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Do Jews Believe in an Afterlife?_Judaism

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Burial vs. Cremation: A Jewish Perspective

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Brit Bat: Jewish Traditions for Welcoming a Baby Girl

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Edited 6A Interviews Zander about  Beliefs and Judaism.mp4

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6B Interview with Jessica about her Beliefs and Judaism

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6B Interview with Jessica about her Beliefs and Judaism

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Edited 6B Interviews Jessica about her Beliefs and Judaism.mp4

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6B Interview with Zander about his Beliefs and Judaism

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6B Interview with Zander about his Beliefs and Judaism

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Brit Milah: Jewish Traditions for Welcoming a Baby Boy

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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Attending a Bar Mitzvah? Bat Mitzvah? Learn What to Expect

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The Surprising History of Bar/Bat Mitzvah

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The Surprising History of Bar/Bat Mitzvah

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The Surprising History of Bar/Bat Mitzvah and Confirmation

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Recent writers reflect on what observing kashrut has meant in their own lives.

Among Jewish thinkers in recent times who have advocated the observance of kashrut, opinions vary widely about just why it is that such observance is worthwhile. Is there something inherently worthwhile in the details of kashrut observance, or does its value lie instead in its effect on the life of the individual or society, and not its details? Here are several opinions on these questions.

Kashrut Makes Me Ask Good Questions

The observance of kashrut is an example of an annoying series of mitzvot that I am glad not to have dropped because of some of the rather important surprises it has offered. Because it is a public observance, I have to justify it rather frequently, to my friends and certainly to myself.

I find that whether I like it or not, kashrut brings me into contact with a series of rather important questions: What is my responsibility to the calf that I eat, or to the potato? Is the earth and the fullness thereof mine to do with as I will? What does it mean that a table should be an altar? Is eating, indeed, a devotional act? Does God really care whether I wait two or six hours before drinking milk after a meat meal? If kashrut makes me ask enough questions, often enough, I discover that its very provocative quality is one of its chief virtues for my religious life.

-Rabbi Richard J. Israel (1929-2000) directed Hillel programs at UCLA, Yale University, and in the Boston metropolitan area and wrote The Kosher Pig: And Other Curiosities of Modern Jewish Life. Reprinted from The Condition of Jewish Belief: A Symposium, composed by the editors of Commentary Magazine, by permission; all rights reserved.

Kashrut Makes Eating a Religious Matter

Let's go back to my hypothetical lunch with a friend. Watching me scan the menu, he may suspect me of thinking, "Oh, would I love to order the ham, but that mean old God won't let me." But in fact, what is probably going through my mind at the moment is "Isn't it incredible! Nearly five billion people on this planet, and God cares what I have for lunch!" And God cares how I earn and spend my money, and whom I sleep with, and what sort of language I use. (These are not descriptions of God's emotional state, about which we can have no information, but a way of conveying the critical ethical significance of the choices I make.) What better way is there to invest every one of my daily choices with divine significance?

There is nothing intrinsically wicked about eating pork or lobster, and there is nothing intrinsically moral about eating cheese or chicken instead. But what the Jewish way of life does by imposing rules on our eating, sleeping, and working habits is to take the most common and mundane activities and invest them with deeper meaning, turning every one of them into an occasion for obeying (or disobeying) God. If a gentile walks into a fast-food establishment and orders a cheeseburger, he is just having lunch. But if a Jew does the same thing, he is making a theological statement. He is declaring that he does not accept the rules of the Jewish dietary system as binding upon him. But heeded or violated, the rules lift the act of having lunch out of the ordinary and make it a religious matter. If you can do that to the process of eating, you have done something important.

Harold Kushner, Rabbi Laureate of Temple Israel in Natick, Massachusetts, is the author of several popular books, including When Children Ask About God, When Bad Things Happen to Good People, and When All You've Ever Wanted Isn't Enough. This passage is reprinted with permission from To Life!: A Celebration of Jewish Being and Thinking, published by Little, Brown and Co.

Does God Care What We Eat?

After a lecture I was giving one evening, I invited questions from the audience. One woman raised her hand, identifying herself as a Jew who tried to be a good and honest person, a helpful neighbor, and a supporter of Israel, but said that she did not live a religious Jewish life. She asked me, half seriously, half challenging, "Do you really believe that God will like me better if I keep kosher?"

I told her that I was no authority on whether or why God liked some people better than others, but that was the wrong question. One didn't live a seriously Jewish life so that God would like you. Maybe that is what we were taught as children, but if so, that is only because children operate on that basis, not because God does. Children strive to do the right thing to win the approval of parents, teachers, and other important people in their lives (including, I suppose, God). If our perception of Judaism is still based on what we were told as children, we may well think in terms of doing things? going to services, keeping kosher, telling the truth? in order to please God.

But, I told her, if we can outgrow that childhood notion, we will come to understand that living a seriously Jewish life is not a matter of winning God's favor but of growing as a human being. Is God angry at you if you eat a cheeseburger? I can't believe He is. Do we disappoint God when we regularly reject the opportunity to turn breakfast, lunch, and dinner into religious moments, to raise them from the level of animal sustenance to the level of encounters with our humanity by imposing standards of permitted and forbidden on the foods we eat?

Do we disappoint God and shortchange ourselves when we only worry about the food we are eating nourishing our bodies, when we worry about its calorie count, cholesterol, and artificial ingredients, and never worry about choosing food so as to nourish our Jewish souls? That I can and do believe.
Reprinted with permission from Harold Kushner, To Life!: A Celebration of Jewish Being and Thinking, published by Little, Brown and Co.
We Observe Kashrut Because God Demands It

The faithful Jew observes the laws of kashrut not because he has become endeared of its specific details nor because it provides him with pleasure nor because he considers them good for his health nor because the Bible offers him clear-cut reasons, but because be regards them as Divine commandments and yields his will before the will of the Divine and to the disciplines imposed by his faith. In the words of our Sages, "A man ought not to say 'I do not wish to eat of the flesh of the pig' (i.e., because I don't like it). Rather he should say, 'I do wish to do these things, but my Father in Heaven has decreed otherwise.'"

Although "the benefit arising from the many inexplicable laws of God is in their practice, and not in the understanding of the motives" (Moses Mendelssohn), nevertheless the Jew never tires of pursuing his quest to fathom the Divine Mind and to ascertain the reasons that prompted the promulgation of God's laws. For the man of faith is sure that reasons do exist for the Divine decrees even if they are concealed from him.
Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin, Ph.D. (1928-1982), served Congregation B'nai David in Southfield, Michigan. Reprinted from To Be a Jew, published by Basic Books.

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Keeping Kosher: Contemporary Views | My Jewish Learning

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Recent writers reflect on what observing kashrut has meant in their own lives. Among Jewish thinkers in recent times who have advocated the observance of kashrut, opinions vary widely about just why it is that such observance is worthwhile.

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The Rise of Judaism and One God (Monotheism)

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Passover
Find this year's date in the multifaith calendar
Passover is one of the most important religious festivals in the Jewish calendar. Jews celebrate the Feast of Passover ( Pesach in Hebrew) to commemorate the liberation of the Children of Israel who were led out of Egypt by Moses.

Jews have celebrated Passover since about 1300 BC, following the rules laid down by God in Exodus 13.

The story of Passover

The story of Passover is told in the Book of Exodus.

The Children of Israel had been slaves in Egypt for 210 years. God promised he would release them from slavery, but not before Pharaoh had refused their release and God had visited ten plagues on Egypt to demonstrate his power. (Exodus 3: 19-20)

The first nine plagues were:

The Plague of Blood: God turned the water of the River Nile into blood so that the fish died and the water stank. All the water in Egypt was turned into blood.

The Plague of Frogs: Egypt was overrun with frogs - there were frogs in the beds, frogs in the ovens, and frogs jumping on the people.

The Plague of Lice: Dust was turned into lice which crawled on people and animals. (The Bible calls this The Plague of Gnats, but in Judaism the accepted translation of the Hebrew word Kinim is lice).

The Plague of Flies: Swarms of flies arrived in Egypt and poured into Pharaoh's palace, the houses of his officials, and all over the land. (The Hebrew word here is orov meaning mixture and in Jewish tradition this refers to a mixture of wild animals.)

The Plague on Livestock: All animals belonging to the Egyptians died - horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep and goats.

The Plague of Boils: Festering boils broke out on the Egyptian people and their livestock.

The Plague of Hail: The worst hailstorm ever to hit Egypt struck, beating down crops growing in the fields and even killing people and animals caught in it.

The Plague of Locusts: A swarm of locusts settled in Egypt and devoured anything left growing after the hail.

The Plague of Darkness: Egypt became totally dark for three days.

The plagues only affected the Egyptians - the Israelites were unaffected.

The Seder and the Haggadah

The Fast of the Firstborn

The day before Passover begins the Fast of the Firstborn is observed. All first born males fast on this day to celebrate their escape from the Plague of the First Born.

Seder meal

The highlight of Passover observance takes place on the first two nights, when friends and family gather together for ritual seder meals.

Seder means 'order' and the ceremonies are arranged in a specific order. Special plates and cutlery are used which are kept exclusively for Passover.

Learning Zone video: Buying kosher food for Pesach

The Haggadah is a book which tells in fourteen steps the story of the Jewish experience in Egypt and of the Exodus and revelation of God.

As the story of each of the ten plagues is read out a drop of wine is spilt to remind Jews that their liberation was tinged with sadness at the suffering of the Egyptians.

The Four Questions

The haggadah also contains songs, blessings, psalms and Four Questions. These four questions are:

Why do we eat unleavened bread?

Unleavened bread or matzo is eaten to remember the Exodus when the Israelites fled Egypt with their dough to which they had not yet added yeast.

Why do we eat bitter herbs?

Bitter herbs, usually horseradish, are included in the meal to represent the bitterness of slavery.

Why do we dip our food in liquid?

At the beginning of the meal a piece of potato is dipped in salt water to recall the tears the Jews shed as slaves.

Why do we eat in a reclining position?

In ancient times, people who were free reclined on sofas while they ate. Today cushions are placed on chairs to symbolise freedom and relaxation, in contrast to slavery.

Usually the youngest person present will ask the questions and the father will respond. The paradox of this is that these four questions should be asked spontaneously, but celebrations cannot happen unless they are asked!

Learning Zone video: A Jewish family discusses the Four Questions of Passover

Children

Children are central to Passover proceedings and symbolise the continuity of the Jewish people. Customs are designed to hold their attention. There's the hunt for the afikomen, where a piece of matzoh is hidden which children have to find and hold 'ransom' until a reward is given.

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Find this year's date in the multifaith calendar Passover is one of the most important religious festivals in the Jewish calendar. Jews celebrate the Feast of Passover ( Pesach in Hebrew) to commemorate the liberation of the Children of Israel who were led out of Egypt by Moses.

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Why is Passover Such a Big Deal to Jews?

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Why is Passover Such a Big Deal to Jews?

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Why is Passover Such a Big Deal for Jews?

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Why is the afterlife not mentioned in the Torah?

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Why is the afterlife not mentioned in the Torah?

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Why the Afterlife Isn’t Mentioned in the Torah

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Jewish people call the Holocaust the 'Shoah', which means 'destruction' or 'catastrophe'. It's estimated that 6 million Jewish people died. The Nazis also:

exterminated half a million Roma gypsies

put a quarter of a million mentally ill and disabled people to death

sterilised deaf people

imprisoned homosexuals

considered that Slavic people were sub-human and intended to starve up to 30 million Soviet civilians and prisoners of war

Jewish people reacted in different ways:

in some places, the Jewish people resisted, eg the Warsaw Uprising of 1943

some of them fled from Germany and other countries such as Poland.

Some put their children on Kindertransport trains, which took them to Great Britain, where they were fostered

some hid

in some places, the Jewish people accepted their fate and even cooperated with the Nazis

some survived the concentration camps, often against all odds

Many Jewish people were saved by acts of bravery and compassion carried out by Jewish and non-Jewish people alike, eg Oskar Schindler. Schindler was an ethnic German and credited with saving the lives of 1,200 Jews, despite being a member of the Nazi party. His moving story was made into the film, Schindler's List in 1993.

After the war, Nazi leaders were put on trial at the Nuremberg War Crimes trials (1945‒1946). Many were sentenced to death. War criminals continued to be found and put on trial, including high profile cases such as Adolf Eichmann in 1960 and Klaus Barbie who was put on trial in 1987. It is universally believed that such a genocide must never be allowed to happen again.

In 1948, the nation of Israel was established as a state for Jewish people.

27 January is Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD). The date was chosen as the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Holocaust Memorial Day is an international day of remembrance - not only for the Jewish Holocaust, but for subsequent genocides in places like Cambodia, Bosnia and Rwanda. All over the world, people honour the survivors and reflect on the consequences.

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Consequences of the Holocaust - The Holocaust - KS3 History Revision - BBC Bitesize

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Jewish people call the Holocaust the 'Shoah', which means 'destruction' or 'catastrophe'. It's estimated that 6 million Jewish people died.

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Death and mourning rituals - Practices in Judaism - GCSE Religious Studies Revision - Eduqas - BBC Bitesize

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There are a number of important rituals around death in Judaism. As soon as a Jew hears of the death of a loved one, they make a tear in their clothing to show their grief. This action is called and it is as a symbol of loss and grief.

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Taboo in Jewish tradition, but increasingly popular nonetheless.

Jewish law mandates that human remains be buried after death, and this has been dominant Jewish practice for millennia.

Extensive sources from the Torah through the later rabbinic authorities attest to this requirement, and there is a powerful taboo against cremation reinforced by the millions of Jews burned in Nazi crematoria during the Holocaust. Nevertheless, as cremation becomes more common in mainstream society, the number of Jews opting for cremation appears to be increasing, forcing Jewish authorities to consider a number of related issues, including whether cremated remains may be interred in a Jewish cemetery and whether a rabbi may officiate at a funeral for someone who has been cremated.

Is cremation permitted by Jewish law?

Defenders of cremation point out that there is no explicit prohibition against cremation in Jewish legal sources. However there are prohibitions on defiling dead bodies and detailed procedures for handling them prior to burial - all of which appear inconsistent with the act of cremation. Proponents of cremation also point to biblical sources suggesting that Jews may have practiced the burning of dead bodies in ancient times.

Against that is a large body of Jewish literature that deals extensively with burial of the dead. In Genesis (3:19), God declares of man: "For dust you are, and to dust you shall return." Deuteronomy (21:23) commands in the case of an executed criminal, "You shall surely bury him." The requirement of burying the dead is explicitly codified in multiple later rabbinic sources as well, including Sanhedrin 46b, Maimonides' Sefer Hamitzvot and the Shulchan Aruch.

Moreover, there are additional historical, cultural and spiritual arguments against cremation. According to the Jewish mystical tradition, the soul does not immediately depart the body after death, and the process of decay in the earth allows a gradual separation rather than the more immediate and painful one resulting from the burning of the body. Cremation was historically associated with pagan practices that Jews are repeatedly enjoined in the Torah to reject. And because the body is traditionally considered the property of God, it is forbidden to defile it, which some regard the willful burning of human remains to be.

For all these reasons, Orthodox and Conservative rabbinic authorities maintain that cremation is prohibited. The Reform movement has adopted conflicting positions on this question over the years, but the most recent rabbinic opinion on the subject states that while cremation ought to be discouraged, the practice is not considered sinful.

Can the remains of cremated Jews be buried in a Jewish cemetery?

Generally yes. Even in traditional communities, the fact that someone may not have adhered to Jewish law in their lifetime does not constitute grounds for their exclusion from Jewish burial grounds. Individual burial societies or Jewish cemeteries might decline to inter the ashes of a cremated body, in part as a deterrent to others who might also choose cremation. But there is nothing in Jewish law that bars them from burying ashes. Many Jewish cemeteries are known to bury ashes upon request , and the Reform movement has said explicitly that cremated remains of a Jewish person should be buried in a Jewish cemetery.

Can a rabbi officiate at a funeral for someone who was cremated?

It depends on the circumstances. According to a ruling adopted by the Conservative movement's legal authorities in 1986, in a case where a family declines the advice of a rabbi not to cremate a family member's remains, the rabbi should not officiate at the interment, but may choose to officiate at a ceremony prior to the cremation. If the family did not consult a rabbi prior to cremation, the rabbi may choose to officiate at the interment. The Reform movement does not object to its rabbis presiding over a funeral at which a cremation is to take place.

Does a deceased's wish to be cremated have to be honored?

The Shulhan Arukh rules explicitly, citing Maimonides, that heirs must not respect the wishes of a deceased person not to be buried. While some rabbinic authorities differed on this point, contemporary Orthodox and Conservative authorities uphold the view that next of kin are not obliged to defer to the wishes of the deceased in such a case. The Reform movement has said that children are not forbidden from honoring a parent's request to be cremated, yet neither are they obliged to do so if it contravenes their own religious principles.

Is cremation cheaper than burial?

Yes. According to a study from the National Funeral Directors Association, the median cost of a funeral in the United States in 2014 was $7,181, while cremation cost $6,078 - and could easily be far lower if certain services were foregone. However, given the importance traditionally accorded to Jewish burial, many Jewish communities have resources, such as free burial societies, to subsidize a traditional burial in cases where the family lacks sufficient financial resources. In addition, it is traditional Jewish practice to bury someone in a simple pine casket, rather than the more expensive types of caskets that funeral homes often market.

Is embalming permissible in Jewish tradition?

Embalming is the process of preserving human remains, often to enhance presentability for public viewing. As with cremation, embalming is traditionally viewed as inconsistent with Jewish practices surrounding death and burial. Embalming a body is generally seen as a form of mutilation of the dead body, while the whole notion of preservation runs counter to the tradition that the dead be buried quickly and in as natural a state as possible. However exceptions for certain embalming procedures are occasionally made in extenuating circumstances, as when it is required by law or if a body must travel overseas for burial.

Articles on Cremation and the Jewish Community
National Jewish Burial Society Tries to Stem Increased Cremation Why I Oppose Cremation More Jews Opting for Cremation Half of Americans Choose Cremation As Views on Death Change Sign up for a Journey Through Grief & Mourning: Whether you have lost a loved one recently or just want to learn the basics of Jewish mourning rituals, this 8-part email series will guide you through everything you need to know and help you feel supported and comforted at a difficult time.

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Jewish Views on Cremation | My Jewish Learning

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Taboo in Jewish tradition, but increasingly popular nonetheless. Jewish law mandates that human remains be buried after death, and this has been dominant Jewish practice for millennia. Extensive sources from the Torah through the later rabbinic authorities attest to this requirement, and there is a powerful taboo against cremation reinforced by the millions of Jews burned in Nazi crematoria during the Holocaust.

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The Jewish coming-of-age ceremony stretches to accommodate the new gender fluidity.

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Credit Credit Cari Vander Yacht

Lion is a 13-year-old who lives in Brooklyn. The middle school student identifies as pangender, a term for feeling like you are every gender at once, and likes to go by "they" because it's an inclusive pronoun. "I can identify with male and female and others in between," they said. "I don't really feel masculine, and I don't really feel feminine."

They are also of the Jewish faith, and on Sept. 1, 2018, when they turned 13, they participated in a traditional coming-of-age ceremony: the one in which children become adults and mature members of their religious community.

Traditionally 13-year-old boys celebrate becoming bar mitzvahs (meaning "sons of commandment") and 12- or 13-year-old girls celebrate becoming bat mitzvahs ("daughters of commandment"). But Lion went an alternative route: a "they" mitzvah, if you will.

Their family got the idea from a set of twins who celebrated a b'nai mitzvah. "'B'nai' is just the plural form of the word 'bar' or 'bat,' so we thought maybe we can use that," said Hilda Cohen, Lion's mother. "We didn't make a big deal out of it. We just sort of did it."

Like other Jewish teens, Lion led the Saturday morning service, read from the Torah and gave a Dvar Torah, a speech about the Torah portion that focused on gratitude. After the kiddush, or celebratory meal, where the venue was covered in flowers of many hues, there was an ice-cream party in the garden of the family's Fort Greene townhouse.

The only difference was that in the invitation, the rabbi's speech and every blessing, in Hebrew and in English, "they" was used in place of "he" or "she."

This was a significant alteration. "If someone uses the wrong pronoun it can feel like a weight is added to your back," said Lion. "I have a friend who is nonbinary, gender-fluid, and their parents weren't as accepting. They still had a bar mitzvah even though they doesn't identify as a gender. It wasn't comfortable."

In recent years, more people have been questioning or exploring their gender expression, including teenagers. In Jewish circles this process can coincide with the time for bar and bat mitzvahs. To make space for transgender and nonbinary teenagers, more synagogues and Jewish communities have adopted they mitzvahs (b'nai mitzvahs or b'mitzvahs, as other congregations call them.)

"People want to have their whole lives reflect who they are, including major rites of passage," said Rabbi Rachel Timoner, the senior rabbi at Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn. "The traditions of Judaism adapt every generation. And this is one of the needs of our generation."

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Milah Carlone, 15, had a b'mitzvah at Romemu, a progressive, Upper West Side synagogue. "I'm gender fluid-ish," she said. "I'm comfortable with everything." Credit Sabrina Santiago for The New York Times

Milah Carlone is a 15-year-old who lives in New York City and identifies with the pronouns she, her, they and them. "I'm gender fluid-ish," she said. "I'm comfortable with everything." In April 2017, when Milah was 13, she had a b'mitzvah at Romemu, a progressive, Upper West Side synagogue.

For her Saturday morning prayer service she wore a suit with a bow tie that was navy blue with white polka dots. "I thought I looked great," Milah said. "It made me feel so comfortable." Some guests liked it so much they gave her other bow ties as gifts.

"Rabbis are always concerned if these new customs and traditions are O.K.," said Daniel Bahner, the national director of education and training for Keshet, a national organization that works for L.G.B.T.Q. equality and inclusion in Jewish life. Mr. Bahner said he gets at least one email a month from a clergy member regarding some detail of a they mitzvah.

There are, of course, etiquette challenges. "What do you do with family members who were expecting to get one invite, and they got another?" said Mr. Bahner.

Ms. Carlone said she had multiple relatives, especially grandparents and older cousins, who didn't know she identified as gender-fluid before her ceremony. They learned quickly when the rabbi kept referring to the service as a b'mitzvah and the teenager gave her Dvar Torah about her gender journey so far, and also arguing that God has no gender. "It was a really terrifying experience because I had all my friends from my school there too," she said. "But I'm lucky that everyone was super supportive.

"That's also why the b'mitzvah is amazing," she went on. "You are supposed to be growing up through this ceremony, so having this part of me in there was important."

Mrs. Cohen, Lion's mother, had many relatives, especially the older ones, who sent cards with the wrong pronoun. "I don't think they are being dismissive. They possibly don't understand it or don't know the right pronoun," she said, and added with a laugh: "We still cashed the check."

More traditional synagogues encounter problems with the Hebrew language. Like Spanish, it is a gendered language, in which every noun has a masculine or feminine ending. For example, you can't say "child" instead of boy or girl in Hebrew. So every act - blessing the teenager, addressing them, calling them up to the Torah - requires a gender specification.

Some synagogues have approached this problem by only using English, or updating English translations of Hebrew words to make them gender-neutral. But diverging from the text could take away from long and meaningful traditions if done without care, said Rabbi Tamara R. Cohen, chief of innovation at Moving Traditions, a Jewish organization that runs educational programs for teenagers and people who interact with them. (She created a curriculum to help synagogues deal with gender issues that is currently being implemented in synagogues in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Denver.)

There are some groups, like the Nonbinary Hebrew Project, that are working on building a new grammatical system for the Hebrew language, one that doesn't specify gender.

"There is a lot of work going on, but I don't know how much people will adopt it," said Rabbi Cohen. "So many people already don't know Hebrew as it stands."

Then there is the Orthodox community.

In many of these synagogues men and women don't just have different pronouns but different expectations for their bar or bat mitzvah day. In some congregations boys conduct an entire service while females have a party. Sometimes the ceremonies are only performed for the same gender (or there is separate seating), so where do gender-fluid or neutral folks land?

"We are still working on making Orthodox rabbis aware of the experience of being trans or gender nonconforming," said Miryam Kabakov, the executive director of Eshel, a nonprofit that works with L.G.B.T.Q. Jews who grew up in Orthodox communities. "And very little happens within an Orthodox synagogue without the rabbi's seal of approval."

But in her opinion, change is inevitable. "It is just a matter of time before we start hearing from more parents with younger children who are facing this dilemma," Ms. Kabakov said. "It's a good time for Orthodox leaders to start thinking about this reality."

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Bar or Bat Mitzvah? Hey, What About a Both Mitzvah?

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The Jewish coming-of-age ceremony stretches to accommodate the new gender fluidity. Lion is a 13-year-old who lives in Brooklyn. The middle school student identifies as pangender, a term for feeling like you are every gender at once, and likes to go by "they" because it's an inclusive pronoun.

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What do Jews Believe about the Afterlife?

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What do Jews Believe about the Afterlife?

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What do Jews Believe about the Afterlife

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After 1919, Jewish people in Germany were free and legally equal and often felt more German than Jewish. Many were wealthy and successful.

But there was an undercurrent of anti-Jewish racism, called ' ', in Germany. Hitler appealed to this anti-Semitism by blaming the Jewish people for Germany's defeat in the First World War. Nazi race-scientists incorrectly claimed that the Jewish people were sub-human.

As soon as Hitler came to power he introduced a programme of . The Nuremberg Laws (1935) deprived Jewish people of many of their civil rights. On 9 November 1938, Kristallnacht or the 'Night of Broken Glass' took place. Jewish businesses, synagogues and homes were attacked and destroyed. This was a response to the assassination of a German diplomat by a Polish Jewish man in Paris.

After the outbreak of World War Two in 1939, the Nazis stepped up the persecution of the Jewish people:

After 1941, following the invasion of the Soviet Union, Nazi death-squads, called 'einsatzgruppen', murdered more than a million Jewish people in eastern Europe.

In 1942, a Nazi conference at Wannsee decided on the 'Final Solution' - the Jewish people were to be systematically taken to camps such as Auschwitz and gassed.

Nobody knows how many Jewish people died during the Holocaust, but the usual figure given is 6 million.

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A summary of the Holocaust - The Holocaust - KS3 History Revision - BBC Bitesize

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After 1919, Jewish people in Germany were free and legally equal and often felt more German than Jewish. Many were wealthy and successful. But there was an undercurrent of anti-Jewish racism, called ' ', in Germany. Hitler appealed to this anti-Semitism by blaming the Jewish people for Germany's defeat in the First World War.

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Men and women in authority - Gender equality - GCSE Religious Studies Revision - WJEC - BBC Bitesize

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Learn about the different attitudes in Judaism towards the roles of women and men in worship and authority (WJEC).

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The Role of Women in Hasidic Judaism | Oprah's Next Chapter | Oprah Winfrey Network

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What Are Gender Roles in Judaism and Do They Work in 2021?

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The psychological brilliance of Judaism is apparent in its carefully ritualized structure for dealing with grief. The open expression of sorrow is part of the process, even encouraged. Yet, beginning with the family's arrival at home after burial, a process begins that leads the bereaved gently but firmly back to life and the world of the living.

The first stage in this gradual process of healing is called shiva. The period of shiva is intended to see mourners through the first days of intense grief and disorientation; Jewish tradition recognizes that grief continues long after shiva and offers additional rituals to support mourners beyond this initial period of grief.

What is the meaning of shiva?

Shiva is a Hebrew word meaning "seven" and refers to a seven-day period of formalized mourning by the immediate family of the deceased.

When did shiva originate?

The Talmud ( Sanhedrin 108b) holds that the practice originated prior to the Flood, which is described in the story of Noah in Genesis.

The Rabbis of the Talmud cite Genesis 7:10 as the earliest instance of shiva: "And it came to pass, after the seven days, that the waters of the Flood were upon the earth." The seven days, say the Rabbis, were a period of mourning for Methuselah, the oldest man who ever lived. In Genesis 50:10, the reference is made even more explicit. The text states: "And he [Joseph] mourned for his father [Jacob] for seven days."

When does shiva begin?

Shiva begins immediately after the burial and concludes a short time after the morning service (Shacharit) seven days later.

Does everyone observe shiva for a full seven days?

Although historically, shiva is observed for a full week, some Jews choose to observe a shorter shiva period. It is the mourning family's decision what shiva customs they wish to observe and for how long.

Jewish tradition teaches that there are times that shiva ends early. Some holidays interrupt the traditional timing for shiva. When certain holidays - Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Passover or Shavuot - fall during the shiva period, shiva concludes when the holiday begins, provided the mourners have already had time for shiva. Shiva does not conclude early for other Jewish holidays. Shiva is paused for Shabbat.

Where is shiva observed?

It is customary to observe shiva in the home of the deceased. If this is not possible, shiva may be marked in the home of an immediate family member or even a friend. Most important, the family should be together during this time.

For whom is shiva observed?

Jewish law historically cites observance of shiva for one's parents, sibling, child, or spouse.

How does shiva begin?

Before mourners and friends enter the home, tradition prescribes that they first wash their hands ritually, using a pitcher of water and a basin outside the front door.

Why are the hands washed?

This custom is generally explained in one of four ways:

1. When Jews buried their own dead, they washed their hands to prevent illness before returning home.

2. In ancient times, when an individual died of mysterious causes, the inhabitants of that city often washed their hands at the cemetery, symbolically affirming they had not shed innocent blood.

3. In later times, washing the hands became a ritual designed to wash off evil demons that some believed might have attached themselves at the cemetery.

4. A final rationale for the practice was to cleanse oneself from the ritual impurity associated with death and the cemetery.

Although many Jews observe this hand-washing ritual, it is not a universal practice.

What happens next?

Upon entering the house, a member of the family generally lights a shiva candle, which generally is provided by the funeral home and which will burn for seven days.

When did the shiva candle originate?

Although many scholars feel that the custom originated in the 13th century, others hold that it emerged from the Italian kabbalists in the 17th century. Regardless of its beginnings, it is clear that the candle is intended to symbolize both the soul of the deceased and the Shechinah, the light of God's presence. Scholars, in discussing this topic, often cite Proverbs 20:27: "The light of Adonai is the soul of man."

Does Jewish tradition emphasize any physical changes in the house of mourning?

Yes. There are two customs in particular that bear examination:

1. Boxes or low stools in place of, or in addition to, chairs

2. The covering of all mirrors

What is the purpose of low stools?

It is customary for members of the immediate family to sit on low stools or boxes during the shiva period. Indeed, it is probable that this practice resulted in the expression "sitting shiva." No one knows exactly how the custom originated. Many scholars cite Job 2:13, which, in relating the arrival of Job's three friends to comfort him, says: "For seven days and seven nights they sat beside him on the ground." Others trace it to II Samuel 13:31, in which King David is described as tearing his garments and laying himself on the ground in grief. Still others hold that we sit on stools to be closer to the ground and thus, symbolically, to our loved ones.

Whatever the exact beginnings of the custom, it has become almost universally accepted by Jews as a means of expressing grief and as a way to distinguish clearly this week of sorrow from everyday life.

Why are all mirrors covered?

There is no universal halachic (Jewish legal) prescription for covering mirrors. Wide acceptance of this custom, therefore, may lie in its sensitivity to a human reality.

Generally, mourners do not leave the home during shiva. Nor are they to shave, use makeup, or attempt to "look their best." The custom of covering mirrors implicitly conveys to the grief-stricken individual that personal appearance simply does not matter now. In doing so, it tacitly removes any cause for embarrassment that mourners might feel.

While neither sitting on stools nor covering mirrors is central to mourning in Reform Judaism, some Reform Jews choose to include one or both practices in their personal observance.

Is it OK to visit the house of mourning, and if so, when?

Before burial, grief is so strong as virtually to preclude consolation by even the most well-meaning friend. Additionally, immediate family is often consumed with the practical arrangements of the burial and funeral. Accordingly, the appropriate time for a condolence call begins after interment during the shiva week.

Jewish scholars see the condolence call as an ancient custom. The Talmud ( Sotah 14a), for example, teaches that consoling mourners was originally an act of God. This tractate cites Genesis 25:11, which states: "After the death of Abraham, God brought blessing to Isaac his son." Thus, states the Talmud, just as Isaac was consoled by God's presence, so too we are commanded to bring comfort to loved ones with our presence.

Many commentators cite Job 2:13 as the first instance of a condolence call, when Job's three friends "sat down with him upon the ground...for they saw that his grief was very great."

The Jewish value of nichum aveilim, or comforting the mourner, refers in part to the historical obligation to visit the house of mourning during the shiva period.

What happens during a shiva condolence call?

It is traditional not to knock or ring the doorbell, but rather just to enter a house of mourning, so as not to bother the mourners. Many do not observe this custom today, but it is a good idea to try the door before ringing the bell when paying a shiva call.

Upon entering the house of mourning, a member or friend of the family is often a greeter, bringing visitors into the living room or the room where the mourner is sitting. It is customary to wait to speak until after the mourner speaks. But, once you are acknowledged, all you need say is "I'm sorry." That simple phrase, a touch, or a hug will mean more to the mourner than you can ever know.

Shiva is a time to reminisce, remember, and recapture memories of a loved one. As such, a focus of a condolence call is to listen to those memories that the mourner wishes to share or to talk about other subjects initiated by the mourner that may have nothing to do with his or her loss.

Shiva condolence calls do not need to be longer than 30 minutes. Supporting, listening, and responding to the mourner are primary goals.

Should we bring a gift or flowers?

No. Except for food, it is not customary to bring anything to the house of mourning. Again, just being present is the main objective. If you wish, you can be to make a donation to the deceased's favorite charity or to a synagogue in his or her memory.

Is there food at shiva?

At the beginning of shiva, there is a meal called s'udat havraah, a Hebrew term that refers to the first meal served to mourners in the house of mourning upon returning from the cemetery. It is commonly known as the "meal of condolence."

When did the s'udat havraah originate?

The first mention of the s'udat havraah occurs in the Talmud. It directs that the first meal after burial of a loved one must be provided by friends. The meal prepared by neighbors, relatives, and fellow congregants thus helps the mourner begin to accept life again.

What foods are served at the s'udat havraah?

The traditional meal of comfort usually includes lentils, hard-boiled eggs, and bread - all foods that in Judaism are associated with life. Often, this meal is a dairy meal if the family keeps kosher.

Why do we eat eggs?

Eggs are an obvious symbol of life. At the seder table on Passover, a joyous occasion, they are dipped in salt water to acknowledge that life sometimes brings tears and pain. And, at the s'udat havraah, a time of grief, we eat hard-boiled eggs to affirm hope in the face of death.

Why do we eat bread?

Bread is the staff of life in Judaism and, indeed, in virtually every major faith and culture. At a time of mourning, it is especially appropriate.

Is it permitted to have liquor at the s'udat havraah?

Yes. In fact, one Talmudic passage infers that it is praiseworthy for friends to provide mourners with wine. This teaching is based on Proverbs 31:6-7: "Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto the bitter in soul; let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his trouble no more." Of course, wine or liquor should be drunk in moderation and should not be used as an attempt to avoid the reality of bereavement or feelings of loss. The meal of consolation is a mitzvah (a sacred obligation), not in any way a social event.

May friends bring food to the house of mourning throughout shiva?

Yes. It is considered an act of great caring to free the family from everyday concerns during shiva. The beginning of shiva also offers friends an opportunity to express their sympathy through visits to the home. At the same time, those in mourning initiate a process that will ultimately lead them back to the world. This process involves many customs with a twin rationale: acceptance of death and a determination to return to life.

May we pay more than one condolence call during shiva?

Yes. Especially for those close to the deceased's family, it is appropriate to come each day, particularly for the daily minyan, which is a central custom of shiva.

Will there be a religious service at the house of mourning?

It is customary for a daily service, known as a shiva minyan, to be held usually in the late afternoon or early evening. This brief service allows the mourners to recite the , the prayer recited in memory of the deceased. This can also be a time for publicly sharing memories of the deceased. Sometimes, the mourners gather together for a meal following the brief service.

Can we visit mourners on Shabbat?

Since Jewish law prohibits sitting shiva on Shabbat, most people do not receive visitors during Shabbat (sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday).

What if we cannot be physically present during shiva?

It is proper and comforting to write a card or note if you cannot be present. If you were close to the deceased, mourners would usually also welcome a phone call. It can also be thoughtful to make a donation to the deceased's favorite charity or to a synagogue in his or her memory.

How does a mourning family mark the end of shiva?

Some Jews find it meaningful to follow a Jewish custom to mark the end of shiva: a walk around the block. This can tenderly symbolize mourners' slow reentry into the outside world. Friends and family can accompany mourners on this walk as a show of support.
Parts of this article were adapted from Rabbi Ana Bonnheim Watch this Bimbam video to learn more: is the program director for Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion's Founders' Fellowship. She lives in Charlotte, NC. The Jewish Home: A Guide for Jewish Living (Revised Edition), by Daniel B. Syme

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Everything You Need to Know About the Jewish Custom of Shiva

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The psychological brilliance of Judaism is apparent in its carefully ritualized structure for dealing with grief. The open expression of sorrow is part of the process, even encouraged. Yet, beginning with the family's arrival at home after burial, a process begins that leads the bereaved gently but firmly back to life and the world of the living.

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What is the meaning of bar/bat mitzvah?

Bar and bat mitzvah mean, literally, "son and daughter of the commandment." Bat mitzvah is Hebrew, while bar mitzvah, historically a much earlier ceremony, is Aramaic. The word bar is the Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew ben (son of). While bar and bat mitzvah are often used to refer to the ceremony, the terms also refer to the child. Thus, a boy if referred to as a "bar mitzvah" and a girl as a "bat mitzvah."

Historically, first bar mitzvah and later bat mitzvah represented a ceremonial recognition that a young person had reached the age when he or she was no longer a minor according to Jewish law and thereby took on new religious privileges and responsibilities of an adult. For boys, this age was 13, for girls, 12.

What is the origin of bat mitzvah?

The bar mitzvah ceremony was developed as a public recognition of a legal and religious status, attained with or without the ritual. In other words, a Jewish boy of 13 years and one day automatically became a bar mitzvah even if no public ceremony took place. While the beginnings of the modern bar mitzvah ceremony appeared as early as the sixth century C.E., it was not until the Middle Ages that a fully developed ritual emerged. By the 13th or 14th century, the custom of calling a boy up to the Torah was established as the way of recognizing entry into manhood. The bar mitzvah boy would chant the blessings, all or part of the Torah portion of the week, and/or the haftarah section from the prophetic books. The boy's father would then recite a special blessing: Baruch sheptarani mei-onsho shelazeh. "Blessed is He who has freed me from responsibility for this boy." The bar mitzvah boy would often give a scholarly address on the Torah portionor some section of the Talmud. Then followed a gala feast, called s'udat mitzvah ("meal of celebrating the performance of a mitzvah"), to which family, friends, and sometimes the entire Jewish community would be invited. In short, then, almost all the elements we associate with the modern bar mitzvah ceremony were present by the Middle Ages. Learn more about the origins of b'nai mitzvah.

When did bat mitzvah begin?

Starting in the second or third century C.E., Jewish girls at age 12 took on legal responsibility for the performance of the mitzvot. As with age 13 for boys, 12 probably corresponded with their onset of puberty. However, girls were subject to far fewer commandments than boys. Today, liberal Jews affirm the total equality of women in terms of religious privileges and responsibilities. In the 1800s, Reform Judaism abolished bar mitzvah in favor of confirmation for both boys and girls (bat mitzvah was not considered an option at that time). Within the 19th-century traditional community, some families held a s'udat mitzvah for a daughter on her 12th birthday, with the girl sometimes delivering a talk and her father reciting the Baruch Sheptarani.

The first-known bat mitzvah in North America was that of Judith Kaplan, the daughter of Mordecai Kaplan, in 1921. Reform Judaism (which had by this time reintroduced bar mitzvah) and then Conservative congregations quickly adopted bat mitzvah, though in slightly different forms.

Celebrating Bar/Bat Mitzvah Today

When does a bar or bat mitzvah take place?

In Reform synagogues, girls and boys mark symbolic entry into Jewish adulthood at age thirteen. The bar or bar mitzvah is usually celebrated on the Shabbat closest to the child's thirteenth birthday. Congregations usually schedule these dates a couple of years in advance, giving the family plenty of time to plan for the day.

What does the bar/bat mitzvah do in the service?

Depending on the congregation, boys and girls may conduct all or part of the service, read or chant the b'rachot over the Torah (an aliyah), read a section from the Torah portionfor that week, read or chant the b'rachot for the haftarah, read a section from the haftarah, and deliver a sermon.

The Hebrew word aliyah (literally, "going up") is used as a description of being "called up" to read from the Torah. Aliyah is also the word used to describe the act of immigration to Israel. In Jewish tradition, as far back as biblical times, going to Israel was always referred to as "going up."

Are there times besides bar/bat mitzvah when Jews are called up to the Torah for an

In Reform Judaism, any adult Jewish member of the congregation may be called up to the Torah for an aliyah at any Torah service. It is common practice in all branches of Judaism to mark with an aliyah occasions such as the birth of a child, an impending marriage, or recovery from an illness.

Are bar and bat mitzvah always celebrated in the synagogue?

Most families consider the synagogue the most meaningful, appropriate, and moving setting for a bar/bat mitzvah. Bar/bat mitzvah has significance both personally and communally. A bar or bat mitzvah holds great significance for a synagogue community. It celebrates the congregation's efforts to educate a child. Once a child becomes a bar or bat mitzvah, they may now be counted in a minyan, the quorum required for the recitation of certain prayers during a worship service. They may now be called for an aliyah, or invited to read from the Torah on future occasions. A child, having become a bar or bat mitzvah, may now go on to advanced Jewish learning in their congregation.

In recent years, growing numbers of families have chosen to travel to Israel to celebrate their simcha at the Western Wall in Jerusalem or at the top of Masada. While this may limit the number of family members and friends who can attend, these can be powerful Jewish experiences.

How far in advance should a boy or girl begin to prepare for bar or bat mitzvah?

For bar/bat mitzvah to be both a meaningful and substantive Jewish moment, it is essential that it be based on more than a crash course of study. Several years in the religious/Hebrew school of a synagogue prior to bar/bat mitzvah is recommended as a minimum of requisite Jewish education. In addition to Jewish history, observance, and the study of Torah, children learn how to participate in and lead worship. As part of the preparation to become a bar or bat mitzvah, most synagogues ask boys and girls to participate in a mitzvah project. In doing so, they apply their Jewish learning to help make the world a better place.

What should we do about a party?

The bar/bat mitzvah party derives from the custom of serving a s'udat mitzvah ("meal celebrating the performance of a mitzvah"), which arose in the Middle Ages.As early as the thirteenth century, local Jewish communities were concerned thatsuch feasts might become ostentatious and wasteful displays of wealth, therebydetracting from the ceremony's religious significance. Accordingly, communityleaders often enacted formal legislation, strict guidelines, or special taxes to limitthe size and nature of these feasts.

While the custom of each congregational community most often dictates the form of bar/bat mitzvah parties, more Jewish families today invest the celebration with deeper Jewish feeling. Israeli dancing and singing, for example, as well as the giving of tzedakah, are evident more than ever. Jews love simchah s and celebrations with family and friends, and now that joy is being shared in ways that are ever more Jewish.

What if you never had a bar/bat mitzvah?

It's never too late to have a bar or bat mitzvah. Whether you are sixteen or sixty, if you want a bar/bat mitzvah, you should have one. Many congregations have created adult bar/bat mitzvah programs for individual or group instruction. As a result, rabbis throughout North America have reported officiating at bar/bat mitzvah services for members well into their eighties. If you did not celebrate becoming a bar/bat mitzvah, speak to your rabbi. It can be one of the most fulfilling experiences of your adult life.

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What is the meaning of bar/bat mitzvah? Bar and bat mitzvah mean, literally, "son and daughter of the commandment." Bat mitzvah is Hebrew, while bar mitzvah, historically a much earlier ceremony, is Aramaic. The word bar is the Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew ben (son of).

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Judaism develops (article) | Early Judaism | Khan Academy

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Dr. Rachael Turkeinicz explains the purpose behind Bar Mitzvah

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Dr. Rachael Turkeinicz explains the purpose behind Bar Mitzvah

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The purpose of a Bar/Bat Mitzvah from a Parent's Point of View

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The purpose of a Bar/Bat Mitzvah from a Parent's Point of View

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Celebrating My Son's Bar Mitzvah || Mayim Bialik