"The distinguished Bible scholar Umberto Cassuto showed in his book "The Goddess Anath", published in 1951, (referencing Ginzberg's paper from 1935), that Ugaritic writings mention the Cananite custom of "seething a kid in milk", which is the corner stone of the Biblical injunctions against mixing milk and meat. In fact, this point was already raised by Maimonides (in this Guide of the Perplexed) in the 12th century."
- Dr. Saul Stokar (Israel)
[Comment from the BAS article Making Sense of Kosher Laws]
"With some research on the cultural background of the day, you will find that the mixing of dairy and meat came from a differentiation from pagan rituals of the day. The pagan ritual included killing a pregnant mother goat and the kid inside her. The kid would then be boiled in the mother's milk. With a strictly "written Torah" approach as a definition of kashrut, there is no prohibition from mixing dairy and meat. This came later with oral tradition and is not scripture based. As with other oral traditions these are "fences" around the original commandments and not based on Leviticus 11."
- Steve Bascom (USA)
[Comment from the BAS article Making Sense of Kosher Laws]
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Kosher vs Relationship with God
"As a Reform Rabbi, I have evaluated my own dietary observance and while I do not propose that I keep kosher, I do believe that Jewish dietary law is about our relationship with God and that God must be part of the process of our food getting to our tables. Check out my Yom Kippur sermon from two years ago on the topic: http://www.templeisrael.com/saks_yk_2006.html"
- Rabbi Jared H. Saks (USA)
[Comment from the BAS article Making Sense of Kosher Laws]
Rabbi Saks comment about the dietary laws being about one's relationship to God struck me as very interesting. I like the connection that "God must be part of the process" in all aspects of getting, preparing, and eating of our food.
- Rabbi Jared H. Saks (USA)
[Comment from the BAS article Making Sense of Kosher Laws]
Rabbi Saks comment about the dietary laws being about one's relationship to God struck me as very interesting. I like the connection that "God must be part of the process" in all aspects of getting, preparing, and eating of our food.
OT/ANE
I am currently trying to figure out how to align within my brain the fact that there are so many Ancient Near Eastern stories that are similar to those in the OT and quite a number that predate them. I fully aware that OT things come from a specific people, within a specific culture that picked things up from elsewhere (don't we all), but I'm trying to figure out how to put it all into a cohesive religious worldview for myself.
Afterlife
Well... I kinda hold to the Sheol ideology, or at least until judgment (which, itself, I haven't really formed complete ideas about). Then the idea that people burn eternally - the Bible speaks of eternal flames somewhere another, but to me it reads as though it was not designed for humanity, but for the fallen ones. Also is mentioned a second death, at which point you're ...gone - i suppose. And no where does it say that when you die you go to heaven. Firstly, that terminology isn't really used, but if we're talking about the "kingdom of God" I understand that -very- few make it.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
John the Baptist's hair
My theory via newly discovered bits of scripture:
I think John the Baptizer had REALLY long hair.
Think Samson kinda long.
Why? This is why:
Luke 1:15 "... He will never drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb."
Which in some Bibles (e.g. the one I am using) this is cross referenced with Numbers 6:2.
Numbers 6:1-5 "The LORD said to Moses: Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When a man (or a woman) solemnly takes the nazirite vow to dedicate himself to the LORD, he shall abstain from wine and strong drink; he may neither drink wine vinegar, other vinegar, or any kind of grape juice, nor eat either fresh or dried grapes. As long as he is a nazirite he shall not eat anything of the produce of the vine; not even unripe grapes or grapeskins. While he is under the nazirite vow, no razor shall touch his hair. Until the period of his dedication to the LORD is over, he shall be sacred, and shall let the hair of his head grow freely."
The historical/information note at the bottom reads:
"Nazirite: from the Hebrew word nazir, meaning "set apart as sacred, dedicated, vowed." The nazirite vow could be either for a limited period or for life. Those bound by this vow had to abstain from all the products of the grapevine, from cutting or shaving their hair, and from contact with a corpse [which it talks about beyond the excerpt that I included]. They were regarded as men of God like the prophets ... Examples of lifelong nazirites were Samson (Judges 13:4, 7; 16, 17), Samuel (1 Samuel 1:11), and John the Baptizer (Luke 1:15). At the time of Christ the practice of taking the nazirite vow for a limited period seems to have been quite common, even among the early Christians, Acts 18:18; 21, 23, 26.
So all that, to point out the fact that John seems to have been one who was under the nazirite vow (be that it was his choice, or chosen for him), and those under the vow are not to cut or shave their hair.
Hence, LONG hair.
I think John the Baptizer had REALLY long hair.
Think Samson kinda long.
Why? This is why:
Luke 1:15 "... He will never drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb."
Which in some Bibles (e.g. the one I am using) this is cross referenced with Numbers 6:2.
Numbers 6:1-5 "The LORD said to Moses: Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When a man (or a woman) solemnly takes the nazirite vow to dedicate himself to the LORD, he shall abstain from wine and strong drink; he may neither drink wine vinegar, other vinegar, or any kind of grape juice, nor eat either fresh or dried grapes. As long as he is a nazirite he shall not eat anything of the produce of the vine; not even unripe grapes or grapeskins. While he is under the nazirite vow, no razor shall touch his hair. Until the period of his dedication to the LORD is over, he shall be sacred, and shall let the hair of his head grow freely."
The historical/information note at the bottom reads:
"Nazirite: from the Hebrew word nazir, meaning "set apart as sacred, dedicated, vowed." The nazirite vow could be either for a limited period or for life. Those bound by this vow had to abstain from all the products of the grapevine, from cutting or shaving their hair, and from contact with a corpse [which it talks about beyond the excerpt that I included]. They were regarded as men of God like the prophets ... Examples of lifelong nazirites were Samson (Judges 13:4, 7; 16, 17), Samuel (1 Samuel 1:11), and John the Baptizer (Luke 1:15). At the time of Christ the practice of taking the nazirite vow for a limited period seems to have been quite common, even among the early Christians, Acts 18:18; 21, 23, 26.
So all that, to point out the fact that John seems to have been one who was under the nazirite vow (be that it was his choice, or chosen for him), and those under the vow are not to cut or shave their hair.
Hence, LONG hair.
