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On Being Jewish
Shipped from UK, please allow 10 to 21 business days for arrival. Good, A good, clean & sound copy.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 24, 2022
From the outside, most religions look monolithic - but from the inside, the diversity and variety of views, the wealth and richness of a wide range of perspectives becomes apparent. And, although this is one rabbi's insider look into being Jewish, there are many glimpses into differing viewpoints.
In Jewish law, a boy becomes an adult, responsible for carrying out the mitzvot, religious commandments, at thirteen years and a day old. A girl reaches the same status, although she has far fewer positive commandments to carry out, traditionally speaking, at twelve years old. (p26f)
Until recently, Jewish law prevented women from learning the Talmud, though they could study Torah and Mishnah. (p61)
The twelfth century medieval response to the question of whether a woman could be called up to read the Torah is that, according to the law, she might be, but out of respect for the congregation she should not be. Women were gradually excluded from active synagogue life, presumably first as an exemption to allow them to carry out domestic and family duties, but over time this liberation became a restriction. (p62f)
The nature of the religious longings of women and their spirituality has been ignored in many religions. Men have tended to debate such significant issues as the number of angels who can dance on the head of a pin or whether a small lump of butter accidentally cooked with a chicken renders the dish non-kosher.
"In Hebrew, the word for 'holy' which is translated into Latin as 'sanctus' and means 'sacred' when translated into English is kadosh. The root... is 'K-d-sh' for which the nearest accurate translation is 'to be separate, special or consecrated.' When a man betroths a woman in a Jewish marriage service, he says to her, 'Harei at mekkuddeshet li ke-dat Moshe ve-Yisrael.' When God says to the children of Israel in Leviticus 19, in the so-called Holiness Code, 'You shall be kedoshim [holy] because I the Lord your God am kadosh [holy], the meaning is separate, different. Christians have a strong sense of sacrament, but modern Judaism has no sacrament. Without a Temple, without animal sacrifice, we simply have rituals to order our lives and give thanks." (p111f)
There have been sperm banks in America which sell the seed of Nobel prize-winners to ambitious would-be parents. (p121f)
In some Jewish folk-traditions you can avert the presence of death by changing the name of the sick person - after all, the names are written in the book - which is why in most Ashkenazi traditions, children are never named after a living grandparent because to do that would be tantamount to writing the grandparents out of history. (p130)
Although modern scholarship, in the wake of the German Lutheran orientalist, Julius Wellhausen, has pointed to four sources for the Torah, few people believe this today. (p185)
There are, theoretically, 248 positive commandments and 365 negative commandments. (p189)
Jewish marriage is a contract and Christian marriage reflects the union between Christ and the church. (p204)
The legal system of Jews and Muslims are similar, and both religions are based on more on a legal system than on a system of faith. (p231)
The reaction of white liberals to the death threats to Salman Rushdie is a failure to understand the nature of Islam and a revulsion - particularly amongst journalists - to censorship. (p237) [25years on, the comment about journalists and censorship is ironic and indicative of the huge sell-out of the profession.]
'An orthodox Jew doesn't have to worry about whether he believes in God or not. As lon as he observes the law.' - Julius Carlebach (p253)
In Jewish law, a boy becomes an adult, responsible for carrying out the mitzvot, religious commandments, at thirteen years and a day old. A girl reaches the same status, although she has far fewer positive commandments to carry out, traditionally speaking, at twelve years old. (p26f)
Until recently, Jewish law prevented women from learning the Talmud, though they could study Torah and Mishnah. (p61)
The twelfth century medieval response to the question of whether a woman could be called up to read the Torah is that, according to the law, she might be, but out of respect for the congregation she should not be. Women were gradually excluded from active synagogue life, presumably first as an exemption to allow them to carry out domestic and family duties, but over time this liberation became a restriction. (p62f)
The nature of the religious longings of women and their spirituality has been ignored in many religions. Men have tended to debate such significant issues as the number of angels who can dance on the head of a pin or whether a small lump of butter accidentally cooked with a chicken renders the dish non-kosher.
"In Hebrew, the word for 'holy' which is translated into Latin as 'sanctus' and means 'sacred' when translated into English is kadosh. The root... is 'K-d-sh' for which the nearest accurate translation is 'to be separate, special or consecrated.' When a man betroths a woman in a Jewish marriage service, he says to her, 'Harei at mekkuddeshet li ke-dat Moshe ve-Yisrael.' When God says to the children of Israel in Leviticus 19, in the so-called Holiness Code, 'You shall be kedoshim [holy] because I the Lord your God am kadosh [holy], the meaning is separate, different. Christians have a strong sense of sacrament, but modern Judaism has no sacrament. Without a Temple, without animal sacrifice, we simply have rituals to order our lives and give thanks." (p111f)
There have been sperm banks in America which sell the seed of Nobel prize-winners to ambitious would-be parents. (p121f)
In some Jewish folk-traditions you can avert the presence of death by changing the name of the sick person - after all, the names are written in the book - which is why in most Ashkenazi traditions, children are never named after a living grandparent because to do that would be tantamount to writing the grandparents out of history. (p130)
Although modern scholarship, in the wake of the German Lutheran orientalist, Julius Wellhausen, has pointed to four sources for the Torah, few people believe this today. (p185)
There are, theoretically, 248 positive commandments and 365 negative commandments. (p189)
Jewish marriage is a contract and Christian marriage reflects the union between Christ and the church. (p204)
The legal system of Jews and Muslims are similar, and both religions are based on more on a legal system than on a system of faith. (p231)
The reaction of white liberals to the death threats to Salman Rushdie is a failure to understand the nature of Islam and a revulsion - particularly amongst journalists - to censorship. (p237) [25years on, the comment about journalists and censorship is ironic and indicative of the huge sell-out of the profession.]
'An orthodox Jew doesn't have to worry about whether he believes in God or not. As lon as he observes the law.' - Julius Carlebach (p253)
May 24, 2021
Enjoyed the inside view of Jewish family and culture
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews