July 2009 Archives

On my way to Israel I joked Twitter that I hoped I wasn't overweight in terms of luggage. The truth is I could probably stand to lose a few pounds, or at least get better about exercising. Being in Israel certainly helps; when I was in Gush I dropped two suit sizes largely due to walking everywhere and eating less thanks to yeshiva food.

But in New York and working it's perpetually difficult to find time/space to work out. As a Rabbi my schedule is erratic and I can't afford the gyms. In Washington Heights I was better about jogging thanks to Ft. Tryon Park and I'm too scared to bike on the Lower East Side - try a bike land and you'll see what I mean. Still, all these excuses don't mean anything in the long term when faced with family medical histories.

My sister on the other hand is amazing, juggling a household with 4 kids, a job, active in the community, and still forces herself to do something be it jogging, learning to jump rope, or basic exercises with dumbbells.

Dumbbells! So simple, you can do plenty of stuff at home, a perfect solution! In fact there was a time I had some dumbbells. Years ago my great uncle Ben Yuter once randomly sent me two three pound dumbbells in the mail which should have made for a great conversation in the post office: "let's see how much that weighs..." "Trust me, it's 6 pounds."

Before I try new stuff I typically search online to get a sense of how much things cost and what would make the best deal.¹ Some sets looked intrusting, but I found something even more fascinating in the Body Solid Tools line. Sure looks like an ordinary a 7 pound dumbbell with purple coating, but the real bonus is further down the page. In the "Product Details" section I found this gem:

Shipping Weight: 6.4 pounds

Let one think this is an anomaly, the shipping weight for a 6 pound dumbbell is 5.6 pounds and the 8 pound ships at 7.6.

This is nothing short of revolutionary; Amazon has created a shipping system so advanced they can alter the weight of an object. I'm now thinking why bother with working out when I can just keep shipping myself via Amazon and lose .4-.6 pounds at a clip!

The best part is that after $25, I can even ship for free. Can't get a better deal than that.

1. The "typical Jew" economics are really important when you're paid like a rabbi.

Every week I write a brief "Rabbi's Corner" for my synagogue's weekly e-mail. With the 4th of July this weekend I decided to examine the ideas of and meaning of "Freedom" and "Patriotism". After a little searching I found a fascinating irony - these two terms holy contested in our perniciously partisan society both have linguistic histories conveying ideas of love and brotherhood.

First, according to the Online Etymological Dictionary the origins of word "Free" are rooted in a context of "love":

O.E. freo "free, exempt from, not in bondage," also "noble, joyful," from P.Gmc. *frijaz (cf. M.H.G. vri, Ger. frei, Du. vrij, Goth. freis "free"), from PIE *prijos "dear, beloved" (cf. Skt. priyah "own, dear, beloved," priyate "loves;" O.C.S. prijati "to help," prijatelji "friend;" Welsh rhydd "free"). The adv. is from O.E. freon, freogan "to free, love." The primary sense seems to have been "beloved, friend, to love;" which in some languages (notably Gmc. and Celtic) developed also a sense of "free," perhaps from the terms "beloved" or "friend" being applied to the free members of one's clan (as opposed to slaves, cf. L. liberi, meaning both "free" and "children"). Cf. Goth. frijon "to love;" O.E. freod "affection, friendship," friga "love," friðu "peace;" O.N. friðr, Ger. Friede "peace;" O.E. freo "wife;" O.N. Frigg "wife of Odin," lit. "beloved" or "loving;" M.L.G. vrien "to take to wife, Du. vrijen, Ger. freien "to woo."

The term "Patriot" finds its origins in the word patriote or "fellow countrymen", though in political terms it evolved into somewhat of an insult:

Meaning "loyal and disinterested supporter of one's country" is attested from 1605, but became an ironic term of ridicule or abuse from mid-18c. in England, so that Johnson, who at first defined it as "one whose ruling passion is the love of his country," in his fourth edition added, "It is sometimes used for a factious disturber of the government."

"The name of patriot had become [c.1744] a by-word of derision. Horace Walpole scarcely exaggerated when he said that ... the most popular declaration which a candidate could make on the hustings was that he had never been and never would be a patriot." [Macaulay, "Horace Walpole," 1833]

But the term Patriotism was not always an insult, nor was always used as a political sledgehammer to sell flag pins. According to Harvey Chisick's Historical Dictionary of the Enlightenment, "patriotism" could be defined as something akin social egalitarianism and justice:

Unlike the situation in the 19th century, when nationalism tended to be exclusive and confrontational, during the 18th century patriotism belonged with such inclusive and cohesive values as humanity and beneficence. In the course of the second half of the 18th century, a person who provided relief for the poor, or objected to excessively harsh penal laws, or who criticized institutions such as serfdom or slavery, was likely to be described as a good patriot." (p. 314) [emphasis original]

My hope for this 4th of July our nation can look back to the history of these important words not be lost amongst the ever-spiteful partisan rhetoric which continues to divide our country. I hope that we can spread freedom - in all senses - to our fellow citizens of the world and that we remember the message of what it once meant to be a true patriot.

While I'm not optimistic, I am proud to live in a country where I have the freedom to dream.