Shalom.
This is Pastor Rabbi #11, with lots of good questions this time. Somebody asks me, presented a situation about Mamzer root, which is illegitimate children. The case here was that the mother of two daughters, her mother had married a Jew before, married her father, tried divorce but no gap. Married her father, he had her. She is taking care of Mamzer. She wants to know if her daughters, who are married on an Orthodox Jew, whether the Orthodox Rabbis will accept their daughters. A lot of asking questions about the grandmother.
If you want to know more about this situation, Jewish illegitimacy that would be my video number Jew U203. I do not actually know the answer to that question; I do not know what Orthodox Rabbis would do. I do know that, as I mentioned on that video, Jew U203 that a conservative reform and reconstructions Rabbis do not ask questions like that to get information about Mamzer status in disregard the category now. So, we do not consider that an issue in the status of Jewish children.
Then the next question was a series of questions about Shema. Somebody wants to know, if they have to work on the Saturday, will a Rabbi convert them? An Orthodox Rabbi probably, would not but most of the Rabbis, I think would. Certainly, if you try and bring Shabbat into your life in other ways and you work toward not working on Shabbat that would definitely be something that we want to see favorably. Of course, we know that most non-Orthodox Jews do work in Shabbat and that would not be a barrier to somebody converting to Judaism on a non-Orthodox perspective.
The same person wants to know whether driving to Synagogue on Shabbat is accepted by the conservative movement. Yes, there was a decision on 1950 from our law committed that says you can drive the Synagogue on Shabbat. Then, somebody wanted to know about Kashrut, whether eating fish and cheese is permissible. The answer to that is yes, fish is use in a category of pareve, which means it is not meat and not milk. It is something that is pareve can be eaten with cheese or meat not at the same time. So, a fish with cheese definitely can be eaten.
Then, somebody wants to know about Shabbat’s observance and how it is difference between the conservative reform and orthodox group. And I think, you have to see my video in Jew U21 about Shabbat which explains a little bit more. Basically, this is quite have been a difference, where Orthodox Jews will not do any Melacha, any labor, they would not drive in a car, they would not spent money, they would turn on a fire, or they would not carry on public domain. They would not go to work, they would not use computers, they would not write. Most conservative Jews are thought that those are the rules, except for alternative driving on Shabbat. We believe electricity is okay. If it is not working, but simply to enhance your enjoyment of Shabbat, other than that, we follow pretty much the same rules, but most conservative Jews do not even though that is what they are thought.
Reformed practice, I spent two series of that wonderful reform campaign. There they use the pump machine on Shabbat, people wrote so they do not have the same or at least did not tell the same ritual restrictions about Shabbat observance. A met a reform Rabbis, so I do not know exactly because I do not reforms, synagogues and thought I believed that they know the same notion of forbidden work on the seventh day.
Then, somebody wanted to know about slavery and the Bible’s issues about slavery, very interesting question, the set of things to have note. First of all, slavery was a really indentured servitude, where you put yourself on someone, others employee to work in their household or in a community to pay-off debts. Maybe, like the poor house in Ancient England, but certainly human beings are respected, the Torah has many laws like, look at Exodus 21 regarding the humane treatment of the person, the view as human beings not properly, completely different to the connotation of slavery and the good state in America before he saw the war.
In fact, the Torah says it over and over and over; do not oppress the stranger for you are slaves in the land of Egypt, reminding people not to be oppressed. In fact, slavery existed until modern times and Israel’s has been written 4,000 or 3,000 years ago says something significant. In a difference, the non Jewish slaves, when they became that kind of economic status in someone’s household, it was voluntary. Once you were not kidnapped and forced to be a slave in that way, that was the notion of slavery. Now, when there was a war. Torah also has an idea about taking people as booty in war, but they were always treated with human dignity and the Torah specifies those rules. Of course, it is not the ideal situation. We are living in completely free market today, where people do not handle economic arrangements but this is thousands of years ago in a world where horrible slavery existed outside of the Torah until pretty modern times.
Then someone wants to know about converting. There is this whole family and everybody in are Christians, they want to be Jewish, how will they maneuver that? I recommend, you see my video Jew U 42 about conversion in general, also, you might want to see, to touch on this issue on my video Jew U 290, which discusses the challenge that a person would face at Christmas and hanicha time. But, in general said, and they will certainly would not want to hurt a marriage and disrupt the family and if you are in a small town being one of the only Jews would be very difficult, but if you are called to be in Jewish, it is definitely there are ways to live as a Jew, many people do with Christian family.
Then somebody wants to know about a verse in the Leviticus 27, about not cutting the corners of your beard. You may see many Orthodox use beards, you may see an Orthodox use with fringes down the side like long ear lax called pious, which means the corners and it comes from that idea, I think round the corners of your beards. A non Orthodox Jews do not pay attention to that, pretty much we know that. That verse was about, not looking like a king and a priest, and we do not have a king or a priest running around so you do not worry about what they look like today, but the Orthodox still take that very seriously, and all throughout the Orthodox specially.
Anthony asks me why we continue to tell the past ex story, that most Jews know it. Well, first of all, you have to continually educate people. People, the next generation does not know and many are surprise how little knowledge there is about some basic things in the culture, in general, in Judaism for Jews. In addition, not to mention, the Torah commands us to tell the story. Even, otherwise, they say just to read the whole Hagadah, on Passover, to continually renew the story. People forget, it does not come to high priority. It is such a crucial story; it has to be told all the time.
Then someone wants to know if you can make your own prayer Shawl. Absolutely. Others, specially, has the time enough, absolutely. I suggest that you see my very first video Jew U 1, about the prayer Shawl. I would say they acting as a kid and making their own Tallit, and it is a beautiful experience. Of course, now, there are so many wonderful designs, you can also get them, and these are not difficult.
Then someone wants to know, finally, about homosexuality in Judaism, and the verse, prohibits man from lying together. And there, I believe the Orthodox either really have no sanction for it. I think it is important to know that their radical assembly of the conservative Rabbis recently, made a decision that homosexuals could be admitted into their venial school, and that conservative Rabbis could officiate, basically, commitment ceremonies between two people of the same sex. There is a whole debate their about whether that verse prohibits particular kind of sexuality between man, and whether it is Torah had forbidden or only the Rabbis forbade it, and with their contradicting values such as the respect to another dignity of the person, which will out weight it. In any case, the vote on the law community was tied, 13 to 13, we operate, which means that who said that Rabbi should not be homosexual and that Rabbi should not do commitment ceremonies have the same, and the conservative Rabbi have the same way as the Rabbis say that you do. It is up to the individual Rabbi in congregation
Those are short answers to some very complex and important issues. Hope that this video is helpful, Ask the Rabbi 11. Send me your questions at rabbi@ehnt.org.
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