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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

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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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Famous Jewish Women

ALETTA JACOBS was the 1st female physician in the Netherlands in 1878.

HENRIETTA SALD was the founder of Hadassah in February of 1912.

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.

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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 amendedFree Web Content, 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.


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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jacob Lumbroso writes articles on history, foreign cultures, and Judaism. For more information on Tallits for men or other Judaica, visit http://www.judaicaquest.com

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.

Jewish Nobel Prize Winners

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 Segrč (1959) *  Nadine Gordimer (1991) * Gertrude Elion (1988) * Rene Cassin (1968)

 

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Jewish Wedding Speeches Are A Reaffirmation Of The Love For Each Other by Muna  Wanjiru

A wedding is a wedding is a wedding, right? Wrong. Every wedding is special on its own right, and every wedding day is special to the couple getting married. But if all weddings are different does this mean that all wedding speeches are also different? For instance, would Jewish wedding speeches be any different from traditional Christian wedding speeches?And what about the rest of the world  do speeches given at any of these weddings differ, from the above mentioned Jewish wedding speeches et al? The answer, in many cases would be an unthinking, and emphatic Yes!” If however, deeper thought is given, you can’t help but notice that although each and every one of these special occasions as well as speeches given, are different, they are also essentially the same.
This means that if you listen very closely to an Irish wedding speech, and compare it with some of the more traditional wedding speeches as well as with Jewish wedding speeches, you will find distinct similarities between them. The core sentiment of the speech remains the same: to wish the bride and groom joy in their life, now and forever more.
The difference then, lies not in the sentiment that is expressed in the wedding speeches, but in the religious, and cultural doctrine that will be an essential part of any wedding. Even in weddings with no particular religious slant whatsoever, you will find that wedding speeches given, reflect this tone of spirit.
So if you have been chosen to honor and celebrate with the happy couple by giving a speech, you have no need to panic, right? After all, at heart all wedding speeches are the same, and you might as well use the same speech you used two years earlier for your sister’s wedding. But wait, this time you are attending a Jewish wedding. This means that you will in all probability have to bone up on your Jewish wedding speeches instead of using an earlier speech. Since there are some very specific traditions inherent in a Jewish wedding, you will need to make sure that you are familiar with the various ins and outs of it. This way, if you need to, you can even make changes, off the cuff so to speak, and not have to worry if you have somehow managed to say the wrong thing!
But really, Jewish wedding speeches are more or less a reaffirmation of the love the bride and groom feel for each other, the joy you feel in being a part of this special occasion, and a blessing or a wish for the continued happiness of the bride and the groom. Kind of like any other wedding speech,
isn’t it?

Muna wa Wanjiru is a Web Administrator and Has Been Researching and Reporting on Wedding Speeches for Years. For More Information on Jewish Wedding Speeches, Visit His Site at  JEWISH WEDDING SPEECHES Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

 

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Jewish Conversion the Call to the Torah, Now Heeded Online

By: Rabbi Celso Cukierkorn
JUDAISM is more than 5,000 years old. The Internet has been around for a tiny fraction of that time. But a rabbi with a specialized Web site has brought ancient tradition and modern technology together, providing conversions to Judaism in a process that is largely accomplished online.
The rabbi, Celso Cukierkorn, offers an online conversion course to anyone who wants to become Jewish. A PC and a Web connection bring the rabbi and converts from as far away as Australia and New Zealand together for online study and even the final exam.
Rabbi Cukierkorn (he pronounces it COOK-your-corn) is a convert himself, of sorts, to computer technology. He grew up in Săo Paulo, Brazil, and recalled that students learned to use computers at his high school. But the equipment was boxy mainframe technology, probably from the 1960's, he guessed, and he did not pursue computer training beyond high school.
"Until the mid 90's, I wasn't computer-literate," said Rabbi Cukierkorn, who is 34. "But then I realized that there are different ways to touch people," and that the computer was one of them.
His ancestors, who were rabbis, "traveled from village to village to bring the message of God," he explained. "Right now it's the same thing, except I don't go to a specific place. I can do that from the computer."
Rabbi Cukierkorn also conducts in-person conversion classes at Congregation B'Nai Israel, a Reform synagogue in Hattiesburg, Miss. But modern technology, he said, provides him with "a wonderful way to help people who cannot find a rabbi to convert them or who live in places where they don't have a rabbi or their schedule will not allow them to convert" in more traditional ways. Most of his online students learn about his Web site, www.conversiontojudaism.org, from people who have taken his course or from rabbis, he said.
The online curriculum, which is divided into eight units, is a blend of books and online material, some of which Rabbi Cukierkorn wrote. It is customized for each student, depending on prior knowledge of Judaism. One of the units, for example, is what the rabbi calls "the life cycle of the Jewish year," beginning with Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, and proceeding through other holidays and festivals in chronological order.
At the end of each unit, there is a quiz. The curriculum requires about 80 to 120 hours of work, which can take from three months to more than a year to complete.
In addition to the online coursework, the process requires attendance at a conversion seminar. One was held recently in Beverly Hills, Calif., and another is scheduled soon in Miami Beach. Rabbi Cukierkorn said he hoped to hold one in New York at least once a year. The course is followed by a final exam, also given online, that has 100 questions. But unlike most tests, there is no predetermined passing score. The rabbi said he looks to see "how they feel and what's inside them." He reads the answers "to see a bigger picture."
"That's what this is all about," he said. "We're not looking for intellectual capabilities." The rabbi said that he generally lets the convert decide how much to pay, and that the payments have ranged from almost nothing to $2,500.
Many conversions involve someone who has married or plans to marry a Jew, but some people give other reasons, the rabbi said. One of the more unusual involved people who had seen the movie "Schindler's List" and decided individually that they wanted to become Jewish.
One of the rabbi's online students, Melissa Davimos, 38, of Boca Raton, Fla., said she wanted to convert before her daughter, Spencer, was born. She said she was unable to find a synagogue in Boca Raton that welcomed converts, so she turned to the Internet. She said she and her husband, who is Jewish, planned to join a synagogue soon and to have a baby-naming ceremony there for Spencer, who is now three months old.
Another participant, Ana Scherer, of Florianopolis, Brazil, said by e-mail that she was born a Catholic, but that at age 12 she "came to a conclusion that Catholicism was not my true call." Mrs. Scherer, 34, said she began studying online in Brazil and continued when she moved to Sunny Isles Beach, Fla., in 2000.
Rabbi Cukierkorn, who was trained as an Orthodox rabbi and graduated from the Ayshel Avraham Rabbinical Seminary in Monsey, N.Y., said he had not encountered criticism that people who seek conversion online are not serious enough about their desire to become Jewish.
Rabbi Ismar Schorsch, the chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York, the academic and spiritual center of Conservative Judaism, said that the Conservative movement requires at least a year of study by prospective converts, including learning Hebrew, and requires "a good deal of human contact," although the process does not all have to be face-to-face. Rabbi Schorsch said it sounded to him like the Web site program met the second test and was "on the right track" for the first.
Rabbi Cukierkorn said his process for conversion online was identical to the one he uses in his synagogue. "The only difference is that I might do the conversion interview over the phone," he said.
Asked where the majority of his converts came from, the rabbi paused, then said: "I have people everywhere. They come from wherever God touches their souls."

Published: July 1, 2004 in the New York Times

http://www.convertingtojudaism.com/NewYorkTimes.htm

About the Author
Rabbi at adat achim synagogue and runs http://www.convertingtojudaism.com/

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Jewish Conversion the Call to the Torah, Now Heeded Online

 

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

Classical Judaism holds that there is a dual Torah, consisting of the Torah Sh'b'ktav (the Written Torah) and the Torah Sh'Ba'al Peh (the Oral Torah). Commandments derived from the written Torah are called "d'Oraita" from the Aramaic word meaning "from the Torah."

Traditional Judaism believes that there is a dual Torah, consisting of the Torah Sh'b'ktav (the Written Torah) and the Torah Sh'Ba'al Peh (the Oral Torah). Commandments or statutes derived from the written Torah are called "d'Oraita" from the Aramaic word meaning "from the Torah."

For classical Judaism, the Oral Torah consists of Oral Torah revealed simultaneously at Sinai as well as enactments or laws instituted by later rabbis (d'Rabbanan). The basis or authority for the laws classified as"d'Rabbanan" and for the implementation of the observance of the commandments is derived from Deuteronomy 17:8-11.

The rabbis claim that the authority to interpret the commandments and subsequently define (i.e. the way in which the commandments are observed) is found in the written Torah itself, where Moses states that any case or question too difficult for the Jewish people in future days should be brought before the priests and judges in office at that time.

To this day, the rabbis serve as judges and legislators akin to a court and a legislature. Rabbis are in fact dayanim (i.e. Judges). The written Torah serves as the constitution for Israel with the Oral Torah and the Rabbis serving as the legislative process. Like the Constitution of the United States, the actual implementation of its statutes, and future needed statutes are left to the Congress and the validity of those laws is left to the courts. The concept of a constitutional model for Torah law that "evolves" or is "pliable" allows it to remain relevant and applicable.

A Torah model that does not include this eventually creates a situation in which many biblical commandments cannot be observed, applied, or understood. Hence a community like the Karaites who argue that they follow only the Biblical text have almost reached the point of extinction, have isolated and in fact excluded themselves from the Jewish community by adopting different calendar and different laws. In the end they nevertheless created a body of their own "halachah"out of necessity in attempting to follow the written text.

The case or argument for the Oral Torah exists on two levels. On a basic level, the very necessity of Oral Torah can be established by looking at the text of the Torah itself.

The a Torah scroll is written only with consonants, without vocalization. Hence one word written in Hebrew can have multiple meanings. Hence, where the Hebrew text says "BNCH," one might render this as "Bonayich" "your Builders" or as "B'nayich" "your Children." This occurs quite often. Vowels marks were only added much later after the text was written and codified.

So even our very ability to read and understand the text is based upon an oral tradition which provides us with both the ability to pronounce the alphabet, to readPsychology Articles, and most importantly understand the text.

The famous Hillel was approached by a non-Jew who desired to learn the Torah on the condition he would learn the written Torah only. He started teaching him the alef-bet and the next day changed the names of the letters and their pronunciation and the student was confused. He did this to prove a point!

The text is foundational but it is informed and understood only with the aid of the oral tradition.

Article Tags: Written Torah, Oral Torah

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jacob Lumbroso writes articles on history, foreign cultures, and Judaism. For more information on buying a Tallit or other Jewish symbols, visit http://www.judaicaquest.com