Ask the Jews

[Vendetta]

I want to know something. Is being Jewish an ethnicity or just religious culture? I've heard prominent Jewish speakers speak about the obvious racist ideology of the Holocaust yet, the are "black jews" "hispanic jews" etc so I am confused. That is why I made the thread questioning what being anti-semetic is, because if I convert to Judaism and someone makes a pejorative statement against me being Jewish, they are making an anti-semetic statement but I've typically associated anti-semitism with racism. Hopefully that makes sense

 

[TheKnight]

It really depends on who you ask.

Technically, one is considered Jewish if his/her mother is Jewish or he/she has halakhically converted to Judaism.

If you consider that a race then so be it, if not, then so be it.

 

[Levite]

I want to know something. Is being Jewish an ethnicity or just religious culture? I've heard prominent Jewish speakers speak about the obvious racist ideology of the Holocaust yet, the are "black jews" "hispanic jews" etc so I am confused. That is why I made the thread questioning what being anti-semetic is, because if I convert to Judaism and someone makes a pejorative statement against me being Jewish, they are making an anti-semetic statement but I've typically associated anti-semitism with racism. Hopefully that makes sense

It's difficult, because Judaism is in a very rare position: it is both a religion and an ethnicity. If one wanted to be really precise, it is a socioreligious ethnicity. But one cannot separate the cultural/ethnic and the religious elements of Judaism: they are inextricably intertwined.

But, for example, that's one of the reasons why converting to Judaism involves so much more than just a declaration of faith and a quick ritual. One is being adopted into a culture/ethnicity, and giving up one's previous identity, in order to become something new.

BTW, though, the term "anti-Semitism" is a bit deceptive, because it is an idiom. The term got coined in England at a time when they really didn't have Semites other than Jews there (although I'm sure the people who were called anti-Semites then probably wouldn't have been too keen on Arabs and other Muslim types, either, had they encountered them). But even after it became very common for anglophones to encounter non-Jewish Semites, the term still stuck, because it was a matter of common usage.

 

[Vendetta]

Ok that makes sense. As always thanks Levite and thank you TheKnight

 

[punkdbass]

I have a really quick question.

I know throughout the entire Tanakh God is given MANY names. What name are we supposed to call God when we talk or write about Him? Like, what is the most "Kosher" name for God that we can say?

Thanks.

 

[xkatz]

I have a really quick question.

I know throughout the entire Tanakh God is given MANY names. What name are we supposed to call God when we talk or write about Him? Like, what is the most "Kosher" name for God that we can say?

Thanks.

I usually say HaShem. It means "the name". That usually is seen as the most acceptable name to use when your not talking about Him in a prayer.

 

[Flankerl]

Jews are just Ethno-Religious people.
If you look back in history that was nothing special.


Though iam not sure if other such people still exist. Perhaps some tribes in south america.

 

[xkatz]

Jews are just Ethno-Religious people.
If you look back in history that was nothing special.


Though iam not sure if other such people still exist. Perhaps some tribes in south america.

Zoroastrians, Druze, and Yazidi are also Ethno-Religious groups.

 

[Levite]

I have a really quick question.

I know throughout the entire Tanakh God is given MANY names. What name are we supposed to call God when we talk or write about Him? Like, what is the most "Kosher" name for God that we can say?

Thanks.

Generally speaking, we either just say "God" in English (or the equivalent in other languages, for those of us who are not anglophones), but most often "Hashem," as xkatz said. Though there are other names that we sometimes use in more traditional circles, also. My two favorites are these:

HaKadosh Baruch Hu (or Kudsha Brich Hu, in Aramaic) are both lovely old names for referring to God outside of prayer. Both mean "The Holy One Blessed Be He."

Ribono Shel Olam (or in the Ashkenazi pronunciation, Riboyno shel Oylam) is an rich, old name meaning, "Master of the World."

 

[Flankerl]

Zoroastrians, Druze, and Yazidi are also Ethno-Religious groups.

Ah of course how could i forget them.

 

[Vendetta]

Levite in addition what of the Aramaic name of God "Alaha " as what Jesus himself would've called God? If that is accurate

 

[Levite]

Levite in addition what of the Aramaic name of God "Alaha " as what Jesus himself would've called God? If that is accurate

It is not clear from the Aramaic literature that we have from the times when Aramaic was actually a daily lingua franca for Jews (it was used by poets for some time afterward, hence my specifying) that Jews commonly used the term "Elaha" as a direct address to God, although it could have been used so, grammatically. It seems to have most often been used referentially, and not vocatively.

When not using the classical Hebrew names, that even a native Aramaic speaker would have used during prayer, they seem to have used often the names Kudsha Brich Hu ("The Holy One Blessed Be He"), Mara d'Alma ("Master of the World"), Malka d'Alma ("King of the World"), Rachamana ("The Compassionate One"), Avuhon d'vi'Shemaya ("Our Father In Heaven"-- that's where that comes from, it was a common usage at the time), and Maran d'vi'Shemaya ("Our Lord in Heaven"). There were, I think, a couple of others that would have been used at that time, along those lines, but I can't bring them to mind at the moment.

 

[Vendetta]

Rachmana is so close to Rahmaan in Arabic in Islam. Just as "Malka" which is comparable to Malik (which means king, master, ruler).

 

[TheKnight]

Rachmana is so close to Rahmaan in Arabic in Islam. Just as "Malka" which is comparable to Malik (which means king, master, ruler).

Or rachaman and melech in Hebrew.

 

[Levite]

Rachmana is so close to Rahmaan in Arabic in Islam. Just as "Malka" which is comparable to Malik (which means king, master, ruler).

Sure. Arabic, Aramaic, and Hebrew are sister languages. They're as close as Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese.

 

[Biblestudent_007]

Hello,

What is the official sign/seal/emblem of Judaism? . .

 

[HiddenDjinn]

Hello,

What is the official sign/seal/emblem of Judaism? . .

There is no official one. The tablets and menorah are usually recognized as religious symbols. Many Jewish men and women will wear a chai necklace. Many orthodox men will wear a kippah and tzit-tzits.

 

[Levite]

What is the official sign/seal/emblem of Judaism? . .

There is no official one. The tablets and menorah are usually recognized as religious symbols. Many Jewish men and women will wear a chai necklace. Many orthodox men will wear a kippah and tzit-tzits.

Historically, the menorah has been the most consistently-used symbol for Judaism. These days, I would say that the most universally-recognizable symbol for Judaism is the magen David, the six-pointed Star of David. '

But yosi's right, of course, that there are other symbols that Jews have used and do use amongst themselves that have emblematic meanings of Jewish faith. The two tablets of the law, the word chai ("life"), the letter shin (symbolic of one of the names of God), the choshen mishpat (High Priest's breastplate, with twelve stones representing the twelve tribes of Israel), the chamsa (upraised hand with an eye in the center, representing the vigilant protection of God), the Torah scroll, the mezuzah, tzitzit (fringes), tefillin (phylacteries), and various other things have all been used symbolically or emblematically in this way.

 

[Flankerl]

As yosi already wrote there is no official "sign".

I would add the Magen David/Star of David to his list.

 

[HiddenDjinn]

Flankerl,
I refrained from adding it because it's almost universally recognized and due to the fact that it isn't technically a religious symbol.