[HANASHIR:4436] Re: new question re Puff

[NeilNFW <NeilNFW...>]

Joel (and others),

I love Puff the Kosher Dragon, but, teaching at a Reform Congregation, you need 
to make very clear with your school director or rabbi as to whether or not you 
are contradicting the customs of your Temple.

The song is useful as a teaching tool, but the trap is that the song can be 
interpreted as "If you don't do this, you are doing something incorrectly."  I, 
too, agree in the wrongness of dismissing Kashrut or benching as "Non-Reform," 
but if your Temple feels that the song demonstrates these actions as 
REQUIREMENTS, you may have problems.  

The latest principles of Reform Judaism state that Refome Judaism should be 
about what we do and not about what we don't do.  By utilizing this song as an 
example of that, you have a powerful teaching tool--using the word "choice" a 
lot.

So be careful.  And, no, your concerns are not silly.

To those who will undoubtedly respond with other points of view, please know 
that I did not write this to espouse the virtues of Reform Judaism, nor to 
knock any other branch.  It is merely based upon experience.

Neil Weinstein
Temple de Hirsch Sinai
Seattle, Washington

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