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What’s That String Sticking Out Of Your Pants? (Parshah Shelach Lecha)

May 29, 2013 by Patrick Beaulier

450px-Tzitzit

There’s this urge when you become religious to buy every piece of Judaica possible.

It’s a process that starts with simple jewelry, of course with chamsas and magen david on them. Then we move onto goofy tee shirts that say “matzah baller” or “I don’t roll on the Shabbos”. Eventually you start buying real Judaica, like mezuzot and hanukkiahs. Suddenly you’ve maxed out your credit card when you realize how insanely expensive shipping anything from Israel is.

If you’re a certain kind of person, you buy a tallit katan, a shirt that you wear underneath your clothes, like Jewish Magic Underwear. And then you have this awkward moment of being the person at the Reform synagogue wearing tzitzit while people look at you like you got lost while walking to Chabad.

I mention this because this week’s Torah portion commands tzitzit, the fringes that go on prayer shawls.

It’s a straight forward mitzvah: you attach fringes to a four cornered garment, and wear it. The mitzvah isn’t that intensive. Frankly, it’s more complicated to buy tzitzit than it is to observe the mitzvah.

Religion is like that. It’s this thing you get caught up in. And maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe it’s good that religion isn’t just davvening or charity. Maybe it’s a good thing that even shopping can be made holy…as strange as that is to say.

http://punktorah.org/shelach-lecha/
http://punktorah.org/parshah-shelach-lecha-wsleigh-bells/

Filed Under: Jewish Text (Torah/Haftarah/Talmud), Judaism & Belief, Random (Feelin' Lucky?), Rants Tagged With: convert to judaism, convert to judaism online, darshan yeshiva, online conversion, parshat shelach lecha, patrick "aleph" beaulier, patrick aleph, punktorah, rabbi beaulier, rabbi patrick aleph beaulier, tallit, tzitzit

What’s Up With Tzitzit?

July 16, 2010 by Patrick Beaulier

The who, what, why, how, and when of tzitzit.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGwkKri0N2A

Filed Under: Judaism & Belief, Podcasts & Videos, Random (Feelin' Lucky?), Your Questions Answered Tagged With: Jewish, Jews, Judaism, mitzvah, mitzvot, Religion, tallis, tallit, tallit gadol, tallit katan, ten commandments, Torah, tzitzit

Women Who Say Shema Should Put On Tallis and Tefillin

July 8, 2010 by Patrick Beaulier

We know that there have been a lot of discussion about whether or not women should or can wear tallis and tefillin. Patrick and I wanted to point out this article on our friend Heshy Fried’s blog that debates the matter. Where do you come down on this issue? We’d love to know. Hit us back in the comments here!

Filed Under: Judaism & Belief, Random (Feelin' Lucky?), Your Questions Answered Tagged With: feminism, Jewish, Jews, Judaism, mitzvah, mitzvot, orthodox, patrick "aleph" beaulier, patrick aleph, prayer, punktorah, rabbi patrick aleph beaulier, Religion, shema, shma, tallis, tallit, tefillin, Torah

Tallit?

October 3, 2009 by Patrick Beaulier

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQDSauQwC6E

Wrap yourself in Hashem’s love with Tallit/Tallis! G_d acts as a mother, clothing us in her love. This video is brought to you by PunkTorah.org. Check us out at twitter.com/punktorah and also on Facebook!

Filed Under: Judaism & Belief, Podcasts & Videos Tagged With: bible, Counterculture, darshan yeshiva, holy underwear, Jewish, jewish prayer, Jews, Judaism, patrick "aleph" beaulier, patrick aleph, prayer, prayer shawl, punktorah, rabbi patrick aleph beaulier, Religion, tallis, tallit, tallit katan, Torah

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