Welcome!

“role of Satan in Judaism.” So like I said in the title I know the Christian Satan that gets conflicted with the devil, the more biblical Satan (doesn’t rely on Paradise Lost or the divine comedy) as a role and job title, but I’m curious if the Jewish people have any unique traditions or concepts of Satan.

No holds barred, however politics still belongs in the appropriate megathread.

Hello, I am a Christian trying to study a little bit more about how Jewish scripture teaches Jewish people to live. I have become curious about Shabbat because I am interested in learning how to better practice observing the sabbath. I do have a few questions. So, is sundown to sundown considered what Americans call the sunset as in around 5:30 pm or is it later after it starts to get a little bit darker out? I also want to ask whether there are any laws regarding when Jews go to bed. Do they go to bed shortly after sundown since the new day has begun or do they start the next day for a few hours before sleeping?

Thanks for anybody who took the time to read and answer.

what is this exactly I know a little about it. What do you need to refrain from doing and more details about it. I wanna understand it more

I want to reconnect with my Jewish faith and heritage, but I don't know where to get started. I haven't practiced since I was around 10, as I was moved in with my father's side who doesn't practice, and was against it, but I finally was able to move out, and after going to the Holocaust Memorial Museum this weekend, I was just hit with such a longing to reconnect with my faith and heritage. My mother's side is a very long line of Ashkenazi Jews, who lived through the Holocaust, and it just hit me when I visited, how I could see myself, my ancestors in the pictures in the museum, and how much I miss my faith.

I never got a Bat Mitzvah, which is one of my biggest regrets, and I feel so lost because the last time I was able to practice was so long ago that I feel like I'm missing so much. I've forgotten most of my knowledge of Hebrew and I don't know how to relearn, and I feel nervous going to a Temple because it's been so long since I've been to one, and I feel like I would mess up.

Does anyone have any idea where to start? It just feels really important for me to reconnect with my faith, and also my heritage.

Consider the following two moral choices:

(a) I marry a Jew, have Jewish children, teach them to keep Shabbat, and roll the dice knowing that there's an 85% chance (based on US denominational affiliation statistics) that they won't keep it when they grow up (questionable if they'll even keep it while growing up if their parents are not true believers anyway). They'll likely spend years torn by existential anxiety and guilt over what it means to be a good Jew (as I have), and are liable to make decisions that could forfeit their place in the Olam Haba.

(b) I marry a non-Jew, have non-Jewish children, and raise them as "gerim toshavim" who keep Shabbat. Maybe they end up continuing to do so, maybe not, but the Olam Haba is no longer at stake for them, unless at some later point they make a free, uncoerced decision to accept the brit. If so, an Orthodox synagogue will be happy to have them; if not, they'll be content with a heterodox one or with hanging out near home on Shabbat. I will have betrayed the promise our ancestors made to Ezra, but I will have saved them from the guilt of betraying the one with Moshe.

Which is better?

Edit: "gerim" wasn't the right term.

Has anyone here read Paradise Lost? What do you think of it as a Jewish person?

My old barber had many religious Jewish clientele, so I didn't have to explain. He retired and now I need to go to other barbers...

What do you ask for? Which numbers? How do you describe the Halachic requirements?

Do you all have a valentine.

As the title suggests. To gentiles we see him as one of, if not the best Roman Emperor. Im curious as to the Jewish side.

1. I currently live in Mexico where the closest location to tovel dishes and kitchenware is 4 hours away - and I would have to do an overnight trip on the bus - and carry the kitchen stuff with me everywhere. So - not practical. I was planning on buying vs. bringing - and maybe that was a mistake (as I'm learning now). :-(

I know that if a person is assured that Jews manufactured the dishes and pans, then toveling is not required - only a bracha. However, truly doubt that I can find that kind of manufacturing assurance on Amazon.com.mx. Right now, I am using disposable everything except my one pot and one frying pan. It's, um, getting tiresome and expensive. So - if anyone knows of resources where plates, etc. can be found that were made by Jews - I would appreciate it. If not, are there other options for toveling that can be used in a make-shift environment.

2. Every single kitchen here uses ceramic tile for countertops - which cannot be kashered according to the CrC app - anyone in this situation - and what did you do? (I suppose I could cover everything Pesach-style, but again, not ideal..

Thoughts, ideas, creative solutions eagerly welcomed!!!! If I've misunderstood something in my reading - please educate me!

Thanks!!!

Can anyone who lives in Denver, Seattle, Portland OR, or San Diego metro areas share about what their Jewish communities are like?

How welcoming is it there, how easy is it to move there knowing nobody and make friends?

What are the reform and conservative synagogues like?

What are the JCCs and the Jewish preschools like?

What’s the bagel situation, anything good around? 😊

For context: we are a mid 30s couple, Reform/Conservative (don’t need kosher food), no kids yet but planning on it in the near future. Trying to find a nice place to move to!

Also, thanks so much to everyone who responded to my last post!! It was all so helpful. We have done a lot more research and have evolved thoughts on what we are looking for.

Hi, I may possibly do a 2 month internship with one of these programs. If anyone who has done either of these before could let me know about their experience that would be great! Thank you!

I wasn't planning for our family to join a congregation officially until my child reached kindergarten, but a friend might have convinced me otherwise (access to clergy in times of need, funeral services, etc). This also dovetails with our search for a Jewish preschool for our child. I was decided on a large reform temple with a big early childcare center that has gotten great reviews from friends. But now I'm also looking into a smaller conservative synagogue that is slightly closer to our house. My family is pretty reform (my husband loves bacon though I don't buy it so he in effect does not eat it) but we do observe all holidays as well as Shabbat, attend tot Shabbat services regularly (hard to attend real ones with a little one), and would be open to keeping kosher style. I guess my question is: would we feel comfortable in a conservative synagogue? My husband is a patrilineal Jew and I'm nervous someone could make him feel less than because of that if it ever came up in a non reform context. Please keep answers respectful, I'm just trying to figure out the best way forward for my family.

Ok I know this is very far fetched and random but does anyone have a contact of an Anglo/English speaking Rebbetzin in Israel who would be able to help a 20 year old kallah in major crisis?

I'm looking for a random Modern Orthodox English academic book, is there like a library/bais medrish that a random dude can just walk into somewhere in nyc

I can buy it online but want to flip through it first to see if it has what I'm looking for

My 9.5 month old daughter's pediatrician is really insistent on me giving her shellfish. It is part of introducing allergens early, and I get where he coming from on the ones I haven't done yet, but shellfish is the hard one. I told him that we were Jewish and keep a kosher kitchen at home, but he kept saying she needed to be introduced to it. I am torn on what to do here and could use some guidance from any other Jewish parents that ran into the same.

On one hand I don't want to put her at risk, whether from accidental exposure later, or if she chooses to nosh on tref later in life.

On the other hand, we are Jews and should not be eating shellfish, and I have no means to prepare it, masserate it into a paste and feed it to her without making my kitchen, or at least utensils, tref. Not to mention I wouldn't even know where to start on cooking it properly so I don't give her food poisoning.

Have any of you run into this? How did you handle it?

EDIT: Thanks for the advice everyone. I will stick to my guns and tell him no when he brings it up again at the 12 month well-baby check up and tell him that I cannot sustain exposure to it. She only has soy to go before we have introduced all the common allergens otherwise, so he will just need to accept it, and if he can't he can put the referral back in the health authority's queue.

Hello everyone, I was hoping there would be an “ask your questions here” thread but alas I must make a new one.

I am hosting a Super Bowl party and invited one of my Jewish neighbors who accepted the invitation. I am not Jewish and none of the other attendees are either. I want to accommodate her as well as possible food-wise but understand that in no way is my kitchen Kosher. Is there any way to do this? I will not be serving pork in any fashion and can request that other attendees also not bring any but is there anything else I can do?

Thanks in advance.

I was looking through my calendar earlier and had to keep double checking because the new moon falls on the night of February 27th however Rosh Chodesh Adar is on the night of February 28th. I also noticed the same thing for every Rosh Chodesh from Iyyar to Elul, why? Is it related to the standardisation of the Hebrew Calendar?

Shavua Tov y’all! So I am a hopeful convert, and have loved learning about Judaism over the last few years. I really love anecdotes that help me hear how everyday people “do” Judaism in their day-to-day life. I have really appreciated this subreddit for this.

I also really love Shabbat! It is everything I didn’t know I needed in my life, and I find it’s an easy first step in starting to observe at home.

I am interested in hearing from you: what do you do, or not do on Shabbat? I know that there is a spectrum of people who follow the classic rules stringently, and those who just treat it like any other day, and I want to hear all of it. Regardless of what is considered “proper” that you follow, I’m interested in hearing what practices resonate with you. Is there an action or hobby that is unique to you that you love to do on Shabbat? Is there a special allowance you make for your own life? Do you observe some customs, but not others? I just love the holiday, and I’m interested in hearing more anecdotes!

For example, as of right now: I love to prepare food, clean, and give tzedakah beforehand if I can. I light candles, attend online services, and try to only use my phone for learning or music, but no social media if I can help it, or any chores. I try to limit TV and driving, talk to friends, read, have a bath, and sleep in on Saturday. One thing I do that I believe is against traditional recommendations is make art, because it’s fufilling for me! I also love Havdalah candles, as it makes the magic last a little longer to me.

Interested in hearing from you all!

Hello, my name is Arthur, I'm a 15 year old Brazilian boy. I was not born Jewish, but I have a Sephardic surname (which is not uncommon in Brazilians of Portuguese descent) I discovered Judaism through a school friend when I was around 10 years old, and from then on I began to dedicate myself to studying the Torah, Judaism, and more recently I started learning Hebrew. When I tried to talk about it with my family, I was heavily reprimanded, and I was never able to talk openly about it with them again. Now that you have this context, I would like to add other things: I am a handball player, and I was invited to play in one of the biggest handball clubs in Brazil, and by coincidence it is also one of the biggest Jewish clubs in the world ("Clube Hebraica" - translated to "Hebrew Club") And there is both a sports and religious area. This would be my first and perhaps only chance to pray in a synagogue and practice mitzvots. However, I'm very afraid if I would even be allowed to enter there, since I don't have a kippah or anything like that, can anyone help me with how I should behave inside a synagogue, I'm very afraid of doing something wrong because of nervousness and be seen as a "goy", All help will be welcome, Todah rabá.

Shavua tov! (It's almost Sunday here in Israel.) I converted to Judaism a number of years ago. After my conversion, I learned that I actually have Jewish ancestors on my dad's side who were from Morocco. Since then, I've been trying to learn everything I can about Moroccan customs and traditions, but it's been really difficult. I don't have any family to pass down recipes, teach me how to wrap teffilin Sephardi style, or anything else that actual Moroccan Jews know. It's rather depressing and I constantly feel like an imposter.

Can you please recommend any resources for aspiring Moroccan Jews? Hebrew/English siddur/machzor recommendations, Torah trope trainers, recipes for sfinj, even books explaining different customs, traditions, weird superstitions, etc. I know a fair amount about Moroccan Jews from different history books, but very little about actually being a Moroccan Jew.

Why does Chabad work so hard to bring back estranged Jews, while the Torah states the opposite?

Reading this week's Parasha, there were several passages that clearly stated conditions where Jews get excommunicated for not following the law. Such as:

Exodus 12:15 states that anyone who eats chametz during Passover shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel.

Exodus 12:45-46: This is the decree of the Pesach offering: Any stranger may not eat from it. According to Rashi, this refers to someone whose deeds have become foreign to God or who has become apostate.

Given these passages, doesn't Chabad go against the Torah by trying to bring back Jews who grew up secular or became secular, or Jews who consumed chametz during Passover or committed acts that made them foreign to God (whatever that means)?

Note: This is not a criticism of Chabad, just a curious observation, especially from someone who attends Chabad and was raised very secular. As someone who could classify to both cases, I kind of a feel very conflicted about reading this week’s Parasha…

This is the thread to talk about your Shabbos, or just any good news at all.

Hello, I am interested to learn about the attributes given to the Jewish God. I come from an Islamic background, so forgive my ignorance. Does Jewish God have physical human-like body parts as well?