29.An Update

A mixed bag - but then I do not know what is of interest to my reader[s]. Judging by the Stat Counter, my popularity is not increasing. And I suspect that Mugabe, he who tried to rig the synagogue council election, only reads my blog [if he does] so that he can sue for defamation: I hear that he is 'very litigious'.

I met the new rabbi of Judith's synagogue who has just been appointed. A pleasant man with a good sense of humour and a beard: for me these are two important attributes. He told me about his dissertation for Leo Baeck college. A literature analysis of the Biblical episode, when Jacob's eldest son Reuben had sex with Bilha, one of his father's other wives. A very well researched and interesting paper on a topic that is obviously not represented in the Biblical illustrations that I collect.

He was kind enough to let me read his dissertation. I learnt a number of new facts - always an exciting event for me. Of relevance to other biblical episodes is the ritual Law, that if a wife had sex with another man [adulterous, rape or even while she was unaware - drunk or asleep], her husband was thereafter forbidden ever to have further intercourse with her. I reckon that if that law was truly kept, and known to the cuckolded man, it would sooner or later in their marriage force half the Jewish husbands to become celibate. Needless to say, the reverse does not apply: a cheated wife and an adulterous husband are allowed to resume their intercourse. Otherwise, most other husbands would have to become celibate too.

On Friday we were notified that Sheila Flashman had died. Although we knew about her carcinoma of the pancreas, and the chemotherapy, she had seemed to rally. Apparently the end was rather sudden. A merciful fact, but we never managed to say good bye. She had oncology privately and was given a 50:50 chance. From her description, I got a much more pessimistic impression. I fear that sometimes people with malignant disease are still given too optimistic an opinion for a variety of reasons. She was one of the founders of Redbridge U3A and did a lot of good work.
I used to neglect attendance at funerals. I felt that my efforts should be directed towards the living. But I have changed my attitude - the surviving relatives deserve my presence. So we shall go to Chesunt tomorrow.

Some weeks ago I agreed to conduct another Torah study session before the Shabbat Service at Judith's synagogue. Given the choice, I picked the episode of Balak, when the she-donkey had a conversation with Balaam [Numbers 22 onwards].
There had been good publicity, including the synagogue newsletter with a picture of a medieval woodcut from Nuremberg and a photo of me [only one of them showed the donkey]. Coupled with the rolls with salmon or chopped egg, some 20 people attended. It went very well.
I told them that these days, talking donkeys and talking serpents are only found in the house of commons. Balaam's description of himself as 'the man with the closed eye' enabled me to allude to an illustrious present-day 'prophet of prudence', Gordon Brown.

I knew that this episode would not fill the hour - particularly as I deferred part of it for the Torah reading during the service. Therefore I also prepared a contrasting story of David and Bathsheba [2nd Samuel 11 onwards]. Telegraphic in style, it has much scope for comments. I modernized Bathsheba's message to David, 'I'm pregnant' into an updated version of the 'bun in the oven': 'I've got a beigel in the microwave'. This story has plenty of sexy illustrations, and I suggested a future 'Oneg' - an hour's programme with slides after the Friday night service. I think they were tempted.

I also read from the Torah scroll during the service. As an ex-Israeli I am one of the people who can master the unpunctuated text without too many errors. Of the two people who were 'called up', the first was an Israeli boy of 13 who was celebrating his Bar Mitzvah in this way. Quite unusually, they had chosen this reform synagogue and had come from Ra'anana to London for a week to celebrate Alon's coming of age in this modest way. I understand that they had some diificulties with the email arrangements in English.
His father had been bullied by his own orthodox father and hated religion. Strictly speaking, of course, Alon would have become ritually responsible as an 'adult' Jew even without being 'called up'. He only recited the blessings before and after my reading, but his Hebrew reading of the punctuated few sentences was poor - he certainly had not been tutoured or prepared in any way. It will take another 5 years before he is allowed to cast his vote for that crook Olmert.