Why do Jews wrap their hands?

The usage of tefillin, also called phylacteries, dates back to scriptural commandments in the books of Deuteronomy and Exodus urging the faithful followers to comply with religious law and to “bind them as a sign upon your arm.” Rubinstein says the binding of the arm and the discomfort users often report may serve as a ...

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What is the wrapping of the arm for Jews?

'Tefillin' is the name given to two black leather boxes (singular: 'tefillah') with straps which are put on by adult Jews for weekday morning prayers, and are worn on the forehead and upper arm. They are also called prayer boxes or phylacteries. The entire prayer box and straps are made from the skin of kosher animals.

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Is tefillin painful?

Non-obstructive banding (NOB) through the donning of tefillin (a box with sacred texts attached to a leather strap that is traditionally bound to the non-dominant arm of Jewish adults during morning prayers) has been shown to elicit an RIPC response at least partially through pain sensation.

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Why do Jews wear Yamakas?

A kippah (plural: kippot), yarmulke, skullcap, or koppel is a brimless cap, usually made of cloth, traditionally worn by Jewish males to fulfill the customary requirement that the head be covered. It is worn by all men in Orthodox Jewish communities during prayers and by most Orthodox Jewish men at all other times.

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What is the significance of sidelocks in Judaism?

The reason for Ultra-Orthodox males' hair and curl rules is the following: the original basis is a Biblical scripture which states that a man should not "round the corner of his head." Authoritative talmudic scholars have determined that the meaning of this scripture is that there should be a hair cutting restriction.

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Please explain: what is tefillin?

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Why do Jews not cut the corners of their hair?

The forbidding of shaving the corners of the head was interpreted by the Mishnah as prohibiting the hair at the temples being cut so that the hairline was a straight line from behind the ears to the forehead; thus it was deemed necessary to retain sidelocks, leading to the development of a distinctly Jewish form of ...

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Why do Jews not eat pork?

Prohibition in Jewish law

The Torah (Pentateuch) contains passages in Leviticus that list the animals people are permitted to eat. According to Leviticus 11:3, animals like cows, sheep, and deer that have divided hooves and chew their cud may be consumed. Pigs should not be eaten because they don't chew their cud.

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What does a black kippah mean?

Among Israeli men who say they usually wear a large black fabric kippa, a majority identify as Haredi (also known as ultra-Orthodox) Jews (58%). By contrast, most of those who wear a black crocheted or knitted kippa (59%) say they are Masorti (“traditional”) Jews.

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Do Jews get circumcised?

According to Jewish law, circumcision is the physical representation of the covenant between God and Abraham described in the Old Testament and is required for the inclusion of males in the Jewish faith.

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Is a yamaka the same as a kippah?

Whether a Kippah or a Yarmulke, it all refers to the same thing. Many Jews feel that by wearing this Jewish head covering they are proudly announcing their faith to the world.

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Why do Jews cover mirrors?

At this time, individuals are instructed to focus on grief and mourning rather than themselves. In order to prevent selfish thoughts, all mirrors are covered within the homes of mourners.

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Do Jews rock when they pray?

This very old custom is called shuckling in Yiddish and means to rock, shake, or swing. As with many customs, it is easier to describe when and where it was practiced, than to answer definitively, why people shuckle while praying and studying the Torah.

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How does a kippah stay on the head?

If the wearer chooses a suede kippah, bald heads happily have the advantage of a high coefficient of friction. Should all else fail, the ultimate kippah secret is double-sided fashion tape or a dot of one-sided velcro. Please note: stick the velcro to the kippah, not to your head.

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What animal is kosher?

Kosher Animals by Category

Only those with cloven hoof and that chew their cuds, such as oxen, sheep, goats, deer, gazelles, roebuck, wild goats, ibex, antelopes, and mountain sheep. Pigs — the best-known non-kosher mammal — are not kosher because they do not chew their cuds.

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Do Jews have to cover their skin?

Orthodox Judaism requires both men and women to substantially cover their bodies. According to many opinions, that involves covering the elbows and knees. In Haredi communities, men wear long trousers and usually long-sleeved shirts; most will not wear short sleeves at all.

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How do Jews pray?

Instead, a Jew prays at home and in the synagogue: they invite God into their daily lives in the blessings they recite each day, and they are reminded of and connect to the will of God while also studying and discussing – on a daily basis – the Word of God.

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What do they do with the foreskin after a bris?

The foreskin is saved and normally buried after the ceremony. If a tree has been planted to honor the birth, the foreskin is buried beneath that tree. The baby is then officially named and blessed.

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Do Catholic males get circumcised?

The Catholic Church currently maintains a neutral position on the practice of cultural circumcision, as the church has a policy of inculturation.

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Do rabbis circumcise babies?

The process has the mohel place his mouth directly on the infant's genital wound to draw blood away from the cut. The vast majority of Rabbinical Jewish circumcision ceremonies do not use metzitzah b'peh, but some Haredi Jews continue to perform it, while traditional Karaites and Beta Israel never practiced it.

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Why do only men wear kippah?

In Talmudic times, the practice of wearing a headcovering was reserved for men of great stature. In later generations, though, it became the accepted custom for all Jewish men to wear a kippah at all times, and especially during prayer.

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Can anyone wear a kippah?

The kippah - the little hat - is a custom and not an item of specifically religious apparel. It is ABSOLUTELY APPROPRIATE for a non-Jewish visitor to a synagogue to wear a kippah.

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Who wears a kippah at a wedding?

All men will be expected to wear a skull cap (known as a Kippah); but these are usually provided by the couple and handed out on arrival.

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Why can't Jews mix meat and dairy?

The Torah forbids the cooking and consumption of any milk with any meat to prevent one from cooking a kid in its mother's milk. According to Kabbalah, meat represents gevurah (the Divine attribute of Judgment) and milk represents chesed (the Divine attribute of Kindness).

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Can Jews eat ham?

Both Judaism and Islam have prohibited eating pork and its products for thousands of years.

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Do Jews celebrate Christmas?

More broadly, the tradition symbolizes to many Jewish people a rejection of historical Christmas traditions and a feeling of commonality with those who are excluded from those traditions—neither Jewish nor Chinese people are intended to celebrate Christmas, and this tradition unites them in their "otherness" concerning ...

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