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  • Dream of Just Knowing

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    Steven Moskowitz
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    The author attends a religious school class where students discuss the differences between Memorial Day customs in the US and Israel. A student mentions that after Memorial Day in the US, one can wear white pants and carry white purses until Labor Day. Confused, the author asks for clarification from the teachers. He is grateful for the students' passion in teaching him about this social fashion rule. The author hopes that one day, girls will see wearing a prayer shawl (talit) as universally accepted as wearing white after Memorial Day, without needing an explanation. He dreams that mothers will take daughters shopping for their first talit with the same care as buying a dress.

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    Hadassah Magazine Extra May 2009

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    The author attends a religious school class where students discuss the differences between Memorial Day customs in the US and Israel. A student mentions that after Memorial Day in the US, one can wear white pants and carry white purses until Labor Day. Confused, the author asks for clarification from the teachers. He is grateful for the students' passion in teaching him about this social fashion rule. The author hopes that one day, girls will see wearing a prayer shawl (talit) as universally accepted as wearing white after Memorial Day, without needing an explanation. He dreams that mothers will take daughters shopping for their first talit with the same care as buying a dress.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    33 views2 pages

    Dream of Just Knowing

    Uploaded by

    Steven Moskowitz
    The author attends a religious school class where students discuss the differences between Memorial Day customs in the US and Israel. A student mentions that after Memorial Day in the US, one can wear white pants and carry white purses until Labor Day. Confused, the author asks for clarification from the teachers. He is grateful for the students' passion in teaching him about this social fashion rule. The author hopes that one day, girls will see wearing a prayer shawl (talit) as universally accepted as wearing white after Memorial Day, without needing an explanation. He dreams that mothers will take daughters shopping for their first talit with the same care as buying a dress.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
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    of 2

    HadassahMagazineExtra

    May15,2009

    Commentary:ADreamofJustKnowing
    StevenHenesonMoskowitz

    RecentlyIwasspeakingtoaclassinmyReformsynagoguesreligiousschoolwhenIlearned
    thesignificanceofMemorialDay.Wewerediscussingthedifferencesbetweenthecustomsof
    MemorialDayintheUnitedStatesandthoseinIsrael.InIsrael,Inoted,YomHaZikaronis
    widelyobservedwithservices,tributes,visitstosoldiersgravesandacountrywide
    twominuteperiodofsilence.InAmerica,whilemanyfamiliesvisitveteranscemeteries,most
    peopleseeMemorialDayasavacationday.

    Afterthisseriousdiscussion,oneofthegirlslightenedourmelancholyconversationby
    remarkingthatintheStatesafterMemorialDayonecanwearwhite.Ihadnoideawhatshe
    wastalkingabout.Withcompleteunawarenessofmysocialinadequacies,Iasked,Whatdo
    youmeanyoucanwearwhite?Thegirlsbecameexcitedandanimated.Herewasachanceto
    teachtheirrabbiaboutfashionetiquette.AfterMemorialDay,youcanwearwhitepantsand
    carryawhitepocketbook,onegirlexplained.Youcanalwayswearawhiteshirt,butonly
    afterMemorialDaycanyoureallywearwhite.Iwasdumbfounded.Ilookedtotheteachers
    andcantor(allofthemwomen)forhelp.

    Yes,theynoddedtome.Itistrue.AfterMemorialDay,youcanwearwhite.Butonlyuntil
    LaborDay.Why?Iasked.Onegirlattemptedtoanswerme.Youjustdont.Theyall
    lookedateachotherandnodded.Iwasstillperplexed.Theywerestillcertain.Iamgrateful
    fortheirteaching.Mostofall,Iamthankfulfortheirpassion.

    Sohereismynewfoundpassion:Thoughthemitzvaoftalithasbeentakenupbymany
    women,itisbynomeansuniversallyacceptedorobserved.Ihopethatgirlswillonedaythink
    thatwearingafringedtalitisasselfevidentanduniversallyacceptedaswearingwhiteafter
    MemorialDay.Thattheywillnotimaginedoingotherwise.Thisismyaspirationformyown
    daughter.Whenaskedwhydoyouwearatalit,shewillrespond,Itisjustbecause.Itwillbe
    soobvioustoherthatshewillbeunabletorecallthatinthenottoodistantpastitwasan
    exceptional(andtosomerevolutionary)thingforagirltowearatalit.

    Ofcourse,theTorahisclear:Thatshallbeyourtzitzit[fringes]lookatthemandrecallall
    themitzvotandobservethem(Numbers15:39).Butcenturiesofinterpretationhave
    insistedthatthistimeboundmitzva(aswellasmanyothers)isonlyincumbentonmen.And
    thishasshapedourworldviewmorethantheTorahswords.Jewishtraditiondoesnotprohibit
    womenfromwearingatalit.Itonlyinsistsitofmen.

    Mydreamisthatmothers(andperhapssomefathers)willtaketheirdaughtersshoppingfora
    talit.Younggirlswilllookthroughthemanykindsnowavailablesilk,decorated,colorful.
    Theywillshopforatalitwiththesamecareandconcern(andevenfrustration)withwhich
    theyshopforadress.Andtheirmotherswillsay:Mydaughter,thedressthatwejustbought
    thatlookssobeautifulonyouyouwillsoonoutgrowit.Butyouwillneveroutgrowthistalit.
    Itwillcarryyoufromsimhatosimha.MayyouwearitatcountlessShabbatandHighHoliday
    services.Andonedaymayyourdaughter[orson]playwiththesetzitzitwhensittingnextto
    youinsynagogue.

    Myvisionisthatonedayourdaughterswillbegrandmothers,whowillpassdowntheirtalitot
    totheirgranddaughterswhentheybecomebatmitzva.Andourdaughterswillsomedayrelate
    howtheyworethetalitontheirbatmitzvaday.Perhapsshewillsay,Ihaveboughtmany
    otherssincethen,butthiswasmyfirsttalit.Myparentsprayedthistalitwouldcarrymefrom
    simhatosimhaandithas.Andthenourdaughterswilllookatthecongregation,ataseaof
    women(andmen)wearingtalitot,smileandsay:Doyouseeallthosewomenwearing
    talitot?Thatfashionbeganwithme.

    AndmygreatgranddaughterwillbeasperplexedasIoncewasaboutwearingwhite.

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