Bible Literalism

To begin, not everything in the Bible is literal--some things (such as creationism, the Flood, the burning bush, and the Exodus) are literal. Some are figurative. Being a Jew (as I am and if you are a Jew--given that the person for whom I originally wrote this is Jewish), you might be familiar with the figurative, "You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." (See http://karaite-korner.org/tefillin.shtml). In context, the verses are "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

Now could you write all of Torah (even all of Tanakh) on your doorposts and gates? Sure; but that would take time, effort, and resources. Even tefillin and mezuzot don't contain all the words of Torah (See http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/272660/jewish/Making-Tefillin.htm and http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/278460/jewish/Guide.htm.). Others are obviously similies, metaphors, and symbolisms--which could fall into the figurative category. Now, did every word of Tanakh literally come from G-d's mouth and finger? Yes (cf., e.g., Exodus 31:18 and Deuteronomy 9:10). But as I said, not everything in the Bible is literal--for example (and I ran out of characters in the original answer), "I am the rose of Sharon, And the lily of the valleys." Is Song 2:1 literally saying that he's a bunch of flowers? No. 

I Saw This Earlier Today, But...

Now I have time to share this:

   

Madison, Wisconsin arrived from google.com on "The Nicole Factor: So Great-Grandma Czarnecki Was Jewish After All.." by searching for is czarnecki a jewish name?.

10:36:55 -- 13 hours 28 mins ago

    

Longmont, Colorado arrived from google.com on "The Nicole Factor: Part Six of My Stage32 Submission" by searching for francis a. “red” czarnecki.

10:03:30 -- 14 hours 1 min ago

What an impact that my blog is making! Furthermore (unless just some relative, family friend, or whoever else changed his or her location online, is on vacation, moved, etc.), what an impact Granduncle Red made! Granduncle Red's is the kind of life that I want to live--I grant that he got Grandaunt Judy (then Judith Ann Thomas) pregnant outside of marriage, was an alcoholic, etc.; but he literally gave up his baseball scholarship to do the right thing by marrying his then-pregnant girlfriend, and he was known and remembered by all who knew him as a nice and righteous man.

Granduncle Red aspired to be famous baseball player, too--and he could have been one--, but he knew that doing righteousness and making an impact was far better than being famous. Francis "Red" Anthony Czarnecki, June 21, 1940 - July 9, 1985--zichrona l'bracha. 

Part 18 of My Stage32 Submission

Firstly, I have been busy and have not prioritized--e.g., made time for--writing out the family story. Secondly, I have found out a lot more to write down since the last time that I wrote--for example, incidentally (or not incidentally, depending on how you define "incidentally"), Dad did confirm the story regarding Vilmosz. Of course, he made excuses--e.g., how Great-Grandma had one kid (i.e., Grandaunt Helen), then two (Grandaunt Mary Ann), then three (Grandma) and so forth. Nonetheless--and even though the writing occured well after even Grandma was born, since the Nazis didn't invade then-Czechoslovakian and -Hungarian Slovakia until Grandma was three years old--, Dad confirmed that:

1. Women--or at least Great-Grandma Gaydos, even in the 30s and 40s--did have some control over the money after all.
2. Great-Granddad Gaydos was willing to let her help relatives, given--among other factors to consider--that he was a Jew himself, and but for the grace of G-d did Mihal Gajdosz and Katarina "Maria Uscianski" Uszinsky--not to mention his in-law parents--go.
3. Great-Grandma damned well knew what was happening in Europe and refused to help the family, anyway.
4. Among other factors to consider, there are good reasons why Tibor immigrated to Ohio--where other Rusznyaks had immigrated--instead of Pennsylvania--to where he may have immigrated had we not betrayed him and his side (and other sides) of the family--, and never talked to us.

I could go on, but you get the point. Meanwhile, I considered another factor, too:

"' 'Twas the night before Christmas, and...'"

Mass--if we went, anyway, though they did--and traditions about a Polish Catholic Christmas were--so to speak--thrown in there. There was not much--if anything--about the Bible. What we would do with "' 'Twas the night...'", though:

"' 'Twas the night before Christmas, and...'"

Pass the gift around.

"'The stockings were hung 'round the fireplace with care, and..."

Pass the gift around...

"And to all a good night."

Whoever had the gift after all of the "and"s, and the story concluded, got to keep the gift.

So much for Polish-Lithuanian and Czechoslovakian Catholics, huh? I mean, how much more secular for real--or actual--Polish-Lithuanian and Czechoslovakian Catholics can you get--especially, as Aunt Mary related to me one time, it was (as she learned the hard way during a phone call) about tradition and not Jesus?

Maybe I'm Trying To Justify Myself Here, But...

So what? For:

1. , Michelle has a boyfriend; I don't have one. So why not buy myself a few items--some of which are free (excepting the worth-it shipping costs) and promoting charity; others of which are both life investments and going 5% toward charity; and two of which are life investments (one for university spirit , and one for religious reasons)?
2. , it's my SSI Money. Besides, given Reason #1, I'm making life investments with them. Also, why can't I have First Amendment Rights (e.g., the kippah and tallit) if people on welfare can be TVs, cars, blingy jewelry, and X-Box sets--among other things?
3. , I just gave Michelle a bit of it to use for her campus card.
4. , I bought a kippah (which I've needed, anyway; since I don't know what Jason would do if he caught me wearing one of the JSU-provided ones, and wearing kippot is a Biblical option for women) and an American-Israeli flag pin (to replace the one that I lost)--and both of which are the 5%-charity items (since JewishSource partnered with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, and the haredim considered the IFCJ trief ). I also bought a Messianic tallit--again, a life investment.
5. , I plan on--G-d willing--wearing the kippah and tallit at least at Shabbat at UMBC and wherever else, and New Heritage Church and wherever else--if not daily--for the rest of my life. I also plan on wearing the American-Israeli flag pin daily for the rest of my life.
6. , Look at the picture and its caption below. Right now, I am wearing five of the free charity items that I've worn daily since I got them--and you can't see the American flag pin that I'm wearing (with will become Dubru's when--G-d willing--I get the other pin), but I'm wearing it. One item I sadly lost (the glass keychain--it fell off and broke), and the bracelet that I first got is now a keychain--since I can no longer wear it, since it was falling apart.
7. , speaking of Dubru the University Spirit Teddy Bear, I actually held him during the debate to keep my anxiety--e.g., over my IBS and peeing myself during the long debate--down; and he's currently sitting on my pillow. I--G-d willing--may also pass him down to any children and grandchildren who I have.
8. I considered and searched a long time for a worthy tallit--G-d led me to a Messianic one.

I could go on, but you get the point.

Guatemalan bracelet, "Home Is Where Your Pet Is" bracelet, grass-woven bracelet, "Live, Laugh, Love" ring--which could fit only on middle finger--, American flag pin--all of which come from the GreaterGood Network. On my person, but not shown: the American flag pin and the keychain, which is on my purse on my said person.

I guess that part of the reason that I'm feeling guilt, too, is that I know that Mom could flip--Jewish guilt, although Mom (as far as we know) is a gentile (or mostly gentile, anyway)! Also, Dad did never give me but $40 for the past four or so birthdays--so, consider the kippah, pin, and tallit (since he claims to be a Messianic Jew, and I'm Jewish through him), and Dubru his birthday presents to me (and treats to myself, since--among the other reasons that I gave--I don't have a boyfriend and I'm making life investments, anyway).   

I Couldn't Resist...

I got him at the UMBC Bookstore for the sake of University Spirit, since it is Homecoming Season (I used Campus Cash.) and so that I could have something by which to remember UMBC--and after all the trouble that I put the cashiers through to make sure that I wouldn't get one made in Indonesia as the others are (since he was made in China--the lesser of two evils). His Spanish nickname is "Oside" (for "Osito de la Espiritu Universitario"), his Hebrew nickname "Dubru" ("Dubi-Ru'ach-Ha'Universita"). 

My Law of Return For Medinat Yisra'el

"17 And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. 18 On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying:

"“To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates— 19 the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”" (From Genesis 15:17-22)

Also--for example--. if Ethnic Syrians can have Syria (per the 1947 refounding of Syria), why can't all Ethnic Jews have Israel first?

Therefore, if only Medinat Yisra'el elected someone who could affect the Law of Return to allow Patrilineal Jews (including Messianic Jews, who are allowed but not under the Law of Return) and Matrilineally-Jewish Messianic Jews--and all other Ethnic Jews. In other words, the Law of Return should give all Ethnic Jews priority, then gerim tzdukim (since gerim tzdukim are equal to Ethnic Jews, but Israel is first supposed to be for the Jew), then the gentiles.

By the way, the 2009 [Correction: 2008] case came down to this: The Levy Supreme Court allowed Patrilineally-Jewish Messianic Jews to make aliyah, but not under the Law of Return. In other words, they sneakily got around it. They said, "You can return, but you can't become citizens under the Law of Return"--which the Talmudists at Wikipedia reveled in, and they hate Messianics there.

My Family Last Names, Or...

Those which I'm sure of and listed, anyway ("Laczinsky" is tricky and in the air at this point--though why else would Great-Great-Granddad have used "Laczinsky" were that not his mom's name?):

1. "Chernetski" referred to us settling in near the Czarnia River and being dark skinned. 
2. "Trudniak", "difficult"--maybe they didn't like Jews or we wouldn't fit with the goyischer status quo? 
3. "Foczko", form of "Focko"?--"foresail", imposed--as we are Levites. 
4. "Ushinsky"--no idea. 
5. "Gajdosz", "awkward legs" or "fat" or "drunk"--perhaps a schicker?
6.  "Novak", "new"--maybe for "New Christian"? 
7. "Rusznak"--imposed, maybe because we lived near Ruthenia at a point. 
8. "Monka", "Miller"--Ashkenazic Jewish from "maka". "
9. Andrulewicz", "ben-Andrea". 
10. "Danilowicz"--either because we're of Dan or had a patriarch by that name. 
11. "Morgiewicz", corrupted to "Margiewicz"--may be from "Margolis" or "Perl". 
12. "Homa", "Thomas" or maybe from "homiyah" or just "homa"--e.g., "Har Homa".