#that sounds like something from the Torah

[penguicorns-are-cool]

Just realized almost all the foremothers had fertility issues

Fertility issues are actually kind of common throughout the Tanakh, like the story of there being an infertile woman who somehow speaks to G-d or an angel and afterward gets a baby

I think this means that G-d is a fertility goddess which makes sense cause a lot of fertility goddesses from the Mesopotamia area have a major part in creation

[dykesynthezoid]

Was v lucky to get to see a screening of a new documentary about casteism and brahmanical patriarchy in India but also I’m supposed to be discussing it in class later and if I’m being honest the fact that the last ten minutes of the film were basically one big advertisement for Hindus to convert to Buddhism means I’m like hmm well I do have some stuff I could say about this but I don’t want to overreach

[girlactionfigure]

Rabbi Reuven Israel Kott was a Torah prodigy whose cleverness and chutzpah saved thousands of Jews from annihilation by the Nazis.

Born in a Polish shtetl in 1897, Reuven was one of fifteen children. His family were Hasidic followers of the Ger Rebbe.

Reuven’s exceptional intellect was apparent at a young age. He was a gifted scholar of Talmud and Jewish scripture, so precocious that he was given rabbinic ordination when only 17 years old.

The Rebbe took a special liking to Reuven, and every Friday night Reuven sat next to the great man at his festive Sabbath gathering. Small in size - he stood only 5’1” - Reuven was known for his big brain, and big heart.

Reuven was selected by his community to represent them as the Jewish voice on the local provincial council. When the Polish president died in the 1920’s, young Reuven stood at the graveside with other clergy and delivered a eulogy on behalf of the Jews of Poland.

Although life seemed fairly good for Polish Jews at the time, the Ger Rebbe sensed that big trouble was coming. He urged his followers to get out of Poland and move to Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel), at that time British Mandate Palestine.

As the Rebbe’s right-hand man, Rabbi Reuven Kott threw himself into the mission of helping Jews leave Poland and return to their ancestral homeland.

The British had a quota system restricting the number of Jewish families they let in. Reuven took advantage of a bureaucratic loophole defining “family” as two parents and an undetermined number of offspring.

Reuven collected money and bribed Polish authorities to get blank birth certificates. He would then “create” new families, matching people up, changing names and identities as needed. Every “family" had at least a dozen children.

Reuven told those he helped that they must stick with their fake identity. Most people complied, but a few didn’t and were caught. Under threat of being sent back to Poland, somebody gave Reuven’s name to the authorities.

Reuven and his brother were on a train in Warsaw when three plain-clothes officers approached. After verifying his identity, they arrested Reuven for bribery and forgery and threw him in jail. As a pious Jew, Reuven couldn’t eat the non-kosher jail food, so every day his daughter brought him a kosher meal - a two hour journey each way.

After several long months, his brother finally got word that there was going to be a hearing in the case. He went to visit Reuven in jail, told him the news and asked which lawyer he wanted to hire.

Reuven scribbled something on a scrap of paper, folded it up and slipped it through the bars of his cell. Outside the jail, Reuven’s brother unfolded the note. He was shocked to read the contents: “Hire me the most anti-Semitic lawyer in Warsaw!“

Reuven’s family was baffled. With so many top-notch Jewish lawyers, why would he want an anti-Semite? Had his incarceration led to a mental breakdown? Reuven’s brother assured them that he was of sound mind, and he went to Warsaw and found an attorney notorious for his fierce hatred of Jews.

The day of the hearing arrived, and the courthouse was packed with hundreds of Hasids from Reuven’s community. Reuven was allowed only three minutes with his lawyer, and then the hearing began.

To everybody’s shock, Reuven’s lawyer stood up, made a brilliant argument, and got the case dismissed.

Back home in the shtetl, everybody wanted to know what Reuven had said to his lawyer in those three minutes. Reuven said his Talmud study had taught him that in a business deal, if you get three “Yes” answers, the deal will close.

He asked his lawyer three questions:

- You hate us Jews, don’t you?

- Do you want to see me rot and die in jail?

- Would you like all of us Jews gone from Poland?

The lawyer answered yes to all three questions. Reuven immediately shot back, “What good would it do if one measly Jew rots in jail? If you set me free, I can get all the Jews out of Poland!”

Reuven got what he wanted by blinding the lawyer with his own hate. He continued his work “creating” large families and helping them move to Palestine. The anti-Semitic attorney even helped him procure more blank birth certificates. People often asked Reuven when he would go to Eretz Yisrael. He said, “I’m like the captain of a sinking ship. It is my responsibility to get all the passengers out before I get in the lifeboat.”

Over the course of 20 years, Reuven helped tens of thousands of Jews escape Poland. Today, almost half a million descendants of those Polish Jews owe their lives to Rabbi Reuven Israel Kott.

Unfortunately, Reuven himself never made it to Israel. He was murdered at Auschwitz in 1942.

For proving that one small man in three short minutes can accomplish miracles beyond measure, we honor Rabbi Reuven Israel Kott as this week’s Thursday Hero at Accidental Talmudist.

This story was told to us by Reuven’s granddaughter, Ziporah Bank. She heard it from her mom - the daughter who brought kosher meals to Rabbi Kott in prison. 

Accidental Talmudist

[determinate-negation]

I saw that anon being all like "we're being attacked on our homeland" referring to the colonial state Israel, and that reminded me something I heard from a clip on Tumblr of a rabbi talking about how if they're taking the religious text to heart, technically Jewish people aren't even supposed to return to or reclaim Israel until the Messiah comes, and I think there was also something about how they couldn't retake by force either. If that's true, it sounds like Zionists are kind of contradictory and cherry picking with Judaism, it almost sounds like they're violating their own religion on some terms worse than others. Really reminds me of US Christian people who will do horrible stuff in the name of Jesus while Jesus said to do the opposite (I'm culturally Christian atheist tho, just pointing out the similarities) . Any thoughts on this? Do I have stuff backwards?

im not really well versed in jewish religious texts, also i wanna clarify that the basic thing of judaism that differentiates it from christianity is that it is talmudic. the talmud is rabbis commentary on the torah and the idea is that were not going from just simply what the scripture says, the commentary and interpretation is equally important. and also there are disagreements in the commentary so you have a lot of interpretations. but the torah does say you cant have a jewish state and there are religious denominations of judaism that developed from this and are extremely anti zionist. the satmar sect is one that has a big presence here and they gave my friend this flier, if you want to see their take. personally i fuck with it and want to understand jewish religious texts better so i can engage with it more.

heres some more info about them

also important to note is that zionism was not a religious ideology at first. it was completely a nationalist ideology, a product of 19th century nationalism and the development of the nation state. its completely revisionist to act like it was out of religious impetus. the founding zionists were secular and very much concerned with modern nationalism and colonialism. religious jews were opposed to zionism when it first started being discussed in europe. it would probably have been much more difficult if not impossible to form religious support for it given the sociological situation of the religious european jews. there also was a lot of secular opposition both from jews who were assimilated to their home countries and also from jewish socialists who refused nationalism

[unbidden-yidden-deactivated20240]

My (non-Jewish) anthropology professor made a really incorrect statement about the idea of Jews as “God’s chosen people”. When I (also non-Jewish but try to keep informed) corrected him, he brought up something else that sounded wrong to me: supposedly only Reform Judaism allows for conversion? I didn’t know enough to contest it at the time, but that really does not sound true to my ear, from the way I’ve heard Jewish people talk about it. Is there any truth to that?

Yeah, the Chosen People thing is often wildly and antisemitically misinterpreted to mean "We think we're G-d's Specialest Selected Elite People and the only people G-d actually loves and cares about" -- which like. Could not be further from the truth. What it actually means is: We were selected to do the project of the mitzvot of the Torah, which is a lot of extra homework that other people don't need to do but someone needs to do it. It's a lot more like "chosen to do the dishes" of the spiritual world than "chosen to be special." Now. Is there definitely some pride of place in doing the extra work? Sure! But at the same time, Jewish eschatology has always made room for non-Jews. We absolutely think non-Jews who live good lives and are decent, moral people have a solid place in the world to come. We aren't angling for a everyone to become Jewish because, kind of by definition, not everyone needs to do the ritual mitzvot. Live ethical lives and be decent to each other and us? Sure. Lay tefillin and daven three times a day and (during the Temple times) offer sacrifices and wave lulav fronds during Sukkot and eat matzah on Pesach and keep kosher and keep Shabbat? Etc.? Nope, that's our task and ours alone.

Now! If you feel personally called to living a life of Torah and believe that you have a Jewish soul and should be made part of Am Yisrael, the Jewish people, you can go through the lengthy process of conversion and (essentially) become a member of the Tribe? Yeah, you can do that. You better be real sure and go into it eyes open. You're going to need to be persistent and dedicated to studying and being present in the community. It's not encouraged, and traditionally rabbis would turn someone asking to convert away three times before accepting them as a student to make sure they were serious. In modern times, most rabbis are a bit more welcoming, but will still push you to seriously consider why you want to be Jewish. If the answer is still yes for you, then you can do it, if you must. Most gerim (converts) describe an experience very similar to how transgender folks describe our gender journeys - we can't be any other way, and wouldn't want to be. I'm both a convert and trans, and my sense of understanding myself as both non-binary and as a Jew are deeply held and equally compelling.

All branches of rabbinic Judaism accept converts. Some have a more strenuous process than others, and some take on very few converts. The more traditional the movement, the more likely it is that the person will be encouraged to explore other options. The reason for this is that the more traditional the movement, the more serious they take the binding nature of the commandments, and therefore adding another Jew (especially one who has so much to learn in a comparatively short time rather than being raised in it) is a risk that the person will revert back to their old ways or find something else later. Since we are judged collectively (Torah is a group project) and the future world to come hinges on us scrupulously observing the mitzvot (according to the more traditional movements) it is imperative that any late additions to the People be very serious and rigorous in their observance.

The liberal movements are a lot less intense about that, although it's also a spectrum. The Reform movement does not hold the ritual mitzvot to be binding, only the ethical mitzvot. They therefore lack the same incentive to avoid failed conversions. The Conservative/Masorti movement and some of the other traditional egalitarian communities do hold the mitzvot as binding, but are a lot more flexible about their expectations that everyone follow them. It's a lot more of a "do your best; we're here to support you" vibe. (That's my branch that I converted through.)

Each branch, to be clear, has their strengths and weaknesses, their merits and their drawbacks. Every Jew brings something to the table. The Reform movement (and similarly liberal smaller movements) are probably the most welcoming to gerim and have the fewest hoops to jump through, but every branch has a process and some amount of converts. Those that choose a more traditional movement typically support, respect, and value the extra hoops of the traditional movements and are willing to work within that system; at least that's how it was for me. I wanted it to be rigorous so that I was prepared and certain; I got that out of my giyur process. Other people have different needs and value systems that are equally valid.

[the-lesser-light]

In my journey to learn everything I can, I've been come acutely aware of the fact that any time I look up something like learning Hebrew, how to put on a tallit, how to have a Seder, or a discussion on something from the Torah, I am faced with endless things that basically boil down to: "Hebrew for Christians" or "Should Christians wear Zitzit?" or "Finding Jesus in the Torah".

At first it was upsetting. I quickly learned how to check my sources and how to pick up red flags. Is there a cross in the background of the video I'm watching? What is the person in the video wearing? Does this article sound suspiciously like a white Christian lady poaching Jewish culture because it looks nice? Does this artist also have several pieces that proclaim Yaweh as the true name?

Now I'm angry. I had a recent incident where I mentioned to someone I was learning Biblical Hebrew to read my prayer book and they started talking to me about going to a nice Synagogue in a city south of us and various Jewish activities. It surprised me because everyone thought she was Baptist. Looking it up later, I found out it was a Messianic church.

I wish Christians had distanced themselves further. How dare they continue to use the Jewish text and corrupt it to fit their ideals. Why couldn't they have just written their own book and done what they already did and decided what they wanted it to include and then fucked off? Why do they have to keep digging into Jewish culture while also looking down their noses at it? Learning Hebrew does not help you 'find Jesus' as if Jews are purposefully sneaking him out of our texts.

As someone who learned from an early age how to spot extremists and the sort of Christian who was ready to convert you at gunpoint if they had to (Texas everyone), I go into everything with intense scrutiny. I feel for those that don't know how to do this and end up using resources that aren't accurate or that are tainted with a Christian ulterior motive.

I know I'm not the only one with resentment and me complaining about this is old news for people that have been Jewish their whole lives.

I suppose my question is: Is it getting worse? I've never looked for this before, but all my searches have come up with things made in the last 5 years.

With growing antisemitism, are you finding that more people and groups are having no hesitancy to pull out Jewish things and twist them into their own use?

[ao3cassandraic]

Angels, demons, language, and culture: part 3

(Part 1 and Part 2 for those interested.)

"I play an ineffable game of my own devising. For everyone else, it’s like playing poker in a pitch dark room with blank cards, for infinite stakes, with a dealer who won’t tell you the rules and who smiles all the time." --God, Good Omens

This is just. Creepy and awful and so, so wrong for a quasi-omnipotent being. Ugh. Good Omens!God is an abject horror.

But if you're one of the poker players at that table, what do you do? You try to figure out the rules and mark the cards, naturally. Especially if leaving the table only happens via swan dives into burning sulphur, or getting kicked out of the only home you've known into a hostile desert with lions in it. While pregnant, yet.

So, I did a Bat Mitzvah back in the day, as it happens, and my Torah portion was from Deuteronomy. Which is, as I am hardly the first to notice, chockablock full of rules. Good Omens definitely leveraged (rather than inventing) the idea of trying to figure out Her rules and codify them in writing! Note, however, that the Bible per Word of Gaiman is a human thing. Codifying divine rules? Therefore also a human thing, minus I suppose the Ten Commandments -- though I can certainly envision a Good Omens in which Moses was, um, not exactly telling the truth about the source of the tablets; we only really have his word for it.

Angels and demons, who have a low opinion of literacy and just generally don't seem to be very good at it, never did this. We see that Aziraphale, Before the Beginning, has intuitively figured a few rules out: don't question Her, don't comment on (much less critique) Her decisions or designs, don't ever ever piss Her off. The Starmaker hasn't gotten this far, tragically, and our Crowley remains confused throughout the show as to what rule he can possibly have broken that earned him the identity-changing torture She inflicted on him.

Fundamentally, Crowley doesn't want to -- perhaps can't -- believe that She is capricious and cruel. He thinks there are rules, "don't test to destruction" being a major one. We know he's wrong, however. She straight-up told us so, in the quote at the top of this post! Aziraphale, too, knows, though he buries this knowledge as deep under the words "ineffable" and "Great Plan" (there is no Great Plan, She told us so, it's all a game to Her) as he possibly can -- I think as a coping mechanism -- and does his best to avoid drawing Her attention again after the Sword Incident.

But we see angelic and demonic confusion about the rules of Her game again and again. It's at the root of Aziraphale's successful Great Plan/Ineffable Plan hairsplitting at the airbase. It's why Aziraphale has to (with Muriel's help) dig through the contract for Job, and why Gabriel and Michael can't even be arsed to, even revising Job's reward on the fly. They're guessing! They're guessing about the rules based on what they've seen of Her caprices! She likes sevens!

It's how Crowley rules-lawyers the demons into letting the Whickber Street tradespeople go. If there are actual rules of Heaven-Hell engagement -- and there may not be! Crowley's pulled plausible-sounding lies out of his arse before! -- I'll bet you anything you like practically nobody in Heaven or Hell has actually read them. (My top picks for rules-of-engagement authors, if those rules actually do exist, would be Satan and the Metatron.)

And it's why Uriel has to ask the Metatron, as unsure and afraid as Uriel has ever looked in the entire series, whether the remaining archangels have done something wrong. The Metatron's response refuses to clarify what's at issue -- he, like Her, won't tell anybody the rules. If I'm feeling extremely cynical, I think She and he refuse to explain the rules because they're more powerful if there's no rulebook that rank-and-file angels can use to contest them with.

It makes me so sad. The legions of Heaven would assuredly have followed Her rules, if they only knew what those rules were! Fanart of the just-fallen Starmaker routinely breaks my susceptible heart, not least because the commonest expressions on his face are agony, sorrow -- and confusion. It's just all so damn unfair.

Same with Job, and Peter Davison sells it beautifully. Poor Job assumes he must have broken Her rules somehow, and blames himself for not even knowing how. That's totally on Her, though! If Her rules aren't clear enough for righteous Job to be able to trust his own righteousness under a horrible test, that's Her fault, not his!

The closest that Heaven and Hell -- and humanity, for that matter -- have to Her rules is prophecy. I probably don't need to spill many pixels on how vague and confusing prophecy is, how often it's counterfeited, and how pointless it is to try to live your life by (or trying to avoid) true prophecies; prophecies will invariably gotcha you. Good Omens is hardly the first work of literature to point this out. (Try the story of Oedipus. That's a good one. Yeesh. Or, if we want to be all Biblical about it, Moses again.) Agnes Nutter may well be the only genuinely well-meaning prophet in the entire history of prophets! Even so, her book is incredibly bewildering! Generations of her descendants try to figure it out, and mostly they fail -- look at the annotations we see on Anathema's index cards.

So when @thundercrackfic asks me what Aziraphale gets out of books, my first (though not only) answer is "rules for living." Not just rules for living as safely as possible around Her, though -- rules for living among humans, too. I headcanon (and posited in "Endgame") that Aziraphale has been collecting human etiquette manuals as long as humans have been writing etiquette manuals. Codified rules, like the ones in Deuteronomy, likely help him feel more secure.

I think this is also why Muriel characterizes books as portable people. Muriel is trying their sweet adorable best to figure out the Earth rules on the fly, since nobody Upstairs told them (or indeed knows, the Metatron aside) what those rules are. They do have Aziraphale to help them along -- Aziraphale is so much better than Upstairs! he doesn't condescend or insult, he just gently instructs -- but Aziraphale can't teach full-time, he has other things on his plate. So Muriel the scrivener, one of the few angels who would have a clue about literacy due to the nature of their job, gravitates to books and discovers that they too can be gentle and compassionate teachers.

The final question outstanding is how well Aziraphale understands and assimilates human books, especially fiction, especially especially non-literal figures of speech. It's an excellent and complicated question, and I don't think I have The Answer to it, but I'll see what I can do.

[fattened-goose]

In love with your sister | Andrew, Big James, John

A/N: requested by @jo-renee I apologize for the delay and I appreciate your patience. I hope these are close to what you wanted.

Warnings: possible angst depending on your definition of the word. Also, my GIfs aren’t probably as good as they could be.

~*~

Being the daughter of Zebedee meant that any man that took an interest in you, had to go through not only your father but your two brothers as well. And Andrew, even though he’d known your brothers James and John for awhile, was no exception. He’d never planned on falling for you, it had just happened, so gradual had the descent into love been that he’d not even really realized it had happened until you were constantly on his mind.

The gentle curve of your smile and the gleam that came to your eyes when amused was all he could see when his eyes shut for the night. The sweetness of the thought bringing a smile to his own lips, you were so soft spoken compared to your brothers, not to mention beautiful, it was no wonder you captured Andrew’s heart.

Andrew, had also captured your heart much to your surprise. A fact that delighted your Father and Mother, but left your older brothers feeling somewhat dismayed.

They watched with crossed arms as the two of you interacted, a welcoming smile on your face as you laughed at something Andrew had told you. All the while he smiled even wider at the chipper sound that left your lips that he’d caused, a blush rising to tint his cheeks a lovely pink as you lightly touched his arm.

At this James rolled his eyes, hitting John with his knuckles before motioning over to the two of you.

“Let’s head over, huh? Have a little talk with our future brother-in-law.” The suggestion of the elder making the younger one’s brown furrow before nodding, “sure.”

Both sets of eyes remained locked on you and Andrew, as the two approached you, eyes narrowed and arms crossed when they stopped in front of the two of you.

“James, John, it’s nice of you to join us.” You beamed, the brightness of your smile causing your oldest brothers lips to quirk up into a grin, “Andrew was just telling me about the time that -“

“Y/N!” Mary’s voice rung out across the camp as she waved you to come over, “it’s time for our Torah lesson.”

Nodding at her, you smiled gently at Andrew before leaving him with the promise of getting together with him later, a promise he told you he’d look forward to. Turning to take your leave, your gaze fell on your brothers, narrowing your eyes at them you mouthed a hurried, “play nice” before heading toward Mary.

The three of them watched your retreating figure before turning to face each other. James and John recrossed their arms as they refocused on Andrew, who countered the action with a nervous gulp of air.

Their attempt to intimidate him obviously working judging from his expression much to their delight as they moved closer yet. The proximity causing Andrew to stumble backward in an attempt to distance himself slightly.

James reached out a hand to latch on to his shoulder to steady him, “why do you look so nervous?” John questioned, a half sneer covering his lips at Andrew’s wide eyed expression as his eyes were glued to James’ much larger hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah, do we scare you or something?” James’ added, still gripping onto Andrew’s shoulder.

“N-no.” His voice not as steady as he would’ve liked it to be, his whole body covered in sweat and his heart thumped wildly in his chest.

“Good.” John replied, reaching out to roughly pat his other shoulder, the action causing Andrew to flinch.

“We’d hate for our future brother-in-law to be scared of us.” James added, his brow somewhat furrowed as he looked down at the quivering mass that was currently Andrew.

“We’d also hate what we’d have to do if you did something to hurt Y/N.”

The two brothers sharing a smile as Andrew blushed, nodding as he wrung his hands, “I’d never do anything to hurt Y/N.”

“That’s good, let’s try to keep it that way, hm?” The elder of the two suggested, squeezing Andrew’s shoulder before the two of them took their leave. Their departure making Andrew sigh in relief, dabbing his forehead lightly in an effort to make himself appear less frazzled. The only thing soothing his nerves, being the sight of you huddled around the fire with Mary as you studied.

~*~

You’d known the sons of Zebedee for awhile, not quite as long as your brothers Simon and Andrew. But, you’d known them long enough to know that Big James had taken a liking to you.

A fact that delighted you and discontented your brothers, Simon especially. While Andrew wasn’t exactly crazy about the idea of you and James together, he at least trusted the idea that with James you’d be safe and well cared for. Simon on the other hand, didn’t like it at all and was not the least bit scared to let his opinions be known.

It all kicked off one day when you were at Simon’s house with Eden, she had asked you to help her repair the fishing nets, and you of course obliged. The two of you had worked together all day, laughing together at many different things until you both decided to stop for the day when your brothers came back, the Sons of Thunder directly behind them.

Upon spotting you at the table, James eyes immediately lit up, a smile replacing the slight frown he’d been sporting after a rough day on the water. All of which, Simon had not failed to pick up, causing his brow to grow heavy with frustration.

“Y/N, what a pleasant surprise to find you here.” James exclaimed, moving over to take a seat next to you.

“A pleasant surprise considering Simon told us Y/N and Eden were mending nets today.” John snickered before shooting you a good natured wink, only to be glared at by James. The scene making you laugh lightly as Eden nudged you with raised eyebrows before making her way over to Simon.

“How was your day, James?”

His smile only widened at your inquiry before leaning forward towards you a bit, the sight making Simon want to lunge forward, and he would have, had it not been for Eden grabbing his arm.

“Oh it was ok, we didn’t catch much though, it was pretty rough out there, nothing I couldn’t handle though.” He reassured, your eyes drawn to the muscles that flexed in his arm that he’d drawn up to himself so he could rest his chin on his hand. A slight blush crossed your cheeks at the sight of the veins that were laced around the muscle, this only gave James all the more confidence.

“I’m sure it was nothing if not easy for you.” Your reply and smile along with your batting eyelashes prompting Simon forward, out of the clutches of Eden.

“Y/N, you need to head home before it gets dark.” He moved to help you up, pushing you away from the table and positioning himself between you and James.

“It’s an hour before it gets dark though.” Focusing now on your brother, before looking back out the window at the sky, “the sun is still out.”

“Which is exactly why you need to start making your way.” He pushed, ushering you towards the door, you locked eyes with Andrew who just shrugged at you before turning back to his conversation with John.

“Simon.” Eden spoke, her tone sharp as her eyes narrowed at him, but your brother paid her no mind in his effort to shuttle you out the door, his main objective to get you away from James.

“I can walk her home if it gets dark.” James offered, smiling gently at you before fixing your brother with a perplexed look. At this you nodded, welcoming any time you could get with James, his offer tuning the corners of your lips upward and causing your stomach to flood with butterflies.

“That would be lovely, James.” You blurted, watching as Simon opened his mouth in exasperation, his arms crossed as you went back over to sit with James, the two of you talking and laughing until the sun went down, much to Simon’s annoyance and Andrew’s dismay as Simon had made him stay there waiting.

His plan obviously being to have Andrew take you home instead of James. When you finally decided it was time to go it was almost pitch black outside aside from the flickering light that came from the torches on the buildings. Saying your goodbyes to everyone you gathered your items and walked over to the front door with James behind you.

“Andrew is going to go with you, Y/N, that way James doesn’t have to go all the way through town and back.” Simon informed walking over and dragging Andrew with him, in an effort to push Andrew out the door first.

At this you and James exchanged looks, the slightly deflated look in your eyes making his heart melt, before his dark brown eyes turned toward Simon, “I don’t mind taking her, I’m sure Andrew is tired after being out on the water all day.”

“Andrew is right here though, it only makes more sense that he takes her, brothers are more protective after all.” Simon’s eyebrow raised as he glowered slightly at the bigger man.

“I’d protect Y/N, you need not worry.”

“That’s exactly what I’m worried about!” Simon yelled, the volume of his voice causing you and Andrew to exchange nervous looks.

“I’m trying to protect her from you!” He continued, finger pointing at James in an accusatory manner, both you and Andrew moved closer to the door before looking over at James, who stood with a clenched jaw and crossed arms. His mouth opened to reply before he looked back over at you, your anxious expression calming him a bit, he nodded closing his mouth as he did so.

If he was going to argue with Simon, he wouldn’t do it in front of you, “ok.”

“I’m serious, James, leave her alone.” Simon warned as you all headed out the door, not before you shot a glare at the back of Simon’s head. Andrew nudged you towards the road, eager to get away from the hostile environment. You ignored him however and waited for James to appear, shooting him an apologetic look, “James, I -“

“Come on, Y/N.” Andrew spoke quietly, loitering awkwardly as he waited, “It’s ok, I look forward to seeing you again, soon maybe?” James spoke, eyes gleaming at you with hope.

“I’d like that.”

“I would too.”

Watching him smile at you one last time, you allowed Andrew to pull you away, calling out over your shoulder, “Goodnight, James!”

“Goodnight, Y/N!” His large hand waving at you as you parted ways, he wouldn’t leave you alone, he’d see you again. Besides that, it was only a matter of time before he’d ask for your hand with no fear of either of your brothers.

~*~

Being the sister of Philip, you’d not started to follow Jesus until later, when Philip had invited you to join them. When you’d come in, the group was already well established and bonds had been formed making it a bit more difficult to feel like you really fit in. Except of course, for John who always made sure you were included.

After a while though, your feelings as well as John’s had blossomed into something more than just friendship. And while the two of you hadn’t told anyone but each other about your feelings, your brother Philip had taken a notice of it. The looks that the two of you would share with glimmering eyes, and the smiles that would light up both your faces at the sight of the other doing little to hide your affections for the other.

The fact that the two of you talked about the other nonstop, was also a dead giveaway to Philip. One day, when John had talked to you and asked you about asking Philip for your hand you were both nervous and excited. The two of you having no idea that Philip was already onto you.

“What if he says no?”

“What if he says yes?” The two of you beaming at each other as you made you way towards your brother. Elbows brushing slightly in your close proximity, causing the both of you to blush madly, before John cleared his throat and moved over a step.

Upon spotting Philip the two of you exchanged nervous smiles before heading directly for him, John whispering a hushed prayer as he approached your brother and tapped him lightly on the shoulder. Turning, he smiled at you happily, giving you a hug in greeting and an affectionate kiss on the cheek before releasing you, “You two look excited today.”

You nodded as John cleared his throat nervously, hands on hips as he puffed his chest out slightly. The three of you all looking quietly at each other for a second before Philip’s smile disappeared and his brow furrowed with concern.

“Is everything alright? Did something happen?”

“Everything is fine.” You reassured, looking from your Brother to John whose brow was covered in a thin sheen of sweat. Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard before looking Philip directly in the eye.

“I’m in love with your sister!” He blurted, the words so rushed you barely comprehended them. His confession making your eyes widen at him as this wasn’t the way you’d planned for this to go.

“You think I don’t know that already?” Philip laughed, patting John on the shoulder lightly, “you had me worried for a second.”

“Philip…” you whispered, shaking your head at him in an effort to quiet him, your gaze finding John’s again, who smiled now, your brother’s cheerful demeanor obviously relaxing John a bit.

“I was wondering if I might um…” his voice wavering at the end as he looked over at your expectant face. Your excitement making him swoon internally and a blush rise on his cheeks. Philip smiled at him patiently as he worked up the courage to ask his question.

“I was wondering if I might ask for your sister’s hand in marriage?”

Philip’s smile dropped for a second as he looked over at you, your face still as you looked between John and your brother.

“Well, Y/N, is this something you’d want?” Your brother questioned, now turning to give his complete attention to you. Your cheeks hot as you wrung your hands together anxiously before shooting John a hopeful smile.

“Yes.” You responded quietly, just daring to glance up at Philip who was now smiling widely.

“Then I guess welcome to the family!” His tone elated as he hugged John, thumping him on the back as he did so. Your stomach flipped joyfully at the words of approval, smiling so widely your cheeks hurt you let out a gleeful chuckle.

“Praise Adonai! I was so nervous!” John exclaimed hugging your brother back, before beaming over at you. Moving closer to you, he looked over at Philip who nodded at him, as John’s fingers linked with yours.

“Now, comes all the plans and preparations.”

“And you thought asking me was the hardest part, wait until you start planning with Y/N.” Philip teased playfully, earning him a slight shove from you and a laugh from John, smiling at the two of you he departed, knowing that you couldn’t have chosen a better man for a husband.

[the-chosen-fanfiction]

Jesus | Blinded To The Truth | Platonic

Dialogue prompt: “You really like making things difficult.”

Requested: Yes

After inviting you to listen to His meditation at Synagogue, your childhood Friend Jesus makes the boldest of claims.

“Hey, you’re cheating!”

“I am doing no such thing!” you quip, throwing the small ball towards Rafi in the hopes he will not catch it– 

–He catches it with his left hand and you huff, preparing yourself to get it hurled back at you in return. However, Rafi tosses it with a firm movement of his arm towards Jesus, Who misses it by a hair. The ball falls to the grass and Rafi cheers, causing you to roll your eyes. Aaron lets out a sigh of defeat.

“I win!” Rafi exclaims. 

You place a hand on your hip. “Fine, you win. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I am going to get myself some snacks to comfort myself at this incredible loss.”

“Nah, (Y/n), you are just being sarcastic now even though I know quite certainly that you are upset.”

“I’m not! It’s Rosh Hashanah, I will not allow myself to sulk over something like a game.”

Jesus chuckles at your response and runs a hand through His hair, sighing deeply. “You did better at this game than I did, (Y/n),” He reassures you. You smile at your childhood Friend, Who heads over to you. “I will join you for that comfort snack, okay?”

You nod in agreement and both of you head for the nearest platter of sweet treats. You scoop a whole load of honey onto a slice of apple and give it to Jesus. He thanks you with a word of gratitude and waits for you to get one for yourself as well. 

“Hey,” Jesus begins as the pair of you bask in the sunlight, enjoying the fruit. “I am going to give a Torah reading tonight at the synagogue. Would you like to attend as well? You’re a good friend of Mine, so I would appreciate it if you were to–”

“Of course!” you say without hesitation, “I knew that You were a Rabbi now. Your mother told me about Your ministry.”

Jesus hums. “I don’t think she told you all of it.”

You frown in puzzlement. “What do You mean?”

The Nazarene gives you a look. “You’ll see.”

Trusting Him enough to not ask, you decide to not press any further. 

“Time for a rematch?” you suggest, nodding at Lazarus and Rafi, who are still gloating in their victory. 

Jesus nods in agreement, polishing off the honied apple. “Let’s go.”

_

In spite of the heat outside, the synagogue is cool and dark, apart from some light drifting in through the small windows above. The village of Nazareth has gathered and you’ve taken a seat with two women who introduced themselves to you as Martha and Mary, whom you’ve started to mingle with in anticipation of Jesus’ reading. You’re curious to see what He will choose to read. 

The crowd’s chatter falls silent when Rabbi Benjamin walks up to the pulpit and stretches his arms in a way to lead everyone into prayer. You bow your head and close your eyes.

“Blessed are You Lord our God, King of the universe. Who has kept us alive and sustained us for another year. Who bestows kindness, restores and redeems. Praise to You, Adonai our God, sovereign over creation. Who has chosen us from all the peoples. May Your blessings be all who seek You earnestly. Bring joy to Your land and gladness to Your city. In Your mercy, bestow on us a prosperous year, a bountiful harvest, and the promised arrival of Meshiach. Your anointed One, the Son of David.”

The congregation replies with an agreeing ‘amen’ as the sound of the shofar fills the room in a few quick puffs of noise. Goosebumps litter your skin at the sound like it does to you every time, and you smile, watching Jesus across the room. 

“Thank you for the call to repentance and rest.” Rabbi Benjamin comments. “And now, for the reading and interpretation we have with us Jesus bar Joseph. He was one of my students in Torah class and we’ve heard reports–” he turns to Jesus, “Some of them very positive, of His rabbinic journeys.” Jesus and Lazarus chuckle a bit, “Jesus.”

Jesus heads for the pulpit and smiles. “Thank you, Rabbi Benjamin. Ah, please.” He gestures for the person carrying the scroll to lay it out for Him.

“You know, it’s not easy to share in front of Nazareth’s most pre-eminent Rabbi, but I will do My best. And I’m certain that if I miss a word or two, one of you at least will speak up, huh?” 

A few of the men make sounds of agreement, Lazarus leaning against a pillar with his arms crossed. “Oh, don’t worry.”

“I wonder who it will be,” Jesus murmurs in amusement before turning to the scroll.

“A reading from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah.” Jesus announces, then lifts His eyes upwards for a few silent seconds. He unfurls the scroll and takes the yad to point at the text He is reading to follow along.

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me. Because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted; to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight of the blind. To the opening of the prison for those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”

With bated breath, you watch as He steps away from the scroll and rolls it up, handing it back to the assistant before taking a seat in the chair placed in the middle of the room. For a moment, He locks eyes with Lazarus, then with you, until He opens His mouth to speak.

“The fulfilment of this Scripture as you have heard it is today. This is the year of the Lord’s favour. This is a year of jubilee. A year the poor, the brokenhearted, the captive and the blind are offered redemption.” 

Your heart stutters inside your chest. Are you hearing this correctly? 

Rabbi Benjamin’s posture stiffens. 

“Here. Now.”

Jesus pauses for a few moments, and Lazarus speaks up. “We are here with You,” he remarks, “Keep going.” He seems just as interested in Jesus’ words as you are. “Not bad for a carpenter’s son, yes?”

You cannot fight the small laugh that escapes you, and Rabbi Benjamin gives you a sharp look. 

“I mean, especially Joseph…” Lazarus continues, “May he rest in peace…”

Rabbi Benjamin has a stern look on his face when he speaks up.

“Jesus, please explain why You stopped the reading before Isaiah spoke of the day of vengeance of our God? Especially during a time of such oppression.”

A few silent moments as you keep your gaze focused on Jesus, anxious what He will say. You have never heard this interpretation before, and you’re only hoping that Jesus will not say anything that could get Him in trouble. 

“The day of vengeance is in the future. I’m not here for vengeance. I’m here for salvation.”

Rafi and Aaron’s brows furrow, as does Rabbi Benjamin’s. “You’re here for salvation?” the Rabbi mutters, “What are You saying?”

Over her shoulder, Mary looks at you with a delighted look on her face. Your expression resembles confusion as your heart hammers inside your chest. “It’s Him…” Mary whispers, “He is trying to say that He is… You know…”

You swallow thickly. Thinking of the rumours that have been going around about Jesus, and now… Could He be…

“You know what I am saying.”

Your heart skips a beat. 

“And this year of jubilee, this year of the Lord’s favour, is not about release from financial debts. I’m here to provide release from spiritual debt.”

“We are the chosen seed of Abraham.” Benjamin darkly sounds, “We don’t have spiritual debt!”

Jesus purses His lips and looks away. 

“Jesus,” Aaron starts. “We’ve been hearing about the signs and wonders, and now this? Are You claiming to be more than a Rabbi? More than even the Baptiser?” Aaron has the exact same question as you.

The room is tense and you lean closer towards Him, not wanting to miss a single word.

“No doubt one of you will quote me the Proverb; ‘Physician, heal yourself’. The things we heard You did in Capernaum and in Syria, do here in Your hometown, yes?”

“Why not?” 

“I get it.” Jesus counters. “It’s always easier to accept hard truths and even greatness from strangers than from those you know well, especially those you knew as awkward teenagers or even as adults as some of you saw earlier today. Laz here would make a more believable prophet.”

You grin as the two chuckle, until Jesus’ smile falls. 

“But this brings up an important truth. No prophet is acceptable in his hometown.”

Around you, people start to mutter amongst themselves.

“Be careful with what You call Yourself.” Benjamin growls.

“This should be easy to prove!” Aaron says, “Dinah and Rafi, you say you saw it, yes?”

Rafi nods. “Yes! Yes, we saw it, but… He did not claim this…”

“A true prophet from Adonai would not deny His own people signs and wonders.”

Jesus takes a sharp breath. “Listen carefully. When a great famine hit Israel during the days of Elijah. Three years and six months. There were many widows, yes? And we know how the Father cares for His chosen people, especially widows. But Elijah was sent to none of them… Not one.”

You drink in every single word He says, your mind spinning with questions and clarity at the same time. 

“Instead he was sent to a widow in Sidon, in Zeropath. A Gentile woman. Martha, what happened?”

Jesus turns to her and for a moment, He locks eyes with you. It is as if He can read your mind - your soul - and He nods. He nods to answer the question bouncing around in your skull, and you have to prevent yourself from gasping.

“She gave up her last flour and oil for one more cake and gave it to Elijah.”

“Why would she do that?”

“Elijah told her the Lord said to do so.”

Jesus turns back, “Yes. The Lord said that He would make it so that her flour and oil would never run out. And she believed. A pagan Gentile in a pagan land. And she was hungry enough to know that she needed God and to obey Him. And so, God sent Elijah to multiply our food forever.”

He shortly pauses to let the words sink in. 

“What about Elisha, and Naaman? There were many lepers in Israel during this time, but none of them were cleansed except Naaman. Only a Gentile, a Syrian soldier and enemy of the Lord’s people. But he was so desperate, he trusted Elisha, and his leprosy was cleansed.”

The tension in the synagogue rises with every word that falls from His lips, and your throat runs dry at the expression many hold on their faces; deep, unadulterated offence.

“You may be the chosen seed of Abraham, you may be the people of the covenants, but that will not bring you My salvation.” Jesus’ eyes are shimmering with both sadness and persistence, “If you cannot accept that you are spiritually poor and captive, in the same way that a Gentile woman and a Syrian leper recognised their need–”

He pauses, the words getting stuck in His throat as He pinches together his fingers to emphasise the message. Across the room, you see Aaron shake his head slowly, and Rafi’s expression is conflicted. 

“If you do not realise that you need a year of the Lord’s favour… Then I cannot save you.”

You can hear a pin drop as the hostility in the room advances, your heart almost leaping out of your chest in fear as Aaron slowly stands, his brow knit together in rage.

“Who do You think You are?!” His voice drips with malice. 

“This is what Hannah talked about.” Martha says in front of you, making your chest tight with anxiety for His safety. “That He even called Himself the Messiah!”

Rabbi Benjamin takes a step in Jesus’ direction. “Are You claiming to be the Messiah, or are You merely claiming to speak for the Lord as a prophet?”

Jesus, turned away from the Rabbi at first, slowly pivots in His seat. 

When He opens his mouth to answer, your face pales. 

“Yes.”

For a moment, you lock eyes with Lazarus, who looks from you to his sister Mary, who has a certain sparkle in her eye that makes you convinced that she believes, too. 

And so do you.

Something within your spirit puts you on edge in a way you have never experienced before. It reels inside your gut in a strange way, as if everything in your soul is teetering on the edge of interfering, but that same spirit holds you back from doing so, convinced that He knows how to handle this all.

“You are a false prophet!” Benjamin accuses. 

Mother Mary gasps in shock and you put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her immediately. Lazarus reaches over to put a hand on the elderly Rabbi’s shoulder. “Woah, that is quite a thing to say! Jesus, maybe we should leave.”

Aaron interrupts: “Lazarus, you’re His friend, you cannot be involved! You know what the law of Moses says–”

“We are all His friends, Aaron,” Lazarus counters. “We cannot say things like this!”

“Jesus, stand up at once!” Benjamin orders, but Lazarus tries to fan the flames. 

“Rabbi, please. Rafi, come with Jesus and me, we will leave, and you can all continue the service.”

Slowly, Jesus rises from the chair. 

Rafi clearly draws his own conclusions. “Rabbi Benjamin has asserted false prophecy and I cannot argue it.”

Lazarus will not have any of it. “You said you saw the miracle!”

“He’s saying only He can save us!” Rafi bites.

“He did not use those words–”

“–It’s what I meant.” Jesus quips, earning Him a glare from Lazarus.

“Jesus, you’re not helping!” Lazarus pleads.

Deciding to intervene between your bickering childhood friends, you stand and make your way down to them. “Rafi, are you deaf? And blind? Have you not heard the stories of the miracles? Have you not tasted the wine?”

Aaron scoffs. “Those are just rumours! You’ve got no evidence, and people can say whatever they want. As long as enough people tell the same story, you’d believe anything, wouldn’t you, (Y/n)? Always so gullible…” He shakes his head almost pitifully.

You let out a noise. “And you, not even considering the words of a Man you know to be trustworthy, even though He makes things so clear right now! You really like making things difficult!”

Jesus puts a hand on your shoulder and you turn to Him. He smiles at you softly, His gaze containing a certain kind of warmth that fills you with rest. It is the briefest of moments, but intense nevertheless.

Rafi points a finger at Jesus, breaking the moment of eye-contact. “He’s saying we are not the Holy One’s chosen!” 

“Now, He did not say that!” 

Rabbi Benjamin’s voice is like ice, full of fury, unlike anything you've ever heard before. It makes the hairs of your neck stand on end. “In words, the book of Moses; ‘But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My Name that I have not commanded him to speak, that same prophet shall die.’...”

As Lazarus leans closer, he lowers the volume of his voice. Jesus’ mother seems distraught and anxious. “Rabbi Benjamin, I beg of you… Not this…”

“Lazarus,” Jesus calmly hums, “It’s fine…” 

“Jesus they’re going to–” Jesus leans closer to His friend and whispers something in his ear for a few moments. As soon as He pulls back, Lazarus stares at Him rather nervously. 

“Yes?” Jesus acknowledges, and Lazarus reassures Him. 

Before you can speculate, Lazarus locks eyes with you, and nods towards Jesus’ mother Mary, whose eyebrows are furrowed in fear of her Son’s safety. You immediately understand the hint, rushing over to her and crouching down to take her hand in yours. She gives you a grateful glance, but it soon focuses back to her Son, Whose safety she so desperately fears.

“Jesus…” Benjamin utters, “If you do not renounce Your words, we will have no choice but to follow the Law of Moses…” 

You can hear your own blood rush inside your ears as the strain within the synagogue reaches its breaking point. The Messiah steps closer to the Rabbi, His eyes filled with heartache. 

When Jesus speaks, it is the straw that breaks the camel’s back: 

“I AM the Law of Moses.” 

Benjamin staggers back, gasping in indignation. Before you can truly process what is going on, Jesus is grabbed into His tunic by Rafi and Aaron, who shove Him towards the exit. They yank off the tallit that is still draped over His shoulders and Mary reaches out. You can barely hold her back to keep her from harm, but Lazarus soon assists you. 

Before He is pushed outside, Jesus has a moment of intense eye-contact with His mother, but then, He is forced out.

As Jesus is led out of the synagogue by the angry mob, Mary starts to sob. You can barely look at what is happening, your entire being frightened and shaking, but you cannot follow the crowd to see if there is a way to save Him. All you can do is comfort His mother, who accepts your embrace as you pull her into your arms. Her form trembles in agony. 

“Jesus promised that He’d be alright,” Lazarus reassures both His mother and you as everyone pours out of the synagogue, “We will meet Him after sundown on the outskirts of Nazareth, where His father is buried. Mary, you know the place, right?”

Slightly calmed by the words, Mary nods meekly, but her demeanour remains distraught. And who could blame her? Although she trusts that her Son’s word is true, and that He will be alright, a mother’s instinct is ever so strong.

“It will be fine, Mary,” you whisper, yet still filled with questions. “Is this all true? Is He truly the Messiah?”

Mary nods, her lips trembling as fresh tears brim on her eyes. 

“He is.”

Your mind spins with everything you feel in this very moment - confusion, happiness, relief, fear. “Then why do they not accept Him? I don’t… I don’t understand. The signs and wonders…”

Mary slowly shakes her head, sniffling a bit, seemingly calming down. “I do not know,” she whispers, “But what I do know is to trust Him on His word.”

“Always, Mary,” you reassure her, “Always.”

You remain in the synagogue until the sun has fully set.

[spot-the-antisemitism]

Yeah if your friend is trying to argue isreal is a theocracy that would set off alarm bells for me, to be fair I’m aware Judaism isn’t just a religion but is an ethnicity and a culture as well, and I’m aware isreal doesn’t prohibit the worship of other religions so it’s probably not a theocracy

I’ve heard it described as a tribe but the term tribe to me seems more like an older form of governance then anything else? Which is not meant to dismiss the connection to those people and cultures but it seems like it gets kinda jumbled it exists alongside cities or settlements or nations, etc,

But as you said like “chair” it’s hard to Lind down a specific definition for any of these things

Which is why I question them getting things like tax exempt status in the US, if you can’t define it in some sense how d you determine what does or doesn’t get taxed? Feels way to easy to exploit but hey, the religious right has a stranglehold on this country

I would also argue that we shouldn’t act like religious beliefs aren’t in some way related to the actions that they motivate

What I view as a form of dissonance to an extent,

As an example a bigoted Christian and a progressive Christian are both still Christian, and both fully believe they’re doing gods work, and both have the exact same evidence to suggest as much,

They can’t both be right yet neither has real evidence in either direction, and both think the other one are the “bad Christian”

Hence why legislation based on religious texts or ideals is in my opinion faulty by concept. And why I find religious morality to be less ideologically sound,

At no point would I ever argue for the removal of religion, again it’s such a vague definition that such a thing would be Impossible, heck the satanic temple seem pretty alright at least in their founding texts, but I think for obvious reasons scientific understanding empathy and reason should be at the forefront of any morality and society, but of course it’s up for people to decide what they want to believe, regardless of evidence, I’m not gonna thought police I’ll leave that to the evangelical’s lol

This rant kinda got away from me lmao

Dear atheist anon,

lovely to hear from you again

"to be fair I’m aware Judaism isn’t just a religion but is an ethnicity and a culture as well, and I’m aware isreal doesn’t prohibit the worship of other religions so it’s probably not a theocracy"

you are doing more critical thinking in the face of your own ignorance than most pro-pals. That's something I value in atheist communities is the critical thinking and awareness of their own ignorance.

"I’ve heard it described as a tribe but the term tribe to me seems more like an older form of governance then anything else?" We've a tribe in the sense that we're a people, a ethnic group with our own religion not in the sense that a king or high priest governs us.

"Which is why I question them getting things like tax exempt status in the US, if you can’t define it in some sense how d you determine what does or doesn’t get taxed? Feels way to easy to exploit but hey, the religious right has a stranglehold on this country"

While it's possible to make something a protected class without quite defining what something is, I don't think any religion should be tax exempt unless they're a charity (and looking at JVP stealing membership donations to line their chapter's pockets or harass Jews or all the conversion therapy non profits charities are just as abusive)

"As an example a bigoted Christian and a progressive Christian are both still Christian, and both fully believe they’re doing gods work, and both have the exact same evidence to suggest as much,"

this where my beloathed no true scotsman fallacy comes in where it's almost like sometimes it feels like where are you getting these wild off the wall readings of the torah or the bible or the Koran that drive one believer into the radicalization and hate while another believer of the SAME faith to peace and coexistance and charity (the good kind). I think it's because they decide the actions first and then modify their beliefs of their faith to match but that's my theory.

Hence why legislation based on religious texts or ideals is in my opinion faulty by concept. And why I find religious morality to be less ideologically sound,

NO NO laws that are based solely on the "the bible says so" or "the koran says so" or even the rarer "WELL it's in the Torah" are pretty scary. Just in concept. You made your religion law? NO!

I guess it's the Russian "organized religion is the opium of the masses"* and the American "separate church and state" in me

"At no point would I ever argue for the removal of religion,"

GOOD! "not anti-theist" seal of appoval earned!

again it’s such a vague definition that such a thing would be Impossible, heck the satanic temple seem pretty alright at least in their founding texts

Yeah a lot of satanists and pagans are really nice people with really cool inclusive philosophies and the few requisite weirdos here and there

"it’s up for people to decide what they want to believe, regardless of evidence,"

Implying you do have evidence? or ....

"I’m not gonna thought police I’ll leave that to the evangelical"

yeah you'd be suprised how many frindge movements thought police people

please write again,

Cecil

*I think cultural marxism it's when they teach racism and terms for LGBT stuff in schools it's when you have some weird Marxist idea that religion is inherently evil rolling around in your mind when you're a practicing Jew and not Marxist at all because you grew up in early putin russia and that was normalized then before Putin got into christofascism

[artist-issues]

Fair enough, you did request this continue in the asks.

1) you talk about the Jewish God, then use orthodox Jewish beliefs as an example, and then excoriate Sugar - who is not orthodox - for not meeting those standards. And then go back to saying Jewish. You talk about Jews but every time you try to prove something, you specify orthodox. Which makes it sound like you think the only authentic way to be Jewish is to be orthodox. Which is both wrong and woefully incomplete, given how wide ranging orthodox approaches are.

2) you could probably have avoided a lot of grief if you prefaced that “the Christian perspective (or specific to a denomination) is that…”.

Because while you have the same right to claim what your religion says as any of us, it is equally correct for me to make those claims about mine. Christianity thinks that Jews and Christians worship the same God. Jews think that the invention of the trinity and the idea of a divine messiah is deep fundamental heresy and that the god you worship is as far away from our God as Zeus. It is disingenuous to talk about what Christians believe is true about Jews without noting that Jews disagree.

Which gets me to my next point—the things you say Jews believe is incorrect.

- We don’t believe that Tanakh contains all that can be known about God. The entire rabbinic project has been about engaging with the Torah as the starting point for a deep and ongoing conversation with God and that halakha - Jewish law - is God’s invitation for us to build a world with God. And the capacity of halakha to shift and move and remain both rooted in tradition and open to the world is a sign of what some Jewish theologians calls cumulative revelation. As new ideas become widespread in Judaism, their acceptance is a mark of God’s will. God speaks to us through us.

- what I mean by “you’re telling the Christian story” is that no Jewish person ever would describe what we did as ignoring God. We would describe ourselves as being in ongoing relationship with the TV show’s creator while Christianity decided the plot was too hard to follow halfway through season 2 and went off to create an unlicensed spin-off with none of the original creative team.

Again, it’s abundantly clear to me that that’s not how you conceptualize your own religion. But when you’re describing why Jews and Christians are similar, you’re characterizing Judaism in ways that are not internally true. It’s like saying “we’re best friends” when what you mean is “I think you’re my best friend, but you think we are passing acquaintances.” Or, to put it another way, saying “they’re the same god” is no less true than calling Christianity an idolatrous offshoot insofar as one reflects the Christian worldview and the other the Jewish. We each have the right to affirm our own theologies, but it’s important to note that they are internal theologies and Jews don’t agree with your characterization. We think you left our God and made up your own when Jesus become understood as divine.

- this is also not internal to Jewish theology. There’s a whole debate about what is called טעמי מצוות - the reasons for commandments - and the debate includes but ranges far beyond the particularity of the Israelite nation and right worship. This also gets back to the point that rabbinic Judaism takes the Torah as a gift from God and the starting point for the formulation of halakha. Not the end point. We’re expected to come back and negotiate and ask for clarification. Rabbinic literature is RIFE with the stories of how we negotiate with God, including the famous story of the Oven of Akhnai where (were in around 120 CE at this point) a heavenly voice emerges telling the rabbis who is correct and the rabbis disagree anyway and God in heaven laughs with delight and says “my sons have defeated me”. An integral part of Jewish theology is the idea that we too have authority when it comes to the meaning of the Torah and the ability to interpret and make meaning. So any time you claim that something is explicit in Tanakh and supports the Christian perspective, the odds are very good that it’s an interpretive move made by Christians and not Jews. (There is no such thing as a plain meaning of the text, all meaning is interpretation.)

Also point 2 is outside of Jewish theology. There’s no idea in Judaism that we NEED to fix our relationship with God from the get go. It is possible for an individual to sin and need to repent, but the idea is always that human beings have in themselves the capacity to do that. And some rabbis even say that baalei teshuva - those who have erred and repented - stand higher than the completely righteous. There’s also a saying in the Talmud: רצה הקדוש ברוך הוא לזכות את ישראל, לפיכך הרבה להם תורה ומצות - The holy blessed one wished to bestow merit upon the Jewish people and therefore made for them much Torah and many mitzvot. It’s an opportunity.

3) I assume others have mentioned the No True Scotsman fallacy and…it’s just not true that Christians who do terrible things in Christ’s name are not Christians any more than Jews who do terrible things stop being Jews. The relationship between Judaism and Christianity is possibly irreparably harmed because of how often people calling themselves Christians murdered Jews. And it is still Christianity’s failure as a religion that it creates people who so horribly violate its tenets in its name. It is the responsibility of a religion and those who adhere to it to do something about those who claim to follow it and go on to commit atrocities. Even if they are no longer Christians in your view, they are Christianity’s problem and Christianity’s responsibility.

And making claims about what Jews believe without even having the grace to note that you are speaking of the Christian conception and that Jews would not agree with this view is…not reassuring me that Christianity as such has gotten better about seeing the real, distinct humanity of the Jewish people beyond their usefulness in making Christianity look older.

I think I actually have no fundamental disagreement with you on points 1 and 2, with the exception that I don’t believe it was necessary for me to clarify “Christians believe this” more than I already did. I presented it as objective truth because that’s what it is; I didn’t want to focus on “my belief,” and the cultural preference for couching everything in terms of “my truth but maybe not your truth;” I wanted to focus on the truth, and so I presented it as such.

My point was that Christians believe that God did and said what He did and said as recorded in the Old Testament, and as I understand it, so do Jews. I have met with those who do, so that is who I am talking about. Those Jews who do not believe that the Old Testament all literally occurred in history as written, or that God is not who He presents Himself to be in the Old Testament, are not who I’m talking about.

In that sense, (my point) we believe in the same God, and then when we disagree about the person and deity of Jesus Christ, sure, we no longer do. Because how could we believe in the same Being if one “version” of that Being did something the other “version” did not do? That was sort of my whole point. That’s common sense. Obviously if you tell me your life story, and I agree with you that that happened, and then you move away and continue living your life, but I make up stories about what you’re continuing to do thousands of miles away, we’re no longer talking about the same “abotl.” Again, that’s common sense. I didn’t communicate that clearly enough, evidently. So I’m glad you pursued sending this ask.

Another exception to my general agreement with you would be that, if you check the comments where Sugar’s being a Jew was originally brought up, I made the point that I did not know what branch of Judaism she was claiming to adhere to, but if her show did not communicate values in line with Judaism, it had no bearing on the commentary on God I was observing. Because she can’t be the kind of person who says “I believe in God’s authority” but also “I don’t believe God has any authority.” If she says both those things, she’s lying about one or both; they contradict one another.

Obviously, in addition, I think it’s sort of fruitless to talk about different interpretations of the Torah because we’re coming at it from two completely different bases. I think the most foundational difference is that you believe that “there is no such thing as a plain meaning of a text, all meaning is interpretation.” That’s not true. You’re arguing with words I wrote down concerning Jewish theology; that would be totally pointless if you didn’t assume I had a intended meaning as the author, and pursue the points I made as if you had discovered what that intended meaning was. Now, you might be wrong about my intended meaning (which would be incorrect interpretation.) But even to be “wrong,” that necessitates that there is a “right.” Your statement also implies that any practical, useful, applicable or important information (“meaning”) that can be found in Scripture is assigned by the humans reading it, which re,elates Scrioture to the same level as any man-made text (albeit remarkably well-preserved and ancient.) Unless my interpretation of your words is incorrect.

So I can’t reasonably discuss the meaning of something with someone who doesn’t believe in plain meaning regardless of interpretation.

As for point 3…

The relationship is not “irreparably harmed.” I can’t fix it, but Christ can. It’s a bold claim to make that any human relationship can be “beyond repair” when there’s a sovereign God.

I have answered this repetitively, and I’ll do it one more time, but then I have to be done because it’s falling on deaf ears: the word “Christian” means “little Christ.” Therefore if you do not act like Christ, especially in major lifestyle choices, you are not being, in that moment or as long as you defend and embrace those choices, a little Christ. Even if you still claim the title. Even if you go to church. Even if you and your actions are associated with the name. Because the only qualifier for the word “Christian” is “lives in Christ.” And like I said: the murder of Jews, or anybody, or the torture of , racism toward, and cruelty toward anybody, is in no way what Jesus taught, or would do. Again; if a vegetarian eats meat, they’re not a vegetarian. It sounds like you’re confusing people calling themselves something with them actually being that thing. The “No True Scots” fallacy requires that I change the definition of “Christianity” to make exceptions when counterexamples to my original definition are brought up; nowhere have I changed the definition of “Christian” from my original explanation to do that. Therefore, it’s not a “No True Scots” fallacy, just like a professed-Christian who isn’t in Christ is not a Christian.

“And it is still Christianity’s failure as a religion that it creates people who so horribly violate its tenets in its name. It is the responsibility of a religion and those who adhere to it to do something about those who claim to follow it and go on to commit atrocities. Even if they are no longer Christians in your view, they are Christianity’s problem and Christianity’s responsibility.”

That’s very untrue. First off: suggesting that Christianity “failed” as a religion because “it created” the people who do the opposite of what Christ teaches is impossible, because it would be like saying “a mom taught her son to never eat meat and because of that he ate meat.” Okay, well, you could come up with a connection between the two, like, “the son felt so desperate to eat something other than fruits and vegetables that he decided to try meat.” But the mom and her teachings are in no way responsible for that connection. If the son followed her teachings and, what’s more, believed in them, he wouldn’t have eaten meat. That’s what necessarily follows from genuine adherence to a belief faithfully taught. Instead, it is because of something in the son, disliking or disagreeing with the teaching, not something in the teaching, that he deviated from it. His reaction to the teaching is not prescribed by the teaching. He can blame his reaction, or his actions independent of the teaching, on the teaching. He can say it was too restrictive, but ultimately, his choices are his. And the teaching told him to do the opposite of what he’s doing.

It’d be the same if you asked me to walk your dog, with those words exactly, and I went out and killed your dog in the middle of the street, then grabbed your neighbors dogs and started adding them to the murder scene—and did it all screaming at the top of my lungs, “this is what abotl told me to do! I do this in the name of abotl!” And later, when I’m accused and denounced, I say, “abotl said to walk their dog. Walk means kill, and kill progressively, like taking one step in front of the other. I’m a follower of abotl, so I did what they said to do.” All I did was take the opposite of what you told me to do and claim that that opposite was the correct interpretation of your words.

But are you responsible for that? Are any of your actual followers who do safely walk and care for your dog responsible for my actions? Of course not.

You could contrive some responsibility. You could say, “well in that scenario, abotl should’ve known enough about artist-issues to see that their interpretation of words was seriously flawed and they just wanted to kill dogs; abotl never should have entrusted their dog to someone like artist-issues, or should’ve explained more clearly, just like Christians should have seen the danger of murderers in their midst and taught them not to murder more clearly.” But that’s still only responsibility up to a point.

Christians aren’t omnipresent, omnipotent, or omniscient. They can’t be expected to know every thought and intention of the members of their congregation. They can’t explain any more clearly than God Himself does, and they can’t change man’s hearts. All they can do is be faithful to replace lies with the truth of what Christ said and fight injustice when and where they have the opportunity, the way God tells them to fight in Scripture.

That said, we do do something when people commit atrocities; both in the misuse of the name of Christianity, and not.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the Christian pastor, is a prime example. (I know that it’s popular to call him “antisemetic,” but if all that term means is “believes the Christian doctrine that Jews should become Christians,” well, that’s not discriminatory toward Jews, because we believe that about everybody, including ourselves before we became Christians. It’s not a special desire to wipe out any one culture or people and swallow them into our religion; it’s a doctrine of general “humanity is broken, but in Christ can be made whole, and should be.”) And the point here is that he, flawed though he was, knew that Hitler’s German Christianity regime was anti-Biblical, and anti-teachings-of-Christ, just like the vegetarians that eat meat. He not only gave up his life, his career, his safety, and his good name to protect Jews from the Holocaust, but he also actively spoke out against Hitler, Hitler’s German Christianity institution, any professing Protestant who welcomed the Nazi regime or teaching, and eventually was hung for trying to assassinate Hitler. And he’s just a big name representative of many Christians who protected the oppressed or died trying, against people who were doing the oppressing in Christ’s name.

In America, the slave trade was long defended by people who claimed Christ. They even had Scripture, incorrectly interpreted and improperly applied, to back up their oppression and cruelty. But people like William Wilberforce, John Newton, and Harriet Beecher Stowe (who quoted or alluded to Scripture almost 100 times in the abolitionist book Uncle Tom’s Cabin) pointed out how definitively anti-Christian the slave trade and the oppression of people were with their whole lives; they correctly interpreted Scripture and properly applied Jesus' teaching to do this.

Christians are fallen human beings saved by the grace of Christ who are not perfect, nor do they fight for truth and the protection of the innocent perfectly. In fact, they get it woefully wrong a lot of the time. But Jesus said we would. And that His grace is sufficient for our weakness. So our failures don’t mean we stop trying, and it certainly doesn’t mean that any time we fail, we discredit the teachings of Christ.

If you want to imply “well some Christians oppress savagely, and some Christians protect the innocent, so who’s to say which one is “real Christianity?” All Christians, the whole religion, is corrupt!” The Christian would answer, “well, yeah. We’re human. We never said we were following Christ’s teachings perfectly. We’re just trying to do it increasingly, by grace, through faith. We’re not perfect. Christ’s teachings are perfect.”

You can call it a cop-out if you want. But honestly, the responsibility for sin is on the sinner alone, unless they give their life to Christ, then He takes the punishment and enables them to live the rest of their lives as imperfect but increasingly sanctified followers of His teachings. Ultimate judgement belongs to God alone, even if there are consequences to wrongdoing on earth. And that’s been a tenet of the Christian faith since the Christian faith existed. So nobody’s moving the goalposts or re-defining the original definition.

Finally, we acknowledge Jewish people’s real, distinct humanity. Just because we also acknowledge the connection between the history of the Jewish people and faith and our faith does not mean that we’re minimizing you, your experience, or your humanity. But the truth of the matter is, either Jesus was the Son of God or He wasn’t. We can each believe we’re right, but one or both of us have to be wrong. We can’t both be right. And there’s no “ignoring of humanity” that comes with a Christian saying, “I am right about this.” Any more than there would be any “ignoring of Christians’ humanity” that comes along with a Jew saying, “No, I am right about this.” That’s what it boils down to. Also, who’s doing that? Who’s trying to say that Jews are only valuable because they make Christianity look older? I’d like to talk to that person. If it’s me, you’ve wildly misunderstood and mischaracterized me.

Thanks for wording this so thoroughly and pursuing a conversation with me.

(NOTE: Anyone who wants to dogpile on here, find their own offenses with what I’ve said or what abotl’s said, and decry one of us as racist or bigoted or stupid or whatever, I’m not talking to you here. Don’t expect any replies. I’m all done with the trolling. On this particular post, I’m talking to abotl. If you’ve got something to add respectfully, or to defend because you genuinely believe it, you can do it in my Inbox. It’s open to anybody who can reason because they’ve thought through what they believe and want to defend it beyond name-calling and reading what they want into other people’s words.)

[queenie-says-free-palestine]

Hi queenie! I hope I don't sound ignorant, but every single article on Palestine and Israel seems heavily biased and stuff, so I just wanted to ask you if you had a fully-fledged and explained post or something about the situation? Or, if you don't could you explain it to me?

I really want to know what's happening between the two places.

Sorry if I sound rude or ignorant

sorry this took a while to answer ive been kinda busy lol

dw idm !! im happy to explain it to you, but keep in mind that im only human n there might be missing info. all the information i use is verifiable—i didnt go off of rumors or anything like that

i explained the history briefly in a post i made on my main blog where i was tryna detail the israel-palestine situation:

zionist movements began in maybe mid 19th century, jews worldwide were being persecuted and they wanted a land to themselves. they had their eyes set on palestine, even tho the palestinian bedouins there have been living in palestine for at least 1500 years

wwii left millions of jews stranded, so in 1947, the united nations suggested dividing palestine into a jewish and arab state. the jews accepted, but the arabs rejected it. this rejection was ultimately ignored, and israel declared itself a state in 1947, leading to palestinian arabs being displaced and a war starting between israel and arab nations. this was known as nakba—literally the arabic word for disaster, it mainly refers to palestinians being displaced after israel declared independence

the six-day war of 1967 was a conflict ultimately won by israel—they took control of the west bank, the gaza strip, and east jerusalem. conflicts got worse from here, and violence against civilians grew. its been snowballing since then

now, what i didnt mention here was that jews do have a history in the land, but the reason i didnt mention that was because the vast majority of that history dates back to 2000 years ago, when they were exiled by the romans, n they still claim ties to the land due to this history and also the religious significance it has in judaism, as it has been mentioned in the torah several times. not to mention that jerusalem is the location of the west wall, which holds extreme significance in judaism

they have almost always lived in palestine as a minority. in fact, whent the un plan was made, the jews were given 55% of the land despite only being an estimated 30% of the population

what i also didnt mention is the extremely disproportionate number of casualties. the usa and uk have both been vocal in aiding israel, and esp the usa helps fund its military n help it build its military, whereas palestine has virtually no method of defense. according to the un, roughly 6400 palestinians and 300 israelis have been killed since 2008, not including recent fatalities, and not including the 60 years from the nakba until 2008

im sure youve seen videos or seen stories on the news of dead palestinian children, and these deaths are sometimes celebrated by israel because they were fighting back against the idf, however this form of "fighting back" is usually firing rocks at tanks using slingshots, and then proceeding to get shot

now, whats going on now is a result of the "snowballing" i mentioned. the problem was meant to be solved by the oslo accords, which was meant to be an agreement to help issues on both sides (for palestine it was meant to help economic development in palestinian society, as well as stop the construction and expansion of israeli settlements in the west bank n gaza strip. for israel it was meant to make a promise of peace, ending hostility esp from extremist palestinian movements such as hamas). however, the promises made in these accords were never met

now, hamas is something youve heard abt often, im sure. its an extremist militant group who works largely in gaza (they have absolutely no soldiers in the west bank, although they do have some support there) whose main objective is to take back palestine and give it to the palestinians. however, their methods of doing so are extremely unorthodox, as they tend to take courses of action such as smuggling rockets via a series of tunnels, suicide bombings, and also they largely target civilian populations

its also notable that they were voted for by the gazan population in 2006, where half of the population were children, so only a maximum of 50% of the gazan population voted for them. since this voting was also in 2006 (17 years ago) and the gazan population is still 50% minors, this means that only a maximum of 25% of the gazan population today were part of those who voted for hamas

what happened a couple weeks ago at the start of the war was that hamas had been planning for abt a year an attack on israel in retaliation for the thousands upon thousands of palestinians who have been killed, and the thing is that no one suspected it. thats one of the reasons why it shook the world

in the first couple days, israeli casualties outnumbered palestinian casualties, reaching abt 600 while palestine sat at just under 200. there was a music festival which hamas attacked, killing 260 civilians, injuring even more, and taking an unknown number of hostages, some of whom were not israeli and in fact just people visiting from other countries on israeli visas

israel retaliated heavily, with the israeli defense minister referring to palestinians as 'human animals', and they warned 1.1 million gazans to leave northern gaza (despite the fact that gaza is a 41km*12km piece of land thats been closed off for the past fifteen years) because they were going to level it. they also bombed a hospital, which is against international law and is a war crime, admitted it in a string of tweets, and then deleted them

they also damaged gaza's oldest church, the third oldest in the world which is estimated to be 1600 years old, where 400-500 palestinians were hiding. theres around 27 fatalities confirmed and an unknown number of people still trapped under the rubble

additionally theres a load of claims of things hamas has done (beheading babies n raping women being the most popular allegations) but basically none of these have based sources, and a lot of things israel accuses hamas of include crimes that members of the idf (israel defense force) has committed against palestinians in previous decades

so please fact check everything you hear, and be wary of biased sources

[will-o-the-witch]

What's your opinion on really violent parts of the Torah? Like Leviticus 26;28?

So I chewed on this question for a day or two trying to figure out how to answer without sounding like I was speaking for a monolith, then conveniently stumbled upon somebody asking a similar question about the same verse in a group I'm in with LOTS of Jews. There was a wide range of different answers from different traditions and perspectives, so I figured I'd cobble together some common points:

It's an expected and encouraged Jewish value to question Gd, so passages like these aren't something you have to just bow your head and accept literally. Many would say it's concerning if you don't at least question or discuss it.

Even if one regards the Torah as divinely-inspired, it was still written down/"translated" by human beings and you need to look at the cultural context of when it was written to fully understand what's being communicated. (As one person said, "Is it Gd's morality or the writers' morality?") That passage likely hit differently for a Jew living under Babylonian captivity when dry seasons could wipe out an entire village and basically every disease could still kill you. It's a harsh world with harsh consequences, and passages like these could be seen as a reflection of that mindset. One person also said a deity you feared would have made more sense in that world than ours, and I think that's interesting to think about.

In a similar vein, others interpret it not as a threat of consequenses, but as an illustration of how serious the covenant Jews made with Gd really is, in a language Jews at the time in particular would have understood and resonated with. Unlike other religions, this isn't an open invitation for people to "sign up" when they're ready; the contract is already made, performance has already begun, and ignoring it would put you in breach.

Gd in Judaism.... isn't necessarily "good." Obviously we still tend to give Gd lots of praise and affection but there's no "All-Good God, All-Bad Satan/Devil" binary like in Christianity. It's Just All Gd, meaning Gd is just as much about life and creation as death and destruction, all emanating from the same center, and sometimes you'll see that mindset reflected in the text.

"Shit's crazy, right?"

[shalom-iamcominghome]

Do you know why some converts are named bat Avraham Avinu ve Sarah Imenu instead of just bat Avraham ve Sarah? Cause I kind of like the first one better as it clearly signifies which Avraham and Sarah I am a child of. I also wanted to know if you know of any converts with multiple first names? Cause I like the idea of getting all of my three first names translated to Hebrew/finding Hebrew names similar in meaning or sound to them. But if I do that all I’ll have a pretty long name and I’m scared people might not like it/judge it. I know I should probably talk to a rabbi about it but I’m still somewhat early in my conversion and i feel embarrassed going to him about names already

From what I've found, that (imenu) is used to mean "our mother," though I am obviously not entirely familiar with this yet, honestly.

As for your names, it's probably very early to consider seriously in the sense that as you "mature" in your understanding of judaism, you may find yourself gravitated toward many other names for reasons stemming from a richer understanding of judaism and how you fit with it. I haven't heard of a person choosing multiple names, but honestly, I can imagine that somebody may choose to have more than one, even if it's uncommon. When it comes to your hebrew name, certainly think of where it will be used upon after your official conversion - to be called upon to read torah, marriage if you choose, and children if you choose, just to name a few. This isn't me trying to pressure you one way or another at all - this will be your name, after all. I hope, when the time is right for you, that you find something that suits you and your journey.

[fierceawakening]

So I posted a question the other day about the bit in the "Old Testament" about David bringing a pile of foreskins to Saul, and asked if that was one of the passages Christians have mistranslated from the Torah, and got no reply.

Well, yesterday in our sermon we were talking about the Ten Commandments, and as part of the Bible reading the person read a bit where God said something like "for I am a jealous God, and punish the sins of the father to the third generation"

And once again, I'm wondering: is that one of the mistranslations? Because collective punishment is... very wrong, and current events are showing it, I think. Most people I know, of any religion, are against it from what I can tell. But there it is in the text, unless the text I have is wrong.

When I read the "Old Testament" and decided God sounded cruel and capricious and decided to deconvert in part because of that, those were the passages I was reading. (The other one was "no one who is damaged in the stones may enter the temple." I was deeply uncomfortable with a God who didn't want disabled people close to Him, and felt that pledging my loyalty to such a God would mean accepting my oppression as deserved.) Those were where I was getting "this guy sounds abusive and power-mad."

Are those the mistranslations, or are the mistranslations somewhere else?

If those aren't the mistranslations, where are they?

Why exactly shouldn't people raised Christian read those bits for ourselves, blink uncomfortably, and think "this guy sounds like a creep?"

[fattened-goose]

Stargazing | Philip, Simon the Zealot, and Big James.

A/N: I realize some of these aren’t really under the brim of stargazing, but I couldn’t think of something else that would fit for a title ‘cause I’m not that creative. 😅 these are my first preferences on this blog, and I’d like to thank my dear friend @multifandomsofficial for helping me out with them.

Warnings: possible bad writing and punctuation.

From the first day you’d started to follow Jesus you’d caught his eye. The memory of your first day brought the corners of his lips into an upturned U shape. You looked lovely that day too, but following Jesus had made you even lovelier. You never seemed to pay him any mind though, always spending your time learning scripture with Mary M and Matthew.

Sure, you’d greet Philip in passing but you never seemed drawn to him. He was drawn to you though, which is what made him approach you even though he was nervous. Wiping his palms against his tunic, he approached you, a small grin twisting his lips upward when you greeted him with a smile.

“Shalom, Philip.” The words left you gently and quietly, the small nod of your head that accompanied them boosting his moral.

“Shalom, Y/N, may I join you?”

He fidgeted slightly, his eyes meeting yours with a hopeful glint as he waited for your reply. Heart warming at his inquiry, you nodded quickly before patting the blanket beside you.

“Of course!”

With a widening smile, his skin crinkled around his eyes a bit as he sat down. Scooting so there was a respectful space between you, his fingers brushed against yours lightly in the process, bringing a red tint to his cheeks as well as your own. You, however, failed to notice the blush that covered his cheeks as you gazed up at the stars that blanketed the sky.

Beautiful, dazzling orbs of milky crystal that twinkled brightly around the perfectly full moon. The sounds of the crickets chirping and the wood crackling on the fire only adding to the peaceful delight. The ambience of it all bringing a grin to your face which Philip hadn’t failed to notice, all the more adding to his own grin.

Where you had failed earlier to notice his blush when his fingers brushed yours, you didn’t fail to pick up on him glancing at you from the corner of your eye. It was now your turn to blush, a gentle laugh escaping from your lips at the attention. The sound making him chuckle gently, the two of you breaking the comfortable silence you’d been in.

Daring to look over at him, your eyes landed on his kind dark ones, twinkling in the fire light. A shy smile covered your lips before looking back at the sky.

“Do you like stargazing?” The question breaking the comfortable silence you both had been resting in.

“Yes, but I don’t know enough about it to even know what I’m looking at…” you admitted, eyes drifting back over to his, “I’m a novice.”

“We all have to start somewhere, huh?” Tone light as he winked at you before motioning back up to the sky, his hand sweeping in an arc over it, “would you like to learn some constellations?”

“Only if you’d like to teach me some.” You beamed at him, the sight making his stomach as well as your own flutter.

“Sure, it’s one of my talents; being able to recite Torah at the drop of a hat and pointing out constellations.” His good natured bragging followed by a chuckle and a smile.

“Surely, you have more than two talents.” You teased back, eyes meeting his again as you worked up courage to be a little bolder. Your nerves relaxing a bit due to his kind and goofy demeanor.

“Well, nobody wants to be around a braggart.” He joked, “besides, if I tell you everything I’ll have nothing left to impress you with.” With this he shrugged slightly, pointing back up to the sky and tracing an imaginary line to explain a constellation.

Giving him your full attention, a smile painted its way over your lips, as you listened to him intently. Little did he know, he never really had to do much to impress you.

(Also, if anyone could teach me how to slow gifs down I’d be very thankful.)

~*~

You tossed restlessly in your bedroll, everyone around you in the women’s tent experiencing the most peaceful sleep, except for you of course. It’s not that you weren’t tired, you were of course, it had to be well past midnight after all. You just were having trouble quieting your mind, rolling flat onto your back you sighed deeply. Staring at the darkness that blanketed the inside of the tent.

Sitting up you looked around, making sure everyone was asleep before quietly tiptoeing out of the tent. Looking back one last time you shut the entrance flap, before making your way to the log that sat on the other side of the camp.

The cool air causing goosebumps to rise on your skin and the hair on the back of your neck to stand up. Instantly you wished you’d thought to bring your shawl or your blanket with you in order to stave off the cold. Daring to perch on an end of the log, you let out a gasp of surprise when it turned out to be wet. The sound echoing through the quiet atmosphere, making you hold your breath for a minute before standing back up.

A grimace covered your face before a quiet laugh escaped your throat at the ridiculousness of the situation. You shook your head, moving over to the glowing embers that were now the remnants of the once roaring fire that had danced in the makeshift pit situated in middle of the camp. Figuring it would still be somewhat warm you squatted down, settling on the edge of the pit.

It wasn’t as warm as it could be but it would suffice until you went back to the women’s tent. Staring softly at the orange and red embers your mind soon slowed down. Slowed down as much as possible before you were startled by someone coming up behind you. You barely heard them, had it not been so quiet you wouldn’t have heard them at all.

What if it’s a Roman?

Panicking, you stood and turned a bit too quickly, stumbling backward as you rocked abruptly on your heels, the only saving grace being the person’s hand grabbing onto your shoulder in order to steady you.

“Y/N, are you ok?”

Taking a minute to get your bearings, you rocked forward slightly on your toes before steadying yourself. You were embarrassed to say the least, especially after you saw that it was Simon. Your cheeks pink due to the epic blunder you’d just subjected him too. Exhaling, you nodded quickly as you smiled up at him, “I’m glad it’s you!”

The expression rushing out before you’d fully formulated what you wanted to say making your cheeks grow even redder and butterflies start up in your stomach. Simon on the other hand looked at you with slightly widened eyes for a second, smiling at you gently before squeezing your shoulder lightly. Your breath catching in your throat slightly, at this point he had to know how you felt about him. He was too perceptive not to.

“Let’s sit down.” Releasing your shoulder, he removed his cloak with a flourish, laying it on the ground for you to sit on. The chivalrous act making your heart melt slightly as he studied you carefully.

“You’re cold.” He mumbled, stoking the embers to get the fire going again, your eyes drawn to his muscles that moved in perfect sync under the sleeves of his tunic. Your face grew hot and you forced yourself to look away, thankful that you did before he turned around again. Fixing you with a friendly grin, he reached out to pluck a leaf out of your hair with gentle precision.

“It should start getting warmer now.” motioning to the fire in front of the two of you.

“How’d you know it was me out here?” Your eyebrows raising slightly in bewilderment as the question rolled off your tongue. His head cocked while he surveyed you, lips poised in a warm smile, “I heard someone moving around out here, so, I looked out the tent and saw that it was you.”

This surprised you even more, you’d tried to be quiet but you’d failed, with your mouth agape you gawked at him, eyes wide and unblinking causing a chuckle to leave his throat, “don’t worry, you weren’t being loud.”

“How’d you hear me then?”

“I have very keen senses.” He smiled at you, the affectionate look causing your stomach to drop and your cheeks to heat up.

“So, keen in fact…” he paused, his finger drawing an imaginary line across the sky, the line following a glistening silver streak, making your eyes light up as you gazed after it.

“It’s a shooting star.” He stated, watching you look at it with amazement still glistening in your eyes, “make a wish.”

“Simon, it’s beautiful.” The words a whisper, your eyes following it until it disappeared from view. Turning to see him grinning at you, you grinned back, “I wish I knew how you spot stuff so quickly.”

“Time and practice.” His voice almost lower than a whisper now and laced with embarrassment, “I’ve spent a lot of time outside at night…”

He was no doubt referring to his former days, too embarrassed to meet your eyes, a sight that made you frown a bit.

“But, that’s all behind you now, Jesus said that we’re no longer what we once were.” The words comforting him enough that he shot you a shy smile. You both sat in comfortable silence for a few seconds, hugging your knees to your chest and resting your chin on them. While he looked to be in thought, laughing at the yawn that left you.

“I think I’ll head in now.”

Nodding at you, he stood and offered you his hand to pull you up off the ground, your stomach dropping at the contact of his calloused palm against your skin. He smiled at you, watching as you walked a few steps toward the tent before whispering, “Goodnight, Y/N.”

“Goodnight, Simon.” The tired smile you gave him melting his heart as you entered the tent. Smiling softly to himself, he walked back to his own tent. Fingers laced behind his head as went, hoping one day he’d be able to work up the courage to tell you about his feelings for you.

Laying with your head on your husband’s arm that was positioned behind you, you both gazed up at the stars.

“Aren’t they beautiful?” You asked, cuddling up closer to James only to have his arm wrap around you tightly in an effort to shield you from the cold. His lips pressed gently onto your temple, the scruffiness of his beard tickling you slightly.

A laugh rose from your throat at the sensation, your head turned toward his, giving him a return peck on the cheek. His eyebrows raising at you slightly, before smiling over at you, his fingers tangling in your hair.

“Not as beautiful as you, my heart.”

“James…” his name left your lips with a giggle, the soft blush that covered your cheeks melting his heart and making his smile widen as you snuggled closer to him. The sounds of the others laughing and joking around the fire just barely audible as the wind carried their voices toward you.

“I’m glad we were able to sneak away for a bit even though it’s cold, you’re a far better companion for looking at stars than John is.”

The shiver that raced its way through your body causing James to pull you even closer. Turning onto your stomach, you rested your chin on James’ chest, a coy grin making its way to your lips. The sight making him release a breathy laugh, “what?”

His fingers gently separating strands of your hair, while his dark eyes drank in the sight of you, obviously pleased with the jest that was poised on your lips.

“You did a lot of stargazing with John, did you?”

At this his brow furrowed slightly at you, as he fought off a smile, “In a manner of speaking.”

The mischievous glimmer in your eye forcing the smile onto his face, a throaty laugh escaping past his lips as he elaborated, “the stars are still out in the morning if you get up early enough, although, I don’t snuggle up to John like this.”

His arms giving you a tender squeeze in an effort to emphasize the word snuggle, eyes meeting yours with a warm affection glinting in them. Smiling at him, your fingers traced along the neck of his tunic before teasing, “you don’t snuggle up to Andrew or Simon either do you?”

A sour look crossed his face for a second, only to be replaced by a gentle smile as a playful tut left his lips, “especially not to them, not even for all the silver in the world.”

You laughed quietly, as his fingers tangled in the ends of you hair, “how fortunate for me to get all your cuddles.”

“How fortunate indeed.” He quipped, leaning forward to place a gentle kiss on the tip of your nose, his heart swelling with tenderness and warmth as you curled into him more, your eyes looking back up at the sky with admiration as he glanced at you with equal parts love and awe.