Aish HaTorah

Well-said, I agree. I must not be a "sensitive liberal." Israel is tough and will do whatever is necessary to protect its interests. I shudder to think of the motivation Muslims have for reproducing. G-d willing, they will not drive their children to violent ends.

Just enough. Can't overwhelm all the world at once.

Aramaic is ever so slightly easier on the ears (and the tongue). When we say Kaddish (The Mourner's Prayer), it is in Aramaic.

It's better than Yiddish!

What a great question, and not easily answered. On a deeper level, I would say that an Israeli views the modern world through an ancient lens. Americans, in many regards, view the world through a modern lens, but have a deep and abiding love for things ancient. They desperately want to know about their heritage, their ancestors, in order to gain a sense of their identity. We wish to create our own narrative according to our own experience, but we wish to add the seasoning of our past to bring color to that narrative. Also, Americans so often seem to feel the need to hurry through life. It is as if we are trying to make up for the fact that we are, for all intents and purposes, relative youth among cultures around us. The rest of the world, Israel notwithstanding, take more time to enjoy the journey. There isn't such a feeling of immediacy. On a more profane level, we have much in common. People often make the mistake of thinking that Israel is all about religion. And war. And religion. And contention. And...did I mention?...religion. This is far from the truth. Do not mistake my meaning. Israelis, for the large part, GREATLY define their lives through religious practice, but it is not all there is to them. They love to relax and laugh. Sit on the beach and splash in the water (Israel has amazing beaches!!). They like to poke fun of one another. They enjoy time with family and going to movies. It is not as dangerous as the media in the West would have us believe. Quite frankly, I would feel safer walking the streets of Haifa at two in the morning than the streets of Detroit. Israel is a beautiful, diverse place, just as is America.

I just noticed this sub-forum. I absolutely love learning about all aspects of different cultures. I know that Mormons have a special connection to the world, given your propensity to share your beliefs with those around the world, and I bet you have some amazing stories from lands both far from me (Iceland) as well as close (Mesquite). I have spent a great amount of time in Israel as well as several other countries with a strong presence of Jews from our diaspora. If you have any questions (serious or trivial), please ask! I have a lot of great recipes and stories. If you have any experiences with Israeli culture, I would love to hear about them as well. Toda Raba!

On a lighter note, women excel at the fine are of guilt. The kind that strikes you right in the heart. I do not know about Mormon mothers, but my mother still has the ability to make me hide under the sink and cry like a baby in the corner with my thumb inserted firmly in mouth and looking for a blanket. Guilt. Ah, guilt. My mother doesn't just enjoy guilt trips, she runs the travel agency.

In addition, we should ask... What is the source of a woman's strength? The answer should be: Their faith. From the beginning of the foundation of the world, women have believed in a strong and caring G‑d. When men despaired (when have they not??), women believed and moved forward without complaint (well, for the most part). Women, both in the bible as well as now, seem seldom to lose hope. They always believe that G‑d will come through. If not immediately, then soon. If not for them, then for their children and their husbands. Faith is the foundation of our beliefs. If Torah and mitzvot are our building blocks, then faith is its cornerstone. Women provide to us, in a way only they can, a loving foundation upon which we build our families; they are definitely the heart of the home. They are a visible foundation in our lives. They provide a strength of character and intellect in turmoil unsurpassed even by men. They are there, lovingly, to pick up the pieces, to kiss our cuts and scrapes, to hold us, to listen, and to heal. Without women, we would be lost in a world doomed to broken emotion.

Exactly. To Life.

Chai! Life!

I am neither a woman, nor am I LDS, but if I may, I would like to share my thoughts on this from my perspective. The word in Hebrew for home, bayit, contains a yud between the letters that form the word bat (daughter). The yud is the very smallest of all the Hebrew letters. It represents a small seed, and yet it occupies that all-important space within the bat, the daughter. This is an old Jewish saying, “Beito zu ishto,”, a man’s home is his wife. It is not simply that his wife represents the house, but that his literal home is housed within his wife. This is on both a spiritual as well as an emotional level. A woman need not be in the home at all times. In other words, a woman is allowed to work outside the home if necessity dictates. Just as a house surrounds us the way our body surrounds us, the woman is the home as well as the heart. The woman completes the home. She sustains it as she sustains her husband and her children. The home is her domain and she should be deeply respected in that regard. Woman and men are considered separate, yet equal. In the home, however, the woman has dominion. Men who abuse their wives (or their daughters) are destroyers of the home. They take away the sanctity of that precious space and are no longer welcome. Women, too, have the sacred honor to light the candles of the Shabbat within the home. Uttering those sacred words: Blessed are you, L‑rd our G‑d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the light of the Shabbat.

Thank you, first, for all your comments. For the most part, I agree with you completely. The part that I have selected from your comments is also something with which I agree. There are, of course, some notable exceptions. Daniel, for example. As well as his friends Hanania, Mishael and Azaria (Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego). Hadassah (Esther), also, was not exactly forthcoming with her faith at first, as told in the Megillah.

צוליב אַ גלאָז מילך דאַרף מען ניט קויפֿן אַ גאַנצע קו For a glass of milk, you don't have to buy the whole cow.

You have no idea. Everything ends up going back to Orthodoxy. They are always right. How do we know? Because they tell us. *sigh* There is no wiggle room for interpretation in orthodoxy, and yet, there is all the wiggle room in the world. It is one big, giant, logical, nonsensical mess. How did this happen? To quote Tevya... The essence of G-d stays the same (well, for the most part. Reformed Jews can get a little...loose...with their traditions) in Judaism. It is said that a man once visited a synagogue in a town in which he had traveled for business. He approached the rabbi and asked, "Rabbi, I see some people in your congregation standing and some sitting. Some smiling and some frowning. Some covering their eyes and some davening (Yinglish...from the Yiddish daven meaning to pray). Everyone is doing something different, it seems. Tell me, what is your tradition here?" "THAT is our tradition," replied the rabbi.

Consuming blood = definitely not kosher.

I shall read through it. Toda.

Now, let's not get crazy! HA! I am glad you find it interesting. I guess I wasn't aware that you would. It is nice to find a people who do express interest in this sort of thing. When you start speaking with most Jews about anything deeper than the kiddy pool, the majority inevitably start to sigh and look at their watches. "What? Do I look like a rabbi?"

Still here. Still wandering. Still in awe of G-d's majesty. Still learning. Still complaining. "Let me tell you something that we (Jews) have against Moses. He took us forty years through the desert in order to bring us to the one spot in the Middle East that has no oil." -Golda Mier Just sayin'.

Bernie the NOT Jew. I think his bar mitzvah was around the same time as Moses'.

What did I say? Jewish tradition does, indeed, speak of two Messiahs. The term Mashiach, when it is not otherwise qualified, always is a reference to Mashiach ben David of the tribe of Judah. He is the final Messiah who will rule the Messianic age. Mashiach ben Yosef of the tribe of Ephraim (the son of Joseph), is believed will come first, before the final Messiah, in order to prepare the way. Mashiach ben Yosef's assigned responsibility (or calling) is to act as a precursor to Mashiach ben David. He will be responsible to prepare the world for the coming of the final Messiah. His final role in all this will be to wage war against those who oppress or oppose Israel. He will seek to destroy the enemies of Israel, often placed under the umbrella term of Edom (or the descendants of Esau). In the book of Obadiah, it says, "The House of Jacob will be a fire and the House of Joseph a flame, and the House of Esau for stubble." Here is the rub. All of this war comes with a price. The results will be terrible and swift. It is said that Mashiach ben Yosef will lose his life in battle and the people left behind, as described in Zechariah 12:10: "...shall mourn him as one mourns for an only child." This is one of the traditional indications that the coming of the final Messiah, Mashiach ben David, is near. It is also prophesied the Mashiach ben David will resurrect Mashiach ben Yosef and usher in the age of peace and prosperity for all time. The people will be saved, the enemy will be defeated, and life will be...well, good.

My son has a t-shirt that says: Civilizations, nations and empires that have tried to destroy the Jewish People: NATION STATUS Ancient Egypt X - GONE Philistines X - GONE Assyrian Empire X - GONE Babylonian Empire X - GONE Persian Empire X - GONE Greek Empire X - GONE Roman Empire X - GONE Byzantine Empire X - GONE Crusaders X - GONE Spanish Empire X - GONE Nazi Germany X - GONE Soviet Union X - GONE Iran ??? The Jewish People The smallest of nations, but with a Friend in the highest of places! So...BE NICE!

Indeed, we do. "Heal us, O L-RD, and we shall be healed."

That is an excellent question. I believe that one cannot stay true to the tenants of Islam and remain on "friendly" terms forever with those not of that faith. It simply cannot be contrived within the narrative of their belief system.