Catching Up On Various Things

A disclaimer before I begin. In no way shape or form is this intended to become a whining, new age, self-pitying rallying point for divorced Dads. Nor is it meant to represent some angry, militant, hateful point of view.

There is a point. A bottom line, of sorts:

It really sucks to be the non-custodial parent, and to live far away from one's children.

My son's Bar Mitzvah was last weekend, written about herein (see below or hop on over via a click to this link [1]). This is a big deal. I had one, my father had one, all the men on our side of the family going back as far as anyone can recall, had their Bar Mitzvah. Our Eastern European roots [2]include what was a once-Orthodox side of the family. That's on my father's side.

On my mother's side there were Kohains [3], rabbis, of course, in generations past. Her father, whom I never knew, had rejected observancy, and although a Kohain himself, was not one who adhered to the halachic [4] customs, traditions, obligations, and such.

So my son and I have Kohain roots flowing through our blood. But the designation of Kohain is passed from the father to the son, and we are therefore not Kohains. Just related and sharing a little bloodline, on the maternal (in his case, grandmaternal) side.

I will at this point forego a rant about those who wish to change the ways of the religion. Women wearing yarmulkes and tallit, new-age Modern-Thinkers who decide to change the ways by practicing in what they redefine as Judiasm. These are the same people who tend to have issues with bloodline passage of Kohain designation being only from the male side of the family.

I disagree. Feh on them, I say. Redefinition and rewriting the rules makes no sense. Call it something else, give it a new name, and that would be fine. Nouveau Jewveau, I think, would be a good appellation.

Not that I, for one, choose to follow and practice. But after many years invested in Talmud Study and spending so much time with my Orthodox friends and acquaintances, my opinions are pretty strong.

Of course, I am confused as can be, and reject the whole thing outright. But there is no denying a strong Jewish identity. Born a Jew, always a Jew.

Even if not a practicing Jew (what, you thought I wanted to get to Carnegie Hall? No! Ay, Shmendrick! What I want is to get to the Carnegie Deli [5]!).... a Jew is a Jew is a Jew.

That might also be taken as a very German, or White Supremacist point of view. Feh on them, too.

GETTING BACK TO THE TOPIC...

Ooops! My bad.

Just now it appears that an hour's worth of composing has vanished into the ether. It appears that I let the auto timer log me out. And what I wrote was just what I wanted to say! Exactly as I intended it.

To be continued. Sorry about that. This is what happens when one does about ten things at once.

I promise you, between the humorous links, the interesting ones, and the point (points?) I will eventually make, it will be worth a few more reading minutes of your time.

All I ask is that you bear with me. Speaking of bears, check this [6] out.

And remember, we answer all the e-mail [7]!