a reflection

I quite often hear this criticism from angry Orthodox types: The Torah I am writing is pasul according to Orthodox views because I am a woman, so it is irresponsible of me (at best; others say downright disgusting and immoral) to release my Torah, indistinguishable as it is from a kosher Torah, into the wide world where some Orthodox person might happen to read from it.

I know for a fact that there are soferim in those exact same communities who happily sell Torahs to Reform and Conservative communities which are totally pasul. I have seen repairs taking place which are absolutely invalid. I have heard people say "They're Reform, what do they care if it's treif?". No-one is criticising these soferim, even though they're worse than I am - they're creating pasul Torahs and defrauding their customers by telling them that they're kosher.

Of course, it is much easier to be anti-woman than it is to combat fraud and theft within one's own community. Preaching righteous indignation makes you popular. Preaching honesty and integrity doesn't.

(no subject)

Warning: this post is only going to make sense if you know how to chant Torah.

Third aliyah of Korach - Numbers 16:30. Korach and chums have been bitching about how Moses and Aaron have all the power, and Moses is setting up a test: we'll both burn incense to God, and if the earth opens up and swallows you, then we'll know I was right.



Look at the trop. Look at what it does - you hardly ever get that sort of repetition in a mappach clause. Musically, it's step-up, bounce-down, bounce-up, bounce-down, bounce-up, settle-down, quiver - doesn't that sound like an earthquake to you? I liked that. Like the mesorah is making a little joke. Nice.