I enjoy religious study as a minor hobby. And while I think I know one or two minor things about Judaism, I am far from saying flat out that I know anything about it. Many things are minor (kosher eating), while others are major (Yom Kippur). I don't even know if I spelled that right. Hope I did. I don't want to offend anyone with my ignorance.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, would someone be willing (here, PM, e-mail, etc.) to help me understand things so I can say I have the privilege of making an informed opinion?
Now as for opinions, I'm not going to go on a long tirade, but in a nutshell, because of what the Jews have had to go thru in their history, and the fact that they still remain where others have long disappeared, I admire Jews. Also I have never met a Jewish person who wasn't all around a sweet person. Granted no system is perfect and there are always millions of jerks in it, but I personally haven't met one. That may in part be due to the fact that there is only one Synagogue where I'm at and it's not a very big one.
But like the things I mentioned. Kosher eating. Why do the Jews not eat pork? I think it has something to do with something in the bible, but I don't know. Also why do you not mix meat with dairy? Personally I love bacon cheeseburgers. But from what I understand, that is a big no-no in the Jewish community. Possibly VERY offensive to the Hasidic community.
Holidays. I have vague understanding of Hanukkah but not a lot of knowledge of it. And I have no clue what Yom Kippur is. Again, I don't know if I even spelled that right.
And there are probably a billion other things that I don't even know OF let alone about. So if anyone is willing can you help out? I like to know what people believe in, and in some cases why.
Something else I'm curious about what are the feelings toward converts? It's my understanding that this is a hot button issue in Israel, but in general...?
As I said before, complete 100% ignorance here, just wanting to learn.
Jennifer RachaelAnn