Religion weird.

I'm mostly disturbed by the fact that we've lived together for 4 years and I didn't know if we had a Bible. I mean, I *know* the books in this house.

I don't know if I have a bible either, actually. I think I donated it before I moved up here. A lot of books didn't make the cut.

It's a little disheartening that that had to be pointed out.

Yeah. I mean, I'm used to people who think that Judaism is just Christianity minus Jesus, but I don't think I've ever had to argue that argument before.

Thanks to cleaning out my grandmother's/mother's house, I have like five Bibles now. I still have the KJV I used for five years as my textbook in high school bible class.

They weren't married yet.

I guess I knew that. If they had been married, Joseph wouldn't have been surprised or concerned about finding her pregnant, right? I remember the line (verse?) that when he found out, Joseph "was minded to put her away privily." I interpreted that as a private, quiet breaking of their bond, which I thought of as marriage but I guess it was engagement.

Still, her showing up pregnant and NOT married was even more awkward.

Shir, I thought this editorial from a Jewish newspaper in New Jersey was interesting

My two cents?

We had a busy summer. Protesting, you know. Learning to reach over difference in the unbelievable torn and divided society my country is. We learned that our problems is everyone else's problems. It was like a miracle. Waking up into a dream. Just read that speech (in the biggest demonstration that ever took place here, for the record): [link]

And for two and a half months now, every other two weeks there's another headline that's teaches us who to hate, or who should we be afraid of this time. Usually, it's only a day or two after another social issue from the summer's protest gets a headline. Palestinians? Iran? Young people who don't go to the army? Settlers? Leftists? Religious people? We're a small country with a lot of choices and sections. What I listed here are only the obvious suspects.

We were united, for one summer. There was an actual hope for change. I left everything - which is quite a lot - and went to 5 of the 6 demonstrations that happened while I was in Israel. And I hate demonstrations and large public, yeah? So especially after this summer, I know things can change here. I didn't use to have that hope before.

So right now, I'm taking everything press is giving me with more than a sack of salt. Because I remember that summer. And I know that if we won't take care of the social issues, that will destroy Israel faster than any so-called outside threat to it or terrorism.

I think the feminist blog comment thread argument (it was on feministing several years ago) that made me roll my eyes the most was, for a post about a new book looking at Judaism and the Hebrew Bible from a feminist perspective, someone was arguing at length that it's impossible to look at the bible from a feminist perspective, because the bible is inherently anti-feminist, because G-d raped Mary.

Wow. Priceless. I do hope that one came from a Messianic Jew.

I'm pretty sure I learned somewhere along that line that betrothal was a bigger deal back in the day than engagement is now, so, while they weren't married, they were, well, betrothed in the sense of obligated to be married at some point in the future (instead of just, intended to marry, I guess). So. Not the point of the conversation; just a factoid.

I've always been a bit perplexed by the difference between a binding betrothal and actually being married. Is it because a betrothal is easier to break than a marriage, even if it's a big deal? Sort of a Going Once, Going Twice, I really mean it this time thing?

I remember reading somewhere that, within the way that Jewish marriages are traditionally done, if you're already engaged, then it's easier to get married and then divorced than it is to break the engagement, but I don't know all the details of that.

I'm mostly disturbed by the fact that we've lived together for 4 years and I didn't know if we had a Bible. I mean, I *know* the books in this house.

Heh. I can safely say we don't have a Bible. I may not know all of the books that are around in our house, but I know we don't have a Bible.