Valentine’s Day

Jewbiquitous is discussing the appropriateness of Jews celebrating Valentine’s Day in light of its Christian history, and therefore it’s Christian content.

But even if it were devoid of that, as a Litvak, I wouldn’t celebrate it. Because it’s “romantic,” which is a form of spirituality. Instead of getting all mushy eyed and paying through the nose for a prefixed dinner and watching some drivel with Hugh Grant, everyone should go read a good book, preferably non-fiction. And note the wisdom of my eight-year-old nephew, who gently declined his librarian’s suggestion noting, “I don’t usually read fiction, unless it’s really good.â€?

Now to be clear, I have no problem with mutual base desires (trust me on this one) and an intellectual connection, and in fact, (at least theoretically) recognize the importance of an emotional connection with a member of the opposite sex (even if I have never felt such a thing myself) provided each party in the relationship is willing to agree to disagree. But seeking romance itself is quite dangerous, and can be intellectually debilitating. Look how it clouds the judgment of many Conservadox men, who because they seek romance, cast aside their own intellectual faculties and reason itself, ascribing to social action and pseudo-feminism, and nod to an exaggerated importance of the 20th century role of Rabbi Abraham Heschel.

We risk losing an entire generation to such nonsense.

Quite frankly, I can think of no holiday as anti-Jewish (outside of the overtly Christian ones) than Valentine’s Day. It is fantasy, anti-intellectual, and worst of all, overpriced. If you must celebrate this holiday, but a bottle of wine at a liquor store (that’s still paying retail – and therefore special enough for an M.O.T.) for a quarter of what it would cost at a restaurant. Make some chicken, light a couple of candles from the discount store, and chill out (together!) in front of a decent documentary (those don’t have to be really good)exposing the destruction of segments of the middle class due to the bankruptcy “reform” law, or how deregulation is all too frequently a front for corruption.

That’s warm and fuzzy enough for a weeknight.

Happy Mitvuch.