u/Upbeat_Teach6117

I was just thinking about the minutiae of Halachah and Orthodoxy in general, and my mind settled on the concept of Pidyon HaBen. The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it - and OJ's entire framework of who God is and how he expects us to do his will - is to me.

First of all, the idea that a firstborn son must be "redeemed" in order to avoid service in the Beis HaMikdash is wildly outdated. Shouldn't people pursue their own lives instead of being consigned to a religious order while they're still infants? And if the Pidyon is just a formality, why do it at all?

Additionally, a child born via cesarean section (or after certain miscarriages and stillbirths) does not qualify for a Pidyon HaBen ceremony. This speaks to OJ's bureaucratic approach to life. If the new baby didn't literally "open the womb" himself, he is not considered a firstborn child by Halachah.

Meanwhile, other parts of TaNaKh are taken figuratively. Who wears Tefilin between their eyes? Who sums up Basar B'Chalav as a kid boiled in its mother's milk? Who demands an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth? Yet a Pidyon HaBen can only take place after a vaginal childbirth.

Thanks for letting me rant and rave.

Last night, I went for a walk and ran into a very friendly, very frum neighbor who I've known for over two decades. She asked me how my career was going, so I told her about the large nonprofit I work for.

She informed me that she was a regular beneficiary of the organization’s services. She also wondered if my employer (or its donors) could contribute to her Hachnasas Kalah initiative. "Have you been to our fundraisers or seen our ads? Weddings are extremely expensive, you know," she said with a smile.

I was stunned. Floral arrangements and new dining room sets are not only luxuries; they're also not in keeping with the mission of the nonprofit in question. I wasn't sure how to respond to her request, but I couldn't help thinking poorly of the frum world's financial priorities.

Then, my neighbor shocked me even further. "Who contributes to your organization?" she asked me. I told her that we received financial, in-kind, and volunteer support from thousands of individuals, corporations, schools, churches, nonprofits, government grants, and civic groups.

"Wow!" she said with genuine surprise. "If they were Jewish, I wouldn't be so impressed. But it's really amazing that they help so much!"

My jaw almost hit the pavement at my neighbor's chutzpah. I told her that many people had ethical, religious, or personal reasons to be generous - and that some of our biggest contributors were religious but not Jewish.

I came close to saying, "I can count on one hand the number of frum volunteers or donors I've encountered in my current position." Instead, I held my tongue and told her goodnight.

If there's anything I dislike more than a superiority complex, it's an unearned superiority complex. And it seems that fundamentalists - of all flavors - have unjustifiable arrogance in spades.

Earlier today, my Yeshivish Lite brother claimed that there's newly-discovered archaeological evidence of Yetzias Mitzrayim. I hadn't heard of this, so I kept my mouth shut rather than argue with him.

Does anyone know what he was referring to? Does it hold any weight?