Torah Talk is the Best Form of Interaction

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Those who have not tried Torah study might think that one needs to be a Torah nerd or a religion nerd or a mighty intellectual to enjoy learning Torah. The truth of the matter is that Torah study is an easy door into pleasant and gratifying social interaction with other people. Take it from Moses, who was a socially awkward loner before the giving of the Torah, but who became gratifyingly involved with 600,000 other people through the gift of Torah.

Here are some forms of conversation that do not give pleasure to the soul: malicious gossip, empty chit-chat, socially stratifying posing, talk merely to fill time and relieve boredom.

Such talk leaves one feeling empty and lonely; it creates distance rather than intimacy.

But a good conversation on a Torah topic is pleasant and gratifying because it is never just about the book itself; Torah conversation is always about important issues of life and spirit. When you engage in a Torah conversation you reveal your inner depths to another person, you are truly heard, and that other person reveals his or her own inner depths to you. You enter into a genuine relationship with another human being. That is the purpose for which human beings possess the power of speech. When that purpose is fulfilled, we feel fulfilled.

For centuries, Jewish men passed their spare time in the Beit Midrash, the study-house, engaging in Torah discussion. They did so not only to build their minds and improve their virtues; they attended the study-house for a gratifying social experience. (Regrettably, until recent times women were excluded from this experience.)

The human soul yearns to know and be known by other human beings. Nothing is so pleasant as a meaningful social interaction with another person. Torah opens up the human mouth, and also the ears and the heart - for speaking, for listening, for mutual understanding.

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Pro-life Group Targets Planned Parenthood Donors

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Planned Parenthood, which has corporate offices in New York City, has clinics throughout the country. These clinics offer gynecological services, birth control, HIV testing, infertility screening, pre-natal care, adoption counseling, and abortion referrals. The group’s position on abortion states: “It is the policy of Planned Parenthood Federation of America to ensure that women have the right to seek and obtain medically safe, legal abortions under dignified conditions and at reasonable cost.”

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To read the LifeNews story, click below:

LifeNews

To read about Life Decisions International, click below:

Life Decisions

To read more about Planned Parenthood’s mission, click below:

Planned Parenthood

To read the Women’s eNews report, click below:

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To visit the Women’s eNews Home Page, click below:

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Counselor Has Misgivings About “Brat Camp”

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As a licensed professional counselor (who loves nature and all it holds), I feel that these teens would be better off in a program where they see the reality of poverty in the world, where they could feed the hungry and listen to those in impoverished countries that are under the control of misdirected and/or selfish adults. One teen refused to buy expensive sneakers because he knew kids in sweat factories made them.

I believe real situations bring real self-esteem, self-worth and real attitude changes as priorities are put in real order.
As a former brat, I didn't have to have my parents pay $10,000+ to put me in a program to listen to adults I didn't know and respect. I learned from real life experiences that changed me from within.

I question the ethics of this program, it seems to use superficial means to make superficial changes (and a TV show).
By imitating and misusing the rituals and using symbols that have deep roots and meaning to others, only proves that this program is not only culturally insensitive but is also unethical. We need to teach respect for all people and their cultures and this "therapy" seems to be breaking the rules.

Our youth need reality checks, not more meaningless activity. Real self-esteem comes from helping the poor and the exploited.

I hope this program ends and the producers and therapists will come up with something more genuine, selfless and ethical to teach respect and true self-worth for the teens and the authority figures. Maybe we'll have a more sensitive generation for others who in turn will teach by example and not be filmed by a TV program.

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"Brat Camp"

ABC’s “Brat Camp” Misuses Native American Spirituality

Above, the real Geronimo (left) vs. Chuck Connors as the Apache warrior in the 1962 movie "Geronimo." The real Connors, right, with blond hair and blue eyes.

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For non-viewers, “Brat Camp” focuses on nine troubled teens going through Sagewalk, a wilderness program in the high desert of central Oregon. The kids are taught wilderness skills and given psychotherapy. The goal is to help them to handle life’s difficulties in healthy ways.

I’m not qualified to comment on the validity of Sagewalk's program.

But I do have a beef when a group of white instructors put white campers through a faux, hodgepodge Native American naming ceremony.

I should have seen it coming. Every instructor (all white folks all as far as I can tell) has a faux Native American name – like Glacier, Aspen, and Fire Shaper. For some of the time, the students live in a teepee.

On Aug. 3’s 9 p.m. episode, the campers completed three days of solo camping. To mark this occasion, they stand around a fire, daub their faces with paint, and receive an “Earth name.” One of the instructors plays a Native American flute as the “mystical ritual” goes on.

At this point, I feel like I am watching the Caucasian, blue-eyed Chuck Connors painting up in brown face to play Geronimo. Holy ta-tonka! What in the name of Kevin Costner is going on?

If you’re going to do Native American religion, do it right. Not every Amerindian group is the same. Languages, customs, and religions differ. The tribes of the high Oregon desert are the Paiutes, Yahuskin, and Yapadika. Did anyone at Sagewalk think of contacting one of these tribes and finding out about their heritage. Is a local Native American religious teacher available? How about learning the ethical practices that go along with the rituals?

Why do that when you can paint your face and play dress-up Indian based on your multiple viewings of “Dances With Wolves”?

Imagine a group that knows nothing about Catholicism other than what is available through popular culture. They decide that the Mass is a cool ritual. So they do their best to go through the motions of a Mass. One of them may even dress up as a priest.

What have they accomplished?

People engaging in such a ritual will have learned nothing about Catholic life, beliefs, morals, hierarchy, and history.

As an Oklahoman, I know that Amerindian groups are as varied from one another as are people of European descent. How different is a Frenchman is from an Italian or a Pole is from a Greek? Yes, all are Europeans. But there is no generic "European" you can imitate with any authenticity. And what would be the point of doing so?

For those who are unaware, here's a news flash -- playing dress-up Indian is no longer cool. If you don't believe me, consider this recent action by the NCAA. The athletic organization announced Aug. 5, 2005, that it would ban hostile and abusive American Indian names from post-season tournaments, the Associated Press reported. Starting in February, phony Indian mascots will no longer be allowed to perform in post-season games. Ethnically offensive nicknames and logos will be banned. And by 2008, band members and cheerleaders cannot wear images of American Indians on their uniforms.

Note to Sagewalk: Playing a flute and calling yourself Squatting Elk or Soaring Hawk does not make you an Indian. It makes you a white person playing dress-up. And if you want these kids to be confident in themselves, try setting an example by being who you really are.

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Native American complaints about rituals being hijacked by non-Indians

Complaints

ABC's “Brat Camp”

Sagewalk