Ask The Rabbi!!

[Mr. Ed]

Thanks Rabbi!

[TomHagen]

Originally Posted by Emjaysmash

Man you've been busy in the last two posts! Excellent! Keep the Rav Working hard!!

Originally Posted by Mr. Ed

Thanks Rabbi!

Whoa... those two posts were my 501st & 502nd, didn't even realize that I passed the 500 mark, I guess I was lovin' answering the questions!!

500 posts and not on 'roids! 500 home runs doesn't mean what it used to...

I guess I kinda just celebrated with a Tat Black Robusto from a 3 pack my friend gave me at the Pete Johnson event on LI. Delish!
Pete was nice enough to kick me down a black-on-black Tatuaje baseball hat to go with my Rabbinic attire .

I think 500 posts isn't so much on this wonderful place CA, especially from someone with an Oct 08 join (box) date, so I was kinda in from the beginning. But this thread definitely has kept me posting and I only try to post about what I (think I) know about and what I want to know more about, so I keep it meaningful. CA is a wonderful forum.



Glad you guys are enjoying this thread, keep 'em coming and all the best.

[Mr. Ed]

Here's one that's always been on my mind:

Do you consider Jews as an ethnic group?

Whenever I bring up my ethnicity I say that I am Jewish and Russian (my father is an ethnic Russian), but most people are quick to point out that 'Jewish' is not an ethnicity.

I know it was the law in the Soviet Union(both my Soviet birth certificate and passport say my ethnicity is Jewish) and is still common in the former USSR . Over the last year I've travelled to Russia and have recently returned from a trip to Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic countries as well as Poland and Germany and have found Jews are still considered as an ethnic group in the former USSR (I'm not aware of the national or legal definition of ethnicity in these countries).

Thanks,
Ed

[TomHagen]

Originally Posted by Mr. Ed

Here's one that's always been on my mind:

Do you consider Jews as an ethnic group?

Whenever I bring up my ethnicity I say that I am Jewish and Russian (my father is an ethnic Russian), but most people are quick to point out that 'Jewish' is not an ethnicity.

I know it was the law in the Soviet Union(both my Soviet birth certificate and passport say my ethnicity is Jewish) and is still common in the former USSR . Over the last year I've travelled to Russia and have recently returned from a trip to Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic countries as well as Poland and Germany and have found Jews are still considered as an ethnic group in the former USSR (I'm not aware of the national or legal definition of ethnicity in these countries).

Thanks,
Ed

Jews and Judaism are the most unique in the world, for various reasons, but we are a Religion, Culture, Ethnicity, Race, Nationality, Philosphical Movement etc. etc. all in one, while simultaneously we are non of those, ie. non of those categories define who/what we are. We are Jewish even if G-d forbid, we don't have homeland, in fact we have been in exile most of our existance. We are Jewish without the customs that most would define as Jewish culture/ethnicity - yarmulkes, beards, gefilte fish etc. We are Jewish even if we can't read Hebrew in the Torah. We are Jewish even if we don't know it!!! Wow...

From a secular perspective on race/ethnicity... I was an Anthropology major in college and learned extensively about the question you pose in regards to humanity on a whole. Scientificly, there really is no such thing as race/ethnicity. Since there are no real absolutes to define it. Sociologists, Govenments, Institutions and Historians like to have some qualification or term to define a given group of people by "race", but it really doesn't exist. It was convenient. Notice I used the past tense, because as we see in the modern world, the categorization of people by race/ethnicity has all but failed due to the blurring of national, familial and regional boundaries.

Race/ethnicity doesn't have an absolute defining principle, for instance as to what makes a Jew, a Jew.
A Jew is Jewish if his/her mother is Jewish, and her mother's mother's mother's mother was Jewish. This is the defining principle of what makes a Jew who he/she is, and there is nothing that can change that.
So I can't really say if being Jewish is an ethnicity, because in truth, the term is somewhat useless. (*unless you are trying to get a Russian passport ) If pushed to the wall, YES Jewish is an ethnicity and a whole lot more...
Hope this helps.

[TomHagen]

Originally Posted by Mr. Ed

Here's one that's always been on my mind:

Do you consider Jews as an ethnic group?

Whenever I bring up my ethnicity I say that I am Jewish and Russian (my father is an ethnic Russian), but most people are quick to point out that 'Jewish' is not an ethnicity.

I know it was the law in the Soviet Union(both my Soviet birth certificate and passport say my ethnicity is Jewish) and is still common in the former USSR . Over the last year I've travelled to Russia and have recently returned from a trip to Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic countries as well as Poland and Germany and have found Jews are still considered as an ethnic group in the former USSR (I'm not aware of the national or legal definition of ethnicity in these countries).

Thanks,
Ed

Dude, for a Jewish-Russian Horse, you have some good questions!!

[TomHagen]

The Three Weeks - Overview

For eight hundred and thirty years there stood an edifice upon a Jerusalem hilltop which served as the point of contact between heaven and earth. So central was this edifice to the relationship between man and G-d that nearly two-thirds of the mitzvot are contingent upon its existence. Its destruction is regarded as the greatest tragedy of our history, and its rebuilding will mark the ultimate redemption-the restoration of harmony within G-d's creation and between G-d and His creation.


"But there is more to the Three Weeks than fasting and lamentation. The prophet describes the fasts as "days of goodwill before G-d"-days of opportunity to exploit the failings of the past as the impetus for a renewed and even deeper bond with G-d."
A full three weeks of our year-the three weeks "between the strictures" of Tammuz 17 and Av 9-are designated as a time of mourning over the destruction of the Holy Temple and the resultant galut-physical exile and spiritual displacement-in which we still find ourselves.

On Tammuz 17 of the year 3829 from creation (69 CE), the walls of Jerusalem were breached by the armies of Rome; three weeks later, on the 9th of Av, the Holy Temple was set aflame. Av 9 is also the date of the First Temple's destruction by the Babylonians in 3339 (423 BCE), after the Temple service was disrupted on Tammuz 17 (the breaching of Jerusalem's walls at the time of the first destruction was on Tammuz 9). These dates had already been the scene of tragic events in the very first generation of our nationhood: Tammuz 17 was the day Moses smashed the Tablets of the Covenant upon beholding Israel's worship of the Golden Calf; Av 9 was the day that G-d decreed that the generation of the Exodus shall die out in the desert, after they refused to proceed to the Holy Land in wake of the Spies' demoralizing report. In these events lay the seeds of a breakdown in the relationship between G-d and Israel-a breakdown which reached its nadir in the destruction of the Temple.

Tammuz 17 is a fastday, on which we refrain from eating and drinking from dawn to nightfall. Av 9 (Tishah B'Av) is a more stringent fast: it commences at sunset of the previous evening, and additional pleasures (washing, anointing, wearing leather shoes, and marital relations) are also proscribed. On Tishah B'Av we gather in the synagogue to read the Book of Lamentations composed by Jeremiah and kinot (elegies) on the Destruction and Exile.

During the Three Weeks we read the "Three of Rebuke"-three weekly readings from the Prophets which prophesy the Destruction, describe the sins which caused it, and admonish us to repent our ways. During the Three Weeks, no weddings or other joyous events are held; like mourners, we do not cut our hair or purchase new clothes. Additional mourning practices are assumed during the "Nine Days" beginning on Av 1, such as refraining from eating meat, drinking wine and enjoying music.

But there is more to the Three Weeks than fasting and lamentation. The prophet describes the fasts as "days of goodwill before G-d"-days of opportunity to exploit the failings of the past as the impetus for a renewed and even deeper bond with G-d. A sense of purification accompanies the fasting, a promise of redemption pervades the mourning, and a current of joy underlies the sadness. The Ninth of Av, say our sages, is not only the day of the Temple's destruction-it is also the birthday of Moshiach. The "Three of Rebuke" are thus followed by "Seven of Consolation"-seven weekly readings describing the future redemption and the rebuilding of the marriage of G-d and Israel.

[TomHagen]

BTW, many were interested in www.noahide.org - it is again up and running with a beautiful new website!!!

www.noahide.org

[Mr. Ed]

Here's a question. What are your thoughts on Hebrew National Franks? Good or would you recommend any other Kosher dogs?

[TomHagen]

Originally Posted by Mr. Ed

Here's a question. What are your thoughts on Hebrew National Franks? Good or would you recommend any other Kosher dogs?

good question. one that was addressed on the "where my jew's at?" thread at length.

In a blind taste test of some kosher hotdogs Shor HaBor won HANDS DOWN!! even non-kosher hot dog lovers found them superior to their favorite brands.

I happen to agree, Shor HaBor is superior in every way. The flavor is phenomenal. They are also made without hormone etc. bad-for you meat.

There are also a new brand of Organic hotDog by Wise Kosher that don't taste like hotdog, more like delicious seasoned sausage, that are delicious and healthy - just meat and spices.

If you are ever in Los Angeles, go to Jeff's Sausage Co., a Glatt Kosher spot in beverly hills - phenomenal!! If you can ever corner Jeff himself and have him give you a breakdown of his meat pickling, koshering, sausage making, drying etc. processes you will learn something and tastes some of the most crazy delicious meats ever. His dried and wet sausages, hot dogs, homeade hamburgers etc. are amazing

[macms]

Originally Posted by TomHagen

BTW, many were interested in www.noahide.org - it is again up and running with a beautiful new website!!!

www.noahide.org

That addy isn't working. Try this one.

http://www.noahide.com/index.htm

[TomHagen]

Originally Posted by macms

That addy isn't working. Try this one.

http://www.noahide.com/index.htm

www.noahide.org - works fine for me with a beautiful new website!!!

[Emjaysmash]

Rav, forgive me for being oblivious, but: Why were you just fasting a couple days ago?

[TomHagen]

good question!!

yesterday was 17 tammuz the beginning of the three weeks until 9 Av - tisha b'av.

see a couple of posts ago #333 for the whole breakdown

[Emjaysmash]

Originally Posted by TomHagen

good question!!

yesterday was 17 tammuz the beginning of the three weeks until 9 Av - tisha b'av.

see a couple of posts ago #333 for the whole breakdown

Good to know! I almost forgot when Tisha b'av was this year!

[jjirons69]

Thanks for the info, Rabbi. Good stuff here.

Two questions:

1. Now, the Jewish belief is our body is not our own to desecrate. No tatoos, etc. So why is it that circumcision is not viewed as such? The body is being altered. Also, wouldn't smoking and drinking, ways to potentially harm or change the body, be viewed in the same light.

2. A few months ago I saw mom, dad, and son at Costco. Dad was late 50s, son, probably 16-18. Both were wearing kippahs. Probably a lot of Jewish folks in Charleston, but I've never seen them wearing the tradition hat. Think they just came from a pary, celebration, or something else? I guess some people wear them all the time, but in the deep South, it's kind of rare.

[woops]

Rabbi - I'm wondering about other Jewish fasting traditions. Other than fasting on certain holy days, are there guidelines for how many times per year and how many days a fast lasts?

[TomHagen]

Originally Posted by woops

Rabbi - I'm wondering about other Jewish fasting traditions. Other than fasting on certain holy days, are there guidelines for how many times per year and how many days a fast lasts?

Typically we do not fast except for the prescibed days.
The fast is either 25 hrs or starts from the morning until evening (when 3 stars appear in the sky), depending on which fast day.

Here's a list:
Yom Kippur 10 Tishrei

First of Nisan: the sons of Aaron were destroyed in the Tabernacle.

Seventeenth of Tammuz: the tablets were broken; the regular daily sacrifice ceased; Apostemus burned the Law, and introduced an idol into the holy place; the breaking into the city by the Romans (Ta'an. 28b).

Ninth of Ab: it was decreed that Jews who went out of Egypt should not enter Palestine; the Temple was destroyed for the first and the second time; Bether was conquered, and Jerusalem plowed over with a plowshare

Third of Tishri: Gedaliah and his associates were assassinated in Mizpah (II Kings xxv. 25).


Tenth of Ṭebet: the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar began (II Kings xxv. 1; Jer. lii. 4).

[TomHagen]

Originally Posted by jjirons69

Thanks for the info, Rabbi. Good stuff here.

Two questions:
Good ones.
1. Now, the Jewish belief is our body is not our own to desecrate. No tatoos, etc. So why is it that circumcision is not viewed as such? The body is being altered. Also, wouldn't smoking and drinking, ways to potentially harm or change the body, be viewed in the same light.
Firstly, you are right about tatoos for Jews. But there is no connection with circumcision. Circumcision is a Commandment for the Jewish people given by G-d Himself to Avraham as an everlasting covenant called a Bris. One is a person's haphazzard decision, vs. G-d's Commandment (Mitzvah). Drinking and smoking in excess are forbidden, for they definitely do damage to a person's body AND health (whereas I don't know that there is a health risk with tatoos). Drinking and smoking moderately can have positive health and mental benefits and drinking for sacramental purposes or a farbrengen in Judaism is a Mitzvah, a positive act.
2. A few months ago I saw mom, dad, and son at Costco. Dad was late 50s, son, probably 16-18. Both were wearing kippahs. Probably a lot of Jewish folks in Charleston, but I've never seen them wearing the tradition hat. Think they just came from a pary, celebration, or something else? I guess some people wear them all the time, but in the deep South, it's kind of rare.

That's pretty cool. There has been a small ''exodus'' to the Carolinas by Jewish people. I would assume they were Chabad (like me) emissaries who set up grass-roots all-inclusive Jewish org. and communities to assist those with little prior-knowledge/observance. Chabad is the one form of orthodox Jewry that interfaces with the outside world while remainin true to the highest standards of Jewish Law and Mysticism. Did the dad have a beard? If yes, definitely Chabad. If no, possible Modern Orthodox.
There are 2 congregations in Charleston (that I could find) that are possibly where they belong to:
Brith Sholom Beth Israel (BSBI)
182 Rutledge Ave.
Charleston, SC 29403
Phone: 843-577-6599
Fax: 843-577-6699
BSBI is an Orthodox Shul located in the Medical district of Charleston, S.C. We are convenient to several quality hotels that are willing to assist with Shabbos observance. The BSBI Sisterhood Gift Shop is located in the BSBI Shul...more
Email: BS-BI@BS-BI.com
Website: http://www.BS-BI.com
Chabad of the Lowcountry
51 Vincent Dr,
Mt Pleasant, SC 29464 USA
Phone: 843-884-2323
Chabad of Charleston and The Low Country is dedicated to serving all Jews throughout Charleston and The Low Country area with Ahavat Yisrael –unconditional love and concern for every Jew, regardless of background and affiliation. We aim to...more
Email: info@southernspirit.org
ps I can be found in Costco way too often!


Good stuff!

[ActionAndy]

Under what circumstances is violence tolerated? Self defense?

Rabbi, I'm Roman Catholic and my Girlfriend is Reform Jewish. How does the Jewish Faith view such an interfaith marriage when we start heading that way?
Posted via Mobile Device