wkp@lanl.ARPA (02/13/85)
"Do not separate me from the Chosen, the joy, the light, the
splendor. Let me see the light of Israel."
--Ancient prayer of the
Ethiopian Jews
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For those of you who still choose to separate the Ethiopian Jews
from "the Chosen, the light, the splendor...the light of Israel,"
consider the following facts before you question their "purity":
1. Every village had their own bet knesset, rav, and mikvah.
According to reports, if any of the villagers lapsed in
religious practice, they would leave, and were no longer Jews.
2. Shabbat was one of their most important holidays. Because heat
and light were strictly forbidden, only cold food was permitted on
Shabbat. An immigrant named Noga was shocked to see white-skinned
Jews in Israel no longer keeping Shabbat. Upon spending Shabbat
with a religious family, she first refused to eat the hot food.
When informed that the Talmud permitted hot food on Shabbat,
Noga replied "If there is a book called the Talmud which alters
our customs, I will adapt to it," and promptly began eating.
3. Great sacrifices were made to carry out the Torot (Torahs)
possessed by the communities. One group of men left everything
they owned behind just to make sure that their Torah left the
country safely.
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Maybe those of you who claim 100% Jewish purity, and ancestral ties
to Avraham Avinu should rethink the words of R. Akavia ben Mahalei:
"Consider three things and you will not come into the grip of sin:
Know from where you came, to where you are going, and before Whom
you will give justification and reckoning." (Pirkei Avot 3).
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bill peter {ihnp4,seismo}!cmcl2!lanl!wkp
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