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From: martillo@csd2.UUCP (Joachim Martillo)
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: Re: sex
Message-ID: <3780091@csd2.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 13-Sep-85 00:40:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: csd2.3780091
Posted: Fri Sep 13 00:40:00 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 15-Sep-85 05:39:04 EDT
References: <1160@ihlpg.UUCP>
Organization: New York University
Lines: 39

In re: Jewish Behavior.

Actually, there were cases before the beginning of the 19th century of
individuals who started say in a backward place like Vilna then moved
to Berlin, then to Soloniki, to Livorno, to Marrakkesh, to Cairo, to
Sana`a and then finally settled in Cochin and never commented on
differences in Jewish behavior or ways except perhaps for the most
trivial of differences.  Traditional Jewish behavior is basically the
same everywhere because the way of the shas simply does not permit so
much variance.

Every morning I say in Hebrew:

Thes are things that have no measure:  the peah, the first fruits,
the pilgrimage, and charity, and talmud torah.  These are things which
a human being does, eats from their fruit in this world while the
capital is laid up for him in the world to come:  And they are these:
Honoring father and mother, charity, visiting the sich, welcoming
guests, early rising for the synogogue, bringing peace between a man
and his fellow, between a husband and his wife, and talmud torah above
all.

To tell the truth, I am probably failing fairly miserably in at least
five of the last list but these are most important parts of being
Jewish (of course some are just important parts of being decent human
beings).  The sages have given us very explicity descriptions of how
to carry out these commandments.  These descriptions given a fairly
complete description of Jewishness which was basically the same
wherever you were in the Jewish world.

Unfortunately somewhere along the  last  couple of  centuries the vast
majority of Ashkenazim  dropped out from the Jewish  world and adopted
western ways.  I  think the corruption  began when Ashkenazim  adopted
some very explicit  Christian  practices  many centuries ago.     Then
Ashkenazim took the attitude that Yahudut was foremost  a religion (as
David Sherman posted not so long ago).   This attitude would have been
an anathema to all the great sages of the Sefardi world.  What happens
when  we come to  an  age like now when religion  is not so important?
Most of the Jews become either Rosens or Harazduks.