Batshua's questions
Oct. 11th, 2005 12:03 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
theyellowhobbit1) What's your favorite holiday?
That's a tough one. It used to be channukah, and then I became religious and all the other holidays started having meaning. Now, each year everything has a different experience, because I'm always in a different place. So my favorite experiences have been [in chronological order:]
Passover on EIE 2003, despite me not being observant back then
My 1st Tisch, whenever that was Freshman year
Shabbats of the Hillel Pluralism trip december 2003/January 2004
The first Shabbat I was shomer shabbas- January 2004, when I got back to Penn
Pesach at the Shanesons spring 2004
Shavuot in Israel summer 2004
Yom Kippur 2004 at Penn
A Shabbat in November when I stayed with Gershon and Aliza in Bala Cynwyd and met [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com] in person.
Shavuot 2005 with Sarah Meyers in Maryland
This Rosh hashana, because of all the stuff that happened with certain people. [keeping this a public entry]
So it all depends where I am. Hopefully, Yom Kippur will rock, and someone will adopt me for Sukkot, because I really don't want to be here., since I'm getting sick of Penn, and I deserve a fall break.
2) Could I get a brief summary of your religious journey, how you got there, and where you think you're going?
Breif? I'll try...
Once upon a time I was a dedicated Reform Jew, who knew she was going to be a Reform rabbi. Then I came to Penn, and the Reform community was small. I led service every week for a while until Kate Frommer also started leading them. I was also involved in LINKS, an interdenominational Jewish dialogue group, and then I met friends who were Orthodox and Conservative. I started eating in Hillel during the week so i could eat with them [and the food was much better]. I also started going to their events, and Conservative saturday morning services.
That winter I went on the pluralism trip, and met people who were Reform and shomer shabbas, among other things, and decided maybe it would be fun to try the shabbat thing.
Eventually all the other mitzvot came along, and the process was sped up quite a bit by me liking an Orthodox guy [who ended up never finding out, and dating someone else. then they broke up] and thinking he would never be interested in me if I wasn't religious enough. The whole becoming religious thing was like an addiction. I had to get more and more mitzvot. I was all happy and eager to serve G-d, who I knew cared about me and my actions.
Then it all crashed after the high holidays last year, and I started questioning and being apathetic. No amount of learning would satisfy me or help me feel like a good Jew. and it's pretty much been like that ever since. I'm hoping maybe I'll have some spiritual awakening on Yom Kippur, and will feel like G-d loves me again.
I'm sure I'll go back to being very frum, eventually. As in when I stop being depressed. And when I'm convinced that things will be ok. And when I get married. Then I'll raise my kids to be Torah scholars, regardless of their gender, and the girls I have will study gemara, but they won't go to Brovenders because I don't want them to be Brovenders girls, unless they're the cool type of Brovenders girls [Dassi, Meira, Lizzy, and Liz]. I really do want to have one of those houses where Shabbat is wonderful, and lots of guests come, and there's singing and Torah. In Israel.
[and that was actually quite breif, since I could have written 3 pages at least]
3) Why did you get a LiveJournal?
I had a dead journal for a few years, then all my friends got live journals, and I got one so I could read their journals, and because I'm a comment-whore and wanted people to read mine.
4) Favorite book/author?
I have a few- Isaac Asimov, Orson Scott Card, Tolkien, J.K Rowling, and Tamora Pierce. No actual favorite book, pretty much everything they've written.
5) If you could have a magical power, what would it be?
The power to get people to fall in love with eachother, and to get a certain guy to fall in love with me and stop being so stupidly engineery.
Bonus question: Are we ever going to get together and hang out?
I sure hope so. If you want to come for Simchat Torah you're welcome to, though there will be massive amounts of people around, so I'd suggest another time. I'm probably here this shabbat, and it will be rather quiet, and I could make a small [small meaning 5 people and not 15 like it usually does] meal. A real small one. Or otherwise call me, since my schedule during the week is always in flux. Usually wednesdays after 11 I'm free, though the chagim have messed that up [way to take away my free time, G-d!]. I've posted my cell in LJ before, so why not do it again? 401-474-1665
That's a tough one. It used to be channukah, and then I became religious and all the other holidays started having meaning. Now, each year everything has a different experience, because I'm always in a different place. So my favorite experiences have been [in chronological order:]
Passover on EIE 2003, despite me not being observant back then
My 1st Tisch, whenever that was Freshman year
Shabbats of the Hillel Pluralism trip december 2003/January 2004
The first Shabbat I was shomer shabbas- January 2004, when I got back to Penn
Pesach at the Shanesons spring 2004
Shavuot in Israel summer 2004
Yom Kippur 2004 at Penn
A Shabbat in November when I stayed with Gershon and Aliza in Bala Cynwyd and met [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com] in person.
Shavuot 2005 with Sarah Meyers in Maryland
This Rosh hashana, because of all the stuff that happened with certain people. [keeping this a public entry]
So it all depends where I am. Hopefully, Yom Kippur will rock, and someone will adopt me for Sukkot, because I really don't want to be here., since I'm getting sick of Penn, and I deserve a fall break.
2) Could I get a brief summary of your religious journey, how you got there, and where you think you're going?
Breif? I'll try...
Once upon a time I was a dedicated Reform Jew, who knew she was going to be a Reform rabbi. Then I came to Penn, and the Reform community was small. I led service every week for a while until Kate Frommer also started leading them. I was also involved in LINKS, an interdenominational Jewish dialogue group, and then I met friends who were Orthodox and Conservative. I started eating in Hillel during the week so i could eat with them [and the food was much better]. I also started going to their events, and Conservative saturday morning services.
That winter I went on the pluralism trip, and met people who were Reform and shomer shabbas, among other things, and decided maybe it would be fun to try the shabbat thing.
Eventually all the other mitzvot came along, and the process was sped up quite a bit by me liking an Orthodox guy [who ended up never finding out, and dating someone else. then they broke up] and thinking he would never be interested in me if I wasn't religious enough. The whole becoming religious thing was like an addiction. I had to get more and more mitzvot. I was all happy and eager to serve G-d, who I knew cared about me and my actions.
Then it all crashed after the high holidays last year, and I started questioning and being apathetic. No amount of learning would satisfy me or help me feel like a good Jew. and it's pretty much been like that ever since. I'm hoping maybe I'll have some spiritual awakening on Yom Kippur, and will feel like G-d loves me again.
I'm sure I'll go back to being very frum, eventually. As in when I stop being depressed. And when I'm convinced that things will be ok. And when I get married. Then I'll raise my kids to be Torah scholars, regardless of their gender, and the girls I have will study gemara, but they won't go to Brovenders because I don't want them to be Brovenders girls, unless they're the cool type of Brovenders girls [Dassi, Meira, Lizzy, and Liz]. I really do want to have one of those houses where Shabbat is wonderful, and lots of guests come, and there's singing and Torah. In Israel.
[and that was actually quite breif, since I could have written 3 pages at least]
3) Why did you get a LiveJournal?
I had a dead journal for a few years, then all my friends got live journals, and I got one so I could read their journals, and because I'm a comment-whore and wanted people to read mine.
4) Favorite book/author?
I have a few- Isaac Asimov, Orson Scott Card, Tolkien, J.K Rowling, and Tamora Pierce. No actual favorite book, pretty much everything they've written.
5) If you could have a magical power, what would it be?
The power to get people to fall in love with eachother, and to get a certain guy to fall in love with me and stop being so stupidly engineery.
Bonus question: Are we ever going to get together and hang out?
I sure hope so. If you want to come for Simchat Torah you're welcome to, though there will be massive amounts of people around, so I'd suggest another time. I'm probably here this shabbat, and it will be rather quiet, and I could make a small [small meaning 5 people and not 15 like it usually does] meal. A real small one. Or otherwise call me, since my schedule during the week is always in flux. Usually wednesdays after 11 I'm free, though the chagim have messed that up [way to take away my free time, G-d!]. I've posted my cell in LJ before, so why not do it again? 401-474-1665
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no subject
Date: 2005-10-10 09:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-10 09:48 pm (UTC)And although people will be around, it isn't as insane as normal, and I'll have the ability to make a smaller meal [unlike at simchat torah]. Which I would do if
no subject
Date: 2005-10-10 10:23 pm (UTC)Also, do you still use that DeadJournal? 'Cause I have a pretty... uh, dead, DeadJournal myself.
no subject
Date: 2005-10-11 03:23 pm (UTC)Some Brovenders girls are amazing. Like Dena. And Meesh. And Rebecca. And Yedida. I'm in awe of all of them.
You should come to me for chag of Sukkot. I'm having huge meals and girl-sleep-overs in the sukkah on the roof of Pardes.
no subject
Date: 2005-10-11 03:49 pm (UTC)Oh, and I understand completely wanting your daughters to learn Gemara and having a home where judaism and shabbat is wonderful.
One of the guys I like said this on shabbos and I was like *yes yes so attractive!* he said that he wanted his daughters (well everyone really) to lay tefillin everyday and pray and learn and.. wow... =p
Anyway, yeah, we should have a jewish girl pa meetup =)
no subject
Date: 2005-10-11 04:22 pm (UTC)I don't use the deadjournal anymore. It's very very dead.
no subject
Date: 2005-10-11 04:24 pm (UTC)I wish I could come to you for sukkot. If only I had a plane ticket to Israel...
no subject
Date: 2005-10-11 08:01 pm (UTC)