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Jewcy Book Club

This week:
My Jesus Year
and
Dumbfounded
My Jesus YearDumbfounded
Welcome Authors
Benyamin Cohen
 &
Matthew Rothschild
who are posting all week.
Coming up:
  • 12/08:
    Darin Strauss
  • 12/08:
    Seth Greenland
  • 12/15:
    Rabbi David Wolpe
  • 12/15:
    Janna Gur
  • 02/09:
    Tania Grossinger

FAITHHACKER

You’re supposed to FAST on New Years’s Eve?
Laurel Snyder

by Laurel Snyder, December 26, 2006

1 comments

With Hanukkah over for another year, we can get back to random Faithhacker rantings about non-holiday topics.  At least until later this week, when we’ll all be celebrating the Tenth of Tevet, of course…

What? 

What’s that, you say?  You mean you’ve never heard of the Tenth of Tevet?

Me neither, until now.

But it would seem that while the rest of the world is getting rested up for a night of New Years Eve-ing, observant Jews will be fasting on December 31 (beginning at sundown December 30).  Because we were oppressed (no surprise there). 

Specifically, this holiday commemorates Babylonia’s siege of Jerusalem in 589 BCE, and (as a result) the first destruction of the Temple.  But I find myself reading about the siege, and the ensuing famine… and thinking about... other things.  About Iraq. 

'The essential significance of the fast of the Teth of Tevet, as well as that of the other fast days, is not primarily the grief and mourning which they evoke. Their aim is rather to awaken the hearts towards repentance; to recall to us, both the evil deeds of our fathers, and our own evil deeds, which caused anguish to befall both them and us and thereby to cause us to return towards the good. As it is said (Vayikra 26): 'And they shall confess their transgressions and the transgressions of their fathers.' (Rambam: Hilchot Ta'anit Chapter 5).

Now, I don’t know if I’m going to fast on December 31 (I doubt it, as I’m knocked up right now) but considering the state of our world... this is worth thinking about… our own "deeds" and our own complicity.  We all cause suffering, and we all suffer.


Laurel Snyder

I scribble a lot. I talk too much. I apologize with wild abandon.


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1 comments | leave a comment

Anonymous

12/26/06 1:14 pm
new years fast/bash, explained

Isaac from bangitout sent me this cute reason to goto the bangitout.com new years party:

Now I'm sure a whole lot of you are wondering what it is that will make this party different from staying at home and hoping the Gan Asia guy gets there within an hour? It's a tough question - much like the existential question: Why does the Grey's Anatomy soundtrack always touch my soul?

But the answer should be simple for anyone who knows anything about mixing the following two things:

1. Fasting 2. Preboozing

December 31rst day is also the Fast The 10th of Teves. This means that when the hundreds of decked-out hot Jews make their grand arrival past the exclusive velvet red roped entrance into the slick Copacabana New Years bash and proceed to cozy up to the posh lounge and open bar - they will already be sharing something special with every other beautiful Jewish person there, that is, ofcourse; zero tolerance.

This is what happens when you drink on an empty stomach. More importantly, this will undoubtably trigger this event to be the first huge Jewish party in history with absolutely no awkward moments. Everyone will already be completely out of their minds and ready to have fun. This spectacular moment will not be realized if you plan on sticking to some boring apartment party with the people you small talk with every shabbos. Anyhoo, be there, get some kickass hot outfit and have the best time ever. Here are the details, necking is optional.

Bangitout New Years Bash @ The Copacabana
Enter on 11th Ave between 34th and 33rd street
$50 Dollars - 10pm Open Bar till 1am. Kosher Nosh. RSVP not necessary just show up looking hot. www.bangitout.com 917-312-6472 events@bangitout.com