Posted: Sun, Dec 19 2010, 5:41 pm Post subject: Re: re: mitzvah- Not to mention the names of false gods.
amother wrote:
It's funny that you should post this, because it just came up at our table this shabbos. I have yet to speak to our Rav about how to resolve the issue, since I don't know a single person who is not chayav for this almost every day of their life, since it has become everyday language to mention 'false gods' in our daily speech, such as all the Greek mythology gods: muse, pandora's box, themis, narcissism, etc. Just walking by a court house means you pass by an avoda zara statue...
Some laws relating to avoda zara are only relevant to a"z that people currently practice. Greek mythology is less problematic. If you don't mind, please let m/us know what your rav says, as this is something that comes up a lot.
Posted: Sun, Dec 19 2010, 8:03 pm Post subject: Re: re: mitzvah- Not to mention the names of false gods.
OPINIONATED wrote:
I once was a substitute teacher in public school. A lot of hispanic kids are named after Yoske, but pronounce the "J" as an "H".
And the e as a long a, and the u as oo. _________________ The righteous praise and honor people for every good quality that is found in them while the wicked seek out faults in others to pull them down, even if they repented those deeds. (Rabbeinu Yonah, from Partners in Kindness)
Posted: Mon, Dec 20 2010, 12:25 am Post subject: re: mitzvah- Not to mention the names of false gods.
But it's still his name in Spanish! Are you seriously saying it's okay to say it as long as Spanish is not your native language, but if it were, then you couldn't call a kid with that name by his name? _________________ We must love one another or die.
Posted: Mon, Dec 20 2010, 10:18 am Post subject: Re: re: mitzvah- Not to mention the names of false gods.
sequoia wrote:
But it's still his name in Spanish! Are you seriously saying it's okay to say it as long as Spanish is not your native language, but if it were, then you couldn't call a kid with that name by his name?
My husband had to work with someone with that name and was told he could say it. I don't know the reasoning. I know someone else whose BIL has that name (her husband is ger).
I vaguely remember learning in seminary that you're not supposed to say the names of gods that people actually believe in presently (therefore, unless someone still worships Roman gods- no problem there). Instead, you should say their names in some sort of strange way to make fun of them- hence Yoshke.
Posted: Mon, Dec 20 2010, 12:38 pm Post subject: re: mitzvah- Not to mention the names of false gods.
There are neopagans who follow Hellenic/Roman/Greek reconstructed polytheistic traditions. So, yes, there are people today who worship the ancient Greek and Roman "gods".
My husband is into astronomy and we try not to say the names of these idols. This leads to some funny conversations at times. For example, we talk about the planet "Shmoopiter", but also refer to it using its name in Jewish sources, "Tzedek". _________________ Binah
Posted: Thu, Jan 06 2011, 10:58 am Post subject: re: mitzvah- Not to mention the names of false gods.
Do these neopagans actually believe in that stuff, or have they just adopted the culture?
When we traveled through Rome and Italy years ago on a family trip, my father, who is a Rav, said there was no problem visiting ruins of ancient temples, since this AZ is obsolete. _________________ hadasa. One 'h', one 's'.
"...the eternal Jewish wealth is when we ... bring into the world children and descendants who keep Torah and Mitzvos." (Hayom Yom)
Joined: Jan 03 2007 Age: 53 Posts: 10207 Location: Israel
Posted: Thu, Jan 06 2011, 1:25 pm Post subject: Re: re: mitzvah- Not to mention the names of false gods.
chanahlady wrote:
Then I guess we can't say Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc. either...
it really is problematic - in EY you can bypass this problem, BH. (Unfortunately, the country still runs on the non jewish calender though, so I haven't entirely managed to avoid the month's names, although I do use the Hebrew date on my own checks. The only thing about doing this is I usually have to tell the recipient - "yes, that's today's date".
Did you know that there's even an Q if you're allowed to refer to any other month numerically - ie first, 2nd, etc? ["hachodesh haze lachem" - this month and not any other.] _________________ Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional. (I haven't finished growing up yet; I'm still a work in progress - until 120!)
Posted: Thu, Jan 06 2011, 1:38 pm Post subject: Re: re: mitzvah- Not to mention the names of false gods.
grin wrote:
Did you know that there's even an Q if you're allowed to refer to any other month numerically - ie first, 2nd, etc? ["hachodesh haze lachem" - this month and not any other.]
Yes, I tried being Makpid on this, but many Chareidim in Israel aren't so fluent in the secular names of the months so they'll ask, "April? What's that? The fourth? So why don't you just write the fourth?" And to write the Hebrew date would be confusing for us who live in Chu"l, so I went back to writing numbers.
Joined: Jan 03 2007 Age: 53 Posts: 10207 Location: Israel
Posted: Thu, Jan 06 2011, 2:21 pm Post subject: Re: re: mitzvah- Not to mention the names of false gods.
hadasa wrote:
grin wrote:
Did you know that there's even an Q if you're allowed to refer to any other month numerically - ie first, 2nd, etc? ["hachodesh haze lachem" - this month and not any other.]
Yes, I tried being Makpid on this, but many Chareidim in Israel aren't so fluent in the secular names of the months so they'll ask, "April? What's that? The fourth? So why don't you just write the fourth?" And to write the Hebrew date would be confusing for us who live in Chu"l, so I went back to writing numbers.
you really have to ask a sheila which way is being more makpid, using numbers or names for the non jewish months, since both are problematic.
[no, I haven't asked.]
Posted: Thu, Jan 06 2011, 3:07 pm Post subject: Re: re: mitzvah- Not to mention the names of false gods.
invisiblecircus wrote:
sequoia wrote:
What if you're a university professor?
Or you're in kiruv/anti-missionary activity?
Or you're reading poetry out loud...
Quoting someone?
Singing "Master of the House" from Les Miserables?
That is one of my all time favorite songs from my all time favorite production!!!
Sorry for the hijack... _________________ “All that is thought should not be said. All that is said should not be written. All that is written should not be published. All that is published should not be read.”
Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk
So is one supposed to refer to the months by their numbers from the Torah? I doubt that would work on a check.
yeah, I've always wondered about that. Maybe it's different because the chachamim changed the names slightly (I'm assuming they did) and were m'a'ale them to kedusha?
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