Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on January 22, 2016

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on Thursday defended Donald Trump after the GOP front-runner's freewheeling speech before a group of Jewish Republicans drew criticism.

"After having carefully reviewed the speech, we do not believe that it was Donald Trumps intention to evoke anti-Semitic stereotypes," Jonathan Greenblatt, the league's CEO, said in a statement.

The celebrity businessman appeared to touch on several Jewish stereotypes in his speech, including about being a good negotiator and having a tough business personality.

Is there anyone in this room who doesnt negotiate deals?, Trump asked later. This room negotiates a lot. This room perhaps more than any room Ive ever spoken to.

Trump also repeatedly told the audience that he did not want their money.

The ADL pushed back on pundits criticizing Trump's remarks, saying that "context is everything."

The group said that while it does not believe Trump "intended his comments regarding negotiations and money to relate specifically to their Jewishness," the group called on the candidate "to clarify that this was not his intention, and that he rejects the traditional stereotypes about Jews and money."

Democrats pointed to Trump's remarks before the Jewish audience on negotiating deals, as well as remarks from several other GOP candidates, to declare that "these Republican Apprentices are not ready for prime time."

Democratic National Committee spokesman TJ Helmstetter knocked "the Republican candidates tone-deaf and offensive remarks," adding in a statement, "its no wonder that Jewish voters identify as Democrats by a two-to-one margin."

Read the original post:
Anti-Defamation League - TheHill

Category: Anti-Defamation League | Comments Off on Anti-Defamation League – TheHill
Tags:

Posted By admin on January 22, 2016

The "Holocaust" of 6 million Jews during World War II

Is It Just a War Propaganda Hoax?

Considerations About the Holocaust Numbers...

What about the population of Jews? Per World Almanac figures, it INCREASED by 584,549 between 1941 and 1948. So, this being the case, where did the 6,000,000 dead go?

The Missing Holocaust

"I've checked out Churchill's Second World War and the statement is quite correct not a single mention of Nazi 'gas chambers,' a 'genocide' of the Jews, or of 'six million' Jewish victims of the war. This is astonishing. How can it be explained? Eisenhower's Crusade in Europe is a book of 559 pages; the six volumes of Churchill's Second World War total 4,448 pages; and de Gaulle's three-volume Mmoires de guerre is 2,054 pages. In this mass of writing, which altogether totals 7,061 pages (not including the introductory parts), published from 1948 to 1959, one will find no mention either of Nazi 'gas chambers,' a 'genocide' of the Jews, or of 'six million' Jewish victims of the war."

Richard Lynn, Professor Emeritus, University of Ulster, December 5, 2005

NEWS FLASH!--FIVE MILLION JEWS DISAPPEAR

BETWEEN 1988 AND 2000, according to Jew sources, THE WORLDWIDE SUPPLY OF Jews PLUNGED FROM 18.1 TO 13.2. FINALLY, Jews HAVE PROOF OF A HOLOCAUST! But there was no war. The Nazis are long gone. In the midst of peacetime, the Jews LOST 4.9 million people, and still haven't been able to locate them. Could it be that they need a war in Iraq to increase the Jewish population back to 18 million? On top of that, the 2000 figure for Jews in the world included 6.7 million in the US when in fact there may have been only 5.2 million. The Jews in the US, with all the modern techniques for counting populations and handling membership lists, a first class mail delivery system, no war or insurrection or gas ovens or mass graves, were unable to pin down their population to within 1.5 million Jews--an error of 29%!

"The study's credibility became an issue last October after part of its findings on population was released and then withdrawn because some field data were not factored into the 5.2-million population estimate. At the same time, another study by a San Francisco-based group using a broader definition of who was Jewish placed the population at 6.7 million. But after reevaluating its methodology and findings, UJC said Wednesday that it stood by the 5.2-million figure."

These folks, who didn't have the brains to use modern techniques for estimating their own population to within an accuracy of 6.4 million Jews, during peacetime, are the very same folks who claimed that they knew precisely, for certain, without ANY doubt, with such certitude that they had hundreds or thousands of people EXECUTED for denying it, that 6 million Jews were missing during Nazi persecution, world war, massive Jew migration, and the death or disappearance of 264 million CHRISTIANS!

Impossible, says Amhadineajad, who claims the holocaust was a "myth"!

Old Almanacs Never Lie!

584,549 MORE Jews in 1949 than in 1940

Meyers Handlexicon, Germany 1921 -- 11,600,000

World Almanac, 1925, pg. 752 -- 15,630,000, "In 1925 a census of Palestine gave a total of 115,151 Jews"

World Almanac, 1929, pg. 727 -- 15,630,000

National Council of Churches 1930 -- 15,600 ,000

March 24, 1933, Jewish newspaper Daily Express -- 14,000,000 Jews worldwide

World Almanac, 1933, pg. 419 -- 15,316,359, ["The estimate for Jews in the above table is for 1933, and is by the American Jewish Committee"

World Almanac, 1936, pg. 748 -- world Jewish population = 15,753,633

World Almanac, 1938, pg. 510 -- world Jewish population = 15,748,091, with 240,000 in Germany

American Jewish Committee Bureau of the Synagogue Council, 1939 -- 15,600,000

World Almanac, 1940, pg. 129: World Jewish Population -- 15,319,359

World Almanac, 1941, pg. 510: World Jewish Population -- 15,748,091

World Almanac, 1942, pg. 849: World Jewish Population -- 15,192,089 ("Jews include Jews by race not necessarily by religion")

World Almanac USA, 1947, pg. 748: World Jewish Population -- 15,690,000

World Almanac, 1949, pg. 289: World Jewish Population -- 15,713,638

Statistical Handbook of Council of Churches USA 1951 -- 15,300,000

Encyclopedia Britannica's 1955 Book of the Year -- 11,627,450, "Jewish figures include all Jews whether members of a synagogue or not"

World Almanac, US News & World Report, 1983 population of Jews -- 16,820,850

World Almanac, 1996, pg. 646: World Jewish Population -- 14,117,000

World Almanac & Book of Facts, 1989: World Jewish Population --18,080,000

World Almanac & Book of Facts, 2001: World Jewish Population -- 13,200,000

Nazis Evacuate Two Million Jews from German Held Territory

Total World Population of Jews 1938 & 1948

America Europe Asia Africa Oceania Total

1938 5,343,319 8,939,608 839,809 598,339 27,016 15,748,091

1948 5,198,219 9,372,666 572,930 542,869 26,954 15,763,638

Diff -145,100 +433,058 -266,879 -55,470 -9,938 +15,547

Down Sizing From EIGHT million to 30,000 dead Jews

Above left: This was the plaque on display at theAuschwitz camp until 1989: note the "4 million" victims. Above right: This is the plaque currently on display atAuschwitz (2002) - note the suddenly reduced number of victims to 1.5 million - a casual reduction in the number of deaths by 2.5 million which never appeared in the American "free press"

Jews complained about a holocaust in 1919! "Six million men and women are dying ... eight hundred thousand children cry for bread. And this fate is upon them through no fault of their own, ... but through the awful tyranny of war and a bigoted lust for Jewish blood. In this threatened holocaust of human life ..." --The American Hebrew (New York, issue 582 of October 31, 1919) The Talmud also has atrocity claims which demonstrate the Jewish mentality: Gittin 57b claims that four billion Jews were killed by the Romans in the city of Bethar. Gittin 58a claims that 16 million Jewish children were wrapped in scrolls and burned alive by the Romans.

Actual Auschwitz records released by Russia reduce that figure to 30,000 Jews

Why did "Judea declare war on Germany" in 1933.

Why should "Holocaust denial" be a crime?

Why are so many holocaust stories being exposed as frauds?

Why was Ernst Zndel imprisoned for telling the TRUTH?

Dr. E. R. Fields analyzes the known facts.

Holocaust is a "death by fire".

Torturing Rudolph Hoess to get at the "truth."

The absurdity of the Zyklon-B claims.

How to start a holocaust.

A FACTUAL APPRAISAL BY THE RED CROSS

Why did the US government keep the Nazi Master Plan to destroy Christian churches classified for half a century

Why did the number of dead Jews mysteriously decrease from 8 million to 74,000 with no media fanfare?

Why did Jews worldwide not celebrate the sudden reappearance of 7,926,000 supposedly holocausted Jews?

Why would Simen Wiesenthal blacklist supporters of the Second Amendment as "hate sites"?

Why did Jew Dyland Klebold kill dozens of "fellow" Littleton High School students as revenge for the "holocaust" that never was, a gift that keeps on giving?

Why is "White only" a "venomous message" to a Jew?

The Changing Jewish Deaths The more you study these numbers, the less you will know... The fact is, no one knows the figures, except how rapidly they are declining...

WORLDWIDE ALMANACS DISPUTE JewISH LIES

The following data from the 1929, 1942, 1947, and 1963 editions of The World Almanac and Book of Facts published by the New York World Telegram, on pages 727, 849, 748, and 441, respectively, and from the 1996 edition published by Funk & Wagnalls, pg. 646, proves that six million Jews did not die in Nazi concentration camps.

While it's true that the number of Jews in Europe decreased from 10 to 9.4 million between 1928 and 1941, the entire population of Jews in rest of the world also decreased, and much of that was before they could have been exterminated in camps.

All world almanacs show that during WWII the number of Jews in Europe remained flat, but Britannica Book of the Year reports that the number of Jews in the world increased by 600,000, or 4%.

How could 6 million Jews (40% of all Jews and 64% of those in Europe) have died in the Holocaust if their worldwide population increased by 4%?

DID CHRISTIANS BECOME Jews TO GET WAR REPARATIONS?

A possible explanation is that 584,549 Jews disappeared, and then reappeared AFTER the "holocaust" in order to qualify for "war reparations" against a nation neither Jews nor Israel ever took up arms against. In other words, Jews who didn't admit to being Jews during the war suddenly did admit to being Jews when the money was being handed out.

Why don't we STOP SUBSIDIZING THE HOLOCAUST INDUSTRY?

307 DEAD CHRISTIANS FOR EACH DEAD Jew

Why do reputable references like Encyclopedia Britannica report that there 447,274 MORE Jews in 1948, AFTER the war, than there were in 1933, BEFORE the war? why were there 264 million FEWER Christians in the world in 1948 than there would have been without WWII (an event which reduced Europe's total population by more than 25%)? If the 1942 and 1949 World Almanacs are correct (that there were 15.2 million Jews in the world in 1941 and 15.75 million in 1948), and if the natural increase of Jews was an unprecedented [unprecedented particularly for Jews] rate of 1.5% per year for six years, then in 1947 there would have been 16.6 million Jews, 850,000 more than reported by these reputable, unbiased references.

Many Jews claim that WWII was all about "saving Jews from the Nazis". If so, then we have the legitimate right to ask how many Christians must be sacrificed for each Jew saved, particularly when Jew Hitler's fruits were 307 dead Christians for each dead Jew.

World Population of Jews in Millions Suggests No Holocaust of Jews Happened...

Year

North America

South America

Europe

Rest of World

World

Meyers Handlexicon, Germany

1925

4

0.1

10

1.53

15.63

World Almanac & Book of Facts, 1925

1928

4

0.2

10

1.4

15.6

World Almanac & Book of Facts, 1929

Follow this link:
Jew Watch - Jewish Holocaust - Media Lies - Frauds - Hoaxes

Category: Jewish American Heritage Month | Comments Off on Jew Watch – Jewish Holocaust – Media Lies – Frauds – Hoaxes
Tags:

Posted By richards on January 22, 2016

By K. Kris Hirst

Definition:

A synagogue is, of course, a religious structure that can be identified with the Jewish faith. The earliest synagogues probably developed during the period of Babylonian exile perhaps as early as 6th century BC. Synagogues were mentioned in Egyptian papyri (as proseuchai) by the 3rd century BC, and probably served as prayer houses and hostels for pilgrims.

The earliest possible known synagogue foundation was found on the island of Delos, dated to the first century BC; it has an associated inscription which mentions Zeus Hypsistos, some believe is a name for the Jewish God.

Indisputable archaeological evidence for a synagogue is from the synagogue of Theodotos in Jerusalem, dated to the 1st century AD. Excavated synagogues include ones at Masada and Herodium, dated to the time of the first Jewish revolt against the Romans (66-74 AD). Beth Alpha synagogue in what is now Israel and Na'aran in Palestine/Israel dates to the 6th century AD.

This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology.

Read the original post:
Synagogues - What is a Synagogue - About Archaeology

Category: Synagogue | Comments Off on Synagogues – What is a Synagogue – About Archaeology
Tags:

Posted By richards on January 22, 2016

Category: Synagogue | Comments Off on SYNAGOGUE, THE GREAT – JewishEncyclopedia.com
Tags:

Posted By richards on January 20, 2016

Talmud (hebrejsky ), od uit, uen, nkdy me znamenat i odkaz na biblick ver. Talmud me znamenat:

Talmud je soupis rabnskch diskus tkajcch se idovskho zkona, etiky, kter idovsk tradice povauje za smrodatn. Prvnick a etick diskuze jsou ormovny adou legend a pbh, kter slou jako dokreslen tematiky. Vedle Tanachu je jednm ze zkladnch autoritativnch text idovsk vry. Talmud m dv sti. Mina je psanou sbrkou stnho zkona judaismu a gemara je diskus nad minou a nad souvisejcmi tanaitskmi spisy, asto odboujc k jinm tmatm a podrobn vykldajc Tanach. Gemara je jednm ze zklad pro ustanoven rabnskho zkona a je asto citovna v ostatn rabnsk literatue. Talmud jako celek bv, stejn jako Mina, oznaovn as (est podk [Miny]).

Talmud je kolektivn dlo, jeho vytvoen trvalo nkolik set let. Poet znmch autor se pohybuje kolem 3500. Rabni, kte vytveli gemaru, nslednci tanait, jsou nazvni amora'im (sg. amora, ), dosl. kajc. B.Kuras uvd[zdroj?] rozsah cca 5milion slov.

Pvodn byla idovsk uenost stn. Rabni probrali a vykldali zkon a Bibli bez pomoci psemnch dl (vyjma samotnch biblickch knih). Tento stav se nicmn drasticky zmnil, a to hlavn nsledkem znien idovskho politicko-ekonomickho spoleenstv v roce 70n.l. a nslednch otes v oblasti idovskch spoleenskch a prvnch norem. Rabni museli elit nov situaci, jakou byl judaismus bez Chrmu a Judsko bez samosprvy, a nastal rozmach prvnch diskuz a star systm stnho uen nebylo mono udret. Prv bhem tohoto obdob zaaly bt rabnsk diskuze zapisovny.

Prvn zaznamenan stn zkony mohly mt formu midra, v nich je halachick diskuze strukturovna jako exegetick koment k Pentateuchu. Ale piblin kolem roku200n.l., kdy rabi Jehuda ha-Nasi zredigoval Minu, zaala pevldat jin forma, s uspodnm podle tmat spe ne podle biblickho vere. Sanhedrin vGalileji, kam se pemstil z Judska po rozdrcen povstn Bar Kochby, doshl svho zenitu prv vdob r.Jehudy ha-Nasi.

Mina () je kompilac tradic, sebranch bhem prvnch dvou stolet o.l. a zredigovanch do konen podoby kol. r. 200 rabi Jehudou ha-Nasim. Mina strun zaznamenv nzory rabn nebo anonymn tradice a sestavuje je dle tematick pbuznosti.

Bhem stalet nsledujcch po konenm zredigovn miny rabni po cel Palestin a Babylonii tuto prci analyzovali, rozebrali a diskutovali o n. Tyto diskuse tvo gemaru (). Gemara se zamuje zejmna na vysvtlen a rozveden nzor tanait. Gemara znamen dokonen, od slovesa gamar : hebrejsky: dokonil; aramejsky: studoval.

Gemara asto zmiuje vroky tanait, kter nejsou nikde jinde zaznamenny, a srovnv je stmi, je jsou obsaeny vmin aby jimi podpoila nebo naopak odmtla nvrhy amora'im. Vechny tyto neminaick tanaitick zdroje jsou nazvny barajtot, sing. barajta, , doslova stojc vn, ve smyslu tanaitsk vroky, kter se nestaly soust textu Miny Jehudy ha-Nasiho. Texty barajtot nikdy nebyly zaznamenny psemn v samostatn sbrce; jedin pramen, ze kterho je meme erpat, je tedy gemara, kde jsou vtinou uvozeny slovy , i = , tanu rabanan, doslova Nai misti vyuovali.[1] Od ostatnho textu gemary se rovn li pouitm jazykem - zatmco amora'im p v drtiv vtin aramejsky, tanaitsk ltka je vdy psna hebrejsky.

Gemara je koncipovna nsledovn: Pot, co je uveden text miny, je jej text rozdlen na jednotliv sti a tyto postupn vykldny. Nejastji vklad zan otzkami:

Nsledn rzn rabni nebo i gemara anonymn pichz s rznmi tvrzenmi a nzory, ty jsou pak rozebrny a srovnvny s jinmi vroky vdialektick vmn nzor. Pokud dojde k nzorovmu stetu, sna se gemara najt een. Nzorov stet se v gemae nazv nejastji kuja (dosl. nco, co je tk; obt), ten, kdo kuju vzn, je nazvn makan; odpov (vyvrcen) kuji se nazv teruc, ten, kdo jej pin, je nazvn tarcan. Teruc me mt rzn formy, nejastj je tzv. chiluk, dosl. rozdlen, kdy gemara e problm mezi dvma spornmi tradicemi tak, e u, e kad z nich hovo o nem pln jinm, a tud nemohou bt ve sporu. Tato metoda se pouv pedevm v situacch, kdy je text miny ve sporu s textem njak barajty, ppadn jin miny, tedy pi sporech mezi tanaity. Jednm z pravidel, ktermi se diskuze v gemae d, je pedpoklad, e tanait maj vdy pravdu (respektive nen mon prohlsit o nzoru miny nebo barajty, e je patn). Podobn je mon eit i spory mezi dvma amoraim, kde se ji astji pouv logick dedukce. Ve vjimench ppadech dochz i k pouit autority - Rabi XX m vt autoritu ne Rabi XY a svj nzor tak prosad silou sv osobnosti i bez argument. V nkterch ppadech debaty nejsou uzaveny, in se tak vrazem teku, dosl. a to zstane stt, tedy tato zleitost zstala nerozeena.

Tyto nzorov vmny tvo stavebn jednotky gemary; nzev pro takovou pas zgemary, kter e uritou st miny, je sugja (; plurl sugjot). Sugja me bt velmi dlouh, ale me se skldat i z jednoho i dvou slov. V kad sugji jsou pedstavovny biblick, amoraick a tanaitick vroky na podporu rozlinch nzor. Tm Gemara vn smantick rozpory mezi tana'im a amora'im (asto pipisujce urit nzor nkter dvj autorit; nap. jak by byl bval onen lovk odpovdl na njakou otzku apod.) a srovnv pohled miny s pasemi z barajty.

Gemara obsahuje obrovsk mnostv materilu a dotk se velmi mnoha tmat. Tradin talmudsk vroky lze rozdlit do dvou irokch kategori, na halachick a agadick vroky. Halachick vroky jsou ty, kter se tkaj idovskho prva a praxe (halacha). Agadick vroky jsou ty, je prvn podstatu nemaj, ale jsou spe exegetick, homiletick, etick nebo historick.

Prce na gemae probhala ve dvou hlavnch centrech idovsk uenosti, vZemi izraelsk a vBabylonii. Tak byly vytvoeny dv gemary, kter maj sice obdobn styl, v nkterch oblastech na sebe navazuj, v jinch cituj spolen prameny, nicmn ve vsledku se jedn o dv odlin dla. Star kompilace se nazv Jeruzalmsk talmud neboli Talmud jerualmi. Byl sestaven vIzraeli nkdy bhem tvrtho stoletn.l. Babylnsk talmud byl sestaven kolem roku 500n.l., akoli i pot byl nadle editovn. Slovo Talmud, je-li pouito bez bliho upesnn, zpravidla oznauje Babylnsk talmud.

Talmudy jsou tedy dva. Jeruzalmsk talmud pochz zTiberiady ze koly Jochanana ben Napachy. Je kompilac obsahujc uen t kol nalzajcch se ve mstech Tiberias, Sepforis a Caesarea. Jeho konen redakce zejm spad do konce tvrtho stolet. Tou dobou u bylo oficilnm nboenstvm mskho impria kesanstv a Jeruzalm byl hlavnm mstem kesanstva. Vroce 325n.l. csa Konstantin, prvn kesansk csa, prohlsil: Nemjme nic spolenho s tmto protivnm lidem, (tj. se idy). Toto prohlen udlalo z kadho ida vyvrhele a uboka. Jeruzalmsk talmud byl tedy redigovn v mnohem hektitjm a obtnjm prosted, ne jeho babylnsk protjek, avak i pesto zstv nepostradatelnm zdrojem idovskho zkonodrstv ve Svat zemi.

Od dob babylonskho zajet vroce 586p.n.l. ili id pouze vsdlech mimo Judsko. Vtina zajatc se dom nevrtila. Pirozenm prstkem, migrac a obchodem populace vzrostla. Nejdleitjmi idovskmi stedisky byly: Nehardea, Nisibis, Mahoza, Pumbedita a Sura. Pro uence pestalo bt dleit cestovat pro autentickou tradici do Palestiny. lovkem, kter poloil zklad k Babylonskmu talmudu byl Rav. Skutenm editorem Babylonskho talmudu byl rav Ai, pedseda akademie vSe vletech 375 a 427n.l. Prci jm zapoatou dokonil Ravina. Podle tradice byl Ravina poslednm amorou. Jeho smrt vroce 499n.l. oznauje ukonen obdob redigovn talmudu.

Mezi obma kompilacemi (obma talmudy) existuj rozdly. Jazykem Jeruzalmskho talmudu je zpadoaramejsk ne, kter se li od babylonskho. Oba talmudy nemaj zcela jednotnou minu a poad traktt, zvlt v Jeruzalmskm talmudu nesleduje vdy poad ustaven v min.

Babylonsk talmud obsahuje gemaru pouze k 38 z 63 traktt Miny: vtina zkon z oddlu Zera'im (zemdlsk zkony platc pouze pro Svatou zemi) a Tahorot (zkony rituln istoty tkajc se Chrmu a systmu pinen obt) mla vBabylonii jen mal praktick vznam a nebyla tud zahrnuta. Talmud jeruzalmsk vak uritou st tchto traktt pokrv.

Babylonsk talmud zskal mnohem vt vliv ne Jeruzalmsk. Je tomu tak proto, e vliv a presti idovskho spoleenstv vIzraeli ve srovnn s babylonskm spoleenstvm vletech po dokonen talmudu setrvale klesaly, a to a do gaonskho obdob. Navc byla konen prava Babylonskho talmudu mnohem kvalitnj ne tomu bylo u Jeruzalmskho talmudu, m se stal pouitelnjm a z prvnho hlediska zvaznjm.

Prvn kompletn vydn Babylonskho talmudu bylo vytitno v16.stolet vItlii Danielem Bombergem. Vedle miny a gemary Bombergovo vydn obsahovalo Raiho komente a Tosafot. Tm vechna titn vydn od dob vydn Blombergova dodrela stejn strnkovn. Vroce 1835 vytiskl nov vydn Talmudu Menachem Romm ve Viln.

Talmud je pro obyejnho lovka, nadto vychovanho v evropsko-antickch pedstavch o tom, co je logick a co ne, tko pochopiteln. Jeho jazyk je spe stenografickm zznamem rabnskch diskuz, navc obsahuje mnoho eckch a perskch slov kter se asem stala nejasnmi. Za elem vysvtlit tato slova a pase se vyvinulo jedno hlavn odvtv talmudsk uenosti. Nkte ran komenttoi jako rabejnu Gerom z Mainzu (10.stol.) a rabejnu Chanan'el (zatek 11.stol., Kairun (Tunisko)) vytvoili k rznm trakttm prbn komente, kter lze st spolen s textem trakttu a pomhaj objasnit jeho vznam. Rabi Natan ben Jechi'el v11.stolet pouil jin pstup a vytvoil pro peklad obtnch slov lexikon nazvan Aruch. Zdaleka nejznmjm komentem kBabylonskmu talmudu je koment Raiho (Rabi lomo ben Jicchak, lomo Jicchaki, 1040-1105). Jeho dosud nepekonan koment pokrv tm cel Talmud. Podob pnos znamenal pro Jeruzalmsk talmud koment Ga'ona z Vilna. Ve 12.stolet vznikl dal hlavn koment znm jako Tosafot (doplky nebo dodatky). Tosafot jsou sebran komente rznch stedovkch akenzskch rabn (tosafist) kTalmudu.

Vprbhu 15. a 16. stolet se objevila nov intenzivn forma studia talmudu. Kvysvtlen mench vznamovch rozpor uvnit talmudu se pi n pouvaly sloit logick argumentace. Pro oznaen tohoto typu studia se pouval pojem pilpul, kter znamen hebrejsky pep.

Ti, kdo pouvali pilpul, pistupovali k talmudickmu textu podobn, jako k Te, toti, e Talmud neme obsahovat vbec nic nadbytenho ani rozporuplnho. Tud byly vytvoeny nov kategorie a nov rozlien (chilukim), kter zdnliv rozpory uvnit Talmudu eily novmi logickmi prostedky. Tento pilpulistick styl poprv zaznamenal Isaac Canpanton (zemel ve panlsku r. 1463) ve svch Darchej ha-talmud (Cesty talmudu).

Studium pilpulem doshlo svho nejvtho rozmachu v16. a 17.stolet, kdy se vjeivch Polska a Litvy zbhlost vpilpulistick analze povaovala za umn svho druhu a stala se clem sama o sob. Jedna z variac pilpulu spoval v umle vytvoenm problmu, na kter bylo nutn najt odpov. Ale tato populrn nov metoda studia talmudu se pochopiteln neobela bez kritiky. U v15.stolet etick traktt Orot cadikim (heb. Svtla spravedlivch) kritizoval pilpul za plin draz na intelektuln aktivitu. Mnoz rabni 16. a 17.stolet byli rovn kpilpulu kritit. Mezi nimi jsou vznanmi Jehuda ben Becalel (Prask Maharal), Jeaja Horowitz, a Ja'ir Chajim Bacharach. Maharal dokonce dajn prohlsil, e je uitenj hrt achy, ne studovat pilpul.

V 18.stolet studium pilpulem upadalo. Rozenjmi se staly jin styly uen, jako nap. styl koly Ga'ona z Vilna. Pojem pilpul se m dl tm vc pouval hanliv pro novoty povaovan za kasuistick a pli analytick, postrdajc smysl samotnho uen. Autoi nazvali sv vlastn komente al derech ha-peat ("snadnou cestou"), aby zdraznili, e nejde o pilpul.[2]

Koncem 19.stolet se objevil dal trend ve studiu talmudu. Tento typ studia vyvinul a zdokonalil rabi Chajim Solovejik (1853-1918) zBrisku. Brisker metoda obn rozbor rabnsk argumentace v talmudu nebo mezi rionim a vysvtlen rznch nzor jejich zaazenm do kategorick struktury. Brisker metoda je vysoce analytick a asto kritizovan jakoto modern verze pilpulu. Nicmn vliv brisker metody je obrovsk. Vevtin modernch jeiv se talmud studuje uitm njak formy brisker metody. Prv s pouitm tto metody zaala bt Maimonidova Mine Tora studovna nejen jako halachick prce, ale i jako prce zoblasti interpretace talmudu.

Text talmudu byl bhem jeho historie do urit mry podrobovn i kritickmu zkoumn. Jak ukazuje Jonah Fraenkel ve sv knize Darcho el Rai be-feruo ha-Talmud ha-bavli, jednm zRaiho velkch pnos bylo opraven textu. Rabejnu Tam, Raiho vnuk a jedna zstednch postav tosafistskch akademi proti opravovn textu polemizuje ve sv nepli asto ten prci Sefer ha-jaar. Nicmn tosafist tak text talmudu opravovali, a dlali to i mnoz jin stedovc komenttoi. Veobecn se ale tradin komente opravm textu talmudskch pas vyhbaj. Vdsledku emancipace zghetta (1789) prodlal judaismus bhem 19. stolet siln otesy a transformaci (viz Progresivn judaismus, Haskala). Na talmud se zaaly aplikovat modern metody textov a historick analzy.

Vdcov reformnho hnut, jako nap. Abraham Geiger a Samuel Holdheim vrmci svho sil odtpit se od tradinho rabnskho judaismu podrobili talmud psnmu pezkoumn. Vreakci na to zaali bt vdcov ortodoxie jako Chatam Sofer a Samson Rafael Hirsch citliv na jakkoli zmny a zavrhli modern kritick metody studia talmudu. Metody a zpsob studia talmudu proto uvzly vdebatch mezi reformismem a ortodoxi.

Nkde uprosted mezi tmito dvma zcela protichdnmi pohledy vyvstala nov kola, kter vyvinula historicko-kritickou metodu studia talmudu. Uenci a rabni zastvajc tento nzor uvili, e idovsk prvo je vsledkem dlouhho vvoje a e svvolnmu vmovn se do tohoto pirozenho procesu bychom se mli vyhbat. Na druhou stranu tak vili, e tradin idovsk zdroje, jako talmud, by mly bt podrobeny akademickmu zkoumn a kritick analze. initeli tohoto pohledu byli Zachari Frankl, Leopold Zunz a lomo Jehuda Leib Rappaport. Dnes se tento typ studia objevuje pedevm v konzervativnm judaismu.

Mimo jin proto, e soudob metoda historickho studia m pvod vdob nboenskch reforem, stala se vortodoxnm svt automaticky podezelou. Pesto ji vyuvali i mnoz znejsilnjch kritik reformismu, vetn striktn ortodoxnch rabn. Vznan mezi nimi byli Nachman Krochmal a Cvi Hir Chajes.

Ne jsou uvedeny nkter trendy v dnen talmudsk uenosti:

Talmud je jedinen. Hovo k srdci stejn jako krozumu, otevr neviditeln brny starovkch pokladnic i souasnch problm.

Elie Wiesel

Talmud je psanm zznamem stn tradice. Stal se zkladem mnohch rabnskch zkonk a zvyk. Ne vichni id, a u vminulosti nebo vsouasnosti, uznali talmud jako dlo majc nboenskou autoritu. Tento oddl poskytuje strun pehled tchto hnut.

Saduceov byli idovsk sekta vzkvtajc vobdob druhho Chrmu. Jednm zjejich hlavnch argument proti farizejm (tj. proti smru, znho vzeel pozdj rabnsk judaismus) bylo jejich odmtnut stnho zkona.

Dalm hnutm, kter odmtalo stn zkon, byl karaismus. Vznikl v Babylnii v prbhu dvou stolet po uzaven Talmudu, v gaonskm obdob. Rabnsk zdroje hovo o tom, e mylenka zaloit karaity byla rzu ist politickho, karaitsk zdroje naopak uvd, e jejich hnut byly pouze dny pevnj obrysy. Stedobodem karaismu je odmtnut stn try tak, jak je vyjdena vtalmudu, ve prospch striktn vrnosti pouze psanmu Zkonu. To je proti zkladn mylence rabnskho judaismu, e stn zkon byl dn Mojovi na Sinaji spolen s psanm zkonem. Karaismus prakticky vymizel, z10% (msty a 40%) idovskho obyvatelstva vdob jeho nejvtho rozen poklesl jeho podl na souasnch odhadovanch 0,002%[zdroj?].

Se vzestupem reformnho judaismu bhem 18.stolet byla autorita talmudu opt zpochybovna. Talmud (dokonce spolen s psanm Zkonem) byl nahlen pouze jako produkt pozdnho starovku, majc vznam jen jako historick dokument.

Ortodoxn judaismus nadle zdrazuje dleitost studia talmudu a talmud je zkladn slokou rozvrhu vjeivch. Pravideln studium talmudu veejnost zpopularizovalo hnut Daf jomi, denn kurs studia talmudu, kter zaloil vroce rabi Me'ir apiro.

Konzervativn judaismus obdobn zdrazuje studium talmudu v nboenskm a rabnskm vzdln. Talmud je studovn jako historick zdrojov text pro halachu a na konzervativnch jeivch nen nijak brnno akademitjmu a krititjmu pstupu, kter v kombinaci s tradinm pojetm vede k zajmavm vsledkm. Konzervativn pstup k utven prvnch rozhodnut zdrazuje vkldn klasickch text a precedentnch ppad do historickho a kulturnho kontextu. Tento pstup vystil ve vt praktickou flexibilitu, ne je tomu u ortodoxnho judaismu.

Reformn judaismus neklade na studium talmudu ve svch hebrejskch kolch takov draz jako ve uveden smry, ale vrabnskch seminch jej vyuuje; svtonzor liberlnho judaismu zamt zvaznost halachy a pouv talmud pouze jako zdroj inspirace a mravnho nauen.

See the article here:
Talmud Wikipedie

Category: Talmud | Comments Off on Talmud Wikipedie
Tags:

Posted By richards on January 20, 2016

Talmud (bahasa Ibrani: ) adalah catatan tentang diskusi para rabi yang berkaitan dengan hukum Yahudi, etika, kebiasaan dan sejarah. Talmud mempunyai dua komponen: Mishnah, yang merupakan kumpulan Hukum Lisan Yudaisme pertama yang ditulis; dan Gemara, diskusi mengenai Mishnah dan tulisan-tulisan yang terkait dengan Tannaim yang sering membahas topik-topik lain dan secara luas menguraikan Tanakh. Istilah Talmud dan Gemara seringkali digunakan bergantian. Gemara adalah dasar dari semua aturan dari hukum rabinik dan banyak dikutip dalam literatur rabinik yang lain. Keseluruhan Talmud biasanya juga dirujuk sebagai bahasa Ibrani: (Shas; baca: Syas), singkatan bahasa Ibrani untuk shishah sedarim, atau "enam tatanan" Mishnah.

Studi keyahudian pada mulanya tidak tertulis (lisan). Para rabbi menguraikan dan memperdebatkan hukum serta membahas Alkitab Ibrani tanpa bantuan karya-karya tertulis (selain dari kitab-kitab di dalam Kitab Suci sendiri.) Namun, situasi ini berubah secara drastis terutama sebagai akibat penghancuran komunitas Yahudi pada tahun 70 M, dan pergolakan norma-norma sosial dan hukum Yahudi yang ditimbulkannya. Karena para rabi dituntut menghadapi realitas yang baruyang utamanya Yudaisme tanpa Bait Suci dan Yudea tanpa otonomimembanjirlah wacana hukum dan sistem studi oral yang lama tidak dapat lagi dipertahankan. Pada masa inilah wacana rabinik mulai dicatat secara tertulis.

Hukum lisan tertua yang dicatat kemungkinan dalam bentuk midrashi. Di sini diskusi halakhik disusun sebagai tafsiran eksegetis terhadap Pentateukh. Tetapi sebuah bentuk alternatifnya, yang disusun menurut topiknya dan bukan menurut ayat-ayat Alkitab, menjadi dominan pada sekitar tahun 200 M., ketika Rabi Judah haNasi meredaksi Mishnah ().

Mishnah () adalah kompilasi pandangan dan perdebatan hukum. Namanya sendiri berarti "redaksi", dari kata kerja shanah , yang berarti "mengulangi" atau "meninjau". Nama ini mungkin merupakan petunjuk pada metode studi wacana rabinik dengan cara mengulang-ulang secara lisan.

Pernyataan-pernyataan dalam Mishnah biasanya singkat dan padat, mencatat pandangan-pandangan singkat dari para rabi yang memperdebatkan sebuah topic, atau mencatat sebuah peraturan yang tidak disebutkan sumbernya, yang tampaknya mewakili sebuah pandangan consensus. Para rabi Mishnah dikenal sebagai Tannaim (tunggal: Tanna ).

Berbeda dengan Midrash, Mishna hanyalah sebuah catatan dari kumpulan halakha (yang lainnya adalah Tosefta), namun demikian, penataannya menurut topic menjadi kerangka bagi Talmud secara keseluruhan.

Mishna terdiri atas enam tatanan (sedarim, tunggal: seder ). Masing-masing dari tatanannya mengandung antara 7 dan 12 traktat, yang disebut masechtot (tunggal: masechet ; harafiah: "jaringan"). Masing-masing masechet dibagi menjadi bab-bab (peraqim) yang terdiri dari unit-unit yang lebih kecil yang disebut mishnayot (tunggal: mishnah). Tidak setiap traktat dalam Mishnah mempunyai padanan Gemaranya. Selain itu, tatanan traktat dalam Talmud berbeda dalam kasus-kasus tertentu dengan tatanan di dalam Mishnah; lih. diskusi pada masing-masing Seder.

Selain Mishnah, karya-karya Tannaim lainnya dicatat pada kira-kira waktu yang bersamaan atau tak lama sesudah itu. Gemara seringkali merujuk kepada pernyataan-pernyataan Tannaim untuk membandingkannya dengan apa yang terdapat di dalam Mishna dan mendukung atau membantah proposisi-proposisi dari Amoraim. Semua sumber Tannaim non-Mishna disebut beraitot (harafiah: bahan-bahan luar, "Karya-karya di luar Mishna"; tunggal: beraita ).

Beraita mencakup Tosefta, sebuah kumpulan Tannaim dari halakha yang sejajar dengan Mishna; dan Midrash Halakha, khususnya Mekhilta, Sifra dan Sifre.

Dalam tiga abad setelah peredaksian Mishna, para rabi di seluruh Palestina dan Babilonia menganalisis, memperdebatkan, dan mendiskusikan karya itu. Diskusi-diskusi ini membentuk Gemara (). Gemara terutama terpusat pada upaya menjelaskan dan menguraikan pandangan-pandangan dari Tannaim. Para rabi Gemara dikenal sebagai Amoraim (tunggal: Amora ). Gemara berarti kesempurnaan, dari gamar : bahasa Ibrani menyelesaikan, menyempurnakan; bahasa Aram mempelajari.

Banyak dari Gemara terdiri atas analisis hukum. Titik tolak untuk analisis ini biasanya adalah suatu pernyataan legal yang ditemukan di dalam sebuah Mishna. Pernyataan ini kemudian dianalisis dan dibandingkan dengan pernyataan-pernyataan lain dalam dialog dialektis di antara kedua pihak yang bertikai (yang seringkali anonim dan kadang-kadang metaforik), yang diistilahkan sebagai makshan (penanya) dan tartzan (penjawab).

Tanya jawb ini membentuk "bangunan" gemara; nama dari sebuah paragraf gemara adalah sugya (; jamak:: sugyot). Sugya biasanya terdiri atas sebuah uraian yang terinci dan didasarkan bukti tentang sebuah pernyataan mishnah.

Dalam sebuah sugya tertentu, pernyataan-pernyataan Kitab Suci, Tannaim dan Amoraim diangkat untuk mendukung berbagai pandangan. Dengan demikian, gemara akan menghasilkan ketidaksepakatan semantik antara Tannaim dan Amoraim (yang seringkali menyebutkan bahwa suatu pandangan dikeluarkan oleh seseorang yang berwibawa dan tentang bagaimana ia mestinya akan menjawab suatu pertanyaan), dan membandingkan padnangan-pandangan Mishna dengan bagian-bagian dari beraita. Jarang sekali perdebatan-perdebatan itu ditutup dengan resmi. Dalam banyak kasus, kata yang terakhir menentukan hukum praktisnya, meskipun ada banyak pengecualian terhadap prinsip ini. Lihat Gemara untuk pembahasan lebih lanjut.

Talmud terdiri dari banyak sekali bahan dan menyinggung banyak sekali topik. secara tradisional pernyataan-pernyataan talmudik dapat digolongkan ke dalam dua kategori besar, pernyataan-pernyataan Halakha dan Hagaddah. Pernyataan-pernyataan Halakha adalah yang berkaitan langsung dengan soal-soal hukum dan praktik Yahudi (Halakha). Pernyataan-pernyataan Haggadah adalah yang tidak terkait secara legal, melainkan yang bersifat eksegetis, homiletis, etis, atau historis. Lihat Haggadah untuk pembahasan lebih lanjut.

Proses "Gemara" berlangsung di dua pusat Studi Yahudi yang utama, Israel dan Babilonia. Sejalan dengan itu, dua kumpulan analisis berkembang, dan dua karya Talmud pun terbentuk. Kompilasi yang lebih tua disebut Talmud Palestina atau Talmud Yerushalmi. Talmud ini dikompilasi sekitar abad keempat di Palestina. Talmud Babilonia disusun sekitar tahun 500 M., meskipun ia terus disunting di kemudian hari. Kata "Talmud", ketika digunakan tanpa keterangan, biasanya merujuk kepada Talmud Babilonia.

Gemara di sini adalah sinopsis dari hampir 200 tahun analisis atas Mishna di Akademi-akademi di Israel (terutama Tiberias dan Kaisarea.) Karena lokasi Akademi-akademi ini, hukum-hukum agrikultur Tanah Israel dibahas secara sangat terinci. Menurut tradisi, Gemara diredaksi pada tahun 350 M oleh Rav Muna dan Rav Yossi di Israel. Gemara dirujuk secara tradisional sebagai Talmud Yerushalmi (Talmud Yerusalem). Namun nama ini sebetulnya keliru, karena Gemara tidak ditulis di Yerusalem. Karena itu Gemara juga dikenal secara lebih akurat sebagai Talmud negeri Israel.

Gemara ditulis dalam bahasa Ibrani dan dialek Aram barat yang berbeda dengan padanan Babilonianya.

Talmud Bavli ("Talmud Babilonia") terdiri dari Mishnah dan Gemara Babilonia. Gemara ini adalah sinopsis dari analisis selama 300 tahun lebih atas Mishna di Akademi-akademi Babilonia. Menurut tradisi, Talmud ini diedit oleh dua orang bijak Babilonia, Rav Ashi dan Ravina.

Pertanyaan tentang kapan Gemara akhirnya muncul dalam bentuknya yang sekarang belum terjawab oleh para ilmuwan modern. Sebagian dari teksnya baru mencapai bentuk finalnya setelah sekitar tahun 700. Menurut tradisi, para rabi yang menyunting talmud setelah akhir periode Amora disebut Saboraim atau Rabanan Saborai. Para sarjana modern juga menggunakan istilah Stammaim (bahasa Ibrani = sumber tertutup, kabur atau tidak disebutkan) untuk para pengarang pernyataan-pernyataan yang tidak disebutkan sumbernya dalam Gemara. (Lihat era dalam hukum Yahudi.)

View post:
Talmud - Wikipedia bahasa Indonesia, ensiklopedia bebas

Category: Talmud | Comments Off on Talmud – Wikipedia bahasa Indonesia, ensiklopedia bebas
Tags:

Posted By richards on January 20, 2016

At various times during the Hadrian persecutions, the sages were forced into hiding, though they managed to reconvene at Usha in 122 CE, and then in a time of quiet managed to re-establish again at Yavneh in 158 CE.

With so much persecution and unrest, with the Jewish people fleeing the land of Israel, the rabbis knew that they would not be able to keep a central seat of rabbinic power alive for long.

Yet, during these great periods of chaos, some of the finest rabbinic minds made their mark. Among them:

Now, another man was to emerge and make his markthe son of Rabbi Shimon Ben Gamliel IIRabbi Yehudah HaNasi (in English Judah, the Prince).

In a time of chaos, the rabbis decide that they must do the unprecedentedwrite down the Oral Law.

He is one personality who is absolutely fundamental to understanding this period of time, and one of the greatest personalities of Jewish history.

So great was he that he is now affectionately referred to in Jewish scholarship as only Rebbe.

He had a unique combination of attributesbeing both a great Torah scholar and a strong leaderthat gave him the power to lead the Jewish people at this chaotic time. He was also a man of tremendous personal wealth, which put him in a position to wheel and deal and do what needed to get done, not just with the Jews in the Land of Israel but with the Roman authorities as well.

Hadrian dies in 139 C.E and with his death came an improvement in the treatment of the Jewish community in Israel. During a period of relative quiet, Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi managed to befriend the Roman emperors who succeeded Hadrian, particularly Marcus Aurelius (161-180 C.E.). Writes historian Rabbi Berel Wein in his Echoes of Glory (p. 224):

Providentially, in the course of the Parthian war, Marcus Aurelius met Rabbi [Yehudah HaNasi], and they became friends and eventually confidants . Marcus Aurelius consulted with his friend in Judah on matters of state policy as well as on personal questions.(1)

The years of Marcus Aurelius reign, ending in his death in 180, was the high-water mark in the intercourse between Rome and the Jews. The Jews, under the leadership of Rabbi [Yehudah HaNasi], would use this period of blissful respite to prepare themselves for the struggle of darker days surely lurking around the corner.

At this timecirca 170-200 CEthe Mishna was born.

What is the Mishna?

In past installments we discussed the fact that at Mount Sinai the Jewish people received the Written Torah and the Oral Torah. The Oral Torah was the oral explanation of how the written laws should be executed and followed.

The Oral Torah passed from generation to generation and was never written down(2). Why? Because the Oral Torah was meant to be fluid. The principles stayed the same, but the application of those principles was meant to be adapted to all types of new circumstances.

This worked exceptionally well as long as the central authoritythe Sanhedrinremained intact, and the chain of transmission was not interrupted. (That is, teachers were able to freely pass on their wisdom to the next generation of students.) But in the days since the destruction of the Temple, the Sanhedrin had been repeatedly uprooted and teachers had to go into hiding.

Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi realized that things would not get better any time soon. He saw that the Temple would not be rebuilt in his generation and possibly in many generations to come. He saw the Jews fleeing the land as a result of the constant persecutions and impossible living conditions. He saw that the central authority was weaker than ever and might cease altogether To make sure that the chain of transmission would never be broken, he decided that the time had come to write down the Oral Torah.(3)

This was a mammoth undertaking. Although much of the work may have already been done by previous generations of rabbis, the monumental task of editing, explaining and organizing this vast amount of material was left to Rabbi Yehudah. The end result of this massive undertaking was a definitive, yet cryptic (the basic principles were all there yet a teacher was still required to elucidate the material) version of the entire Oral Law called the Mishna. (Incidentally, the word Mishna means repetition because it was studied by repeating; mishna then, by extension, means learning.) Maimonides, in his introduction to his Mishneh Torah, explains it as follows:

He gathered together all the traditions, enactments, and interpretations and expositions of every position of the Torah, that either come down from Moses, out teacher, or had been deduced by the courts in successive generations. All this material he redacted in the Mishna, which was diligently taught in public, and thus became universally known among the Jewish people. Copies of it were made and widely disseminated, so that the Oral Law might not be forgotten in Israel

SIX CATEGORIES OF JEWISH LAW The Mishna, which is written in Hebrew, is divided into six basic segments or orders and further subdivided into 63 tractates with a total of 525 chapters. These 6 segments dealing with six basic areas of Jewish law:

Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi finished the Mishna in ca. 190 CE in the town of Tzipori in the Galilee. You can visit the site today which is very interesting from an archeological perspective. At a site called Beit Shearim (where the Sanhedrin had previously been located prior to its move to Tzipori), there is a vast number of burial caves carved into the side of a mountain. Based on evidence found at the site, archaeologists believe that one of these caves contains the grave of Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi, along with many other great scholars of that time.

Not long after the death of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi the period know as the era of the Tannaim came to a close. The term Tanna, is derived from the Aramaic word to teach and covered a period of 200 years from ca.10 B.C.E. to 200 C.E. beginning with Rabbi Shimon the son of Hillel the Elder and ending with Rabbi Yossi ben Yehuda.

During the centuries following the completion of the Mishna, the chain of transmission of the Oral law was further weakened by a number of factors: Economic hardship and increased persecution of the Jewish community in Israel caused many Jews, including many rabbis, to flee the country. Many of these rabbis emigrated to Babylon in the Persian Empire. The role of the rabbis of Israel as the sole central authority of the Jewish people was coming to an end. This decentralization of Torah authority and lack of consensus among the rabbis led to further weakening of the transmission process. It became clear to the sages of this period that the Mishna alone was no longer clear enough to fully explain the Oral Law. It was written in shorthand fashion and in places was cryptic. This is because it was very concise, written on the assumption that the person reading it was already well-acquainted with the subject matter.

So they began to have discussions about it and to write down the substance of these discussions.

Since at this time a significant portion of the Jewish population was living in Babylon, which was outside the bounds of the Roman Empire, the rabbis there put together their discussions, the end product of which was called Talmud Bavli or the Babylonian Talmud. Even before this process had begun in Babylon, in the land of Israel, another set of discussions took place and the end result was Talmud Yerushalmi or the Jerusalem Talmud. (Incidentally, the Jerusalem Talmud was not written in Jerusalem; it was written in Tiberias, the last place where the Sanhedrin sat, but was called the Jerusalem Talmud in deference to the Sanhedrins rightful home.)

Due to persecution of the Jewish community in Israel the Jerusalem Talmud, completed in the mid 4th century C.E., was never completed or fully edited. The Jerusalem Talmud is much shorter (it contains only four of the six sections of the Mishna(4)) and is more cryptic and harder to understand than the Babylonian Talmud. The situation of the Jews in Babylon was much more stable and the rabbis in Babylon had considerably more time to edit and explain the subject matter.

Although there are two Talmuds, they are not really separate. The Rabbis of Babylon had access to the Jerusalem Talmud while they were working on their text. But if there is dispute between the two Talmuds, the Babylonian Talmud is followed.(5) Both because Babylonian Talmud is considered more authoritative and the Jerusalem Talmud is more difficult to study, Jewish students pouring over the Talmud in yeshiva are using chiefly the Babylonian Talmud. The Talmud is more than just an application of the details of the Jewish law as expounded in the Mishnah. Its the encyclopedia of all Jewish existence.

The Talmud also contains a lot of agadata these are stories that are meant to illustrate important points in the Jewish worldview. These stories contain a wealth of information on a huge range of topics. you name it, its in there.

This information was vital to the Jewish people because Jewish law was never applied by reading a sentence in the Torah and executing it to the letter. Take for example, eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. It was never Jewish law that if someone blinded you, that you should go and blind him. What is the good of having two blind people? It was always understood on two levels: 1) that justice must be proportional (its not a life for an eye) and 2) that it means the value of an eye for the value of the eye, referring to monetary damages. Thus, the Talmud presented the written and oral tradition together.

To read the Talmud is to read a lot of arguments. On every page it seems that the rabbis are arguing. This kind of argumentthe purpose of which was to arrive at the kernel of truthis called pilpul. This word has a negative connotation outside the yeshiva world, as people read these arguments and it seems to the uneducated eye that the rabbis are merely splitting hairs, and that some of the arguments have absolutely no basis in everyday life. But this is not so.

The reason why the rabbis argued about things that may not have any application to everyday life was to try to get to truth in an abstract way - to understand the logic and to extract the principle. These rabbis were interested in knowing what reality is and in doing the right thing. Reality is what Judaism is all aboutthe ultimate reality being God.

Another important point is that much of the discussion and dispute is focused on relatively minor points while the larger issues are generally not disputed. You dont see a single argument as to whether or not you eat pork, or whether or not you can light a fire on the Sabbath. These things were a given, they were totally agreed upon. Only small points were subject to discussion. And these rabbis were wise enough to know that a day would come when the principles established by getting to the core kernel of truth would have far reaching implications.

When you look at the page of the Babylonian Talmud today, you will find the Hebrew text of the Mishna is featured in the middle of the page. Interspersed between the Hebrew of the Mishna are explanations in both Hebrew and Aramaic which are called the Gemara.

The Aramaic word Gemara means tradition. In Hebrew, the word Gemara means completion. Indeed, the Gemara is a compilation of the various rabbinic discussions on the Mishna, and as such completes the understanding of the Mishna.

The texts of the Mishna and Gemara are then surrounded by other layers of text and commentaries from a later period.

The text of the Mishna is quoting rabbis who lived from about 100 BCE to 200 CE. These rabbi are called the Tanaim, teachers. In this group are included such greats as Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakkai, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, Rabbi Akiva, and of course Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi. (In the Gemara, they usually have the title Rebbe before their first name although there are many exceptions such as the names: Hillel, Shamai, Ben Azai and Ben Zoma.)

The text of the Gemara is quoting the rabbis who lived from about 200 CE to about 500 CE. These rabbis are called, Amoraim, explainers or interpreters. In this group are included Rav Ashi, Reb Yochanan, etc. (Names of the Babylonian Amoraim usually are preceeded by the title Rav as opposed to the Amoraim of Israel who continued to use the title Rabbi/Rebbe. This is because the authentic institution of smicha - rabbinic ordinationwas only done in the Land of Israel.)

The surrounding text of todays Talmud also quotes Rishonim, literally the first ones, rabbinic authorities (from c. 1,000 C.E. until 1,500 C.E.) who predated Rabbi Joseph Caro, the 16th century author of the code of Jewish law known as the Shulchan Aruch. Among the most prominent Rishonim are Rashi, his students and descendants who were the chief authors of the Tosaphos, Maimonidies and Nachmanides. We will discuss the contributions of these rabbis in future installments.

Just how important was the work of Rabbi Yehudah Hanasi and those that followed him would become very clear in the next hundred years when the Jewish people face another threat to their religion. This is when the Roman Empire decides to convert its entire population to Christianity.

1)See: Talmud-Avodah Zara 10a-b; Breishit Rabbah 67:6; 75:5 2)See: Midrash, Tanchumah-Ki Tisa 34; Talmud, Gittin 60a; 3) For a detailed explanation of actions of Rebbi Yehuda HaNasi see Miamonides, Introduction to the Mishnah Torah. See also: Iggerot of R abbi Sheriram Gaon 1:1. 4) The Baylonian Talmud covers tractates: Moed, Nashim, Nezikin and Kodshim while the Jerusalem Talmud covers tractates : Moed, Nashim, Nezikin and Zeraim. 5)See: Rif on Talmud, Eruvin 35b

Read this article:
The History of the Talmud - What is the Talmud? What is ...

Category: Talmud | Comments Off on The History of the Talmud – What is the Talmud? What is …
Tags:

Posted By richards on January 19, 2016

Sephardic Haredim are Jews of Sephardic and Mizrahi descent who are adherents of Haredi Judaism. Sephardic Haredim today constitute a significant stream of Haredi Judaism, alongside the Hassidim and Lita'im. An overwhelming majority of Sephardic Haredim reside in Israel, where Sephardic Haredi Judaism emerged and developed. Although there is a lack of consistency in many of the statistics regarding Haredim in Israel, it is thought that some 20% of Israel's Haredi population are Sephardic Haredim.[1][2] This figure is disputed by Shas, which claims that the proportion is "much higher than 20%" and cites voting patterns in Haredi cities to support its position.[3]

Sephardic Haredim differ from their Ashkenazi counterparts in a number of significant ways. The central differentiating factor is that Sephardic Haredim follow the rulings and customs of their rabbis, which are rooted in the traditions of the Jews formerly from the Islamic world. Additional differences exist on issues such as political allegiance, as the vast majority of Sephardic Haredim are identified with Shas, while most Ashkenazi Haredim are identified with either United Torah Judaism or, to a lesser extent, HaEdah HaChareidis.

Sephardic Haredim as a community tend to be moderately supportive of Zionism while maintaining a theological neutrality regarding the existence of the State of Israel. Ashkenazi Haredim as a community exhibit a broader spectrum of views. In 2010, the Shas party, which represents an overwhelming majority[clarification needed] of Sephardic Haredim, became the first Haredi political party to join the World Zionist Organization.[4]

The emergence of a coherent Sephardic stream of Haredi Judaism is a relatively recent development in Jewish history. In the early 20th Century, the dominant Sephardic Haredi institution was Porat Yosef Yeshiva in Jerusalem. Porat Yosef Yeshiva quickly became a reputable Sephardic institution, educating many students and even "exporting" Rabbinic leadership to Jewish communities in the Muslim world. Politically, it followed a position close to Agudath Yisrael. Alongside Porat Yosef Yeshiva there were a number of Sephardic Haredi Rabbis, not affiliated with any particular institution nor with each other, who were strongly opposed to Zionism, the State of Israel, modernity and secularism, much like the Askhenazi Edah HaChareidis. Their attempt to form a Sephardic counterpart to the Edah, HaEdah HaChareidit HaSpharadit, was largely unsuccessful as it failed to attract a significant membership. Of these two groups, the dominant was undoubtedly Porat Yosef Yeshiva.

The second significant stage in the development of Sephardic Haredi Judaism occurred in the first decades following the establishment of the State of Israel. During this period, there was wave of Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews who were educated in Lita'i Haredi Yeshivas, and consequently adopted the worldview and lifestyle of the Ashkenazi Haredim. Both of these stages were largely unsuccessful in reaching the broader Sephardic community.

The latest, and undoubtedly the most successful and widespread, iteration of Sephardic Haredism was brought about by the advent of Shas. The most significant religious figure in this movement is Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, himself educated in Porat Yosef Yeshiva, who sought to defend and preserve the Sephardic Halacha from Ashkenazi influence and restore it to what he considers its purest and most correct form.

The most important and influential leader of present-day Sephardic Haredi community in Israel was Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, former Chief Rabbi of Israel and the spiritual leader of the Shas political party. He was considered the foremost religious authority by most Sephardic Yeshivas, especially large and influential ones such as Porat Yosef. In earlier periods, the key figures of the Sephardic Haredim included well-known Rabbis such as Amram Aburbeh, Solomon Eliezer Alfandari, Abraham Aminoff, Ezra Attiya, Yosef Chaim Hacohen, Chaim Hezekiah Medini and Yaakov Chaim Sofer.

Go here to read the rest:
Sephardic Haredim - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Category: Sephardic | Comments Off on Sephardic Haredim – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tags:

Posted By richards on January 15, 2016

Raised ultra-Orthodox in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, Abby originally Srully Stein recently began transitioning from male to female.

A 24-year-old Brooklyn descendant of one of Hasidic Judaisms founders has come out as transgender.

Raised ultra-Orthodox in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, Abby originally Srully Stein told the New York Post, and announced on a personal blog called The Second Transition that she recently began transitioning into a woman.

Stein is a descendant of Hasidic Judaism founder Rabbi Yisroel ben Eliezer, better known as the Baal Shem Tov, and the grandchild of Rabbi Mordechai Stein. She said being a member of a prominent family in the Hasidic world made her early struggle with her transgender identity more challenging.

My family had more restrictions than most families even in Williamsburg, she told the Post. Like men were expected to work only in Jewish scholarly jobs, not drive, and I was constantly told that we ought to be role models.

In a blog post, Stein wrote that for as long as she could remember, she wanted to wake up one day as a girl.

I was very far from the typical masculine boy, even in a community where masculinity is not a discussion topic, so to speak. I was never interested in typical boy stuff, and I was always told that I act, and talk with the manners of a girl. Yet, until I was 19, I did not know that there is even something like that someone assigned boy at birth who is actually a girl, in mind and spirit.

Stein said her father has not spoken to her since she shared the news.

I think right now its shock more than anything, she told The Post. He doesnt know what to do.

Stein said she hopes the Orthodox community becomes more accepting of transgender people and that her story will inspire transgender Orthodox teens.

My main goal is to get people to talk about it, she said, adding, Since Ive gone public, 17 people have reached out to me who still live within the community and struggle with similar things. Most of them didnt know theres help.

Before leaving the ultra-Orthodox community, Stein married a woman and had a son. Four years ago, she divorced and left the community. Now Stein is a student at Columbia University, where she is involved in campus Jewish life and a transgender support group.

Want to enjoy 'Zen' reading - with no ads and just the article? Subscribe today

See the original post here:
Descendant of Hasidic Judaism Founder Comes Out as ...

Category: Hasidic | Comments Off on Descendant of Hasidic Judaism Founder Comes Out as …
Tags:

Posted By richards on January 14, 2016

At the head of the angelogical system described in rabbinic literature are four archangels, corresponding to the four divisions of the army of Israel as described in Numbers 2: "As the Holy One blessed be He created four winds (directions) and four banners (for Israel's army), so also did He make four angels to surround His Throne Michael, Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael. Michael is on its right, corresponding to the tribe of Reuben; Uriel on its left, corresponding to the tribe of Dan, which was located in the north; Gabriel in front, corresponding to the tribe of Judah as well as Moses and Aaron who were in the east; and Raphael in the rare, corresponding to the tribe of Epharim which was in the west."[1]

We find no mention of angels' names until we reach the Book of Daniel, where Michael and Gabriel make their appearance.[2] This fact led the Rabbis to assert that the names of the angels were something that the returning exiles brought with them from Babylonia.[3] Michael and Gabriel are the most prominent of the angels, and are often mentioned together as the anonymous divine messengers cooperating in a task in the Bible narrative. Michael and Gabriel visited Abraham after his circumcision, Michael's task being to announce the future birth of Isaac while Gabriel's was to destroy Sodom.[4] Together they recorded the birthright was sold to Jacob by Esau;[5] accompanied God when He came down on Mount Sinai;[6] refused to take Moses' soul when his time came to die;[7] and then stood at either side of his' bier after his death.[8]

Michael is made up entirely of snow and Gabriel of fire, and though they stand near one another they do not injure one another, thus indicating the power of God to "make peace in His high places."[9] According to the Aggadah, Both Michael and Gabriel will be among those who will accompany the Messiah, and they will then contend with the wicked.[10]

Michael is considered superior to Gabriel in rank[11] and wherever he appears, the glory of the Shekhinah, the Holy Spirit, is also bound to be found.[12] Each nation has its guardian angel, Michael being the guardian angel of Israel. He acts as the counsel for Israel's defense when the wicked bring angels charges against them before God.[13] According to the midrash, Michael is the angel who prevented Abraham from offering up Isaac at the Accede;[14] informs Sarah that she will give birth to a boy;[15] rescues Abraham from the furnace;[16] instructs Moses;[17] smites the army of Sanneherib;[18] endeavors to prevent the exile by pleading on Israel's behalf to God;[19] and defends the Jews of Persia when Haman plotted to destroy them.[20]

Although both Michael and Gabriel make their appearance in the Kabbalah, Michael is given greater importance. In the Merkabah literature (based on Ezekiel's vision) of the late talmudic period and the period of the geonim, Michael plays a central role in guarding the Chariot. In medieval literature, he is assigned the role of revealer and bringer of tidings.

Gabriel is God's messenger on numerous missions and the constant defender of the Jewish people. He saves Tamar from the fate of being burnt as punishment for her unchastity;[21] protects Joseph against the evil designs of Potiphar,[22] and teaches him the seventy languages of the world;[23] causes the infant Moses to weep so that Pharaoah's daughter will feel compassionate towards him;[24] and saves Moses' life when Pharaoh sets him to a test of loyalty (when the king sets before him coals of fire and jewels, the angel Gabriel pushes his hand to touch the coals, lest his reaching for the crown suggest his wish to usurp Pharaoh's place).[25] Gabriel delivers Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah from the fiery furnace.[26]

Uriel, meaning "light of God," was the medium by which the knowledge of God came to man. The midrash reads: "Why was he named Uriel? Because of the Torah, the Prophets and the Writings by means of which the Holy One, blessed by He, atones for sins and gives light to Israel."[27] Uriel is first mentioned in I Enoch[28] (one of the Apocrypha), where he prays to God to end the Nephilim's rule of violence and bloodshed on earth. Along with the other angels of the Presence, Uriel serves as Enoch's guide in the upper heavens,[29] but his main function was to govern the army of angels and the Netherworld, Sheol.[30] In kabbalistic literature, where the four angels surrounding God's throne are identified with the four holy beasts, Uriel is associated with the eagle, and sometimes with that of the lion. These four angels shed their light on the four winds of heaven, and the light which is shed over the west, the most perfect light, is that of Uriel.

Raphael, one of the chief angels, was the responsible for healing, as his names implies. Although the name occurs in the Bible, it first appears as an angelic name in the Apocrypha[31] , where he is one of the seven archangels. He defeats the demon Asmodeus[32] and throws Azazel, chief of the demons, into the abyss.[33] In the Talmud[34] Raphael is one of the three angels who visits Abraham after his circumcision. From the second century on, Jewish traditions referring to Raphael were taken over by both Christian angelology and syncretistic magic, and his name appears repeatedly on amulets and incantations. As a planetary angel he governs the sun, and in the division of the four corners of the world he commands the west.

In kabbalistic literature he keeps his high rank but takes on new responsibilities. Among the four elements he governs earth; in the colors of the rainbow he represents green. He is ordained over one of the four rivers coming out of paradise. In the Zohar he is the angel who dominates the morning hours which bring relief to the sick and suffering.

[1] Numbers Rabbah 2:10 [back] [2] 10:13, 21; 12:1 and Daniel 8:16; 9:21 [back] [3] JT, RH 1:2, 56d [back] [4] Gen. Rabbah 48:9-50:2 [back] [5] Gen. Rabbah 63:14 [back] [6] Deut. Rabbah 2:34 [back] [7] Eccles. Rabbah 9:11, 2 [back] [8] Deut. Rabbah 11:10 [back] [9] Job 25:2; Deut. Rabbah 5:12 [back] [10] Otiyyot de-Rabbi Akiva Shin [back] [11] BT Berakhot 4b [back] [12] Exodus Rabbah 2:5 [back] [13] Exodus Rabbah 18:5[back] [14] Midrash Va-Yosha in A. Jellinek, Beit ha-Midrash, 1:38 [back] [15] BT Baba Metzia 86b [back] [16] Gen. Rabbah 44:13 [back] [17] Deut. Rabbah 11:10 [back]

ANGELS Table of Contents

Go here to read the rest:
JHOM - Angels - Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael

Category: Talmud | Comments Off on JHOM – Angels – Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael
Tags: