Luca is gone.<\/b> I received the following post on social media from one of my "friends" who [apparently] does not belong to the Haredi community. Here it is without any changes:<\/p>\r\n
Last night the world became sadder, darker and harder. Luca, our beloved dog, who is our firstborn, passed away after a serious illness and she is only 7 years old.<\/p>\r\n\u05d4\u05d9\u05d0 \u05d4\u05d5\u05ea\u05d9\u05e8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05d7\u05e8\u05d9\u05d4 \u05d6\u05d5\u05d2 \u05d4\u05d5\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd, \u05d2\u05d9\u05d0 \u05d5\u05d0\u05e0\u05d5\u05db\u05d9, \u05d0\u05d7\u05d5\u05ea \u05e7\u05d8\u05e0\u05d4 \u05e9\u05d4\u05d9\u05d0 \u05d2\u05d9\u05d3\u05dc\u05d4 \u05d1\u05e2\u05e6\u05de\u05d4, \u05e4\u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05d4, \u05d5\u05d0\u05ea \u05d0\u05e8\u05d9\u05d0\u05dc \u05d1\u05ea\u05e0\u05d5, \u05e9\u05e7\u05d8\u05e0\u05d4 \u05de\u05d3\u05d9 \u05de\u05db\u05d3\u05d9 \u05dc\u05d6\u05db\u05d5\u05e8 \u05d0\u05ea \u05dc\u05d5\u05bc\u05e7\u05d4 \u05d1\u05e2\u05ea\u05d9\u05d3.\r\n\r\n\u05e7\u05e9\u05d4 \u05dc\u05d9. \u05d0\u05e0\u05d9 \u05db\u05d5\u05e2\u05e1 \u05e2\u05dc \u05e2\u05e6\u05de\u05d9 \u05e2\u05dc \u05d4\u05d8\u05d9\u05d5\u05dc\u05d9\u05dd \u05e9\u05d4\u05ea\u05e2\u05e6\u05dc\u05ea\u05d9 \u05dc\u05e2\u05e9\u05d5\u05ea \u05dc\u05d4, \u05e2\u05dc \u05db\u05da \u05e9\u05dc\u05d0 \u05ea\u05de\u05d9\u05d3 \u05d4\u05d9\u05d4 \u05dc\u05d9 \u05db\u05d5\u05d7 \u05dc\u05ea\u05ea \u05dc\u05d4 \u05e6\u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05d9, \u05d5\u05e2\u05dc \u05db\u05da \u05e9\u05dc\u05d0 \u05e9\u05de\u05ea\u05d9 \u05dc\u05d1 \u05dc\u05e1\u05d9\u05de\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd, \u05d0\u05dd \u05d4\u05d9\u05d5, \u05d1\u05d6\u05de\u05df \u05e9\u05e2\u05d5\u05d3 \u05e0\u05d9\u05ea\u05df \u05d4\u05d9\u05d4 \u05dc\u05d4\u05e6\u05d9\u05dc \u05d0\u05d5\u05ea\u05d4.\r\n\r\n\u05e2\u05e6\u05d5\u05d1 \u05dc\u05d9. \u05dc\u05dc\u05d5\u05e7\u05d4 \u05d7\u05dc\u05e7 \u05e2\u05e6\u05d5\u05dd \u05d1\u05d7\u05d9\u05d9, \u05d4\u05d9\u05d0 \u05d4\u05d4\u05d2\u05d3\u05e8\u05d4 \u05e9\u05dc \u05d0\u05d5\u05e9\u05e8, \u05e9\u05dc \u05d7\u05d5\u05e1\u05e8 \u05d0\u05e0\u05d5\u05db\u05d9\u05d5\u05ea \u05d5\u05e9\u05dc \u05d0\u05d4\u05d1\u05d4 \u05dc\u05dc\u05d0 \u05d2\u05d1\u05d5\u05dc\u05d5\u05ea. \u05d2\u05dd \u05d1\u05d7\u05d5\u05d3\u05e9 \u05d5\u05d7\u05e6\u05d9 \u05d4\u05d0\u05d7\u05e8\u05d5\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd, \u05db\u05e9\u05d0\u05d9\u05d1\u05d3\u05d4 \u05d0\u05ea \u05e8\u05d0\u05d9\u05d9\u05ea\u05d4 \u05d5\u05e0\u05e2\u05d4 \u05d1\u05d0\u05d9\u05d8\u05d9\u05d5\u05ea, \u05d5\u05e9\u05d4\u05d9\u05d9\u05ea\u05d4 \u05de\u05e2\u05d5\u05e8\u05e4\u05dc\u05ea \u05de\u05de\u05e9\u05db\u05db\u05d9 \u05d4\u05db\u05d0\u05d1\u05d9\u05dd \u05d4\u05d9\u05d0 \u05e2\u05d3\u05d9\u05d9\u05df \u05d4\u05e8\u05d2\u05d9\u05e9\u05d4 \u05de\u05ea\u05d9 \u05e9\u05d0\u05e0\u05d7\u05e0\u05d5 \u05e2\u05e6\u05d5\u05d1\u05d9\u05dd, \u05d5\u05d1\u05d0\u05d4 \u05dc\u05dc\u05e7\u05e7 \u05d0\u05ea \u05d4\u05e4\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd \u05e9\u05dc\u05e0\u05d5. \u05d5\u05d0\u05d5\u05dc\u05d9 \u05d4\u05d9\u05d4 \u05d1\u05db\u05da \u05d2\u05dd \u05de\u05e9\u05d4\u05d5 \u05d7\u05d9\u05d5\u05d1\u05d9 \u05db\u05d9\u05d5\u05d5\u05df \u05e9\u05dc\u05d5\u05dc\u05d0 \u05d0\u05d9\u05d1\u05d3\u05d4 \u05d0\u05ea \u05e8\u05d0\u05d9\u05d9\u05ea\u05d4 \u05d4\u05d9\u05d9\u05ea\u05d4 \u05e8\u05d5\u05d0\u05d4 \u05d0\u05ea \u05e4\u05e0\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5 \u05d4\u05e0\u05e4\u05d5\u05dc\u05d5\u05ea \u05d1\u05d7\u05d5\u05d3\u05e9\u05d9\u05dd \u05d4\u05d0\u05d7\u05e8\u05d5\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd.\r\n\r\n\u05e2\u05e6\u05d5\u05d1 \u05d1\u05d2\u05dc\u05dc \u05e9\u05d0\u05e0\u05d9 \u05dc\u05d0 \u05d9\u05d5\u05d3\u05e2 \u05de\u05d4 \u05d9\u05e9 \u05e9\u05dd, \u05d4\u05d9\u05db\u05df \u05e9\u05d4\u05d9\u05d0 \u05e0\u05de\u05e6\u05d0\u05ea \u05e2\u05db\u05e9\u05d9\u05d5, \u05d0\u05dd \u05d4\u05d9\u05d0 \u05d7\u05d5\u05e9\u05e9\u05ea \u05d5\u05dc\u05d1\u05d3 \u05d5\u05dc\u05d0 \u05d9\u05d5\u05d3\u05e2\u05ea \u05d4\u05d9\u05db\u05df \u05d4\u05d9\u05d0, \u05d0\u05d5 \u05e9\u05e9\u05de\u05d7\u05d4, \u05d5\u05e8\u05d5\u05d0\u05d4 \u05d0\u05d5\u05ea\u05e0\u05d5 \u05d5\u05d9\u05d5\u05d3\u05e2\u05ea \u05e2\u05d3 \u05db\u05de\u05d4 \u05d0\u05e0\u05d7\u05e0\u05d5 \u05d0\u05d5\u05d4\u05d1\u05d9\u05dd \u05d0\u05d5\u05ea\u05d4...\r\n
I'm sad for Puma, who is waiting for Luca to return, and not Moshe by the front door all night yesterday, and this morning she stood at the door of the house and didn't understand where her sister had gone. And I will never be able to explain to her, and she will never understand. And she will wait.<\/p>\r\nAnd Luka...I'm sad because I really felt like you were going to live forever. Partly because I couldn't imagine my life without you.\r\n
I would love it if you turned on the speakers and watched the film at this link. It's only 2:30 minutes long. It's important to me that you see what Luca was to me. To us.<\/p>\r\n
[Here is a link with excerpts from Luca's life].<\/p>\r\n
Not funny<\/b>. I assume, or almost hear the laughter of quite a few readers about the 'free' person with a somewhat bizarre love for an animal. 'They don't have children, so they love dogs,' quite a few will say. Others will mention that the love for animals comes at the expense of compassion for humans, for the poor, and some will simply feel rejection and even disgust at the manifestation of an emotion like love for a dog.<\/p>\r\n
But the question of the relationship between the sexes is ultimately a social question. Is the gap between animals and humans really so trivial in our eyes?<\/p>\r\n
So why is our attitude towards the hundreds of thousands murdered in Angola, Iraq, and Syria not really fundamentally different from our attitude towards the slaughter of fattened geese? Why don't we even open the news about the death of another 1200 civilians on the Iraq-Syria border? And maybe the difference is between Jews and non-Jews [you are called Adam, etc.]?<\/p>\r\n
And perhaps even among the Jews there are Jews who are more equal and those who are less equal [see the entry Ashkenazi seminars]? Who determines which animal of any kind is superior to another? Why are 2,998 Americans who died in the September 11 attacks incomparably more important than the half a million people who were recently murdered in Darfur? By the way, does anyone know - before Wikipedia - who murdered them and why? What's the point of us mourning the poor man who lost his dog, whom he raised to the rank of a human being, while some of us have lost the proper attitude toward the original human being?<\/p>\r\n
And what does the halacha say about the loving attitude toward animals? Here is Rabbi Yitzhak Zilberstein: A man raised a dog that was loyal to its owner. The dog died suddenly, and its owner asked whether he was permitted to recite the blessing "Baruch Dayan Ha'amat" over the dog - a blessing usually recited upon the passing of a loved one.<\/p>\r\n
Rabbi Zilberstein does not scoff at the question or even tentatively reject it. He raises aspects here and there that can be read in his book Hishukei Hemad for Tractate Baba Metzia.<\/p>\r\n
Rabbi Zvi Pesach on the Elections<\/b>. The battle for the rabbinate of the city of Jerusalem is entering almost its final phase, and everyone is stirring up trouble.<\/p>\r\n
Sometimes it seems that the personal identity of the candidates has almost been forgotten, and the issue of choice has become a self-interested polemic. In other words: the camp of which sector is stronger.<\/p>\r\n
On days like these, it might be worth remembering the letter that the legendary rabbi of Jerusalem wrote on this very subject \u2013 the election of the Haredi chief rabbi for the city:<\/p>\r\n
\""And since Jerusalem has been built and prepared since then and is taking shape and taking form, I could not write anything clear... At first I thought that the Ashkenazi city council would take the necessary steps for the benefit of the many, but I immediately realized that there was no substance in it...<\/p>\r\n
The Rabbi... told me that he was very careful about me, that I would not help him turn the rabbinate over to him, but the truth is that he is loved by all, and he did not know and did not feel that, in his old age, most of his words were dictated by the advice of his young scribes who wanted to step on the heads of a holy people.<\/p>\r\n
"And anyone who wants to see the perfection of our Holy City will understand that they must choose a man whose mind is not left in the hands of others to do with as they please.".<\/p>\r\n
(Rabbi Zvi Pesach Frank, Letters of the Rabbis 3, pp. 6-7).<\/p>\r\n
He is simply a Rabbi.<\/b> Rabbi Chaim Amsalem, chairman of Am Shalem, has announced the possibility of running for the position of Chief Rabbi. Rabbi Amsalem is the only rabbi who does not belong to the Haredi stream, but he is also not a national religious figure. I know quite a few people and rabbis, but so far I have not encountered a similar status.<\/p>\r\n
Some may see this as a disadvantage, I see it as an advantage. He is not committed to the ultra-Orthodox agenda that corresponds almost ritually with the mindset of the courtiers and the powerful media forces in the market, but he is also not committed to the fixed, not to say strange, ideas that often characterize members of religious Zionism.<\/p>\r\n
He was a lonely politician, now he is simply an independent rabbi, and still lonely. Maybe that is what Jerusalem needs.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What is the right attitude towards beloved animals that have passed away? \u2022 Who murdered half a million people in the last three years? \u2022 And who wrote about the candidate for the Jerusalem rabbinate: "He does not feel that in his old age most of his words are cut according to the advice of his youthful scribes"\"","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[138],"tags":[3868,23,1614,929,7137,284],"class_list":["post-75886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-138","tag-3868","tag-23","tag-1614","tag-929","tag-7137","tag-284"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n