Merry Monday... A Jew Surrounded by Secular Culture

Rav Huna stated in the name of Bar Kappara: Israel were redeemed from Egypt on account of four things; because they did not change their names, they did not change their language, they did not go tale-bearing, and none of them was found to have been immoral. 'They did not change their name', having gone down as Reuben and Simeon, and having come up as Reuben and Simeon. They did not call Reuben 'Rufus' nor Judah 'Leon', nor Joseph 'Lestes', nor Benjamin 'Alexander'. 'They did not change their language', as may be inferred from the fact that it is written elsewhere, 'And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew' (Genesis 14:13), while here it is written, 'The God of the Hebrews has met with us' (Exodus 15:3), and it is written 'It is my mouth that speaks unto you' (Genesis 45:12), which means that he spoke in Hebrew.

(3) You shall not intermarry with them: do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. (4) For they will turn your children away from Me to worship other gods, and the LORD’s anger will blaze forth against you and He will promptly wipe you out.

(1) FOR HE WILL TURN AWAY THY SON FROM FOLLOWING ME — i.e., the son of the heathen when he marries thy daughter, will turn away thy son (grandson) whom thy daughter will bear unto him from following Me. This teaches us, that thy daughter's son who is born of a heathen is termed thy son, but thy son’s son, who is born of a heathen woman, is not termed thy son, but her son, for, you see, in regard to the statement: “his daughter thou shalt not take [to thy son]" it does not add “For she will turn away thy son (grandson) from following Me" (Yevamot 23a).

Because of marriage with gentiles - So you don't accustom yourself to be at parties with non-Jews and place your eye upon their daughters.

(9) And there are other things that the Sages prohibited, even though they are not Biblically prohibited, the Sages decreed upon these in order to distance from the Gentiles such that Israel would not assimilate in them, and intermarry. And the prohibitions are: The prohibited to drink with them, even when we are not worried about libations; and they prohibited eating their bread or dishes that they cooked, even when we are not worried about their "revulsions" [i.e. the absorbed taste of non-kosher food in the dishes].

(1) The sages forbade eating the bread of idol worshippers because of the concern of intermarriage. Rema: and even in a situation where there is no concern of intermarriage, it is [nonetheless] forbidden. (Rashb"a §248) However, they only forbade bread made from the Five Grains (wheat, barley, oats, rye, spelt), but bread made from legumes or from rice or millet is not in the category of "regular bread" which they forbade. Rema: It is also not forbidden on account of [being] "Idolaters' Cooking," if it would not be served at kings' tables (Tur and Beit Yosef in the name of the Rosh's responsa).

(1) During the three days preceding the festivals of the non-Jews, it is forbidden to do business with them, to lend them something or to borrow something from them, to lend [money] to them or to borrow [money] from them, to resolve your debt to them or to have them resolve their debt to you. Rabbi Yehuda says: One can have them resolve their debt since it causes him distress. They [the Sages] said to him: even though he might be in distress at the outset, eventually he will be joyful.

(2) Rabbi Yishmael says: [the above] is forbidden for three days before the festivals and three days after the festivals. The Sages say: before the festivals it is forbidden, after the festivals it is permitted.

(3) And these, according to Rabbi Meir, are the festivals of the non-Jews: Kalendae, Saturnalia, Kratesim, kings' days of accession, the day of birth, and the day of death. And the Sages say: every funeral in which a conflagration is present [thereby] involves idol worship. One that has no conflagration does not involve idol worship. [A celebration of] the day on which a [non-Jewish] man cuts his beard or his hair, the day that he came ashore from the sea, and the day he was released from prison, and a pagan who made a feast for his son, [for all these] the prohibition extends only to that day and that man alone.

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Rama: And some are lenient with partnering with Kusim these days because the Kusim of these times do not swear by idol worship. And even though they mention the foreign idol, nevertheless their intention is to the Creator of heaven and earth, except that they join the name of Heaven and (foreign gods). And we do not find that there is in this (a violation by the Jew of) "Before a blind person you shall not place a stumbling block," because the kusim are not enjoined regarding partnership (of God with idols). (Ra"n in the last chapter of Avodah Zarah, Rabbeinu Yeruchem path 17 part 5, Tosfos in the beinning of the first chapter of Bechoros). And to do business with them without partnering all agree is permitted except on the day of their festivals. (Hagahos Maimoni first chapter of the Laws of Idol Worship) (And see Yoreh Deah in the Laws of Idol Worship chapter 147.)

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(4) In order that we may keep far from all kinds of witchcraft, we are warned not to adopt any of the practices of the idolaters, even such as are connected with agriculture, the keeping of cattle, and similar work. [The Law prohibits] everything that the idolaters, according to their doctrine, and contrary to reason, consider as being useful and acting in the manner of certain mysterious forces. Comp. "Neither shall ye walk in their ordinances" (Lev. 18:3). "And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation which I cast out before you" (ibid. 20:23). Our Sages call such acts "the ways of the Amorite"; they are kinds of witchcraft, because they are not arrived at by reason, but are similar to the performances of witchcraft, which is necessarily connected with the influences of the stars; thus ["the manners of the nations"] lead people to extol, worship, and praise the stars. Our Sages say distinctly, "whatever is used as medicine" does not come under the law of "the ways of the Amorite"; for they hold that only such cures as are recommended by reason are permitted, and other cures are prohibited.

(1) One [i.e., a Jew] should not follow the customs of non-Jews (nor should one try to resemble them). One should not wear clothing that is particular to them [i.e., their culture]; one should not grow forelocks on one’s head like the forelocks on their heads; one should not shave the sides [of one’s head] and grow one’s hair in the middle of one’s head [like they do]; one should not shave the hair in front of one’s face from ear to ear and let one’s hair grow [in the back] [like they do]; one should not build places [i.e., buildings]—like the non-Jews’ temples—so that large groups of people will enter them, like [non-Jews] do. RAMA: Rather, one [i.e., a Jew] should be distinct from them [i.e., non-Jews] in one’s manner of dress and in all of one’s actions. But all of this [i.e., these restrictions] apply only to things that non-Jews do for the sake of licentiousness. For example, they are accustomed to wearing red clothing, which is official/princely clothing, and other clothing that is similarly immodest. [These restrictions also apply] to things that they are accustomed to doing because of a custom or rule that does not have any underlying] reason, out of concern that [a Jew who does such things will follow the] “ways of the Amorites,” and that it has the blemish of [i.e., is tainted by] idol worship inherited from their ancestors. But things that they are accustomed to doing for a useful purpose—such as their custom for expert doctors to wear particular clothing so that the doctors will be recognized as specialists—one is permitted to wear [such clothing]. Similarly, things that are done out of respect or another reason, it is permitted [for one to do such things].

(3) In the verse, 'Like the practice of the land of Egypt' etc., 'my judgements' etc., 'to follow/walk in them'. Rashi explains 'you are not permitted to be exempt' from them. As it's written 'like' the practice, not actually 'the practice' of the land of Egypt. Because the Bnei Yisroel were already a holy congregation and what is the relevance to warn them from acting like these sinners? But the explanation (comes to teach us) that there should not be any act of a Jew that is like/similar to the acts of the wicked that all their acts are for worldliness alone. Rather the Bnei Yisroel need to sanctify all their actions to cleave to the source of the life-force and to take from it life-force. Because the action needs to be only for the purpose that man 'walks' in the service of HaShem (may He be blessed) and simple Jews are directed to eat and drink to add strength in their service of the Creator which is also a general (form of) 'walking'.

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