Ask a Jew Part Too; Commentary

I suspect that Torah observant Jews (Orthodox/ religious) did not raise pigs.
If they did, it would have been to sell them to gentiles who did/do eat pork.

 

Would they be allow to sell them to the gentiles for food knowing that they shouldn't eat them themselves ?

 

Yes.
That wouldn't be a problem vis a vis Jewish Law.
However, I'm not sure about actually raising pigs to sell. That could be a problem. I don't know.

 

What exactly does it mean for a thigh or hip to fall away or rupture ?

By the way, you did answer this whole abortion thing in the other thread and it was me that asked about it, ironically enough because I was having this discussion with the same poster that you are answering it again.. I agree with your position. (FYI)

 

Well... basically, the woman explodes... I suspect that it is more a matter of disintegrating but, when this is discussed in the gemorah and commentaries, it is basically said that the woman "comes apart" or, as noted... explodes. These terms are neither scientific or precise. As a matter of fact, as I hopefully noted previously, the "curse" of the Sotah probably never actually happened as, the evidence needed to accuse her in the first place is overwhelming and, the entire process is voluntary on her part. She has to deny everything; be found guilty with the overwhelming evidence; and then continue to deny everything; and even then, if she drinks, she is literally drinking water where an ordinary piece of parchment paper with the Holy Name of Hashem on it, has been dissolved in the water. In other words, it is totally harmless water - unless G-d has also passed Judgement and makes her"explode."

 

He may make more of a profit if he doesn't eat his stock.

 

Well yes, I suppose he would but my question was more along the lines of,for example, If it is wrong to smoke crack because it is bad for you, it would be wrong to sell it to someone else because you know it is bad for them too.

..

 

Another separate question.

To all the 613 commands, ( listed on this site - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/613_commandments ) In the Bible, it seems that the death penalty 'was' the punishment for people that broke some of these commands but this conflicts with one of the ten commandments.(thou shalt not kill)

How did they deal with this problem and was that actual 'punishment' (death) for breaking these said commands - a command itself ? (was the death penalty considered part of the command )

 

However, we are not forbidden from eating pork because it is bad for us; we are forbidden from eating pork because it is one of G-d's 613 mitzvos (commandments) that He gave to the Jews.
Non-Jews are not forbidden to eat pork.

 

The commandment is not "Thou shalt not kill," but -
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A legalistic interpretation of the word murder would be "unlawful killing."
In the Torah, murder would be defined as any killing that is not allowed by G-d.
There are laws dealing with "accidental killing" in the Torah where "accidental killing" is not defined as murder.
However, the "accidental killer" then becomes a "murderer" and is liable to be killed by the family of the dead person. Cities of Refuge were established in Israel where the accidental killer could live and not be killed or prosecuted for killing a person accidentally.
And that is just the tip of the iceberg on the difference between murder and killing someone...

 

Using drugs wisely is not the same as abusing drugs.

 

One the other hand God also commands mass slaughter of defenseless innocents - does he not ?

I' havent a clue what it says in Hebrew but in English it reads :

"NU 31:9 The Israelites capture Midianite women and children.

NU 31:17-18 Moses, following the Lord's command, orders the Israelites to kill all the Midianite male children and "... every woman who has known man ...." (Note: How would it be determined which women had known men? One can only speculate.)

NU 31:31-40 32,000 virgins are taken by the Israelites as booty. Thirty-two are set aside (to be sacrificed?) as a tribute for the Lord.

DT 2:33-34 The Israelites utterly destroy the men, women, and children of Sihon.

DT 3:6 The Israelites utterly destroy the men, women, and children of Og.

DT 7:2 The Lord commands the Israelites to "utterly destroy" and shown "no mercy" to those whom he gives them for defeat.

DT 20:13-14 "When the Lord delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the males .... As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves."

DT 20:16 "In the cities of the nations the Lord is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes."

DT 21:10-13 With the Lord's approval, the Israelites are allowed to take "beautiful women" from the enemy camp to be their captive wives. If, after sexual relations, the husband has "no delight" in his wife, he can simply let her go.

DT 28:53 "You will eat the fruit of the womb, the flesh of the sons and daughters the Lord your God has given you."

====

Moishe can you tell me different ?

MY grandad was a horse breeder - I love horses , how can this be justified ?

"JS 11:6 The Lord orders horses to be hamstrung. (Exceedingly cruel.)

......

 

Moishe , while at school I was a poor student in religious studies -and more inerested in games - rugby etc. During most of my adult life - more concerned with bringing home the bason /roof over family's head etc. never had any time for church - apart from christenings/baptisms/weddings etc. Now I'm retired I've the time to take a look + think abt
the bible - .

Tell me how should I interpret this :

-
Judges 20:43-48

King James Version (KJV)


43 Thus they inclosed the Benjamites round about, and chased them, and trode them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising.

44 And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valour.

45 And they turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men; and pursued hard after them unto Gidom, and slew two thousand men of them.

46 So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of valour.

47 But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months.

48 And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, as well the men of every city, as the beast, and all that came to hand: also they set on fire all the cities that they came to


-----
JS 6:21-27 With the Lord's approval, Joshua destroys the city of Jericho men, women, and children with the edge of the sword.

JS 7:19-26 Achan, his children and his cattle are stoned to death
2KI 2:23-24 Forty-two children are mauled and killed, presumably according to the will of God, for having jeered at a man of God.

----

?????

 

Of course, I agree with that. I don't really think there is a wise use for crack though.. lol

 

OK with the word murder. So, for example, back in the day when they were supposed to kill adulterers or gay people,etc... these things were at one time morally right and not considered murder ?

 

I may or may not have explained this earlier but, in case I did not...
All capital offense (death penalty) cases were very difficult to prove and/or convict.

Using your example of to "kill gay people," some of the obstacles would have been:
- Before the act was ever committed, the man would have to have been warned by two witnesses that he was liable to the death penalty for committing such an act.
- The accused would have to be fully cognizant of the penalty for such an act.
- Two witnesses would need to witness the actual act.
- The actual act would have to have been "to lie with a man as one lies with a woman."
- Other possible sexual acts between two men would not qualify
- Death Penalty cases could only be tried by the Great Sanhedrin in Jerusalem.
- The Court would have to be convinced that ALL of the above was carried out and true.
- The Court would have to rule that there were no extenuating circumstances (loopholes; doubts; etc.)
- If the court unanimously convicted (there were, I believe, 71 Judges...) the accused, he would go free because the Great Sanhedrin, in judging death penalty cases, was commanded by G-d to be merciful so, if there was not even one Judge who had some doubt or sympathy or reservations about conviction, then the entire Court must be at fault and the accused must go free.
- A Great Sanhedrin that convicted one death penalty case every seventy years was called a "Bloody Sanhedrin."

There is a lot more but, no - the death penalty for any crime was never considered "morally right." On the other hand, the death penalty was most definitely not considered murder.

 

I was under the impression it was for those of hebrew race/blood, for lack of a better term.
As I am unaware of the Hebrew G_d ever revealing himself to anyone outside of that race/clan.
Until Jesus and Mohammad.

 

G-d is G-d. He is the Creator of the World and everything that it is in it.
He Created Man.
G-d is the G-d of all Mankind.
When He gave His Torah to the Children of Israel, He gave it for the benefit of all Mankind.
The specific Laws; Commandments; practices; traditions; etc. of the Torah are for the Jews.
The moral blueprint for Life; the instruction manual on Justice; Freedom; Righteousness; Free Will; and how to treat each other, is for all Mankind.

 

Moishe,
You mentioned on another thread ( http://www.politicalforum.com/religion-philosophy/299466-trying-christianity-3.html#post1062569006 ) that a soul choses the life it enters before it is born. Could you expand upon that. As a Catholic Christian, we believe the soul comes into being at conception--it is a joint act of creation with God and man. I'm curious about the concept you are referencing.

 

I'd have to do some real research to give over accurate Torah concepts on this point but - roughly speaking, it goes something like this -
Our souls are eternal. In The World of Truth (Heaven; Paradise; Gan Eden), we are in touch with G-d.
This World that we live in is to perfect our Soul. We are here to live in a difficult place and correct; heal; perfect; purify, our Soul. This is our mission in Life.
If we do not accomplish our mission, then there is a concept called gilgul, which literally means "cycle" but, is the idea that we return to This World to continue the process of perfecting our Soul.
Whether our Eternal Soul is here for the first time or has been here many times, the choice of when; where; who; what; how; etc., that we are born is a decision made by G-d in terms of what our Soul needs.
This is one answer to the death or suffering of the young or innocent. It was that "tikun," that "repair" of that Soul that was necessary for its perfection....

This is a somewhat mystical concept but, it is found throughout Judaism.
Quite frankly - this video is probably a better explanation than I can give...

[video=youtube_share;vF8CyHsm9Wc]http://youtu.be/vF8CyHsm9Wc[/video]

 

And - whereas the above video is very good. It is not what I intended to post in response to your question.
Sorry -
This is the one:
It's a conversation between G-d (Malach'l) and a Soul (Neshoma'le)

[video=youtube_share;oZkZYTeYWI8]http://youtu.be/oZkZYTeYWI8[/video]

 

No, according to the torah and the christian bible, the earth is about 6000 yrs old.
There are recorded civilization older than that, so IMO, the torah, OT, is the birth of the religion. Not the birth of mankind.

 

Yes, you did and I remembered.

OK, thanks.

If the - "The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Say further to the people of Israel:" [......] "If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death; their blood is upon them."

Whether it is hard to convict or not, how can you say that the death penalty for any crime was "never" considered "morally right" if those words were spoken by God ?

 

Thank you. Now...where do these "concepts" that you refer to come from? Are there sacred writings that I could read to attempt to understand the mystical concepts in context of Jewish belief?

 

This is why I try and write online.... People ask me questions to which I do not know the answer and I have to see if I can find the references online. Sometimes it's a challenge. Like now.
These might be useful in understanding the idea that the Soul is an eternal entity and has the opportunity to "choose" its parentage.
And, there is a more definitive definition of the the concept that I was trying to convey -
The idea is that Hashem shows the Neshama his life and the Neshama has a choice to agree to it...

[h=1]Gate of Reincarnations[/h]
Ilui Neshama - Elevation of the Soul after Death

Levels of Soul Consciousness


And - some books available where the concept is discussed -

Shaar Hagilgulim: The Gates of Reincarnation

Kedushat Levi: Torah Commentary by Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev (3 vols.)