Time For Jewish Commitment Services

By Debra Hayes


There is a lot to understand and to appreciate when it comes to being a Jew with its many laws and by laws. Jewish commitment services are there to provide one with a little understanding as to what it is to be Jewish and in looking at the different areas of practice followed by many. For instance, the laws of Kashrut or dietary laws are immense and require a long term study before appreciating them in their entirety.

There is something that affects the layperson when for example attending a funeral service. Firstly, one's head must be covered with a skullcap if man and a scarf or sheitel if one is a woman. This is a sign of respect and is there to remind the person that there is a higher power in this world that controls the flow of life and death.

Some go so far as to have milk products for instance, watched by qualified members of the community to ensure that the process from milking to production is adhered to strictly. This is known as Chalav Yisroel and is a very strict variation of kashrut or dietary laws. The cows are actually watched in the milking process to ensure that no other particles or even blood from a bleeding nipple enters the milk.

From here the milk may be transported to factories where yoghurts and other dairy products are manufactured. Here too the production is supervised by qualified and learned men and women to ensure that no traces of any other materials can enter the production process. The product will then be labeled Chalav Yisroel and consumed by those Jews who will only eat these foods under this certification.

For instance some will only partake of dairy products if they are called what is known as Chalav Yisroel. This means practically speaking that the whole process of preparing milk products whether it be milk or yoghurts for that matter, are watched by designated Jews from start to finish. This is to ensure that the product is as kosher as can be and may be consumed by those who stick by this law.

This requires that the body be washed and then placed in clothe with is sewn closed. It is a big honour to do this, to ensure that the body is properly prepared for burial. It is something that is said will be rewarded in the afterlife as it is an honour to look after the body until it is laid to rest.

Judaism is steeped in traditions and in customs from how to celebrate life to how to mourn it too. For instance, when someone close dies there is a set prescription that one must follow in carrying out the mourning process. There are periods of mourning such as Shloshim which is the thirty day period.

Judaism is a very exact religion. There is much to learn and to understand. A bit at a time ensures that one understands what is required and how to put laws into practice.




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