[HANASHIR:5550] RE: Adonai s'fatai tiftakh

[Andy Curry <acurry...>]

Steve,

As long as respect and courtesy prevail, I enjoy disagreements.  After all,
that's how the Talmud was accomplished!  If our beliefs and traditions are
never questioned, we don't learn as much.

As for whether we're on the subject of songleading, not all of us look at
songleading as our primary Hava-Nashira-related function.  On the HN
application form, we are asked to check whether we're a songleader, a
cantor, a music director, etc..  So - are we only supposed to talk about
songleading?  Wouldn't liturgy and its different forms and traditions be
appropriate subjects?

Last year I was in Palo Alto on the day of my father's yartzeit.  I went to
a shul to say kaddish and was given the honor of davening maariv.  I asked
the rabbi if there was anything "out of the ordinary" about their minhag;
he said no, just the "regular" Conservative minhag.  At my regular shul, we
can wait to turn to the East until "Va-anachnu korim".  Needless to say,
when I recited "Alenu l'shabeach", I was asked to turn around.

Every place has its tradition, and unless we talk about it, we come to
think that it is THE Jewish tradition.  To me, the discussion does not
"invalidate peoples' beliefs and traditions"; quite the opposite - it lets
us know that there are quite a few of them, and they are all Jewish.

Have a ziese Shabbos.

Andy

At 10:13 AM 3/24/00 EST, you wrote:
>Friends--
>
>Once again I read our diverging opinions and gringe at the glib remarks that 
>some feel compelled to make on our list. Regardless of each of our 
>backgrounds, I think it is an embarrssment to this list, and beyond, to make 
>generaliztions and judgements based on indivual upbringing and backgrounds. 
>True, some of us are more knowledgable in these areas, but the tone and 
>intent of some of these remarks is - IMHO - NOT what the spirit of what this 
>list-serve is all about. 
>
>Sometimes it is not so important to prove our opinions the way we do. Think 
>about that this Shabbat. It pains me to see these debates that invalidate 
>peoples beliefs and traditions. Besides, this isn't about songleading 
>anymore, is it?
>
>Shabbat Shalom--
>
>Steve Dropkin
>
>
>
>
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Andy Curry
CellNet Data Systems
11146 Thompson Ave
Lenexa KS 66219
Office: 913-312-4739
Facsimile: 913-312-4701
Home : 816-363-8381
E-Mail: acurry (at) cellnet(dot)com
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