Questions tagged [gentiles]

Relations with non-Jews, and laws regarding them.

Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
4 votes
2 answers
507 views

Gentile keeping shabbos

While I do not know the source, I have heard many times that Gentiles are forbidden from keeping Shabbos and must make sure to violate at least one law of the Shabbos every Shabbos. If this is the ...
Moshe Goldberg's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
2k views

What is the difference between a Ger Toshav, a Ben Noach, an Akum and a Nochri?

These terms get used a lot in referring to gentiles. What are the precise differences, if any, between these different categories? Just for clarity, Akum is an abbreviation of the phrase 'Eved ...
Yaacov Deane's user avatar
  • 14.8k
1 vote
1 answer
373 views

Why aren't non-Jews commonly called "Ivrim"?

This article claims that one opinion is that the word "Ivri" is related to "Ever", one of Noah's descendants. The Bible uses the term "Ivri" in many places. Avram was called an "Ivri" (Breishit (Gen....
DanF's user avatar
  • 70.4k
2 votes
0 answers
292 views

Where does Maimonides write that Muslims may pray in a synagogue?

Regarding the Muslims who were praying in a Synagogue, I read that Rambam ruled that it was permissible for Muslims to pray in a Synagogue - I haven't been able to find a source for this, does someone ...
Finnegan's user avatar
  • 303
7 votes
1 answer
717 views

Jewish viewpoint on Gentiles celebrating a Christian Seder?

I am a Gentile and a practicing Christian and would like to know how the Jewish community considers some Christians celebrating their own particular forms of a Christian Seder? Christian Passover ...
Ken Graham's user avatar
4 votes
0 answers
68 views

Is it okay for a gentile to join a Christian or an Islamic charity movement?

If a gentile want to spend his free time other than Study Torah and want to join a Charity movement but the problem isnthat all the charity movements he/she knows and are near them is Christian or ...
mil's user avatar
  • 1,973
3 votes
0 answers
325 views

Is it okay for a gentile to study Torah if the goal is to get closer to HaShem?

If a gentile is studying Torah but not to imitate the Jews and "hijack" the Torah and respect the boundaries between The Jews and Gentiles, yet he/she wants to study Torah (both written and oral) ...
mil's user avatar
  • 1,973
0 votes
1 answer
219 views

Are non-Jews held accountable for their deeds?

According to the "Path of the Just" by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato ch.3 For one who is still held captive in the prison of his evil inclination - his eyes do not see this truth, and he is incapable ...
ray's user avatar
  • 21.2k
1 vote
0 answers
216 views

Non Jews: What honor to give a non jewish father at an Orthodox bar mitzvah (Jewish son) or at a wedding?

I have heard from an active Rabbi that he would give a non Jewish father the honor of opening the ark. What about putting on a Torah covering? Where is this issue discussed in halachic sources? Due ...
Sam Rabin's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
264 views

How can Gentile that kept Shabbat repent? [closed]

I have kept Shabbat for two and a half years. I stopped doing this almost half a year ago. I know that Gentile who does this deserves death according to Talmud. Any sources that can give me a little ...
kanski's user avatar
  • 39
3 votes
1 answer
322 views

Chukos Ha'goyim at a wedding ceremony

Are there any practices that accompany weddings (and the whole engagement/marriage process) that one has to be careful to avoid because of the prohibition of following in the ways of the non-Jews (...
Mark A.'s user avatar
  • 5,071
0 votes
1 answer
1k views

Can a Gentile say a Bracha before a wedding feast?

If a gentile has been called upon to give the blessing before a wedding meal, with part of the wedding party being Jewish, would there be any problem with including a standard bracha at the end of the ...
John Smith's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
469 views

Who are the Gomerites?

So I am reading Parashas Noach,and it lists Gomer, grandson of Yefes there.And obviously all the descendants became nations. But, who, according to the chachamim are the Gomerites today? Thanks
Ploni ben Almoni tzedek's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
307 views

Noahide studying creation

Can Noahide study matters related to creation like first day of creation, commentaries of Ramban, Rashi and others? If so what are limits to such study and how much can one speculate about it?
W Nguyen's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
227 views

Question on Magog son of Yefes and Gog uMagog

Is the nation of Magog the same Magog as the Magog in Gog uMagog?
Ploni ben Almoni tzedek's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
239 views

Jewish Barber, Gentile Customer

Is it halachically permissible for a Jewish barber to use a razor to shave a gentile customer's face?
Ze'ev's user avatar
  • 1,815
2 votes
7 answers
3k views

Is Islam Avodah Zara?

Is Islam avodah zarah? The reason why I ask is because in Mecca, at the Kaaba there is a black stone which the Muslims kiss and believe is holy. Is kissing the stone and believing it's holy a problem ...
Ploni ben Almoni tzedek's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
297 views

Setting up non-Jews for marriage

Is one halachicly allowed to set up two non-Jews for marriage? I don't see why it should be an issue,but not sure. I wondered if anyone discusses this.
sam's user avatar
  • 41.6k
4 votes
5 answers
1k views

Pagan practice to clink glasses?

Is it a pagan practice for two (or more) people to clink glasses together (e.g. when making a toast)? Do any Biblical or Talmudic sources discuss this practice?
Ploni ben Almoni tzedek's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
74 views

Is it offensive for a Christian to experience the Passover with a Jewish family? [duplicate]

Is it offensive for a Christian to experience the Passover with a Jewish family? I am a Christian and would like to be able to experience the Passover in a genuinely Jewish traditional family, but I ...
Ken Graham's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
6k views

Were there non-Jewish prophets? If yes, who were they and what were their purpose?

Do Jewish scriptures mention any non-Jewish prophet? If yes, what kind of message did these prophets preach (was it identical with Judaism for example?), and what were their purpose in general?
SpiderRico's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
451 views

Isaiah 53 How does Israel's suffering atone for the sins of the nations?

Isaiah 53:4 Indeed, he bore our illnesses, and our pains-he carried them, yet we accounted him as plagued, smitten by God and oppressed. דאָכֵן חֳלָיֵנוּ הוּא נָשָׂא וּמַכְאֹבֵינוּ סְבָלָם וַאֲנַחְנוּ ...
user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
3k views

The name Nataliyah/Natali (is it Jewish?) [closed]

Where does the name Natalia come from? I ask this because many many Jewish girls, even religious ones, use this as a name. I always thought that it is a feminine version of Naftali, is that true? Or ...
itai ifraim's user avatar
-3 votes
1 answer
125 views

Taking Unclaimed Luggage From an Airport

The Gemara in Sanhedrin 76b says that one is not allowed to return a lost item to a non-Jew. The Gemara speaks very harshly of one who does this. The Rambam (Hilchos Gezeilah 11:3) codifies this ...
Chaim's user avatar
  • 4,349
5 votes
0 answers
97 views

Non-Jewish father: son of whom for an aliyah? [duplicate]

Let's say there is a person born of Jewish mother, but not a Jewish father. To further complicate things, the mother was raised secular and at a later point converts to Christianity. Does her change ...
Aaron's user avatar
  • 10.8k
18 votes
7 answers
3k views

Is the title: "New" Testament offensive to Jews? Alternative neutral name?

Having lived in Israel during several periods of my life, I know that the words "Old" in the "Old Testament" and "New" in the "New Testament" are offensive to many Jews. From what I understand, it's ...
Butterfly and Bones's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
376 views

If I left my kitchen under the control of someone who is a Gentile or not Shomer Shabbos, is it still kosher?

If I left my kitchen (or set of kosher dishes, etc.) with someone who is a) not Jewish or b) Jewish but not shomer Shabbos--in such a way that they could access it and hypothetically do anything they ...
SAH's user avatar
  • 19.7k
11 votes
3 answers
36k views

Is it acceptable for a Gentile to attend a service at a Synagogue without intent of conversion?

I'm a practicing Christian getting my master's degree in education, and one of my classes (cultural foundations of education) calls for me to spend time in a culture other than my own. I have a ...
Emily P.'s user avatar
  • 113
2 votes
1 answer
596 views

Would a gentile servant in a Jewish home keep the sabbath? Would a gentile servant be a shabbas goy?

My great grandmother lived at her uncle's inn near Lemberg, in Galicia. in the 1880s. I am writing a novel based in part on her experiences. Based on my research so far, it seems to me that her ...
Phillip Margulies's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
243 views

Was it a non-Jew who first discovered the principles governing the ta'ame ha-miqra?

I wrote to a very well respected and knowledgeable Rav regarding grammatical functions of the te'amim and the discrepancies that exist between the Sephardic and Ashkenazic systems. His response ...
Aaron's user avatar
  • 10.8k
6 votes
5 answers
1k views

Befriending a non-Jew

We all live amongst non-Jews. Sometimes we meet a non-jew and befriend him because he shares the same values that we do. Is one allowed to befriend a non-Jew?
Real Torah's user avatar
-9 votes
1 answer
251 views

Are the Conservatives and all who practice it considered non-Jews in the eyes of Orthodoxy

From what I understand, the Orthodox declared all within the German Reform movement as karet, cut off, non-Jews, and they don't recognize any Reform Jew as Jewish to this day. However, some of these ...
eternalsquire's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
390 views

How Could Jezebel, the Worshipper of Baal, be the Mother of Two Kings of Israel?

Jezebel was not Jewish by birth (Kings 1:16:31), nor do the verses say she converted. How did her two sons become kings of Israel and why didn't anybody like Elijah or Elisha (and later on especially ...
Dror Ben Ami's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
125 views

Questioning who is the real Achashverosh

So I am doing very much research and I am trying to find out the REAL Achashverosh, so far, there are several possible rulers of Persia that could be the real Achashverosh Can anyone of you guys ...
Avishai EliYahu's user avatar
4 votes
3 answers
9k views

Eating With Gentiles

Is there a Rabbinic law or a known pre-Rabbinic custom that supports a prohibition of Jews eating with Gentiles even if the meals are kosher?
Gene's user avatar
  • 49
3 votes
1 answer
128 views

When does an Eved Knani become bar mitzvah?

When does an Eved Knani become bar mitzvah, at age 12 like a woman or 13 like a man?
Avi's user avatar
  • 31
2 votes
0 answers
115 views

Does the first Noahide Law prohibit idolatry or being an atheist? [duplicate]

Does the first Law of Noach prohibit idolatry or being an atheist, or both? In some formulations of the 7 Noahide Laws, the first law is given as "Denying G-d" (or similar). In others, it is ...
SAH's user avatar
  • 19.7k
4 votes
0 answers
68 views

Noachides: are Jews responsible for their spiritual support? [duplicate]

Are Jews responsible for helping non-Jews learn of and follow the seven commandments given to Noachides? Is it a mitzvah for Jews? I recall hearing the Lubavitcher Rebbe speak in favor of this. But ...
Bruce James's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
233 views

Can a Jew follow another religion's dietary laws?

Suppose another religion has dietary laws that overlap with those of Judaism. For example, Zoroastrianism prohibits eating all land animals and prohibits eating various kinds of fish and other sea ...
ywnmoderator 's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
287 views

Death penalty for non-Jews

Murder in the Torah is punished by the death penalty, but with many conditions. Were the rules of death penalty the same for Jews and non-Jews living in the holy land? What were the differences? ...
Nathan H's user avatar
  • 2,619
3 votes
2 answers
2k views

Tikkun for sex with a non jew?

The arizal says that it is a big sin to have sex with a non jew. If someone had sex with one how can he repent for that?
Tom's user avatar
  • 39
6 votes
1 answer
635 views

Bris for non-Jewish boy whose parents are converting

If in the process of conversion, a couple has a baby boy, what is done regarding the bris? They have not yet fully converted, but are in the process, with a Rabbi and regularly attending synagogue ...
rth116's user avatar
  • 71
2 votes
2 answers
102 views

Why should other nations praise G-d because of His mercy towards us?

The shortest chapter in the book of Psalms is one we recite as part of our prayers on holidays and the New Moon: Psalms 117:1-2 (translation from Sefaria): הַֽלְל֣וּ אֶת־יְ֭הוָה כָּל־גּוֹיִ֑ם ...
DanF's user avatar
  • 70.4k
3 votes
0 answers
25 views

In Israel, can one eat Chametz brought in by a Gentile this Shabbat? [duplicate]

This Shabbat, in Israel, will follow after the end of Pesach. Since it is not Pesach, Israelis are allowed to eat chametz. However, since their own chametz has not been bought back, they cannot eat ...
DanF's user avatar
  • 70.4k
2 votes
0 answers
195 views

Is a non-Jew who was Sandek in non-Orthodox brit allowed to be sandek again after conversion?

A few articles like here speak of a custom amongst non-religious groups allowing non-Jews, women, and otherwise to be sandek despite halacha or minhag. It happens whether unfortunate or not. But if '...
Re'eh's user avatar
  • 1,507
5 votes
2 answers
879 views

Accepting charity from a non-Jew

If a person sends out a group email to solicit funds to help needy families and inadvertently includes non-Jews on the email - Is it permitted to use the funds that the non-Jews donate towards helping ...
eramm's user avatar
  • 3,847
9 votes
2 answers
298 views

What happens if Chametz was sold to a 'Gentile' who was later found out to actually be Jewish?

Let's say the congregational rabbi, acting as the agent for about 200 congregants sells the chametz to a Gentile before Pesach begins. During Hol Hamo'ed, someone tells the Gentile, "You know, ...
DanF's user avatar
  • 70.4k
5 votes
2 answers
337 views

German and Ethiopian Jews in the time of the Mishna?

According to Negaim 3:1, the laws of negaim only apply to Jews (הכל מטּמאין בנגעים חוץ מגוים), but according to Negaim 2:1 they apply to people from Germany (גרמני) and Ethiopia (or Numibia, etc; ״כוש״...
Shimon bM's user avatar
  • 18.9k
4 votes
4 answers
512 views

According to Judaism, how is God's promise to bless all nations through Abraham fulfilled?

I am a Christian and a gentile. Could you please help me understand how the promise of God that appears in Genesis 12:3 to bless non-Jews is viewed both currently and historically in Jewish circles. ...
Vincent's user avatar
  • 49
6 votes
2 answers
1k views

Can someone trying to convert have mezuzahs on his doorposts?

When one is going through an orthodox conversion, one is asked to keep all the mitzvoth with the exception of fully keeping the shabbos and putting Tefillin. I was wondering if this exception also ...
Binyamin's user avatar
  • 408

1
8 9
10
11 12
22