4/17/11

Haderet v'haemunah l'chai olamim.
Habinah v'habracha l'chai olamim.
Hagavah v'hag'dulah l'chai olamim.
Hadeah v'hadibur l'chai olamim.
Hahod v'hehadar l'chai olamim.
Haviud v'havatikut l'chai olamim.
Hazach v'hazohar l'chai olamim.
Hachayil v'hachosen l'chai olamim.
Hateches v'hatohar l'chai olamim.
Hayichud v'hayir'ah l'chai olamim.
Haketer v'hakavod l'chai olamim.
Ham'lucha v'hamemshalah l'chai olamim.
Hanoi v'hanetzach l'chai olamim.
Haoz v'ha'anavah l'chai olamim.
Hap'dut v'hap'er l'chai olamim.
Hatz'vi v'hatzedek l'chai olamim.
Hak'riah v'hak'dushah l'chai olamim.
Haron v'harom'mut l'chai olamim.
Hashir v'hashevach l'chai olamim.
Hat'hilah v'hatif'eret l'chai olamim.
הָאַּדֶֽרֶת וְהָאֱמונָה לְחַי עולָמִים.
הַּבִינָה וְהַּבְרָכָה לְחַי עולָמִים.
הַּגַאֲוָה וְהַּגְדֻלָה לְחַי עולָמִים.
הַּדֵעָה וְהַּדִּבור לְחַי עולָמִים.
הַהוד וְהֶהָדָר לְחַי עולָמִים.
הַוַֽעַד וְהַוָתִיקות לְחַי עולָמִים.
הַּזָךְ וְהַּזֹֽהַר לְחַי עולָמִים.
הַחַֽיִל וְהַחֹֽסֶן לְחַי עולָמִים.
הַּטֶֽכֶס וְהַּטֹֽהַר לְחַי עולָמִים.
הַּיִחוד וְהַּיִרְאָה לְחַי עולָמִים.
הַּכֶֽתֶר וְהַּכָבוד לְחַי עולָמִים.
הַּלֶֽקַח וְהַּלִּבוב לְחַי עולָמִים.
הַּמְלוכָה וְהַּמֶמְׁשָלָה לְחַי עולָמִים.
הַּנוי וְהַּנֵֽצַח לְחַי עולָמִים.
הַּסִּגוי וְהַׂשֶֽגֶב לְחַי עולָמִים.
הָעֹז וְהָעֲנָוָה לְחַי עולָמִים.
הַּפְדות וְהַּפְאֵר לְחַי עולָמִים.
הַּצְבִי וְהַּצֶֽדֶק לְחַי עולָמִים.
הַּקְרִיאָה וְהַּקְדֻׁשָה לְחַי עולָמִים.
הָרֹן וְהָרומֵמות לְחַי עולָמִים.
הַׁשִיר וְהַׁשֶֽבַח לְחַי עולָמִים.
הַּתְהִּלָה וְהַּתִפְאֶֽרֶת לְחַי עולָמִים.


And here's Chabad in Moscow rocking out, Yngwie Malmsteen style.

Considering Mendelssohn




I think I've finally worked out, sans judgments, how to consider the transition from Moses to Felix. And it's all with the help of postcolonialism! Obviously at this time, there was no way to properly meld Germanness and Jewishness. But what happens when the dominate culture is actually seen as superior, rather than just a simple commonality? What I mean is, there was an inability to reconcile Kant with the Talmud. One had to merge victorious. If you're raised in an environment that has such a strong reaction to Jewish tradition (Abraham, Felix's vater), then assimilation will reach an apotheosis. Then you can make a value judgment, because Jews without any semblance of Jewishness isn't something most of us want. Reform Judaism remains Jewish because of its strong reaction to the Talmud, all the while maintaining dialogue with it. Unlike Leo Zunz, Reform does not dismiss rabbinical texts outright.

To segue:
Secular Judaism/Jewishness maintains itself by engaging with rabbinical tradition; that is, the binary of rabbinics/secularism maintains its very existence. Secularism exists outside and alongside rabbinics. What is literature if not aggadah? What are Jews if not Karaites?

4/9/11

My Relationship with the Fatherland

אויב פארגעס איך אייך, טאטע-לאנד

But it is you who have forgotten me, the groom to Israel's bride. Could a Jew ever have both Fatherland and Motherland? Did Agnon? I have settled for a third: America; but it's not a synthesis.