For your perusal, a listing of the 613 commandments (laws) of the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament)

613 Mitzvot

-- eve (eve_rebekah@yahoo.com), July 01, 2000

Answers

Many people have a hard enough time just keeping up with ten commandments.

-- I'm Here, I'm There (I'm Everywhere@so.beware), July 01, 2000.

The soul is our connection to God, and thus there is really only one way to live... let your soul be your guide. Everything else is just wasted words and an excercise in futility.

-- Hawk (flyin@hi.again), July 01, 2000.

Eve,

Thx for the link.

Frank

-- Someone (ChimingIn@twocents.cam), July 01, 2000.

I'm Here,

I know...sorry I gave out so many in one night. Maybe I should've done it in installments...you know, to keep up the tension and anticipation, too. :)

Hawk,

I hear ya. The 613 are an interesting trip, though, for many Christians as well as Jews.

Frank,

You're quite welcome.

-- eve (eve_rebekah@yahoo.com), July 01, 2000.

The very word commandment turns me off. COMMAND--baloney. I live by my conscience and I don't need a book, or scroll of myths, passed down by superstitious old *men* living in a primitive time to tell me how to conduct myself.

For women who are sick and tired of old men and their outdated myths, continuing to tell women how to conduct themselves, especially as they are unclean mortals to begin with, (they have periods you know--Oh my GAWWWD--banish them from the temple!!) but for women who still feel the need for a Bible, then read The Woman's Bible, by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and reprinted by the Revising Committee of Seattle Coalition Task Force on Women and Religion.

To hell with their commandments!! If they have to rule some life--it sure as hell won't be mine.

-- gilda (jess@listbot.com), July 02, 2000.

Wow, Eve. These were interesting. I felt like someone looking up a word in a dictionary in a language I didn't understand. The definition for one word led to other words, and I had to look those up as well. Tefillin? Of course NOW I understand what it means.

Just a few comments overall:

613 commandments and NOTHING said that lesbianism wasn't okay. There were maybe 25 different examples of incest, but nowhere in the 613 was it said that a woman couldn't lay down with another woman.

On the Poor and Unfortunate, one would almost think this was written to promote socialism. Personally, I think it was written to promote CHARITY, but I doubt most farmers would think to leave a part of their field for the poor, or even allow the other qualifications regarding "left for the poor."

Overall, there was a pronounced concern for food and blemishes. These folks DEFINITELY must believe you are what you eat. The blemishes went WAY beyond symptoms of disease, and extended to "temporary" blemishes, both in food and people. For instance, I can envision a Kohein not being allowed in Synagogue due to a zit.

I'm confused regarding what folks ate in a Jubilee Year, as it seemed as though NOTHING could be grown, NOTHING could be harvested, etc.

A rapist is forced to marry the rapee? Of course no one asked if the victim agreed, but to make matters worse, the rapist is not allowed to divorce the victim...EVER.

Several of the items were similar to those believed by fundamental Christians, and the same references were used.

I chuckled a bit when I read of the commandment against supporting those who create figures even if those figures are not used as items of worship. SOMEBODY hated to dust as much as I.

-- Anita (Anita_S3@hotmail.com), July 02, 2000.

Many of them are interesting, if occasionally tending to overkill by today's standards. By the time a Nazarite is prohibited from drinking wine (588), eating fresh grapes (589), dried grapes (590), grape seeds (591), or grape skins (592), it would appear that the issue of Nazarites vis a vis anything even remotely grapeish was pretty well covered.

-- I'm Here, I'm There (I'm Everywhere@so.beware), July 02, 2000.

More grapeish coverings: I shocked a friend from Venice once by sipping wine after eating a few grapes. He told me that the priests taught him that you should NEVER have the son on top of the Mother.

The intensity of his story & the weirdness of the concept creep back into my mind sometimes when I see these foods offered up together {which is very common in California}. Naughty foods, but innocent hosts?

-- flora (***@__._), July 02, 2000.

Flora:

Ignorance gets us into trouble all the time. When I was 14 or so, I accompanied a girlfriend to her church. I'm pretty sure she was Greek Orthodox. My legs have been long since I was 13, and I usually double-knot them [grin]. By this, I mean that I cross my leg at the knee and then hook one foot behind the other ankle.

I got a bit restless in the church, and crossed my legs. My friend slapped me and said I must uncross them. It seems that if one crosses their legs, the Holy Spirit is prevented from entering the body in that denomination.

-- Anita (Anita_S3@hotmail.com), July 02, 2000.

WHOEVER ATTEMPT,S TOO LIVE BY THE LAW,IS CURSED. WE ARE NOW UNDER=GRACE!!JESUS FULFILLED THE LAW!! RELIGION=SUX---JESUS SAVES!!! NO HUMAN CAN KEEP THE LAW -PERFECTLY!!! LOVE IS THE KEEPING OF THE LAW!!! THE JEWISH-RELIGIOUS LEADER,S DIDN,T =GET IT!! NIETHER DO THE POOR CATHOLIC,S!!

-- al-d. (dogs@zianet.com), July 02, 2000.

Hey You religious FREAKS,have You not done enough Damage in this World???

-- Not Brainwashed @ Age 3 (Return@once.idiots), July 02, 2000.

Flora: "...the priests taught him that you should NEVER have the son on top of the Mother."

Anita: "...if one crosses their legs, the Holy Spirit is prevented from entering the body..."

Ladies, after much thought, I've decided that ticking off more than one religion a day is not healthy for my Eternal Soul. But I think I can get away with noting this much: If Howard Stern were on this board, he'd have a field day with those revelations.

-- I'm Here, I'm There (I'm Everywhere@so.beware), July 02, 2000.

RELIGION KILL,S---JESUS SAVES=BIG DIFFERENCE!!!

-- al-d. (dogs@zianet.com), July 02, 2000.

JESUS gave only=2 commandment,s & i don,t do those=consistently!! thank GOD for his=grace.to help in time of need!! and i need grace-daily!!!!

-- al-d. (dogs@zianet.com), July 02, 2000.

I'm there:

I was only 14 and no Howard Stern, but my mind whirred after that statement as well. In fact, I doubt I noticed much during the mass after that while my mind considered the implications.

-- Anita (Anita_S3@hotmail.com), July 03, 2000.

'Nita,

I can only pray that you weren't wearing patent leather shoes!

-- flora (***@__._), July 03, 2000.

Just a weird thought...what are the odds that girlfriend of yours sexually molested by a "god-fearin' man"? You know, "come here honey, I gotta put the holy spirit in ya". Man that's a sick thought. Shows you where my mind is these days. But what the hell, toss it into the mix and see what sticks.

-- Bingo1 (howe9@shentel.net), July 03, 2000.