Problem
Who are the Samaritans, and how do their rituals relate to what happens worldwide today?
Answer
I just read an article about meeting the Samaritans in the 21st century. Most entertaining and enlightening.
I was very happy reading the newspaper article all about the Samaritans until I got to the part about the lambs being sacrificed in the street. This tradition recalls Abraham sacrificing a lamb instead of his son at Passover.
In the UK animals for food are killed in abbatoirs which are subjected to health and safety inspections. I was asked in Singapore if Jews in London sacrifice animals in the temple. Certainly not! The idea of blood running in the temple, or even in the streets, sounds like a health risk in London in the 21st century with global warming and city rats. Perhaps on a mountain in the West Bank the concerns of city dwellers from Europe do not apply.
Milk And Meat
I thought one of the ancient rules of Judaism was that no animals should see another being sacrificed, which is which eating milk and meat together is forbidden. This prevents the calf being sacrificed in front of its mother.
Jordan's Favourite Foods
I thought this was far-fetched. Until I went to Jordan and discovered that a popular dish, perhaps a national dish, is meat cooked in milk. It pops up regularly on the menu in a lunch-time café or a restaurant. I remember sitting in a café in Jordan and seeing it on the menu. Nobody else was surprised, excited, bothered, phased. Most chose other dishes anyway. But you have to try the national dish, the local dish, don't you? Yes, unless it goes against your own dietary laws, if you are orthodox Jewish or vegetarian.
Jewish Restaurant Rules
In modern times, in the restaurants you might encounter in America, say New York, or Europe, if you stop by a Jewish or Jewish style deli or lunch place, or evening restaurant, that ancient rule from Leviticus in the Bible, known as the Old Testament for Christians, leads to not mixing meat wtih milk.
How does that affect you as a person wanting a sandwich, or sit down meal? That is why no milk is served in your coffee in a kosher (meat) restaurant. I recall the embarrassing moment when I asked for milk in my coffee at a kosher-style deli. Kosher restaurants serve either milk or meat traditionally.
One deli in my area has lots of non-orthodox Jews sitting eating, whilst lots of people of all religions and none are stopping at the deli counter to buy salt beef sandwiches.
A survey showed that in the USA more American Jews are liberal than Orthodox, so there is a demand for food like mother made it, from customers who probably think, "I am happy to visit places run by, who cares -I don't want to starve on Saturday want to eat on Saturdays."
No butter is on the bread of meat sandwiches. You pop into a Jewish-style deli, run by Greeks who used to work in kosher restaurants. They open on Saturday so they can't get a kosher Beth Din licence in London.
What might you try on holiday in the Middle East or Europe or The USA? Apart from seeing the ban on milk and meat in the Jewish-style or kosher restaurants, you might come across camel. That's a novelty.
Camel Meat Ban
However, the Samaritans don't eat camel. They say it's even worse than eating pig meat. Again that rule has a practical advantage. You don't eat your camel, beast of burden. Nor will your servant, enemy, neighbour, or passing thief.
Protecting Camels
How many people would sneak up and capture your camel to eat or sell? Far-fetched? In the UK and worldwide there's concern about the capturing of pet dogs. You may have seen YouTUbe videos of thieves attempting to capture dogs. Some will be sold as pets, others eaten.
Arabian Camel in Sinai. Photo by Florian Prischl from Wikipedia.
Ban On Eating Camels
Let's go back to the Samaritans. Absolutely fascinating to read about them. They are opposed to eating camel. That has a certain logic. The Indians don't eat beef, protecting the valuable working cow.
The British don't eat horses, which use to be the means of transport until cars. Nor do the British eat dogs, which are guide dogs, guard dogs, used in packs to chase and kill foxes (which would kill your chickens which were the source of your Sunday dinner and daily eggs), and companions.
Lots to think about.
So where can you learn more about the Samaritans?
1 Israel - Israel Museum, Jerusalem. Mosaic from Samaritan synagogue.
Websites For Travellers and Armchair Travellers
Samaritans article from newspaper
http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20180828-the-last-of-the-good-samaritans
Samaritans in Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_Good_Samaritan
Mosaic in Israel Museum
https://www.itraveljerusalem.com/ent/the-israel-museum/
Travel to Israel
Travel to UK and Europe (Jewish delis and restaurants)
Travel to USA (Jewish delis and restaurants)
Jewish and Muslim Forbidden Foods
https://www.quora.com/Why-is-camel-meat-forbidden-for-Jews-but-not-for-Muslims
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.
Who are the Samaritans, and how do their rituals relate to what happens worldwide today?
Answer
I just read an article about meeting the Samaritans in the 21st century. Most entertaining and enlightening.
Samaritans at Mount Gerizim, West Bank, during a Sukkot pilgrimage. (Wikipedia)
A Samaritan synaogue can be seen in Holon:
A Samaritan synaogue can be seen in Holon:
In the UK animals for food are killed in abbatoirs which are subjected to health and safety inspections. I was asked in Singapore if Jews in London sacrifice animals in the temple. Certainly not! The idea of blood running in the temple, or even in the streets, sounds like a health risk in London in the 21st century with global warming and city rats. Perhaps on a mountain in the West Bank the concerns of city dwellers from Europe do not apply.
Milk And Meat
I thought one of the ancient rules of Judaism was that no animals should see another being sacrificed, which is which eating milk and meat together is forbidden. This prevents the calf being sacrificed in front of its mother.
Jordan's Favourite Foods
I thought this was far-fetched. Until I went to Jordan and discovered that a popular dish, perhaps a national dish, is meat cooked in milk. It pops up regularly on the menu in a lunch-time café or a restaurant. I remember sitting in a café in Jordan and seeing it on the menu. Nobody else was surprised, excited, bothered, phased. Most chose other dishes anyway. But you have to try the national dish, the local dish, don't you? Yes, unless it goes against your own dietary laws, if you are orthodox Jewish or vegetarian.
Jewish Restaurant Rules
In modern times, in the restaurants you might encounter in America, say New York, or Europe, if you stop by a Jewish or Jewish style deli or lunch place, or evening restaurant, that ancient rule from Leviticus in the Bible, known as the Old Testament for Christians, leads to not mixing meat wtih milk.
How does that affect you as a person wanting a sandwich, or sit down meal? That is why no milk is served in your coffee in a kosher (meat) restaurant. I recall the embarrassing moment when I asked for milk in my coffee at a kosher-style deli. Kosher restaurants serve either milk or meat traditionally.
One deli in my area has lots of non-orthodox Jews sitting eating, whilst lots of people of all religions and none are stopping at the deli counter to buy salt beef sandwiches.
A survey showed that in the USA more American Jews are liberal than Orthodox, so there is a demand for food like mother made it, from customers who probably think, "I am happy to visit places run by, who cares -I don't want to starve on Saturday want to eat on Saturdays."
No butter is on the bread of meat sandwiches. You pop into a Jewish-style deli, run by Greeks who used to work in kosher restaurants. They open on Saturday so they can't get a kosher Beth Din licence in London.
What might you try on holiday in the Middle East or Europe or The USA? Apart from seeing the ban on milk and meat in the Jewish-style or kosher restaurants, you might come across camel. That's a novelty.
Camel Meat Ban
However, the Samaritans don't eat camel. They say it's even worse than eating pig meat. Again that rule has a practical advantage. You don't eat your camel, beast of burden. Nor will your servant, enemy, neighbour, or passing thief.
Protecting Camels
How many people would sneak up and capture your camel to eat or sell? Far-fetched? In the UK and worldwide there's concern about the capturing of pet dogs. You may have seen YouTUbe videos of thieves attempting to capture dogs. Some will be sold as pets, others eaten.
Arabian Camel in Sinai. Photo by Florian Prischl from Wikipedia.
Ban On Eating Camels
Let's go back to the Samaritans. Absolutely fascinating to read about them. They are opposed to eating camel. That has a certain logic. The Indians don't eat beef, protecting the valuable working cow.
The British don't eat horses, which use to be the means of transport until cars. Nor do the British eat dogs, which are guide dogs, guard dogs, used in packs to chase and kill foxes (which would kill your chickens which were the source of your Sunday dinner and daily eggs), and companions.
Lots to think about.
So where can you learn more about the Samaritans?
1 Israel - Israel Museum, Jerusalem. Mosaic from Samaritan synagogue.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mosaic_from_Samaritan_synagogue.jpg
Websites For Travellers and Armchair Travellers
Samaritans article from newspaper
http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20180828-the-last-of-the-good-samaritans
Samaritans in Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_Good_Samaritan
Mosaic in Israel Museum
https://www.itraveljerusalem.com/ent/the-israel-museum/
Travel to Israel
Travel to UK and Europe (Jewish delis and restaurants)
Travel to USA (Jewish delis and restaurants)
Jewish and Muslim Forbidden Foods
https://www.quora.com/Why-is-camel-meat-forbidden-for-Jews-but-not-for-Muslims
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.
1 comment:
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