Questions about Judaism answered by a Jew!

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Philosopher said:
I am not here to debate. This thread is for asking questions on Judaism and I am grateful for your answers.
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I am providing a Jewish opinion for you. There are certainly more then mine out there. The Big Bang and Redshift Theories are not scientific laws or laws of physics. A scientific law must be 100% correct.
 
Actually, it made perfect sense. Using the scientific method one cannot test for the Big Bang theory for one aspect of using the scientific method is to use repeatedable experiments. That hardly works with things like the Big Bang. One other aspect of the scientific method is to learn through observable phenomemna. Now, people in the field of astronomy have many ways of observing the universe, but the number of ways and the detail of their instrumentation just improves their observational technique to produce more data. But it doesn't really give us a way to test, only to have more complete data on which to found our untestable hypothese.

Going outside and observing the earth is the same sort of thing. By standing in one point of time and space we make observations, perhaps even getting a set of binoculars or a telescope to see farther and bring in more data. But until one is able to observe from more than just that one point of space, one is stuck with one's hypothese, not proof. And until one can observe from more than one point in time, one is also stuck with one's hypothese, not proof. I would submit that if the argument is for an old earth, verses a new earth, then one must be able to make observations from actually being back in time, not simply of things that one has merely hypothesized are from back in time, be it fossil records or starlight.

And I happen to have no argument with the Big Bang, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate the beauty of the Rabbi's simple response to your question.
 
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rebelishaulman said:
Tough if English is your first language. If you know Arabic it will be considerably easier because how close the languages are. A computer program would probably help considerably.
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Do you know any good programs that you would recommend me? I dont want to be an expert in Hebrew, I just want to know enough to have conversations.
 
Philosopher said:
Do you know any good programs that you would recommend me? I dont want to be an expert in Hebrew, I just want to know enough to have conversations.
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To tell you the truth I do not have much experience with these programs. However, "Rosseta Stone" seems to be good:

With Rosetta Stone, you will learn Hebrew the way you learned your own native language, without translation or memorization. Native speakers, real-life images, speech recognition and fully interactive software teach you like you learned your first language—naturally.

Rosetta Stone is self-contained and intuitive to use. There are no complicated lists to memorize or handbooks to read. With Dynamic Immersion™, you can start learning immediately. Join NASA, Fortune 500® executives, U.S. diplomats and millions of learners worldwide in discovering the fastest way to learn Hebrew.

Every CD-ROM purchase is backed by our unconditional 6-month money back guarantee.

http://www.rosettastone.com/en/individuals/languages/hebrew

If it ends up not working out, I assume they will stay faithful on there garuntee to give you your money back, and 6 months seems like more then enough time to decide if it is right for you.

A few free online sites that could help are:

http://www.learn-hebrew.co.il/
http://foundationstone.com.au/OnlineHebrewTutorial.html
http://foundationstone.com.au/
http://www.hebrew-verbs.co.il/
 
rebelishaulman said:
To tell you the truth I do not have much experience with these programs. However, "Rosseta Stone" seems to be good:

With Rosetta Stone, you will learn Hebrew the way you learned your own native language, without translation or memorization. Native speakers, real-life images, speech recognition and fully interactive software teach you like you learned your first language—naturally.

Rosetta Stone is self-contained and intuitive to use. There are no complicated lists to memorize or handbooks to read. With Dynamic Immersion™, you can start learning immediately. Join NASA, Fortune 500® executives, U.S. diplomats and millions of learners worldwide in discovering the fastest way to learn Hebrew.

Every CD-ROM purchase is backed by our unconditional 6-month money back guarantee.

http://www.rosettastone.com/en/individuals/languages/hebrew

If it ends up not working out, I assume they will stay faithful on there garuntee to give you your money back, and 6 months seems like more then enough time to decide if it is right for you.

A few free online sites that could help are:

http://www.learn-hebrew.co.il/
http://foundationstone.com.au/OnlineHebrewTutorial.html
http://foundationstone.com.au/
http://www.hebrew-verbs.co.il/
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Thanks!
 
rebelishaulman said:
Really? They have not taken another religion? Judaism, is centralized around the Torah, and the covanent with G-d to follow his laws. Therefore, anyone who does not follow the laws is still a Jew because they have been born into this eternal covanent. Now, many of the liberal Jewish movements stress that following the laws are not binding. Some schools of Christianity believe the Torah to be the literal word of G-d, while Reform/Liberal Judaism says it may be divine, but belief it is from G-d is not required, nor is belief in G-d requred! If you did not know, the Talmud states believing in many gods (trinity) is better then belief in no G-d.

I am not sure if you understand that Judaism is much more then a religion of beliefs. The best explanantion I can show you is a very good one I read: Judaism maintains that one born Jewish or one who has converted to Judaism retains his or her status as a Jew forever. One who converts to another religion or is an atheist is considered to be a Jew not in good religious standing. How religious one is, in this sense, is only important in one's status in Jewish law. For example, a person denying the Jewish principles of faith may be considered a heretic, while still considered Jewish.

You can still be Jewish and be an apostate Jew. It is also worth noting that Reconstructionism does not require any belief in a deity, and that certain popular Reform prayer books such as Gates of Prayer offer some services without mention of Hashem.




Well I will try to find the answer for you though I doubt there is one single agreed upon halacha for a Jew who converts to Christianity who actually wants to be buried in a Jewish cemetery, since why be buried with the people who you believe are in for "eternal hell".
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no need to find the answer about the cemetery - it would've just served as proof of acceptance, but as you say, would be completely unlikely to arise in the first place.
i am aware that judaism is more than just a system of religious beliefs. it is a people, but not a race.
but how a former jew, who is now a christian can still be seen as jewish, is something i just can't grasp. i must say, you've really thrown me with this one!
so are the jews for jesus right when they say they are jews?
EDIT: well i have thought of something. suppose there is a jewish community. one of the members becomes a christian and they all know it. when they die, their relatives want them buried in the jewish cemetary.
 
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Philosopher said:
Is it possible to self-teach modern Hebrew?
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i taught myself hebrew more than 3 decades ago. i can't speak it very well because of lack of experience, but i can read it well enough to read newspapers and novels.
you will find that it is really quite an easy language. most words can be reduced to a root of 3 letters, and once you've learned the root, you can easily figure out the meaning from the context.
i am convinced that, in its simplicity, it is the most beautiful language in the world.
good luck to you.
 
snakelegs said:
i taught myself hebrew more than 3 decades ago. i can't speak it very well because of lack of experience, but i can read it well enough to read newspapers and novels.
you will find that it is really quite an easy language. most words can be reduced to a root of 3 letters, and once you've learned the root, you can easily figure out the meaning from the context.
i am convinced that, in its simplicity, it is the most beautiful language in the world.
good luck to you.
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Did you learn to read or speak it? Also, what programs did u use?

Thanks.
 
because i taught myself and had no one to speak with, i never learned how to speak. so i have almost no experience in using the language just reading it.
there wasn't much available at the time i learned. i used mostly the ulpan books from israel. the ulpan method was a method of teaching a mixed group to speak hebrew in a hurry - it is done all in hebrew. it was designed to meet the needs of absorbing immigrants in israel as quickly as possible. i think ulpans are still used for this purpose.
now there is much material easily available. the rabbi has given you some good sources.
it's a beautiful language - it even looks beautiful!
 
snakelegs said:
because i taught myself and had no one to speak with, i never learned how to speak. so i have almost no experience in using the language just reading it.
there wasn't much available at the time i learned. i used mostly the ulpan books from israel. the ulpan method was a method of teaching a mixed group to speak hebrew in a hurry - it is done all in hebrew. it was designed to meet the needs of absorbing immigrants in israel as quickly as possible. i think ulpans are still used for this purpose.
now there is much material easily available. the rabbi has given you some good sources.
it's a beautiful language - it even looks beautiful!
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What are Rabbis doing in this forum?
 
so are the jews for jesus right when they say they are jews?
EDIT: well i have thought of something. suppose there is a jewish community. one of the members becomes a christian and they all know it. when they die, their relatives want them buried in the jewish cemetary.
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The majority of J4Js's members are not Jewish. I will also continue to make looking the cemetary thing up a priority.

What are Rabbis doing in this forum?
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I go on many religious message boards to clear up myths about Judaism.
 
snakelegs said:
no need to find the answer about the cemetery - it would've just served as proof of acceptance, but as you say, would be completely unlikely to arise in the first place.
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In Iggerot Moshe (Y.D. Vol. 1, no. 235) R. Moshe Feinstein ruled that a Jewish women who had converted to Christian Science has the status of a mumar and we don’t consider the possibility that maybe before her death she repented. Hence, according to R. Moshe, she should not be buried in a Jewish cemetery.

Nevertheless, he agreed as far as the preparation of her body for burial is concerned that it, as well as the actual burial, be carried out according to halacha. He concludes by noting that once she has already been buried her body may be removed and re-buried in a Jewish cemetery since her first burial was an atonement (kappara).

This should not be done until after a period of 12 months have elapsed from the time of the first burial. If however the family is humiliated, the body may be transferred immediately.

R. Aharon Walkin (Resp. Z’kan Aharon Vol. 2 (Y.D.) no. 80-82) also ruled that a Jew who converted may not be buried in a Jewish cemetery. In the particular case in question there were some indications that the individual regretted the conversion, but R. Walkin maintained that there was not sufficient evidence of repentance.

See also R. Herzog’s article in Noam Vol. 2, pp. 1-13; Resp. Divrei Malkiel Vol. 3, no. 87; Resp. Pri Hasadeh Vol. 4, no. 51.

The Chatam Sofer wrote that in the case of a mumar kaddish should be recited for 12 not 11 months. (Y.D. Tzitz Eliezer Vol. 5, no. 43).

R. Gedalya Felder in Yesodei Yeshurun (Vol. 1, p. 393) explains that although kaddish may be recited on behalf of a mumar, one does not mourn his death. The presence of kaddish and absence of mourning both help provide a kappara for the mumar.

In the Sefer Chasidim we find: “A Jew who converted and died is not mourned nor eulogized” (no. 1908; see Mekor Chesed; Resp. Lev Avraham no. 138.). However according to the Tur (O.C. 547) and others the customs of mourning (Kriyah, shiva, etc.) are observed unless the deceased was a mumar l’hachis. In most instances this is not the case.
 
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How many volumes is an actual Talmud? Do Rabbis memorize the Talmud? Is there an original version (not abridged) version of the Talmud online?
 
Philosopher said:
How many volumes is an actual Talmud? Do Rabbis memorize the Talmud? Is there an original version (not abridged) version of the Talmud online?
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You do not memorize the Talmud. You study it, and learn it in depth. The Talmud is attacked by many anti-Jewish links so be careful what you read about it. There are versions of the Talmud online that have actually had the text altered by these people who hate Jews!

Here is the best link to read the Talmud although they are still trying to complete the entire Talmu online.

A good description is: A page number in the Talmud refers to a double-sided page, known as a daf; each daf has two amudim labeled א and ב, sides A and B. The referencing by daf is relatively recent and dates from the early Talmud printings of the 17th century. Earlier rabbinic literature generally only refers to the tractate or chapters within a tractate. Nowadays, reference is made in format [Tractate daf a/b] (e.g. Berachot 23b). In the Vilna edition of the Talmud there are 5,894 folio pages.

Online Talmud:

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Talmud/talmudtoc.html
 
rebelishaulman said:
You do not memorize the Talmud. You study it, and learn it in depth. The Talmud is attacked by many anti-Jewish links so be careful what you read about it. There are versions of the Talmud online that have actually had the text altered by these people who hate Jews!

Here is the best link to read the Talmud although they are still trying to complete the entire Talmu online.

A good description is: A page number in the Talmud refers to a double-sided page, known as a daf; each daf has two amudim labeled א and ב, sides A and B. The referencing by daf is relatively recent and dates from the early Talmud printings of the 17th century. Earlier rabbinic literature generally only refers to the tractate or chapters within a tractate. Nowadays, reference is made in format [Tractate daf a/b] (e.g. Berachot 23b). In the Vilna edition of the Talmud there are 5,894 folio pages.

Online Talmud:

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Talmud/talmudtoc.html
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Yes, I know what you're talking about altering the Talmud by anti-semites. In David Duke's website, he claims that the Talmud said that Jesus fornicated with his donkey. The actual name was not "Jesus" but if I remember correctly, "Balaam." Is Jesus and Balaam the same person in the Talmud?

Also, how long did it take u to study the Talmud?
 
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