Jewish Asceticism
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Jewish Asceticism
Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Asceticism has not been a dominant theme within Judaism, but minor-to-significant ascetic traditions have been a part of Jewish spirituality. Many Jewish sources describe the physical world as essentially good; the human body as a servant of the spirit, and therefore not corrupt; the human being as possessing dignity as one made in the image of God; and physical pleasures as God-given and therefore to be enjoyed with gratitude toward the divine giver. One who refuses to partake of the material world was even described as a sinner by Samuel of Nehardea in tractate Taanit (). At the same time, other sources recommend and even require Jews to avoid intemperate and extravagant behavior, which is seen as leading to bad character traits and sometimes to outright sin. Thus Jews were recommended to moderate their eating and drinking and sexual behavior; to "s ...
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Onah
''Onah'' (Hebrew:עוֹנָה) is a Mitzvah that obliges the husband to be attentive and responsive to his wife's emotional and intimate needs. In rabbinic Hebrew, the word literally means "due season, period, stage". In the word's only Biblical appearance (), opinions are divided whether it means "time/season" or else "dwelling together". The ''onah'' commandment The term "" (a mitzvah performed at a set time period) refers to a husband's conjugal obligations toward his wife and is also used as a halachic euphemism for marital relations. The Biblical source for the command is , which states that if a man takes a second wife in addition to the woman he has taken as a first wife, he may not withhold from either, food, clothing or diminish the frequency with which he cohabits with the first wife. If the former wife has such rights, then it follows that all wives have at least the same degree of rights. The frequency of cohabitation (ענתה) has been translated as providing the view ...
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Bava Metzia
Bava Metzia (, "The Middle Gate") is the second of the first three Talmudic tractates in the order of Nezikin ("Damages"), the other two being Bava Kamma and Bava Batra. Originally all three formed a single tractate called ''Nezikin'' (torts or injuries), each ''Bava'' being a Part or subdivision. Bava Metzia discusses civil matters such as property law and usury. It also examines one's obligations to guard lost property that has been found, or property explicitly entrusted to him. Mishnah The Mishnah of Bava Metzia contains ten chapters. Honorary trustee (''Shomer Hinam''), chapters 1-3 An honorary trustee is one who finds lost property. He has to keep it as '' shomer hinam'' (watching over another's property without receiving any remuneration) until he can restore it to the rightful owner (). The laws as to what constitutes finding, what to do with the things found, how to guard against false claimants, how to take care of the property found, under what conditions the finde ...
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Chaber
''Chaber'', ''chaver'' or ''ḥaber'' ( ''ḥāḇēr'', ) is a Hebrew term meaning "associate"; "colleague"; "fellow"; "companion"; or "friend". It appears twice in the Hebrew Bible, and is used in various ways in rabbinic sources. Hebrew Bible The word appears twice in the Hebrew Bible (Psalms , Proverbs ), meaning "companion". A friend The term is ordinarily used in rabbinical texts in its Biblical sense of "companion". A Talmudic proverb says, "Your ''chaber'' has a ''chaber'', and your ''chaber'''s ''chaber'' has a ''chaber''", meaning that words spoken in front of a few people can be presumed to circulate and become public. A scholar The rabbis strongly recommended study in company, asserting that only in this way can knowledge be acquired; therefore, if necessary, one should even expend money for the purpose of acquiring a companion. A prominent teacher of the second century declared that, while he had learned much from his masters, he had learned more from his "''chaber ...
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Pharisees
The Pharisees (; ) were a Jews, Jewish social movement and school of thought in the Levant during the time of Second Temple Judaism. Following the Siege of Jerusalem (AD 70), destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD, Pharisaic beliefs became the foundational, liturgical, and ritualistic basis for Rabbinic Judaism. Although the group no longer exists, their traditions are of great importance for the manifold Jewish religious movements. Conflicts between Pharisees and Sadducees took place in the context of much broader and longstanding social and religious conflicts amongst Jews (exacerbated by the Roman conquest). One conflict was cultural, between those who favored Hellenization (the Sadducees) and those who resisted it (the Pharisees). Another was juridical-religious, between those who emphasized the importance of the Second Temple, Temple with its Cult (religious practice), rites and services, and those who emphasized the importance of other Mosaic Laws. A specifically relig ...
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Mekhilta Of Rabbi Ishmael
The Mekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael ( IPA , "a collection of rules of interpretation") is midrash halakha to the Book of Exodus. The Aramaic title ''Mekhilta'' corresponds to the Mishnaic Hebrew term ' "measure," "rule", and is used to denote a compilation of exegesis ( ''middoṯ''; compare talmudical hermeneutics). Other important mekhiltas were those of Shimon bar Yochai and on Book of Deuteronomy. The latter work was also associated with Rabbi Ishmael's teachings. According to Steven Fine, both ''Sifra'' and the ''Mekhilta I.'' were concerned with the sanctification of early study houses after the destruction of the Second Temple. Authorship The author or redactor of the Mekhilta cannot be definitely ascertained. Nissim ben Jacob and Samuel ibn Naghrillah refer to it as the ''Mekhilta de-Rabbi Yishmael'', thus ascribing the authorship to Ishmael. Maimonides likewise says: "R. Ishmael interpreted from 've'eleh shemot' to the end of the Torah, and this explanation is cal ...
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Rechabites
The Rechabites () were a Hebrew Bible, Biblical clan, the descendants of Rechab through Jehonadab. Biblical sources One theory is the Rechabites belonged to the Kenites, who accompanied the Israelites into the Holy Land and dwelt among them; the sources of information are few and unclear. Kenites dwelt in cities and adopted settled habits of life. Whoever he was, Jehonadab ben Rechab forbade his descendants to drink wine, to own land or vineyards, or to live in cities. They were commanded to always lead a nomadic life. The Rechabites adhered to the law laid down by Jehonadab, and were noted for their fidelity to the old established custom of their family in the days of Jeremiah; and this feature of their character is referred to by God for the purpose of giving point to his message to the King of Judah. As a reward for their fidelity, God proclaims that there will always be a descendant of Jehonadab, Jonadab in his service. Claims of descent from the Rechabites The Mekhilta tells ...
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Shab
Moed (, "Festivals") is the second Order of the Mishnah, the first written recording of the Oral Torah of the Jewish people (also the Tosefta and Talmud). Of the six orders of the Mishna, Moed is the third shortest. The order of Moed consists of 12 tractates: # ''Shabbat'' or ''Shabbath'' () ("Sabbath") deals with the 39 prohibitions of "work" on the Shabbat. 24 chapters. # ''Eruvin'' (ערובין) ("Mixtures") deals with the Eruv or Sabbath-bound - a category of constructions/delineations that alter the domains of the Sabbath for carrying and travel. 10 chapters. # ''Pesahim'' (פסחים) ("Passover Festivals") deals with the prescriptions regarding the Passover and the paschal sacrifice. 10 chapters. # ''Shekalim'' (שקלים) ("Shekels") deals with the collection of the half-Shekel as well as the expenses and expenditure of the Temple. 8 chapters # ''Yoma'' (יומא) ("The Day")—also called "Kippurim" or "Yom ha-Kippurim" ("Day of Atonement")—deals with the prescr ...
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Moses
In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritanism, and one of the most important prophets in Christianity, Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islam, the Manifestation of God (Baháʼí Faith)#Known messengers, Baháʼí Faith, and Table of prophets of Abrahamic religions, other Abrahamic religions. According to both the Bible and the Quran, God in Abrahamic religions, God dictated the Mosaic Law to Moses, which he Mosaic authorship, wrote down in the five books of the Torah. According to the Book of Exodus, Moses was born in a period when his people, the Israelites, who were an slavery, enslaved minority, were increasing in population; consequently, the Pharaohs in the Bible#In the Book of Exodus, Egyptian Pharaoh was worried that they might ally themselves with New Kingdom of Egypt, Eg ...
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Sinai Revelation
The Ten Commandments (), or the Decalogue (from Latin , from Ancient Greek , ), are religious and ethical directives, structured as a covenant document, that, according to the Hebrew Bible, were given by YHWH to Moses. The text of the Ten Commandments appears in three markedly distinct versions in the Bible: at Exodus , Deuteronomy , and the "Ritual Decalogue" of Exodus . The biblical narrative describes how God revealed the Ten Commandments to the Israelites at Mount Sinai amidst thunder and fire, gave Moses two stone tablets inscribed with the law, which he later broke in anger after witnessing the worship of a golden calf, and then received a second set of tablets to be placed in the Ark of the Covenant. Scholars have proposed a range of dates and contexts for the origins of the Decalogue. “Three main dating schemes have been proposed: (1) it was suggested that the Decalogue was the earliest legal code given at Sinai, with Moses as author, and the Amphictyony confeder ...
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