Jubilee Year of Mercy and Hakhel Jewish Year of gathering and Torah study

[meltzerboy]

Is it just a coincidence that this whole year is a special one for BOTH Catholics and Jews? Jews are encouraged to assemble and celebrate together, and to be particularly observant of Torah study and practice, while for Catholics it is a Holy Year of Mercy.

Any comments?

 

[Marie5890]

Is it just a coincidence that this whole year is a special one for BOTH Catholics and Jews? Jews are encouraged to assemble and celebrate together, and to be particularly observant of Torah study and practice, while for Catholics it is a Holy Year of Mercy.

Any comments?

How Cool is this!!??

Meltzerboy, please elaborate more on Hakhel Jewish Year. Is it something that happens every so many years? How does it differ from other years? etc

 

[crystal_waters]

Wow! That is cool…

Is there any particular parts of the torah that Jewish people have to study or do they have to study the whole torah?

God bless you

Crystal waters

 

[meltzerboy]

Traditionally, Hakhel Year is a time to assemble all Jews, as well as non-Jews, to hear the reading of the whole Torah. It takes place every seven years. However, it seems to me, that this particular year is special in promoting Jewish unity and practicing Torah values, which are based on good deeds toward others. The parallel with the Jubilee Year of Mercy strikes me as meaningful.

 

[SAVINGRACE]

Interesting coincidence.

This is probably a stupid question but has there always been only 5 books of the Torah?

 

[meltzerboy]

Interesting coincidence.

This is probably a stupid question but has there always been only 5 books of the Torah?

AFAIK, yes, the Torah has always consisted of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.

 

[SAVINGRACE]

Is the Torah the only “sacred scripture” of the Jewish faith? Do students and rabbis of the faith use other sources or practice traditions which are not in the Torah?

For example we follow “Sacred Traditions” as well as “Sacred Scripture”.

 

[Kaninchen]

Is the Torah the only “sacred scripture” of the Jewish faith? Do students and rabbis of the faith use other sources or practice traditions which are not in the Torah?

For example we follow “Sacred Traditions” as well as “Sacred Scripture”.

A kind of analogy might be with Christianity: Gospels/rest of the NT/Church Fathers/etc.

With us it’s: Torah/rest of the Tanakh (Old Testament)/‘Oral Torah’ (Talmud)/various sages/etc.

 

[Landon_Caeli]

Is it just a coincidence that this whole year is a special one for BOTH Catholics and Jews? Jews are encouraged to assemble and celebrate together, and to be particularly observant of Torah study and practice, while for Catholics it is a Holy Year of Mercy.

Any comments?

I have noticed a lot of strange coincidences happening lately. Not just personally, but among other people too. Something is happening.

 

[SAVINGRACE]

A kind of analogy might be with Christianity: Gospels/rest of the NT/Church Fathers/etc.

With us it’s: Torah/rest of the Tanakh (Old Testament)/‘Oral Torah’ (Talmud)/various sages/etc.

Thank you Kaninchen. Is there a final authority or is interpretation left to individual Rabbis?

 

[Kaninchen]

Thank you Kaninchen. Is there a final authority or is interpretation left to individual Rabbis?

Hm, as in most things Jewish, we’re in the world of “on the one hand, meanwhile on the other hand . . . . while on yet another hand . . . .”

Different Jewish traditions/movements have separate organisations that will govern aspects of those traditions/movements but there’s no equivalent of the Magisterium.

I think it’s important to remember that Judaism is much less focussed on ‘correct belief’ than Christianity, the primary focus is on ‘correct action’ - so disputes tend to lie in such areas.

 

[meltzerboy]

Hm, as in most things Jewish, we’re in the world of “on the one hand, meanwhile on the other hand . . . . while on yet another hand . . . .”

Different Jewish traditions/movements have separate organisations that will govern aspects of those traditions/movements but there’s no equivalent of the Magisterium.

I think it’s important to remember that Judaism is much less focussed on ‘correct belief’ than Christianity, the primary focus is on ‘correct action’ - so disputes tend to lie in such areas.

I suppose to those who have not been raised in the Jewish faith, the rejoinder to your comment would be how can you know what correct action is without correct belief since action depends on belief? And further, without any central authority, doesn’t Judaism have no central truth but rather several truths? It would perhaps take a medium-sized treatise to explain this fully.

 

[Kaninchen]

I suppose to those who have not been raised in the Jewish faith, the rejoinder to your comment would be how can you know what correct action is without correct belief since action depends on belief? And further, without any central authority, doesn’t Judaism have no central truth but rather several truths? It would perhaps take a medium-sized treatise to explain this fully.

The two religions need to be understood within the context of their different central paradigms and, never mind the rest of it, I expect you could fill libraries with questions like "What level of ‘belief’ is necessary for ‘correct action’? and “What kinds of ‘truth’ would need to be ‘central’?”