<p>to get back to something more CCish, I would be more concerned that a top student is attending, ahem, Stern.</p>
<p>We know a family here that made the same call (in that case the whole family is BT, also Chabad). I mean I understand the motivation, but its NOT like you can’t be orthodox at a secular school, Stern charges the same or not much less than any other private, I am not even sure that Stern students have 100% full access to YU offerings, and YU leaves me underwhelmed. </p>
<p>So, am i suffering from USNWR syndrome, fear of BT syndrome, or both?</p>
<p>No kidding! And the “sincerely held belief” aspect of the state law clones of the Religious Freedon Restoration Act is going to be a growth industry for lawyers of all beliefs.</p>
<p>“I think non-Jewish readers of this thread are getting a nice sense of the sometimes comic technical quality of Jewish law regarding commandments. It ain’t your romantic version of ecstatic spirituality. Sometimes it’s more like preparing a really complicated tax return with lots of shelters and credits.”</p>
<p>when it all comes together, its both. thats what AJ heschel meant by shabbat as a cathedral in time. how is carving a gargoyle or welding colored glass “spiritual”? But when you do it to glorify G-d, and to create a vast work of beauty, its amazing. an ever exiled people couldnt build cathedrals - we made our holy times, and lavished each detail with love - and it often comes together with great beauty.</p>
<p>JHS: The article I pulled that from was dated June 2 (last Thursday). So I interpret it as meaning that she recorded it on Wednesday (“yesterday,” that is, Wednesday, June 1) and that it is informing the reader that Shavuot is being celebrated this coming Tuesday - Thursday (meaning June 7 - June 9).</p>
<p>There are Conservative jews and Conservative jews. Some in fact do avoid using electricity on shabbat and yom tov, and there are some Conservative shuls which don’t use a microphone.</p>
<p>“There are Conservative jews and Conservative jews. Some in fact do avoid using electricity on shabbat and yom tov, and there are some Conservative shuls which don’t use a microphone.”</p>
<p>even among us some are machmir.</p>
<p>Now, I have to try to recall - did CJLS (committee on jewish law and standards, the halachic decision making arm of the Conservative movement) actually say that allowing and banning electricity on shabbat are BOTH accepted halachic positions, OR are the local shuls simply being machmir beyond any established Conservative position? </p>
<p>I will say I am so used to C shuls and rabbis who use electricity on shabbat (all around here afaik) that one that dont are off my radar.</p>
<p>One of the things that puzzled me when I first met observant Jews at college was the fact that most were quite willing to do secular things on the Sabbath or most holidays as long as they didn’t violate some very detailed rules. It surprised me, for example, that they would do required reading for their courses on the Sabbath (but of course, they would not take notes). To members of some other religious groups (I was raised as a Protestant), this seems distinctly odd. But different faiths have different customs and different ways of viewing the world.</p>
<p>I consider my introduction to this very unfamiliar faith, and the reexamination of my own assumptions that it prompted, to be one of the most valuable things I learned at college – even though it was not part of the formal curriculum. It is also fun to be a non-Jew and be able to use terms such as eruv and Shabbat and shul with some degree of accuracy; it startles the living daylights out of people.</p>
<p>It looks as though he or she copied this “definition” verbatim from one of the comments in the CBS/Sacramento coverage of this issue. Just be careful where you pull your sources from!</p>
<p>Exactly…I think it is a great story of a young person holding fast to their convictions and of a public educational institution finding a nice way to accommodate the student and also for others to learn about such differences. I agree that this accommodation hurt nobody. I am still waiting for POIH to respond to many posts ago his contention that others were affected by this girl’s actions. He said her actions “interfered with others.” How so, POIH?</p>
<p>‘To members of some other religious groups (I was raised as a Protestant), this seems distinctly odd. But different faiths have different customs and different ways of viewing the world’</p>
<p>its also odd to jews who are not familiar with jewish tradition. What is forbidden in the jewish tradition is not “work” in the standard english sense, but is a melacha, one of specific set of acts (often associated with the building of the temple in jerusalem)</p>
<p>POIH----You are either knowingly or unknowingly being inflammatory. As said earlier this country has fought battles over religious freedom. Do you think an anonomous forum is going to back off if you keep replying with more antagonistic words? You have a right to feel what you want but you don’t have a right to say that this girl has made a mockery of American education because she would not use a microphone at graduation. Do you realize how silly that sounds? You were angry because she would not deliver her speech in a tradional way so you think she made a mockery of things. This is a young observant girl who had to make a decision and clearly made one that was right for her based on her beliefs. You making a mockery out of her beliefs is just as offensive. You can use any word you want but to buld an argument against religion in America must have more to it than your claim that it is “superstitious”. </p>
<p>I was busy today and thought this thread would have been long gone.</p>
<p>SV: its okay, its just I earn merit by making sure wise sayings are correctly attributed </p>
<p>"The Talmud also puts great emphasis on this, going so far as to say that one who properly attributes a teaching he heard brings redemption to the world. "</p>
<p>I got that from the website of Marc shapiro (thought ive heard it many times before) His site doesnt actually attribute it (:</p>
<p>"Is the reason no one claiming to be Orthodox is wading in on this discussion that a computer requires electricity? "</p>
<p>Yes.</p>
<p>Though even for those who use electricity on yom tov, the computer still presents issues, as saving (and certainly posting) can be considered a form of writing. You could use a PC to read things, and not save - youd have to turn off all the automatic saving your software does - and yes, I DO know an observant conservative Jew who told me about “shabbat mode” in Windows.</p>
<p>Dunno, but I do see that the range of Conservative practice varies widely. The only reason that D1 isn’t going to be in for something of a shock going from west coast conservative to east coast conservative is that she’s been on nation-wide youth group programming, and has seen how practice varies between regions. </p>
;)</p>