I am Jewish AMA

[Bells3032]

Following answering some Q&As on a thread about the programme Unorthodox thought i'd do an AMA here. I have looked and don't think there's been one since like 2018.

I am a traditional/modern orthodox Jew so not Hasidic like the show but I actually do talks on Judaism as part of my job and I so my knowledge is fairly good and I am rarely embarrassed or offended by questions.

So go ahead AMA

"As an Episcopalian/Anglican I have my own direct relationship with Gd."

Same for most Protestants I think, linked to the importance of being able to read the Bible in your own language, rather than have it interpreted by a priest for you.

@Thisismynewname123 - no apology needed, but thanks anyway.

It's a bit more complicated for Roman Catholics too. The priest, as part of the line of apostolic succession, has the same power to forgive sin as the original 12 apostles had. So it's not really a question of speaking to Gd, it's that Gd has delegated the task of forgiving sins to the priest.

Nonetheless, one result of the Protestant reformation was rethinking the individual's direct relationship to Gd and making it less dependent on the priest.

It's all good.

As an Episcopalian/Anglican I have my own direct relationship with Gd."

Same for most Protestants I think, linked to the importance of being able to read the Bible in your own language, rather than have it interpreted by a priest for you.

As an RC, I just have to put this falsehood to bed - we are not taught this at any point - it is a legacy of the whole Reformation thing when not many people understood Latin. It is much more akin to the Jewish tradition of consulting someone who is an expert in the language and semantics. It seems widely accepted that the Septuagint had inaccuracies once translated from Hebrew/Aramaic and the English bIble is the same - the translations were a work in progress, really.

I only point this out because it is used by some to imply that we can't think for ourselves, etc, etc all the usual slurs when in fact itis about us being intellectually in communion with clergy (if we so choose). There are many interesting theological debates and talks (from secular experts from the biblical - historical through to clerical doctrinal lawyers) and we 'engage' as much as we want. Some people want the 'spark notes' version which is available too, if they don't have the time to do more - it's a back up but actually we are very well read on the whole about other religious perspective, approaches and ideas we just don't discuss them outside of our own community so much.

The reason I emphasise this so much (and I apologise for the derail) is because my Muslim housemate commented that the RCC do not engage in debates in modern society in the way he sees modern Islamic followers doing. He said that we have no intellectual presence or thought and it has upset me deeply to think that we are still being portrayed this way when our absence from this space is indicative of much, much more.

Oh sorry that's not a yeshivish black hat (fedora style) that would be a shtreimel. Worn only by chasidim after marriage. And no idea about fashions on those! Worn on shabbos, yom tov (like passover etc) and simchos (celebrations like weddings etc) I believe.

@serenada I apologise for my hugely over simplified response. I didn't mean to insult or imply that RC can't think for themselves. I should have thought out my response more carefully

Thanks both i read the link. ...

@Gwendhwyfar

As an Episcopalian/Anglican I have my own direct relationship with Gd."

And just to reiterate, our first relationship is with God, too, in exactly the same way yours is.

I understand that there is a Protestant interpretation of RC that you have been taught regarding RC but it is very important to recognise that your interpretation is just that, and not necessarily the way rituals and traditions are experienced from those within the RC faith. Whilst I find it strange that I am defending it, I also dislike intensely the misinterpretation of things and how this is used to discredit it.

It is dangerous for all people to allow this to happen in any society as it causes division when there should be clarity.

That would be a shtreimel which is a hat traditionally worn by chassidic married men in sabbath

I understand that there is a Protestant interpretation of RC that you have been taught regarding RC but it is very important to recognise that your interpretation is just that, and not necessarily the way rituals and traditions are experienced from those within the RC faith.

For the record, I was baptized and confirmed in the RC Church and went to Catholic school up until university, so what I was taught was taught to me by Sister Mary Margaret and Father Sullivan. I became an Episcopalian in my 20's.

My comment was directled only at the sacrament of reconciliation and the apostolic authority for granting forgiveness. Theologically that can coexist with an independent relationship with Gd.

@Thisismynewname123

Thank you and I know you didn't mean it that way. I feel the need to pick up on these things in a way I never felt before because it is being used to diminish the right of people from that community.

I also think it is a safe way to attack other religions and what they represent in general (community, social care an responsibility, faith). I suspect that it is a way to move the things we have successfully built up over the years (schools, parishes, social groups) on to a commercial privatised setting and I am troubled about this.

Lastly, I think the woman's voice in RC is not heard outside of it (can't shut us up inside! ) and we have had to make sense of it all. It would be a very foolish man, priest or no priest, who tried to tell an RC woman had to run family life and there is many a battered and bruised member of the clergy out there who has tried. We know this because they used to come to our house for brandy afterwards.

Only joking.

Right, now apologies again for the derail. I've got that off my chest. Back over to you @Elladisenchanteda @Desiringonlychild @PikesPeaked

@MissConductUS

My comment was directled only at the sacrament of reconciliation and the apostolic authority for granting forgiveness. Theologically that can coexist with an independent relationship with Gd.

This is the key bit 'Theologically that can coexist '.

If you can not forgive yourself (or your direct hotline is somehow bunged up ) then the priest can intercede for you and you are back on track and not wasting any time.

@Elladisenchanted thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, I'd forgotten about the headbands until now but yes, many of the women had those as well.

I've googled the eruv boundaries now and see that I've been within the North Manchester one many times without having any idea it existed! I'll keep my eyes peeled for the wires next time I'm over that way.

@GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman challah looks good, and quite a challenge! If I can get hold of yeast I'll give it a go. Also, I googled some recipes and having grown up eating brisket and chicken soup there's some familiar territory there!

"@Gwendhwyfar

As an Episcopalian/Anglican I have my own direct relationship with Gd.""

You've misquoted there to make it look like I said I'm an Episcopalian. I was quoting someone else.

"I understand that there is a Protestant interpretation of RC that you have been taught regarding RC but it is very important to recognise that your interpretation is just that, and not necessarily the way rituals and traditions are experienced from those within the RC faith."

Fair enough, though I have not been 'taught' my wrong assumption in a formal way.

"@Gwendhwyfar

As an Episcopalian/Anglican I have my own direct relationship with Gd.""

You've misquoted there to make it look like I said I'm an Episcopalian. I was quoting someone else.

My apologies - I thought you said it.

Fair enough, though I have not been 'taught' my wrong assumption in a formal way.

That is why I think it is important to challenge these ideas that don't come from a genuine source but float around and distort the original intent behind the beliefs/practices.

My apologies - I thought you said it.

It was the bloody Yank who said it!

Yeah, that was me.

What beliefs do Jews have around the afterlife/heaven? And do all variations of Judaism believe the same thing about what happens after death?

Thanks for the info on communal holidaying! I'm familiar with the idea of big (mostly evangelical) Christian conference style things and I wasn't sure if this was the same, or more of a leisure/holiday thing.

I think a lot of the misconceptions that come up between Jewish/Christian belief can stem from each thinking they know the other's religion. Particularly Christians I think, can see Judaism as their 'elder brother' religion and think they know all about it. Conversations like this demonstrate that they really don't!

I'm a Christian, less evangelical now than in my younger days, and one thing I admire so much about the Jewish tradition is the commitment to not just learning but wrestling with the sacred text. My time in evangelicalism (spiritually short but physically long, in the sense that I stayed around the churches long after I'd started to raise my eyebrows at some of the theology), had a lot of people who'd say things like "the Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it!". Critical thinking was not encouraged.

It's an aspect of Judaism I think is fantastic.

@serenada - your message did strike a chord with me. I was raised RC, but went to a very progressive Catholic all girls school in Los Angeles (Meghan Markle went to same...). The nuns who ran the school were ex communicated from the church after Vatican II as they refused to wear the habit and wanted work in the community. They were very much about helping the poor, and social justice. Lots of emphasis on debating, and generally having an open mind, accepting of other religions.

But there was no getting away from the heavily hierarchy system inherent, and that the nuns were not representative of Catholicism.

@Freezer Bird

I never encountered such obedience to the word like that but I found the 'sense' in it from looking at Jewish interpretations. It has been broken down and examined critically and then distributed in laymans terms. We can engage directly but the explanations only made sense through the Jewish lense (which is kind of obvious I guess since the ideas in Christianity came from there). It roots you, I guess.

My time in evangelicalism (spiritually short but physically long, in the sense that I stayed around the churches long after I'd started to raise my eyebrows at some of the theology), had a lot of people who'd say things like "the Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it!". Critical thinking was not encouraged.

Critical thinking is much encouraged in my denomination. One thing that's always bothered me about biblical literalism in some Christian denominations is that they often don't realize that they are reading the bible in translation, not the original Greek or Hebrew, and that English words don't always map neatly to the original texts. For example, lots of Christians don't realize that Adam can mean "man" in Hebrew and is not just the name of a man.

@MissConduct

Ditto virgin/young woman

The pain that one has caused...

@ilovemydogandMrObama

@serenada -

'The nuns who ran the school were ex communicated from the church after Vatican II as they refused to wear the habit and wanted work in the community. They were very much about helping the poor, and social justice. Lots of emphasis on debating, and generally having an open mind, accepting of other religions.'

All the best people were excommunicated/turfed out. You were in good company.

I was taught by one of the most erudite women you could ever meet. Even now, she would give anyone a run for their money. She always emphasised the contribution we can make to society and that our gender was irrelevant. Powerful, universal, human messages.

And the women are right. Sure, aren't we always?

But there was no getting away from the heavily hierarchy system inherent, and that the nuns were not representative of Catholicism.

I would say they were very representative of its central messages - just the politics and power structure sent it off course.

@serenada one of the reasons I converted to liberal Judaism was cos an an ex Catholic, I wanted a religion with female clergy. My sponsoring rabbi is female and 2 out of 3 rabbis in my synagogue are female. :)

Imhoz I relate better with female clergy. My rabbis are both mums so they really relate well with kids which is very important for clergy.

@bells3032 I have an inkling my family might be Jewish based on surnames, migration etc. You mentioned you know other people who have found this out-do you know how they did it?