Answers from an Orthodox Jew

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Genesis 6 the angels took women andn begotten nephilim and that those spirits of the nephilim are the demons today?
There are all sorts of interpretations of these verses. The main point to know is that whatever they mean, there is no doctrine of the Jewish religion based on them. “Fallen angels,” whatever they are, are not demons or Satan, and have no existence that opposes the will of God. Satan in Judaism is not an angel that rebels against God’s will (a Christian concept), it is something else entirely.
 
I have no problem believing that it was adopted by some medieval kabbalists and somehow gained popularity.
It has even been suggested – though I don’t know who by – that the six-pointed star was taken over by the medieval Cabbalists from the Templars.
 
I guess it was convenient to have some symbol that marked something as Jewish rather than Christian (cross). Among haredi-orthodox Jews, who tend to shy away from secular Zionism, you rarely even see the symbol used nowadays since it was adopted on the flag of the State of Israel.
The symbol goes way back in Catholicism as a symbol of the Trinity and Creation. God making Man in the image in likeness of the Holy Trinity and His covenant with Man.

For example we have the natural human family as an analogy (father+mother= proceeds child. Three persons ONE family)

Eternal and inchangeable is The Holy Trinity: The Person of the Eternal Thought [Father]+ aThe Person of the Eternal Word [Son] = Proceeds the Eternal Third Person [The Holy Spirit] = Three Persons ONE GOD).
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Thus in Genesis, and revealed by Jesus, God is an Eternal Relationship of Three “Persons”:
“Let us make man in our image” -Gen. 1:26 Thus when God begins to reveal Himself to Abraham He appeared as three visitors in Gen. 18:1-5 which reads:

The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.

He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord,a do not pass your servant by. Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.” “Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.”

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Near the foot of column 2 on the left-hand page, under the heading The Most Common Catholic Symbols, we read: “… the interwoven triangles, one with apex upward and the other with apex downward, thus forming a six-pointed star, which is a symbol of creation …”
Until now I had never heard of the six-pointed star as a “symbol of creation.” Does your book provide any further information on this subject?
 
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Thank you for the explanation. I read the wiki link - 100 blessings a day, what a beautiful practice.

Who makes sure that the Torah scroll can be used for services? What happens when it can’t be used and you don’t have one that can be used for services? Does it take specialized knowledge to repair a Torah scroll?
 
Until now I had never heard of the six-pointed star as a “symbol of creation.”
The pattern is often seen in nature, especially snowflakes, of which all are unique; take a look at these photographs of snowflakes…
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I know about snow and ice! My question is about symbolism. Can you show me a book or document, or an artwork of any kind, where a hand-drawn six-pointed star (Star of David, Shield of David, Solomon’s Seal) is used as an explicit symbol of creation in a Catholic, not a Jewish, context?

Here, for instance, it is used as a Brazilian brewery’s trademark, but this doesn’t count, for two reasons: it is not being used explicitly as a symbol of creation, and a beer bottle label is not a Catholic document.

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Who makes sure that the Torah scroll can be used for services?
The fitness of Torah scrolls is the domain of the Sofer, a scribe who has years of specialized training in the laws and artistic techniques of writing and repairing Torah scrolls. Typically, a scroll will be double-checked for accuracy after it is written, and then checked in its entirety every once in a while (maybe every decade?) for problems like degraded letters. Additionally, an experienced Torah reader will be looking at the text for errors or problems every Sabbath as he is reading it. On rare occasions the Torah reading will stop in the middle because a potential problem has been discovered in the text.
What happens when it can’t be used and you don’t have one that can be used for services? Does it take specialized knowledge to repair a Torah scroll?
If a serious problem is found in the scroll, most synagogues will be able to use another one to finish the reading. Most places have at least two Torah scrolls and often three or more. As stated above, the repair must be done by a qualified expert. A Sofer will have apprenticed with a senior Sofer and received something called, interestingly enough, a “kabbalah”. (Ritual slaughterers also get kabbalahs.) The word Kabbalah in Hebrew literally means “something that is received” and indicates the person has “received” enough knowledge to be an expert. The esoteric or mystical teachings of Judaism are called Kabbalah because it is received knowledge passed privately from master to disciple. In Talmudic literature, “words of kabbalah” is a phrase used to indicate any tradition received from the Prophets, not necessarily anything esoteric.
 
Can you show me a book or document, or an artwork of any kind, where a hand-drawn six-pointed star (Star of David, Shield of David, Solomon’s Seal) is used as an explicit symbol of creation in a Catholic, not a Jewish, context?
One can find it in Catholic architecture if one looks carefully. Here are a couple of obvious one, the Basilica of Santa Croce (Holy Cross) in Florence, Italy; the basilica dates back to the Middle Ages though the facade was designed by architect Niccolò Matas (1798 – 1872) who is also buried there. Incidentally that is the same Church where Michelangelo is buried. The star is also prominent at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC, as well as on the facade of the cathedral in Valencia, Spain…
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But stars with six points have been used throughout ancient history and used by other religions often as a decorative motif for different symbolism. In Christianity it is used as the star of Creation, while the emblematic use by modern Judaism is rooted in 19th century Zionism, as the movement worked to create a symbol for Jews to identify with, much like Christians identify with the cross. Zionism was and is a nationalist movement that has had as its goal the creation of an exclusively Jewish national state.
 
Thank you, @Moses613, for that link, which links in turn to another Wikipedia page,


Usage by Christians
The hexagram may be found in some Churches and stained-glass windows. In Christianity it is sometimes called the star of creation. A very early example, noted by Nikolaus Pevsner, can be found in Winchester Cathedral, England in one of the canopies of the choir stalls, circa 1308.
In Orthodox Christian churches, for example in Balkan countries, hexagrams can be found more often than in Roman Catholic churches.

So there we have it. “The star of creation.”

By the way, changing the subject, I recall from my travels in Israel that kabbalah is also the standard everyday word both for a receipt and for a reception desk. I only have a beginner’s bare knowledge of the language, but it’s the kind of thing that sticks in your memory!
 
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What about they shedim. ? ty.
They are metaphysical entities under God’s domain that are designed to do His bidding. They have no independent will; they are part of the “spiritual” system of the way the world works as set up by God.

yw 😉
 
Shalom Moshe! Are you familiar with DNA research from 2000 stating Palestinians and Jews share DNA linking them more closely than ever imagined? Here is reference from 2009. Y-chromosome DNA haplotypes in Jews: comparisons with Lebanese and Palestinians - PubMed
While anecdotal it may not qualify Palestinians assimilation into Israel because they’re Muslim. Yet there is a very interesting community in Israel called Wahat al-Salam Neve Shalom where Palestinians and Israelis live in community.
What do you think of Rabbi Yitzhak Kaduri’s letter naming Moshiach as Yehoshua?
Shalom, Jackson
 
Hi Jackson. I have heard something about genetic links between some Jews and Palestinians. It’s interesting from a historical perspective but doesn’t tell us anything that can inform the current political or religious reality. Jewish law doesn’t use DNA evidence to determine Jewish status, at least not in this way. As far as Rabbi Kaduri’s letter, the whole thing is “Fake News”.
 
Although I had to look up the word henotheism, I am familiar with that argument and find it utterly unconvincing. From a close reading of the original text of the Bible it clearly emerges that the children of Israel believed there was no other God but theirs in existence, but it used pre-modern terminology instead of the theological arguments we are familiar with in later history.
 
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Hey Moses,

So two questions:
  1. What do you think if the concept of Noahide believers?
  2. Would Orthodox Jews consider Christians to fall under that category or as idiolatiers in regards to final judgment?
Thank you
 
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Then what do these phrases in Psalm 50/51 mean in Judaism:
"Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity."
 
Could be like there was many gods but only one God?
There is a disputed concept in Judaism where some say God delegated certain powers to lesser angels who influenced/had control over other nations, and these nations worshipped the angels as gods. But they aren’t real gods because they have no power independent of God, and it is forbidden to worship them.
 
  • What do you think if the concept of Noahide believers?
Noahides are great, they are the definition of the “righteous among nations” and fulfill their highest purpose by believing in God and Torah and following the universal laws given to humankind.
  • Would Orthodox Jews consider Christians to fall under that category or as idiolatiers in regards to final judgment?
Controversial question! And I’m still trying to figure out the answer myself. The non-PC answer is that thinking a man is the physical manifestation of God - corporealism - is without a doubt idolatry according to Judaism. However, I’m not convinced that excludes Christians from the category of Noahides. It’s complicated.
 
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