Hope to be Jewish Soon @bagelsnahjudaismyeah - Tumblr Blog

mutual recognition

Rabbis who've studied Judaism all their life: "But again, I am just a human. I can't possibly know everything and this is all my understanding. There is no limit to how much you can learn about Judaism, so there's always more I can learn and more perspectives I can discover."

Goyim on the internet: "Here's what all Jews believe, based on my very thorough research of 'watched Fiddler on the Roof once', and here's why I know more about Judaism than you silly Jews."

knives-in-the-dishwater

my favorite is when you ask something like "can I do X", and the rabbi tells you "I'm sure there are some who would say you can".

this happens when the rabbi doesn't want you to do X, but doesn't know of any particular halacha offhand that forbids it. And he knows that if he says "no", then you're required to follow that ruling. And according to some opinions, the laws of nazirus imply that abstaining from that which is pleasurable and permissible is considered sinful. therefore, if the rabbi tells you not to do X but it turns out you could've, he has just instructed you to sin.

it's just a little quirk of different halachos interacting that I find really neat.

magnetothemagnificent

is it true that rabbis are encouraged to have kids? if so, why

All Jews are encouraged to have kids if they can/want to. Children are very important in Jewish culture, and it is considered a merit to have children (it's also a merit to teach and nurture children, so you don't necessarily have to have kids to have that merit). Monasticism is frowned upon in Judaism, as it's considered important to engage in "worldly" pursuits like sex and childbirth and pleasure because taking part in the world is part of being holy. The values of a Rabbi should reflect and model the values of the community, and so if the community values children, the Rabbi is encouraged to model that value by having children of their own.

jessicalprice

The Talmud says that we have to answer not only for the forbidden things in which we indulge, but the suffering we cause ourselves by denying ourselves the permitted things we desire.

Judaism is a tradition that is about balance, not asceticism. We have circumstances in which we’re encouraged to deny ourselves (like fasting) and circumstances in which we’re encouraged to indulge (like getting drunk on Purim), but for the most part, it’s about moderation.

I think Christianity has given the world a portrait of Judaism that seems like it’s all about strict rules and self-denial (they can’t eat pork, but Jesus fixed that! they can’t work on Saturdays, but Jesus said the Sabbath was made for man, not the other way around!).

But I think it’s always worth noting that Judaism also *encourages* us to do a lot of things. Try new fruits or seeds or nuts you’ve never tasted before on Tu B’shvat. Ask a new question or consider something from a different angle. Stop and consider the full story of how the Shabbat wine came to your lips. Say a blessing upon seeing a beautiful sunset so that you are *in* the moment.

Our rituals are sensory. We sniff things. We taste things. We stand on our tiptoes and bow and sway and turn during the liturgy. We are not about denying or punishing the body. We’re not ruled by it, but we are supposed to take pleasure in the physical, and to care tenderly for our physical selves.

The world we live in is a gift, not a testing ground or a vale of tears or a shadowlands to escape. In Hebrew, lev is usually translated as heart, but for ancient Jews, the heart was the seat of thought, so a better translation would be heart-mind.

We’re not Greeks. We don’t view the physical/emotional and the intellectual/spiritual as opposites or opponents.

Rabbis are not Christian priests. They’re not trying to model self-denial.

magnetothemagnificent

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t4toro

hey sorry but they goyified your inherently jewish written character. yea. yea no they tried catering to a wider audience. yea they made him scorf down a pile of bacon. i’m so sorry

creekfiend

A friend of mine from around here who is Very Christian and has never had a Jewish friend before was asking me some stuff about antisemitism today, and it made me realize that the ways people talk about various types of bigotry and racism are so designed to stump people about the nature and purpose of systems of oppression. "Why do people hate the jews so much?" is such a common refrain and while there have been many books and articles written pulling apart all the important contextual and historical things that can help people understand antisemitism SPECIFICALLY, what I ended up saying to my friend was this:

"Something to understand about antisemitism is it isnt just ideological. The expulsion of jews from various countries was very often a method of "legally" seizing their wealth when the church needed money. It has been historically an incredibly convenient source of both a group of people to blame and also an easy way to just... Be able to steal from people, lmao. It has served very concrete material purposes for churches and governments throughout history. Sometimes you have to approach asking those questions from a different angle because it often isnt about the hatred so much as it is about ... Redirecting energy and attention, right, like upholding structures that benefit those in power. The hatred is convenient because it allows those in power to take actions that would not be tolerated if the group in question were not considered to be Exceptional in their inhumanity. Like the undocumented immigrants now, asking "why do they hate the immigrants so much" isnt always a productive avenue of thought because the hatred is usually just... Useful. Rather it is more helpful to ask "Who does it benefit for these people to be treated this way" -> "what do they need to make the general public believe about that group of people in order to justify this treatment". I think sometimes we are made to think hatred of jews is special and rooted in something different than other hatred... It's not. I mean all types of racism etc are unique. But it very much is about justifying actions that benefit a ruling class in all instances, imo."

And she like totally got it!!! She was like "OH I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT IT LIKE THAT BUT THAT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE THANK YOU" I am very proud of myself lol :')

crow-not-crowley

I wanted to add that though antisemetism is frequently weaponized by citizens of a country it also serves a bigger purpose if were talking why antisemetism keeps perpetuating itself for so long.

Its because there needs to be a scapegoat for the problems of capitalism and the state. its also why for whatever uncanny reason a lot of conspiracy theories about """secret jews""" describe the crimes of rich white people word for word but they spin on it and explain how its somehow us.

conspiracy theories are not freindly, antisemitisms function is to deflect blame off of the state / off of capital. its meant to direct the anger and pain caused by being exploited at a marginalized ethnic group than at the perpetrators.

non jews remember that next time you think antisemetism is irrational and fun to make fun of. its not harmless and has never been.

badjokesbyjeff

Several centuries ago, the Pope decreed that all the Jews had to convert to Catholicism or leave Italy. There was a huge outcry from the Jewish community, so the Pope offered a deal. He’d have a religious debate with the leader of the Jewish community…

If the Jews won, they could stay in Italy; if the Pope won, they’d have to convert or leave.

The Jewish people met and picked an aged and wise Rabbi to represent them in the debate.

However, as the Rabbi spoke no Italian, and the Pope spoke no Hebrew, they agreed that it would be a ‘silent’ debate.

On the chosen day, the Pope and the Rabbi sat opposite each other.

The Pope raised his hand and showed three fingers.

The Rabbi looked back and raised one finger.

Next, the Pope waved his finger around his head.

The Rabbi pointed to the ground where he sat.

The Pope brought out a communion wafer and a chalice of wine.

The Rabbi pulled out an apple.

With that, the Pope stood up and declared himself beaten and said that the Rabbi was too clever.

The Jews could stay in Italy!

Later the cardinals met with the Pope and asked him what had happened.

The Pope said, “First I held up three fingers to represent the Trinity. He responded by holding up a single finger to remind me there is still only one God common to both our beliefs. Then, I waved my finger around my head to show him that God was all around us. He responded by pointing to the ground to show that God was also right here with us. Finally, I pulled out the wine and wafer to show that God absolves us of all our sins. He pulled out an apple to remind me of the original sin. He bested me at every move and I could not continue!”

Meanwhile, the Jewish community gathered to ask the Rabbi how he had won.

“I don’t have a clue!!!” the Rabbi said.

“First, he told me that we had three days to get out of Italy, so I gave him the finger. Then he tells me that the whole country would be cleared of Jews, so I told him that we were staying right here.”

“And then what?” asked a woman.

“Who knows!!” said the Rabbi. “He took out his lunch, so I took out mine!”