One of my favorite Jewish legends goes like this:
A man goes up to a rabbi one day and says, "If you can teach me the entire Torah while I stand on one foot, I'll convert to Judaism."
The rabbi thinks for a moment and then says, "Okay. Go ahead."
"What?" says the man.
"Stand on one foot."
So, the man raises a foot and the rabbi says, "Love thy neighbor as thyself. The rest is just commentary."
That's why I love being a Jew. I love that when you cut through all the bullshit, that is the essential tenet of my religion. Judaism is about living for today in this lifetime, because this is all you're going to get (until the Messiah comes). Sure, I should probably keep kosher and I should probably go to temple, but as long as I'm treating people the way I want them to treat me, I'm doing okay. I feel like a good Jew.
That's why I am constantly frustrated by the State of Israel.
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