posted
Rabbits are not rodents, but they certainly lack split hooves. (They may be cud-chewers, or rather coprophagous.)
Certainly the kosher laws (particularly certain ones) discourage socialization; it's probably the most efficient way to discourage intermarriage.
Bison is both kosher and quite yummy. Bison hotdogs are surprisingly good, while very low in fat. And it makes good corned bee-- uh, corned bison.
quote:
quote:Today I discovered that the calendar at my office does not run past August. I guess that's the next thing I want to look into.
I think we need to send someone to the zoning office on Alpha Centauri ...
*snort* The Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) generally falls some time in September. Therefore, calendars put out by Jewish institutions often start with September. The better ones have (13 or) 14 months (like the Chevra Kadisha calendar right by me), each year's overlapping with the next by a month or two.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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quote:-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today I discovered that the calendar at my office does not run past August. I guess that's the next thing I want to look into. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think we need to send someone to the zoning office on Alpha Centauri ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*snort* The Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) generally falls some time in September. Therefore, calendars put out by Jewish institutions often start with September.
Actually, I did know this, I just couldn't resist the Hitchhiker reference. =)
Posts: 4515 | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
Why do you people, in the Diasphora (sp? voc?) (=Gola) have two days of Passover's "first" Yom Tov? I mean, I can understand the history behind Rosh Ha'shana, but not about Leil Ha'sedder!
quote:And by the way, it wasn't 28-29 days, it was 29-30.
Quite correct.
quote:Originally, of course, the Jews had a 364-day calendar.
Nope. While the length of a given Jewish year varies, there's no way of getting a 364-day year out of 12 or 13 months with 29 or 30 days.
If you're referring to the calculations for the solar year which determined when to add leap years... when direct observation was used, this was done on a year-by-year basis by the Sanhedrin, so no such calculation was required; the mathematical calendar was established centuries after Antiochus's time.
Posts: 884 | Registered: Mar 2005
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quote: Nope. While the length of a given Jewish year varies, there's no way of getting a 364-day year out of 12 or 13 months with 29 or 30 days.
Originally there was. I spoke to a professor who researched the Dead Sea Scrolls, and she told me that the calendar was changed in order to fit the "reformation" that Antiochos IV initiated, and his "empire's solidarity". That's when they added lunarism...
Posts: 2978 | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
Jon, that may have been true of the Sadducees (actually, I have a vague memory of hearing as much), but it was not true of mainstream Judaism.
adam's answer was correct in overview, but I would debate several significant details.
quote: Before the destruction of the second temple, people in Israel knew when Rosh Chodesh was by the smoke signals that came from the temple when the designated observer saw the (lack of) moon.
quote: When Rosh Chodesh was declared, the Sanhedrin would light fires on mountaintops to let everyone know that it was the new month. As each town saw a fire lit, they would light a fire on its mountaintop so that the news of the new month would spread. Toward the end of the Second Temple period, this system was changed because the Samaritans were deliberately lighting fires on the wrong day in order to confuse the Jewish community. In the new system of notification, the Sanhedrin sent messengers who would run from Jerusalem to the outlying towns and villages informing everyone that Rosh Chodesh had been declared.
quote: Adar is one of those months. So the first day of Passover could vary by a day, and you wouldn't know which day it was unless you saw the smoke signals.
Before the pre-set calendar (more on that in a moment) was instituted, ANY month could be either 29 or 30 days -- unless Sanhedrin closed their doors to witnesses on the 29th, if a 30-day month was needed (to ensure that a holiday didn't land on a problematic day of the week). Only certain months being malei (full, 30 days) or chaser (incomplete, 29 days) is an artifact of the current system.
quote: Due to advances in astronomy, even those outside of Israel can tell when Rosh Chodesh is,
That is NOT why we switched to a fixed calendar! The Sanhedrin calculated the molad for hundreds of years before -- predicting when the new month might fall was done long before the fixed calendar was established. But a predicted 29-day month could be forestalled by something as unpredictable as a cloudy night.
Hillel haSheni created the fixed calendar because it became clear that the Sanhedrin was about to be forcibly disbanded. No Sanhedrin, no way to establish a new month -- and shortly, utter chaos.
From the same site:
quote: This new system lasted until the end of the Sanhedrin in the 4th century CE. The last head of the Sanhedrin, Hillel II, instituted a fixed calendar based on astronomical calculations of the molad. This fixed calendar also provides the additional leap months that are necessary to ensure the holidays fall out in their proper time. Hillel II's calendar allowed Jewish life to continue despite the disbanding of the Sanhedrin.
(Leap years occur in the 3, 6, 8, 11, 14, 17, and 19th years of the 19 year cycle. A Jewish leap year adds an entire month -- for more details, see here.)
quote: so this whole system is kind of obsolete, but we still do it because that's what our ancestors did.
It would be preferable to have the Sanhedrin, and be able to fulfill the mitzvah of declaring a new month. God willing, may I see the day when that is again possible, and soon.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
I hope someone didn't already ask this, but is the flesh of swine more un-kosher than everything else that is un-kosher, or is that just my perception? I ask because one of my superiors was bantering about defiling the kitchen. I mean, I know this is a reform synagogue, so rivka might not be able to tell me, but I just wondered. I know there is a degree of kosher between passover kosher and the rest of the time kosher.
Posts: 2010 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
Ah, yes, I have been well acquainted with the scenarios you present in paragraph 4. Thanks for answering my question, though additional opinions are appreciated.
Posts: 2010 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
Adam is right-on with his opinion; it either is Kosher or it ain't.
Passover Kashrut is a whole 'nother level. Basically, everything that is kosher for Passover is also plain, old, garden-variety Kosher. For Passover, however, additional rules apply, so that not everything that is garden-variety kosher is also appropriate for Passover.
There is no reason for hold to the higher level for the whole year, it only applies to Passover. Being Pesadich (Passover Kosher) during the rest of the year does not confer additional holiness or anything. In fact, it is discouraged, because it would make the Passover observance less distincitive and meaningful.
I'll now stop playing Rebbitzen, and defer to my learned Shvester, rivka, allowing her to continue her Rebbitzen role.
Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
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quote: You can't say Item E is more kosher than Item F
You forgot Glat. (I don't give a Davar Aher's snout, but it doesn't matter. The fact that you have signs saying "Kasher Lemhadrin" means SOMETHING.)
Posts: 358 | Registered: May 2005
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posted
Leaving aside Adam's example (although I would like to point out that in almost all such scenarios within the Orthodox community, the fact that someone won't eat something that a certain Rabbi considers kosher rarely means that they consider it actual treif (non-kosher); rather, they consider it unclear), the thing to keep in mind is that, with the exception of such things as fresh fruit and vegetables, food is considered non-kosher until proven kosher.
But I would disagree with adam's assertion that there are not levels of kosher. As far as eating something goes, he's right. Either you may eat it or you may not. However, there are other prohibitions that apply to some (but not all) non-kosher things. These include getting ANY benefit whatsoever, or even purchasing them for a non-Jew, or for the Jew's animal.
Non-kosher beef would not fall under this category; milk cooked with meat would. I forget if pork and shellfish are in the first category or the second. However, it is certain that they are min tamei -- from a forbidden animal.
Cooking a pork loin or a cheeseburger in a pan would make it just as non-kosher either way.
JH, that is debatable. But I won't. Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
Are unclean animals okay to keep as pets? Like rabbits, gerbils, and pot-bellied pigs? I guess the various carnivora are not kosher to eat, but are kept as pets. Aren't they?
Okay, and High Holy Days is coming up.
Posts: 2010 | Registered: Apr 2003
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quote: Are unclean animals okay to keep as pets? Like rabbits, gerbils, and pot-bellied pigs? I guess the various carnivora are not kosher to eat, but are kept as pets. Aren't they?
I know some people who don't/won't keep non-kosher animals as pets (and raise children who end up absolutely terrified of dogs, which bothers me immensely, but I digress), but I have never been among that number. We used to have a guinea pig. (She died. )
quote:Okay, and High Holy Days is coming up.
Was there a question in there? Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
{TANGENT)I am just sad? confused? dissapointed? that there is an ask the Rebbetzin allowed here, but not an ask the Elder. I know the reasoning, but think its overly protective. Oh well, it isn't the first or the last time I disagree with Hatrack procedures.(TANGENT)
posted
I thought there were problems, maybe, with getting into too much detail of lds practice? And I think there was too much dissent, too many bad feelings displayed in that thread.
This thread, by contrast, is fairly peaceful. Probably because there are less Jews here, and less people that have strong feelings about Judaism. I find it perfectly logical, given the nature of the people here, that this thread is ok, and "ask the elder" threads are more troublesome.
Many lds threads get sidetracked into something less than nice, and have to be locked or people have to be scolded. I think there have in the past been requests to keep the lds threads to a minimum for these reasons, and to keep this place from becoming lds-centric.
Posts: 1014 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
I have a question that anyone can answer. What is your preferred translation of the Tanach? I believe rivka answered this, if not here, in an email.
I want to get a copy to add to my scripture study. I've just been looking at Artscroll's web site and am impressed with their products.
Posts: 4569 | Registered: Dec 2003
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posted
That's the one I was looking at. Amazon.com has the full sized version for $37.00 or something like that. I can't decide between the black one and the hunter green.
Posts: 4569 | Registered: Dec 2003
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posted
The solution would be to get both of them. One to sit on the bookshelf and one for study. I realize this would be rather expensive, but you just have to get the one that matches the bookshelves Posts: 4569 | Registered: Dec 2003
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I just noticed the code on that Amazon page that is good for 20% off and free shipping at Artscroll's site . . . but I am really going to wait a few months before I buy a bunch of seforim (books).
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
Yeah, you're probably still unpacking and/or trying to figure out where to put stuff. One thing to consider is that if you go to amazon.com from the link on this site, Hatrack gets money to help with hosting expenses. At least, that's how I think it works. I know what you mean, though. I've got more books than I know what to do with.
On that note, I think it's time for bed. I look forward to hearing the opinions of others on the question I asked. Posts: 4569 | Registered: Dec 2003
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quote:Originally posted by rivka: I prefer Artscroll for a number of reasons. This is the one I'm planning to get, although I may splurge and get the full-size.
Another really good one (which I think starLisa mentioned was her preference?) is R' Kaplan's Living Torah.
Even for Shir HaShirim? <grin>
Actually, my favorite translation, if I must use one, is the Judaica Press Hebrew-English Mikraot Gedolot. I usually end up looking in that, Kaplan, Artscroll's Stone Tanakh and whatever else may be lying around, just to get some perspectives on nuance.
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
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quote: Are unclean animals okay to keep as pets? Like rabbits, gerbils, and pot-bellied pigs? I guess the various carnivora are not kosher to eat, but are kept as pets. Aren't they?
I know some people who don't/won't keep non-kosher animals as pets (and raise children who end up absolutely terrified of dogs, which bothers me immensely, but I digress), but I have never been among that number. We used to have a guinea pig. (She died. )
Baruch Dayan HaEmet.
My partner teaches at a Chabad Cheder. They don't even allow toys or books that have non-kosher animals in or on them.
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
Wait, no books with non-kosher animals? Kids' books are full of dogs, cats, horses, birds, unusual fish. What animals are kosher, again? And what about biology textbooks?
Posts: 1014 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
Such books are allowed in the older grades. It is only under a certain age (I think six, but I don't remember for sure) that this is considered to be an issue by Chabadnicks (and mind, not all of them are strict on this issue).
The easiest route is simply to only buy kids books published by Chabad publishers -- there are lots. *shrug*
Oh, and kosher animals are the ruminants (cows, sheep, goats, giraffes), certain birds (chickens, geese, turkeys), and many types of fish.
posted
I know of Chassidic Jews who won't let their kids have stuffed bears, because bears aren't kosher. They do have stuffed animals of the kosher sort, including a giraffe.
Giraffes are kosher animals, but very difficult to slaughter properly, due to the very stretched-out neck.
Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
Occasional and any other "why can't we have an LDS thread" folks, you'll notice that there has been a good bit of infighting among the responders on this thread. It is rarely that the people asking questions are disrespectful (though that does happen- and to be frank the Jews are a lot more patient with the "aren't you people so funny" type of questions) but that the LDS threads always wind up with various other LDS people accusing the thread starter of not knowing what they are talking about. Plus there is the fact that OSC sponsors a site just for LDS people to argue about what their church really believes (along with many other hopefully non-arguing activities) at the nauvoo site.
Posts: 11017 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
My partner teaches 3rd grade there. You can't imagine (well, Rivka, you probably can) how hard it is for her to find stories she can read to them.
No treyf (non-kosher) animals. No talking animals, God forbid. No magic of any kind. No boyfriends or girlfriends (though somehow she got the okay to use The Kid Who Ran For President during the elections in 2004).
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
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quote:Originally posted by rivka: Oh, and kosher animals are the ruminants (cows, sheep, goats, zebras, giraffes), certain birds (chickens, geese, turkeys), and many types of fish.
quote:Originally posted by rivka: Oh, and kosher animals are the ruminants (cows, sheep, goats, zebras, giraffes), certain birds (chickens, geese, turkeys), and many types of fish.
Um... zebras?
*blink* How did that get in there?
I think they snuck along with the giraffes. *goes to edit*
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
I just discovered that one can buy a Mezuzah at Amazon.com. They had the cases and the parchment. I'm guessing that they get them from an outside vendor.
This brings up an interesting question. How does one verify the authenticity of the text? Rivka, would you, or anyone else here, buy a Mezuzah from them? With all the online vendors out there, how does one ensure that the product is genuine? Posts: 4569 | Registered: Dec 2003
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posted
Me, I wouldn't buy an Amazon mezuzah. I get them from a reputable local store that I know and trust. If I lived far from such stores, I'd get them from a place that specializes in such things, and knows how to properly handle them.
Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
With an online retailer, how could you verify that it was truly written by a Sofer? Did I spell that right? If one does live in a place where there aren't any brick and mortar specialty stores, how do they ensure that what they're buying is genuine?
Posts: 4569 | Registered: Dec 2003
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posted
I'd probably ask for a scan of the certificate that comes with it and contact information for the sofer. I might ask the sofer for references. Though I imagine that any reputable sofer selling through Amazon.com would probably provide references in advance, no?
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
So what's the rationale behind not exposing children to representations of non-kosher animals? Maybe I just don't understand the significance of kosher-ness. I had understood it to be an entirely dietary thing (my apologies if this is covered elsewhere in this thread--I have read the whole thing, but it's been a long time).
[Edit]Okay, I skimmed back through page 11 looking for discussions of this, and found rivka's mention of the existence of prohibitions against getting any benefit from some non-kosher things. Would stories involving non-kosher animals fall under that? And if so, why is it only for children under a certain age that such stories are forbidden?
What about, say, observing non-kosher animals at the zoo or something? Are kids also not allowed to do that?[/Edit]
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I know the reasoning, but think its overly protective. Oh well, it isn't the first or the last time I disagree with Hatrack procedures.(TANGENT)![[Dont Know]](graemlins/dontknow.gif)
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I'm guessing that they get them from an outside vendor. ![[Embarrassed]](redface.gif)
