Category Archives: Terms

‘Sin’ in Judaism

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The word ‘sin’ does not really sit up well with Judaism. The word ‘chet’ (חֵטְא) is often translated as ‘sin’, but this translation does not accurately describe the concept. ‘Chet’ has nothing to do with endless damnation or Hell, the concepts most often associated with sin among Christians or westerners in general.

There is no direct translation of the concept of ‘Chet’ into English. The word in Hebrew derives from the verb meaning ‘to miss the mark or target.’ It is also usually defined by the context where it is being used. There are several examples in the Tanakh (Book of Judges 20:16, Book of Kings I 1:21). None of the examples have anything to do with the Christian concept of ‘original sin.’ Nor can you be forgiven for your ‘sins’ by simply proclaiming your faith (this is a very Christian concept) – the Jewish approach is practical and is a journey rather than a single moment in time. It is about actually approaching people you have hurt and asking for forgiveness, and it is about working on yourself to become a better person.

Yom Kippur, obviously, is known by most as a time of the year that all Jews confess their sins together in the synagogue, and it is certainly not seen as a very joyful festival. Yom Kippur isn’t about praying and asking for forgiveness from G-d to ‘save us’ or to ‘grant a place in heaven’ – these are, again, misconceptions based on a Christian point of view. The central theme on Yom Kippur is ‘ Will we be inscribed in the Book of Life for another year?’ It is not about a lifetime’s worth of sins, it is about reflecting on yourself and your actions during the past year, and about gaining hope and blessing for the upcoming year.

So sin, as it is understood by most people, does not exist in Judaism. There is no single point in time that G-d will grant you forgiveness for your whole lifetime worth of sins. It does not work that way, It is a journey, and no one is perfect, it is inevitable that we hurt each other at times. The important bit is that we acknowledge this and work with ourselves and ask for forgiveness from the ones we’ve hurt – not simply from G-d, because our lives right now are here on Earth, and Judaism is very much about focusing on life here and now, not about what becomes after we have left this Earth.

Sources:

Ou.org

Aish.com

Cartoon Hebrew

Havdalah

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I received this absolutely beautiful Havdalah set by post a few days ago. It is also the first ever Havdalah set I have owned, so it’s very exciting! But at the same time, I have this strange guilty feeling of ‘should I even own something like this at this point’. But how would you actually learn if you didn’t incorporate the Jewish traditions and customs to your life? You need to add one thing at a time, learn to make it part of your daily / weekly life, and not rush and make yourself feel guilty that you are not doing all the mitzvot. It would not be possible to learn and do everything in a short period of time, things like Shabbat candle blessing, blessing over challah, wine, Havdalah, etc. It’s about adding one thing at a time, maybe make a goal to learn to recite a certain prayer by heart in the next couple of weeks, like the blessing of candles on Shabbat, and slowly during the next months you will realize you can already remember quite many things! Some things take more time than others, especially becoming familiar with traditions you had not even heard of before. But it’s okay, it is your personal journey, and you will have your whole life time to learn and build and reshape your practice. This is what I try to remind myself of whenever I get those feelings of inadequacy or doubts about whether it is ‘right’ of me to do something, just because I don’t have a paper officiating me as being Jewish, and because I might not feel the same kind of natural connection with a custom that those grown up with Judaism can have.

So, as well as showing off my beautiful Havdalah set, this post will explain a little bit about what Havdalah is. For Havdalah these three objects are important: a Kiddush cup, a box of spices (Besamim) and a Havdalah candle.

Havdalah is thus a combination of different senses: the taste of wine, the sweet smell of the spices, the light and warmth of the candle. The ceremony brings hope and joy for the starting week.

Although the wine is poured first, before drinking it several Havdalah prayers are recited, traditionally consisting of nine joyful and hopeful biblical verses.

This is the Havdalah cup. I learned that you are supposed to fill it to the brim with wine – oops, I think that’s a lot for a small person like me 😅 The custom is to use at least a measurement of a full Rev’is- but there are differing opinions on the size of a Rev’is, so better to fill it to the top! Spilling it over is considered a sign of blessing.

Although, if you are doing Havdalah in a group, it is customary that each person only takes a sip from the cup – so no, I don’t think it’s common for people to get drunk from doing Havdalah!

This cup has the Hebrew words ‘borei p’ri’ and ‘hagafen’ written on it – they are part of the prayer for blessing of the wine.

There are many different customs connected with wine: some dip their finger tips in the wine and touch their eye lids, some on their necks or their pockets. All these practices are an expression of love for the Mitzvah of Havdalah.

Here’s the spice container. Any pleasant smelling spices can be used, but cloves and myrtle twigs are most traditional ones. Ashkenazim and Sephardim have different customs in this.

The tradition of the smelling the spices relates to ‘losing one’s additional soul’, the soul that some believe a Jewish person gains from keeping Shabbat. The sweet smell of the spices is thought to ease the loss of this soul. Smell is also considered the most spiritual of senses, a sense that pleasures one’s soul.

The next blessing is over the candle. I have ordered a braided candle, but it has not arrived, so no picture of my candle yet. It is traditional to put one’s hands up towards the candle light, so that the flame glows on the finger tips.

This is the plate where the overflowing cup of wine is placed on. The plate consists of words of part of the concluding Havdalah prayer ‘hamav’dil bein kodesh l’chol’. After finishing the concluding prayer, it’s time to drink the wine and then extinguish the flame of the candle with a drop of wine. I was startled by the hissing sound of the candle when I did this the first time – then I read that the hissing sound of the dying flame is part of the Havdalah experience, as you are engaging with all of your senses: smell, taste, warmth and sound.

This is one of the songs I have already been familiar with for quite a long time. It is probably the most popular song to sing after the Havdalah prayers.

Eliyahu Hanavi

Sources include:

Chabad.org

My Jewish Learning.com

Jewish Virtual Library

Daily Halacha

The Jewish Chronicle

Ou Kosher.org

Tiferet Israel Congregation

Pirkei Avot

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I will be busy with university work again soon, so I will probably going to be updating this blog less for now. But I will try to keep it going, just like I will find time to read books on Judaism and learn Hebrew in addition to my actual studies and soon work as well.

This week I decided to make a post about Pirkei Avot. This term keeps coming up in a synagogue newsletter, and I realized that I don’t actually really know what it is. Of course, I have read about it, and I have most likely heard it before, but if someone asked me to tell them about it, I wouldn’t know what to tell.

Pirkei Avot literally means ‘Chapters of the Fathers’ and it is one of the most cited Jewish texts. Some suggest ‘Avot’ should be translated as ‘bases’, not as ‘fathers.’ Why? Because Pirkei Avot provides a basis of ethical principles by the rabbis whose legal rulings can be found in the Mishnah. Starting from the transmission of Torah from Moses to Joshua, the prophets, and the first rabbis, it not only traces the long journey of Torah transmission from one generation to the next, from one rabbi to another, it also gives insight into the worldview of each rabbi, and although the interpretations have changed according to times, Pirkei Avot also shows the unbreakable connection from Moses at Mount Sinai to its teachers thousands years later.

It also provides some very famous sayings that are familiar to many Jewish people today, even if they do not have much knowledge of Pirkei Avot as such.

Shimon HaTzaddik

“The World stands on three things: Torah, the service of G-d, and deeds of kindness.”

Hillel:

“If I am not for myself, who is for me? And when I am for myself, what am ‘I’? And if not now, when?”

There is a lot more to learn about Pirkei Avot, but hopefully writing this helps me remember a little more about it, and if someone asks me what it means, I will be able to tell them a little what it is all about.

I am going to think about words for ‘Word of the Day’ posts next, although unfortunately I don’t think I can keep up posting a new word every day, but I will do it in phases.

Other topics I am thinking of covering: choosing the right shul and the experience of living “in between” two worlds and the feeling of not belonging.