View allAll Photos Tagged Isms
Why OBC minority quota for MBA not utilized at ISM-Dhanbad?
twocircles.net/2012apr25/why_obc_minority_quota_mba_not_u...
–noun
the monotheistic religion of the Jews, having its ethical, ceremonial, and legal foundation in the precepts of the Old Testament and in the teachings and commentaries of the rabbis as found chiefly in the Talmud.
This is probably one of the most personal photos in this set.
i am not Jewish by birth (ahem, my mom did name me Christina, after all), but i am lucky enough to have been adopted by a Jewish family! i tend to pick up other families as i find myself in different places. i have family in Maine, Illinois, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and two families in Jersey. Only a couple of those are biological.
About 10 years ago, almost to the day, i was at Karate. i used to go early to see the class before me and think things over. i had some food with me to snack on, and suddenly, i found my lap less empty. It was full of a tiny, ferocious, precocious, intimidatingly verbal 3 year old who wanted to share my dinner. This was the beginning of a long involvement with the Levy's. First i was invited to join the staff at the karate school, then to join their Saturday lunch so that their girls could share food with me. (Little did i know that Saturday lunch was an all day affair and a holy day of rest for them). Then i was invited to holidays, took my place reading the Haggadah at Passover, and then, it became a weekly family dinner with them, their kids, the staff, and extended family to do Shabbat dinner at their house.
Now, the Levy's are orthodox. So, for them, Shabbat (sundown on Friday until an hour after sundown on Saturday) involves no work, no using anything with lights, buttons, or electricity (including turning lights on or off after Shabbat "comes in"), no cooking, no lighting of candles. A full day of resting, making merry with friends, eating, and prayers. It sounds old fashioned, but it's actually quite beautiful.
But, at the beginning of Shabbat, it's the women that light the candles that "bring Shabbat in." They stand, melodically intone the beginning prayer, and draw the light towards them with both hands. Then they pray silently, and in the tradition of my family, kiss each other and say, Shabbat Shaalom.
i am not very specifically religious, but as someone who believes in God, i find these traditions and rituals fascinating, moving, and deeply powerful. In my world, there is nothing wrong about turning the TV on on a Friday. but in my world meeting hospitality with sincere respect, interest, and courtesy is paramount.
It was my honor to be invited to join the women in this prayer (that i read from this book, but that i can speak in Hebrew!) each Friday evening. In my family, women dress conservatively (i was once told not to show too much "elbow" and the person telling me this gestured to the cleavage area - LOL) on Shabbat and cover their hair while praying.
I actually miss this more than i can tell you all.