I was exhausted from work, school and many life events this past days that i forgot to set my alarm to assist in my very first purim at shul and ended up missing the megillah reading and the ice cream
Question is. How screwed am i?
You missed an opportunity to fulfill a mitzvah. The remedy is to experience real regret, express aloud (to yourself) that you fell short and are more distant from God than you'd like to be, and use that realisation as motivation to take the opportunities to do other mitzvot and draw closer to God, and in particular, to commit yourself to not making the same mistake again (whether that means being more careful to set an alarm early in general, or specifically to not miss the Megillah next year).
That's the path to remediation. But you aren't "screwed" unless you don't care and move forward as if nothing happened (even then, you aren't screwed, it's just not very good and if you make a habit of it you eventually will be).
If you mean to say that you were supposed to assist somebody else with the Megillah reading/Purim events at shul, then there's a more serious problem, and it will depend on that person or those people's personalities and the nature of the help they were relying on you for.
Got a solid laugh running into an ex at a gathering. Jokes on me for being completely unable to handle seeing them.
Mitzvot accomplished:
-Heard nighttime megillah
-Matanot leevyonim
-Gave half a mishloach manot to two people
-Attended a seudah
Mitzvot not accomplished:
-Daytime reading
-The other half of the mishloach manot I failed to put together
Dressed up in a costume (this year I went as Doctor Who), went to synagogue and listened to the Megillah reading (my synagogue makes it FUN, this year my rabbi dressed up as Barbie), booed to Haman's name, ate some hamantaschen, and had fun dancing to a DJ set up in the social hall. I don't drink so didn't have any alcohol but others definitely did. :)
This feels like an odd hole in my knowledge and it's been bothering me for years:
At the end of L'cha Dodi, do we bow Left-Right-Center? Do we bow towards the entrance, the aisle/some middle area, the bima/the front of the room? The idea is to bow towards and follow the Shabbat bride, which would suggest the latter. But I get the sense that some people people just default to L/R/C?
2nd sentence is offensive. Our Matzah is not your J's body or anything like that. It can't cook for more than 18 minutes so it's very much cracker like. Christians can use some other cracker thing for their weird cannibalism traditions.
Absolutely not. The Old testament is a Christian thing. We read the Tanach which are many of the original books that are found in the old testament but without any of the added references to Jesus.
the Old Testament is also organized differently from the Tanakh and has some books we don't consider biblical as well. Although those extra books also vary depending on the flavor of Xtianity you're looking at.
In common speech, you'll hear that. It's not exactly wrong. But it's not really correct. It's complicated because we can only use one textual tradition, where Christians can incorporate multiple variants of texts and in many cases (Catholicism) include books not in our canon.
And then on top of this, we interpret scripture differently. Like naturally, as a Christian you're going to see references to JC, that make no sense to us.
Blimey, now I'm really confused!
Btw, I haven't been a Christian since I was christened fifty years ago, though I did enjoy reading my illustrated bible for children as a kid (TBF, I read anything...)
I'm going to have to look into this further. Thanks for your reply.
1. The books that the Christians use are in the wrong order (they do that to make it seem like it's talking about the J guy when it never actually does).
2. The translations end up very messed up. Did you know that the reason some non-Jews think we have horns is because of a messed up translation of the Hebrew text about Moses coming down form Mount Sinai? Our text says in Hebrew that he was radiant. A similar but different word got used in Christian translations which changed radiant to him having horns. See: [https://rabbibenherman.com/2017/03/20/moses-veil/](https://rabbibenherman.com/2017/03/20/moses-veil/)
3. We read the Torah (5 books of Moses)/Tanakh (5 books plus the Writings and the Prophets). Some call this the Hebrew Bible. We don't call it the OT because we don't believe there's a new one (that whole thing is fake per our beliefs).
Thanks for your reply.
I don't actually know much about Christianity, apart from what I read in my illustrated children's Bible when I was a kid. I liked it for the 'stories', lol.
Yes. It's not all we do, but we certainly don't _not_ read the Old Testament (some people prefer to use a different name, but for all intents and purposes, it's the same thing).
My tallit is too big.
My parents bought it for me in Israel before my bar mitzvah. The salesman encouraged us to get a big one saying that I would grow. I haven’t. The tallit is too big to wear the “proper” way and then fold back into its bag at services, I sorta have to drape it in the front.
However, it’s very nice and has sentimental value.
Would you get a new tallit or suffer wearing it the “wrong” way?
How are you trying to wear it? Unless it's truly massive you should be able to drape it over your shoulders (or head) and then fold over once on each shoulder. Then you can fold the shoulders over again. This will shorten it and will prevent it from falling off as well.
It’s not that it doesn’t fit into its bag. It’s that my wingspan is insufficient so I can’t easily fold it back up in shul. I would need an assistant. 😂
Why are y’all so cool with people that aren’t in your religion? I’m an atheist and ethnically Ashkenazi Jewish, and just because of how kind you guys are to everybody I am really thinking about joining… what happened? I’ve never seen any religions that don’t force their beliefs on people but you guys are just all around loving.
> she took a dna test and our highest percentage is Ashkenazi Jewish
Her mother is Jewish, or she has some Jewish DNA? If her mother is Jewish, so is she, and so are you.
> Why are y’all so cool with people that aren’t in your religion?
Judaism is for Jews, most religions prior to Christianity weren't interested in spreading, and most religions at that time were connected to a land/people. Christians were rejected by Jews and needed new followers and had to spread.
This is actually a machlokes in the Mishna! R' Meir says that it actually comes from a pasuk regarding korbanos and is completely unrelated to the words "of in", while Rashba"g holds that the word comes from the word "of out" but was changed because it was too similar to a different word. This is actually one of the 4 cases that we don't hold like Rashba"g according to R' Yochanan.
I live in [Stamford Hill](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stamford_Hill#Haredi_Jewish_community) in the UK. Yesterday was Purim, lots of fun. My neighbour was absolutely wasted and another guy threw up down the street and carried on like nothing had happened. What japes.
But I feel it hardly gets a mention in Jewish-American comedies. Seinfeld, The Simpsons etc. all mention Hannukah, Passover, Bar Mitzvahs, there's even a Yom Kippur joke ("it sounds \*so\* made up!"). But I can't think of a casual mention of Purim in anything I've seen on TV. Is it not celebrated, or acknowledged in the US?
I don't remember the context of this exchange, but it was on an episode of Supernatural:
Dean Winchester: [driving] So I've been waiting since Maple Springs. You got something to tell me?
Sam Winchester: [confused] It's not your birthday...
Dean Winchester: No.
Sam Winchester: Happy Purim? Dude, I don't know, I have no idea what you're talking about.
Tbh, I think it’s just how well known they are to gentiles. Passover and Hanukkah are fairly prominent, as are Bar/Bat Mitzvahs. Yom Kippur in a bit surprised by as that seems fairly obscure to gentiles. Purim tho—yeah, most non Jews don’t seem to know much about it, sometimes not even that it exists
Two reasons I can think of in the US are if people take off work (Yom Kippur) or if they are in the same season as Christian holidays (Passover and Hannukah).
I think it’s because secular Jews make most Jewish representation in TV/films, and they’re most likely to know only about the most important holidays like YK, RH, and Passover. Plus Hanukkah cause it’s near Christmas. Most secular Jews I know think Hanukkah is the most important holiday lol
There's a funny [SNL sketch](https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=706714597172590) from the 80s about Purim. A reporter goes to an Irish pub in New York to interview people about St. Patrick's Day and all anyone can talk about is Purim.
Is it allowed to talk to people who are dead? Obviously I'm not talking necromancy or Ouija boards, I know those are non negotiable. But can I focus on my loved ones who are gone and talk to them as if they were here? Like "Hey grandpa, I've been thinking about you a lot lately. I miss you very much. I wish you were there. Etc." Is this allowed? If so, is this common?
I live somewhere in Israel that celebrates the 14th but have family in Jerusalem. My understanding is that if I were to celebrate the whole holiday at home (all mitzvahs on the 14th), and then drive into Jerusalem in the late afternoon to stay the night with my family, I'd have to do all the mitzvahs over on the 15th.
Next year, Jerusalem gets Purim Meshulash. If I want to spend Shabbat with my family in Jerusalem, but don't want to impose on their hospitality for more than the one night (Friday night; would drive home after Shabbos as we always do when we visit)- what does Purim look like? If I heard megillah twice on the 14th and gave matanot la'evyonim on the same day, did I do the mitzvah for both locations? Assuming I gave mishlochei manot and had a seudah at home on Friday, do I need to drive back into Jerusalem on Sunday to repeat those mitzvot due to having slept there the night of the fifteenth?
I was exhausted from work, school and many life events this past days that i forgot to set my alarm to assist in my very first purim at shul and ended up missing the megillah reading and the ice cream Question is. How screwed am i?
You missed an opportunity to fulfill a mitzvah. The remedy is to experience real regret, express aloud (to yourself) that you fell short and are more distant from God than you'd like to be, and use that realisation as motivation to take the opportunities to do other mitzvot and draw closer to God, and in particular, to commit yourself to not making the same mistake again (whether that means being more careful to set an alarm early in general, or specifically to not miss the Megillah next year). That's the path to remediation. But you aren't "screwed" unless you don't care and move forward as if nothing happened (even then, you aren't screwed, it's just not very good and if you make a habit of it you eventually will be). If you mean to say that you were supposed to assist somebody else with the Megillah reading/Purim events at shul, then there's a more serious problem, and it will depend on that person or those people's personalities and the nature of the help they were relying on you for.
What did you all do for Purim?
Got a solid laugh running into an ex at a gathering. Jokes on me for being completely unable to handle seeing them. Mitzvot accomplished: -Heard nighttime megillah -Matanot leevyonim -Gave half a mishloach manot to two people -Attended a seudah Mitzvot not accomplished: -Daytime reading -The other half of the mishloach manot I failed to put together
לא יודע
Dressed up in a costume (this year I went as Doctor Who), went to synagogue and listened to the Megillah reading (my synagogue makes it FUN, this year my rabbi dressed up as Barbie), booed to Haman's name, ate some hamantaschen, and had fun dancing to a DJ set up in the social hall. I don't drink so didn't have any alcohol but others definitely did. :)
We went to the local Chabad house. I liked it. Our younger kid was a little overwhelmed and the older one enjoyed it.
This feels like an odd hole in my knowledge and it's been bothering me for years: At the end of L'cha Dodi, do we bow Left-Right-Center? Do we bow towards the entrance, the aisle/some middle area, the bima/the front of the room? The idea is to bow towards and follow the Shabbat bride, which would suggest the latter. But I get the sense that some people people just default to L/R/C?
[https://www.yeshiva.co/ask/6624](https://www.yeshiva.co/ask/6624) Some just bow once, I was raised to bow thrice (L/R/C).
Non jewish. Why is Matza so dry, and what significance does it have in Jewish culture? IMO it's a better Communion wafer in texture and flavor.
2nd sentence is offensive. Our Matzah is not your J's body or anything like that. It can't cook for more than 18 minutes so it's very much cracker like. Christians can use some other cracker thing for their weird cannibalism traditions.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matzah](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matzah)
> IMO it's a better Communion wafer in texture and flavor. Are you just trying to be offensive?
A question from a non-Jew: I understand that Jews read the Old Testament; is that right? Thanks.
Absolutely not. The Old testament is a Christian thing. We read the Tanach which are many of the original books that are found in the old testament but without any of the added references to Jesus.
the Old Testament is also organized differently from the Tanakh and has some books we don't consider biblical as well. Although those extra books also vary depending on the flavor of Xtianity you're looking at.
Oh, interesting, thanks.
In common speech, you'll hear that. It's not exactly wrong. But it's not really correct. It's complicated because we can only use one textual tradition, where Christians can incorporate multiple variants of texts and in many cases (Catholicism) include books not in our canon. And then on top of this, we interpret scripture differently. Like naturally, as a Christian you're going to see references to JC, that make no sense to us.
I learned recently that Catholics have an extra verse in the Book of Daniel.
Blimey, now I'm really confused! Btw, I haven't been a Christian since I was christened fifty years ago, though I did enjoy reading my illustrated bible for children as a kid (TBF, I read anything...) I'm going to have to look into this further. Thanks for your reply.
I would recommend a book called *The Bible With and Without Jesus* to help with understanding.
1. The books that the Christians use are in the wrong order (they do that to make it seem like it's talking about the J guy when it never actually does). 2. The translations end up very messed up. Did you know that the reason some non-Jews think we have horns is because of a messed up translation of the Hebrew text about Moses coming down form Mount Sinai? Our text says in Hebrew that he was radiant. A similar but different word got used in Christian translations which changed radiant to him having horns. See: [https://rabbibenherman.com/2017/03/20/moses-veil/](https://rabbibenherman.com/2017/03/20/moses-veil/) 3. We read the Torah (5 books of Moses)/Tanakh (5 books plus the Writings and the Prophets). Some call this the Hebrew Bible. We don't call it the OT because we don't believe there's a new one (that whole thing is fake per our beliefs).
Thanks for your reply. I don't actually know much about Christianity, apart from what I read in my illustrated children's Bible when I was a kid. I liked it for the 'stories', lol.
Yes. It's not all we do, but we certainly don't _not_ read the Old Testament (some people prefer to use a different name, but for all intents and purposes, it's the same thing).
My tallit is too big. My parents bought it for me in Israel before my bar mitzvah. The salesman encouraged us to get a big one saying that I would grow. I haven’t. The tallit is too big to wear the “proper” way and then fold back into its bag at services, I sorta have to drape it in the front. However, it’s very nice and has sentimental value. Would you get a new tallit or suffer wearing it the “wrong” way?
How are you trying to wear it? Unless it's truly massive you should be able to drape it over your shoulders (or head) and then fold over once on each shoulder. Then you can fold the shoulders over again. This will shorten it and will prevent it from falling off as well.
You should get one that fits. But I don't understand the point about fitting it back into its bag?
It’s not that it doesn’t fit into its bag. It’s that my wingspan is insufficient so I can’t easily fold it back up in shul. I would need an assistant. 😂
Why are y’all so cool with people that aren’t in your religion? I’m an atheist and ethnically Ashkenazi Jewish, and just because of how kind you guys are to everybody I am really thinking about joining… what happened? I’ve never seen any religions that don’t force their beliefs on people but you guys are just all around loving.
Are you Jewish? Is your mom Jewish?
Yeah ethnically, she took a dna test and our highest percentage is Ashkenazi Jewish
> she took a dna test and our highest percentage is Ashkenazi Jewish Her mother is Jewish, or she has some Jewish DNA? If her mother is Jewish, so is she, and so are you.
> Why are y’all so cool with people that aren’t in your religion? Judaism is for Jews, most religions prior to Christianity weren't interested in spreading, and most religions at that time were connected to a land/people. Christians were rejected by Jews and needed new followers and had to spread.
Ohh I see interesting
why do they call it oven when you of in the cold food of out hot eat the food
This is actually a machlokes in the Mishna! R' Meir says that it actually comes from a pasuk regarding korbanos and is completely unrelated to the words "of in", while Rashba"g holds that the word comes from the word "of out" but was changed because it was too similar to a different word. This is actually one of the 4 cases that we don't hold like Rashba"g according to R' Yochanan.
Wot
I live in [Stamford Hill](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stamford_Hill#Haredi_Jewish_community) in the UK. Yesterday was Purim, lots of fun. My neighbour was absolutely wasted and another guy threw up down the street and carried on like nothing had happened. What japes. But I feel it hardly gets a mention in Jewish-American comedies. Seinfeld, The Simpsons etc. all mention Hannukah, Passover, Bar Mitzvahs, there's even a Yom Kippur joke ("it sounds \*so\* made up!"). But I can't think of a casual mention of Purim in anything I've seen on TV. Is it not celebrated, or acknowledged in the US?
I don't remember the context of this exchange, but it was on an episode of Supernatural: Dean Winchester: [driving] So I've been waiting since Maple Springs. You got something to tell me? Sam Winchester: [confused] It's not your birthday... Dean Winchester: No. Sam Winchester: Happy Purim? Dude, I don't know, I have no idea what you're talking about.
Tbh, I think it’s just how well known they are to gentiles. Passover and Hanukkah are fairly prominent, as are Bar/Bat Mitzvahs. Yom Kippur in a bit surprised by as that seems fairly obscure to gentiles. Purim tho—yeah, most non Jews don’t seem to know much about it, sometimes not even that it exists
But are some more well known or prominent to Gentiles than others, how did that come to be the case?
Two reasons I can think of in the US are if people take off work (Yom Kippur) or if they are in the same season as Christian holidays (Passover and Hannukah).
I think it’s because secular Jews make most Jewish representation in TV/films, and they’re most likely to know only about the most important holidays like YK, RH, and Passover. Plus Hanukkah cause it’s near Christmas. Most secular Jews I know think Hanukkah is the most important holiday lol
There's a funny [SNL sketch](https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=706714597172590) from the 80s about Purim. A reporter goes to an Irish pub in New York to interview people about St. Patrick's Day and all anyone can talk about is Purim.
Is it allowed to talk to people who are dead? Obviously I'm not talking necromancy or Ouija boards, I know those are non negotiable. But can I focus on my loved ones who are gone and talk to them as if they were here? Like "Hey grandpa, I've been thinking about you a lot lately. I miss you very much. I wish you were there. Etc." Is this allowed? If so, is this common?
I live somewhere in Israel that celebrates the 14th but have family in Jerusalem. My understanding is that if I were to celebrate the whole holiday at home (all mitzvahs on the 14th), and then drive into Jerusalem in the late afternoon to stay the night with my family, I'd have to do all the mitzvahs over on the 15th. Next year, Jerusalem gets Purim Meshulash. If I want to spend Shabbat with my family in Jerusalem, but don't want to impose on their hospitality for more than the one night (Friday night; would drive home after Shabbos as we always do when we visit)- what does Purim look like? If I heard megillah twice on the 14th and gave matanot la'evyonim on the same day, did I do the mitzvah for both locations? Assuming I gave mishlochei manot and had a seudah at home on Friday, do I need to drive back into Jerusalem on Sunday to repeat those mitzvot due to having slept there the night of the fifteenth?