Before Shabbat

As I got older, I graduated from a small orange paper bag to a bigger paper Halloween bag with those rope-like handles. “Trick or treat!”, We would howl and open our bags wide for fabulously decadent candy treats. By age ten, my band of trick or treaters achieved the ultimate candy storage method: a pillowcase. Of course, we believed it to be our duty to fill the case, which none of us ever accomplished, though not for lack of trying.

Despite the occasional viral stories that make parents and kids anxious: loose candy laced with LSD, razors in apples, etc., there has never been a reported case of poisoned or laced candy. There has never been a report of injury due to bobby trapped fruit. Why wouldn’t every kid in America be on the streets?

There is absolutely nothing that prohibits nice Jewish boys and girls from hitting the streets on Halloween. Halloween does not celebrate any religious ideology. None of the symbols or practices are remotely religious. It’s all good, clean American fun. It is devoid of any religious connotations. Why would we eschew this utterly secular American custom?

I know; there are those who suggest that Jews must not go out trick or treating because Halloween’s roots are pagan. In response, I would advise thoughtful Jews to look at the lulav and etrog we use on Sukkot and the rituals for which we use them. The roots of homo sapiens are planted in pagan soil. As we evolved, some of them were incorporated into religious practice and some withered. Halloween does not celebrate pagan practice nor does it even vaguely threaten Jews and the Jewish tradition.

I wonder if the aversion some Jews have to Halloween isn’t like the dour Ashkenazic prohibition against things that in and of themselves are kosher but are forbidden because they remind us of things that are not kosher… We need to unclench on this one. There’s no conversion conspiracy hiding behind the jack o’lantern. There’s no satanic worship in the Snickers bar. It’s nothing but fun.

Halloween is a lot like Thanksgiving. It is a civic celebration, uniting and unifying Americans across virtually all socio-economic, religious, and racial barriers. In the costumes and masks, there are no divisions, no us and them.

On Halloween, all of our children are what they should always be when interacting: the same. We live in a partisan time. With all of the things that divide us, how nice that there is still a tradition that transcends barriers of culture and religion and politics, that brings us all together in a non-threatening joyful celebration. Trick or treat? Yes!

Shabbat Shalom

rebhayim

“This post originally appeared on the blog of ReformJudaism.org“

I grew up in a home where watching the news was considered mandatory. After dinner, we waited for Walter Cronkite, a man we revered with pious intensity. When he spoke, no one could utter a sound.

In those days, news sources were few. There was local news, network news, news radio, and the print media. People would pick and choose from them. And while there were some nuances between a more conservative source versus a more liberal source, no one ever suggested that any particular source was fake news.

Now we have essentially unlimited news sources. We can go to a number of cable channels for 24/7/365 coverage. For some of them, there is a clear ideological slant. Then there are the partisan sites, where one’s political opinion is nurtured by others who believe in the same things.

The fact that what I read and watch defines me politically is very troubling. I don’t want to be seen through any particular filter. I want to be seen as a Jewish American male interested in my world. Period. The fact that people around me may have different opinions is bracing and positive. I don’t want to only speak to like-minded people. It’s healthy to have a variety of viewpoints available from which to learn. It’s good to have thoughtful challenges to the status quo. It helps to keep one awake and watchful.

The hard truth for me, as a news junkie, is that there is so much toxic news. I can barely stand to read the ongoing drama of American domestic and foreign policy. I wonder if the vague anxiety I feel about nuclear war is ridiculous, or if it’s ridiculous that I’m not more frightened? And what about the guns and random violence and mass shootings and utterly inadequate gun laws? And what’s up with Israel, anyway? What will Iran do now? And Harvey Weinstein, this rapacious bully? Help! The list could go on and on and on and on…

When I wake up in the morning, it’s to my NPR station. Often the news is bleak. And I’ve started to wonder: am I too addicted? Do I need to ease up on mainlining news?

Niall Doherty, a very interesting Irish fellow, wrote four years ago that a steady diet of news is bad for us. He gives six reasons to back his contention up:

1. The news is depressing

2. The news is a poor representation of reality

3. Everything in the news is beyond your circle of influence

4. You don’t need to stay informed

5. You’ll never know it all anyway

6. You can catch up quickly if you need to

It all sounds rather heretical to me. But maybe Doherty is right. As  Dr. Andrew Weil wrote some time ago, “Some studies have shown that images and reports of violence, death, and disaster can promote undesirable changes in mood and aggravate anxiety, sadness, and depression, which in turn can have deleterious effects on physical health. Even frequent worrying can reduce immunity, making you more vulnerable to infection.”

Do you ever take what Weil calls a “news fast”? Do you think it wise? Do you think it’s irresponsible? I’m debating what to do here. Can I afford less time involved with current events? Can I afford not to know as much as possible? Tell me what you think.

Shabbat Shalom,

rebhayim