Ask me anything (almost) about Judaism

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Hello Meltzerboy, what does the egg on the Seder plate represent? I’ve heard several different explanations of what the egg represents, what do you think it represents?
 
It would be quite a magnificent event. But, as I stated before, without the animal sacrifices.
 
There are indeed several explanations, and there is no need to choose one necessarily since the egg may symbolize all of them. My favorite is that the egg is symbolic of the future rather than only the mourning of the past. It is the beginning of a new life, not yet fully grown but with the promise of such. Thus it symbolizes the birth or rebirth of the Jewish people and all people after being held captives in bondage.
 
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Why don’t modern Jews offer animal sacrifices? Is it simply because there is no temple in Jerusalem?

I have also heard the records of the Jewish priesthood were lost in 70AD, and therefore if a temple were set up, there couldn’t be any valid priests. Is this true?
 
Too much to condense into a single paragraph or even several paragraphs. Essentially, Orthodox Jews believe in the holy inspiration and therefore strict observance of both the Written Law and the Oral Law, while the other two main streams of Judaism–Conservative and Reform–are less strict in observance of the Law. However, this is because each stream of Judaism conceives of the Jewish religion in different ways.
 
In the countries of the former Soviet Union, people are just obsessed with the March 8th as women’s day!
But it is the feast of Purim, isn’t that right?
Аfter all, the truth is that the women’s day, listed in the calendars of many countries as an official holiday, actually has Jewish roots?
I can not get if the March 8 has more to do with the royal concubine Esther or Clara Zetkin with Rosa Luxemburg?
 
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Meltzerboy can certainly give you a fuller answer than I can, but Purim is celebrated on the 14th of Adar, which this year fell on March 1, last Thursday.
 
I have always been curious about why two sets of dishes are needed for meat and for dairy. I understand that they shouldn’t be combined in a meal, but why can’t a plate be used for one, and then washed and used for the other?

My reason for being so curious is that I’m a vegetarian married to a meat-eater. I wouldn’t want a particle of meat to remain on a plate and then I eat my vegetarian meal on that plate. But the dishwasher uses such hot water that I don’t think any trace of meat could remain. Even before I had a dishwasher, I washed the plates very thoroughly.

So I’m wondering if this is just an old custom or if there’s still a reason for it.
 
Thank you, MB. This is all fascinating, but you must feel overwhelmed! We appreciate you! 😃
 
Oh yes, I remember The Waltons. LOL Has any family ever been so close in the real world? Anyway, Moses613 gave you the definitive answer. However–and don’t tell Moses–I have said Kaddish for my parents without a minyan at home.
 
The kosher rules go beyond plates and utensils. There are Orthodox Jews who have two sinks as well, and of course the soap and other cleansers, sponges, draining boards, tablecloths, and so on must be kosher too, and therefore separated. Moses613 can tell you more about how this got started, but I suppose it is thought that even a particle of meat or dairy touching the wrong dish renders it non-kosher. At the same time, there is a special method of koshering a non-kosher dish or utensil.
 
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Briefly, it’s because there is no Temple today. There is some room to argue that the Passover sacrifice could be offered without the Temple, but at this point no one has tried to surmount the other obstacles, one of them being the priest (Kohen) issue. Priests are supposed to have written testimony of their pedigree in order to serve in the Temple, and of course those were lost long ago.
 
As BartholomewB points out, Purim was the week before. I never heard of Women’s Day having Jewish roots.
 
There are plenty of anti-Semitic groups still in existence in the U.S. and elsewhere. I believe, however, that in general the cases of anti-Semitism in the U.S. have decreased in recent decades. Insofar as Orthodox Jews and Israel is concerned, the community is divided regarding the existence of the State of Israel by means of Zionist Jews. It is a complicated situation and various movements are opposed to Zionism for different reasons, although they support Israel, and still others have reversed their support or antagonism.
 
It’s an interesting take on the statement by Maimonides regarding the permanence of Purim. It seems that this one holiday keeps G-d more hidden than the others, and therefore it will forever be relevant as an indication of trusting G-d without His “showing his hand.” Purim is not regarded as a major holiday in Judaism, compared to Passover and, most important, the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. Still, the other major holidays are more overt with respect to G-d’s participation, and so, it seems, during the end days when G-d’s plan is accomplished, they will no longer be needed compared to Purim, which is more of a test of faith.
 
meltzerboy2 said:
I suppose it is thought that even a particle of meat or dairy touching the wrong dish renders it non-kosher.
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Thanks @meltzerboy2. Even a particle of meat would render a vegetarian meal non-vegetarian too. For this reason, I do use a separate sponge when hand-washing a dish that has had meat on it.

I imagine that when these rules began, people didn’t have access to hot running water and dish detergent, so extra precautions were needed. I’m glad there’s a way of koshering a non-kosher dish because not everyone would be able to afford to own two of everything.
 
How is suicide and group suicide viewed in Judaism? I’m thinking of the Masada mass suicide where people kill their families to avoid being Roman hostages and then the last person has to commit suicide
 
As is often the case in Judaism, the answer to this interesting question is not exactly black or white. Normally, suicide is forbidden and against Jewish Law except in instances when the situation would otherwise result in idolatry, murder, or sexual immorality. Euthanasia in cases of terminal illness is strictly forbidden in Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Judaism. However, the way suicide is defined is open to some debate since many rabbis have required that the person who commits suicide must be of sound mind. This means that those who suffer from mental illness such as clinical depression, bipolar disorder, and the like, and take their own lives, are not legally committing suicide. With regard to the Masada mass suicide, although their bravery and martyrdom in the face of Roman occupation have been commended, on a legal level, their committing suicide and murder is not permitted.
 
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