Hot answers tagged symbols-symbology
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Fascinating! I've always wondered about this myself.
BaMidbar Rabbah 2:7 has a list of each tribe and its flag, with the colour, stone, and symbol associated with it, which I believe is probably the original source (or one of the earliest that we'll find) for this. I'd be interested to see what other people come up with.
Interestingly, the list is a little ...
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Obviously, I can't actually speak for the family involved, however, in general, giving any kind of Christian religious symbol to a Jewish family will be considered offensive. The meaning conveyed by the cross for most Jews is very different from the meaning that Christians see in it, and not the least bit positive.
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Taamei HaMinhagim 706 says it is done for Kabalistic reasons. In the notes, he mentions in the name of the Imrei Noam that the Gematria of the word "Tapuach" (the Hebrew word for apple) is the same as the Gematria of "S'e Akeida" - so we eat the apple to recall the Akeida (Binding of Isaac).
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Welcome to Mi Yodeyah, Frederick.
The "average" Jew does not have a symbol for "evil" or the "devil," especially the latter. The "devil" is a Christian innovation shared also by Islam, and which probably owes some of its origins from pagan and other non-Christian sources such as Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism, both of which are dualistic religions. ...
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From: http://www.shmais.com/articles/stories/4232-a-story-of-the-rebbe-225-the-artist
A non Torah-observant artist once wanted to give the [Lubavitch] Rebbe a portrait he had painted of him. However, the Rebbe noticed that the picture showed him with his fingers intertwined, and he explained to the artist in terms that he would relate to as to why we do ...
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1) The Maharil explains that the apple is connected with "חקל תפוחים קדישין"; when Yaakov came to get the brochos from Yitzchok, he had the smell of an apple orchard upon his clothing. Besides for the Kabbilistic meanings, (according to one opinion) this episode happened on Rosh Hashana (GR”A O.C. 583:8)
2) There are three types of benefit derived from an ...
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Gershom Scholem has an essay entitled "The Star of David: History of a Symbol", in The Messianic Idea in Judaism (New York: Schocken Books, 1995), 257-281. In this essay, he chronicles the development of different theories that accounted for its origin (in David's shield, in Solomon's signet ring, etc), its usage in Christian and Islamic art and its frequent ...
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There is specific symbolism in the apple. It also can't be discounted that apples are harvested around Rosh Hashana time so they are a readily available and relatively inexpensive fruit at that time.
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Revach.net has a nice table of the tribes populations, flags, symbols, and camp locations.
Levi's symbol was the Urim V'tumim (High Preist's breastplate).
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In Likutei Torah (Shir Hashirim 39B), the Baal HaTanya equates Rechovot HaNahar with Binah (emphasis mine):
ומכל הנ"ל יובן למעלה ג"כ במ"ש ונהר יוצא מעדן ומשם יפרד כו'. כי הנה עדן הוא בחי' חכמה עילאה דאצי' חכים ולא בחכמה ידיעא שהוא בחי' העלם וביטול בתכלית וכמ"ש והחכמה מאין תמצא כו' שהוא בחי' אין ממש ונק' מעין שהוא כדוגמת המעין שעדיין הוא בבחי' העלם כנ"ל ...
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I am not exactly sure what kind of symbol you are looking for but the one point of "transformation" in Judaism (other than a circumcision/conversion moment) is a time of communal forgiveness. As the Zohar points out (as referenced in note 9 here) about the high priest, and similarly, it is written about the scape goat here, a red thread miraculously turned ...
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The Beis Yosef (OC 651) writes in the name of the Rikanti (Parshas Emor Vayikra 23:40) [my own translation]:
The Esrog must be placed next to the other species. This secret was revealed to me in a dream, on the eve of the first day of Sukkos a Chosid from Germany by the name of R' Yitzchok stayed by me. I saw in a dream that he wrote the four letter name ...
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The Gemora (Rosh Hashana 24b, Avoda Zara 43b) writes that one may not make a portrait of a human. The Rishonim argue whether this refers to only protruding images (such as a sculpture) or extends to non protruding images such as photos and drawings. Shulchan Aruch (YD 141:4) follows the opinion of Tosfos (Azoda Zara 43b "Vehu") that it only refers to ...
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R' Moshe Feinstein wrote in Igros Moshe (O"Ch 3:15) that:
... for hundreds of years the Paroches had Mag Davids drawn on them and no one complained. Even though we have no source of the Magen Dovid, there is no concern [to draw a Magen Dovid on a Paroches (the original question is whether it is a Zionist/Kefira symblo)]. It also reminds us that Hashem ...
2
Apple was the most widely known fruit. Think of the other fruits and vegetables that are called after the apple eg orange in Hebrew, potatoe in Hebrew, French and German, pineapple in English. See here "In Middle English and as late as 17c., it was a generic term for all fruit other than berries but including nuts (e.g. O.E. fingeræppla "dates," lit. ...
2
The Targum Yonasan on Chapter 2 of BaMidbar mentions the flags for each "super-tribe", i.e. cluster of three tribes that camped together:
(2:3) Camp Judah's flag had stripes corresponding to the member tribes' stones [on the breastplate], namely red, green, and "shiny"; it bore the names of the three tribes Judah Issachar and Zebulon, with the inscription ...
2
two chiddushim of my own that I have not seen elsewhere.
the pyre on the mizbeach is described as an apple. We are adjured not to offer up honey on the mizbeach because no man can stand it, but l’atid lavo we will be able to offer up honey on the mizbeach - so our tefillah is that the year should be sweet enough for us to do so and thus we dip the apple in ...
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Unlikely.
Ahimsa is from the Sanskrit for non-violence: Origin: Sans ahimsā, non-injury < a-, not + himsā, injury < IE *ĝheis-, to wound < base *ĝhei-, to hurl, projectile.
Hamsa is the Arabic for "five", and since the hand has five fingers (or four + a thumb, for the pedants), it is an obvious connection.
Now, the origin of the hamsa symbol is a ...
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Update on the stones of the hoshen / 12 Tribes, and their identification. This information is from my father's book "The Natural Bible: Judaism and the Environment", which will be published (be"h) by Berman House this spring.
Odem: clearly a red stone. Scholars suggest either red jasper, or carnelian sard (a type of quartz).
Piteda: some sort of ...
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See here an answer to that and similar questions by Rabbi Kaganoff.
TL;DR
According to the reasons we have applied so far, Zev may be able to keep his fancy carved chess set. No one worships the cross on the king, and one could, perhaps, argue that this is familiar enough that no one is led astray by these pieces. As mentioned above, it is meritorious ...
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There is no prohibition against owning idolatrous figures. However, there is a prohibition against gazing as such figures, which would in general prevent one from owning them. According to Shulchan Aruch (YD 141:1) it is permitted to gaze at an idolatrous figure that is not intended for the purpose of worship. (See Rama there who includes the cross as an ...
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The phrase comes from Genesis 36:37. In listing the Edomite kings who reigned before there was a king in Israel, the Torah names Shaul as the sixth king, and tells us that he was from רחובות הנהר. I am led to believe that there are many references to this in the kabbalistic literature, which looks upon these kings as representative of phenomena that preceded ...
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This sefer suggests that according the author of the "Mesora", Vayikra 7:22 and 7:23 may be joined together, based on a Rambam (quoted by Shach YD 275:6) that differentiates the former Possuk from all other instances in the Torah. However he later notes (in his comments to the end of Sefer Vayikra) that if one adds up the totals written at the end each ...
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Chasam Sofer is quoted as saying that if you come across something from the week's parsha while studying gemara it is a good omen for your learning. I believe it's in a comment on a Rashi in Vayigash but I haven't seen it first hand.
I do know, however, that there are a number of Verses in Chumash forbidding omen-hunting including Deuteronomy 18:10-14.
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Actually only 1 "house" of the 4 York Rite houses asks that you are willing to defend the Christian faith, not actually be a Christian. Many non Christians join this house with the understanding that many of us Christians would also defend the Jewish, Islamic, and various other faiths as well. A majority of the York rite is based on people and events around ...
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Let me add this useful info:
There is also a good website to search on Kosher symbols of the kosher certification agencies.
Kosher Register http://kosherregister.com has a search engine -
SEARCH by Certification Logo - http://www.kosherregister.com/certifingOrg/kosher-certification-symbol-and-trademark.htm
If you are looking for a certifying logo ...
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