it's no "Life of Brian", is it?

~Simon

Simon Horwith
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  -----Original Message-----
  From: Matthew Small [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
  Sent: 16 December 2003 22:06
  To: CF-Community
  Subject: Re: distinctions between xmas and chanukah

  OK, Charlie, it's time to listen to the guy who thinks "The Matrix" is
spiritual advice. :-)

  - Matt Small
    ----- Original Message -----
    From: Marlon Moyer
    To: CF-Community

    Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2003 4:52 PM
    Subject: Re: distinctions between xmas and chanukah

    The Matrix

    Matthew Small wrote:

    > Where is that from?
    >
    > - Matt Small
    >   ----- Original Message -----
    >   From: Marlon Moyer
    >   To: CF-Community
    >   Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2003 4:44 PM
    >   Subject: Re: distinctions between xmas and chanukah
    >
    >   Or just realize "there is no spoon"
    >
    >   Matthew Small wrote:
    >
    >   > It's never too late to start practicing.  It will probably bring
you
    >   > some inner peace.  You should try your native faith or that of
your
    >   > wife and children.  Good luck.
    >   >
    >   > - Matt Small
    >   >
    >   > ----- Original Message -----
    >   >   From: Charlie Griefer
    >   >   To: CF-Community
    >   >   Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2003 4:00 PM
    >   >   Subject: Re: Re:distinctions between xmas and chanukah
    >   >
    >   >   Heya Ben:
    >   >
    >   >   Actually that was said with a hint of sarcasm (what?  you
couldn't
    >   > hear it?) : )
    >   >
    >   >   Unfortunately, that's the way it was in my house.  We just
weren't
    >   > very religious...and it was fairly early on that Chanukah
    >   > 'degenerated' into a simple gift exchange with no ceremony
    > attached to
    >   > it...and ultimately into nothing at all.
    >   >
    >   >   Today, I consider myself a non-practicing Jew.  I'm married to a
    >   > wonderful Lutheran woman, and we are raising our children
    >   > Lutheran.  My wife's religion was simply more important to her
than
    >   > mine was to me, due to the way each of us was brought up.  To be
    >   > honest, it's very depressing not having a religion to believe in.
I
    >   > don't mind at all that my daughter (and whatever children follow)
are
    >   > going to be raised Lutheran.  I wouldn't have cared if I had
    > fallen in
    >   > love and married a Catholic or an Episcopalean or for that
    > matter... a
    >   > Jew.  All that mattered (and matters) to me is that whatever
religion
    >   > it ended up being...that they practiced it.  I don't necessarily
care
    >   > what they believe...but I want them to believe in *something*.
    >   >
    >   >   Trust me, I envy you for taking pleasure in the simple act of
    >   > lighting the candles and saying the prayers (regardless of whether
or
    >   > not gifts were involved).  I envy your children for having had
those
    >   > principles instilled in them (and commend you for doing so).  I'm
    >   > going to try and do the same for my children.  Wish me luck  : )
    >   >
    >   >   Charlie
    >   >
    >   >     ----- Original Message -----
    >   >     From: Ben Braver
    >   >     To: CF-Community
    >   >     Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2003 12:38 PM
    >   >     Subject: Re:distinctions between xmas and chanukah
    >   >
    >   >     Oh, Charlie, do I ever disagree with you on this:
    >   >
    >   >     "No reason to light the menorah and say a prayer if there were
no
    >   > presents to open", you say?
    >   >
    >   >     *NOT*
    >   >
    >   >     My young-adult kids even asked a couple of years ago that I
    > not go
    >   > overboard trying to fill up 8 days with presents.
    >   >
    >   >     We say the blessings and light the menorah whether we have
    >   > presents or not. I love to sit and watch the candles. Yes,
sometimes
    >   > we skip a night due to some of the schedule conflicts this time of
    >   > year, but not because there are no gifts for that night...
    >   >
    >   >     YMMV.
    >   >
    >   >     -Ben
    >   >
    >   >     > my take on #10...
    >   >     >
    >   >     > kids will always get their xmas presents...
    >   >     > but on any given night of Chanukah, a parent reserves the
    > right to
    >   >     > withhold presents (or at least to threaten to do so).
    >   >     >
    >   >     > Actually I was relatively young when my parents started the
    >   >     > "bargaining process".  As the presents I wanted became more
and
    >   > more
    >   >     > expensive, I was told, "OK...but if you want <name of more
    >   > expensive
    >   >     > present here>, you can only get 5 gifts instead of 8".
    >   >     >
    >   >     > Eventually one gift got exchanged, the menorah gathered dust
(no
    >   >     > reason to light the menorah and say a prayer if there were
no
    >   > presents
    >   >     > to open), and we all just grew up and grew jaded  : )
    >   >     >
    >   >     > ah, youth.
    >   >     >
    >   >
    >   >     > ----- Original Message -----
    >   >
    >   >     > From: Ben Braver
    >   >
    >   >     > To: CF-Community
    >   >
    >   >     > Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2003 10:14 AM
    >   >
    >   >     > Subject: Re:distinctions between xmas and chanukah
    >   >     >
    >   >     >
    >   >
    >   >     > Oy, Charlie, ROFLMAO bubbela !!
    >   >
    >   >     > Vay is meer, that was FUNNY!
    >   >
    >   >     > But I don't get #10 ??
    >   >
    >   >     > re: #12, Joseph preceded the Xmas carol saying
    >   >
    >   >     > "Have yourself a Mary little Christmas"
    >   >
    >   >     > <hohoho>
    >   >
    >   >     > -Ben
    >   >     >
    >   >
    >   >     > >HOLIDAY DISTINCTIONS
    >   >
    >   >     > >
    >   >
    >   >     > >1. Christmas is one day, same day every year: December 25.
    > Jews
    >   > also
    >   >     > love
    >   >
    >   >     > >December 25th. It's another paid day off work. We go to
    > movies and
    >   >     > out for
    >   >
    >   >     > >Chinese food, and Israeli dancing. Chanukah is 8 days. It
    >   > starts the
    >   >     > evening
    >   >
    >   >     > >of the 24th of Kislev, whenever that falls. No one is ever
    >   > sure. Jews
    >   >     > never
    >   >
    >   >     > >know until a non-Jewish friend asks when Chanukah starts,
    >   > forcing us
    >   >     > to
    >   >
    >   >     > >consult a calendar so we don't look like idiots. We all
    > have the
    >   >     > same
    >   >
    >   >     > >calendar, provided free with a donation from either the
World
    >   > Jewish
    >   >
    >   >     > >Congress, the kosher butcher, or the local Sinai Memorial
    > Chapel
    >   >     > (especially
    >   >
    >   >     > >in Florida) or other Jewish funeral home.
    >   >
    >   >     > >
    >   >
    >   >     > >2. Christmas is a major holiday. Chanukah is a minor
holiday
    >   > with the
    >   >     > same
    >   >
    >   >     > >theme as most Jewish holidays. They tried to kill us, we
    > survived,
    >   >     > let's
    >   >
    >   >     > >eat.
    >   >
    >   >     > >
    >   >
    >   >     > >3. Christians get wonderful presents such as jewelry,
perfume,
    >   >     > stereos...
    >   >
    >   >     > >Jews get practical presents such as underwear, socks, or
the
    >   >     > collected works
    >   >
    >   >     > >of the Rambam, which looks impressive on the bookshelf.
    >   >
    >   >     > >
    >   >
    >   >     > >4. There is only one way to spell Christmas. No one can
decide
    >   > how to
    >   >     > spell
    >   >
    >   >     > >Chanukah, Chanukah, Chanukka, Channukah, Hanukah, Hannukah.
    >   >
    >   >     > >
    >   >
    >   >     > >5. Christmas is a time of great pressure for husbands and
    >   > boyfriends.
    >   >     > Their
    >   >
    >   >     > >partners expect special gifts. Jewish men are relieved of
that
    >   > burden.
    >   >     > No
    >   >
    >   >     > >one expects a diamond ring on Chanukah.
    >   >
    >   >     > >
    >   >
    >   >     > >6. Christmas brings enormous electric bills. Candles are
    > used for
    >   >     > Chanukah.
    >   >
    >   >     > >Not only are we spared enormous electric bills, but we get
    > to feel
    >   >     > good
    >   >
    >   >     > >about not contributing to the energy crisis.
    >   >
    >   >     > >
    >   >
    >   >     > >7. Christmas carols are beautiful. Silent Night, Come All
Ye
    >   > Faithful....
    >   >     >
    >   >
    >   >     > >Chanukah songs are about dreidels made from clay or having
    > a party
    >   >     > and
    >   >
    >   >     > >dancing the horah. Of course, we are secretly pleased that
    > many of
    >   >     > the
    >   >
    >   >     > >beautiful carols were composed and written by our tribal
    > brethren.
    >   >     > And don't
    >   >
    >   >     > >Barbara Streisand and Neil Diamond sing them beautifully?
    >   >
    >   >     > >
    >   >
    >   >     > >8. A home preparing for Christmas smells wonderful. The
sweet
    >   > smell
    >   >     > of
    >   >
    >   >     > >cookies and cakes baking. Happy people are gathered around
in
    >   > festive
    >   >     > moods.
    >   >
    >   >     > >A home preparing for Chanukah smells of oil, potatoes, and
    > onions.
    >   >     > The home,
    >   >
    >   >     > >as always, is full of loud people all talking at once.
    >   >
    >   >     > >
    >   >
    >   >     > >9. Women have fun baking Christmas cookies. Women burn
their
    >   > eyes and
    >   >     > cut
    >   >
    >   >     > >their hands grating potatoes and onions for latkas on
Chanukah.
    >   >     > Another
    >   >
    >   >     > >reminder of our suffering through the ages.
    >   >
    >   >     > >
    >   >
    >   >     > >10. Parents deliver to their children during Christmas.
Jewish
    >   >     > parents have
    >   >
    >   >     > >no qualms about withholding a gift on any of the eight
nights.
    >   >
    >   >     > >
    >   >
    >   >     > >11. The players in the Christmas story have easy to
pronounce
    >   > names
    >   >     > such as

    >   >
    >   >     > >Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. The players in the Chanukah story
are
    >   >     > Antiochus,
    >   >
    >   >     > >Judah Maccabee, and Matta whatever. No one can spell it or
    >   > pronounce
    >   >     > it. On
    >   >
    >   >     > >the plus side, we can tell our friends anything and they
    >   > believe we
    >   >     > are
    >   >
    >   >     > >wonderfully versed in our history.
    >   >
    >   >     > >
    >   >
    >   >     > >12. Many Christians believe in the virgin birth. Jews
think,
    >   > "Joseph,
    >   >     >
    >   >
    >   >     > >Bubela, snap out of it. Your woman is pregnant, you didn't
    >   > sleep with
    >   >     > her,
    >   >
    >   >     > >and now you want to blame G-d. Here's the number of my
shrink."
    >   >
    >   >     > >
    >   >
    >   >     > >13. In recent years, Christmas has become more and more
    >   >     > commercialized. The
    >   >
    >   >     > >same holds true for Chanukah, even though it is a minor
    >   > holiday. It
    >   >     > makes
    >   >
    >   >     > >sense. How could we market a major holiday such as Yom
Kippur?
    >   > Forget
    >   >     > about
    >   >
    >   >     > >celebrating. Think observing. Come to synagogue, starve
    >   > yourself for
    >   >     > 27
    >   >
    >   >     > >hours, become one with your dehydrated soul, beat your
chest,
    >   > confess
    >   >     > your
    >   >
    >   >     > >sins, a guaranteed good time for you and your family.
    > Tickets a
    >   > mere
    >   >     > $200
    >   >
    >   >     > >per person.
    >   >
    >   >     > >
    >   >
    >
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