posted
Short answer: No, because his mother is not Jewish.
Longer answer: About a year ago, it seemed like ALL the Democratic candidates were Jewish. (Or maybe that's Jewish-ish. ) Anyway, except for Lieberman, none of them actually were. Interesting that so many have Jewish relatives, though.
quote: Is it still based on the mother, then? Is that religiously based, or culturally based?
Depends who you ask. (Also, Reform goes by the father too, sometimes -- nfl explained that a few pages back, I think.)
I would say that it is an inherent difference, a matter of religious Law and spiritual fact. Naturally, since this is a long-standing issue, there is a cultural component as well.
quote: I like Jewishish. But wouldn't that be Jewishishim?
*grin* I wasn't pluralizing -- I was adjectivizing. Blue-ish = sorta blue; Jewish-ish = kinda Jewish
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posted
"-im" is the pluralization of masculine nouns (well, except the irregulars), as "-ot" (or "-os," depending on accent) is the pluralization of the feminine ones. So kitah (class) becomes kitot and cheder (room) becomes chadarim.
There are several words for "person" in Hebrew -- among them eesh, anash, adam -- but I can't think of any suffixes which mean that.
posted
Sure is. He was the first man, so his name is simply "Man." (Women are more complex, so Eve -- or in Hebrew, Chava -- does not simply mean "Woman." )
Pronunciation is different than an English-speaker might expect, though. In Hebrew, it's not AAA-dum, it's ahh-DAHM.
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Hey rivka, I've noticed that a lot of Jewish people write "G-d" or "G*d" when referring to their deity. I rarely see Christians do that. I think it has to do with respect, possibly not taking His name in vain. The only thing that I don't get is that, as I understand things, that isn't actually the Judeo-Christian deity's name. Can you help alleviate my confusion?
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posted
I think it was mentioned earlier, but it has to do with the sacredness and power of God's name. Many Bible stories show how the power of God is used by invoking His name.
Therefore, if one were to write (or type on the internet, and then print it out) God's name, that provides a certain amount of power to people not exactly looking out for your (Jewish) best interests.
There's more to it, so I'll let an actual Jew explain it
posted
Hmm. I disagree with Bok's answer, actually. While we are careful not to use His names in vain, it is an issue of respect and sacredness -- not power.
As far as Adam's answer, I mostly agree with his first post. Not so much his last one, though.
The thing is, it's not just the Tetragrammaton that should only be written/spoken under certain circumstances. It's any of His names. (Although the Tetragrammaton is used far more rarely and carefully, being the holiest of His names.) That would be why, even when I transliterate the more commonly used Names, I use an alternate, not-quite-the-real-thing, pronunciation. (For example, Elokim. If I were using the same Hebrew word -- not to refer to God -- in the phrase "other gods," I would write it (or say it) as the word really is, elohim acherim.)
quote: As you can see from this post, I only worry about it in Hebrew. Why? Because, as pointed out in the original question, the word "God" is generic; it doesn't specifically refer to the god with a four-letter name.
I agree, and so do many others; but some people feel that ANY name assigned by people to God should not be written casually. For them, it's not "just in case" -- they consider it a (lesser, for they will speak the word) name of His.
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posted
OK, I get it now. By the way, how is the word adonai pronounced? I've heard people say either ä-do-"nI or ä-d&-"noi.
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posted
Interesting. I've heard two rabbis and a cantor say the word and they both say "ah-dohn-EYE" but Juliette's whole family says "ah-duh-NOI." In both cases the emphasis on the last syllable is pretty slight. [Edit: The emphasis might also be different from usual because every time I've heard it it's either been sung or chanted.] [Edit 2: I believe Juliette's family is mostly German and Polish.]
Another question: Is it OK for non-Jews to celebrate Jewish holidays? Or to sing a prayer in Hebrew on holidays or Shabbat?
I wonder if the "Adonoi" inflection is some Yiddish influence?
As for observing holidays, it depends on the strictness of the synagogue. For Orthodox and most Conservative ones, I'd guess not. As for Reform, I have been to bar-mitzvahs, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur Kol Nidre (as well as the last service of Yom Kippur, which I forget the name of). I've done the Friday night dinners with blessings more times than I can count, I've celebrated Passover with a Seder or 3, as well as Hannukah. Haven't gone to Sukot or Purim. I would guess Reconstructionist would be similar to Reform.
I will recite along with the more generic English sections, but remain quiet for the Hebrew and any parts that explicitly beseech on behalf of the Hebrew people. Mostly out of respect, and I feel weird pretending to recite as someone I'm not.
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GaalD
unregistered
posted
I go to Chabad which is very Orthodox, and on my Bar Mitzvah and plenty of others I've seen at my shul had non-Jews attending.
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quote: Is it OK for non-Jews to celebrate Jewish holidays? Or to sing a prayer in Hebrew on holidays or Shabbat?
For the most part, yes. A more detailed explanation, from here:
quote: Now, about holidays and what a Noachide can do. In addition to following the very concrete 7 categories of laws, the Noachide can do many things. Let me mention, before I start, that many Christians only celebrate Christmas and Easter, as well as national non-religious holidays. Most Muslims only have Ramadan and national non-religious holidays. Are they therefore deprived? I do not think such Christians and Muslims would say so. Yes, you may say, but there is also their sabbath. True, but a Noachide too can celebrate Shabbat, provided he or she does not do so in the way Jews do. One can do most of it, but leave out on[e] mitvah. For example, one can spend Shabbat in prayer and rest, but the rest should not be as Jews do. I know of no Christian who abstains from turning lights on and off on their sabbath. Does that make the sabbath any less meaningful as a day of rest to them? I think not. So, on Shabbat, study (I always study on Shabbat), read, say psalms, read the Genesis stories about creation and the day of rest, dig into them, learn from them, and thus commemorate the day of rest.
Celebrate Sukkot (as R. Katz said, it is for everyone), repent every day and every new month (Jews are not confined to Yom Kippur in our repentance). Sing psalms and songs of praise to HaShem -- it is not necessary to sing these in Hebrew, nor are you restricted in what melody you can use. Some of my favorite Jewish songs of praise were written fairly recently. Praise of G-d is not restricted to the siddur, Jew and Noachide alike can pray spontaneously, and sing unto the L-RD a new song...just keep idolatry out of it, of course :-) Celebrate Independence Day, Thanksgiving, or other national secular holidays. Celebrate the history of your particular culture. But keep your mind and will on following G-d's will in all things. Noachism, like Judaism, demands that G-d's will be followed not only in worship, but in business, in public interactions. Honor your parents, as Noachides have long ago accepted that mitvah upon themselves.
I know a number of non-Jews who regularly eat Shabbos meals (do they attend services before? I believe some do) in Orthodox homes. I can't imagine anyone saying it would be forbidden for a non-Jew to keep Jewish holidays, no matter how non-liberal Orthodox (to borrow adam's description); however, there is a requirement that it not be exactly as a Jew would. (On Shabbos, for example, the minimum difference would be to violate a single Shabbos prohibition -- such as turning on a light.)
quote: the last service of Yom Kippur, which I forget the name of
Ne'ilah.
As for as the ay/oy pronunciation (and it holds true for ALL Hebrew words with a "ay" sound), I am sure that Yiddish does affect the pronunciation -- Hungarian Yiddish. (Which is somewhat different from Polish Yiddish, Russian Yiddish . . . ) I seem to recall that some percentage of Polish Jews (those from Galicia) have essentially the same accent as Hungarian Jews.
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posted
So do you use timers on the Sabbath? How do you cook? Has a power outage put all your timers out of sync?
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I don't -- it's one of the Shabbos prohibitions. However, it is permitted to leave something "on the fire" (on a covered flame, in an over with a timer (or just left on), in a crockpot) if it is cooked beforehand.
quote: Has a power outage put all your timers out of sync?
Thankfully, only very rarely.
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quote:quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tell us about the unveiling. I hadn't heard of it until I was 30, and I was amazed at how different it sounded from normal stuff. Also, I think I was pregnant at the time so the tradition that prohibits an expectant mother from attending stuck out. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wow I wish I'd known about this thread and the linked site two months ago. I'm most appreciative of all this information!
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posted
Saxon, the pronounciation in that case has to do with accent. I pronounce it with an "eye" sound while my four grandparents all originally from NYC and "New York" Jews will pronouce since it with an "oi" sound because of their New York accent.
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posted
Juliette's Jewish relatives are all either New Yorkers or first-generation New York emigrants.
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posted
We put a hotplate on a timer for Shabbat to heat up certain types of foods. We leave some lights on (for example, kitchen or closet lights), use a few nightlights, and put some lights on timers.
We used to be subject to frequent power failures, and often ended up eating Friday night dinner by the light of the Shabbat candles.
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posted
Are you allowed to open and close the refrigerator (which has a light in it that turns on and off), or is that also not allowed?
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quote:(On Shabbos, for example, the minimum difference would be to violate a single Shabbos prohibition -- such as turning on a light.)
So what if someone is seriously considering converting to orthodox Judaism, and wishes to do so even after being appropriately discouraged? In learning about the lifestyle etc. Do they attempt to keep all of the laws and deliberately break one every day until they have officialy "converted"?
posted
Oh, I knew she wouldn't answer me until tomorrow night, but she always checks back a few pages when she signs on again.
Since I started my Judaism class, my roommate and I often have good conversations on Shabbat and I thought it best to ask before I forgot.
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posted
I went sifting in this thread, looking for a link I knew was here somewhere . . . and discovered that I never got back to Val's question!
So, I asked. Absolutely, 100%, no problem with parrot feathers (or the feathers of any non-kosher bird). Actually, you can omit the feather altogether -- it's a custom, and something the kids usually have fun with -- not a required element.
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posted
Kids' fun is a major issue in the Sedder. The Gemarra (Pesachim sheet 114 page 2) states a whole issue about why do you have the blessing for the Karpas (part of the Sedder's routine). Reish Lakish says that it's so the younger ones will ask and be interested. "Stama DeGemara" (the Gemara's controversial persona) says that it's so for the babies (children) to inquire about, and then the story of Exodus is to be told. For half a frigging page there's this crazy [and impractical] discussion and finally the Gemara "wins" (without actually mentioning it in the Gemara, I had to check up in other law books to find out).
At this excessiveness, no other religion can compete with the Gemara. There was this story about some Rabbis discussing an issue. If there's a tree in one person's land, and a bird fell out of its nest and landed in another person's territory, who does it belong to? After several pages of discussion (I'd assume), a decision is made. Then comes one Rabbi and asks about what happens when one leg fell on this side and one on the other; he was kicked out of the meeting.
---
One other time a Rabbi (Rav Kahana) walked 13 years to Israel (after a page of background), and he went to a Yeshiva, where he studied with a greater Rabbi. He asked excessive questions and at the end the teacher stopped speaking to him because he was tired. Rav Kahana died of sorrow.
Naturally, the teacher went to his grave and saw a snake there. "Snake, snake", he called out. "I am his teacher; let me talk to him", and the snake didn't move. "Snake, snake", he called out again. "I am his companion, let me talk to him." And finally, "Snake, snake", he called out after nothing happened, "I am his student, let me in". The snake let him in and the Rabbi asked Rav Kahana to come bck to life and forgive him. Rav Kahana came back to life and forgave him.
BTW, I think it was Rav Kahana.
Aside that, does anyone know where these stories appear?
posted
Interesting question, adam. If you include such things as common (although not necessarily religious) Easter and Christmas celebrations, clearly there's at least one which does.
Jonathan, are you asking which daf they are on? Which volume?
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posted
I was looking for this thread a few days ago. Down here in the South, a pastor generally refers to his congregation as brothers and sisters. I was wondering how the Kohen refers to his congregation. What's the traditional way to open a service?
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posted
Sorry, why are we assuming the leader of the congregation is a Kohen?
Is he speaking Hebrew, Yiddish, English or some combination thereof? Is the congregation (and rabbi) Ashkenazi or Sephardi? Chassidish? Yekkish?
Is the service in question on a weekday, Sabbath, or holiday? Morning prayers, afternoon prayers, evening prayers?
When you say open the service, do you mean what prayer would they begin with? Or are you asking how a rabbi might start his speech (on those occasions that he gives one)?
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quote: Rabbis are not part of ritual jewish practice nor are they necessary in the service of god. Rabbi is a educational/spiritual guide, not necessarily the leader of spiritual practices and rituals. The Torah designates the ritual practices in the temple to the Kohen (Priest).
From your reactions, I'm definately misinterpreting something.
The way I've always done it, Sunday morning we go to church and chat in the sanctuary before service starts. The pastor will get up and greet us so we know it's time to get started. Then we sing for a bit. Then the pastor gives a sermon. Then we sing a little more.
How does it basically work in a synagogue?
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posted
Ahhhh. Ok, one of the most significant differences between Judaism and many other religions is that the focus of Judaism is NOT a house of worship. It is the home.
Even when the Temple was standing, and was the focus of certain things, each home was a "mikdash mi'at" -- a mini-Temple.
Accordingly, most religious observance requires no cleric -- rabbi or Cohen. Certain things do. In the case of those requiring a Cohen, many cannot be performed in the absence of a Temple. Cohanim (pl. of Cohen) still are important, and have certain duties, but they cannot bring sacrifices, for instance.
Congregations are generally guided by a rabbi (although not all rabbis are congregational rabbis), as well as various other people.
quote: The way I've always done it, Sunday morning we go to church and chat in the sanctuary before service starts. The pastor will get up and greet us so we know it's time to get started. Then we sing for a bit. Then the pastor gives a sermon. Then we sing a little more.
How does it basically work in a synagogue?
As I alluded to above, it matters a lot when we're talking about. But generally, there will be a time that the service in question starts. Assuming that 10 men are present at that time, the prayers will start (led by either a chazzan, or quite often simply led by one of the congregants). People will trickle in during the course of the prayers, catch up quietly, and join the group. Some parts will be said as a group, and some each person individually. Some parts are sung, or chanted. Some parts are responsive. Some are recited just by the person leading the prayers.
If it is a Sabbath or holiday, the rabbi (or perhaps someone else) will likely speak at some point, about halfway through. On those days there will also be a reading from the Torah and one from Nevi'im (on Mondays and Thursdays, just a short reading from the Torah).
After the services are over, on a weekday people will generally rush off (to work in the morning, to home in the evening). But on Shabbos and holidays, there will often be chatting and socializing (in some congregations, with food provided) for quite some time afterward.
Did that answer your question?
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posted
Kohens were the leaders of the Temple, capital-'T'. The one that was destroyed almost 2000 years ago. Temple more recently has become synonymous with synagogue, but nowadays a rabbi leads the congregation.
posted
I think I've got it. Let me make sure, though.
A chazzan or one of the ten men present starts things off. Rabbis and Cohanim have specific duties that happen at certain times, but not necessarily every week. A service is largely responsive between the chazzan and the gathered congregation, but the rabbi also teaches.
Is that about right?
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posted
Pretty much. Except that while the rabbi may not speak every week, NO congregational rabbi has an entire week go by without any duties. Far from it!
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) Anyway, except for Lieberman, none of them actually were. Interesting that so many have Jewish relatives, though.
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He was the first man, so his name is simply "Man." (Women are more complex, so Eve -- or in Hebrew, Chava -- does not simply mean "Woman." ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
) ![[Wave]](graemlins/wave.gif)
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Sorry, why are we assuming the leader of the congregation is a Kohen?
