2 laws that I am having trouble with(Jewish law)

[muman613]

I dont work on shabbos, I dont answer the phone on shabbos.  I keep all of my lights on throughout the night except for my own room, and the tv on throughout the night but on mute, so the electricity is on throughout the night, so that is my shomer shabbas. I dont turn on stove, because of the flame. I disagree with the notion that electricity is equilivant to a flame, since the literal definition of that mitzvah, is to not light a flame, no where did it say electricity.

There are several reasons to not use Electricity on Shabbat, not just the Melacha of lighting a flame. We have had this discussion at JTF a few years ago... If you would like to discuss the reason the sages consider Electricity to be a Melacha we can discuss it...

[muman613]

I could not wait... Here is a discussion on the topic..

http://www.daat.ac.il/daat/english/journal/broyde_1.htm

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1159378/jewish/Electricity-on-Shabbat.htm

[Tag-MehirTzedek]

I dont think I can follow those laws, yichud and shomer negia and kol isha, oh well im not a perfect jew but proud that I have a spiritual challlenge ahead of me.

 This might seem harsh, but I am saying it for your (and anyone reading this) benefit. Would you say the same if you had, (G-D forbid) cancer?
 If you just found out that you had cancer and you had to go through treatments and chemo and all the challenging things would you just say "ooh well", or would you fight, fight and fight especially if you knew you had a great chance?
 Same with these and even more soo. Put aside the issues of shomer negia, and kol isha (for now) because the seriousness is on a lower level, but with the issue of niddah (okay correction I don't see you openly saying against this, but just in case if your thinking you cant keep this) it is a Biblical prohibition which carries with it a severe penalty of Karet. If you would fight for your body which at best would last till 120 (- how old are you now) why not for the eternal soul (the real you?).  + besides that warning, which is very great their is even great benefit in this world as well for one's marriage. Imagine eating steak every single day. Wouldn't you be sick of it? With this it is like being married all over again. Month by month. Even some in the non-Jewish (secular) world adopt this as well because they see that it greatly improves their marriages.
 About Yihud- how would you feel if your wife was with another man (non relative) alone in a house (room) and its locked? Wouldn't you be very suspicious. Wouldn't it hurt you and don't you think it would cause you problems even if nothing in actually happened? Now take that and apply it to everyone else, if you wouldn't want your wife to be in a locked place with another man why can you be with another women in a closed place? Even if nothing (today) happens G-D and the sages know human beings. People make mistakes, people make huge mistakes. fences are needed for the betterment of society.

[edu]

The proud Jew stated:
 

I disagree with the notion that electricity is equilivant to a flame, since the literal definition of that mitzvah, is to not light a flame, no where did it say electricity.

The Torah was given at a time that modern technology did not exist, and didn't talk directly about modern technology in any subject.
One of the tasks of the Rabbis is to try to deduce the underlying ideas in the topics that the Torah did discuss and apply them to the modern technological age.
One of the Sabbath prohibitions that was theoretically possible for the Jews of the ancient past to violate was heating or cooking a metal until it brightens its color due to the intense heat, for example, what a blacksmith might do.
Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach contended that this also takes place to metals, when for example, one lights an incandesent light bulb by turning on the electric switch. Also turning on an electric stove also involves the same issue of heating or cooking a metal.
In general, if we could peel away the protective coating of the wires of electrical appliances, we could see that in many cases the wires are getting hotter and brighter, due to the electrical current.
Despite all this, if the difference between becoming an observant Jew or not is this electricity issue, you should be aware that I recently heard a lecture by Rabbi Hershel Schachter of Yeshiva University about new technologies coming to the market, that within the framework of Jewish Law, have the potential to solve the problems involved with the use of electricity on the Sabbath.
Perhaps you might want to contact him and mention to him your situation. Sometimes for the benefit of Jews in your situation, a rabbi will go to the legal limit to search for a solution, while for others he would take a more cautious approach.

[muman613]

The proud Jew stated:
 The Torah was given at a time that modern technology did not exist, and didn't talk directly about modern technology in any subject.
One of the tasks of the Rabbis is to try to deduce the underlying ideas in the topics that the Torah did discuss and apply them to the modern technological age.
One of the Sabbath prohibitions that was theoretically possible for the Jews of the ancient past to violate was heating or cooking a metal until it brightens its color due to the intense heat, for example, what a blacksmith might do.
Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach contended that this also takes place to metals, when for example, one lights an incandesent light bulb by turning on the electric switch. Also turning on an electric stove also involves the same issue of heating or cooking a metal.
In general, if we could peel away the protective coating of the wires of electrical appliances, we could see that in many cases the wires are getting hotter and brighter, due to the electrical current.
Despite all this, if the difference between becoming an observant Jew or not is this electricity issue, you should be aware that I recently heard a lecture by Rabbi Hershel Schachter of Yeshiva University about new technologies coming to the market, that within the framework of Jewish Law, have the potential to solve the problems involved with the use of electricity on the Sabbath.
Perhaps you might want to contact him and mention to him your situation. Sometimes for the benefit of Jews in your situation, a rabbi will go to the legal limit to search for a solution, while for others he would take a more cautious approach.

One of the links I posted above discuss this aspect you talk about {concerning how electricity heats the wires, etc.}..
.

http://www.daat.ac.il/daat/english/journal/broyde_1.htm

I. Incandescent Lights on Shabbat

A. Turning On Incandescent Lights During Shabbat

One of the earliest issues involving electricity found in halachic literature was the permissibility of turning on an incandescent light on Shabbat.3 The overwhelming majority of the decisors maintain (for reasons to be explained) that turning on an incandescent light on Shabbat violated a biblical prohibition.

The Mishnah (Shabbat 41a) rules:

    One who heats a metal pot [literally, a boiler] may not pour cold water into it to heat it; however, one may pour water into the pot or a cup in order to temper it.

The Talmud (Shabbat 41a-b) in discussing this mishnah states:

    Rav Says this mishnah is only ruling [that it is permitted to pour water into a heated pot] when the water temperature is modified, but if the metal is hardened it is prohibited [to heat the metal]. Samuel says this is permitted even if hardening occurs. [The Talmud replied] if the primary purpose [of heating the metal] is to harden the pot, nobody permits it heating.

So, too, the Talmud (Yevamot 6b) declares:

    Rabbi Sheshet rules that the cooking [burning] of a wick [of metal], just like the cooking of spices is prohibited on Shabbat [because of the biblical prohibition to cook on Shabbat].

Rambam codifies these rules (Shabbat 12:1) by recounting:

    One who heats a metal bar in order to temper it in water has violated the biblical prohibition of lighting a flame.

Ravad immediately disagrees as to the nature of the biblical prohibition and rules that heating a metal bar until it glows is prohibited because of either cooking (as Rambam elsewhere appears to classify it (Shabbat 9:6)) or as ma'keh bepatish, completing a nearly finished process. Both authorities, however, agree that a biblical prohibition is violated when metal is heated until it glows. There is no biblical prohibition violated in generating light per se.

[Dr. Dan]

Proud Jew never mentioned not doing Niddah

[The proud Jew]

Indeed dr dan I did not advocate against niddah(chas vchallila). Thanks muman for your insght on my tough spiritual journey.

[The proud Jew]

edu, you guessed correctly, the technology barrier is preventing me from becoming more observant. I will look into his theories. I was having a discussion about this with a local rabbi and he told me that the concept of niddah only applies when youre married.

[The proud Jew]

and tag machir, ofcourse I would keep fighting. Indeed I would feel a little umcorfatable in the future if i had a wife who was behind closed dooors with anotherman while nobody else present. And on the issue of karet, How can any jew be karet if inside his/her neshama is a peice of hashem?

[muman613]

and tag machir, ofcourse I would keep fighting. Indeed I would feel a little umcorfatable in the future if i had a wife who was behind closed dooors with anotherman while nobody else present. And on the issue of karet, How can any jew be karet if inside his/her neshama is a peice of hashem?

Here is a discussion of the concept of Karet...

http://www.torah.org/advanced/mikra/5757/br/dt.58.1.03.html

I

KARET: "INTERVENTION" OR "INHERENCE"?

    This is My covenant that you shall keep...circumcise all of your males. The male that does not circumcise his flesh, that soul shall be cut off from its nation... (B'resheet 17:10,14).

For the first time, the Torah introduces us to the punishment known as Karet -excision from the nation.

Last week, in discussing the Flood, Inherence was introduced: the idea that God's rewards and punishments are "built in" to the scheme of this world and are not a suspension of the natural order. We found that to be an acceptable approach to the Flood; can we go one step further and apply Inherence to prescribed punishments, such as Karet? I believe that we can.

The punishment of Karet (the meaning of which is the source of dispute both in the Gemara and among the Rishonim) can be found later on in the Torah as the consequence of violating any one of a number of prohibitions (notably in the areas of Mikdash and Arayot [sexual taboos]); however, there is something almost unique about its application in the case of B'rit Milah - and therein may lie the solution to the Inherence perspective here.

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IV

THE PRICE OF MEMBERSHIP

Membership in any group provides companionship and a sense of shared purpose. In return, the members occasionally must sacrifice their individual desires and needs. There is invariably an equation between the extent to which one negates one's self towards the group and the sense of sharedness with that group.

The Torah makes demands upon the individual in his daily life: a multitude of restrictions, a higher business ethic and a theocentric sensitivity. In order to claim membership in 'Am Yisra'el, however, it is not sufficient to be an ethically aware and theologically oriented individual. To be a Jew means joining the Jewish Nation. That means sharing the goals, dreams, joys and sorrows of an age-old and forever-young people. It means a shared history and a common destiny. Imagine someone living a life of Halakha today, insensitive, on the one hand, to the glorious rebirth of the State of Israel; while apathetic to the high rate of assimilation right here in America. They would be missing the central, crowning feature of Am Yisrael: Community. Note Rambam's formulation regarding someone who is not involved in communal concerns:

    Someone who separates himself from the community (even though he does not transgress any violations), who isolates himself from the congregation of Yisra'el, not fulfilling Mitzvot among them, not involving himself in their troubles and not fasting during their fast days; rather, he goes his merry way like one of the non-Jews, as if he were not one of them - has no portion in the World to Come (MT T'shuvah 3:11)

Indeed, all of our fixed liturgical petitions are in the plural number, indicating a communal request:

    Grant us knowledge, redeem us, heal us...

Until we are all healed, no one of us is truly healed; a member of our groups suffers and we suffer along with him. A friend is bereaved, we are sad; not just for his loss, for it is our loss too (and therein lies his greatest comfort.)

(According to the Ran in Rosh haShanah, this same reasoning may be applied to the justification for reciting B'rakhot on behalf of others - see the sugya there at 29a).

One who refuses to participate in the rituals that define one as a member of the group, is surely "cut off" from the group. This is the natural result of his actions: non-participation in the most fundamental group rite is active denial of membership.

[The proud Jew]

Oh ok muman I understand most of what you just wrote. One question is If a circumsized jew decides not to keep all of the mitzvot then the concept of ahahvat israel doesnt apply to them? Is that what you are saying?

[muman613]

Oh ok muman I understand most of what you just wrote. One question is If a circumsized jew decides not to keep all of the mitzvot then the concept of ahahvat israel doesnt apply to them? Is that what you are saying?

I have not heard that said but in light of the concept of Karet, according to that article, one who separates him/herself from the obligations of the Torah and the customs of the Jewish people is 'cut off' from Am Yisroel.

I am one who always holds out hope that a Jew will do Teshuva when he/she realizes that they have erred.

[Kahane-Was-Right BT]

To the proud Jew:  keep at it, you are on the path and all you can do is try and work up to it over time now but the commitment itself is most important.  Also its very important to learn Torah to stay on the right path so try to find a way to do some learning and you'll want to stay involved.  Hatzlacha.

[JTFenthusiast2]

That is easy... Shomer Negiya means not to physically touch a woman {prohibited till we are married}... Niddah are the laws of marital purity {not having relations during the womans impure time}...

http://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/699739/jewish/The-Touch-of-Two-Worlds.htm

Thanks Muman for the translation and explanation

[Dr. Dan]

edu, you guessed correctly, the technology barrier is preventing me from becoming more observant. I will look into his theories. I was having a discussion about this with a local rabbi and he told me that the concept of niddah only applies when youre married.

Well assuming no premarital sex by default you would be fine.