Utopian Revolution

What this post lacks in cohesion in makes up in idyllicism.

So one of the many rationalizations for the bad that exists is that without wrongness in the world, goodness would lose both motivation and impact. How can we define what we want without what we don't want?Some people thing we can't ascribe positive attributes to The Divine because they're limiting. We can only say what G-d is not. But aren't we G-d? Isn't this world?

"It is not your responsibility to finish the work of perfecting the world, but you are not free to desist from it either."Rabbi Tarfon, Pirke Avot 2:21

Maybe two summers ago, I read Utopia which is when I realized that the book became the word. Last week we discussed that the Zionist build Tel Aviv from nothing and what they were envisioning would become of their goals. Currently I am missing my streetier days filled with unwashed-ness, punks, and people generally living countercultures. And building counter futures.

What would a perfect world look like? A completed world?

“ונאמר והיה ה' למלך על כל הארץ. ביום ההוא יהיה ה' אחד ושמו אחד"

“It has been said, G-d will govern all the world. On that day G-d will be one and G-d's name will be one.”

Will we all be brainwashed into a singular faith and doctrine of behavior, like that season of Angel? Is perfection a loss of free will, or of distinction (I have feelings about Imagine)?

Then I heard this song: After The Revolution by David Rovics

He suggests many goals, which I've tried to tweak a little. Several are still unfortunately too idyllic. But hopefully represent the direction we should move toward. Spending less resources on killing, and more on growing food and spending time with loved ones.

Just stop making weapons.

Soldiers go home. Or stop volunteering.

Disarm WMDs.

Dismantle Battleships...or take the weapons off but keep the boats maybe.

Since no countries, less terrorists?

Since less hunger, less terrorist.

Since more education, less terrorist.

Let people out of prison. This one is real. Let so many people out of jail.

Cops put down guns, or at least get better training when to take it out. And how to talk about their feelings and prejudices.

Forgive Debt. Who really benefits from owning money from things that shouldn't have cost that much in the first place? The creation of debt and the lack of resources drives people into the army and the street-armies known as gangs. So does the criminalization of recreational drugs.

Billionares share, invest in farming and education. And education about farming.

Plant trees

Solar pannels

Trains

Food

I think my perfect world is summed up by a weird dream I've had for years: an apiary next to a florist.

I believe that it would be possible to be distinct, happy, fulfilled, and what I'll call nearly harmless. People need to eat good food, they need exercise, especially since I see human aggression as a psychological need, they need personal expression. And safety. And all of those needs are interconnected.

But if people learned and learned about farming and then farmed, then they'd have food. They'd be exhausted and less aggressive. We'd have food, build shelter, share things, have time to learn. We wouldn't be stressed out over debt. If you wanted to pray to things, you could pray to things. And maybe we'd all just suck less.

Thomas Moore did a better job, but I am not starting with an island version of a tabula rasa. I live in a messy complicated world. So I'm gonna start with more food and education and less weapons. Except, I'm not really in charge of a lot of those things. So that just brings me back to suck less.

That's pretty much my goal for Elul, suck less this year. It took a long time not to be destructive. Now it's time to be productive. And maybe some day after grad school, there'll be time for growing food and solar panels. I'll leave the accordion to those more suited towards it. 

Down The Bondage For G-d Tefillin Hole

Down The Leather-For-G-d Rabbit Hole

What the fuck is Tefillin, might you ask? My sexual proclivities aside, there's a legal and emotional power exchange that happens between a people and a deity. And a year and some time ago, I wrapped tefillin and felt like a MF-warrior. I was suited up to go to liturgical battle. It marked both my flesh where it had bound me and my soul the same.

Box. Box. Box. And that's not a euphemism. The actual line from the Torah says “bind these words”...betwixt your eyeballz and on your hand. Somehow, that has become having an ordained scribe, meticulously scribble holy passages onto scrollz and cram those scrollz into boxes and then binding those boxes on our bodies.

So I have two problems: 1) Why are there boxes. What's with this box? Why are the words hidden from me? 2) Most of the folks that make these ritual objects are not people I want to give my Jew-gold to. And I'm not the sort that they want to be laying the Tefillin on. So do we make them ourselves? It's hard. The boxes are hard, but we could make them without boxes.....

And if I try to take the Torah literally, I will be ignoring all of the Oral Law. I am unsure if I am cool enough to ignore Oral Law.

Why holy: tradition, commandment scripture uniform, forbidden

why me bondage warrior prayer ritual

So, now I am living in the land and wrapping tefillin on my own. I haven't been bringing them to services because the pair I have are fragile, and also, wrapping them might cut into my 15 minutes of shoveling food into my mouth between praying and class.

What is the land made of? How bound am I to Oral Law? The boxes though ridiculous and uncited, seem important in that they have become iconically Jewish. There's nothing Written about covering one's head with a beanie, yet Minhag, minhag, minhag (or as anglicized Tevye would say Tradition!). But, after all the shelac and paint and trouble, who's to know if that box is wood or leather? So maybe, I can cheat. Luckily, I know someone who works leather. And someone who works wood. Maybe, stateside, when their powers combine, form of Tefillin, that I had some queer, Italian, religious leaders make from different sides of the country. My country. And we'll cram some scrolls in, and maybe, for the sake of all that is Literal, and all that is rebellion, somewhere the words will be bound on the thing that's binding me and not only hidden inside. Here's some Halacha bullet points for those that would draw their own conclusions from my madness.

Tefillin—much like PESACH---is brought to you buy the number four.

4 sides to a square (six sides to a cube, noobs)

4 Quotes:

1) If you are holy to me and remember how you were slaves?

We are reminded that we used to be slaves but aren't anymore. This is to remind us that we willingly and voluntarily submit to G-d; and how hott is that!?

2. Something about the next generation. And the generations before and how if I ignore oral law, I ignore all of the Jews that come before me. Like a shondes.
3. The shema and the v'ahavta which is what we most pray while wearing Tefillin.
   (BT Brachot 14b) compares one who recites kriat shema without tefillin to one who offers a zevach (offering) without nesachim. According to the Gemara, both resemble one who bears false witness.
4. crops and food. And weather.

Also four ordinations: Rabbi, Schochet, Mohel, Sofer

1. Hide of outer most part of Kosher animal Orech Chayim 32:7
2. Must be written in Black Permanent ink ibid 32:3; Megillah 1:9 (12 a)
3. Must be tied shut with hair from a kosher animal ibid 32:42
4. Square leather box
5. Rosh must have right 3-shin, left 4-shin__shin-ception
6. Base of boxes must be wider called titura
7. titura must have an opening for the straps call maabarta
8. boxes sewn shut from thread made from sinew of vein
9. Must be bound with leather straps died black
10. rosh knot= delet; yad knot=yud

YUD Acceptance of the Yoke, love of hashem v'ahavta

HEH Acceptance of mitzvot dev 11:13

VAV dedication of material possessions to avodat hashem shemot 13:1 #essenes

HEH Divine control/Providence Exodus 13:11

Bind on left.

1. tefillin Israel's strenght ber 69
2. Wash, tefillin, shema, prayer=accepting yoke of heaven
3. Rabbi Zera “I rejoice for I have worn tefillin today: 30b
4. 2 tefillin, 1 mezuzah, 4 fringers, psalms 119, 164 Tosefta Bera 6:31
5. Elisha turns tefilin into a bird shabbos 49a
6. Days 1-6tefillin Day Shabbat eruvin 96a
7. Through tefillin one is guarded from evil by a 1000 angels.

Four letters in hashem

1. emanation

2. creation

3. formation

4. completion

seven midos or emanations

For the seven times you wrap it on your arm

1. greatness

2. power

3. glory

4. victory

5. splendor

6. heavan and earth

7. kingfdom

WHEN

all the time

weekday shacharit

not on shabbat or yom tov

morning except tisha b'av

not at night (because you might fall asleep

Whole servie

xcept rosh chodesh take off for musaf

xcept chol ha moed

take off between amidah and hallal

Tallis first

nothing in cluding kippa betwixt you and tefilin

you can cover tefillin afterward though

loop on arm

1^st blessing

wrap around arm, wind toward boday

shel rosh, return kippah

second blessing

finish shel yad

Areh Kaplan

tefilin represent birth because they imitate g-d. Men can't give birth since I don't plan on birthing, I should wrap tefillin

VOLUNTARY SUBMISSION

The box covers and darkens

death its past 

bloodless and impurity

thickening

cutting binding

how to escape from bondage

to freedom

and bondage once more

pouring out libations scratching

hoping to reveal not The Name

only silence

there never were sounds

the leather drowns

they rush and rage

the river escapes

but returns

vaporized to gas

and smoke to climb the mountain

How am i bound

binding my unbroken flesh to The Lord

Hurtling forward compelled 

by demons

by spiruts

by an echoing haunted Name

vows long sworn obligating a future of obligation

the hills are not mountains

the air remains thick

so though the light increases

let's not forget

at the price of burning the wick

consume me flame

devour me in festive oils

dissenting opinions minimize

until my one light alone

flickers out in the darkness

so far from home

December 2015