not? again, I'm not expressing myself well sorry!) I honestly just found out that I agreed with Orthodox approaches to halakha most, personally?

And so I decided to test that out and I wrote to a local Hasidic rabbi that was near me, had a nice exchange, went to a Saturday service a few times. I figured out somewhere along the way I couldn't shove down being trans forever, freaked out, and went exploring again bc I was afraid to tell that rabbi. I can't say he'd have been unkind!!! I just don't know and I had no knowledge of what to expect. So I reached out to the Modern Orthodox rabbi I'm conversion studying with now, and went to services on and off for a while during my MA, and just asked all the hard questions. I asked about so many things, especially LGBTQ things, and I was delighted to learn he's actually super chill about such things? I'm happy and grateful this is the case.

The idea of the Torah being from G-d is something he and I both find really important, so if that is an issue you feel strongly about in some way I highly recommend researching approaches to that in different movements. I'm not sure I'm being coherent or helpful here sorry! But yeah I am part of a Modern Orthodox community in my town that is warm and lively and my rabbi is like, amazing. And that's a good part of it! Just finding a movement whose services resonate with me and whose community I can see myself being a part of. I love the services at my shul, and I love talking to people after services, and I love the books I've been reading to learn about Jewish belief and practice.

I guess in the end I could have picked a different movement, but I would in the end I think find myself practicing like an Orthodox person anyway because I find the practices so meaningful. The second I found out my (Orthodox) rabbi was delighted to help me convert knowing about me being a trans guy I knew for sure where and how I want to convert.

So yeah TL;DR is I studied how different movements approach halakha and Torah study and that helped me a great deal in sorting out my own feelings on the matter. It's not that other movements don't have great things about them. I just happened to fall for Orthodoxy in a big way and then find out it's possible for me, so...yeah! I hope this helps and if it's too much a ramble send me a clarification question ask if you want!

#goodness this is a novel sorry! #anons

[robin-in-a-hoodie]

Hello, i am very Jewish and i listen to ghost quartet too much and I've had a thought about it lately.

Consider, ghost quartet is a Sukkot story

So for the uninitiated, Sukkot is a week long holiday where we build a little hut as a memory to living in little huts in the fourty years in the desert thing, it's one of the high holidays but it's also the least thematically relevant to the season, it's also officially the time we pray for rain, it's the official end of summer kind of thing, there's a lot happening in it

See, this lack of thing makes it so there's no real way to have a story for the holiday? Like. There's no real tale we can just have the same way other holidays do. But i come here to argue ghost quartet is a Sukkot story.

So one of the themes of the holiday is that there's four plants we gather together and wave in six directions, each plant representative of a type of person, them coming together is the people coming together, waving is to signify god around us everywhere.

Person one, citrus, who has both taste and smell, is a person who has both knowledge of the Torah (religion and stuff) and what I'll call kindness? A carying for others, kind of goodness

Person one is pearl

All her versions seem to be aware of the mechanism of the universe, that life is constantly happening to them in different ways. She's the one telling the story, she's the one asking others if they remember yet, she's the one who tells us what dying feels like, she's knowledgeable. She's also kind, giving the honey as the soldier, giving the star dust as the story teller, smiling for the camera for the ghost picture, she wants to help rose even when it leads to het death because she cares.

Person two, the palm tree that grows dates, has taste and no smell. That person knows a lot and doesn't have kindness

Person two is Brett

So our man "practices a lot" which in show is a short hand for religious. He's also the dude screaming about the apocalypse with a bible in hand, as well as being the one to actually exchange information with pearl ("they had kids you know"), not to mention he can talk to the dead according to the song of the astronomer.he also turns pearl's remains into a fiddle, he has skill and craft tied to music, which in the play is holy. Clearly knowledgeable man in the religious and spiritual stuff. He also shoves a girl to the train track, leaves his parents as soon as his sister dies, mocks his father, has plans of selling drugs, lies to rose just to get some honey, kills the story teller, you get it. He's a bad man. Brilliant, knowledgeable, practices a lot, but bad man.

Person three, Myrtle plant, has smell and no taste. I'm sure you'll be shocked to find out, this is a person with no knowledge but who is kind.

Person three is David

So he has an entire song about not "practicing" which, again, is to say he's not religious. Sure, he'd like to be, but he doesn't actually do the job of practicing his spirituality, he's guessing there might be a ghost behind the door and tries playing music for it but so far it doesn't look like there's much truth to that, he doesn't even know why monk would still be in this ralm. He's basically just guessing, possibly an extension of him wanting to be a spiritual person but failing at it. On the other hand, he's a nice dude (we'll get to him also being a bad boyfriend don't worry) he thinks of his dad tacking him in when he drinks, trying to relate to the man, he cares for his wife and reads to her to help her calm down, he tries talking to his kids and giving them actual advice and relating to them ("it's a big house, i know it gets lonely but we're afraid rose is holding you back from playing with the other kids" "my son get away, don't ever look back"), hell the man thinks there might be a ghost around and decides to play for him because he was a musician, even though it physically hurts him. He gives pearl her final rest by fishing her from the pond, he's a kind dude

The forth person, willow, has no taste or smell. I assume you can imagine, it's a person who doesn't do religion or kindness.

Person four is my beloved, rose red.

She lies to a soldier to take the honey, she doesn't help pearl not get murdered by a train because she needs to take a picture, she lies to the story teller saying she definitely cares about her suffering, she kills her sister, she tells her parents that they can die already and see she's right, you know the play. She also isn't interested in religion, like sure she's good with describing what she sees in the stars in a meaningful way but she has no real ties with music other than dancing when she was younger, she doesn't really know about her other lives, she just kinda. Does what's best for her and that's it.

The ritual is about all of these coming together, again and again, uniting as people and just kinda. Vibin' at whatever higher power there is. The play is about these four types of people, coming together again and again, interacting, contemplating the world and existence and religion and the meaning of life and the past and the present. If that's not vibin' in all directions of god, what is?

But wait, there's more!

The two types of people i marked down for kindness do bad things. I do think it's possible for people who are genuinely kind people who genuinely care for others to be kinda shitty, for their own reasons. Maybe she really loved this man and didn't want to live without him even at the cost of her sister, maybe she was scared of hurting her too much to let her know he doesn't love her. Maybe he was so desperate to be anything close to spiritual he felt like stealing rose's words is the only thing he can do, if not being spiritual himself at least looking like he has some knowledge. Being a kind person does not mean not being shitty sometimes, it just means that for the most part, you do care for others at least as much as you do yourself.

So is that it? No, of course not

There's also the wind and rain and other water referenced all the time in the play, and this holiday is also a water holiday, the beginning of rain season, we call for the rains to come this time. We ask the wind and rain to come.

There's also the existential themes of it all, being part of the high holidays means it is inherently related to matters of higher being, regrets, trying to think, what could i have done better? What can i do better? Who did i harm? How do i change? Am i who i want to be? It's the closing holiday of the season, it's officially the end if the time of year dedicated to these concerns, it's the last few seconds before the gates of the heavens close and it's time to move back into the more material world.

There's also the feeling that these characters don't have a set home. They're played by the same actors, flowing in and out of their times and their spaces, weaving into each other's stories, their homes are in flux, they're wondering the desert for fourty years, lying down in a makeshift hut that has a roof through which you can still see the stars.

In conclusion, ghost quartet is a Sukkot story.

#ghost quartet #judaism #jewblr #dave malloy #malloysicals #the great comet #preludes #all the malloy nerds come here

[your-mom-friend]

Okay rant incoming

As much as I love Ramadan, and I do, this month is...exhausting for me.

For years I've been struggling with my identity as a Muslim but it was only recently that I came to the conclusion that I don't want to be Muslim at all. I'm not a muslim.

And there isn't anything wrong with Islam either. my reasons are part religious trauma and part i-simply-do-not-vibe-with-it. Some queer muslims reconcile their queerness with their faith, but I can't.

There is so much emphasis on prayer and reading the quran and making dua'a and it hurts and drains me to lie. to pretend that I believe in this god. to read the quran when it was such a huge part in my trauma. To lie to my parents and sisters so often.

And it is not as if I want to lie. I take no pleasure in this. More than admitting to my parents that I'm gay, I'm scared of admitting to them that I'm not Muslim. However little chance there is that they'd accept my sexuality, there's even less chance of them accepting that I'm not Muslim. They'd shun me or try to fix me but they wouldn't accept that and I'm terrified.

Lies about how I've prayed roll off my tongue as often as I can get away with it. It disgusts me even as I say it. Lying so easily to them, and about prayer, which is meant to be a huge sin unto itself. I don't like fake-praying, it feels even more disingenuous. So I lie, again and again.

It makes Ramadan tiring. When there's so much focus on reading Quran together, or praying in congregation, I hate myself so much because I know that everyone around me believes in what they're doing, the words they're saying and their action. They believe in it more than I do and I'm a liar and a sinner who does these thing without the slightext belief in them.

And i am so, so angry. Angry that there is almost no chance at a world where I can be completely myself, where I have no secrets with my family about who I am, without compromising my safety or happiness. Angry that if/when some people read this, I will get told that being ex-muslim is shameful or that I just need to get over these things or that I'm just not trying hard enough.

I'm angry at the injustice of Islam being considered a minority because of what it entails. No one can speak ill of Islam, even when there's legitimate criticisms to be voiced. If you clown Christianity* it's okay or something but heaven forbid that I make the same claims against Islam.

Here's a history lesson for you: According to the Quran; Islam, Christianity, and Judaism are cut of the same cloth. The Bible, the Pslams, and the Torah were said to be early versions of the Quran that were changed by people and then accepted as the holy books of their respective religions. Christianity's Jesus was Islam's Prophet Isa. Abraham was Ibrahim and Moses was Musa and Solomon was Sulaiman and so on and so forth

Hence it A) makes no sense to respect one over the other, B) makes no sense to allow and encourage the criticism of one over the other.

I hate that I can't just rant about the exhaustion that plagues me trying to keep my life open and secret at once and to keep it together without having to give disclaimers and context lest people decide that everything I'm saying is baseless and discriminatory.

I am angry that I can't feel safe and at home in my own house, that I can't tell the people I love what I'm dealing with because they either won't understand or are the ones I'm hiding from. I'm exhausted and terrified and there's nothing I can do about it.

* I mean this only in the sense that I can see multiple people complaining about Christianty and it's generally agreed with, not that there aren't people who don't face backlash for saying things.

#rem rambles #tw religious mention #it's all about religion thouhg #christianity #islam #judaisim #ramadan #ex muslim #tw religious trauma #i don't know if that tag is totally accurate to that but I'm putting it there #vent post

[nevermindirah]

Yitzhak!

is a character! who Gregadiah What-Is-Math Rucka gave us almost no information about!

I've gone through Tales Through Time #6: The Bear and #1: My Mother's Axe with several magnifying glasses and done a lot of googling and taken my copy of the Tanakh off my shelf for the first time since (well, since the last time I needed to read Torah for TOG reasons, which I think was Booker Passover headcanons) and here's the best I can come up with.

In The Bear we meet someone who goes by the name Isaac Blue:

Read on for a lot of comic panel analysis and historical research and Jewish flailing!

So what do we know about this Isaac Blue person?

He's Lorge, he's got curly hair, he's basically a taller version of Joe as drawn by Leandro Fernández (ie an antisemitic stereotype why the fuck did they approve this character design?? and then why did they double down and copy-paste it to Yitzhak??):

He's got a mezuzah on the doorpost of his house in Alaska!

I screamed about the mezuzah way back in January in this post where I (very reasonably) assumed this character was Joe and spun myself a tale about how Booker is still Joe's brother so the mezuzah stays up even though Booker isn't welcome in that house for a century. Bottom line: the mezuzah is a tradition with origins in the commandment from Deuteronomy 6:9 to "write the words of G-d on the gates and doorposts of your house" and evolved over the course of the Rabbinic period into the modern mezuzah we see here.

I did unnecessary levels of google image search to glean absolutely no useful information about Yitzhak’s origins from this panel:

I've decided the variant cover of TTT 6 is Yitzhak because of a panel in My Mother’s Axe, shown here, and what's likely an unnecessarily deep reading of Exodus, discussed further down:

The person at the right of the bottom panel is wearing the same clothes as in the TTT 6 variant cover and has the same shoulder-length curly hair and hairy forearms.

Left to right, the people in this panel are Lykon (I'll never get used to him being white in the comics), Andy, Noriko (I think? why doesn't Andy mention her by name here?), and Yitzhak. Andy's robe has a stereotypically Greek design on the sleeve cuff, and I had to stop myself 10 minutes into a Wikipedia rabbit hole because Gregorforth doesn't think that deep about this shit. The solid clues as to timeline that we get in this panel are:

Andy's iron axe

the presence of Lykon, who Andy first met in 331 BCE

So all we know is that Yitzhak is an immortal, he was a contemporary of Lykon, and he's Jewish.

Isaac is the most common Anglicization of Yitzhak (which in turn is the most common Anglophone transliteration of יִצְחָק‎), and Greg always uses the (transliterated) Hebrew when he refers to this character. Yitzhak is the long-awaited child of Abraham and Sarah in Genesis, the child who G-d commanded Abraham to sacrifice but spared at the last minute. I see what you did there, Gregory.

Why Isaac Blue? This is where I pulled out my Tanakh. According to the New JPS translation, blue is the first of three colors of yarn listed in Exodus 35:6 among the gifts requested of the Israelites to construct the priestly garments for the Tabernacle and later the Temple. Then in Numbers 15:38 the Israelites are commanded to "make themselves fringes on the corners of their garments throughout the ages; let them attach a cord of blue to the fringe at each corner."

And now for sandbox timelines party! Gregadiah gave us ALMOST NOTHING to go on, so I'm gonna make my own fun.

I, like many modern Jews, think the stories in the Tanakh are foundational mythology that are valuable because of how they've shaped our people but that contain some fucked-up shit and either way aren't meant to be a record of historical facts. Modern scholarship generally agrees that the community we now call Jews emerged as a distinct group of Canaanites sometime in the late Bronze Age (cw this video's host says the Name of G-d aloud despite being a religious studies scholar who knows that is not a name anyone but the Temple priests are allowed to say). The first non-Biblical written record of the people Israel is from an Egyptian source c. 1200 BCE, and the Biblical kingdom of David and Solomon was probably an exaggeration of whatever really happened during the Bronze Age Collapse. We start getting into historical-fact territory a few centuries into the Iron Age:

588 BCE Solomon's Temple destroyed, Babylonian exile begins

538 BCE Cyrus of Persia allows Jews to return to Jerusalem

515 BCE Second Temple construction complete

332 BCE Alexander the Great At Something I Guess conquered Judea, beginning the Hellenistic period of Jewish history — 331 BCE Andy & Lykon find each other

167 BCE another jerkface Greek king desecrated the Temple and basically outlawed Judaism

164 BCE recapture of Jerusalem and Temple rededication during the Maccabean Revolt

70 CE destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans, beginning of the Rabbinic period of Jewish history that we're still in now

What if... and hear me out... what if immortals come in pairs, and the pairs are:

Andy & Quynh

Joe & Nicky

Booker & Nile

LYKON & YITZHAK

What if Yitzhak was a priest of the Second Temple? What if he and Lykon killed each other just like Joe and Nicky would in the same city around 1300 years later, but instead of enemies-to-lovers speedrun with an absurdly long happily-ever-after, when Lykon died permanently Yitzhak decided to separate from Andy and Noriko and become the hermit we later see in Alaska?

We don't know how old Yitzhak is compared to the others, only that he was a contemporary of Lykon at a time when Andy was using an Iron Age version of her mother's axe. Other plausible origins for him:

a Jew of the early Rabbinic period, maybe a child or grandchild of people who were still alive before the Second Temple was destroyed

a Judean of the Second Temple era under the Romans or Greeks or Persians, maybe a priest, maybe not

an exilee in Babylon, maybe of the generation who got to return, maybe of the generation who was exiled (he doesn't look like he was 50 at his first death but who knows, he could've been mortal for both)

an Israelite of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, maybe a priest of Solomon's Temple or again maybe not

an Israelite wandering in the desert with Moses

THEE Yitzhak, ben Avraham v'Sarah, our patriarch who was brought up for sacrifice and then spared, and then spared again, and then spared again, and again, and again...

or! he could also be a Canaanite or other Levantine who predates the people Israel, who at some point in his very long life chose to join our mixed multitude, who like Andromache before him (and like Avram and Sarai would in this case do after him) took a new name to reflect the magnitude of influence this people has had on him

Why do I keep saying Yitzhak might have been a priest? It's thanks to the one detail in the artwork I could plausibly connect to solid research without getting a PhD real quick. Take a look at the gorgeous detail on the opening of his robe in the TTT 6 cover. He's dressed in rags, holes and dirt everywhere, rough stitches probably from hasty repair work — except for the neck opening. Compare that to this description from Exodus 39:23 of the construction of the priestly garments for the Tabernacle: "The opening of the robe, in the middle of it, was like the opening of a coat of mail, with a binding around the opening, so that it would not tear."

The next verses describe the intricate designs for the hem of the priestly garment. Yitzhak's ragged garment looks like the hem was torn off entirely.

Am I overthinking this? Yes I am! You're welcome!

My friend and historical research hero @lady-writes​ is in a Discord server with Gregadiah and asked the man himself some questions about all this. He clearly thinks he's being sneaky?? No shit Yitzhak is Jewish, dude, I want DETAILS!

I will not be giving up my Jewish Booker headcanon, I've put too much thought into it by now, the internalized shame of antisemitism explains Booker's depression too well for me, and it just adds so much richness to Booker/Nile both being children of forced diasporas. Fortunately (for him, not me, bc I'd do it anyway!) Gregothy supports fan headcanons even when they're not in line with his own:

One last thing before I close like 100 research tabs and go back to writing historical fantasy and/or porn! I love that, despite that atrocious caricature of a face design, our canon Jew and our fanon Jew are both Lorge and Soft and Kind, flying the face of the antisemitic stereotype of Ashkenazi Jewish men as small and weak, but also not falling into the New Jew / Muscle Jew stereotype that Zionism created. (I am trying SO HARD not to talk about Israel/Palestine for once ughhhhhhhhhh) Anyway here's a (US-centric but very good) primer on both these stereotypes of Jewish masculinity. Is this why I'm forever projecting my transmasc diasporist feels onto Jewish Booker the service sub? 🤷🏻‍♂️

I’ll reblog a second version of this with full image descriptions so that there’s a version accessible for folks who need IDs as well as a version accessible for folks who get overwhelmed by walls of text.

#TOG POC Love Fest #yitzhak #jewish booker #tales through time spoilers #tales through time #tog meta #tog #jewish things #mine #antisemitism #hi i'm an antizionist jew no i don't really want to talk about it