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Everything you always wanted to know about Judaism,
but were too afraid to ask!
New questions and answers will be added to this page
on a regular basis, so please remember to return here.
Have your Halacha questions answered. (Use the link
below to ask your own questions. Please state if you
would like a personal reply and ensure you include your
email address.)
Please note that previous questions answered
by Rabbi Livingstone are suffixed by
RL. New questions answered by Rabbi
Anthony are suffixed by RA.
Email
to your new questions to Rabbi Anthony
Questions about Jewish terminology,
in no particular order.
Where
do the terms Ashkenazi and Sephardi come from?
Both Ashkenaz and Sepharad are biblical Hebrew
words which were adopted in the Middle Ages
to refer to Northern Europe (Ashkenaz) and Spain
(Sepharad). The two terms eventually became
descriptive of Jews who originated from one
of these areas or, at least, shared their culture
and orientation. Thus, an Ashkenazi Jew will
probably come from somewhere like Poland, Russia,
Germany, etc.; pronounce his/her Hebrew in a
particular European way; and eat kneidlach!
While a Sephardi will either originate from
Spain/Portugal or be an Oriental Jew from North
Africa or the Middle East (as these share a
deep affinity of history, culture, and practice).
Their Hebrew pronunciation will be more influenced
by Arabic and Middle Eastern phonetics, and
their dietary predilections a lot spicier! RL
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