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Posted by: Benjamin
GIL SHEFLER, and the people and organizations quoted on http://www.jpost.com, are in no way associated with peshat.com and views expressed here.


Karaite Jews prepare for Succot with a lemon twist
By GIL SHEFLER
09/22/2010 05:13

300 people are expected to attend holiday services at the ancient Karaite synagogue in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City.

Pop quiz: The Four Species of Succot, which starts Wednesday night, are lulav (palm branch), hadass (myrtle), aravah (willow) and etrog (citron) – correct or incorrect?

According to mainstream or rabbinical Judaism the answer is correct. But if you ask Karaite Jews, members of an ancient Jewish movement which strictly adheres to the Bible and ignores the Talmud and rabbinical law, the answer is more complicated.

The new moon sighting (from Israel) resulted in Sukkot beginning on Friday night at sunset, two days after the mathematically calculated rabbinical calender had predicted.

A reference to the making of the rabbinical calendar is posted below. This method of determining the new month via a mathematically calculated calendar occurred after the Jews were sent into exile... the rabbinic court -- the Sanhedrin -- had already been disbanded.

Rabbinical Stories - The New Month and the Authority of the Patriarch
The Jewish calendar was not fixed until the fifth century CE. Each month began with the appearance of the new moon and had twenty-nine or thirty days. If the new moon appeared on the thirtieth day of the previous month, then that day became the first of the new month. If the new moon failed to appear, then that month had thirty days and the new month automatically began the next day. To ensure that no mistakes were made, the Mishna prescribes that witnesses testify before a rabbinic court, which would assess their testimony and proclaim the new month.

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Category: General
Posted by: Benjamin
chabad.org and organizations quoted on chabad.org are in no way associated with peshat.com and views expressed here.



"Echoes of a Shofar" recounts the amazing story of Jewish pride at the Western Wall during the years 1930-1947 when British law made it illegal to blow the shofar at the Kotel, pray loudly there, or even bring Torah scrolls, so as not to offend the hostile Arab population.

Despite this restriction, for the final seventeen years of the British Mandate, the shofar was sounded at the Wall at the conclusion of every Yom Kippur, in defiance of the ban.

Posted by: Benjamin
Avram Yehoshua and the people and organizations quoted on seedofabraham.net are in no way associated with peshat.com and views expressed here.

Kosher: Jewish vs. Biblical
by Avram Yehoshua


To abstain from all unclean animals (food), is Torah (the first five books of the Bible: Genesis through Deuteronomy). To 'keep kosher' the Jewish way, is both Torah and rabbinic. There is a big difference. God requires that we eat only clean meat (Torah: Lev. 11 and Deut. 14), and so do the Rabbis. But the Rabbis go further. Keeping kosher means that one doesn't eat any dairy products with meat. The Rabbis say that one cannot have cheese with clean meat, or even use a plate for meat, that once had cheese on it.

The separation of dairy and meat, with the rabbinic injunction that it's sin if one violates it, is based on the Scripture about not boiling a kid in its mother's milk. The rabbinic view is that one should not eat meat and dairy together thereby avoiding the possibility of breaking the Commandment.1 Of course, God never says in this Commandment that one can't eat meat and dairy together, but this is how the Rabbis have interpreted it.

Exodus Chapter 23
19 The choicest first-fruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of YHWH thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother's milk.

Exodus Chapter 34
26 The choicest first-fruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of YHWH thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother's milk.'

Deuteronomy Chapter 14
21 Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself; thou mayest give it unto the stranger that is within thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto a foreigner; for thou art a holy people unto YHWH thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother's milk.

This rabbinic rule came about through a perverse interpretation of Exodus 23:19 (the same verse being repeated in Ex. 34:26 and Deut. 14:21). The proper understanding of this verse deals with the ancient Egyptian and Canaanite idolatrous fertility rite.2 The liquid (milk), was sprinkled over the fields by the pagans, after the fall harvest, 'to ensure' a bountiful harvest from their god or goddess, for next year. Exodus 23:19 reads:

'The first of the first fruits of your Land you must bring into the House of Yahveh your God. You must not boil a kid in his mother's milk.'

From Manners and Customs of the Bible

As this injunction is put in connection with sacrifices and festivals, it seems to have referred to some idolatrous practices of the heathen. Cudworth says, on the authority of an ancient Karaite Comment on the Pentateuch, that it was an ancient heathen custom to boil a kid in the dam's milk, and then besprinkle with it all the trees, fields, gardens, and orchards. This was done at the close of their harvests for the purpose of making trees and fields more fruitful the following year. It will be noticed that the injunction of the text is given in connection with the feast of harvest.

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06/01/09: Who is born a Jew?

Posted by: Benjamin
Beta-Gershom.org (i.e. half-Jewish.org), and the people and organizations quoted on Beta-Gershom.org (i.e. half-Jewish.org), are in no way associated with peshat.com and views expressed here.

Some commentary at the end of the article has been added for further clarification. Anyone having additional information - please add a comment.

Who is born a Jew?


The question of who is born a Jew has been much debated. We consider first the views of Orthodox Rabbinical Judaism and Karaite Judaism.

Orthodox Rabbinical Judaism considers that according to the Torah a person is born a Jew only if that person's Mother is Jewish. On the other hand, Karaite Judaism considers that according to the Torah a person is born a Jew only if that person's Father is Jewish.

We will examine the two readings in the Pentateuch that imply a status of the child of Israelite intermarriage to a non-Israelite. We will examine these two readings in light of the Rabbinical position as well as in light of the Karaite position. The two readings are: from Deuteronomy 7:3-4, and Leviticus 24:10-16.

Deuteronomy Chapter 7
1 When YHWH thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and shall cast out many nations before thee, the Hittite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, seven nations greater and mightier than thou;
2 and when YHWH thy God shall deliver them up before thee, and thou shalt smite them; then thou shalt utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them;
3 neither shalt thou make marriages with them: thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.
4 For he will turn away thy son from following Me, that they may serve other gods; so will the anger of YHWH be kindled against you, and He will destroy thee quickly.

First, from Deuteronomy 7:3-4 "Neither shall you make marriages with them; your daughter you shall not give unto his son, nor his daughter shall you take unto your son. For he will turn away your son from following Me, that you may serve other gods."

The first interpretation of this is as follows (we have added in brackets the interpretation of the text):
";Neither shall you make marriages with them; your daughter you shall not give unto his son ["he" being the Canaanite man, and "his son" being the son of that Canaanite man], nor his daughter [again "he" being the Canaanite man, and "his daughter" being the daughter of that Canaanite man] shall you take unto your son ["you" being the Israelite to whom the Torah speaks to, and "your son" being the son of that Israelite]. For he ["he" being the Canaanite man] will turn away your son ["your son" being the son of the Israelite] from following Me, that you may serve other gods. " In this interpretation, the concern expressed in the Torah is that the Israelite's son is given in marriage to a pagan woman and the pagan woman's father will teach paganism. In this interpretation there is no implication being made on the status of any possible offspring between the mixed couple.

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Posted by: Benjamin
Today is Sunday, May 31, 2009 -


Day 50 of Omer
Chag Sameach Shavuot!

Feast of Weeks, Feast of Harvest
Feast of First Fruits

Baruch YHWH!



Rabbinical Jews start the counting of the Omer on the day after Passover. Karaites believe the counting of the Omer starts the day after the shabbat that occurs during passover. Let's try to understand what the Torah actually says.

A couple simple verses leading to the first day of Omer starting the day after shabbat during Passover:
- We are to count 7 shabbats which logically points to shabbat as the shabbat, not Passover as the first shabbat -- there are not 7 Passovers. Shavua is hebrew for week - Shavout is afterall interpretted to mean Feast of Weeks. Having the name for week in the Feast name and still interpretting shabbat as week rather than 7th day of rest seems extreme.
- Most revealing is Lev 23:16 where it specifies the fiftieth day being the "morrow after shabbat", which clearly would be a Sunday.
Therefore, the count would begin on the day after shabbat during Passover.

Interestingly enough, those following the lunar calendar would have the same count in the year 2009 since Passover fell on shabbat according to the lunar calendar.

Contrary to popular belief, the Counting of Omer leading to Shavuot (Feast of Weeks/Pentecost) begins after shabbat, not after Passover.

From http://www.karaite-korner.org/shavuot.shtml:
Shavuot (Feast of Weeks/Pentecost) is the Biblical harvest-festival celebrated 50 days after the Sunday which falls out during Passover. These fifty days are called the Counting of the Omer.

A more accurate translation of Lev 23:15-16 follows:


Leviticus Chapter 23
15 And you shall count for yourself from the day after the seventh day of rest (the shabbat - הַשַּׁבָּת), from the day that you brought the sheaf of waving; seven seventh days of rest (a shabbatote - שַׁבָּתֹות) shall there be complete;
16 even unto the day after after the seventh day of rest (the shabbat - הַשַּׁבָּת) shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall present a new meal-offering unto YHWH.


The references to shabbat in these verses specify a definite article using "the shabbat" rather than "a shabbat". The definition of shabbat occurs a few verses earlier in Lev 23:3.

Leviticus Chapter 23
3 Six days shall work be done; but on the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest (a shabbat shabbathown - שַׁבַּת שַׁבָּתֹון), a holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of work; it is a sabbath (a shabbat - שַׁבַּת) unto YHWH in all your dwellings.

Leviticus Chapter 23
15 And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the day of rest (הַשַּׁבָּת), from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the waving; seven weeks (שַׁבָּתֹות) shall there be complete;
16 even unto the morrow after the seventh week (הַשַּׁבָּת) shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall present a new meal-offering unto YHWH.
17 Ye shall bring out of your dwellings two wave-loaves of two tenth parts of an ephah; they shall be of fine flour, they shall be baked with leaven, for first-fruits unto YHWH.
18 And ye shall present with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams; they shall be a burnt-offering unto YHWH, with their meal-offering, and their drink-offerings, even an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto YHWH.
19 And ye shall offer one he-goat for a sin-offering, and two he-lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace-offerings.
20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the first-fruits for a wave-offering before YHWH, with the two lambs; they shall be holy to YHWH for the priest.
21 And ye shall make proclamation on the selfsame day; there shall be a holy convocation unto you; ye shall do no manner of servile work; it is a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

04/07/08: Happy New Year!

Posted by: Benjamin
Nehemia & Devorah Gordon, and the people and organizations quoted on Karaite-Korner.org, are in no way associated with peshat.com and views expressed here.

Sign up for the New Moon Report at Karaite-Korner.org

Karaite Korner Newsletter #326

Aviv Found!

On Sunday March 23, 2008 Nehemia Gordon and Devorah Gordon found large quantities of Aviv barley at Ein Mabua near Jerusalem and at multiple locations in the central Jordan Valley. This confirms that the new moon expected on April 7, 2008 will begin the Month of the Aviv. Chag HaMatzot (Feast of Unleavened Bread) will commence at sunset April 21, 2008 and continue until sunset April 28, 2008.

Shanah Tovah!
Happy New Year!

Nehemia Gordon
Jerusalem, Israel

Aviv was found and the new moon was seen in Israel, today is the first day of the first month, Aviv (or the Babylonian Nisan)... so Happy New Year!!!

Deuteronomy Chapter 16
1 Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto YHWH thy God; for in the month of Abib YHWH thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.

On Monday April 7, 2008 the new moon was sighted from several locations around Israel. The moon was sighted:

*from Eilat by Eli El-Tanani and Shai El-Tanani at 19:13
*from Ashdod by Neriah Haroeh and Nilit Masliach at 19:15
*from Mitzpeh Ramon by Bart Vangronsvelt and Ganneke Kunst at about 19:15
*from Beersheva by Simchon Firouz, Kobi El-Tanani, and Ovadiah Firouz
at about 19:30
*from highway 6 by Chad and Barbara Peterson at 19:39

On the previous evening, Sunday April 6, the moon had a lagtime of 33 minutes and illumination of 0.52% which means it was not visible under any circumstances from Israel.

Shanah Tovah!
Happy New Year!

Nehemia Gordon
Jerusalem, Israel

Confirmed: Pesach begins the evening of April 21, 2008

Leviticus Chapter 23
5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at dusk, is YHWH'S passover.
6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto YHWH; seven days ye shall eat unleavened bread.
7 In the first day ye shall have a holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work.
8 And ye shall bring an offering made by fire unto YHWH seven days; in the seventh day is a holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work.
9 And YHWH spoke unto Moses saying:
10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: When ye are come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring the sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest unto the priest.
11 And he shall wave the sheaf before YHWH, to be accepted for you; on the morrow after the sabbath (שבת) the priest shall wave it.
12 And in the day when ye wave the sheaf, ye shall offer a he-lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt-offering unto YHWH.
13 And the meal-offering thereof shall be two tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto YHWH for a sweet savour; and the drink-offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of a hin.
14 And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor fresh ears, until this selfsame day, until ye have brought the offering of your God; it is a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.


Continue for more information about the Counting of Omer leading to Shavout... based on the timing of Passover.

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03/04/08: The Shabbat Goy

Posted by: Benjamin
From Jewish Encyclopedia.com: Shabbat Goy

SHABBAT GOY:
By : Joseph Jacobs Judah David Eisenstein

The Gentile employed in a Jewish household on the Sabbath-day to perform services which are religiously forbidden to Jews on that day. The Shabbat goy's duty is to extinguish the lighted candles or lamps on Friday night, and make a fire in the oven or stove on Sabbath mornings during the cold weather. A poor woman ("Shabbat goyah") often discharges these offices. The hire in olden times was a piece of ḥallah; in modern times, about 10 cents.

Both employing a goy and having candles lit on Shabbat are questionable. Approximately 18 minutes prior to Shabbat, Rabbinical Jews have made it a woman's duty to light candles while reciting the following "blessing":

From http://www.chabad.org:
"Blessed are you, L‑rd our G‑d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the light of the Holy Shabbat."
The logical conclusion is this prayer is directed to a god who commanded you to light the candles of Shabbat. Assuming it is acceptable to have fire kindled leading into Shabbat... this blessing is still, at best, incredibly misleading since it specifically excludes YHWH as the blessing's benefactor. We are, in fact, commanded by YHWH not to kindle fire on shabbat.

From http://www.shabbatcandlesticks.com/:
Actually, a search for the reason for lighting Shabbat candlesticks reveals an interesting history behind it. In fact, there is no commandment in the Torah to light Shabbat candles. The tradition of lighting Shabbat candlesticks derives from a much later period in Jewish history ... The rabbis, in order to make their point clearly, and to solidify the authority of rabbinic law throughout the Jewish community, instituted the recitation of a berakhah when lighting Shabbat candlesticks, thus implying that it is a commandment with the force of Torah behind it.
If a commandment did exist to light the candles, candles would then be lit every week without fail since it would be sinning not to light candles -- it would not be tradition. Since YHWH did not make such a commandment based on Deu 4:2 (not to add to or subtract from Torah) and Joshua 8:34 (stating that no commandments exist outside the written Torah), you could say the tradition of praying to a god who commanded it is clearly an idolatrous practice. It should concern everyone.


Deuteronomy Chapter 4
2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish from it, that ye may keep the commandments of YHWH your God which I command you.
3 Your eyes have seen what YHWH did in Baal-peor; for all the men that followed the Baal of Peor, YHWH thy God hath destroyed them from the midst of thee.

Exodus Chapter 35
2 Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you a holy day, a sabbath of solemn rest to YHWH; whosoever doeth any work therein shall be put to death.
3 Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day.'

Joshua Chapter 8
34 And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the book of the law.
35 There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that walked among them.

According to strict Jewish law, a Jew is not allowed to employ a non-Jew to do work on the Sabbath which is forbidden to a Jew. The rule of the Rabbis is "amirah le-goy shebut" (i.e., "to bid a Gentile to perform work on the Sabbath is still a breach of the Sabbath law," though not so flagrant as performing the work oneself); but under certain circumstances the Rabbis allowed the employment of non-Jews, especially to heat the oven on winter days in northern countries.

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