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A company in Poland is selling”Lucky Jew” candles. The seller claims that “The figure of the Jew is believed to be good for financial success.” The question is whether we ourselves are now avoda zara. would this mean that we cannot be in our own homes?
@AviK
Since this has already existed for approximately 2,000 years with Christians praying to pictures and statues of Yushke, I don’t think the figure of the generic Jew constitutes a problem.Ctlawyer, good – and it worked for them… some do understand. A priest I knew once got caught helping at the same time a Jewish organization and a group of proselytizers, all out of goodness of his heart. When he noticed a contradition, he asked a shaila from Catholic Chacham (who knew at least Mishna), he got the answer “whoever helps a Jew, get olam haba”, so he ditched the proselytizers. I am thinking he could have interpreted it as “saving Jewish soul” more important, but given that his own olam haba was at stake, he went for peshat.
Ctlawyer,
Yoshke was one Jew whereas this is Jews in general
I once was apporached in Midtown by a Hispanic street preacher who asked me if I love cheesaws so I answered it depends on the cheese and depends on the sauce so he asked me again so I told it depends mozzarella goes very well with marainara, he gave up and walked away
There has always been a contradiction in the underlying drivers of anti-antisemitism in terms of a combination of envy/jealousy of yidden being the “smartest guys in the room” and at the same time, “the guys who killed Cheesaws”.
Tosfas says that christianity is not an a’z. They arej ust following their customs as the RMA O’CH 156 about having a partnershp with a goy.
RebE, re:a’z – opinions seem to evolve over time and cultures. There may be a differntiation – whether it is a’z for a Jew and not a’z for a non-Jew.
Seems to be still a heated debate. I once attended a talk by a Rav who discussed this distinction and concluded that there is no way to make it a non-a’z for non-Jews. While he was talking, he sent around a book he co-authored on this topic. when I confronted him that the book does say that it is not a’z for non-Jews, he signed and said that this was written by his co-author.
Is hinduism considered a”z or also just following their customs?
The Nodah Beyehuda’s YD (2,148) son differentiates between shituf and swearing. Shutaf for a non-jew is also assur but swearing is not. Tosfas in Tractate A’Z (2,1) says that we know for a fact that the akum don’t really worship the current a’z, so we can do business with them.
RebE >> Tosfas in Tractate A’Z
These rulings might change over time and place? Chaucer describing varying level of frumkeit and hypocrisy of medieval non-Jews. Do we go my majority? Are we ok trading with cafeteria catholics but not with more observant ones?
Also, Protestants are post- R’ Tam – and probably prove his point that they do not really believe in a’z…
Also, I think you can discern among Ashkenazi/Sephardi Rishonim more tolerance towards the religion near them. Not sure whether this is caused by fear and censorship or by tolerance developed from familiarity
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