Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Let's Get Some Answeres.

As our dear friend Reb Chaim is doing us all proud in the Mir, I thought I’d take up the questions he was recently asked regarding blood transfusions and the like. Let’s go over some of the points now. Come along, won’t you?

“Live by the law not die by it," correct? But Shagra Simmons said the opposite. What Rabbi Simmons said is more to what the truth is, because it’s the written Torah, Gods spoken word, and that supersedes oral Torah, any day.”

There are two very important points here that I think must need to be addressed. Both Rabbi Simmons and Reb Chaim are correct. To save his life, a Jew may disregard any of the 613 commandments, including eating blood. There are however, three exceptions to the rule. 1) Murder 2) Idolatry 3) Certain types of sexual relationships (i.e. incest homosexuality, bestiality adultery, ect) For example, If a gentile were to hold a gun to my head and command me to eat pork, I would be required by Jewish law to eat it. However, if he told me to shot my friend, I must die rather than listen. If you e-mail Rabbi Simmons, He can explain this in more detail.

The second point is important, in that it addresses the core of Judaism, namely the oral law. You said, “It’s the written Torah, Gods spoken word, and that supersedes oral Torah, any day.” This is making a massive mistake in understanding both G-d and his relationship to mankind.

At Mt. Sinai, Hashem gave the Jewish people the Torah, however, contrary to your belief, it was given in two forms, oral and written. The written Torah is the bare bones facts and is impossible to understand without the oral Torah. For example, we are commanded to slaughter an animal as G-d command, but nowhere in the written Torah is the procedure described. We are ordered to keep Shabbos under penalty of death, but are never told what it entails. Moreover, the Written Torah is filled with contradictions and logical errors.

The oral law, just was much as the written law came from G-d and was given as a special gift to his people, Beni Yisrael. A none Jew is forbidden to study it, and may only learn the written law. A Jew is commanded to keep the Torah as best he can, including its oral laws. Most of the Torah in fact is oral and both the laws that a Jew my break a commandment and the exceptions to that rule were given by the mouth of Hashem to Moshe at Sinai.

For more info, check out
http://www.beingjewish.com/mesorah/howtoask.html
http://www.beingjewish.com/mesorah/oral-imperative.html
http://www.beingjewish.com/mesorah/whynotwritten.html
http://www.beingjewish.com/mesorah/notchaotic.html
http://www.beingjewish.com/mesorah/1_moses_to_joshua.html

“Just imagine how we, here can get some sort of sickness from these people, just like the bird flu?”

The sad fact is, in every surgery there are risks and things that can go wrong. In fact a good number of hospital deaths occur every year due to infections that were caught at the hospital. However, by that logic, we could never see a doctor for anything.

“Take a look at the symbol of the blood donor? It’s a red cross isn't it? A Idolatry symbol...Hmmmm, see something wrong with this picture yet?”

In Israel, the simple is a red magan dovid. In addition, the symbol is the symbol of an organization, not of blood donation itself.

“God made us with this built in feature to repair itself by our own immune system, our blood and tissues working day and night, trying to make a mends and repair what is damaged.”


G-d also commanded us to see a doctor. We learn this from the fact in the written Torah that if a man injures his fellow, among the restitutions he must make is the medical bill. If there is a medical bill, obviously the sick person went to a doctor.

“This is my favourite scripture....”

It’s dangerous to learn Torah without a Competent Orthodox Rabbi. It’s impossible to understand beyond a very surface level, and must the time people make mistakes. They mean well. However, without an understanding of the Torah and its principles, and without the high level of devotion and good character must rabbis have, it’s all but impossible not to interpret it according to our own views, instead of G-d’s.

“The question is. Do you care? Do you care about Gods and his creation? Do you care about life and people, and everything he made for you and has given to you?”

Sadly the answerer in many cases is no. I don’t mean me personally, I am referring to the fact that although Torah learning is growing, over 80% of American Jews are ignorant of their Judaism and are totally assimilated. The average Jew in the reform and conservative movement has no understanding of even basic Torah laws. Trust me, I grew up conservative, and thy go out of their way to exclude G-d was the equation. Although there is massive outreach, we still loss many to intermarriage and other religions.

I hope this helps. Feel free to e-mail me with any other questions at imnotlikeyou@hotmail.com

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Important post Reb Chaim, thanks.

Anonymous said...

I recieved a private email, which i will not disclose the recipient, but i will tell you this, a question that was asked I will relay the same question to all my fellow believers, faithfull Torah observers, Israelites aka Jews, is this. If you were dying and the only person that had your match, your blood type was Hitler, would you honestly say that you will still accept it? Or would you rather die? Interesting thought provoking question something to think about! Dont you think? Now I believe that God can use any one he so chooses to give or relay a message to his people,or to who ever he wants to give a message too. Even a convert. I dont have to be born a Jew to have the same blessings of wisdom and insight into Gods word,as you or any God loving Rabbi can have. Our creator, Hashem, can, and he does choose who ever he wants, if he wants. Hear the truth in this message from God, he speaks to you and to me, to all of us, and to all of Israel today.
Ezekiel 18
25 "Yet you say, 'The way of the Lord is not just.' Hear, O house of Israel: Is my way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust? 26 If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits sin, he will die for it; because of the sin he has committed he will die. 27 But if a wicked man turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will save his life. 28 Because he considers all the offenses he has committed and turns away from them, he will surely live; he will not die. 29 Yet the house of Israel says, 'The way of the Lord is not just.' Are my ways unjust, O house of Israel? Is it not your ways that are unjust?

30 "Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each one according to his ways, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. 31 Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!
Yes repent and live!
As for our "fathers" who declare and teach there own interpretation of Gods word and of his very thoughts that he did not even speak, this is what God has to say about that,
Ezekiel 18
The Soul Who Sins Will Die
1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 "What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel:
" 'The fathers eat sour grapes,
and the children's teeth are set on edge'?
3 "As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel. 4 For every living soul belongs to me, the father as well as the son—both alike belong to me. The soul who sins is the one who will die.

5 "Suppose there is a righteous man who does what is just and wright.

6 He does not eat at the mountain shrines or look to the idols of the house of Israel.
He does not defile his neighbor's wife or lie with a woman during her period.

7 He does not oppress anyone,
but returns what he took in pledge for a loan.He does not commit robbery but gives his food to the hungry and provides clothing for the naked.

8 He does not lend at usury or take excessive interest.
He withholds his hand from doing wrong and judges fairly between man and man.

9 He follows my decrees and faithfully keeps my laws.
That man is righteous; he will surely live,declares the Sovereign LORD.

10 "Suppose he has a violent son, who sheds blood or does any of these other things 11 (though the father has done none of them):
"He eats at the mountain shrines.
He defiles his neighbor's wife.

12 He oppresses the poor and needy. He commits robbery.
He does not return what he took in pledge.
He looks to the idols.
He does detestable things.

13 He lends at usury and takes excessive interest.
Will such a man live? He will not! Because he has done all these detestable things, he will surely be put to death and his blood will be on his own head.

14 "But suppose this son has a son who sees all the sins his father commits, and though he sees them, he does not do such things:

15 "He does not eat at the mountain shrines or look to the idols of the house of Israel.
He does not defile his neighbor's wife.

16 He does not oppress anyone
or require a pledge for a loan.
He does not commit robbery
but gives his food to the hungry
and provides clothing for the naked.

17 He withholds his hand from sin
and takes no usury or excessive interest.
He keeps my laws and follows my decrees.
He will not die for his father's sin; he will surely live. 18 But his father will die for his own sin, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother and did what was wrong among his people.

19 "Yet you ask, 'Why does the son not share the guilt of his father?' Since the son has done what is just and right and has been careful to keep all my decrees, he will surely live. 20 The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him.

21 "But if a wicked man turns away from all the sins he has committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die. 22 None of the offenses he has committed will be remembered against him. Because of the righteous things he has done, he will live. 23 Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?

24 "But if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked man does, will he live? None of the righteous things he has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness he is guilty of and because of the sins he has committed, he will die.
do you understand the message, Oh house of israel? God loves his people will you hear his word and listen? You know what is wright in your heart, true repentance requires a change Fear God and keep his commands he give us life eternal if we obey him, and his ways, not anyone elses. He is our God our Lord our King and only Saviour. THere is no one else! NO ONE!! What is the conclusion? King Solomon wrote,
Ecclesiastes 12
The Conclusion of the Matter
9 Not only was the Teacher wise, but also he imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. 10 The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true.
11 The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one Shepherd. 12 Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them.
Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.

13 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.

14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.
Shalom may God bless you today and everyday as you follow Gods ways with your whole heart mind soul and strength!
Miss Manna

Ilan The Portlander Rebbe said...

"Even a convert. I dont have to be born a Jew to have the same blessings of wisdom and insight into Gods word,as you or any God loving Rabbi can have."

A convert is considered a full Jew in every sense. However, they must undergo a kosher conversion. I should warn that this is a long and stressful porcess and is not for the faint of heart.

Moreover, you can be a good person without being Jewish. A nonejew who follows the seven noachide laws will earn a place in the world to come. It's far better to take this route. Right now, if you see a movie on shabbos, or have a big mac, it's fine. Why add more rules to yourself than what hashem gave you? Moreover, some laws like shabbos, it is FORBIDIN for a non-jew to keep. I suggest that you look up this fine sites

http://www.noahide.org/

http://www.aish.com/wallcam/7_Noachide_Laws.asp

As to your hitler commend, may his named be erased, I would glady take his blood. If blood doantion is still an issue for you, You really should talk to your LOR, or e-mail me privatly.

Anonymous said...

Proverbs) 28:9 If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law, even his prayers are detestable.
I ask myself the "Convert" how can i prove that i love HaShem? Just as i am. How can I show him that I love him? By doing just so. "walk with God, just as Noah did. I want to walk with God, and the Torah laws are good, they are very good, for ME and MY Family. I am happy to follow all that i can. I try to learn by studying and reading and asking GOd in my daily prayers with my children to help me guide me in the wright direction. I read the Tanak daily. because i love God. Yes indeed I do.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 11:1 Love HaShem your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always.
and as for your advise or suggestion to follow the noahide laws, thank you. The tanak says there is also a part of the noahide laws that no one seems to observe. read
Genesis 9
God's Covenant With Noah
1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. 2 The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. 3 Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.
4 "But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. 5 And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man.
So even in following these laws, Blood is forbidden to consume.
This was also repeated to Moshe in the law. read
Eating Fat and Blood Forbidden Leviticus 7:22
22 The LORD said to Moses, 23 "Say to the Israelites: 'Do not eat any of the fat of cattle, sheep or goats. 24 The fat of an animal found dead or torn by wild animals may be used for any other purpose, but you must not eat it. 25 Anyone who eats the fat of an animal from which an offering by fire may be made to the LORD must be cut off from his people. 26 And wherever you live, you must not eat the blood of any bird or animal. 27 If anyone eats blood, that person must be cut off from his people.' "
Again who do obey? Mans word or Gods? you choose for yourself. as for me, I choose God! thank you
Miss Manna

Ilan The Portlander Rebbe said...

FOr the last time,

1) you are not a convert.

2) YOur quotes only prove that we cannot EAT blood, nothing eles. Blood is taken out of all kosher meat. Your opinion shows the danger of gentiles learning Torah alone, in that they bend to to fit their own views.

3) These laws in any case are only for Jews, not genitles such as yourself. From a Toreah view, you can drink a bucket of pig's blood and it's all cool.

4) I am deleting your link to the hosptial, in that I don't allow advertsing on the site. Especially for a service that is potentially deadly.

Anonymous said...

I have told you that i am a convert in my heart, and i am working on formal conversion at the beging of this blog. I am a student of the Torah, and The torah says that we should love Jews and converts, thats not very loving of you of what you said to me that i should drink pigs blood, that is something you say to your fellow jew and soon to be converted Jew? You dishonor our God by saying these things to me in open and in public and offend me this way. I am intitled to my opinion in the matter of bloodtransfuions and i am not the only one! I have recieved many emails in agreeing with me, and you want to put me down and crush me? and all i want to do is love God with my whole heart mind and strength, and try to help others do the same, thats evil thoughts you have. at least im not breaking the TOrah laws in this way, and at least im not responsible for misleading Gods people into beleiveing what is bad is good and what is good is bad! You will be judged for your own self and so will I. If i so choose to follow the Torah, then I WILL! Its my free will and choice to,and you or no man will or can tell me that i cant follow Gods ways and laws. Are you trying to kill me? drinking pigs blood thats gross! Very foolish advise, and you dont have to be a convert to realize that! Good Day!

Ilan The Portlander Rebbe said...

"I have told you that i am a convert in my heart."

A convert in the heart is meaningless. Only a conversion done by competent orthodx Rabbi has any vaule

"I am intitled to my opinion in the matter of bloodtransfuions "

Yes you are. but in this case, your opinion is diffrent from the Torah's. Thats just a fact. And any rabbi will agree.

"Gods people into beleiveing what is bad is good and what is good is bad! "

Any rabbi will agree with me.

"Are you trying to kill me? drinking pigs blood thats gross"

It was an example, not a suggestion.

"But your not. You are following your own heart, and trying to justifey it by Torah."

As a final note, you are comming very close to being banned.

Anonymous said...

Today I visited aish.com and Lori almost live has a new audio and it really spoke to me. I am not hear to offend anyone and i appologies if I have. and i dont wish to argue with anyone either. I love God and all his people and will try to season what I say a little more with salt sort of speak. THere were many great sages, im learning about on aish.com that died and were torchered for teaching torah and observing it after the distruction of the second temple in rome, for example rabbi Atkiva was one of them and I admire him for his courage and his zelous Love that he had for our creator. He choose to follow God till his death reciting the shema. It seems he was pleased and honored to do so, this true story is very inspiring for me, and it strengthens my own personal faith. When i started reading the Torah, a year ago, I did so on my own, where i live there is no place of worship. I live in a small town. but i really wanted answers. So one day visiting aish, i came across something. It was called the 613 laws. so i downloaded it and started to read and study. If it wasnt for reading the Torah, I wouldnt have understood the most important thing, that I was an Idol worshiper. I had no knowledge real truth about God, and all my life i was taugh different, I was taught that God had a son, and he was a god. I didnt know any different. WHen i read what God said to the Israelites via this torah that he gave them, my eyes started to open, and i realized everything i learned was a lie. At first, I thought i would read the Torah, to become a better christian, but then i realized that being a chirstian was actually the very things that the torah teahes against, makeing a convnant with Idolotors and followning the Gods of the nations that are all around you. Let me tell you I was in a state of totall shock! and for a time, couldnt believe what i was really learning through the study of the torah was the 'Truth" I was now enlightened, lost my friends family memebers, but I didnt care. I had something more precious and valueble, knowledge of God, like Mamnodiets says, sorry for the spelling thats a hard one to spell, and i felt for the first time in my whole entire life, blessed with this knowledge. Again i appologies for anything that i have said that would offend you or any reader. my intention was not that at all. I guess i can sum this all up in what lori said today on aish, if we have knowledge of God and dont exactly do it at the time, but we know of something good, perhaps in time we will do it, but meanwhile dont judge that person for not doing what we do, and have patients maybe someday they will. and about the blood thing here, i guess i should have just said, that from my knowledge of my own personal search, i found our that we have the choice to have a subsitute called a saline solution which is a bloodless sergery if you feel confortable with it, but at least we should know what are options are so we can make our own decisions. thats all i was trying to say, now that i know about the subsitue i personally will take that, and my goal is to convert officially perhaps when i go to israel next year for a visit. thank you for all you posts, i appriciate it..Peace, shalom Catherine Manna

Anonymous said...

sorry, i mean to correct something i said, there were many great sages after the distruction of the second temple in Israel, by the Romans..sorry i had said the second temple in rome...sorry about that, my mistake..thank you

Anonymous said...

Now i understand what Mammodites meant when he said "live by the law not die by it" I think what he was saying was to me anyway, if you follow the Torah you will live! Following the Torah gives you life! and that makes total sence when God gave them the law he said today i put before you the blessings and malidictions ,life and death, you choose..Very wise words. Thank you !

Ben Greenfield said...

"Most of the Torah in fact is oral and both the laws that a Jew my break a commandment and the exceptions to that rule were given by the mouth of Hashem to Moshe at Sinai."

My friend, do you really mean this literally? How 'bout writing a piece on where Torah shBaal Peh came from and how it developed.

Shkoyakh. Oh, PS, while you're in Israel, it behooves you to check out Gush and R Lichtenstein.

Anonymous said...

I have to admit, that I didn't follow the entire argument of Miss Catherine Manna, but her first question struck me:

"If you were dying and the only person that had your match, your blood type was Hitler, would you honestly say that you will still accept it? Or would you rather die? "

I'm not a rabbi (in fact I'm just a Jewish housewife) but my guess is that I'd be obligated to take his blood, if it would save my life.

What I'd "rather" do is irrelevant. We are required to follow halacha. I'm not sure what the halachic answer would be, but it trumps gut reactions.

House of Israel said...

Thats an interesting comment.

I'm not a rabbi (in fact I'm just a Jewish housewife) but my guess is that I'd be obligated to take his blood, if it would save my life.

What I'd "rather" do is irrelevant. We are required to follow halacha. I'm not sure what the halachic answer would be, but it trumps gut reactions.
my question is, why would you do something that you "rather not do?" For give me for my Ignorance, but what does Halacha and Torah have in common? are they one and the same or different. I dont follow anything but the Torah, there fore i dont understand what this means. Since i am no part of any religion, and believe in God, and his torah, I believe that we can make some sort of choices for ourselves with out a mediator, or someone trying to interpret for us. dont you think? I'd like to think that i too can be blessed with understanding and I too, can have a personal relashionship with the God of Issac abraham and jacob and Israel...what does your heart soul mind and strength say to you? or shall i say what does God say to you? interesting thought dont you think? Peace Catherine

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