Firstly, I thank you for your weekly article which enriches our weekend, and we look forward to it all week!
Could you please explain what exactly is a ketubah; is it a document of sorts or is it part of the actual act of the Jewish wedding? Why do some people hang it on their wall?
What is the Jewish meaning of “holiness”?
I’m sure you read about the controversy in England recently when a group of Jews got together to recite the kaddish for the 61 people killed in Gaza by the IDF during their “March of Return” protests, despite the fact that 50 of them are known to be Hamas operatives. The response of the “reciters” of the kaddish was that, although they might belong to Hamas, they’re still human beings and their deaths are still a tragedy and deserve a kaddish recited for them, and if it was Israelis who were slain then they would have said kaddish for them as well. Personally, I’m torn because I agree that any loss of human life is a tragedy, but the kaddish part somehow doesn’t sound right to me but I’m not sure why. Any thoughts?
My cat recently died, and I want to know if it’s appropriate for me to recite the kaddish prayer for her? In case this sounds ludicrous allow me to explain. My ex-wife and I never had children, and we have been divorced for nearly 10 years. Through this past, painful decade, this cat has been a big part of my life; she gave me a lot more than I gave her. She gave me connection, she was a cure to my loneliness, and she gave me something to love. Now all that’s gone and all that remains is a hole of loneliness. I know sitting shiva would be going too far, but I thought that going to say kaddish for her would make up for some of that loss.
I recently heard a class which left me very confused. The instructor, who claimed to be an orthodox rabbi, spoke about Maimonides’ rejection of Mysticism. Among the mystical ideas that he supposedly rejected was that:
The Hebrew language is intrinsically holy [citing the Talmud and Mishna as being against this, i.e. the concept of gematria, etc.]
The Jewish people are a holy nation
The Torah or mitzvot contain any intrinsic holiness, [there’s no intrinsic difference between the Torah and Shakespeare]
The Land of Israel has any intrinsic holiness. He taught that to believe any of the above is idolatrous since it is assigning godliness to things that don’t have it, which is precisely why Maimonides waged a war against these ideas which are truly foreign to traditional Judaism.
So perhaps you could clarify:
Are the above ideas mystical/idolatrous ideas?
Was Maimonides really against mysticism, [as was the Talmud, according to this presenter]?
I have noticed that you often offer explanations to the Torah from the “Kabbalists” or “Kabbalistic Masters”. Who are these people and how do they differ from the standard rabbinical analyses and explanations? Are they Jewish mystics?
I’ve been very disturbed by the brazen murders taking place by terrorists in Israel, seemingly without end. I can’t help but think we’re being punished by the terrible discord between fellow Jews in Israel with all the rioting and terrible attacks from one Jew to another. What do you think about this?
You recently argued, in two columns regarding the “Bodies” exhibit, that displaying dead bodies, in your opinion, flies in the face of the sanctity of the human body. I have trouble fathoming what sanctity there is to the human body any more than any other animal body. I assume you would not take such issue with an exhibit of animal bodies showing their anatomy. I would like to understand why your perspective is so different for humans, necessitating burial and nothing else.
What is the basis for honoring a person’s life on the anniversary of their death? Acknowledging the birthday seems like a nicer way to go.
My son recently came home from religious school after having learned that religious Jews recite a blessing after leaving the bathroom. Needless to say, the kids had a good laugh about it, and it became the subject of many jokes. I would like to say something to explain it to him so it would be taken seriously, but I’m not familiar myself with this blessing. Could you please fill me in?