Shabbos/Religious Observances

[texasmommy]

As I begin the applications process for nursing schools, I have one huuuuge concern - my religious obligations. I am not permitted to work/attend school, etc. from sunset Friday nights until an hour past sunset on Saturday nights because of the Jewish sabbath. I've heard that a lot of programs have 12hr clinicals on Saturdays...yikes! Has anyone "worked it out" with similar obligations?

[leslie :-D]

I also love that movie, it's my favorite musical!!! My favorite scene is when the Sabbath starts and they all gather around the table as Mama lights the candles and sings. I love that song!!! I own a copy. Maybe it's time to pull it out!

i was singing Sabbath Prayer, too!!!!

:Melody: may the Lord protect and defend youuuuu. may He always shield you from shame...:Melody:

dang, can you tell i'm hyped up?

leslie

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

Judaism is the belief, but isn't being Jewish also ethnic? Tay-Sachs is a disease found primarily in ethnic Jews, I remember hearing in school.

Yes and no.

Ethnically, my step-daughter is "half" Jewish. Her father (my husband) is Jewish. But according to halacha, or Jewish law, the line of descent is through the mother so Michele is NOT a Jew. The Reform denomination would accept her, but not the Conservative or Orthodox.

Now, it's a smallish gene pool, and my Orthodox friends belonged to a service that tested people for the Tay-Sachs gene and before you even accepted a date you could check your partner against the database and see if you should see them or not.

But remember, the Ashkinazim, or European, Jews are not from the same grop as the Sephardim, or non-European. And there are the Persians and the Egyptians and the Ethiopians and the tribe of Africans who can trace their descent to one of the tribes.

Now, earle58 and jlsRN are both Jewish, period.

I have a Jewish grandfather (my mother's father) and don't count at all. And it was hidden from us.

I agree with earle that, were I to embrace a religion (unlikely) it would be Judaism. I've thought of converting, but an Orthodox conversion would require me to lie - I have no intention of keeping all six bazillion commandments. But5 those born to Jewish mothers don't need no steenkin' conversion.

[FireStarterRN, BSN, RN]

Judaism is the belief, but isn't being Jewish also ethnic? Tay-Sachs is a disease found primarily in ethnic Jews, I remember hearing in school.

You are a Jew if you are born from a Jewish mother. Someone recently told me that I'm not really a Jew because I was adopted and my birth mother was a gentile. He said that you have to go through some sort of ceremony that includes immersion in water. So, I wrote to an online Rabbi and he said, that was correct. An adopted child needs to be officially accepted into the Jewish people by a water immersion rite.

[texasmommy]

once more for anyone who might miss interpret; i am just trying to understand. if you ever find you do not want to answer my questions please feel free not to answer. they are asked only to advance my understanding.

were you not requiring your husband to work. it seems you could have save both of you work by pushing a button. ok i get it. pushing a button is work in your religion. but it would seem to me that walking down to the nurses station to deliver a message that you needed help would also be work??! help, me out if you will.

again i am trying to understand from the lay believer's perspective. thank you for the referral to moses.com. i will explore this.

hi agnus,

that instance would not be requiring my husband to work. in the sense of shabbos observance, only certain things are considered work - they are called melachos, and they are the applications of 39 biblical prohibitions. for more information, please see this article: www.askmoses.com/article.html?o=122.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

You are a Jew if you are born from a Jewish mother. Someone recently told me that I'm not really a Jew because I was adopted and my birth mother was a gentile. He said that you have to go through some sort of ceremony that includes immersion in water. So, I wrote to an online Rabbi and he said, that was correct. An adopted child needs to be officially accepted into the Jewish people by a water immersion rite.

It's the mikvah, and has to be still water collected from the rain.

I think.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

i was singing Sabbath Prayer, too!!!!

:Melody: may the Lord protect and defend youuuuu. may He always shield you from shame...:Melody:

dang, can you tell i'm hyped up?

leslie

:)

That's good.

[texasmommy]

Judaism is the belief, but isn't being Jewish also ethnic? Tay-Sachs is a disease found primarily in ethnic Jews, I remember hearing in school.

Judaism is considered an ethnic group as well as a religion indeed.

[FireStarterRN, BSN, RN]

I was rather shocked because I always had assumed that by virtue of adoption at birth by a Jewish mother, that I could always claim Judaism. Since then I have been baptized Christian, so there would be no point in my acceptance into Judaism at this point in life, but nevertheless, I was really surprised.

My birth certificate lists my parents, I'm not sure if I could claim 'the right of return' or not. I don't know if they grill you about the circumstances of your birth or not.

[vashtee, RN]

You are a Jew if you are born from a Jewish mother. Someone recently told me that I'm not really a Jew because I was adopted and my birth mother was a gentile. He said that you have to go through some sort of ceremony that includes immersion in water. So, I wrote to an online Rabbi and he said, that was correct. An adopted child needs to be officially accepted into the Jewish people by a water immersion rite.

This is true of the Orthodox and Conservative movements, but not the Reform (the largest US denomination) or the Reconstructionists.

EDIT: moot point, since you are a Christian now. :)

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

I was rather shocked because I always had assumed that by virtue of adoption at birth by a Jewish mother, that I could always claim Judaism. Since then I have been baptized Christian, so there would be no point in my acceptance into Judaism at this point in life, but nevertheless, I was really surprised.

My birth certificate lists my parents, I'm not sure if I could claim 'the right of return' or not. I don't know if they grill you about the circumstances of your birth or not.

Israel accepts anyone who says they're a Jew. The Orthodox want you to be halachically Jewish. It causes a lot of trouble in Israel, but as of today you're good to go.

[FireStarterRN, BSN, RN]

i was singing Sabbath Prayer, too!!!!

:Melody: may the Lord protect and defend youuuuu. may He always shield you from shame...:Melody:

dang, can you tell i'm hyped up?

leslie

That is a very stirring song. It brings tears to my eyes.

The only time our family lit candles was on Chanukah. I guess it's the mother's job, my mother always did it. Also, my mother lit that special candle every year after her mother's death. I've thought, now and then, that I should do that for her, but I never did. Around here you can't find the candles in the supermarket like you could where I grew up.

[FireStarterRN, BSN, RN]

Israel accepts anyone who says they're a Jew. The Orthodox want you to be halachically Jewish. It causes a lot of trouble in Israel, but as of today you're good to go.

I thought there was some controversy when those Ethiopian Jews wants to immigrate? Since they were Black people, wasn't there doubt about them? I remember reading about it.