2009/05/27 First Introduction to Judaism Class Notes

Notes from class this week:

The teacher was Susan Jacobs, Doctor of Education. The topic was Life Cycle.

The teacher gave out books for us to use during the next eight weeks. She had a book by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin called Jewish Literacy. We went around the room and introduced ourselves and told why we were taking the class. Most were already Jewish and taking a refresher class or were planning to convert. At least two of the women in the class were engaged to Jewish men and wanted a single family faith so were planning to convert. I think I was the first one to say I had no plan to convert but was there for the learning experience and that I did have a sister who was married to a "nice Jewish boy." This brought some laughter from the group who had used that phrase earlier in the introductions.

Class began with a description of life phases in Jewish families. I spell the Hebrew words phonetically since I have no other benchmark to go by. Many in the class seem to know Hebrew because they have had training in Jewish schools where Hebrew is mandatory - but not me.

CIRCUMCISION:
The first life cycle event is birth. Boys are circumcised usually on the eighth day of life in a ceremony called Brik Milah. Brik is translated as covenant from the Hebrew. This event is popularly called a bris. Circumcision is meant to be a way of keeping Jewish men apart from the rest of the population. This used to really be true but now other men are often circumcised as well. The boy is given a name at the bris. The boy should not be named for a living person. This is why there are no juniors in the Jewish community. You pick out someone dead to name your child after. Children are given both a Hebrew and an English name. It used to be that families named children after Biblical people since there was always an English and a Hebrew name meaning the same thing. Now if a child is named something non-Biblical such as Sean or Tiffany, a Hebrew name is simply chosen that may start with the same letter as the English name or is similar to the the English name.

Girls are named in a naming ceremony usually done on Shabbat after the child is born in the Conservative Jewish tradition. In Reformed Judaism, families can simply choose when to do the naming ceremony. None of this is law for girls, but it has become a tradition.

Tradition also says the first born son is given over to Kohanim (priesthood or religious community) . If the family did not want this to happen, they had to give 5 shekels to the (synagogue?). Now they give $5 since we don't deal with shekels any more.

CONSECRATION:
Jewish education begins at 5 or 6 years old (kindergarten or 1st grade age). They get a prayer book and a small Torah

BAR MITZVEH (BOY) OR BAT MITZVEH (GIRL):
Bar Mitzveh means son of commandments and Bat Mitzveh means daughter of commandments. This ceremony is done for girls at age 12 and for boys at age 13. You don't have to do anything to be Bar Mitzvehed - just turn 13 if a boy. This is seen as a time of adult responsibility and there is a ceremony for a Bar Mitzveh. Each synagogue comes up with its own course of study to get the children ready. In Traditional Jewish synagogues, only boys are bar mitzvehed. In Reformed Synagogues, the Bat Mizveh is included for girls.

Traditional Jewish Synagogues put tafillen on the boys. This straps around their arms with prayers inside little boxes. There is also a little box on their head between their eyes - contains prayers.

Also at 13, young men are eligible to be one of the 10 minions required to say traditional prayers. In the Jewish faith, there must be 10 men to do this.

The Torah says 70 years is a life span. Often at 83 (13 years beyond normal lifespan), men have another Bar Mitzveh.

CONFIRMATION:
Sometimes, after Bar Mitzveh, Jewish families stop Jewish studies. To combat that, Reformed Judaism instituted confirmation at the end of the 10th grade. This keeps kids in Hebrew school longer. Reformed has kept the Bar Mitzveh and added confirmation. Confirmation does not exist in Orthodoxy. It is a custom within certain synagogues. This is similar to the confirmation done by Christian churches and this is where the idea came from.

MARRIAGE:
In Biblical times, engagements were one year which gave time to arrange things.
Hoopa - Marriage canopy symbolizes marrying couples first home together.
The bride and groom don't see each other for one week before the marriage day so the groom goes into the bride on the day and identifies her as the bride. Then in Traditional Jewish congregations, thick cloth is thrown over brides face so thick she can't see through it. She has to be led by her family to the altar. In Traditional ceremonies also, the bride walks around the groom 3 times and the groom does the same around the bride. This tradition is not as commonly practiced now.

Seven blessings are said during the marriage ceremony. These blessings do not have to be said by a rabbi. Anyone can say them as long as all the legal documents are signed. During the ceremony, Katuba is given by the groom to the bride. This is a legally binding contract. It tells all the things (worldly goods) the groom grants the bride and how he plans to support her. Katuba makes Jewish divorce more difficult even if the couple is granted a civil divorce. If all does not go well, the husband promises a "get" to tell what the wife gets when they split up. In Israel, this is a real problem because there is only Orthodox rabbis there and they often refuse to remarry women if they don't have a "get".

In Reformed Judaism, Katuba is not legally binding. It is a statement of love for one another. So Reformed Jews recognize civil divorce. In Orthodox, Katuba is legally binding and is so much so that, if lost, the couple can't live together until a new one is drawn.

Mazel Tof means good luck.

Smashing of glass in cloth napkin is done at marriage ceremony (usually the glass is a light bulb). This is done as a reminder that the Temple is still in ruins and we still have an unredeemed world. Jews keep looking for the Messiah to come. The smashing of the glass is not law but it is custom that is deeply rooted. Right after the marriage ceremony, the newly married couple try to spend some time together alone.

There are written rules that give the number of times the couple has to have sexual relations. It is often based on the husband's profession. He can't change his profession without his wife's permission because of this rule. I. E. he can't change a profession to one that requires more sexual relations or less sexual relations.

MIKVEH:
Important in Jewish life cycle. It is a ritual bath. The Mikveh (bath) has to have a certain proportion of fresh water. It is used in conversion ceremonies. It is symbolically a very spiritual event and can be very powerful. There are 7 steps down into the bath. Seven is a holy number and is used often in the Jewish faith. The convert is dunked 3 times completely and someone makes sure even all the hair goes under the water.

DEATH:
Jews believe in redemption and resurrection. Many stories of redemption and resurrection in Jewish liturgy.
Jews do not embalm or view the deceased. They are buried usually within 24 hours in pine coffins since all must be able to go back to the earth. The body is ritually purified. No one except a Jewish person is allowed to handle the body after death. Everyone, rich or poor, is buried in a white cotton shroud. Everyone has the same kind of funeral. There can be no artificial anything and even all nail polish and makeup is removed from the body by a special group of people who help with preparing the dead for burial. This is the highest form of mitzveh since the dead can never repay you for the help you give to them after death. Mitzveh means obligation. The family often literally buries their dead relative before the funeral. There is something in the Torah about rending garments and people pin a ribbon to their clothing which the rabbi goes around and tears or cuts as a way of meeting this requirement.

Shiva lasts 7 days for the closest relatives of the deceased. Shiva means the number 7. During this time, the community is supposed to do everything for the family after the funeral is over. Those who are in Shiva often go walk around the block at the end of seven days in order to show the community they are re-entering society.

There are 30 days of mourning but this is not the same as Shiva. Some relatives death, such as parents, are mourned for one year. Obligated to say Kadesh??? which means thanks to God. Jews believe no one is pure enough to go directly to God so go to Gehena - a kind of Purgatory. The purpose of Kadesh is to shorten your relative's time in Gehena.

On anniversary of the death, family goes to Temple and say Kadesh. Now, since so many Jews had no relatives during holocaust, the whole congregation stands in for the family and everyone says Kadesh for the deceased at this anniversary of death service. In addition, four times per year prayers of remembrance are said.

Kohane - can't be around a dead body. So the first thing Jews settling in a city must do as a community is establish a cemetery. They must have consecrated ground. Used to be only could be used for Jews. Now, as in Charlotte, there are sections where interfaith families can be buried beside one another.