|
 Don't Know Much
'Bout History
Why God cares if you
crack open your
history book.
by Rabbi Leiby Burnham
|
 This Week's Question
I am in touch with someone who is interested in Judaism, but wants to understand its validity from a historic and archeological perspective. He is very bright, a Ph.D. in mathematics.
He made me a challenge that he would take Judaism seriously if I could prove that historically the Exodus story is true. He says that based on historians and archeologists, there is no evidence of a Jewish people enslaved in Egypt under the pharaohs. He claims that scholars state that Egyptian record keeping and other artifacts (or lack thereof) prove this.
My friend is looking for hard scholarly evidence, as opposed to what he calls "some white-bearded rabbi who is quoting from the Jewish texts." What documentation can you provide?
Click here for the answer!
|
|
 Wedding Outreach
Now that we are in wedding season, here are some ways to reach out at wedding.
1. Look around for people who are not religious as soon as you arrive. Go over to them and introduce yourself. Ask them how they know the chassan and kallah, where they are from. This easily lends itself to getting into a friendly conversation.
2. During the chupah, you can explain what the various aspect of the service mean. This can be very profound and touching. Go to www.aish.com/literacy/lifecycle
/Guide_to_the_Jewish_Wedding.asp to read up on some great explanations to help you along.
3. During the seudah, look to see if you can sit on the same table, or else go over at some point during the meal to see how they are doing. Focus on developing the relationship so that you can stay in touch afterwards.
4. On such occasions it is easy to talk about:
(i) Jewish topics - what Jewish involvement they have, when they go to shul, Pesach Seder etc
(ii) Pick up on any aspects of the chupah that you might want to elaborate on
(iii) Discuss Jewish concepts of marriage or definition of love
These can be helpful to read for discussion:
Love: www.aish.com/spirituality/foundations
/Friendship3_Love_and_Unity.asp)
Marriage: http://www.aish.com/family/marriage
/The_Cure_for_Marriage_Blues.asp
www.aish.com/family/marriage
/The_Discomfort_of_Commitment.asp
http://www.aish.com/family/marriage
/5_Ways_to_Stay_In_Love_Forever.asp
5. When the dancing gets going – make sure they’re not still sitting at their table. Pull them into the dancing, or minimally that they get to see what’s going on.
6. Make sure to get their details at the end and stay in touch! Tell them how much you’ve enjoyed meeting them and give them your details. Then get theirs.
May we all share many simchas together!
|
 I met a woman and her 2 kids in a local kosher restaurant, and she was laughing at my juggling act with my kids. I used the opportunity to engage her in conversation, saying, "You're just laughing because you remember what it was like when YOUR kids were this age" and she laughed saying I was right. So I asked what her kids' ages were, where they went to school (home school and Christian school) and pointed out that I pay the same amount she does to send a kid to private school but my kid comes home with great Jewish education. She pointed out that they weren't religious, so I pointed out that in home schooling of course she exposes her kid to all sorts of different ideas and sets the curriculum herself, so she can inculcate her child with the Jewish values, and pointed out that they were welcome to come for a shabbos to just expose the kids to real Jewish experience. I took her business card and plan to follow up in a couple of weeks, which is what I told her. She considered the idea, so we'll see what comes of it.
|
Don't forget to email your eGroup about any Kiruv activity you have done. 
