mz_purfect said:
Yeah in Arabic, we say Alaikum Salam
I thought Alaikum means upon you, not upon him/them? Anyway, it doesn't matter.
mz_purfect said:
So does that mean that Jews make no reference to God whatsoever, as in when you pray, even then you dont call up on Him?
That's alright: it's a bit confusing! No, in prayer we do make reference. But while "Allah" means the word "G-d", according to the Hebrew bible, there is also an actual name for G-d, which we do not say; the "ineffable name". This name is never said. In prayer and some study, we say alternative references, such as "El" or "Elohim" = "G-d", or "Adonai" (which we say instead of the ineffable name) which means "My Lord". But then at other times, we use other words, such as "Hashem" which means "the name" or "haqadosh barukh hu" = "the Holy One, Blessed be He" or "hamakom" = "the Omnipresent". And while we will speak the word G-d, we do not write it, as things with G-d's name written on them one cannot throw out, rather one has to dispose of such items more respectfully with a burial.
soha said:
and is kosher a big deal..like do you restrict yourself to only kosher foods..or u dont care as much
do u know many jews that are strict...or they dont care
Since being Jewish is often more of a national than a religious thing, most Jews are not strict at all. Some keep simple restrictions, like not eating pig or seafood or foods with meat and milk together, or even only eating kosher meat, but this is not to the fullness of the Jewish law (
Halakha). Some will strictly go to only kosher restaurants, and only eat foods as specified on a
kosher list.
Many foods are restricted in Australia because of the production of oils here: vegetable oils are often produced on the same factory lines as meat-oil blends, which makes the users of that oil unkosher and all their products. Some are even more strict ("chalav yisrael"), and only eat dairy products that have been made from milk that has been strictly watched (to ensure that no one put any pig's milk in it, etc).
I myself am not so strict, although I do for the most part eat only kosher foods. In particular, I may eat at a vegetarian/vegan restaurant, but will not eat cooked vegetarian foods at a meat restaurant or household since the cooking utensils are also used to cook unkosher meats, etc. I am also fine with having a coffee out and trust that the milk is fine.
There are significant religious Jewish communities in Australia and around the world (well, significant compared to the small sizes of the Jewish communities themselves) that do keep strictly kosher. There are about 7 kosher restaurants in Sydney, pretty much all in the Bondi area, but the complications of keeping kosher and the need to close for most religious holidays makes staying financially viable difficult, and so this is a rapidly chaning market.
