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aviyah xiaolei will be named sunday, june 25th at park slope jewish center in park slope, brooklyn.

in jewish tradition, a brit bat ceremony enters a daughter into the jewish covenant. the covenant is an agreement and commitment to love and serve from god to us and from us to god. the sages determined that a baby gains her soul after the first 30 days.

in chinese tradition, a red egg and ginger party announces and names the baby before the community. the mother and child commonly stay home for 30 days to recover from delivery and gain strength and resillience. red eggs symbolize happiness, fertility, and the cycle or renewal of life.

the brit bat ceremony will begin at 10am. the red egg and ginger party will follow at 11am. we'd love to see you!

ready freddy

samantha and i are trying to be ready for our baby girl. recently, we have been learning about jewish and chinese customs for babies. we hope to both honor and update our cultural traditions. today, we are t + 1, and counting. : )

ani ma'amin
"i believe" is a traditional letter or ethical will that parents write for their children. in contrast to a last will and trust, ani ma'amin explains our central beliefs, ideals, and values. it may also include specific instructions or family stories to teach children about culture and tradition.

the ethical will is rooted in jewish tradition to teach jewish life to our children, from generation to generation. tradition also finds sources for ethical wills in isaac's blessing to jacob in gen.27. custom also roots the ethical will in moses' final commandments to the israelites in deut. 33-34. ethical wills peaked in jewish society during the middle ages, and my ethical will is based on the ethical will of judah ibn tibbon, a french jew in the 12th century.

upsheren
deuteronomy 20:19 compares man to a tree. as a child grows, the sages explain, he or she develops the fruits of knowledge and good deeds. however, orlah forbids the harvest of fruit until after a tree has passed its third year. custom also holds that children should only have their first hair cut at age three.

other sources hold tradition from isaac luria, a mystical rabbi in tsfat during the 16th century. this custom explains that the family should weigh the child's hair after his or her first haircut and donate an equal amount to chairty.

bendel
several jewish traditions were designed to protect the mother and child during the early days following birth. ancient societies often believed in superstitions about evil demons and spirits. for example, one tradition places candies and sweets underneath a baby pillow to attract evil spirits away from the baby.

many communities tie a garlic or red string to the baby pillow or to the bottom of the crib. the red string is left on until it wears out and falls off. samson raphael hirsch explains that the color red was required for cloth and fabric in the holy temple. the red dye was extracted from a species of worm. the color red should remind us to be humble, as even the low earthworm is holy.

brit bat
the traditional ceremony for boys is called brit millah, or covenant of circumcision. in genesis 16-17, god commands abraham to circumcise himself as a symbol of the covenant. brit millah is held eight days after birth, even during shabbat or yom kippur.

the brit bat is a parallel ceremony to introduce girls into the jewish covenant. there are several historical traditions that support the modern ceremony from germany, italy, holland, spain, and turkey. alternative customs hold a ceremony at the first torah reading or the first shabbat after birth (zeved ha-bat), the eighth day, the fourteenth day (las fadas), and the thirtieth day.

my man!

Philo Judaeus (c. 30 BCE - c. 50 CE) was a prominent leader of the Jewish community in Alexandria, Egypt during the late Second Temple Period. He wrote expansively on the intersection of classical Greek philosophy and historical Judaism.

Philo interprets the stories of Torah as elaborate metaphors and symbols. He does not reject the subjective experience of Ancient Judaism; yet, he repeatedly explains that the Torah cannot be understood as a concrete, objective history. Philo is largely shaped by contemporary Platonism. For example, he explains that ideal Greek forms for reason and wisdom illustrate the deep, mystical truth of God and Judaism.

Philo was the son of a prominent and wealthy family. (Dillon, 139) Scholars also determine that Philo directed an official delegation or embassy to the Roman emperor Claudius c. 40 CE. However, Philo is primarily distinguished by an extensive body of writing. Philo completed numerous systematic philosophical treatises, including comprehensive allegorical interpretations of the Torah from the Septuagint (LXX).

Traditional scholarship maintains that Philo subordinates Judaism to Graeco-Roman ideals. This view contends that Philo's writings are essentially apologetic. However, contemporary scholars largely discredit former assumptions about Hellenistic Judaism. For example, critical scholars contend that Hellenism and Judaism . . . reciprocal influence.

Certainly, Hellenistic Judaism integrates the major principles of ambient Greek culture and society. However, it is difficult to establish the primary intent of Philo's interpretations of Scripture and the independent development of Jewish Law.

Hellenistic Judaism may construct an alternative system of law and interpretation. Judaism, where Greek philosophy and Graeco-Roman culture functions or operates as a constructed framework, method, or system for interpretation.

reconcile? or harmonize?

There is considerable disagreement on the operative purpose and structure of his writings.
What is the function of classical Platonic theory?
What is the role of traditional Jewish law?
Does Philo prioritize Hellenistic culture over Torah and Jewish law?

Where did Philo learn classical Greek philosophy?
Who was the intended audience of the treatises?
What is the extent of Philo’s dependence on Jewish tradition?
[[alexandrian tradition of interpretation?]]

Theology
What does Philo believe?

connections

connections between islam and judaism

sharia and halakha
fatwa and takana/teshuvot
muhammad/moses
mecca/jerusalem
halal/kashrut
scripture and supplements

the samantha report II

samantha says hi! i try to ask her a lot of questions about her trip. last night she said, "but, what's going on with you?" i said, "but, i want to be able to write all about your trip in our weblog!"
: )

on sunday, she returned from a weekend trip in hangzhou. she said that they had beautiful silks, there. she is looking forward to going to xuzhou this weekend. . . and she is also taking a tour of jewish shanghai on sunday. (shanghai was the one open port for jews escaping from europe during world war ii. "shanghai ghetto" is a very interesting film that documents jewish life in shanghai during this period.)


they will be in shanghai for one more week. she is super excited because she has bought 4 pairs of shoes! one night, she was shopping at the local grocery store and she ran into jie's old boyfriend. isn't that crazy?

i hope everybody's doing well!


shabbat shalom

ma thesis: jewish identity

jewish identity is a central topic in the professional jewish community, today. for example, research determines that connected jewish identity promotes sustainable affiliation, community participation, continuous jewish learning, and engaged jewish philanthropy.

however, identity was also extremely important during late antiquity. oppressed communities were denied full participation in imperial society. for example, subordinate groups were required to pay additional land, poll, or population taxes. in contrast, privileged communities were often exempt from special taxes and allowed the autonomy to administer local government.

this summer, i am working to complete my thesis in judaic studies: "what is jewish? jewish identity during the late second temple period". i will evaluate scholarship on judaism during late antiquity, and i will specifically focus on the development of guidelines and practice for conversion.

in the beginnings of jewishness (1999), shaye cohen evaluates the complex identity of jewish communities in late antiquity. he asks, "what is it that makes us us and them them?" in short, cohen concludes that "jewish identity in antiquity was elusive and uncertain."

"who" can be so difficult for scholars because boundaries were so fluid. daniel boyarin (2004) explains that religious authorities constructed increasingly strict private boundaries to limit open, dynamic public boundaries. the historical practice of judaism holds important insights into "what" individual jewish communities considered jewish. for example, can non jewish individuals become jewish?

historical study can also have important implications for our practice. for example, we often assume that orthodox tradition is the direct descendent of historical religion. yet, tradition changes dramatically over time. this does not invalidate any specific observance. neither orthodox judaism or reform judaism are undermined by historical diversity. however, research demonstrates that contemporary cultures have enormous influence on the social development of religion. for example, modern society has profoundly changed the interpretation and practice of judaism. today, there are 3 major streams of judaism: reform, conservative, and orthodox. but, modern judaism can be divided more precisely into humanist, reconstructionist, reform, conservative, traditional, modern orthodox, and orthodox judaisms.

this is not only true in the modern world. internal and external developments also led to substantial diversity during the late second temple period. scholars have identified more than 30 independent jewish groups during late antiquity! gabriele boccaccini (1999) explains that historical judaism is not a singular or "particular ideological system." in contrast, study identifies "many judaisms. . . active and in competition."