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Original poster

Shana Tova - Happy New Year!!!

88 replies

lisalisa · 24/09/2006 23:25

Message withdrawn

OP posts:
bubble99 · 28/09/2006 22:54

Also, I've been sending our (mainly Muslim) staff home with soups to eat after sundown.

They've been getting up at 4am to eat and drink before they come to work.

nearlythree · 28/09/2006 22:55

This thread is so cool

fransmom · 28/09/2006 23:05

good on you bubble99

bubble99 · 28/09/2006 23:09

I do notice that our Muslim staff have been avoiding the kitchen at mealtimes. And they all say that they're, unusually, looking forward to their periods - as they don't have to fast during menstruation. Our manager is hoping hers is extra long this month as it coincides with her favourite lunch!

fransmom · 28/09/2006 23:26

is it because extra iron is needed do you think?

bubble99 · 28/09/2006 23:33

Possibly?

I think, similar to Judaism, it's that menstruating women are considered to be 'unclean' and are therefore not required to take part in any religious act.

I know that Orthodox Rabbis will not shake hands with women in case they are menstruating.

Men? Huh!

harrisey · 29/09/2006 05:32

Wow this is great I have learned so much from this thread already!

harrisey · 29/09/2006 05:38

Posted before I'd finished!
We used to live next door to a muslim family (and in the wilds of northern Scotland thats not very common) and we used to share our festivals - we had them in for Christmas and Easter (we did turkey with no bacon/sausages/sausage stuffing etc) and they had us in for Eid, with some of the most amazing food we have ever tasted. Even though we came from very different faiths and countries (they were Egyptian, living in this country for a couple of years) we got on great and we were able to share in each others culture and religious celebrations, even if we would have disagreed on points of faith.

SSSandy · 29/09/2006 08:28

Thanks for the explanation PrettyCandles. Fascinating.

at taking God out of the story of Noah and the Arc! So what is the point in it then? He's just some kind of a proto-zookeeper or what?

Can I ask something else? So if Shana Tova means a good year, I'm guessing "tov" means good and "shana" is a feminine (?) noun. So does Mazeltov translate literally to good luck or something like that?

fransmom · 29/09/2006 10:08

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

SSSandy · 29/09/2006 10:17

arK

oh man I make so many mistakes this days

SSSandy · 29/09/2006 17:38

TranslationOfMazeltov

seek and you will find. Actually I only know of it used to congratulate someone on the birth of a child.

Anyway, back to Shana Tova, does anyone have a nice recipe for those honey cakes?

bubble99 · 29/09/2006 22:09

Re: the menstruation and fasting over Ramadan thing. It is because menstruating women are considered 'unclean' and are therefore exempt from any religious ritual/activity.

fransmom · 29/09/2006 22:14

'unclean'

aren't men considered unclean in any way then?

nearlythree · 29/09/2006 22:27

It's funny, in Christianity having a period isn't unclean. So the early church invented celibacy as the ideal and the medieval church invented lots of stuff about how Jesus wasn't born vaginally, just to make sure we were put back in our place.

fransmom · 29/09/2006 22:30

so babies are still brought by the stork then?

fransmom · 29/09/2006 22:31

or is it the gooseberry bush?

sorry, feeling bit mischievious (sp?) at the mo

nearlythree · 29/09/2006 22:35

Oh, I think the rest of us were supposed to have been born the normal way, but the idea was that Jesus couldn't have been contaminated by coming into contact with female genitalia. As for celibacy, that was for the pure with vocations, sex was for the lesser mortals. The doctrine about Jesus' birth disppeared centuries ago, but I am not sure that women are no longer viewed as unclean, and we are certainly still seen as inferior.

bubble99 · 29/09/2006 22:42

I know. 'Unclean.'

Not very enlightened, in this day and age. Don't they realise that we go roller-skating in white jeans since the invention of Tampax?

Christie · 29/09/2006 23:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

nearlythree · 30/09/2006 12:20

I think there is an unacceptable level of anti-semitism in this country atm. Even organisations like Christian Aid unwittingly encourage it, some of their material about Palestine is very inflammatory.

Kelly1978 · 30/09/2006 12:32

hindus have the whole unclean thing too, one of the hardest things I had to get my head round, as I don't really think it is right. Menstrating women should not perform any religious rituals, visit mandirs or even touch those who are going to perform the rituals. Bedding etc all has to be washed once period is finished.

but anyway, happy new year and shana tova to everyone!

fuzzywuzzy · 30/09/2006 12:43

Actually menstruating women, nursing mothers, pregnant women are exampt from fasting as it would be too much a dmand on them physically.

I've never found myself looking forward to periods during ramadan, I find the lack of period one of the benefits of bieng pregnant in fact.

I must say bubble this is the first itme I've heard of any Muslim woman say she is looking forward ot her periods as she does not wish to fast....

fuzzywuzzy · 30/09/2006 12:45

Just a thought could one of you lovely mumsnetters put up a recipe for honey cake it sounds really lovely.

nearlythree · 30/09/2006 12:55

It does, doesn't it? Actually I wondered whether there is a website that features recipes and traditions associated with diffferent religious festivals, it would be lovely to share them with our dcs.

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