'punch a nazi!!' how about we start small and you can name two jews who feel comfortable talking about judaism openly around you
A lot of their religious holidays are themed around they tried to kill us we survived let's celebrate and rather than rest in peace they say may their memory be a blessing which sounds much better.
Also they have a lot of beliefs centered around joy and the posts I've read about Jewish philosophy is amazing and I love to read them.
I don't know if the Jewish blogs I follow even follow me or know that they are safe with me but I just feel like that Marge Simpson meme I just think they are neat.
🩵🩵🩵
I don’t know if you’ll ever understand how much it means that you took the time not just to learn these things but also share that you’ve learned them. It matters more than I can express.
I’m so glad that person’s knowledge meant a lot to you! I will try to do the same, though likely not as well! I know some things, but they’re mostly anecdotal and basic.
Jews put stones on graves, not flowers. The Jewish age of adulthood is 13. Hannukah is neither the most important holiday nor just a throwaway holiday that was picked up by marketing companies and gained all significance from that. Hamantaschen means something like “The Ears of Haman” and they are delicious! (Top 10 reasons to have Jewish friends- Hamantaschen. You’ll never go back.) Jewish memory is long and deep. Jews fight with each other about literally everything but the love and care of the Jewish community for its fellows is honestly incomprehensible. Jews do not seek converts, though converting to Judaism is possible- my friend explained it as converts having Jewish souls- it’s not so much something you become as something you always were. Jews have to learn a section from the Torah to speak Bar/Bat mitzvahs. Speaking of that, a modern alternative for Bar mitzvah (male) and Bat mitzvah (female) is the gender neutral B’nei mitzvah. Whether or not a type of meat is Kosher depends on the types of hooves/feet the animal has.
My mom is calling me for dinner so I had better go- I hope this also makes you happy! :D
I WISH YOU COULD SEE HOW BIG IM SMILING RIGHT NOW. YOURE SO WONDERFUL. I HOPE YOUR DINNER IS THE BESY AND MOST DELICIOUS DINNER EVER!!!!!
Some of the holidays are about trees too! They even get a birthday (go trees)!
I think one of the things I've actually come to really like is the importance on living. Well, not just living, but also thriving and enjoying it where you can even though the world needs a lot of fixing up. And yeah, you do have to do your part to try and make the world better, but you're not expected to be The One to make all the sorrow and pain go away. It's a large scale, multi generation upon generation effort to genuinely try and make things just a little better than they were before, and hopefully, the work done so far is truly completed.
There are rules on how to slaughter animals, with the focus being to be as humane as possible. It's no small thing; people that do the slaughtering have to undergo vigorous training to make sure they get it right. And the meat from the animal MUST come from an animal slaughtered by the person that is qualified-you cannot tear flesh from an animal still living or eat from animals you come across.
Part of it also is to try and be as clean as possible-not to eat decayed/diseased meat. So there's multiple reasons for it.
I continue to feel blessed to have met you, my friend. 🩵
That one is called Purim! It’s my fave holiday too, because it’s our pettiest holiday but we also have to make up for it at the same time.
On the one hand cheering for Haman to get fucked is not…the most in keeping with our general philosophy of not celebrating death of anyone ever.
But on the other hand he did absolutely try to murder all of us and was an asshole so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. But we still generally believe in lifting up those in need more than celebrating the misfortune of others. So Purim is also a holiday heavily associated with tikkun olam (repairing the world) and doing community service. Growing up, we would always perform direct action—walking around downtown and giving gift baskets of socks and food and such to unhoused people. Talking with them and asking what they need. Some years I went to nursing homes and volunteered. There’s just a really big emphasis on getting out in the world and giving gifts and doing good. It’s like a reverse Halloween. You come to temple in costume and eat and listen to a story and stomp out Haman’s name and have a carnival. And then you go out into the world and give people treats.
That’s such a good choice of fave holiday. It would be mine too if I didn’t love trees so much. Tu Bishvat Stan forever.
Alright, I'll jump in.
- The two most important holidays are Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Rosh Hashanah is (one of) the new years, Yom Kippur is the holiest day and those observing it fast if they are able to. In addition to the holidays themselves, never ever ever schedule something for the day after Yom Kippur because fastng is Hard and you Will need time to recover.
- Jews have a long memory and feel it viscerally. The saddest day on the calendar, Tisha B'av, commemorates the destruction of the Second Temple about 2,000 years ago as well as a number of tragedies on the same day since. During Pesach, every generation is told to see themselves as if they left Egypt. When someone dies, a yahrzeit candle is lit every year for as long as the mourner is alive. Jewish ancestors are not "them" or "other Jews," they are "we" and "us." Jewish history is extremely well documented and even when Jews forgive, they never forget.
- Jews figured out the whole "washing your hands" thing WAY before Europe did.
Okay, I'll try to join in. (If I get something wrong, happy to learn about it so I don't get it wrong next time!)
Tu B'Av is sorta like Jewish Valentine's day, it's a celebration of love.
There are traditionally six food items on a Seder Plate, but there's a newer custom where people also include an orange, which represents LGBTQA Jews and other Jewish people who feel marginalised within their community at times.
A shadchan is a Jewish matchmaker
Jewish history and culture is extremely rich and special. Overall, Judaism puts importance on community and family and bringing people together.
