My morning walk . . .

Today, I was on my walk to work when I was brutally interrupted. I couldn't quite tell what was going on but one look at the vile flier being shoved at me drove home the point. The most paradoxical and vicious of post-Crusades attempts to convert the world's Jewry en masse: Jews for Jesus. Vile, disgusting pieces of expletive!

I restrained myself, not quite politely refused his dreck, and waited anxiously for the light to change. Had it not done so as quickly as it did, I might have actually done what I fantasized about scarcely half a block further down: taken all his pamphlets torn them in half (with what I imagined would be Incredible Hulk-ulean anger-strength) and made his filth rain down upon him in a shower of purely nonsensical, derogatory propaganda.

But as seething as my hatred of their predatory, Evangelical Christian organization is, I felt it my civic duty to just let him be. After all, he was playing somewhat fair. We weren't on Brighton Beach where his smut would attract the babushki and dyedushki from the former Soviet Union, who as we discussed earlier only still remember bits and pieces of our tradition. Those Fucks for Jesus tend to have a field day there, actively supplementing the few pieces of yiddishkeit their prey remember with fundamentally Christian beliefs, hoping a yarmulke and a tallis will be enough to ease the transition into Christianity.

This subterfuge is preposterous. We get it: You don't like us, you want us to think like you, you realize that it's no longer socially acceptable to threaten us with "Baptism or Death?!" like the good old days, you also realize that your program sucks so you have to attack the old and weak.

I can only hope that access to Jewish learning remains strong with very accessible websites and community outreach programs like Torah.org, My Jewish Learning, JEC, Aish, even Chabad. Though again, as per my drash on Parshas Korach - PLEASE CONSIDER THE SOURCES!!! Many of these sites & programs are run with the hope of "converting" you to a more observant Jew, a ba'al teshuva (literally "master of repentence" - effectively a cognate of "born again") . This is not necessarily a bad thing if you so choose, but remember it is a choice. Bottom line: The information is out there - feel free to mix and match, but think critically about it. The best way to combat those who prey upon our ignorance (both from within and without) of Judaism is to become more acquainted with our history, our texts and our traditions. I myself tread the line of learning as much as I can about Judaism and trying to incorporate what observances, rituals and traditions that I can, but I'm no ba'al teshuva.

Anyway, I was gonna get into a little bit more from the parasha this week, but I'll get back to it this afternoon.