From: Bad Eagle
| Cantor and chorus, high holidays in Britain. |
I’m not Jewish, but I am a bit superstitious. I gather a sense of supra-reality around Jewish high holidays. This year, there have been some special, personal circumstances which I think might be worthy of sharing.
I’ve had serious computer challenges, and have been trying to upgrade from a mere 768 MB of RAM to a moderate 2 GB. I am unable to perform a number of tasks with so little RAM. For example, I cannot make clips and edits of the Daughter of Dawn movie and score. (I friend helped me put together the four that I have posted.) So, I made the decision to encounter the wild, wild West, and step out into the street of computer business.
I tried the nearest shop, operated by Muslims. I think Jordanians, though I’m not sure. The man running the store was kind and intelligent, but, after the initial contact and order, I was never able to contact him again, no matter how many times I stopped by the shop, or called in phone numbers. He was invisible and unavailable. I felt responsible because I had made an order of GB sticks, and I didn’t want to leave the store owner with the bill. (Truthfully, I never did know whether he ordered the GB sticks or not.) Some three weeks went by, and I decided to try another shop, the next closest to where I live.
It was a Persian (Iranian) shop. They responded professionally, and I again ordered GB sticks. They came in on Monday, the first day of Rosh Hashanah. (I posted L’Shana Tovah, Why Care? the evening of September 16.) Monday morning, after attempting to install the GBs myself, I was suddenly without an operating computer. Everything quite working. I ended up taking the tower and the sticks (originals and new) to the Persian shop. They kept the computer until Thursday, testing everything, trying to figure out what happened. By Thursday afternoon, I was using my computer again, with the old GBs, which, fortunately, still worked.
The old European days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
Four days without a computer–it was a new experience for me. Every doubt I’ve ever had about computer life, writing, news and political commentary, research, communication, the whole life I’d lived since 2001 when I started writing for David Horowitz’ FrontPageMagazine, came to my mind. I wondered about my course. Many, many friends have told me to drop the news business, drop the political commentary, and just concentrate on my music, and my academic writings. I must say, a number of liberal Jewish friends (mostly female) have been saying this a long time. Two of them have publicly denounced and abandoned me because of my political views, and another is about to, even though she really wants to help me. So, for four days, I actually thought I was about to be divorced from my previous life. It was a solemn time. I wasn’t upset, or frantic. I was faithful, reasonable, and calm.
But, on Thursday, I went into the Persian shop (with its plaques of Darius and Ahura Mazda displayed prominantly) and pleaded for some news about my computer. I was worried about my hard drive, too. I found out that they had ordered new GB sticks, thinking the other ones were defective. They said the old, original sticks (768 MB) still worked, so I could used those until the new ones came in. they handed me my tower.
The new GBs were expected the following week, they said, and, in my mind, that meant that they should be installed by September 25–Yom Kippur.
That’s all I needed to hear. I even made a point of it to the store owner. “The computer went down on Rosh Hashanah, and will be up again on Yom Kippur!” He looked at me very strangely, if not a little alarmed. But, I couldn’t help say something. This was just too strange.
An nice-looking middle-aged lady, also a waiting customer, said quietly with a smile, “Well, maybe you’re not supposed to be on the computer during that time!” Those were becoming my sentiments. (I wondered if she were Jewish.)
In any case, the Persians handed me my old tower, with the original MBs, and I went home. I decided not to post on politics during the 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. I posted on my composition teacher, Dan Asia, who is Jewish. I’m planning on doing another post on his music before Yom Kippur.
I know that the world is boiling over right now with political news. The American presidential election, the Muslim riots, the Democrat plans for the demise of America as we know it, etc. But, I have refrained from posting on these things–just for these ten days, from September 16 to September 26, from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur. I have actually “rested” in a way I haven’t done since 2001.
I wonder if this detachment will be sustained? I wonder if this experience will not change my whole attitude about politics? I praying for one thing: that my way of speaking about the issues will be more acceptable, convincing, and effective. I know I have offended many people by some of the things I have said, and of more concern, by the way I have said these things. I have often wondered if there were a better way to talk about the same issues, and same things differently, more effectively.
I don’t expect unity in the world, or in any society. I’m realistic at this point. I know I have enemies. But, I will say this: during these ten days, I have also been very, very sick with a sinus infection. I haven’t slept well in days. I don’t know that I see things the way they really are, but, I know that I have seen things I haven’t seen before.
I am praying for my enemies. I am praying that the Almighty can reach their souls, and enlighten them.
This I have not done before. Ever.
Why shouldn’t I? What do I have to lose? Shall I not be free of the burden of disgust, of abject frustration, and natural hatred? I say, this turning came to me during these ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
When I feel better, I trust that I will regard all these events and thoughts as real, sound, legitimate, and salvific!
The “One God” of Persia: Ahura Mazda. Some Jewish Iranian scholars, like Amnon Netzer, consider the notion that Zoroaster evolved his god Ahura Mazda from knowledge shared by the Jewish captives among the Medes, from 722 BCE. According to the Bible, Darius actually commanded the worship of Daniel’s God. See, Daniel 6: 24-28.
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