Our new cat Osher! Plus a few ruminations - by Michal
On Thursday, when we took Simcha to the Humane Society to be neutered, we heard the vet talking about a 7-month old orange tabby who might be put to sleep because he couldn’t find a home. He’d been in a 1 ft x 1 ft. steel cage for two months, was neutered and had all his vaccinations, but no one had adopted him and they couldn’t keep him anymore. So we were torn… we took Simcha home and thought about it. In short, we decided this: we had always wanted more than one cat back in Cincinnati, since Jonathan will be going back to work full-time and can't keep Simcha company. So if we know we’re going to get a cat, why not now, when Simcha's young and can adapt?
All in all, it’s been going pretty well. The Humane Society had originally named the cat Garfield, but you know, I refuse to adopt an Israeli cat named Garfield, of all things! So we renamed him Osher, which means happiness. Poor Osher wasn’t used to being out a cage, and he was so scared in the beginning, he hid behind the TV for three hours. We think he may have been also abused by a man, because he was terrified of Jonathan. But it’s been only three days, and now he lets both Jonathan and I pet him, he lets himself be held for a minute or two, and he greets us at the door. At first we kept him and Simcha separated, but now they’re playing, wrestling, and chasing each other all over the house. It’s really obvious how much Simcha has grown, because Osher is a month older, but much skinnier… he looks like the stray to Simcha’s well-fed house-cat now. Our family is now complete… at least until kids!
Osher aside - how many of you are familiar with the term “agunah”? It's the name for an Orthodox woman whose husband won’t grant her a divorce, or a “get,” so she lives alone but is still legally married. She can never get remarried, which is HUGE in Orthodox communities, and so that, compiled with other things, makes her basically a persona non grata in the Orthodox world. We saw this sign on one of the main streets in Jerusalem, on the way to the grocery store. Kudos to whoever put up it up.
In other news, my service is tomorrow, and I had a three-hour rehearsal with Melanie and Matt today which set me off on some interesting internal discussions. For example, neither Matt nor I are going to wear tallitot on the bima – we never wear them in daily/weekly prayer, and I would feel hypocritical wearing one as a leader. But then, is it a leader’s responsibility to model Judaism, and perhaps tallitot, on the bima for others to emulate? If so, that opens up another whole can of worms, like if a rabbi must keep kosher, or wear a kippah at all times, or do all those other things which differentiate a “Jewish leader” from other Jews in the public eye. I say no: I am who I am, and a congregation must accept that. But then again, (to quote Tevye), on the other hand, if a leader expresses him or herself in a non-halachic way (not according to Jewish law), then who does the congregation look up to as an example for how to live a ritually Jewish life?
Oy. Headache. I don't know what I think on all these issues. At least I have five years to decide. But I just got a wonderful phone call from Mara wishing me luck tomorrow, and I feel better. Now the rest of you wish me luck too! :)
posted by Michal at 1:11 PM
3 Comments:
When my 8th graders visited the modern Orthodox shul a couple weeks ago, the topic of punishing men who would not give their wives a get actually came up! Apparently it is common practice in the Orthodox community to do this. The Orthodox rabbi we spoke with told us that "there are ways" to put pressure on uncooperative husbands. Like don't do business with them (don't buy from them, don't hire them), don't pray with them, don't talk to them! Although the men do have the power to withhold a get and thereby literally hold their wives hostage, the community, in turn, will turn their backs on them.
oops! forgot to sign my name!
love,
Mom
ahh...it's so cute michal!
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