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Valke2
Guest
I’ve been focusing on the fruitless field of politics and would like to get back to a little theology/religon. Any (more) questions, comments, debates regarding Judaism anyone?
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ralphinal
Guest
This one is out of left field, but I thought about it last night.
I know the logic about why a cheeseburger is not kosher, but when was this applied and who was the authority? Or do some Jews see it as kosher (assuming kosher meat and cheese)?
I know the logic about why a cheeseburger is not kosher, but when was this applied and who was the authority? Or do some Jews see it as kosher (assuming kosher meat and cheese)?
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tomarin
Guest
Okay, I’ll bite. Do religious jews feel the need to convert secular jews? A jewish friend of mine told me that it was considered a mitzvah to do so.
What are your opinions on this? Do you go out of your way to encourage your non-practicing jewish friends to investigate their faith? Is it a hard sell?
What are your opinions on this? Do you go out of your way to encourage your non-practicing jewish friends to investigate their faith? Is it a hard sell?
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Valke2
Guest
Under Jewish law, a cheese burger can never be kosher. The laws against mixing milk and meat are extensive and are derived from the prohibition of cooking a kid in its mother’s milk (found in the Torah).
The vast majority of kosher/dietary laws are found in the Talmud and are based on a relatively few lines in the Torah, many of which were originally only applicable to the priests/levites.
THere is a fair degree of interpretation on how one is to apply this law. In some times and some places, people wait or waited 4 hours. In other times and other places, they waited much less (some just choosing to take their milk/dessert in the other room! )
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Valke2
Guest
Well, first of all it isn’t conversion, as jews are jews. There are religious jews who feel the need/desire to have nonreligious jews become more religious. Chabbad is the most well known of these organizations. I do not spend a lot of time convincing my non religious friends to study more. However, I do know that a few friends of mine have taken a greater in thier jewish faith in part because of my actions. (I wasn’t interested in my religion until about 5 years ago.). I’m always happy to see jews take more interest in their religion. But I see that happening in many different ways, not all of which revolve around attending services, for example. There is studying Torah and/or Talmud, prayer, community services, some prefer singing psalms, etc…
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ralphinal
Guest
Ok, so the cheeseburger itself is more of an outgrowth of a much older application of the “mother’s milk” issue.
Thanks
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notsmart
Guest
I have a question. I was wondering what takes place in a typical religious wedding ceremony? Are there any rituals involving the ceremony? And, how close are the current ceremonies to those that would have occured at the time of Christ?
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paarsurrey
Guest
Hi
With due respect:
What do you think; if the Jews of the time of Jesus were justified in putting an innocent person Jesus on Cross with the intention of killing him in a disgraceful manner?
I don’t blame the present day Jews of the crimes of the Jews of the Jesus’ times.
Thanks and regards
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survive
Guest
If I have no idea how a particular Jewish friend practices or doesn’t, and she invites me for coffee and I reciprocate, how can I broach the topic? It’s my experience that sometimes people kind of assume things about other peopel’s homes and their own dietary restrictions, such as vegetarians assuming there is no lard in my beans
. Will she probably already have figured it out?
. Will she probably already have figured it out?
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Valke2
Guest
Snapple Judaism: There is virtually nothing in the Torah about wedding rituals!
Here are a few rituals off the top of my head:
The Ketubah is a wedding contract that is signed on the wedding day. It protects the woman’s rights during marriage and in case of widowhood or divorce. The form we use today goes back to about 80 B.C.E. Parts of it are read aloud at the wedding. YOu can’t have a valid jewish marriage without a Ketubah.
There’s also a ceremony where the groom lifts the bride’s veil before the wedding to make sure he’s getting what he bargained for. (As Jacob would say, “fool me once, shame on you…”)
During the ceremony the bride circles the groom 7 times. There are a few explanations for what this means (which means we aren’t sure). It reminds us of wrapping the Tefillin around the arm 7 times, 7 days of creation (marriage re-enacts the process of creation), seven fold bond between the bride and groom, etc.
Jews also get married under a Chupa. A cloth stretched over four polls that is held over the birde and groom. It envokes Ruth telling Boaz “spread your robe over your handmaid.” It is also a symbol of God bestowing His blessing and protection over the couple.
The ceremony ends with the groom stepping on a glass. Generally, this symbolizes the destruction of the Temple. It is also a reminder to everyone that no matter how great our joy, we must remember the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.
Depending on the couple and the rabbi, different symbolic interpertations may apply.
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Vanquisher
Guest
Valke, why is this law also applied to eating chicken with cheese (or is it?) After all, chickens don’t even produce milk.
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Valke2
Guest
My personal belief is at odds with Catholicsm as I understand it. I don’t believe the Jews were as instrumental in the death of Jesus as many believe. His death took place at a time when thousands of jews had been routinely crucified by the Romans. I find it hard to believe that many jews had the stomach to actively lobby to have one more of their own put to death in that way, let alone to stand around and watch it.
But taking everything in context and assuming the validity of the story…
First, I don’t think Jews would ever use crucifixion as a method of execution. After an execution, in some cases, they might hang a body from a tree or post, but never for a full day/night.
Second, assuming Jesus did everything the Christian Bible says he did and nothing else, I don’t see in there anything that would trigger an execution sentence under Jewish law, except perhaps the use of God’s true name as a blasphemy (which I don’t know if Jesus is said to have done).
He does seem to have violated the Sabbath by gathering food with his disciples (unless they physical well being was in immediate peril).
But I should point out that historically, it was exceedingly rare – and I mean exceedingly rare, for the Jewish court to impose a death penalty on someone, especially for a breach of ritual law (as opposed to punishment for murder, for example). The Talmud teaches that if one person received the death penalty in 7 years, that particular Sanhedrin (Court) was considered exceedingly bloody.
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Valke2
Guest
I’m sure you can simply ask her straight out if there is anything special she requires in the way of food. I can’t think of any reason why a Jew would find such a question insulting. Quite the contrary.If I have no idea how a particular Jewish friend practices or doesn’t, and she invites me for coffee and I reciprocate, how can I broach the topic? It’s my experience that sometimes people kind of assume things about other peopel’s homes and their own dietary restrictions, such as vegetarians assuming there is no lard in my beans
Generally speaking, more jews are more comfortable with eating dairy (including the right kinds of fish) in a non-kosher home than meat. Serve the food on disposable plates and plasticware might help. Or use glassware (technically, the same glass plate can hold dairy one night and meat the next).
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notsmart
Guest
Thank you Valke2, that is very interesting to me. I appreciate your way of explaining things also. I laughed while reading it.
You should be a writer.
You should be a writer.
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Valke2
Guest
That’s an excellent question. And a pet peeve of mine. There is a concept in Judaism that translates into building a fence around the Torah. Based on the law requiring one to put a railing on their roof, so that if someone were to go on the roof, they wouldn’t fall off. In short, this concept means that at times we make laws that are designed to prevent someone from breaking the real law. An example is the prohibition against carrying money on the sabbath. Now, there’s nothing in the Torah that suggests carrying money on the sabbath breaks a commandment. But the rabbis were concerned that if you carry money on the sabbath, you will be tempted to engage in commerce (maybe stopping at the local lemonade stand on the way to synagouge). So they made a law saying don’t carry money.
I think that, around 1100 CE, the rabbis became concerned that if a Jew saw another jew eating chicken parm, they might mistakenly think he was eating veal parm. And that since his pious neighbor was eating veal parm, then eating veal parm must be ok. So to prevent this extremely likely scenario from happening
we came up with the no chicken parm law.As someone who is half Italian, I’m not crazy about it.
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Roamin_Xian
Guest
I’m not Jewish, though find great inspiration from Torah and the Rabbinical commentaries. I agree with the notions that as Christianity was attempting to survive the yoke of Roman rule, more blame was placed on the Jews for Jesus’ crucifixion, so as not to fester the ire of Imperial Rome.
And, if I am not mistaken, the Roman Catholic Church vindicated Jews during the Second Vatican Council.
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Hisalone
Guest
Why are there Jewish prayers for the dead?
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Valke2
Guest
Couple of interesting things. The Mourner’s Kaddish which is recited for the first 11 months after the death of a spouse or sibling (for the first 30 days for the death of a child) and each year thereafter (and one or two other occassions), doesn’t contain one word about death. It’s theme is about the greatness of God.
Some commentators have been said that the loss of a single life in some way diminishes God. So we say the prayer praising God’s greatness in order to in some way compensate for such diminishment.
The prayer is more the comfort of the survivor than for the deceased. It is a form of structured morning that the individual goes through both on their own and with their community. Some believe that it is said in order to help ease the “cleansing period” of the dead person’s soul (typically an 11 month process) before they receive their share of the World to Come.
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Roamin_Xian
Guest
I understand that Judaism teaches that the “righteous of all nations” have favor with God.
Is this Biblical, or did this come about due to Christian and Muslim persecution of Jews?
Is this Biblical, or did this come about due to Christian and Muslim persecution of Jews?
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leopolis1
Guest
When the Messiah, as you believe, will be born, how will you be able to proove that he really is from the Davidic line?
Are anti-Christian passages from the Talmud still present in the teaching of Judaism or have they been cancelled?
Are anti-Christian passages from the Talmud still present in the teaching of Judaism or have they been cancelled?
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