Why the obsession with such insignificant details as how many ounces of matza do I eat, which spoon did I use for milk and which for meat, what is the right way to tie my shoelaces? It seems to me that this misses the bigger picture by focusing on minutiae
I find it interesting that when we do have an explanation for a particular custom, there's usually more than one reason. And when we don't have a reason, we nevertheless continue with the tradition...
I love the Shabbat experience, but why so many restrictions? All that "don't do this" and "don't do that" -- sounds more like a prison than a day of rest!
The Talmud tells us that there are 613 commandments in the Torah; 248 Positive Commandments (do's) and 365 Negative Commandments (do not's). Here's a complete list --as compiled by Maimonides.
The six days of the week are the paradigm of diversity. Perhaps the braiding of the challah represents the idea of unity, how we tie everything together...
It would be absurd to think that G-d gave us the Torah as a sort of bandage for His mistakes. "Oops! I didn't mean to put those nasty animals there! People might eat them! What do I do now?"
The mezuzah on our front door seems to act as a beacon that draws charity-seeking individuals to our door at all hours of the evening and night. Frankly, we are considering removing it!
I can see the experiential quality of it all -- an ancient temple with heavenly music and mystical song, priests in flowing robes deep in meditation, mesmerizing, choreographed ritual. But why the barbeque?
Is it true that there is no mention of the synagogue in the Torah? It's hard to imagine "Judaism" -- at least as we know it today -- without synagogues!
The garment surrounds our body, the fringes hang off it. They represent the two aspects of G-d's being: His true self that is totally beyond our grasp, and the tiny fraction of His being we can experience
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