31 March 2010 Weapons Of Mass Obstruction

31 March 2010 Weapons Of Mass Obstruction




It is related in Exodus that the “Children of Israel” left Egypt and the slavery they had endured there at the end of a series of plagues and other unpleasant events that came to be known as “ Pass Over.” The first born children of Egypt were slain by divine decree while those first born inside dwellings marked with smears of lamb’s blood on the door posts were spared; as the “Angel of Death” passed over. The resultant shock forced the hand of the Pharaoh, who finally decreed that the Hebrews could leave Egypt.

As anyone who can read can probably figure out, when a divine right ruler/deity frees a population of slaves while supposedly numb with grief; it is best to take advantage of that release immediately, before anyone has time to change their minds. And this is purportedly what took place. The Hebrews grabbed all they could carry, rounded up or rustled what livestock they could, and made their best speed getting out of Dodge. The legends tell us that they fled so quickly that they did not have sufficient time to allow the current batches of bread to rise before baking them. They left Egypt carrying brittle, flavorless, hard tack in sheet form. Thus was created the custom of eating matzah – unleavened near-bread – during the 8 days of Pesach.

Tradition is a huge factor in the maintenance and preservation of religion. If the founding generation of Aaronic priest wore special garments of a pattern handed down to Moses, all the Kohanim were expected to do so. And they most likely did, right up to the end of the 2nd Temple period. If roasted lamb was the prescribed meal on the night before the departure from Egypt, lamb will do nicely in celebrating that event and re-telling the tale. In fact, lamb is demanded in the official initial customs dictated to and by Moses.

Over the years as the distance from the original Pass Over grew and the Hebrews changed from a group of nomadic, war-like tribes bound on consolidating a kingdom, into a more settled populace of city and town dwellers collectively known for the tribe, Judah, the prescribed items to be used in retelling the Exodus tale grew in number and became ritualized.

The roasted lamb has vanished from many families’ Seder table and iss present only as a shank bone on a ritual platter. The various herbs, horseradish, and other ritual items also decreased in size and became only sample items on the platter to be used prior to the actual meal. But Matzah did not decrease in size or vanish; rather it increased in presence. Matzah became central to the holiday challenging generations of cooks to produce anything that doesn't taste like soggy cardboard or fried, soggy cardboard.

Most of the Ashkenazic holiday recipes, served after the ritual Seder, are heavy European type dishes. Matzah Ball Soup is the lightest traditional item and some families favor matzah balls that are heavy enough to survive being used in a tennis match. Add the kugels, matzah pizzas, matzah brie, and various bits of matzah used for snacking; and each member of the tribe is at grave risk of impaction. A box of matzah overpowers a box of prunes until the absolute most inconvenient moment in the day. There should be a warning label on each box of matzah.

Whether or not you believe in literal interpretation of the Torah, the bible, or any other sacred text, they do affect many aspects of our lives, from diet and digestion through ethics. And one thing is for certain, they can’t be any less truthful than the press releases put out by Sarah Palin.

Palin warns of a second Holocaust.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/03/31/palin-warns-of-second-holocaust-if-iran-gains-nuclear-weapons/?fbid=1Jwgg0hwR0E#more-97576

Speaking from her Face Book page, where she can post all manner of lies, half-truth, and innuendo without having to offer proof, Ms. Palin uses possible risk to Israel in order to attack President Obama.

“Palin argues that the Obama administration's actions have failed to rein in Tehran's nuclear ambitions, and that more than one year into Obama's presidency, his administration has made "no progress" on sanctions.”

Ms. Palin seems unable to recall that the threat of sanctions, the use of sanctions, and even the implied threat of attack by the Bush Administration failed to halt the Iranian march toward a nuclear arsenal. Obama is supposed to accomplish in one year what Bush and friends couldn’t do in eight? Well, reality is not Palin’s strong suit. Nor is truth, ethics, literacy, or a lot of other things desirable in a political leader.

I find Ms. Palin’s supposed concern for the longevity and well-being of Israel and its population to be absolutely false. Given her evangelical faith and her willingness to sit through sermons castigating Israel for not recognizing Jesus as Messiah; I have a very hard time believing she weeps anything but crocodile tears for Israel. After all, she and her fellow evangelicals only need we us Jews if they can convert us to their needs. If we fail to recreate “greater biblical Israel”, if Israel fails to line up and convert before dying; then somehow Palin’s 2nd coming/end of day’s scenario may be disrupted.

I’m somewhat amazed at the quality of the quotes coming from Palin’s FB page. Don’t misunderstand me; it’s not that good. But from past experience seeing what she has written as a farewell speech, from hearing her on stage, it is obvious that someone is writing her releases for her. While I know most politicians use speech writers, Ms. Palin should not. Politicians using such a service should be able to answer questions about such speeches. Ms. Palin needs that layer of disconnection because she is unable to answer questions on anything other than “which news network is out to hurt her family this week.”

She should have the courtesy to refrain from using Israel as a campaign prop. Her ultimate goal for Israel is to destroy it just as thoroughly as does Iran. She is no friend of Israel. Nor would she be willing to speak about growing anti-Semitism at the rallies where she stirs up an audience made up of Klansmen, militia members, and Christian fundamentalists.

Go home, Palin. We’ll send you a box of matzah to eat. Then you can write about that in your Face Book page.