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!!

[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

[TomHagen]

Originally Posted by 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

There are different references for smoking and use of different herbs, especially for the incense in the Temple etc.

Many great Rabbi's have smoked and snuffed. Even my avatar of Rabbi Chaim Hager of Ottynia, who I just google image searched to get an avatar of a cool chassidic cigar smoker, is an example. I really don't know much about him. It is said that the smoking of Tzaddikim, completely righteous people, is different than that of the average person. So much so that it is equated with the rising of the smoke of the incense in the Holy Temple.

Many Rebbeim smoked, and many ceased smoking once it was prescibed as detrimental to health. Many have since asked their followers to stop smoking, at least until age 20. This is most probably for cigarette smokers, as there are very few, though noteworthy orthodox cigar smokers. I have many prominent friends within the the Chassidic community who smoke cigars regularly, most tend towards Cubans, Monte's mostly, though some of us young'uns love the Tatuaje, Padron, and DPG of the world. I really enjoy the relaxation and mental focus a cigar brings before or while learning Torah, in addition to the tastes etc.

Here is a very cool story related by the Lubavitcher Rebbe about the Alter Rebbe who founded the Chabad movement.

Without Breaking Anything
The Alter Rebbe owned a silver snuff box which lacked a lid. The reason is that the lid was shining silver, and so the Alter Rebbe would use it as a mirror to see that his head tefillin were properly positioned.
This matter was once discussed in the presence of the Tzemach Tzedek. When it was said that the Alter Rebbe broke the lid off his snuff box, the Tzemach Tzedek objected, saying "My grandfather did not break things. He did not break himself, nor did he break other things." Rather, the Tzemach Tzedek explained, there was probably a thin shaft connecting the lid to the snuff box, and his grandfather simply removed the shaft.[78]

The Tzemach Tzedek was absolutely positive that the Alter Rebbe had not broken the lid. As he stated, he knew his grandfather would not break even an inanimate object.

All the stories about tzaddikim serve as directives for us in our Divine service. The above story teaches that without breaking anything -- not oneself, not others, not even an inanimate object -- it is possible to obtain an article that enables one to adjust one's tefillin, the intent of tefillin being to subjugate one's heart and mind to G-d.[79]

What is the symbolic meaning? That we do not have to break ourselves in order to subjugate our minds and hearts to G-dliness. All that is necessary is to remove the shaft which ties the G-dly soul to the animal soul.

For there are times when the animal soul approaches the G-dly soul and tries to convince it to do something other than what is mandated by the subjugation of heart and mind. The animal soul will say: "Don't worry, what I'm offering you is within the realm of holiness."[80] At that time, the connection between the two must cease.

A person must know clearly which advice comes from the G-dly soul, and which advice comes from the animal soul. Only when one has the proper understanding -- "the freedom from foolishness"[81] -- is it possible to adjust one's tefillin, subjugating one's heart and mind to G-d. And this will cause "all the nations of the earth (including the gentile within each person, and the gentile nations at large) to see and fear you."[82]