New Year's Day

How come there aren’t fireworks on Rosh Hashanah, hmmmmmm? It’s the Jewish New Year, right? We get them on December 31st/New Year’s Eve AND, for that matter, where’s the big football game?

From Judaism 101:

Rosh Hashanah is commonly known as the Jewish New Year. This name is somewhat deceptive, because there is little similarity between Rosh Hashanah, one of the holiest days of the year, and the American midnight drinking bash and daytime football game.

Oh.

There is, however, one important similarity between the Jewish New Year and the American one: Many Americans use the New Year as a time to plan a better life, making "resolutions." Likewise, the Jewish New Year is a time to begin introspection, looking back at the mistakes of the past year and planning the changes to make in the new year.

Back when I was a young kitten of 22 and living with Stan, we’d go to shul together -- it was a Havurah in the basement of the MIT student center. This was my introduction to Judaism and the beginning of two plus decades of irregular shul going as well as high and not so high holiday observing.

Why didn’t I join up, convert to Judaism?

Eh, why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free (yez, I’m a crass bitch. You knew that already -- get over yourself).

There’s my whole commitment phobia added to the solid-state fact that I just don’t cotton to ANY dogma in it’s entirety. Yup, if I was still Catholic I’d be considered one of those Cafeteria ones. Hell, I’d be a Cafeteria Jew, Buddhist or Unitarian Universalist (though, given the wonderful openness of Unitarian Universalism, that’d be a pretty nifty and interesting trick on my part).

Do I believe in god? That depends on your definition of god I guess. The Amazing Bob and I are comfortable in our Agnosticism.

From the Urban Dictionery on Agnosticism:

The realization of knowing that “we cannot know everything” is the backbone of the agnostic belief.

Christian Zealot: God loves you and everyone. He will save you
Agnostic: Prove it.

Athiest: There is no way that a god can exist.
Agnostic: Prove it.

When pressed on the god point, TAB and I posit that, IF there is a god of any sort, it is the collective energy of the universe, of nature.

Given this, you’d think I’d be more into the whole hiking and camping out in the wild woods and mountains thing.

Oh please, god invented indoor plumbing and Tempur-Pedic TEMPUR-Cloud Luxe Supreme Breeze mattress JUST for me. I’m sure of it.

Shanah Tovah, y’all!
New Year's Day -- U2