Aww thanks @Shimon Nodel & @ujm! Your words are so kind & encouraging! 🥰 Except for the name calling, but I’m not sure what mumar letayavon means anyway.
I’ve been rapidly flying to the right of where I’ve been, but you don’t know what you don’t know. I did attend 2 different Torah studies this week (chabad & MO), and 2 services on shabbat (Reform & MO) so I’m working hard on moving in a good direction in advance of Rosh Hashanah. I even began to wonder whether I need to stop attending the services at the Reform shul altogether to prevent myself from potentially backsliding but I think that might be too drastic a change for me at the moment. I get a lot more out of the service itself and what I see there continues to remind me of why I’m pushing myself way out of my comfort zone. Perhaps at some point in the future I will get there.
CholentBeans – I’m not sure what part sounds so silly? I come from a non-orthodox Jewish background, but I am very dissatisfied with the laxness in halacha and liberal secular politics being encouraged at reform and conservative shuls. I am trying to learn more but have very limited resources and lots and lots of questions.
If alcohol and cigarettes are allowed why is it so strange to ask about marijuana? It has a societal stigma from years of being illegal but is it really so much worse than alcohol and cigarettes which are certainly both unhealthy? It’s no longer illegal so the issue of following secular laws would now be moot. It has some medical applications which in Judaism can often lead to exceptions. I would much prefer it was illegal for non-medical use under secular law, but it is allowed so is it that strange for me to wonder what’s the deal here from the halachic perspective?
If religious Jews don’t go to baseball games, who’s buying the glatt kosher hot dogs they sell at yankee stadium?
I think I get what you’re saying though about generally trying to live a life of moral example and holding ourselves as Jews to a higher standard than those around us. Just as poor behavior reflects negatively on ones parents, our poor behavior reflects negatively on Avinu Malkeinu. Thank you for explaining this! And I appreciate everyone’s patience with me.