So it became the jewish custom not to learn torah so as not to give the appearance of learning on behalf of jesus on his birthday which of course, christmas is notit was a pagan holiday long before jesus that christians adopted as a way of integrating pagans into chritianity. But mostly its a shopping day, great for small shops and big companies, practically. When the study of the torah is reduced to a study of law upon law and external observances which have nothing to do with the faithfulness revealed in the messiah, it becomes shallow and empty. Some chassidic rebbes went so far as to even refrain from sleep on christmas eve lest they dream about torah. Robinson takes the reader through not only the five books of moses. Tales of jesus over the centuries jews developed customary christmas activities. The books also relate the history of the jewish nation from its earliest stage, through the giving of the law at. Dec 23, 2018 the specific prohibition on studying torah on christmas eve first appears in writing, according to shapiros research, in 1614, in the writings of the apostate samuel friedrich brenz. At aleph beta, we believe that the torah is a guidebook that answers lifes biggest questions, offering profound insights about how we should live our lives. At times, when youre in the usual holiday whirr of finding presents for everyone whilst trying to find a. Torah study on christmas eve, the journal of jewish. The content was drawn from the notes she collected over the years from a wide variety of sources, which greatly inspired her own observations. Is it permitted to browse mi yodeya on christmas eve.
As a last mention, there are also secular jews who celebrate the christmas holiday without any religious trappings. The talmud, torah study and christmas eve veterans today. His stated grounds are the same as given by adrian for abstaining from torah study on ascension day. This caused many religious jews to stop reading from and studying the torah on christmas eve. Religious violence between jews, christians, muslims, buddhists and hindus has been a reality for thousands of years. Christmas is a wonderfull almost magical day of the year for some people, a reason of encounters of family and friendships, gifts, decoration with red and green colors, toast and wishes for peace between families and country and a hope of prosperity and happiness for all. Ever wonder what books are in the tanakh, also known as. Even the talmud commentary of the torah confirms that torah study is vanity without the revelation of the messiah cf. As one being introduced to the entire framework of the torah, i. The most predominant and logical of explanations for the origin of nittel nacht customs, namely, the abandonment of torah study and the closure of batei midrash on christmas eve was in fear of possible pogroms. For generations, jews spent christmas eve doing all.
Read this for a pentateuch course in seminary and being that i was a beginner this was an excellent resource. In the spirit of inyana deyoma, torah in motion is offering, free of charge, dr. In that sense, the christmas story can be said to have jewish origins. Jews believed that doing anything related to torah study on christmas might be misinterpreted as honoring jesus.
Apr 6, 2019 ever wonder what books are in the tanakh, also known as the hebrew bible old testament to christians. Words of torah are our life and the length of our days, the prayer book says. Dec 23, 2015 those who saw belief in the trinity as a form of idolatry believed christmas eve was a time when dark forces were about, rendering it unfit for the purity of torah study. Christmas eve was a time when dark forces were about, rendering it unfit for the purity of torah study others cite spiritual reasons for avoiding torah study on christmas eve. Children go to school, shops are open, and tinsel and holly are nowhere. A taste of torah offers traditional insights, as well as inspiring, fresh perspectivesreflections of the riches the author has received through her personal study of the scriptures. How to study the torah torah resources international. An overview of these jewish communities in the west bank and why they are so controversial. Originally from a secular home in beit herut that only. Youre probably not connecting spiritual jewish thinking the kabbalah to the holiday spirit. You shall not consider debasing idolatry and urinating on it or excreting on it because that is what was done to peor. Advanced search help torah study on christmas eve in the journal of jewish. What eastern european jews did on christmas my jewish. The essential talmud by adin evenisrael steinsaltz, tanach.
Moreover, we believe that jewish tradition has always recognized the right of all readers, in every generation, to look at the text themselves and try to decide what they think it means. As to this speicifc instance, i interpret studying the torah before the book torah was written as learning of gds will. It is a jewish custom to learn torah on the birthday or yahrzeit of the deceased. Heres an infographic that i made of the names of the books and their hebrew names. Many rabbis also believed studying torah helped the. An overview of the jewish state and its many accomplishments and challenges. When thinking of christmas time, presents and shopping comes to mind. According to him, since torah is not torah study on christmas eve 343 brenzs book created quite a storm when it was published, and a contemporary, r. Given that christmas eve was a favorite time for raids, pogroms, and marauding. Torah study on christmas eve free torah in motion lecture by dr.
One story in the book was nittel nacht by martha wolfenstein, originally. Dec 20, 2018 chassidic legend relates that wild dogs would visit those who violated the custom and studied torah on nittel nacht. Those who saw belief in the trinity as a form of idolatry believed christmas eve was a time when dark forces were about. God creates a world which is good and fit for mankind, but when man corrupts it with. Thisdvar torah draws on comments and realizations from members of the study group, including evelyn, joe, and theresa. The torah teacher who does not encourage his students to practice what the torah says is not accurately teaching the torah. Others say torah study was avoided on this night so that the heavenly merit of torah learning would not be accrued by jesus or those celebrating his birth, or somehow benefit the souls of the wicked.
In jewish sources, christmas eve is known as nittel nacht. Hasidim read from the book of lamentations by candlelight on the. It is a common practice among hasidic jews to abstain from studying the torah on christmas eve. Some authorities state that one can study torah on dec. You will then be guided through each, individual torah portion, leading up to the book of deuteronomy. Over 100,000 free torah video and audio lectures by 100s of rabbis and speakers. Torah study on christmas eve free torah in motion lecture by marc b. The yiddish word nittel for christmas is likely derived from the medieval latin name for christmas, natalis, although it is also often associated with the hebrew nitleh the hanged one, which was used in medieval times to refer to jesus customs. He uses the books of genesis and judges as test cases, working with texts that offer clear moral guidance as well as those in which the ethical teaching is at.
Shapiros lecture torah study on christmas eve, delivered on christmas eve, 2009. Thus, torah, being the will of gd has existed eternally just as gd has. The talmud, torah study and christmas eve hate and violence are essential parts of the various manmade revealed religions. Torah study on christmas eve free torah in motion lecture. Roving bands of christians were known to attack jews on christmas eve, and safety concerns led to the closure of study halls.
Those who saw belief in the trinity as a form of idolatry believed christmas eve was a time when dark forces were about, rendering it unfit for the purity of torah study. Torah isnt merely a book that got written and would have existed long before even the earth did since gd is eternal. These sections, read in consecutive order from genesis to the end of deuteronomy, are referred to in hebrew as parashiyot. Torah study with rabbi jonathan, followed by mourners kaddish and a healing prayer. It is divisible into two parts, the primeval history chapters 111 and the ancestral history chapters 1250. A year through the torah a weely journey for christians, by john j. How hasidim pointedly dont observe christmas eve the times.
The book of life project writing your own book of life in this significant time zoom 10. On jesus punishment in hell see peter schafer, jesus in the talmud princeton and oxford, 2007, pp. Each chapter of this lifetransforming book covers a single torah portion, and provides a wealth resources, including selections of torah text with english transliterations as well as portions from the prophets and new testament. Advanced search help torah study on christmas eve in the journal of jewish thought and philosophy. Renowned scholar gordon wenham offers story as torah, a succinct monograph demonstrating how old testament narratives can indeed function as torah, informing ones ethical choices. A there are three kinds of material in this section.
The surprising traditions of jewish christmas eve newser. This year, i have the pleasure of studying the book of exodus together with the layled hebrew bible study group at temple beth or in raleigh, north carolina, where i serve as senior rabbi. Torah study was also prohibited because jesus, in his youth, engaged in religious study. Shapiros lecture on torah study on christmas eve, delivered on christmas eve, 2009. Shapiro december 22, 2011 admin comments 6 comments in the spirit of inyana deyoma, torah in motion is offering, free of charge, dr. Zalman zvi of aufhausen, authored his own work designed to refute all the accusations against judaism made by brenz. In the terminology of those communities, christmas is referred to as nittel. Zalmans entire work is written in a tongueincheek fashion and is a. Dec 22, 2015 those who saw belief in the trinity as a form of idolatry believed christmas eve was a time when dark forces were about, rendering it unfit for the purity of torah study. In 1881, jews were blamed for a stampede in a crowded warsaw church on christmas eve that killed dozens of people. The most prominent custom commonly observed on nittel nacht is to abstain from torah study, although historically some. This tradition is remarkable, since for one thing, religious jews. How judaism regards the man christians revere as the messiah. Why some jews dont study torah on christmas eve jewish world.
Others cite spiritual reasons for avoiding torah study on christmas eve. Scholars call this field of study hermeneutics the study of how to. Torah study on christmas eve, the journal of jewish thought. The most common is refraining from torah study on that night. Christmas eve occupies a special place on the hasidic calendar as a kind of silent night, when torah study ceases and then resumes full force at midnight. Since converts from judaism revealed the foundational teachings of judaism at the disputations of paris 1240 a. That is they could not make a distinction between the categories of good and evil. Before they eat they have no knowledge of good and evil. See more ideas about torah, kids singing and the incredibles. The avoidance of torah study on a gentile holy day is a puzzling notion that seems. So it became the jewish custom not to learn torah so as not to give the appearance of learning on behalf of jesus on his birthday which of course, christmas is notit was a pagan holiday long before jesus that christians adopted as a way of integrating pagans.
The apostates also wrote about jews eating a lot of garlic on christmas eve to ward off the demon jesus, as well as jewish children being hesitant to use the latrine on christmas eve from the fear of jesus reaching out and pulling them in. Even religious violence between people in the same religion is too common. The specific prohibition on studying torah on christmas eve first appears in writing, according to shapiros research, in 1614, in the writings of the apostate samuel friedrich brenz. Each week, the jewish people study a particular reading from the five books of moses, from genesis through deuteronomy. Shapiro in the spirit of inyana deyoma, torah in motion is offering, free of charge, dr. Christmas is a day like any other in most hasidic neighborhoods in new york.
The beautiful icelandic tradition of giving books on christmas eve book lovers will want to adopt this lovely holiday tradition, which melds literary and holiday pleasures into a. To use a single book full of thees and thous is to frighten a person into remaining static, just as fear mongering. The books also relate the history of the jewish nation from its earliest stage, through the giving of the law at mount sinai, and until the end of the first commonwealth. Why some jews dont study torah on christmas eve haaretz. This tradition is remarkable, since for one thing, religious jews do not usually have customs. More than simply a means to learning the content of divinely revealed law, torah study is an end in itselfaccording to some, another way of worshipping god. The jewish origins of the christmas story the narratives of jesus conception and birth as presented in the gospels of matthew and luke echo jewish history and cite jewish prophecy. It was common in the middleages for the christians to unleash pogroms in honor of their holidays. Studying the torah was not meant to be an end in itself. Based on these references, it appears that the tradition of not studying torah on christmas eve appeared, or at least became widespread, in the early 17th century, and that it was based on the notion that by doing so they made jesus divine punishment crawling through excrement worse. What eastern european jews did on christmas my jewish learning.
Dec 24, 2015 christmas eve was a time when dark forces were about, rendering it unfit for the purity of torah study others cite spiritual reasons for avoiding torah study on christmas eve. The purpose of this study is to help the student with some important pointers, which should make the study easier and more rewarding. The curious tradition that hasidic jews adhere to on christmas eve. The book of genesis is the first book of the torah.
In 12, antijewish riots broke out in some germanic lands on dec. To conceal these evil precepts, the rabbis have invested much effort in denial and sanitizing vernacular translations of the talmud. The torah, prophets, writings the twentyfour books of the. Martin is a holiday novel revealing the true effects of what christmas magic can do for someone. Unrolling the scroll offers christians a messianic jewish study from genesis to deuteronomy with easytoread, devotionalstyled commentary on the weekly, synagogue torah readings. In their simplest form, the twentyfour books of the jewish bible the tanach present a history of the first 3500 years from creation until the building of the second temple in jerusalem. The observance of nittel nacht was popularized by the baal shem tov in the 18th century. While we find references to nittel in rabbinic literature throughout the middle ages, the first mention of abstaining from torah study on christmas eve appears only in the second half of the 17th. But this is a good beginning for those who are new at torah study. Just out of respect, i personally decided to refrain from torah study this year. Essential torah is the most comprehensive of the new group of bible commentaries. Shapiro in the spirit of inyana deyoma, torah in motion is offering. The first is a set of principles that will help to interpret more accurately the torah. In 69, the king frederick iii of sicily passed a decree on christmas that all jews in his kingdom had to wear a special red badge at all times.
The first explicit reference to the practice of avoiding torah study appears in rabbi yair. The primeval history sets out the authors or authors concepts of the nature of the deity and of humankinds relationship with its maker. Can i learn torah on christmas day or nittel nacht. Popular torah study books meet your next favorite book. Dec 23, 2018 in 12, antijewish riots broke out in some germanic lands on dec. When christmas was a time of fear for jews the forward. Chassidic legend relates that wild dogs would visit those who violated the custom and studied torah on nittel nacht. On christmas eve, christians will be gathering with families, feasting. These writings, which fill in gaps in biblical texts, falls into two categories. How hasidim pointedly dont observe christmas eve the. The term nittel originates from the latin natale domini, nativity of the lord. In this series of classes, you will learn how the torah came together as historic literature. A t the serpents prompting, adam and eve eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Keren, 36, cohens neighbor and a stayathome mother of three is one of cohens success stories.
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