General Category > General Discussion
A Question for MUMAN concerning "Halloween"
Kahane-Was-Right BT:
--- Quote from: muman613 on October 29, 2009, 03:49:08 PM ---
--- Quote ---http://www.yeshiva.org.il/ask/Eng/?id=65
Jewish law prohibits celebrating gentile holidays. (1) Furthermore, a Jew cannot engage in business with gentiles on their religious holidays, so as not to aid them in their ability to celebrate their idolatrous practices. Today, however, when the vast majority of gentiles no longer believe in the religious practices associated with their holidays, a Jew can engage in business with them, and even pretend to be happy with them, in order not to create animosity. However, a person who takes his Judaism seriously should avoid mixing with them if he can. (2)
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This is absurd. According to countless rebbeim, a Jew not only is allowed but ENCOURAGED to celebrate Thanksgiving with his family (especially in the case of Orthodox Jews with nonreligious family members) to create a Kiddush Hashem. Thanksgiving, would you say that's a "gentile holiday" muman? Of course it is. I strongly disagree with the fishing of halachic psak from these websites. It seems you gravitate towards the most machmir possible position on every issue!
I don't remember, but it may be that Rav Moshe Feinstein permitted celebrating thanksgiving for American Jews. At least some great gadol b'Torah did, and at least one might have been him, but I cannot remember off the top of my head. To make blanket statements like you just quoted, is not right.
Kahane-Was-Right BT:
--- Quote from: ~Hanna~ on October 29, 2009, 03:51:08 PM --- If you know what some of them did to the candy that they hand out, you would not have your kids treat or treating.
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Oh for crying out loud. You check the candy. Like any responsible parent, you teach your children to check what is in their bag before eating it, or if they are too young, that they cannot eat anything without you checking it first. Listen, I grew up a secular American, and I trick or treated numerous times, and never had a problem. "If in doubt, throw it out" was the old refrain. But the vast majority of the candy is in the store-bought wrapper. If the wrapper is not disturbed in any way, there is not anything in the candy.
Regardless of that, whether you have irrational fear of trick or treating and candy-manipulation, says NOTHING (nadda, zero, absolutely nothing) about whether or not "celebrating" the holiday is allowed or not by Judaism. The vast majority of Americans do NOT 'poison' their candy that they hand out! Sorry.
~Hanna~:
I see.
Maybe I should change my name to Alice in Wonderland, then. :laugh:
muman613:
--- Quote from: Kahane-Was-Right BT on October 29, 2009, 03:52:37 PM ---
--- Quote from: muman613 on October 29, 2009, 03:49:08 PM ---
--- Quote ---http://www.yeshiva.org.il/ask/Eng/?id=65
Jewish law prohibits celebrating gentile holidays. (1) Furthermore, a Jew cannot engage in business with gentiles on their religious holidays, so as not to aid them in their ability to celebrate their idolatrous practices. Today, however, when the vast majority of gentiles no longer believe in the religious practices associated with their holidays, a Jew can engage in business with them, and even pretend to be happy with them, in order not to create animosity. However, a person who takes his Judaism seriously should avoid mixing with them if he can. (2)
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This is absurd. According to countless rebbeim, a Jew not only is allowed but ENCOURAGED to celebrate Thanksgiving with his family (especially in the case of Orthodox Jews with nonreligious family members) to create a Kiddush Hashem. Thanksgiving, would you say that's a "gentile holiday" muman? Of course it is. I strongly disagree with the fishing of halachic psak from these websites. It seems you gravitate towards the most machmir possible position on every issue!
I don't remember, but it may be that Rav Moshe Feinstein permitted celebrating thanksgiving for American Jews. At least some great gadol b'Torah did, and at least one might have been him, but I cannot remember off the top of my head. To make blanket statements like you just quoted, is not right.
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We were talking about Halloween...
Also, if you read the yeshiva.org site it mentions Thanksgiving like this:
--- Quote ---
Regarding a holiday such as Thanksgiving, which does not have any connection with the Church, Rabbi Moshe Feinstein says that it is best not to celebrate it. (4) From this we can see that a holiday like Halloween that does have its origins in the Catholic Church is certainly something to be avoided.
4. Igrot Moshe, Vol. 8: Orach Haim, Part 5:20, sub-section 6; and Yoreh Deah
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Maybe you consider Rav Moshe Feinstein to be too machmir...
Also from Chabads site concerning Thanksgiving:
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/448177/jewish/Thanksgiving-A-Jewish-Perspective.htm
http://www.askmoses.com/en/article/709,2172785/What-is-the-Jewish-view-on-Thanksgiving.html
And Aish.com
http://www.aish.com/f/r/48937837.html
Overall I agree that there is no real problem with Thanksgiving per se but there are certainly halachic issues concerning Halloween...
~Hanna~:
I like Thanksgiving.
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