Have a discussion
In response to the “Mixed and Matched” column of Jan. 10 (“No follow-through on agreement to raise Jewish kids”):
When my partner and I agreed to raise our children Jewish, it was on me, the Jewish partner, to educate my non-Jewish partner about what that meant to me, and it was on me to foster conversations about what that might mean to her and to our growing family.
These two need to establish what a Jewish family looks like to them. I was raised by a Jewish mother and a non-Jewish father. I observed first-hand that these negotiations are personal and private and stem from the love of family, faith and community.
Lisa Orta | Oakland
Torah clarifications
Thank you for the article about Torah Flora (“Learn it through the grapevine,” Dec. 19). I would like to make a few clarifications:
As the article states, the Torah certainly contains many metaphors. However, I would not describe it primarily as a book of metaphors, but as a book of laws and a guide to a way of life based on a covenant between God and the Jewish people. The beautiful metaphor of the blessing of the olive tree is in Psalm 128, not Psalm 28.
The Midrash that describes various opinions about the identity of the Tree of Knowledge presents wheat as representing the maturation of children; this was not my idea. I only suggested broadening the metaphor to a symbol for the development of agriculture and civilization.
This Midrash also considers grapes as the Tree of Knowledge. However, kosher supervision of grape products reflects the sacramental use of wine in other religions, not this Midrash. The Midrash also considers figs, because a fig tree seemed to be nearby after Adam and Eve ate from the Tree and decided to cover themselves with fig leaves. The opinion that the Tree was a citron (etrog) reflects the Torah’s implication that the entire Tree was edible. Citrus leaves and wood smell like their fruits, suggesting a vestige of Eden.
I look forward to meeting many J. readers at Torah Flora events when I return to your area this summer.
Jon Greenberg | Teaneck, N.J.
Israel is no Vietnam
Secretary of State John Kerry’s remarks to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month, when he praised the negotiations that allegedly ended the war in Vietnam, should be an eye-opener for everyone who cares about Israel. In Vietnam, the United States took the lead in negotiating an agreement with North and South Vietnam. The agreement didn’t end the war; the total military victory by the North ended that war and also eliminated South Vietnam as a nation. Instead of two independent nations there is only one. This is the example that Kerry gave to Israel.
This is not a man that Israel can trust. Put this in context of the Iran agreement and one can see why Israel is not embracing U.S. proposals. Years ago Ariel Sharon said that we will not be your Czechoslovakia when foreign powers attempted to impose a peace treaty. Now Benjamin Netanyahu can add that Israel will not be America’s South Vietnam.
Gil Stein | Aptos