{"id":49556,"date":"2019-02-16T19:03:05","date_gmt":"2019-02-16T17:03:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=49556"},"modified":"2022-09-11T12:41:47","modified_gmt":"2022-09-11T09:41:47","slug":"dont-fit-in-stand-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/dont-fit-in-stand-out\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t Fit In – Stand Out!"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[436,410],"acf":{"old_id":"49556","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":46249,"related_cahpter":"157","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"It\u2019s better to act good than be bad, but it\u2019s best to live the part","content":"

I was raised in the church of \u201cpas nisht<\/em>,\u201d Yiddish for it\u2019s not fitting \u2013 or as Nancy Reagan would have said, \u201cJust Say No.\u201d The reasoning was clear: beware \u201ca shanda fur die goyim<\/em>,\u201d a shame before the nations. The underlying messaging was clear too: We American Jews weren\u2019t supposed to do anything that embarrassed fellow Jews in front of the real Americans, the non-Jews.<\/span><\/p>\n

This other-directedness offered one-way tickets to the shrink and the chiropractor: being so tense, forever looking over your shoulder, stresses the soul and strains the neck. And our perma-probation was defensive, reinforcing a sense of otherness, of homelessness.<\/span><\/p>\n

Deuteronomy 4:6 turns \u201cpas nisht<\/em>\u201d positive. “Observe them faithfully, for that will be proof of your wisdom and discernment to other peoples, who on hearing of all these laws will say, ‘Surely, that great nation is a wise and discerning people.'” \u00a0We absorbed this value in the Young Judaea Zionist Youth movement as <\/span>dugma isheet<\/span><\/em>: setting a personal example.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, we\u2019re talking: the audience as launching pad, not peanut gallery. This passage says \u201cdon\u2019t be a Galut Jew, a Diaspora Jew, a Woody Allen neurotic, worried how you look. Be a proud Jew, educating the world through your ethics, your actions.\u201d The Revisionist Zionist Ze\u2019ev Jabotinsky (1880-1940), challenged our grandparents: stop being broken ghetto Jews. Remember, our ancestors were princes and princesses. We built majestic temples, improvised the Talmud, developed an eternal civilization, when others still frolicked in mud huts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Live by \u201cHadar,\u201d Jabotinsky urged, an untranslatable world evoking dignity, glory, an outward majesty reflecting an inner morality. Hadar \u201cconsists of a thousand trifles which collectively form everyday life,\u201d he preached in 1934. \u201cYou must be generous, if no question of principle is involved. Do not bargain about trivialities\u2026. Every word of yours must be a \u2018word of honor,\u2019 and the latter is mightier than steel.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Here, then, is the Torah\u2019s grandeur, often neglected, especially in America. Being scripted helps us learn the part; it\u2019s better to act good than be bad, but it\u2019s best to live the part. Our mission is not to fit in, but to stand out. Don\u2019t seek external rewards but inner peace. Greatness, wisdom, understanding, don\u2019t come from trashing tradition but embracing it (which isn\u2019t being handcuffed by it either).<\/span><\/p>\n

In short, acting good keeps us in check; living virtuously makes us honest, keeps it real.<\/span><\/p>\n

Zeev Jabotisnky: by Unknown –<\/span>https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=535645<\/span>
\n<\/span>Woody Allen: by David Shankbone,<\/span>
\n<\/span>https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/1\/16\/Woody_Allen_at_the_Tribeca_Film_Festival.jpg<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":49566,"id":49566,"title":"Dt4-Allen-Jabotinsky","filename":"Dt4-Allen-Jabotinsky.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Dt4-Allen-Jabotinsky.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/dont-fit-in-stand-out\/dt4-allen-jabotinsky\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"dt4-allen-jabotinsky","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":49556,"date":"2019-02-16 17:02:51","modified":"2019-02-16 17:03:02","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1200,"height":719,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Dt4-Allen-Jabotinsky-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Dt4-Allen-Jabotinsky-300x180.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":180,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Dt4-Allen-Jabotinsky-768x460.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":460,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Dt4-Allen-Jabotinsky-1024x614.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":614,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Dt4-Allen-Jabotinsky.jpg","1536x1536-width":1200,"1536x1536-height":719,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Dt4-Allen-Jabotinsky.jpg","2048x2048-width":1200,"2048x2048-height":719,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Dt4-Allen-Jabotinsky-1200x719.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":719,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Dt4-Allen-Jabotinsky-701x420.jpg","home_baner-width":701,"home_baner-height":420}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"Don\u2019t Fit In - Stand Out!","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"It\u2019s better to act good than be bad, but it\u2019s best to live the part","preview_embedded":"","preview_image":{"ID":49566,"id":49566,"title":"Dt4-Allen-Jabotinsky","filename":"Dt4-Allen-Jabotinsky.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Dt4-Allen-Jabotinsky.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/dont-fit-in-stand-out\/dt4-allen-jabotinsky\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"dt4-allen-jabotinsky","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":49556,"date":"2019-02-16 17:02:51","modified":"2019-02-16 17:03:02","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1200,"height":719,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Dt4-Allen-Jabotinsky-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Dt4-Allen-Jabotinsky-300x180.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":180,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Dt4-Allen-Jabotinsky-768x460.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":460,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Dt4-Allen-Jabotinsky-1024x614.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":614,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Dt4-Allen-Jabotinsky.jpg","1536x1536-width":1200,"1536x1536-height":719,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Dt4-Allen-Jabotinsky.jpg","2048x2048-width":1200,"2048x2048-height":719,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Dt4-Allen-Jabotinsky-1200x719.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":719,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Dt4-Allen-Jabotinsky-701x420.jpg","home_baner-width":701,"home_baner-height":420}},"preview_video":"","external_link":"","link_for_pay":false,"tile_gallery_items":false,"credits":""},"alternate_tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"","hide_media":false},"tile_group":{"preview_image_url":false,"main_caption":"","sub_caption":"","":null,"popup_package_extra_content":"","read_time":""},"home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo":{"seo_title":"","seo_description":"","seo_default_title":"","seo_default_description":""},"links":false,"send_noty":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49556"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49556"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49556\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":107870,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49556\/revisions\/107870"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49556"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49556"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49556"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}