Ask JewishAmerica Archives
1997 - Volume IV

10/5/97
On Joshua's Life

>Is there a good idea as to how long after the Exodus began
>that Joshua states in Joshua 24:15 "...as for me and my house,
>we will serve the Lord."?
>
>What would really be excellent is a detailed timeline of all the major events in Joshua's life.

Joshua passed away shortly afterwards (24:29).

According to our tradition, he passed away sixty-eight years after the Exodus.

I like your idea. I wish that I had the time/resources to do it.

All the best from JewishAmerica

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10/5/97
Starting Point Of The Jewish Calendar

>What is the origin of the starting point of the jewish calendar?

In a way, the origin of the Jewish calendar is One Nissan 2448, (1312 BCE) when G-d told Moshe (Moses) in Egypt, "This month (Nissan) is the first month for you..."

During the first part of our history, when we had a supreme court, testimony from two witnesses established the first of each month. We followed the Torah's guideline to insure that the first month, Nissan (Pesach) was in the spring. As needed, the court would an extra month at the end of the year to make this happen.

In 358 CE, we foresaw that the supreme court would no longer be functioning. At that time, the court of Hillel II established a calendar which defined a pattern for adding the leap-months. It keeps Pesach in the Spring, down to this day.

All the best from JewishAmerica.

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10/5/97
Rosh Hashana Cookie Minyan

>Would you be so kind as to see if you have on the forum any information
>that I can use for the Rosh Hashannah children's service that I am taking.
>
>Our community is "pragmatic" orthodox and the children are only 3-7yr olds.
>I have tried to find something but to no avail any ideas?

Given the age, I believe that you can find the answer within yourself if you begin by viewing this as a baby-sitting service.

In no way do I mean to downgrade the significance of your contribution to these young 'people in training'.

Pretend it's January 20th, it's Shabbos, and you need to baby-sit a group of 3-7 year olds for several hours.

I'm sure that you would plan a lot of games and stories.

Now it's Rosh Hashana. Mix in some Rosh-Hashana related themes and activities. Spend a few minutes praying, sandwiched in-between stories or games about what you are praying. Bring a Shofar. Have them feel it. Let them try to blow it.

You have no idea how what you do with them will carry for many years into their lives. You also have no idea how great contribution a you are making to their parents and to the congregation by enabling them to pray.

Have a good year and all the best from JewishAmerica.

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10/13/97
Euthanasia

>Could you point me to some good sources for info about Jewish perspectives
>on euthanasia in general and on doctor-assisted suicide in particular?

I subscribed at one time to the Journal of Halacha and Contemporary Society. I am not sure if it is still being published.

Their address is: c/o Rabbi Jacob Joseph School, 3495 Richmond Road, Staten Island NY 10306.

They probably do not have a research staff for answering questions. Perhaps they can put you in contact with the editor, Rabbi Alfred Cohen.

All the best from JewishAmerica.

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10/13/97
Leaving The Bible Open

>I am Commander of a Jewish War Veterans Post 780 Florida.
>When we begin our meetings, our Officer of the Day prepares the alter,
>he opens the bible. When we close the meeting he prepares the alter
>for close by closing the bible.
>
>Recently one of our members objected to our holding our 50/50 drawing
>during our meeting, insisting that it was a violation of Jewish Law to
>hold a drawing while the bible was open. We have traditionally held our
>drawings while the meeting is still in session before adjournment because
>it is done that way in other posts and it is most effective for us to do so.
>I don't believe he is right. Is there any Jewish proscription that would
>preclude our having the drawing while the bible is open?
>
>I'm interested in an orthodox synagogue in my area- but there isn't any.
>There are a thousand Jewish families within a radius of thirty-miles.
>Any interest in one being formed in this area?

There is a sensitivity about leaving a Holy book open and unused.

As an analogy, it's not polite to leave a distinguished person on hold for an extended period.

The 50/50 drawing is not as much of an issue. Rather if a Torah book is open then it should be used for study and not abandoned.

Another related issue, and probably of more significance, is our responsibility to invest the most precious resource that G-d gives us, which is time, with study of His teachings and personal/communal growth.

A Torah book is a resource for study. Leaving it open and becoming formally occupied with other matters has an appearance of giving greater significance to the other matters than to Torah study.

Perhaps you can address these concerns by placing a small cover over the book or by closing it with a bookmark.

By the way, what do you do with/on this alter?

Forming An Orthodox Congregation:

While a thousand Jewish people may reside within your thirty-mile radius, the question is the number interested people, that is, people who appreciate a way of life that has maintained Jewish survival over the past thirty-three + centuries.

Perhaps a first step is to generate interest. I would suggest looking into the sponsorship of a Discovery Seminar. On every page I have a link to the fine organization that hosts them.

You will need resources. Money is needed. However, more important is a center of inspiration. Many communities have been revived by a dynamic spiritual leader.

A Rabbi is one person. Perhaps you will be able to attract the right person.

There is a recent movement to host a nucleus of young Torah-student families within American communities. The students maintain their level of study by learning among themselves. They also contribute by studying with community members and giving classes. This has proven to be a win-win situation. I can put you in touch with the organization that coordinates this program.

All the best from JewishAmerica.

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10/13/97
Devorah And Yehevit

>I am looking for the history and/or meaning of Hebrew Names.
>Specifically, Devorah. Can you point me in the right direction?
>I am also researching the name Yehevit.

Devorah was one of our greatest Judges.

You can read all about her in the Bible, Book of Judges Chapters 4-5.

There was a Devorah who was nurse to Rebecca, wife of Isaac. She is mentioned in Genesis 35:8

I was not able to find Yehevit in the Bible Concordance.

Y'hav is an Aramaic verb which means to give.

'it is a common Hebrew suffix for a female name. For example. Yehuda is a man's name and Yehudit is a woman's name.

My best guess is that Yehevit is a name for a girl whose parents felt that G-d gave them a very special gift.

All the best from JewishAmerica

10/13/97
Daf Yomi Resources

>I am very interested in doing that (Daf Yomi - Page-Of-Talmud-A-Day Program)
>here with our small congregation in Hawai'i.
>
>Would it be possible to forward the titles/editions of the Talmud
>that are used for Daf Yomi?
>
>Mahalo nui (thanks!) and todah rabah for any information you can provide.

Glad to hear from you!

I'm happy to provide you with a phenominal resource.

The Torah Communication Network organization has just announced two products.

One is a series of CD-Roms that contain the entire text of the Talmud PLUS a recording of an hour-long class on each page. Cost for the first volume (Brachos) is TEN DOLLARS plus shipping. (This is an introductory price.)

The next product is a set of fourteen CD-Roms with the lectures, only. This is seven-and-a-half years of daily lectures. They are selling (giving) it away for $99 plus shipping.

This fine organization also has a packaged dial-up phone system that is being used in several communities througout America. Subscribers dial up and can listen to Torah classes and stories on demand. This costs around 15K.

Their phone number is (718) 436-4999. Fax is 435-0191.

Their address is Torah Communications Network
1618 43rd st. Brooklyn, N.Y.
11204

>SUCH A DEAL! Are both Hebrew and English supported on the above CD-ROM
>product? How many additional CDs are there?
>
>> The next product is a set of fourteen CD-Roms with the lectures, only. This
>> is seven-and-a-half years of daily lectures. They are selling (actualy giving) it
>> away for $99 plus shipping.
>
>HOLY SMOKE! That indeed is a giveaway! Could you point me to the URL
>that has ordering information?

They have a picture of each page and the lecture is coordinated with the text.

The lines that the speaker is talking on are hilighted. It's out of this world!

For this price, don't ask. Just grab one and see for yourself.

They don't have a web site. You have to call them and order by phone.

I don't know what the subsequent volumes will cost.

All the best from JewishAmerica.

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11/2/97
The Vilna Gaon

>Please Please send me all you can about the Vilna Gaon. Thank you very much.

I recently found out about a GAON OF VILNA WEB SITE.

The first four generations of the family tree of the Gaon of Vilna can now been seen at

• http://www.avotaynu.com/gaontree.html.

JewishAmerica discusses the Vilna Goan in our Tour of Jewish And World History on the following pages:

• http://www.jewishamerica.com/TimeLine/chassidi.htm
• http://www.jewishamerica.com/TimeLine/yeshiva.htm
• http://www.jewishamerica.com/TimeLine/wavesand.htm

All the best from JewishAmerica.

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11/2/97
King Talmai / Ptolemy

>I am looking for information about Ptolemy(Soter).

I searched our sources and found only two references to a king whose name in Hebrew is spelled "Talmai." He is our best match to King Ptolemy. I don't know whether "Sorter" describes another king.

Our Talmai was a king in Egypt. We know him by his effort to force our sages to provide him with a Greek translation of our Torah.

The Talmud (Megilla 9a) says that he locked up seventy-two Jewish sages and put them into different cells. He didn't let the sages didn't communicate with each other. He personally asked each sage to provide him a copy of the Torah in Greek.

Each sage saw a need to make some minor adjustments for political reasons. For example, Talmai's mother was named Arneves. The Torah includes the Arneves (Hebrew for rabbit) in its listing of non-kosher animals.

After they were done he compared the seventy-books and they were all identical.

[The changes were made for this forced translation, only. No changes were ever made to the original Hebrew text. The Dead-Sea scrolls confirm the enforcement of this policy, which is over thirty-three centuries old.]

The other reference to Talmai says that he converted to Judaism. I assume that he converted some time after he let the sages out of jail.

All the best from JewishAmerica.

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11/2/97
Jewish Education In The US

>Can you recommend some sources for
>investigating the development of Jewish education in the United States
>from the turn of the century onward. I am hoping to find demographic
>data of intra-American Jewish migration and the corresponding economic
>shifts, then to trace any corresponding development of Jewish education
>(and rationales given for this development). I am also looking into how
>a shift in the understanding of Jewish identity following the second
>World War impacted the development of Jewish education.

Your best on-line source is at http://www.jesna.org

I believe that Torah Umesorah is the best overall source for your specific needs. They have no web site but you can contact them at:

Torah Umesorah
160 Broadway, Fourth Floor
New York, NY 10038

Phone: (212) 227-1000

All the best from JewishAmerica

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11/13/97
The Sabbath Prayers

>I can't find other issues of Shabbos Prayer Series by Rabbi Levi Langer.
>
>Please help, as we begin a class in our new Synagogue on
>Nov. 16 on the Erev Shabbat and Sat. a.m. service.
>
>We have no ordained Rabbi. We do lots on our own to self-educate.
>
>I love all these inner meanings of the prayers.
>I will bring them to my community if I can find them!

Rabbi Langer recently began this series.

I can recommend some books for purchase

• ArtScroll Siddur: $20
• To Pray As A Jew, by Donin: $12.50
• The Art Of Jewish Prayer, by Kirzner: $19
• Meditations On The Siddur, by Jacobson: $10
• My Prayer, by Mandel: Daily $10, Shabbos $10
• The World Of Prayer, by Munk: $30 for a two-volume set.

You can get them from "Torah Treasures" and their phone number is (732) 901-1911.

All the best from JewishAmerica.

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11/13/97
Black Hats

>Why do Jewish men wear black hats?

Good question.

Actually there are many Jewish men who do not wear black hats.

Most Black Hatters are Orthodox and have teachers or ancenstors from pre-war Europe, where it was customary to wear a hat during formal occaisions.

So now the world has all types of people. Some people remove their hat when they pray. Others put their hats on.

The Jewish people have learned over the past thirty-three centuries that manners of dress play a very significant role in their ethnic identity and survival.

All the best from JewishAmerica.

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11/21/97
Beauty Of Jewish Women

>Do unmarried woman go to Mikvah? Is an unmarried woman considered
>Nidah? Is there a halachic difference between the body of an unmarried
>woman and that of a married woman?

Since this topic is quite sensitive and can be misunderstood, I would like to address your questions with more than just "yes", "no", or "sometimes."

I would be much better able to respond if I know the background behind the questions. Are you able to share it?

>Thank you for responding to my question.I am actually approaching the
>question from a somewhat literary point of view; I am examining the
>attitude toward women's bodies as expressed in Judeo-Spanish wedding
>songs. I am particularly concerned with one song in which the bride is
>urged not to mention the parts of her body by name, but instead to use
>metaphors, similar to those used in the Song of Songs. This made me
>wonder if Jewish law (I am relatively uneducated in Judaism,
>unfortunately) regards the body of the married woman particularly as
>something to be covered. I also wondered if the married woman goes to
>the Mikvah in order to become (not sure of the word--tahara?) to have
>relations with her husband, or if unmarried women also go to the Mikvah
>at the same point in their cycle.

I see and I live within two different civilizations and cultures.

Most people see, live in, and understand only one. I therefore don't know whether I can answer your question in a way which makes sense to you.

If you can allow yourself to move a bit onto this bridge that I'm standing on then perhaps my answer may be meaningful to you.

A woman is gifted with a beauty that attracts men.

She can use it in several ways, depending on her beliefs and outlook on life.

A woman's focus can be on just herself or it can be on herself and G-d. This affects the guidelines that she adopts for living.

A woman can use her beauty to have a thrilling life for as long as she has her beauty. Her guidelines can be minimal, as low as a secular society can tolerate. To this woman, there is nothing wrong with stimulating a man that is not her husband and a man that she will never marry. To the contrary. Fun is good.

Alternately, a woman can use her beauty in a manner that is consistent with guidelines for Torah, without precluding happiness and joy in life. Rather than flaunting her beauty, she manages her beauty. She uses it to solidify the bond between herself and her husband. She reserves it for her husband, alone. She foregoes in some types enjoyment but gains in other types of enjoyment. She defines good in manner that is different from the first woman.

I am not familiar with Judeo-Spanish wedding songs or customs. I am not familiar with a custom that precludes a bride from mentioning herself, as long as she speaks in a responsible and non-stimulating manner. This Judeo-Spanish song may have come from the Spanish culture, not the Jewish culture.

The Spanish culture is heavily influenced by a philosophy that negates physicality.

Traditional Judaism does NOT believe in negating physicality. Rather it teaches us to accept and to manage our physicality. For this reason, Traditional Judaism suggests a dress code for women. You would therefore not expect to see a religious woman in a sleeveless dress or wearing a mini-skirt.

Besides the dress code, a married woman is required to cover her hair.

Regarding the Mikva, there are two states that a person can be in. One is called 'tahor' and the other is called 'tamay'.

These states defy translation.

Some people translate tahor as ritual cleanliness and tamay as ritual defilement. This is misleading. A person can be very clean and yet be tomay. A person can be very dirty and yet be tahor. A bad person can be tahor and a good person can be tamay.

The Torah defines events that can make a person tamay and processes that can make a person tahor.

There are different types of tum-ah (tamay), depending on the events and the person.

In general, there is nothing wrong with being tamay. However, the Torah specifies behaviors that a person who is tamay may not do. This is partially dependent on the type of tum-ah that the person has.

Some types of tum-ah are gender specific. A man may be tamay from Keri and Zav. A woman can be tamay from Nidah, Zavah, and from childbirth.

The Torah prohibits marriage relations when the wife has a gender-specific tum-ah. Going to the Mikvah removes this tum-ah.

The Torah prohibits sex out of marriage. Today, unmarried girls go to the Mikvah only immediately before the wedding.

During the time of the Temple we were able to become tahor from every type of tum-ah. During this period, many people had the opportunity or were required to eat foods that requried one to be tahor. Also, we had the opportunity or were required to enter the Temple area. This also required one to be tahor.

Therefore, during the Temple period just about everyone went to the Mikvah many times a year.

All the best from JewishAmerica.

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11/21/97
Jewish Investment Guidelines

>I am attempting to develop a Jewish value investment profile, i.e.,
>criteria to invest only in companies that exhibit Jewish business/social
>values that are consistent with Jewish teachings.
>
>Can you provide me with specific Talmudic/Rabbinic references regarding
>business practices that are consistent with Jewish values and can be used
>to identify companies which exhibit those values?

I'm sorry to share with you my conviction that I don't believe that it is fair or practical to assume that it is safe to invest in a company solely because it exhibits Jewish business/social values.

I also am not convinced that the degree to which a company appears to exhibit Jewish business/social values can be measured with sufficient reliability to make an investment on.

For investment purposes, I feel that rather than measuring a company, it is more important to evaluate the people that you are going to deal with on a day to day basis.

We have plenty of Talmudic/Rabbinic references regarding business practices.

I respectfully disagree with your model. I fear that if the Talmud and/or Rabbis are associated with it and it fails, then people will be inclined to blame the Torah, not the model.

All the best from JewishAmerica.

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11/23/97
A Question Of Intermarriage

>I was raised more or less reform and have, in recent years, become
>more dedicated towards leading a more Jewish life for my family.
>
>One problem is that I have been involved with a woman who is a gentile
>and also an atheist. She has agreed that I can "raise the children Jewish."
> I am not sure whether this is good enough, and am having
>tremendous difficulty figuring out what to do.
>
> Sam

Dear Sam,

It seems from your words that you have developed a close relationship with a woman that is attractive to you and provides you with companionship. The physical and emotional aspects of your personality draw you towards marriage.

However, the ideological and spiritual aspects of your personality have nothing in common with her and they repel you from the marriage.

You are torn between this conflict.

Sam, if you marry this woman then parts of you will be very happy and parts of you will be very unhappy. Permit me to ask you the following: Do you want this? Can you handle this? For how long?

As you both grow older, the aspects which made you happy may fade. This is quite natural.

As you both grow older, the aspects which reject the relationship may only grow stronger. This is also quite natural.

Sam, I never met you and you don’t know who I am. Our only link is that we are both Jewish. It is only because of this that I wish you to have only the best of all worlds.

Sam, I don’t believe that G-d put you on this earth to marry this woman.

Based on what you wrote, I don’t believe that you want to be the last link in a family chain that survived the last three-thousand years of Jewish history.

Sam, this woman may be a fine person. However, I think that you will concede that she does not respect Judaism at this point in her life. Therefore, at best she will tolerate your Jewishness.

Sam, if you marry her then she will become the mother of your children.

Yes, you may be able to "raise the children Jewish." However, do you think that this will penetrate beyond the physical level? Given the persuasive power that a mother has over her children, in all probability your children will merely tolerate your Jewishness, just like their mother. Do you want this?

How will the children react if they are jeered at because of their Jewish ancestry? How would you feel if they consoled themselves with the fact that their mother was not Jewish?

You are fortunate to be now gravitating towards leading a more Jewish life.

Sam, you’ve got to find someone else to marry. It’s difficult to make a break, but I believe that you must.

Sam, you may need someone to help you work this out. I don’t know whether you live in a place where you can find support. I strongly recommend that you attend a Jewish Discovery Seminar and talk this out with people who are in a similar situation.

I copied the schedule of seminars from their web site, http://www.discoveryseminar.org/cgibin/var/aishdisc/index.html

The dates may change. Call (718) 376-2775 for updated information. Speak to someone there about your needs.

May G-d help you continue to find strength and meaning in life through Judaism and His Torah.

All the best from JewishAmerica.

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11/26/97
Friday Night (Shabbat) Customs

Where did the Friday night Shabbat custom of saying blessings over
candles, wine, and challah come from? I know about the third
commandment, but why did these three specific blessings become a
ritual, and when?

Are Sephardic and Ashkenazic customs the same?

Candles

The Rabbis instituted the practice of Shabbos candles as a measure to insure that our homes have light on Shabbos night.

We are precluded from performing acts of creation during the Shabbos and this commences Friday night. Preparations for Shabbos which require acts of creation such as cooking and candle-lighting must therefore be done prior to sundown. A Jewish home that begins Shabbos in the dark must remain in the dark.

Moments before Shabbos, the Jewish home is a hub of activity. Without the Rabbis’ special emphasis on the need for light, it is quite possible that Shabbos would find a number of homes in the dark because this need could become lost in the rush.

The Rabbis were especially concerned for adequate lighting in the home because going bump in the dark breeds domestic conflict. They relegated a special blessing for the mandated candles and we thus thank G-d for the opportunity to fulfill this commandment.

Kiddush - Wine

The Torah requires that we sanctify the Shabbos by starting this special day with a proclamation. Our Rabbis defined a service for this sanctification and we call it Kiddush.

In most homes the Kiddush is recited over a of wine that is lifted up high, as is done for a toast.

Kiddush over wine consists of three section.

The first section is the recital of the first verses of Genesis 2, which describe the seventh day of creation that Shabbos commemorates.

The second section is a blessing for the wine that we will drink, as we always recite a blessing prior to eating or drinking.

The third section is a blessing that the Rabbis authored for this ceremony. In this blessing we thank G-d for giving us this special day of Shabbos.

Three Meals - Challa

As stated previously, we recite a blessing prior to eating and drinking. The Rabbis gave us the commandment to eat three formal meals during the Shabbos. During each Shabbos meal we say the blessing for food over two loafs of bread.

The two loafs commemorate the double portion of manna that we received each Friday when we traveled with Moses through the desert.

Shabbos is a day of mandatory rest. By remembering that G-d provided a double portion on Friday, we remind ourselves that G-d provides for all of our needs and we should not become anxious over losing a day of work. Just as He provided for our ancestors, He will continue to provide for us, who are loyal to precious covenant that Shabbos represents.

I do not know when these customs were instituted. It is quite possible that they began in some form shortly after we received the Torah, over thirty-three centuries ago.

Sfardic and Ashkenazic practices are almost identical in these respects.

All the best from JewishAmerica.

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11/27/97
Quest For A Chanukah Menorah

Perhaps you could assist me in my quest.
I am trying to purchase a menorah on-line but I can't.

I live in rural Alaska and do not have anywhere locally to purchase one.

You can get Chanukah candles from the Telshe Yeshiva. Their phone number is (216) 943-5300. They are a fine organization and you can/should send them a donation when you get the candles.

There are very specific requirements for the Menorah that was in the Temple.

The Chanukah menorah does not have these requirements. In fact, you don't even need a special menorah for Chanukah to perform the mitzvah, as candles are enough. You can use Shabbos candles and even dinner candles, that you buy in a department store. You can take eight small glasses and fill them with water and olive oil, and then use a floating wick.

The Chanukah candles from the Telshe Yeshiva last about a half-hour. The duration is a requirement.

Shabbos is always one of the days of Chanukah. We light the candles prior to Shabbos and at least one candle must be large enough to last for a half-hour after nightfall.

It is nice to have a beautiful menorah for Chanukah. They come in many shapes and are fashioned from such things as glass, brass, and silver. They come in a wide price range.

It's all up to you.

All the best from JewishAmerica and Happy Chanukah

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11/27/97
Who Is A Cohen / Levi?

>I am a Jew descended from and through the tribe of Levi. I live in an
>area of the country in the State of North Dakota where there are no rabbis.
>
>I have a gentile friend who seems to be somewhat of a biblical
>theologan. He questions how I know that I am a Levite, considering that
>all of the records of the twelve tribes of Israel were destroyed.
>
>Can you help me with some answers? Where is the proof? Is it still written
>somewhere, or has the information about my descendants been merely
>passed down through the generations orally?
>
>My parents are dead, so there is no one to ask.

Today we do not base Levite status nor even Kohen status on written records.

I assume that your father told you that he was a Levite. This is sufficient evidence that you are a Levite. If he was called up to the Torah as a Levite or if you were called up as a Levite while he was present then this is sufficient proof.

It is expected human behavior for one to believe his father.

Our faith is based on the belief that our parents tell us truth.

I must add that there is quite a difference between being a Biblical theologian and being knowledgeable in applying the Torah to daily life. Jewish practice is based on the Oral and the Written Torah.

The Oral Torah was given to us by G-d together with the Written Torah. For the past thirty-three centuries it has provided us with authentic guidance on how to read and how to interpret the Written Torah.

The typical Biblical theologian has no knowledge of the Oral Torah. You can therefore question the basis of their interpretations.

All the best from JewishAmerica.

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12/4/97
Branches Of The Menorah

>What is the difference between the seven candles on the Menorah and the
>9 candles on the Channukah lamp? When is the 7 candled Menorah used?

Menorah means candelabra.

The Torah (Exodus 25:31) specifies seven branches for the Menorah in the Temple. It was placed before the chamber that was the holiest place in the Temple.

The Menorah of the Second Temple was taken into captivity by the Romans. On the Arch of Triumph in Rome there is an engraving of a Menorah-like candelabra being carried away. This arch was made by the conquerors, over nineteen-hundred years ago.

The miracle of Chanukah lasted eight days. We light our Menorahs for eight days in commemoration of this event. It is most appropriate to add one candle each night. This takes care of eight out of the nine candle holders.

As we dedicate this lighting for commemoration, we may not use them for other purposes, such as to read by them. We light an extra candle each night to provide light in the vicinity of the commemorative lights in case we accidentally come too close to the Menorah while we are reading or doing something similar.

All the best from JewishAmerica.

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12/6/97
Jewish Shaving

>What Jewish laws are there about shaving?
>
>Also, would you please explain the law about circumcision. Does it have
>to do with cleanliness or is it a special covenant with G-d for Jews?

Men are precluded from shaving their face with a razor blade. The main source from the Written Torah is Leviticus 19:27.

Circumcision is a special covenant with G-d for the Children of Abraham. The Jewish people descend from Abraham and we keep this covenant. The Arabs also descend from Abraham and they circumcise, too.

All the best from JewishAmerica

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12/12/97
Kabala In Columbus OH

>Are there any groups in the Columbus, OH area that practice Kabala?

Sorry, I don't know of any. However, there are people in Columbus who practice Judaism.

You know, I actually don't know anyone who practices Kabala. Do you? What types of things do they claim to do? Do they glow in the dark?

All the best from JewishAmerica.

12/12/97
Time Line Display Of Jewish History

>I enjoyed your web site very much and intend to order a laminated Time Line.
>
>My only critisism of the on-line Tour was that exact dates
>(ie. months and days, either Hebrew or English) were not provided.
>
>Are they included in the laminated version?

I list the years but I don't list the months and days.

Six-thousand years is a pretty long time ago and we don't have this information for many of the events that are listed in the TimeLine.

With additional resources, I could provide that detail for those events for which we have detail.

The information on the laminated TimeLine is the same as that which is on the web.

Did you check out all of the views? The Tour provides narrative in time sequence. I have another series of just events and dates. Finally there is one wide page that tries to give some sort of time line view. Nothing beats the laminated TimeLine for the latter view.

All the best from Jewish America.

12/30/97
Holocaust Survivor

>How often have I been dismayed at the assimilation, the self-deception and also
>all the filth that our people throw at each other or besmirch each other with.
>How often am I made to feel ashamed at all the washing each other's dirty linen,
>in the midst of our enemies -and to their amusement and joy!
>
>How often have I felt my heart constricted, strapped in like a barrel, when walking
>through the grounds of a concentration camp, visiting cemeteries by day or night,
>and thinking of our past and present and sometimes also our future.
>
>Please do not think that I am sitting in judgment, finger raised, on you!
>I am one of you and have neither cause nor right to strike!
>
>I was born in Poland of two people who "came back". For my parents, as for so many others,
>their relationship was not so much one of love, as one of suffering.
>
>We grew up as "ersatz" family for those murdered. I suppose that we,
>just like so many of us/you, grew up on Nietzsche's saying, embraced by our parents
>as a result of their own experience, that: "G''D is dead!"
>
>Even before I went to school or heard a fairy tale, I had already learned from my
>mother what roll call, gas chamber, the smell of burnt corpses, death march and so on mean.
>From my father I learnt silence, for at that time he never spoke of what he had experienced.
>He only always became very aggressive whenever his depression paused for a while.
>Which of us are there to whom all these stories are not familiar?
>
>I will not bore you, because we all know them! Also many others acted as I did on reaching adult life!
>I met someone who was not a Jew but rather had been a young Nazi.
>Yes, I wanted to prove to myself that I could live! - Live with the enemy among enemies!
>So I married him, although he much older than me.
>
>I had been searching for HIM who created us - who is supposed to be dead and of course
>also was within me the wish for peace and quiet for my soul was greater than all my other feelings.
>Naturally, I was also trying to find myself (!!), as I too was one of the pitiable products
>of our lack of identity. Naturally, I was not able to excuse either myself or us, and naturally
>I did not find peace.
>
>Naturally, I was neither in mental nor spiritual health, which also affected my physical well-being.
>Naturally I was searching, and I naturally squinted at our beginnings, but naturally my life sank
>in this way at an absolute low.
>
>But from then on I ceased to look for an "ersatz". I found the lies too cheap and had had enough of
>self-deception, but started instead to return to our beginnings and to HIM who has made us
>separate from all other peoples.
>
>Naturally, I was unskilled because I had been given neither belief nor religiosity!
>Naturally, I wanted to know and experience everything! But I naturally wanted no empty religiosity,
>where ETERNAL G''D and HIS word become so insignificant! Nor did I want a "belief"
>that was blind and unsubstantiated, self-hypnotic, Christian-like, so to speak, and
>describing itself as progressive.
>
>I am convinced that the rules of the Torah alone are like a balustrade on the edge of an abyss,
>ensuring that we can find the way and do not fall in the fogs of this world.
>But I also believe that very many rabbinical teachings are more confusing than helpful and
>miss the essence. Instead of the way and the joy in the goal, it is the balustrade,
>twisted into barbed wire, that is made important.
>
>So I have tried to live very consciously. And many things also became important to me! -
>among others, that it is not our enemies but we ourselves who do us the most harm, and that
>there is no one who can separate us from life and from HIM who gave it to us,
>and no one who so much resists HIS will as ourselves!

My heartfelt wishes for your peace and happiness.

You write as though you have been through many life-times of struggles.

It is my sincere belief that the Holocaust has a deep spiritual dimension and that this part of the Holocaust has yet to end. From your words I read that much of your life has been affected by this extension of the Holocaust.

You have demonstrated bravery. You must have a great wellspring of strength within you.

You have gone so far, already. You owe it to yourself to continue on. We live only once.

The greatest thing you can do is to for yourself and for the memory of all who were killed by the Nazis your is for you to focus your powers of courage to return to traditional Judaism.

You must come to realize that Hitler actually sought to destroy traditional Judaism and all that it stands for. The means that he took was to destroy every Jew that he could lay his hands on.

You will actively contribute to Hitler's destruction by adopting the practices of traditional Judaism. By doing so you will help avenge the Jewish blood that he spilled.

It appears that you have been discouraged by certain behaviors of groups within the Jewish people. At times, we all must separate that which is Judaism from the way that Jewish people sometimes behave.

Adopting and/or professing authentic Jewish practice does not cause an instant angelic transformation.

We are all people in training. Some people progress faster than others.

You have difficulty with many rabbinical teachings. I agree that many teachings are difficult to understand and they do require study. However, you should not write them off because of this.

We believe that G-d gave us two Torahs, the Written Torah and the Oral Torah. For the past thirty-three centuries, all of the Oral Torah has been transmitted to us via rabbinical teachings.

Rabbinical teachings deal with every aspect of life, including joy. Have you ever attended a traditional Jewish wedding? The experience of joy is outright stunning. The Rabbis teach that "It is a great commandment to be in a constant state of joy."

Obviously, every teaching does not and can not deal directly with joy.

As a person takes the commandments in G-d's Torah seriously, he/she grows to appreciate the Rabbinic safeguards.

Our teachers have quite a difficult job, especially in a generation that is full of people who do not want to be told what they must and must not do.

Perhaps you have had a bad experience? Perhaps you have read or heard something from a person who does not take the Torah seriously?

We need mentors. We also need social support.

If you haven't done so already, I strongly encourage you to contact one of the fine organizations that I link to for additional resources. For instance, Aish Hatorah has a fine program in Jewish awareness and study. They have classes throughout the world.

You can't do it alone. Through these programs, you may meet someone like you.

All the best from JewishAmerica, and do keep in touch.

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