Posted by admin | Under Israel, Judaism
Thursday May 21, 2009
The recently announced annulment of 40,000 conversions by Israel’s Rabbinical High Court represents the complicated nature of Jewish identity and living in an Israeli society increasingly characterized by a bifurcation between secularists and religious Jews. The annulment while specifically impacting a certain number of individuals has ramifications for the nature of Jewish identity in and outside of the land of Israel. Furthermore it highlights the contradictory nature of Israeli-Jewish identity and the issue, now headed to Israel’s Supreme Court, has exposed the intensifying struggle inside Israel’s religious establishment to address the perennial question of “who is a Jew” and by default the associated aspects of Jewish living. It also threatens to deepen the rift between Israeli and American Jews, who typically follow more liberal branches of Judaism. For those directly affected by the ruling, their commitment to Jewish living is certainly in question.
The process of conversion in Israel is under the purview of Orthodox rabbinical courts which dictate Jewish living in strict accordance with halakhah. The implications of the case, while not affecting the citizenship status of the individuals in question, do have very real impacts on the religious standing of those who converted. The psychological impact of such a move may lead to some abandoning Jewish life. If the Israeli Supreme Court decides against the ruling, the ultra-Orthodox Jews supportive of the annulment will likely see this as simply another example of either compromised Jewish identity of the state, or the meddling of secular authorities into clearly accepted religious roles. Should the Israeli Supreme court uphold the ruling, secular Israelis will likely see this as simply another case of the religious bullying their standards on others.
The decision has threatened ties with American Jews who belong to the more liberal Reform and Conservative denominations. The ruling on conversions is seen as another blow to their struggle for recognition in Israel. For those affected, many rabbis will no longer oversee basic Jewish rituals such as, marriage ceremonies or receiving a Jewish burial. The children of such converts will likely not be considered Jewish.
While the primary argument of the court is that the rabbi who heads a government authority set up to oversee conversions was too liberal in approving them, the oddity of this fact lies in the that despite the rigors of the conversion process the majority stance of Israeli society in many ways agrees and disagrees with the position adopted by the court.
Technorati Tags: Conversion to Judaism, Halakah, Jewish Law, Jewish Supreme Court, Judaism
Posted by admin | Under Judaism
Sunday Apr 26, 2009
In the Kabbalah, the divine name of God which is written in Hebrew using four characters YHVH, represents the concept of Midat HaRachamim ( God’s Attributes of Mercy). In contrast, the more generic name used, Elokim represents, Midat HaDin( the Divine Attribute of Justice).
In the first chapter of the book of Genesis, the name Elokim is exclusively used. The Kabbalists understand this to refer to the manifestation of delineation and definition. For the Kabbalists, the name Elokim in Genesis chapter one relates the operation of the world according to natural laws. Interestingly, these well-ordered natural laws, also serve to conceal God’s immanence in the world. Consequently, according to Aryeh Kaplan, as long as they are in effect, God interacts with the world on its terms and not on His.
YHVH, on other hand, relates to us God’s transcendence and the impossibility that the natural laws of the physical universe can prevent or confine God’s revelation in creation. According to Jewish mystics, the very letters denote this transcendence. Y and H refer to the past and future. V represents temporal existence in the six days of creation and the six directions of space. Thus the name, YHVH, contains the following: Hayah, (He was), Hoveh (he is) and Yihyeh (he will be). This reveals God’s being in the past, present and future concurrently.
The distinction between YHVH and Elokim may be further seen in the following: Elokim is used in the account of the creation of man. This use reflects the fact that human beings possess logic, mental processes, and a physical nature derived from the name, Elokim. In a second account of man’s creation in Genesis 2:7, the name YHVH is used. ” YHVH Elokim formed man out of the dust of the earth, and breathed into his nostrils a soul-breath (neshamah) of life; man thus became a living creature.” This passage refers to man’s soul. This aspect of man is derived from the name YHVH.
Regarding the burning bush found in the book of Exodus, a transformation between the divine names Elokim and YHVH occurs. Until the time of this revelation, God had only revealed Himself to the children of Israel as Elokim. Their slavery and oppression existed in a world dictated by natural laws and human strengths (i.e. the strong conquer the weak).
At the incidence burning bush, God reveals Himself to Moses as YHVH. At this point He will transcend the space-time divide that has “constrained” Him and promises to reveal Himself in a physical and tangible way that He has not done in the past.
Technorati Tags: Judaism, kabbalah, Kabbalists, Midat HaRachamim, Moses, Prayer Shawl, tallit
Posted by admin | Under Judaism
Saturday Mar 28, 2009
Marriage and family are two beautiful and sacred things in the Jewish community. Through marriage comes children, and through children comes the preservation of their belief and way of life. Those who choose to get married do so with the hope that they will be able to have an eternal Jewish family.
However, many of these marriages are intermarriages where one spouse is of the faith while the other isn’t. The two of them agree to work together and teach the same beliefs, but unless the non-Jewish spouse is converted using the standards of halacha, the conversion is often considered invalid.
The conversion doesn’t have to stay invalid, however. There are organizations out there that teach the halachic method of conversion and help these couples bypass this hurdle. By converting to Judaism using the halachic method, the non-Jewish spouse will be considered a valid, orthodox member of the faith and community. When it comes time to teach the children religious beliefs both parents will be assets because they will know they have the belief system and passion necessary for the training of children.
There are many people who convert to Judaism using the non-halachic method. However, by following the guidelines of the Torah and halacha those people interested in converting show their absolute belief in Judaism, and their willingness to follow proper Jewish customs and religious rules.
These converts are sometimes considered ideological converts due to their desire to be identified with the Jewish community from a completely religious standpoint. If you are unsure of the proper halachic standard of conversion, consider finding an organization that will help you achieve the religious belief you are searching for.
Eternal Jewish Family, or EJF, is a website with information on Jewish family issues. Billings Farnsworth is a freelance writer.
Technorati Tags: Halakhah, Jewish Conversion, Judaism, Torah
Posted by admin | Under Judaism
Tuesday Mar 24, 2009
One of the principal concerns of classical Jewish thought is the importance of biblical texts and their interpretation. Another focal concern of classical Judaism is the implementation and application of “halakhah” (Jewish Law) as derived from biblical and rabbinic sources.
That being said, “extracting” as much as possible from a biblical passage is of critical importance to a Jewish view of life. The process of reading, interpreting, and elucidating biblical texts is an ancient Jewish pre-occupation.
The book of Nehemiah provides some insight into ancient biblical interpretation reflective of early Judaism during the Persian period when it mentions that Ezra opened the book (the Torah) and that the Levites “read from the book of the Law of God, with interpretation. They gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.”(Nehemiah 8:1-8)
Here it appears that the Levites served as expositors of the biblical text. This appears to reflect the pattern of literacy of priests in non-Jewish circles as well during this period of time. Priests and Levites often served as scribes.
As time passed, scribal classes developed, and by the late Second Temple period, the interpretation of biblical texts was leaving the hands of priestly circles. The destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE led to the collapse of priestly influence over religious leadership and the interpretation of texts became the purview of the rabbis.
The growing attention to sacred texts in the Greco-Roman era inevitably created the basis for the emergence of sectarian conflict among groups such as the Pharisees and Sadducees. Interpretation and reinterpretation of biblical texts effected a more intense self-understanding of identity among the various groups that arose during the Second Temple period. Philo of Alexandria, for example is best known for his allegorical approach to biblical interpretation.
The community at Qumran that produced the Dead Sea Scrolls also developed a unique form of interpretation. The interpretation of the Bible served as the major factor in shaping varying renditions of an archetypes envisioned in sacred texts. Torah and Halakhah became the primary concern of all sects or movements during the Second Common Wealth of Israel.
The early rabbinic period (circa early 2nd -3rd century CE) saw the emergence of various Aramaic translations of the Torah. These are referred to as Targumim. Some of these translations were fairly “literal” in their approach while others were rather loose in their translation with the aim of elucidating obscure passages. Many traditional Jewish Bibles known as Chumashim (meaning the five books) include the Targum Onkelos.
By the medieval period the process of biblical interpretation reached its pinnacle in the Jewish community with a number of prominent rabbis writing extensive commentaries on the Bible using a variety of hermeneutical techniques. Nevertheless, they typically follow the convention that multiple levels of interpretation are possible- (e.g., “p’shat” (literal or surface meaning”; “drash” (typically a homiletical expoundation); “remez” ; and “sod” (the mystical level). Commentators such as Maimonides approached the biblical text from an Aristotelian philosophical standpoint, while other commentators such as Nachmanides (or the Ramban) took a more mystical- Kabbalistic approach. Some commentators such as Ibn Ezra were grammarians and experts at the linguistic and stylistic differences in the Hebrew or Aramaic biblical texts.
Technorati Tags: bible, Biblical Interpretation, Halakah, Hebrew Bible, Judasm, Studying Judaism, Torah
Posted by admin | Under Judaism
Sunday Mar 22, 2009
Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677) was a Dutch Jew born in Amsterdam. He is more commonly referred to by the Latin version of his name: Benedict de Spinoza.
Early in life he acquired a deep interest in the philosophy of Rene Descartes and other ideas that conflicted with Judaism.
He was formally excommunicated from his Synagogue at the age of 24. He became leader of a small circle of philosophers and he supported himself with a “day job” grinding and polishing lenses.
In perhaps his most famous writing, Tractatus Theologica Politicus (published in 1670) he made the fundamental error that is characteristic of modernism. This error was to divide faith from reason. Spinoza thus broke with the leading authority of medieval Jewish thought, the famous rabbi, Maimonides (1135-1204).
Maimonides correctly asserted that faith and reason are compatible. Spinoza’s rejection of the compatibility of faith and reason set the stage for the rejection of faith by the Jewish intellectuals and philosophers who would follow him.
This division of faith from reason is a false dichotomy. It has led to the modernist error that claims that science and philosophy are rational but divine revelation is mere superstition. The Bible, however, is a book of faith based on rational proof. The Bible is the record of God speaking to humanity.
God backed His words with signs, wonders, miracles and predictive prophecy. The Bible is a record of real miraculous events that occurred among real people in real history. It is not a mere list of commands and philosophical statements to be apprehended only by faith.
Miracles occurred in ancient times in the lives of Abraham, Moses, Elijah and others. We have their written testimony. One major category of miracle that we can rationally apprehend in our own time is predictive prophecy. The Bible contains over two thousand predictive prophecies.
Some of these prophecies were fulfilled in ancient times and their fulfillments are recorded in history. Other prophecies were fulfilled in post-biblical times and some Bible prophecies are being fulfilled in current events in our own time.
One example of prophetic fulfillment is the restoration of the Jews to the land of Israel which is the fulfillment of a number of Bible prophecies. Predictive prophecy is like God’s signature on the Bible.
Christians claim that over three hundred Bible prophecies were fulfilled in the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth whom Christians believe to be the promised Messiah.
No other holy book of any other faith has any thing like the Bible’s record of predictive prophecy. The Bible stands alone in its accuracy of predictive prophecy.
Predictive prophecies and other signs and wonders give powerful reasonable, rational proof that God is indeed speaking through the pages of the Bible. It is on this solid rational foundation that the heart can respond by faith to believe and obey God. Faith and reason are not contradictory.
By contradicting Maimonides, Spinoza did the same damage to Judaism that Gentile modernist philosophers did to Christianity. Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) contradicted the synthesis of faith and reason espoused by Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) with the same devastating results.
The denial of the rational basis for Judaism and Christianity led to the abandonment of these faiths by the intellectual classes. The abandonment of the faith ultimately led to the abandonment of morality. The mass murder of millions under communism and fascism is the legacy of modern secularism.
Interestingly, Spinoza, in his final work Ethica (1677), details a complex philosophy with strong monistic (pantheistic) overtones similar to Hinduism. His life therefore is a picture of the progression from Torah Judaism to modernist reason to eastern pantheism. Many Jews in recent times have made that same tragic journey.
So towering a figure is Spinoza that much of Jewish religious thought and philosophy since can be understood as a series of responses to his writings. Spinoza’s influence on Abraham Geiger and Reform Judaism is undeniable.
Other Jewish thinkers such as Samson Raphael Hirsch, Zecharias Frankel, Hermann Cohen, Leo Baeck, Jewish existentialist philosopher Martin Buber, Franz Rosenzweig, Mordecai Kaplan and Abraham Heschel all felt Spinoza’s influence.
(A major source for this article is Prof. David B. Ruderman’s lecture series Jewish Intellectual History 16th to 20th Century.)
Bill Nugent has written many articles on Christianity, philosophy and science. He has also written books that give Bible based teaching on sanctification and that caution against the error of legalism. His books are available at his website http://www.gracelawandsonship.com
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If you interested in learning modern Hebrew or learning Biblical Hebrew, then visit www.judaicaquest.com
Technorati Tags: bible, Jewish Faith, Jewish Intellectuals, Judaism, Spinoza
Posted by admin | Under Jewish Prayer
Friday Oct 31, 2008
Can it be said on a christians funaral,without jew elders present,as this is the most joyest goodbuy,without to much sadness
Mourner’s kaddish? It has to be said in the presence of ten Jewish men.
“May His great Name grow exalted and sanctified (Others: Amen), in the world that He created as He willed. May He give reign to His kingship in your lifetimes and in your days and in the lifetimes of the entire family of Israel, swiftly and soon. And now respond: Amen.
(Others: May His great Name be blessed forever and ever).
Blessed, praised, glorified, exalted, extolled, mighty, upraised and lauded be the Name of the Holy One, Blessed is He
(Othersl: Blessed is He).
Beyond any blessing and song, praised and consolation that are uttered in the world. Now respond: Amen.
(Others: Amen).
May there be abundant peace from Heaven, and life, upon us and upon all Israel. Now respond: Amen.
(Others: Amen).
He who makes peace in His heights, may He make peace upon us, and upon all Israel. Now respond: Amen.
(Others: Amen.)
Posted by admin | Under Israel
Wednesday Oct 29, 2008
Posted by admin | Under Hebrew
Wednesday Oct 29, 2008
Being that these are the original languages of the Bible, is the ability to read ancient Hebrew and Greek a requirement to be a biblical scholar or church official? If so, in what Christian denominations is this true, and which is it not true?
I don’t think its a requirement for any denomination to be a church official, but it is at least strongly suggested for Catholics.
As for biblical scholars - it sure helps too. But there’s so many people who declare themselves as such after reading the bible for themself once or twice. So its just too hard to tell the difference between the knowlegeable and the arrogant.
Posted by admin | Under Torah
Wednesday Oct 29, 2008
The Torah is vague about sex acts that are permissible.
Sodomy is prohibited and it can be dangerous but what about oral sex?
And for example, if a man finds it difficult to bring his wife to orgasm, can he masturbate her?
Do you have any sources that can be helpful?
You’re asking two contradictory questions. The “written Torah” has laws against male anal sex, bestiality, adultery, “spilling seed,” and various laws against forbidden relationships (mostly incestuous). There are also time restrictions when it is prohibited (such as during a woman’s menstrual cycle and the week following). But as you say, the “written Torah” does not give a complete master list. So there’s no way to answer your specific questions based entirely on the as-written Torah text.
But the oral Torah (the Mishnah, a part of the Talmud), and Jewish rabbinic tradition, expanded on the interpretation of the laws. So for example, the prohibition against spilling seed was understood to include male masturbation and oral sex on a man to completion, and some include anal sex with a woman in this prohibition as well (as the reason it is considered wrong to waste sperm was related to procreation - so anywhere you put it that can’t possibly lead to a child is therefore also a problem. For this reason Orthodox Judaism also prohibits condom use, except when a rare exception needs to be made for health reasons). Lesbianism is also briefly mentioned in the Talmud as prohibited, though more because of its relationship to goddess-worship than as a purely sexual thing.
Having said all that, within the confines of marriage, which is considered holy in Judaism, anything that is not specifically prohibited, is permitted. In addition, a woman’s sexual pleasure is considered important enough that one major rabbi declared that if something is necessary to make the woman happy, it is permitted (I believe this was in reference to anal or oral sex on the woman - it was one of the borderline acts if I recall correctly). So your example of a man masturbating his wife to help her to orgasm is absolutely okay. On the other hand, if the act is simply to bring the man pleasure and the wife is not interested or it would interfere with her pleasure, it is not permitted.
In this day and age, when there seems to be a larger menu of culturally acceptable sexual acts, religious Jews would need to check with their rabbi as to what falls under the permitted and prohibited lists. Different rabbis have different interpretations of the basic laws, and some are more lenient than others, though I don’t believe that there is a huge scale of variation between them on average.
There was a book that came out a few years ago called “Kosher Sex,” which was written for a mass market (not a scholarly book, plus it was by Rabbu Shmuely Boteach (Michael Jackson’s pal) so take it with a grain of salt) that detailed most of the Jewish sexual laws and how they are applied today. I didn’t read it, so I can’t answer to how definitive you could consider it, but as far as I know it was essentially accurate.
I’m not sure whether you’re asking simply for informational purposes, or whether you are looking for answers in your own life - but if it’s the latter, I can’t stress enough that when it comes to matters of Jewish law that affect you personally, it’s better to find a rabbi whose opinions and worldview you trust, and ask them. Some issues are too important to a person’s happiness to leave to the opinions of random people on the internet, and there are many understanding and knowledgable rabbis out there who are able to mesh Jewish law with a knowledge of human needs, and can help get to an answer that is both halachic (permitted by Jewish law) and in keeping with what you are hoping to achieve.
Posted by admin | Under Judaism
Wednesday Oct 29, 2008
Also the difference between Modern Orthodox and Orthodox, Conservative and Reform, and Orthodox (Modern and regular) and Conservative Judaism
What do you mean by "Reform is about trying to get everyone to participate in a mixed setting"
And also, I go to an Orthodox shul where they have a choir on Rosh HaShana, Yom Kippur, First days of Succot, etc.
Actually, the previous poster has it backward. Haredi is a general term for ultra-Orthodox Jews, of which Hasidim are one branch.
Hasidic Jews are all ultimately followers of one great 18th century rabbi — the Baal Shem Tov (Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer). The Baal Shem Tov emphasized the experience of “the common person” and developing a deep emotional connection to G-d through fervent prayer, song, and dance. Aspects of Jewish mysticism were revived and took on new meaning. This was in contrast to most other European rabbis who emphasize the importance of learning Talmud — Jewish law.
After the Baal Shem Tov died, his descendants and students established their own Hasidic “courts”. The court is made up of followers of the rabbi and often encompassed many of the Jews in a given European city or area. The Hasidic rebbe, unlike a regular rabbi was consulted about almost every important decision in his followers lives. The Rebbe is not just the rabbi of a synagogue, who can be hired or fired by the synagogue board, but rather the permanent spiritual leader for a group of Jews. The leadership of the community usually passes from the Rebbe to one of his sons or sons-in-law.
Haredi refers to Orthodox Jews who are particularly strict or conservative about Jewish law. These Jews may be Hasidic or non-Hasidic. In general, Haredi Jews are less open to knowledge from the non-Haredi world. They do not generally attend secular schools or colleges, go to movies, or read secular books. They believe that all important knowledge can be found in traditional Jewish texts. They are particularly strict about modesty and the separation of men and women.
Modern Orthodox Jews, like Haredi and Hasidic Jews, believe that Jews are bound by traditional Jewish law. But they are more open to modern secular society. They believe that Orthodoxy should take the best of the modern world while still remaining observant of Jewish law. This movement has its origin in the 19th and early 20th centuries with prominent rabbis such as Samson Raphael Hirsch and Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik. In the United States, Yeshiva University in New York City is associated with this movement. In Israel, the National Religious Party and the settlement movement in the West Bank are associated with Modern Orthodoxy. In contrast, many Haredi Jews are non-Zionist or even anti-Zionist.
The Reform movement has its origin in the 19th and early 20th century as well. It began in Germany, where Jews were faced with the possibility of true acceptance into modern society for the first time. The earliest Reform rabbis wanted to modernize Judaism along the lines of German Protestantism. They decided that Jews no longer needed to follow traditional Jewish laws — rather — only the ethical laws of the Torah were still binding. For a time, some Reform Jews suggested moving the Jewish Sabbath to Sunday and removing Hebrew from the prayer service. Since the 1960s, Reform Judaism has actually become more traditional, but it still maintains a focus on ethical Jewish teachings. It does not consider other Jewish laws — for example, dietary laws — binding but rather optional. The Reform movement was the first to allow women to fully participate in Jewish services and to allow gay and lesbian Jews to become rabbis.
The Reform Movement has a large following in the United States and the UK and a small following in Israel. In the United States, Reform rabbis attend Hebrew Union College for rabbinical school.
The Conservative Movement arose from those in Europe and the United States who wanted a modern approach to Judaism but who felt that Reform Judaism went too far. Unlike Reform Jews, Conservative Jewish leaders believed that Jews should continue to observe Jewish law. They also believed that Jewish law can be significantly changed to meet the needs of modern times. Conservative Jews believe that Jewish law is much more flexible than Orthodox Jews do.
The Conservative movement has a large following in the United States and the UK and a very small following in Israel. In the United States, Conservative rabbis attend the Jewish Theological Seminary or the University of Judaism for rabbinical school.
In a practical sense, Reform Jews are the least traditional in terms of daily practice and Haredi Jews are the most traditional.
However, it is a mistake to call one group “more”or “less” Jewish or even “more” or “less” observant. Judaism has both ethical and ritual demands.
If you are speaking about keeping kosher, Haredi Jews could easily be considered more observant than Reform Jews. If you are speaking about acting on behalf of the oppressed, Reform Jews could easily be considered more observant than Haredi Jews.
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