Ask The Rabbi!!

[Emjaysmash]

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

[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!!

[Mr. Ed]

Thanks for the input!

[Mr. Ed]

LOL, while we're at it:

Since tobacco wasn't introduced to the Old world until the 16th to 17th centuries, I'm guessing neither the Talmud, Torah, or Old Testament really reference it.

However, are there any other laws, customs, or traditions that pertain to the use of tobacco?

Thanks,
Ed