Judaism Ask A Rabbi Anything!

Hey guys! I came across this thread:
http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/judaism/17453-jews-sikhs-how-similar-can-we-3.html

And realized that you may need someone to answer some questions for you!
Growing up, some of my closest friends were Sikhs and I've always had a high level of respect for you guys.

Fire away dudes!

-Sholom

Growing up, some of my closest friends were Sikhs

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Rabbi welcome, I can't think of a question ,perhaps you could be so kind as to provide the question and the answer ,as this is somewhat what God seems to do.

Hi, Rabbi! Looks like we Sikhs are short on questions right now, eh?

My Dad was an inedible man, born the seventh son of a Punjabi farmer, exiled at a young age, who became a world traveller and educated himself (and me) in just about everything.

When I was about 13, he developed an interest in Judaism, You might enjoy reading about his friendship with a rabbi in the following years. Boy, could those two argue!

swordfight

Dad and the Rabbi Part One
http://unringedbell.blogspot.com/2007_10_01_archive.htmlDad and the Rabbi Part Two

Please feel free to correct me on any factual errors I have made. Thanks.

BTW, I'm a dudette, not a dude.

Mai Harinder Kaur said:

Hi, Rabbi! Looks like we Sikhs are short on questions right now, eh?

My Dad was an inedible man, born the seventh son of a Punjabi farmer, exiled at a young age, who became a world traveller and educated himself (and me) in just about everything.

When I was about 13, he developed an interest in Judaism, You might enjoy reading about his friendship with a rabbi in the following years. Boy, could those two argue!

swordfight

Dad and the Rabbi Part One
http://unringedbell.blogspot.com/2007_10_01_archive.htmlDad and the Rabbi Part Two

Please feel free to correct me on any factual errors I have made. Thanks.

BTW, I'm a dudette, not a dude.

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Maiji,

All men are made edible :grinningsingh:

harry haller said:

Maiji,

All men are made edible :grinningsingh:

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Not my Dad! He was too old and tough. Anyway, I am told that lion is unpalatable.

:angryyoungsingh:

And, of course, in addition to being inedible, he was also incredible.

:singhsippingcoffee:

Actually Maiji, I thought you meant to say indelible, but at least we have clarification that your father was an inedible indelible incredible man

harry haller said:

Actually Maiji, I thought you meant to say indelible, but at least we have clarification that your father was an inedible indelible incredible man

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And he would right now be doubled over laughing at all this.

But back to the rabbi...

welcomemundawelcomekaur

Dear Rabbi, I have thought on it and what has come to mind is that the majority of both Jews and Sikhs in the West are no longer orthodox ,what are your feelings on this and what is the spiritual meaning behind the bold beard and the beautiful black attire.

Mai Harinder Kaur said:

Hi, Rabbi! Looks like we Sikhs are short on questions right now, eh?

My Dad was an inedible man, born the seventh son of a Punjabi farmer, exiled at a young age, who became a world traveller and educated himself (and me) in just about everything.

When I was about 13, he developed an interest in Judaism, You might enjoy reading about his friendship with a rabbi in the following years. Boy, could those two argue!

swordfight

Dad and the Rabbi Part One
http://unringedbell.blogspot.com/2007_10_01_archive.htmlDad and the Rabbi Part Two



Please feel free to correct me on any factual errors I have made. Thanks.

BTW, I'm a dudette, not a dude.

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Thanks for the welcome! I'll check those out soon.

Scarlet Pimpernel said:

Dear Rabbi, I have thought on it and what has come to mind is that the majority of both Jews and Sikhs in the West are no longer orthodox ,what are your feelings on this and what is the spiritual meaning behind the bold beard and the beautiful black attire.

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Hi, Scarlet!

I think that secularization and interfaith marriages are the bane of our faiths and peoples. The west if free, and thank G-d for that. We do not suffer persecution but secularization also opens up our peoples to secular thought and other peoples beliefs, which may erode our own.

It's a double edged sword.

In regards to the beard, Jews are forbidden to shave our beards with a razor (or pumice stone) but may trim it with scissors, and some do. However, the
beard is also a very holy thing.

In Judaism, there is the concept that if a there is a negative commandment, as in this case "do not shave", then there is an accompanying positive commandment to have a beard. So, as a beard is the vessel of a positive commandment, it is holy. The same applies to peyos (sidelocks).

The black attire is about two things:

The first, is that G-d has commanded us NOT to wear the attire of the nations around us. We are supposed to be " a nation of priests and holy people". Fashion is mundane, we have no business associating ourselves with mundane things.

The garb differs from school to school, also. If a particular Rav or Rebbe (like Gurus) do something, people try to emulate their Rebbe or Rav by copying his dress, as well as his tune in prayer, his Talit (prayer shawl) etc. in the attempt to follow in his foot steps and become closer to G-d.

-Sholom

Oh, I wanted to bring something up about a comment made in the thread in the OP.

Jews do not believe that one can only become close to G-d through Judaism. Judaism is for Jews. Jews believe that anyone non-Jew who performs the 7 Noahide laws (a set of laws given from G-d to Noah after the flood), they can also become holy and be servants of G-d. The 7 Noahide Laws are as follows:

1.Prohibition of Idolatry
2.Prohibition of Murder
3.Prohibition of Theft
4.Prohibition of Sexual immorality
5.Prohibition of Blasphemy
6.Prohibition of eating flesh taken from an animal while it is still alive
7.Establishment of courts of law

Now any upstanding citizen does these laws already, and any person of any religion who fits into those 7 laws is also deemed righteous, regardless of customs or practice.

" a nation of priests and holy people".

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Thankyou for responding,forgive my earlier post, I tried to edit it but I'm not allowed to as I've been a little illusive with my editing.What a wonderful thing for a nation to be ,even more so if the world was the nation of G-d,the arranged marriages in the Sikh culture serve the same purpose as the arranged ones in your culture although they are stricter in the sense that historical background comes into it, for example landowners tend to want their children to marry other land owners children etc etc.

I love those laws it seems like modern law is based on those precepts ,but could you explain the seventh Noahide Law, by the way those laws are very like the Buddhist 5 Precepts

1. "Do not kill." (Unintentional killing is considered less offensive)
2. "Do not steal." (Including misappropriating someone's property)
3. "Do not engage in improper sexual conduct." (e.g. sexual contact not sanctioned by secular laws, the Buddhist monastic code, or by one's parents and guardians)
4. "Do not make false statements." (Also includes pretending to know something one doesn't) I do alot of this one
5. "Do not drink alcohol." I do a fair bit of this one too

I respect that you are not overly aescetically minded although you have to admit James Bond always looks good and is good aswell.
I understand the part about emulate, my father tried to emulate the village holy man in India and it was that which started him in a life of prayer at a very tender age.

I could not reconcile why G-d would have me keep my beard when he does not keep his,but that is between him and me ,I'm still trying to work out who is worthy enough to hold his mirror aswell.

Sholom Aleichem

Thanks ThatGuy007 for your post. Ah Ha I knew we were closer than we were far. Some comments below,

1.Prohibition of Idolatry .. Sikhs agree
2.Prohibition of Murder .. Sikhs agree (except for self defence)
3.Prohibition of Theft .. Sikhs agree
4.Prohibition of Sexual immorality .. Sikhs agree
5.Prohibition of Blasphemy .. Belief in one creator and no person acting as God. Sikhs don't claim to be the custodian or holders of the creator or God as exclusivity for Sikhism either.
6.Prohibition of eating flesh taken from an animal while it is still alive .. Sikhs agree (only prohibition is against eating meat prepared the Islamic way)
7.Establishment of courts of law .. This I cannot comment on, perhaps little description or clarification of what it entails. Sikhs don't have anything akin to say Shria Law, etc., if that is what is meant or any reference to so called "God's LAw"..

Sholom/Sat Sri Akal.

PS: What does Sholom stand for as Sat Sri Akal signifies (Truth is for ever)

Scarlet Pimpernel said:

Thankyou for responding,Forgive my earlier post, I tried to edit it but I'm not allowed to as I've been a little illusive with my editing.
What a wonderful thing for a nation to be ,even more so if the world was the nation.

I respect that you are not overly aescetically minded although you have to admit James Bond always looks good and is good aswell.
I understand the part about emulate, my father tried to emulate the village holy man in India and it was that which started him in a life of prayer at a very tender age.

I could not reconcile why God would have me keep my beard when he does not keep his,but that is between him and me ,I'm still trying to work out who is worthy enough to hold his mirror aswell.

Shalom

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That's really cool man.
It's okay man =D I definitely am not one to judge if you trim or shave.

Ambarsaria said:

Thanks ThatGuy007 for your post. Ah Ha I knew we were closer than we were far. Some comments below,

1.Prohibition of Idolatry .. Sikhs agree
2.Prohibition of Murder .. Sikhs agree (except for self defence)
3.Prohibition of Theft .. Sikhs agree
4.Prohibition of Sexual immorality .. Sikhs agree
5.Prohibition of Blasphemy .. Belief in one creator and no person acting as God
6.Prohibition of eating flesh taken from an animal while it is still alive .. Sikhs agree (only prohibition is against eating meat prepared the Islamic way)
7.Establishment of courts of law .. This I cannot comment on, perhaps little description or clarification of what it entails

Sholom/Sat Sri Akal.

PS: What does Sholom stand for as Sat Sri Akal signifies (Truth is for ever)

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We're also allowed to kill in self-defense. Killing and murdering are different in Judaism.

Killing, is either accidental or in self-defense. Murder is intentionally ending someone's life.

"Courts of law" means just that. Establish a judicial system of judges, fair weights and measures, and the enforcement of laws.

Sholom, is actually my name. It's means "peace" and is used as a greeting. We usually say "Sholom Aleichem" which means "peace be unto you".

ThatGuy007 ji couple of questions as follows,

1. If non-Jewish partner follows the "Noahide laws (a set of laws given from G-d to Noah after the flood)", are they considered favorably for inter-marriage between Jewish and non-Jewish partners?
2. Many times one sees reference to people of the book (Jewish, Christians and Muslims), why is there such apparent hate in the Islamic world towards Jewish people beyond the Palestine issue?

Please don't feel obliged to answer all if you think it will give some negativity or negative tone to this thread and ability to share.

Sat Sri Akal/Sholom.

Ambarsaria said:

ThatGuy007 j

1. Many times one sees reference to people of the book (Jewish, Christians and Muslims), why is there such apparent hate in the Islamic world towards Jewish people beyond the Palestine issue?

Sat Sri Akal/Sholom.

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Forgive my impertinence, but I have often wondered why we have the tendency to ask the hated why they are hated rather than to ask the haters why they hate?

Inderjeet Kaur said:

Forgive my impertinence, but I have often wondered why we have the tendency to ask the hated why they are hated rather than to ask the haters why they hate?

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Inderjeet Kaur ji,

Guru Fateh.

Is it possible that the hatred could be bred because of the injustice by the hated?

Tejwant Singh

Tejwant Singh said:

Inderjeet Kaur ji,

Guru Fateh.

Is it possible that the hatred could be bred because of the injustice by the hated?

Tejwant Singh

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Yes, and the surest way to find that out is to ask the haters why they hate. Get it straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak.

Asking the hated why they are hated can give interesting insights into the hated, but cannot answer the question of why the haters hate the hated as clearly and accurately as getting a response from the haters.

I hope that is clear. lol

ThatGuy007 said:

Oh, I wanted to bring something up about a comment made in the thread in the OP.

Jews do not believe that one can only become close to G-d through Judaism. Judaism is for Jews. Jews believe that anyone non-Jew who performs the 7 Noahide laws (a set of laws given from G-d to Noah after the flood), they can also become holy and be servants of G-d. The 7 Noahide Laws are as follows:

1.Prohibition of Idolatry
2.Prohibition of Murder
3.Prohibition of Theft
4.Prohibition of Sexual immorality
5.Prohibition of Blasphemy
6.Prohibition of eating flesh taken from an animal while it is still alive
7.Establishment of courts of law

Now any upstanding citizen does these laws already, and any person of any religion who fits into those 7 laws is also deemed righteous, regardless of customs or practice.

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ThatGuy007 ji,

Greetings and welcome to the forum.

As the Noahide laws are supposed to be for a Non-Jews and also for the Jews to obey in order to be the servants of God I have a few questions for you because these laws seems to contradict themselves.

A. Which God would they become servants to?

The reason of my question is based on the laws you mentioned.

1.Prohibition of Idolatry- One Billion Hindus worship idols which is not a blasphemy for them as you claim in number 5 but love for the God. So you mean one billion Hindus are not God's servants?

2.Prohibition of Murder- Mosad has gone around the world and murdered many innocent people. Israeli armed forces murder many innocent kids, mothers and many other people almost daily.

3.Prohibition of Theft- Occupation of Palestinian land to build Jewish settlements is thievery.

4.Prohibition of Sexual immorality- Abraham raped his own slave Hager which is immoral.

5.Prohibition of Blasphemy- Already asked in number 1.

6.Prohibition of eating flesh taken from an animal while it is still alive- Why eating oysters which are eaten live is wrong?

7.Establishment of courts of law- It means justice for all. Why are thousands of Palestinians rotting in Israeli jails without any recourse?

Lastly, do you also omit a letter or two when you write "God" in Hebrew?

Please pardon my bluntness but we all as human beings have to be honest about things and all laws that help humanity to become better demand checks and balances.

Thanks & regards

Tejwant Singh

Inderjeet Kaur said:

Yes, and the surest way to find that out is to ask the haters why they hate. Get it straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak.

Asking the hated why they are hated can give interesting insights into the hated, but cannot answer the question of why the haters hate the hated as clearly and accurately as getting a response from the haters.

I hope that is clear. lol

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In case of Palestine, they want justice. So the hatred comes from the injustice for almost 60 years. They want a land from which many are kicked out. This is the reason I said that hatred can be bred when suppression and repressions become modes de jour.

The fact is that Muslims and Jews have a lot more in common than their Christian counterparts despite they three have the same umbilical cord - The Abrahamic God.

Get it straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak.

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Which horse is this one?

Regards

Tejwant Singh

Ambarsaria said:

Inderjeet Kaur ji your logic is too convoluted for me. I will let ThatGuy007 ji answer or if you want me I can delete my post.

I don't want us to be speaking on behalf of ThatGuy007 ji's behalf.

Sat Sri Akal.

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Please do not delete your post. This is a discussion and we are allowed to have disagreements. I very much wish the Rabbi ji would join in. I'd very much like to read what he has to say.

As to asking a person why someone else hates them, that also seems somewhat akin to asking a person to testify against himself. That would make me defensive, at the very least.

Anyway, let's wait and see what ThatGuy007 ji has to say. japposatnamwaheguru: