Old-School Community...

Two weeks ago, as Calanit and I read the Shabbat Book, we came across an interesting comment.

"It may seem strange that we need laws in order to be free, but we do Laws are much more than a list of do's and don'ts. They create experiences that shape the people who live by them...For example, observant Jews do not drive or ride in their cars on Shabbat. This means that they must live close enough to theirsynagogue to walk to it. The result is that observant Jews end up living in the same neighborhood...so the rule creates a community."

Tamar and I were flabbergasted by the outpouring of generosity following Erez's birth (here) and over time, we've been blessed to have more and more interactions with so many people who share our values.

There's a huge amount of conversation among the Internet digerati (and me) re: online "communities"-what they are, how to create them, how to profit from them.

As big a fan of the online world as I am-and I am a huge one--I have to say that the chance to feel the warmth that emanates from those with whom you are actively building a real-life, physical community, is a great one.

Everyone (well, almost everyone!) cares about the welfare of each other (some more than others :-), of course), so it's particularly nice to have a chance to get together outside of the normal routine and just enjoy each other's company.



No kids, no synagogue duties, no (obvious) pretense...just a casual chance to hang out.
Kudos to Nechuma/Aaron for a great evening (loved the house decor, particularly the color of the dining room walls) and to everyone in our community whose birthday we were celebrating at the February Group B-day party--and to those who came out to join in the fun.

For more observations on community, see here.