Why using a Mohel makes sense

Under the Jewishtradition, fathers are commanded to perform the circumcision on their male infants when they are born. The problem for many of these fathers is that they are not comfortable doing this and in the current world where medical technology is readily available, it makes much more sense to allow a professionally trained person to handle such an important process. Both medically and religiously speaking, the circumcision is a major and important event that must be treated with great care. Using a Mohel to handle the process can take all of the worry away from the father.

What is a Mohel? In the most practical sense, a Mohel is a person who handles the circumcision of a Jewish child instead of the father. This would be a person who is trained in how to properly perform the procedure under current medical regulations. With this in mind, it is easy to see why a Mohel might be a better choice for the surgery than a father who would be both nervous and unqualified to perform such a duty. The important thing to note about this type of stand-in is that he would be trained in not only the medical traditions, but also the Jewish religious traditions.

A good Mohel will be able to perform the circumcision according to all of the Jewish traditions that govern the process. Usually this person will be a medical doctor that has a background in Judaism or in some cases, it will be a rabbi that the family is comfortable with. The ideal scenario is to find someone who is both a medically licensed doctor and a rabbi at the same time. This would take care of the medical side of things, as well as making sure that all of the religious traditions are handled appropriately.

Minimizing risks with a Mohel The idea behind using a Mohel is that you will be minimizing the risks of the procedure, while still sticking to the traditions that must be following under Jewish law. Too much can go wrong when a father tries to perform the circumcision himself and that is risk that is just unnecessary in current times. Most Jewish groups recognize that the use of this type of professional is not only reasonable, but it should be expected. Though the father can technically still perform the procedure if he wants to, the current leaders of Judaism harbor no ill will towards those who choose to use a Mohel.

It just makes a lot of sense to go ahead and allow a Mohel to handle the process. When talking about one of the most important ceremonies and most important medical procedures of your young son's life, you need to take great care and make sure that nothing goes wrong. Having a licensed, trained professional handle it is a good choice.

Rabbi Davidowitz is a Certified Mohel living in Queens, New York, and has been active in the field of Brit since 1999. To learn more about Rabbi Davidowitz services, please visit his web site: http://www.thegentlemohel.com

Lot’s of Fun with Yiddish Words

By Neal Walters | December 29, 2009

While Sephardic Jews are known for Ladino, a mix of Spanish and Hebrew, Ashkenazi Jews are known for their language, Yiddish, which goes back to the 10th or 11th century in the Rhineland. It spread to central and Eastern Europe, and then to America and anywhere Ashkenazi Jews have settled. Besides Hebrew and German, Yiddish also borrows words from both Russian and Polish.
Today it’s called “Mame-loshen” which literally means “mother-tongue”, as opposed to “LASHON KODESH” (or LOSHEN KOYDESH) – the “Holy Tongue”. “LASHON” is the Hebrew word for “tongue” or “language”. “MAME” is obviously a cognate for “MAMA” or “Mother”. Yiddish is written in Hebrew letters.
The English language has absorbed dozens of Hebrew and Yiddish words into the English language. For example, shlep (carry something burdensome), shalom (peace/hello), and shnook (a dolt).
Let’s now dig into several interesting Yiddish phrases. Es iz a shandeh far di kinder! = It’s a shame for the children. Onegeblozzen means conceited, but ongepatshket means cluttered or muddled.
Words like “Milchiks”, “Flaishik” and “Pushkey” are specific to Judaism, “Milchiks” (similar to our word “milk”) refers to dairy foods and cooking utensils (as Jews separate meat from milk). On the other hand, “flaishik” means “meet” foods (compare to the English word “flesh”). A “Mechalel Shabbes” is one who works on or violates the Shabbat rest. —
Several phrases begin with “OY”. “Oy Vey” is a famous saying that means “Dear me”. Another is “Oy gevald”, a cry of anguish, and yet another is “Oy a shkandal” means “What a scandal!”
The word “NIT” is a cognate of our word “NOT”. “Nit gidacht!” means “It shouldn’t happen”. “Nit heint, nit morgen!” means “not today, and not tomorrow.” Simlary, “NISHT” is another word that means “no” or “not”, as in “Nisht Naitik” (not necessary).
Some of the “SH” words are interesting. A “shnorrer” is someone who is a parasite, always glad to ask for money. A “shtarker” is a tough guy, and to “shushkey” means to whisper or gossip. A “shvegerin” is a sister-in-law, and to “shvindel” means to “swindel” or fraud.
Last but not least, here are some “Z” words and phrases. “Zindit nit” = “Don’t complain”. “Zitsen ahf shpilkes” means “sitting on pins and needles” or “fidgety”. You probably guess the “Shpilkes” is similar to the English “spikes”. Probably one of the funniest phrases is “Zol vaksen tzibbelis fun pipek” – which means “Onions should grow from your navel!”.

Neal Walters offers Yiddish and Hebrew products. Visit his Beginning Hebrew website (http://HebrewResources.com) for more information.

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REGINA JONAS was the 1st ordained rabbi. She was ordained in East Berlin in 1935.

JUDITH RESNICK was the 1st female Jewish astronaut. (Unfortunately, she died aboard the Challenger in 1986.)

Gloria Marie Steinem is considered to be a major icon of the Feminist Movement of the late 1900's. Pro or con of her beliefs, Ms. Steinem has greatly influenced the role of women, their sexuality, and their career/ educational options.

The Concept of Jewish Law

The revelatory experience at Sinai is considered by Jews as the seminal event in the history of the Jewish people.

The revelation at Sinai is seen by traditionally religious Jews as the seminal event in the history of the Jewish people.
The Bible shows God as having established a relationship with the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but Sinai solidified the relationship between God and Israel.
The classical Jewish understanding of Matan Torah(the giving of the Torah) as reflected in the Bible and in rabbinic literature, is that Sinai represents the central revelatory experience by God to the Jewish people.
This experience was and remains the highest form of prophetic revelation in history because it was transparent, audible, and occurred to a minimum of 600,000 male adults.
While the significance and awe of later prophetic revelation is clear, it in contrast usually occurred via dreams or visions to individuals. Subsequent authorship of the hagiographical literature occurred via the inspiration of ruach hakodesh (the holy spirit).
The uniqueness of Sinaitic revelation establishes the divine authorship of the dual Torah and consequently rabbinic exegesis thereafter. The Pirke Avot's (Sayings of the Fathers) initial verse "Moses received the Torah from Sinai and transmitted to Joshua; Joshua to the Elders...etc." is the cornerstone of traditional Jewish orthodoxy on the matter.
The theological justification then for the view that "Torah" or the Covenant at Sinai represented the highest view of revelation and subsequently authority in Jewish religious life stems from unequaled manner in which the transmission took place.
The nature of the Torah lends it self to a level of authority expected to transcend the generations. Exodus 12:14 provides us with one example: "...throughout your generations you shall observe it [Pesach] as an ordinance for ever."
The classical orthodox Jewish position also views the term "Torah" as quite an inclusive term. The actual miraculous revelation at Sinai which resulted in the reception of a Written Law (i.e. Torah She Biktav) is at the heart of the revelation at Sinai, but it also includes the expository directives and methodology for adapting and developing Jewish law known as the Oral Law (Torah She'Ba'al Peh).
The term is inclusive of the entire Hebrew Bible and all subsequent rabbinic applications, decisions, and understanding to the present day.
For Orthodox Judaism then, revelation and thus Torah are as Louis Jacobs notes, static. That is, the Torah remains the same throughout the generations and Jews are obligated to observe it as an infallible guide to life provided by the "mouth" of God.
That position is articulated in the medieval period in by the great Jewish rabbi Maimonides' Thirteen Principles, and the hymn Yigdal where it states: " God gave his people a Torah of Truth by means of his prophet the most trusted of his household. God will never amend nor exchange His law for any other one, for all eternity."
If the Torah cannot be amended

, then Halakhah (Jewish Law) can only be derived according to very well prescribed rules. The binding nature of the Torah as reflected by and through the prism of a rabbinic worldview cannot be negotiated.

The Jews of Rhodes
by Sol Menashe

Rhodes is a small island, just off the Turkish Coast, with a history that is as colorful as the natural beauty of the island. The earliest mention of a Jewish settlement in Rhodes appears in the First Book of Maccabees in the second century. It is also evidence that at that time a well reputed center for philosophy and rhetoric existed on the Island. Appolonious Molon, a Jew, taught at the center and is reputed to have had Julius Caeser and Marcus Cicero as students. Although there have been many traces of Jewish life on the Island there has always been religious animosity against the Jews dating back to the Hellenistic era. The first written confirmation of a viable community is seen in the mid 12th century in reports by the Jewish traveler Benjamin of Tudela, Spain, when he found a community of about 400 Jews. By the 13th century few of the original Romaniot Jews still lived in Rhodes. In the first quarter of the 16th century, many of the Sephardic Jews, expelled from Spain by the Inquisition, found their way to Rhodes mainly at the invitation of Suleiman the Magnificent of Turkey. Turkey had just won the island from the Knights of St John and wanted to develop it as a trading center. The Jews were treated well by the Turkish rulers and were given homes in what became the Juderia - the Jewish Quarter. Under Italian rule, when they took over in 1912, conditions deteriorated gradually, culminating in the rule of Mussolini, whose siding with Hitler resulted in atrocities and deportation of virtually all the Jews from the island to the labor and death camps in July 23, 1944. From its heyday of 5,000 Sephardim, the Jewish population was reduced to just a few souls who remained. 1,604 died at the murderous hands of the Nazis and the others emigrated during the Italian occupation mainly to Africa, Argentina and America.

Over 15% of Nobel prize winners have been Jewish. Quite an accomplishment considering the % of Jews in the world.
Some of these include:
Ada Yonath (2009) * Elie Wiesel (1986)* Paul Krugman (2008) * Herbert Spencer Gasser (1944) * Emilio Segrè (1959) * Nadine Gordimer (1991) * Gertrude Elion (1988) * Rene Cassin (1968)

Why using a Mohel makes sense

Lot’s of Fun with Yiddish Words

The Concept of Jewish Law

Jewish Conversion the Call to the Torah, Now Heeded Online

The Dual Nature of the Torah
Religion Articles | July 30, 2008

Why using a Mohel makes sense

Lot’s of Fun with Yiddish Words

The Concept of Jewish Law

Jewish Conversion the Call to the Torah, Now Heeded Online

The Dual Nature of the Torah Religion Articles | July 30, 2008

The Dual Nature of the Torah
Religion Articles | July 30, 2008