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Some issues with the Orthodox summary--It's wrong

CMike

Well-Known Member
A typo

Jews also also supposed to be a "light" or example to the other nations.


Please change the "also" to "are"
 

Tumah

Veteran Member
I am assuming that "Orthodox Judaism" is an umbrella term to include all Orthodox denominations and that Hasidic Judaism is not misused to mean Charedi.

With that, some corrections:

The Role of Women


Women like men are commanded to fulfill the commandments of knowing G-d, loving Him, and fearing Him,

They are obligated to study the Torah just as men are. Orthodox synagogues usually have women learning groups. . This is not correct. The first Law in the first chapter in the Laws of Talmud Torah of the Rambam as well as the Sefer HaChinuch Mitzvah 419 and Shulchan Aruch 246:6 (the RM"A makes an exception to Laws relevant to women) all say that women are not obligated to study Torah. Their source is tractate Kiddushin 29b ("es b'neichem" and not 'b'noseichem). Similarly, Haredim refrain from teaching women Torah based on the tractate Sotah 21b.



The book of Psalms refers to women as "akeres habayis", a term which means the "foundation of the home". The woman determines the home environment.

Orthodox Jews also believe that women have added wisdom that men don't have. . Although technically correct, this sentence is slightly misleading. This idea is based on tractate Niddah 45b that says that women have additional Binah- typically translated as Understanding. As opposed to this is tractate Shabbos 33a that says that women have "light Da'as". Usually translates as knowledge. In both cases obviously the Talmud is referring to different aspects of intellect. To say that women have added wisdom that men don't have is suggesting that women have something over men when the reality is closer to a trade off- Binah for Da'as.
 

Tumah

Veteran Member
Israel

Israel has special significance to Jews. Almost every Jewish prayer involves Israel.
Well if you look at Shemoneh Esrei you will notice that only one outright mentions Jerusalem (Binyan Yerushalayim- u'vneh) and the other only call it "our land" (kibutz galiyus- t'kah b'shofar) Shemoneh Esrei being the essence of our prayers and only 2 out of 19 that refer to Israel is hardly ever prayer. Not that I disagree that Israel has special significance. But Wisdom, Repentance, Atonement and Healing are also in there.
 

Tumah

Veteran Member
The Two Laws (Torahs)

There were two Torahs given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. There was the written Torah and the oral Torah.

Oddly enough, the Oral Law is today written in the Mishna and the Talmud. Is it respectful to call something Tanaaim did "odd"?The reason why is because around 200 C.E., the Jewish community lost a (I presume you mean "a lot") of knowledgeable Jews during the great revolt, and so Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi decided to acquire the bits of knowledge that everyone still alive had,( wouldn't say bits of knowledge. "How about to acquire the information of the oral law and write it down?") Rabbi Yehudda then compiled all the overwhelmingly matching accounts into the Mishna.
There is no mention here of the redaction of the Jerusalem Talmud ~300 CE by Rabbi Yochanan or the Babylonian Talmud ~500 CE by Ravina and Rav Ashi
Many Rabbis throughout history refused to write down the Oral Law, but it was a necessary step in preservation of our law.

The main purpose of the oral law is to explain the written law. For example, the written law states that G-D says that Jews must keep the shabbos and not create during this time.
However, what is left out of the written law is when exactly shabbos starts and ends. What is considered creating is also missing. In order to implement keeping the sabbath, Jews needed these answers. These explanations are given in the oral law.
Often the oral law consists of several rabbis discussing a topic. The rabbis give long winded arguments to support their position. At the end, these discussions are wrapped up. The Talmud is in Aramaic and is difficult to study. There is also commentary and commentary on the commentary.
Many orthodox Jews spend a lifetime studying the Talmud.
 
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Tumah

Veteran Member
The Sabbath

The highlight of the orthodox Jews' week is the sabbath which comes from Friday night to Saturday night. A Jewish day starts at night because in Genesis, G-D said he created night and then day. Therefore, the day starts at night.
Orthodox Jews may not work, turn on or off lights, or drive on the sabbath. The main point is missing from this sentence. Consider: There are 39 categories of activities that Jews may not perform on the Sabbath. These 39 categories are further divided into sub-categories. Some activities that a Jew can not perform on the Sabbath include turning on and off lights and driving.
Many busy professional Orthodox Jews use the Sabbath as a catharsis to put aside their business and personal issues and just focus on G-D and relaxing.
 

Tumah

Veteran Member
The Sabbath services

The Sabbath service starts Friday night. It's focus are prayers welcoming the Sabbath.It is true that L'cha Dodi is about welcoming the Sabbath but both the Tehillim before and Ma'ariv after say nothing about welcoming the Sabbath. Some parts (such as in Shemoneh Esrei of ma'ariv speak about Shabbos) but most of it is praising G-d.
They then go home and have a big meal, along with songs to honor the Sabbath.
The next day consists of morning services. The highlight of the service is the reading of the Torah. Each year on the Jewish New Year the Torah is started from the beginning and at the end of the year it's completed. This is not correct. The Torah is started over on Simchas Torah of every year not Rosh Hashanah. Thereby the entire Torah is read each year.


The beginning of the service starts with prayers of psalms, the Shema (Hear O'Israel) prayer is read, followed by the Amidah. The Torah is then read. There are seven people who are called up to read passages from the Torah. Since the Torah has no vowels, and very difficult to read without a lot of training, usually there is someone who reads on behalf of each person. I think it more likely has to do with the lack of musical notes- trup
After the Torah is read, usually passages from prophets are read. These prophets passages correspond with the theme of the chapters of the Torah that are read.
Afterwards, the remaining prayers are completed.
At the end of the services most orthodox services have a kiddush. They make a blessing over the wine and serve the traditional chulunt, it's a mixture of beef, beans, and potatoes, that is cooked overnight in a crock pot.Chulent is only the Ashkenazic version, there is also Chamin, Dafina, S'china and others depending on the country.
They then go home and (often?) have a big meal, along with songs to honor the Sabbath.

Then there is a third shorter prayer in the afternoon with only 3 men called to the reading of the Torah. They then go home and have a big meal, along with songs to honor the Sabbath.
 

Tumah

Veteran Member
The role of prayer

Prayer plays a big role in Judaism. It is considered one of the three pillars of the world along with Torah study and kind deeds. All Orthodox Jewish services consist of the Amidah or Shemoneh Esrei prayer along with various other prayers and Psalms before and after it. Jews pray three times a day: after sundown, in the morning and in the evening. On Sabbath and holidays additional services are added in the mornings. On Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) besides for the fourth holiday prayer, a fifth service is held in the late evening.
 

dantech

Well-Known Member
Any chance of discussing an update for 2014 here?

What you should do is copy the whole original text, and edit what you want in a different color, and we'll discuss from there. It makes it more difficult to follow when it's in multiple posts.
 

Tumah

Veteran Member
You are late to the party.

We finished rewriting it shortly before you got here.

Yeah, I realized. Trying to cram in so much information into a rather short post is really difficult. I don't know how you did it.
 

Tumah

Veteran Member
Orthodox Judaism Overview

The Written Torah
Orthodox Jews believe in the Torah that was given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. The Torah consists of 613 commandments for Jews to obey, as well as a historical account of God's revelation of Himself to our ancestors. Orthodox Jews take the Torah literally and believe that it is perfect. Orthodox Jews spend a great deal of time studying the Torah and analyzing it's and Laws and moral messages
The Torah consists of the five books of Moses, the Pentateuch. Whereas the Tanach consists of the five books of Moses plus Prophets and Writings. However, when Orthodox Jews speak of learning or studying Torah, it refers to all Jewish studies.

The Oral Torah
There were two Torahs given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. The Written Torah and the Oral Torah.
The Oral Torah today, is written in the Mishna and the Talmud. The reason is because around 200 C.E., the Jewish community lost many knowledgeable Jews during the great revolt and the Rabbis felt the Torah was in danger of being lost. So Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi (Judah the Prince) decided to compile the Oral Torah from all the relevant existing opinions and write it down in the form of the Mishnah. Additionaly, traditions that were not as important but still relevant were compiled in the Tosefta.
With the prolonging of the exile, the Rabbis felt that the Mishnah would not be adequately understood by suceeding generations. About 100 years later in Israel and 200 years later in Babylon, the Rabbis led by Rabbi Yochanan (in Israel) and Ravina and Rav Ashi (in Babylon) expounded on the Mishnah and incorporated other relevant Traditions to form the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds, respectively.
The main purpose of the Oral Torah is to explain the Written Torah. For example, the Written Torah states that G-D says that Jews must keep the Sabbath and not work during this time. The Talmud also contains Rabbinical enactments that were established to prevent Jews from transgressing these Laws.
However, what is left out of the Written Torah is when exactly Sabbath starts and ends. What is considered work is also missing. In order to keep the Sabbath, Jews needed these answers. These explanations are given in the Talmud.
Today, the Talmud contains many commentaries and even commentaries on those commentaries.
The Mishnah is written in Mishnaic Hebrew. The two Talmuds are written in two dialects of Aramaic. Later commentaries on the Mishnah and Talmud often use a Rabbinic Hebrew that mixes the two languages.
Other parts of the Oral Torah include the various works of Aggadic and Halachic Midrash, and the Zohar.

Many Orthodox schools start teaching their students the Written Torah at age five. The Mishnah is introduced around eight years old and Talmud at ten. Many Orthodox Jews continue to spend a lifetime studying the Torah.

Jewish Law
Jewish Law as derived from the Talmud, provides instruction for every aspect of a Jew's life- from how he wakes up in the morning, to how he goes to sleep, every day of the year.
There are many codifiers of the Law including Maimonides, the Mordechai, the Tur, the Ri"f, the Rosh and the Shulchan Aruch.
The mostly widely used codification of the Law today is the Shulchan Aruch (Set Table). It was composed by two contemporary Rabbis, one from the Middle East and one from Europe. The former Rabbi Joseph Cairo acts as the main author. The latter, Rabbi Moshe Isserles provides an inline notations in places the Europeans Jews followed a different opinion. Yemenite Jews, follow the codification of Maimonides in response to the great deal of help he provided their community.

The Sabbath
The highlight of the Orthodox Jew's week is the Sabbath which comes from Friday night to Saturday night. A Jewish day starts at night because in Genesis, G-D said he created night and then day.
Over the Sabbath a Jew is required to sanctify the day with a blessing over wine and eating three meals. With the cessation of all activity and work, the Sabbath is also a special time to engage in spiritual pursuits and learning Torah. Sabbath prayers are likewise significantly longer.
Many traditional foods are eaten on the Sabbath with parallels throughout the traditions of Jews from various countries. Some type of fish is often eaten near the start of the meal and meat, poultry or both for the main course. Although cooking is not allowed on the Sabbath, it is permissible to leave food on a source of heat from before the Sabbath under certain conditions. Chulent, or its parallel Hamin, Skhina, Dafina, Oshi Savo and Tebit is the name of some type of hot food that is put up before the Sabbath to be served on the Sabbath morning.
There are 39 categories of activities that Jews may not perform on the Sabbath. These 39 categories are further divided into sub-categories. Some activities that a Jew can not perform on the Sabbath include actively using electricity (a timer may be used) and cooking.
Many busy professional Orthodox Jews use the Sabbath as a catharsis to put aside their business and personal issues and just focus on G-D and relaxing.
At the end of the Sabbath, the Havdallah is made: blessings on wine, spices and a flame. The Havdallah or Separation, is to offically separate between the holy Sabbath day and the rest of the mundane days of the week.

Around the Year
The Jewish calendar today is a lunisolar one. The number of months varies in the 19 year (Metonic) cycle: There are twelve months in the year containing either 29 or 30 days with a thirteenth month added every few years or seven times in 19 years.
While the Written Torah uses numbered months (Month One, Month Two...), Babylonian names were given to them in the Babylonian Exile and are still used today.
There are three major holidays observed in Orthodox Judaism along with two High Holy days. The three holidays are Pesach (Passover), Sukkot (Feast of Booths) and Shavuot (Feast of Weeks).
The High Holy Days are Rosh Hashanah (the New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement).
There are also two minor holidays: Purim, celebrating the triumph over Haman of the Book of Esther and Hannukkah celebrating the triumph of the Maccabees.
There are six fast days:
Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)
Tisha B'Av (the 9th of Av commemorating the destruction of the Temple)
17 of Tammuz (commemorating the fall of Jerusalem)
Tenth of Tevet, (commemorating the siege of Jerusalem)
Taanis Esther (commemorating the three day fast of Esther)
Tzom Gedaliah (commemorating the murder of the judge Gedaliah in 2 Kings)

Jewish Dress
Orthodox Jews usually wear a skull cap or hat called a Yarmulka. This word comes from the Aramaic "Yarei Malka" or "[those that] fear G-d". The significance of it is as a sign that G-D is always above us.
Another part of the standard Jewish wear, is the tzitzith or fringe garment of Numebrs 15 and Deuteronomy 22.
Men and women are both required to dress modestly. The collar bone, elbows and knees should be covered. Woman should also wear skirts and if married, cover their hair. Many women customarily dress much more modestly than this.
The clothing of the Jewish man varies greatly. In some communities, modern fashion is the norm. In other communities, dark suits and hats are worn every day. Still in some other communities, clothing from a previous century is still worn today.

Israel
Israel has special significance to Orthodox Jews. All Orthodox Jews consider Israel to be the most holy land in the world and Jerusalem its capitol, the most holy city. Orthodox Jews all over the world always try to face the direction of the Western Wall in Jerusalem when praying. The Ark containing the Torah scrolls likewise face that direction. Many Jewish prayers involve Israel, that it flourish and regain its former glory.

The Role of Women
Women are obligated to refrain from almost all Negative Commandments and perform all non-time-bound Positive Commandments. With a handful of exceptions, women are exempt from all time-bound Positive Commandments. Additionally, there are some Laws that women would not have been obligated in, that women have historically accepted on themselves as binding and continue to fulfill today.
The book of Psalms (113:9) refers to women as "akeres habayis". Colloquially, the term has come to mean the "foundation of the home", by reading the root as "Ikar" rather than "Akarah". Proverbs (14:1) says that the "Wisest of women builds her home." The woman determines the home environment.

The Role of Prayer
Prayer plays a big role in Judaism. It is considered one of the three pillars of the world along with Torah study and kind deeds.
All Orthodox Jewish services consist of the Amidah or Shemoneh Esrei prayer along with various other prayers and Psalms before and after it. The Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4–9, 11:13-21, and Numbers 15:37–41) recited four times a day and Ashrei (Psalm 145 with additional verses from Psalms 84, 144 and 115 added to the beginning and end) recited three times a day, are other important prayers.
On Sabbath morning a portion of the Torah scroll is also read so that the entire scroll is completed every year. On Sabbath afternoon, and Monday and Thursday mornings, a small part of the following Sabbath's portion is read. On Holidays, a different portion, related to the holiday is read in the morning.
Jews pray three times a day: after sundown, in the morning and in the evening. On Sabbath and holidays additional services are added in the mornings. On Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) besides for the fourth holiday prayer, a fifth service is held in the late evening.
 

Tumah

Veteran Member
I based it on the one the CMilke already made. There was no way I could have done what he did, so I just added to it from there.
 
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