We Jews are, ideally, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, a light unto the world - who would not want to be a part of such a nation? That is why I am Jewish.
Our national history teaches us to love our neighbor as ourselves, to not shun the stranger - for we were strangers in the land of Egypt. Who better than to carry the torch of social justice, to set a positive example?
To us Jews, faith is important - but deeds are much more so. That is why I am Jewish. I am Jewish because I am the descendant of people who were not content merely to pray to God, but had the chutzpah to bargain with, argue with, and cajole Him.
I am Jewish because we need no intermediaries between us and the Almighty, an ineffable Spirit who does not need to incarnate Himself in order to understand the deepest thoughts of His creations, who created them without sin or blemish (and without perfection) - but with Free Will. That is why I am Jewish.
Plus...gefilte fish!
Jack: Why be Jewish?
I can't really say I want to be Jewish thanks to the gefilte fish...it's sad to admit, but I'm not much of a fish eater at all. The rest of this quote from Jack's blog is so much what I think...who wouldn't want to be part of such a nation?
Jack sought the opinions and thoughts of many, many Jews across the blogosphere in order to form his post, "Why be Jewish?" The answers are fascinating. I highly recommend reading it if you haven't already.
No comments:
Post a Comment