Do you have questions about Traditional Judaism?

[james2ko]

No, נכרי/ה is "stranger" in the sense of "foreigner," not in the sense of peculiar or unknown. I think maybe the nuance you're looking for would be better expressed by זר/ה, which is also "strange/foreign" but with the sense of "Them (not Us)," something other and undesirable.

Perhaps I'm overlooking something but what about Isa 28:21 and Jer 2:21 where the term seems to indicate something unfamiliar, peculiar, or undesirable?

Isa 28:21 יָקוּםH6965 יְהוָהH3068 כְּעֵמֶקH6010 בְּגִבְעוֹןH1391 יִרְגָּזH7264 לַעֲשׂוֹתH6213 מַעֲשֵׂהוּH4639 זָרH2114 מַעֲשֵׂהוּH4639 וְלַֽעֲבֹדH5647 עֲבֹדָתוֹH5656 נָכְרִיָּהH5237 עֲבֹדָתֽוֹH5656 ׃

Jer 2:21 וְאָֽנֹכִיH595 נְטַעְתִּיךְH5193 שֹׂרֵקH8321 כֻּלֹּהH3605 זֶרַעH2233 אֱמֶתH571 וְאֵיךְH349 נֶהְפַּכְתְּH2015 לִי סוּרֵיH5494 הַגֶּפֶןH1612 נָכְרִיָּֽהH5237 ׃​

 

[Levite]

Perhaps I'm overlooking something but what about Isa 28:21 and Jer 2:21 where the term seems to indicate something unfamiliar, peculiar, or undesirable?

Isa 28:21 יָקוּםH6965 יְהוָהH3068 כְּעֵמֶקH6010 בְּגִבְעוֹןH1391 יִרְגָּזH7264 לַעֲשׂוֹתH6213 מַעֲשֵׂהוּH4639 זָרH2114 מַעֲשֵׂהוּH4639 וְלַֽעֲבֹדH5647 עֲבֹדָתוֹH5656 נָכְרִיָּהH5237 עֲבֹדָתֽוֹH5656 ׃

Jer 2:21 וְאָֽנֹכִיH595 נְטַעְתִּיךְH5193 שֹׂרֵקH8321 כֻּלֹּהH3605 זֶרַעH2233 אֱמֶתH571 וְאֵיךְH349 נֶהְפַּכְתְּH2015 לִי סוּרֵיH5494 הַגֶּפֶןH1612 נָכְרִיָּֽהH5237 ׃​

In Jeremiah 2, it's actually more a poetic idiomatic usage. If I had to translate הגפן נכריה,I think I would want to render it as "the wild grapevine." The nuance that Jeremiah is going for is that Israel should be "domesticated" to monotheism, completely regular and constant in its faith in God like a domesticated vine is regular and constant in its quality and yield, yet instead Israel is being unpredictable and erratic, pursuing idolatry-- more like a wild vine rather than a domesticated one.

In Isaiah, it's an unusual usage of the word, but it is actually being used as a poetic parallelism to זר, which is what I said earlier was closer to the concept you were looking for.

It's hard to gauge what the normal usage of a word is by examining its usage in the Prophets, since they are writing poetry, not prose, and thus will often use words in unusual ways-- as poets will, in any language.

 

[Caladan]

In other words is it possible for נָכְרִיָּֽה׃ to refer to someone who is unknown. For instance, would it be possible to use this term in the phrase parents often preach to their children, "never talk to נָכְרִיָּֽה׃" [strangers]?

No, in modern Hebrew we would use the word זר, but I have doubts that it was used the same way in Biblical Hebrew where it was also used in the context of foreign like נכרי.
But as Levite mentioned, it is possible that the words would be used in a poetic and illustrative way. For example in the verses you brought above the vine is not necessarily 'foreign', it could be wild, untamed, out of the order of domesticated plants. That's speculation, because I don't have the Jewish interpretation next to me, but it's possible that Rashi sheds light on the context of these verses and the use of language.

 

[Agnostisch]

kosher slaughter - animal cruelty or not ? please clear

 

[Me Myself]

I know this is a weird question, but is there any special instruction about how a bed or a room should be?rohibitions or onligations about it?

 

[Agnostisch]

I know this is a weird question, but is there any special instruction about how a bed or a room should be?rohibitions or onligations about it?

Leaving animal bleeding to death bring less pain instead of instant death?

 

[dantech]

I know this is a weird question, but is there any special instruction about how a bed or a room should be?rohibitions or onligations about it?

Do you mean regarding niddah?

 

[Levite]

kosher slaughter - animal cruelty or not ? please clear

Kosher slaughter is not deemed to be cruel. In fact, it is designed to be relatively painless. The animal's major arteries are severed with a single cut, allowing the blood to drop from the brain as it exsanguinates. If the animal does not die within thirty seconds, it is not considered kosher for consumption.

I have a friend who is a shochet (trained ritual slaughterer) as well as a rabbi, and I have seen him kill several animals. They all died within thirty seconds, and the process did not appear unduly painful to the animals.

I know this is a weird question, but is there any special instruction about how a bed or a room should be?rohibitions or onligations about it?

There are no laws concerning the setup of rooms or beds. These are matters either left to custom or to individual preference; largely to individual preference.

In some Charedi (ultra-Orthodox) communities, customs exist concerning the sleeping arrangements for women in niddah (the period of ritual impurity surrounding menstruation). But these customs vary from community to community and family to family, and are not universal, even in the Charedi world.

 

[goodhunter819]

Is anyone aware that circumcision in origin is not Semitic and was previously practised by non monotheist religions pre-dating the Hebrew religion and Christ, I spoke to a young Jewish fellow who is studying to be a chief rabbi who concurred with my point, though I have a mutual agreement on the issue of circumcision, for my data and study dose anyone else concur with that point on Jewish circumcision?

 

[Levite]

Is anyone aware that circumcision in origin is not Semitic and was previously practised by non monotheist religions pre-dating the Hebrew religion and Christ, I spoke to a young Jewish fellow who is studying to be a chief rabbi who concurred with my point, though I have a mutual agreement on the issue of circumcision, for my data and study dose anyone else concur with that point on Jewish circumcision?

Certainly circumcision was practiced by many peoples, Semitic and otherwise, in times before and concurrent with ancient Israelite religion. Jews did not invent circumcision of the foreskin, nor do we claim to have done so.

What is special for us is not having invented circumcision, or circumcision as some kind of tribal indentification ritual, it is circumcision as marker for the covenant between God and Abraham-- that is the usage which is unique to us, and which we care about. The real point is not foreskin removal, but creation of the sign a man will see every day of his life, to remind him to Whom he and his children owe service, and from Whom he and his children can expect redemption.

 

[Tumah]

Every time I saw the title of this thread I thought it was a thread about Conservative Judaism. But now having read the contents, I can't tell.

 

[farouk]

Peace to all.
Question for my Jewish folks.
What is the significance of the Blood Red Moon tetrad of lunar eclipses in Judaism?
Tks in advance.
Farouk

 

[Tumah]

Peace to all.
Question for my Jewish folks.
What is the significance of the Blood Red Moon tetrad of lunar eclipses in Judaism?
Tks in advance.
Farouk

In Judaism it signifies four total lunar eclipses that will take place over the coming months.

 

[Flankerl]

Just read up on it.

Oh my its "THE END IS NIGH AND JESUS WILL RETURN!!!"-time again.

 

[farouk]

Peace to all.
Flankerl & Tumah tks for your replys.
Flankerl
I have been reading too much with the result i don't know what is the truth and what is the lie and hence i asked the question to get an answer directly from those that are knowledgeable in their Jewish religion.
Tumah
With the eclipses that will be coming in next few months does it bring any good or bad omen?
Is there some prophecy behind such events?
Basically i just want to know what is your religious teachings regarding Blood Red Moon tetrad of lunar eclipses.
Tks in advance
Farouk

 

[Tumah]

Peace to all.
Flankerl & Tumah tks for your replys.
Flankerl
I have been reading too much with the result i don't know what is the truth and what is the lie and hence i asked the question to get an answer directly from those that are knowledgeable in their Jewish religion.
Tumah
With the eclipses that will be coming in next few months does it bring any good or bad omen?
Is there some prophecy behind such events?
Basically i just want to know what is your religious teachings regarding Blood Red Moon tetrad of lunar eclipses.
Tks in advance
Farouk

I can only quote you what you can see for yourself:

Jeremiah 10:2
So says G-d, of the ways of the nations, do not learn; of the signs of the heavens do not be distressed...

 

[Moishe3rd]

Peace to all.
Question for my Jewish folks.
What is the significance of the Blood Red Moon tetrad of lunar eclipses in Judaism?
Tks in advance.
Farouk

And, I just looked it up. Interesting.
Apparently this does not happen on a regular basis.
As the Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar, these "blood moons" are all going to (and did) occur on the first night of our major Jewish holidays of Passover and Sukkot. This year and next year - all four "blood moons."

As far as I could tell in my research thus far, the last tetrad's that coincided with these Jewish holidays were in 1967- 1968, which would also coincide with the Six Day War in Israel, and 1948-1949, which would coincide with the Israeli War of Independence.
Interesting.

Here is one website: The Blood Moons tetrad: Watch the skies, and Israel

 

[Let's be friends]

Hi everyone.

I have a question which I think is perhaps relevant in this thread. If I should go to another thread or move it please tell me tell me which thread I should go to.

I am a Christian, studying Islamic studies at University. There is another boy on my course who says he is Jewish. He is an atheist, but likes to lecture us all on the fact that Judaism can be a race or a religion, rather than what I was brought up on, that it is a race AND a religion. This isn't the problem however. Everything about him is London, British, anti-religious, etc. but when it comes to political debates he brings out the fact that he is Jewish and swings this fact around like a battle-axe. His mum is Jewish so this makes him Jewish, which he reminds us about alot. He comes out with emotional statements like "my whole family died in the holocaust" and "Everyone hates the Jews", and if anyone tries to say otherwise he simply uses the fact that "He is a Jew" and none of us feel like we can respond to him, even though everything about him is exactly the same as us, just his mum happens to be a Jew.
Personally I have found this affects me, as I have been brought up to respect everyone regardless of who or what they are, and even in the case of Judaism, as I am a Christian, I am close to Jews religiously. However, when my friend says what he says, it makes me feel like I am not allowed to talk about Jews, or can't say anything about them in a political or religious debate and I think the others in my class feel the same way. As Europeans, all our families suffered during the second world war, not just his, but he makes it seem as if his family were the worst done to and ours all turned their backs on his.
Does anyone have any recommendations about how I can approach him as a Jew who is not religious? Or can anyone give me any advice , perhaps if you yourself are a Jew on how I should deal with this, and how you feel?

Thanks very much, and this is my first post here so sorry if anything is wrong or not forum-like discussion .

 

[jewscout]

As Europeans, all our families suffered during the second world war, not just his, but he makes it seem as if his family were the worst done to and ours all turned their backs on his.

um, unless your family was in Aushwitz and were chosen for systematic genocide, then yes, his family had it the worst, and yes, many of the nations of the free world made it policy to not accept jews fleeing the Nazis...so that holds validity.

 

[Moishe3rd]

Hi everyone.

I have a question which I think is perhaps relevant in this thread. If I should go to another thread or move it please tell me tell me which thread I should go to.

I am a Christian, studying Islamic studies at University. There is another boy on my course who says he is Jewish. He is an atheist, but likes to lecture us all on the fact that Judaism can be a race or a religion, rather than what I was brought up on, that it is a race AND a religion. This isn't the problem however. Everything about him is London, British, anti-religious, etc. but when it comes to political debates he brings out the fact that he is Jewish and swings this fact around like a battle-axe. His mum is Jewish so this makes him Jewish, which he reminds us about alot. He comes out with emotional statements like "my whole family died in the holocaust" and "Everyone hates the Jews", and if anyone tries to say otherwise he simply uses the fact that "He is a Jew" and none of us feel like we can respond to him, even though everything about him is exactly the same as us, just his mum happens to be a Jew.
Personally I have found this affects me, as I have been brought up to respect everyone regardless of who or what they are, and even in the case of Judaism, as I am a Christian, I am close to Jews religiously. However, when my friend says what he says, it makes me feel like I am not allowed to talk about Jews, or can't say anything about them in a political or religious debate and I think the others in my class feel the same way. As Europeans, all our families suffered during the second world war, not just his, but he makes it seem as if his family were the worst done to and ours all turned their backs on his.
Does anyone have any recommendations about how I can approach him as a Jew who is not religious? Or can anyone give me any advice , perhaps if you yourself are a Jew on how I should deal with this, and how you feel?

Thanks very much, and this is my first post here so sorry if anything is wrong or not forum-like discussion .

As noted, yes the Jews had it worse than everybody else in WWII. The Nazis weren't trying to wipe out most anyone else for the sole reason of their ethnicity. I suspect that a lot of Jews might have been Nazis if it weren't for that particular prejudice....
Which is just one more reason G-d let this happen - so that His People couldn't actually be Nazis.

Other than all that mate - your classmate sounds like a jerk who needs some counseling in how to be a nice human, much less a good Jew.