dantech
Well-Known Member
Can you put the changes in a different color?
-
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Some issues with the Orthodox summary--It's wrong
- Thread starter CMike
- Start date
Can you put the changes in a different color?
Tumah
Veteran Member
Originally I did. But then it looked like a hodgepodge of different colors because I moved everything around and added individual letters. If it's important I think I can put the colors back.
dantech
Well-Known Member
Well it would be good because it's difficult to see exactly what you are changing or pointing our without opening both up and comparing side by side.
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 forms 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 Jews 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. In most cases, it is derived by taking the majority opinion out of three previous works: Maimondes, the Rif and the Rosh. 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 pursuites 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, suits and hats are worn every day. Still in some other communitues, clothing from a previous century is still the norm 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 6:49, 11:13-21, and Numbers 15:3741) 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.
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 forms 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 Jews 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. In most cases, it is derived by taking the majority opinion out of three previous works: Maimondes, the Rif and the Rosh. 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 pursuites 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, suits and hats are worn every day. Still in some other communitues, clothing from a previous century is still the norm 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 6:49, 11:13-21, and Numbers 15:3741) 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.
dantech
Well-Known Member
I agree with everything you wrote. Maybe a bit technical but who cares...
One thing though, Skhina and Dafina is the same thing, in a different language
It's what the Moroccans(me) eat. In arabic, they called it Skhina, and in Hebrew they called it Dafina. Mmmmhhhhh, can't wait for Shabbat now
One thing though, Skhina and Dafina is the same thing, in a different language
It's what the Moroccans(me) eat. In arabic, they called it Skhina, and in Hebrew they called it Dafina. Mmmmhhhhh, can't wait for Shabbat now
Tumah
Veteran Member
I agree with everything you wrote. Maybe a bit technical but who cares...
One thing though, Skhina and Dafina is the same thing, in a different language
It's what the Moroccans(me) eat. In arabic, they called it Skhina, and in Hebrew they called it Dafina. Mmmmhhhhh, can't wait for Shabbat now
I took most of those names from Wikipedia. It says that both names are Arabic, just different names for different countries. In Hebrew they call it Chamin.
dantech
Well-Known Member
Chamin is different then Dafina. Chamin is more like a Sepharadic version of a cholent where all is mixed. It's beans, rice, meat eggs, potatoes, and wheat (but all mixed together in a stew).
Skhina/Dafina is all very similar ingredients served separately + what we call a meat cake that is cooked with it.
Tumah
Veteran Member
It's cooked separately or cooked together and served separately?
dantech
Well-Known Member
The eggs, potatoes, meat and meat-cake are cooked together but served separately. Even though they are cooked together, they are often separated during the cooking process with cheese cloth type bags.
The wheat and beans are cooked separately with different seasoning.
The rice is cooked separately with different seasoning as well.
Now just between us Moroccans (many of my friends are Moroccans as well), the seasonings, cooking time, ingredients, and which ingredients are cooked together or separately vary between what city we come from.
For example, the ones that come from the borders of Morocco that are closer to Spain like Tetuan or Tangier will make a sweeter Dafina by adding things like dates, sugar, or honey
Tumah
Veteran Member
Oh you just gave me an amazing idea for a thread that should have been made here a long time ago.
dantech
Well-Known Member
Do tell...