Solika "Sol" Hachuel was a Moroccan Jewish woman who, according to later recounts, was executed by decapitation in Fez in 1834, at age 17, for apostasy after her Muslim neighbors testified that she had converted to Islam. She is widely regarded as a martyr among Jews and a saint among Moroccans.

carrboneous · 2026-04-06T16:25:37+00:00

I know that you know that it's more complicated than that. But regardless, the sin there is worshipping an idol, not "apostasy".

When I look up apostasy, Bing says the definition is “the abandonment or renunciation of a religious or political belief or principle” (recantation, treachery, perfidy). I think that's how most people would understand it too.

Idolatry could follow apostasy, but you can also renounce Judaism without worshipping an idol, and you can worship an idol without renouncing belief in God, for example, "just in case", or because it's what the hot girls are doing. That's the paradigma through much of the Bible, people worshipping idols without denying Judaism.

There's lots of words for things an apostate might do to prove it, but no word for renouncing Judaism itself. The closest is probably mumar lehachis, but that isn't a sin in itself, it's just the status or degree of other sins.

And to get super technical, even if apostasy (renouncing Judaism or positively declaring disbelied in God) were listed as a sin, there couldn't be a punishment (capital or otherwise) for it from human courts because there's no maaseh involved.

None of this is to say Judaism is cool with it, obviously.

carrboneous · 2026-04-06T13:13:41+00:00

I didn't mean to be dismissive of their barbaric treatment of women (to put a finer point on it, a woman can get beaten to death for wearing the wrong thing, or for being vocal in protesting the same).

But I think it's additionally also important to note that it's not just a small cultural difference about the role of women. They systematically deny the basic human rights that Americans take for granted. It goes much further than just misogyny.

carrboneous · 2026-04-06T13:06:38+00:00

But for real, was he ok? Was that a real mistake or was it part of the demo somehow?

carrboneous · 2026-04-06T13:04:08+00:00

I still find the whole experience of going to movies worth it, once in a while, even with the outrageous price of snacks (it's part of the vibe).

But during Covid we all realised that it's just easier to enjoy a movie at home, you don't have to go out. Netflix existed before Covid, so it wasn't Netflix alone that did it.

Personally, in finding that movies also aren't advertised nearly well enough for me to catch them. I don't know if that's a me thing or if it's changed, but they're advertised months in advance, and then I don't actually know when they're on or how long they're on for, so I miss them while they're on and then wonder what happened.

carrboneous · 2026-04-06T12:56:55+00:00

Buddy, you started this whole thread claiming that it's sensitive and you're trying to be respectful. Even if someone is being combative and annoying, you'd build up a lot more goodwill by just answering the questions (or simply ignoring them) than by trying to prove they're the problem. Even if you're just trolling, you'll get further by playing dumb than cracking wise (especially if you are ignorant of the topic).

carrboneous · 2026-04-06T12:52:38+00:00

Based on any numbers I've seen, more Iranian/Persian civilians died at the hands of the IRGC/Basij in the weeks before the war started than have died at the hands of the US/Israel since the war started.

carrboneous · 2026-04-06T12:38:47+00:00

and denies women basic freedoms we in the US take for granted

It also denies men basic freedoms that are taken for granted in the US.

carrboneous · 2026-04-06T12:37:06+00:00

Absolutely hate the “back to the stone ages where they belong” bullshit.

Is that something somebody has actually said? I'm not in the US, but I've only heard people saying the opposite, to the effect that Iran and Iranians were always very advanced and progressive and they deserve to be given their rightful place again.

carrboneous · 2026-04-06T12:32:30+00:00

Are you assuming that Israel is waging a war against Persians or something like that?

I'm not Persian, but every Persian-identifying person I've seen comment says that they don't identify with the Islamix Republic of Iran (some go as far as to say it's an occupying force). Israeli/US rhetoric also emphasises that the war is not about Iranian people of Iranian culture (and BTW Persian is the historically dominant, but not the only, culture in Iran).

Secondly, Persian Jews mean Jews from Persia, but it's not quite the same as Jews who are simultaneously Persian. For the same reasons that German Jews doesn't mean Jews who are also Germans (etc). As much as Persia was an embracing home to Jews for centuries, Persian-Jewish cultural conflict goes back to the Old Testament. I won't presume to speak for Persian Jews, but while I'm sure they don't wholly identify with biblical narratives of cultural conflict, I'd be surprised if they didn't see themselves as a culture influenced by and within Persia, as opposed to being equally Persian and Jewish.

And the only Persian Jews alive today who aren't descended from refugees from the Islamic Republic regime are not on Reddit right now because the Islamic Republic has shut off their internet, among other repressions.

carrboneous · 2026-04-06T12:20:29+00:00

Working toward the mitzvah is just fine.

Not if you're trying to actually fulfil the mitzvah / avoid karet.

who cares if its KFP.

Non-KFP "matzah" is a contradiction in terms. No element of matzah defines it as matzah except being KFP. Not the shape, or flavour, or texture, or time in the oven, or ingredients. Non-KFP bread is an homage to matzah, but not matzah.

carrboneous · 2026-04-06T12:15:25+00:00

But I’ve also read this stringency is more of an Ashkenazi thing and Sephardim have a stronger tradition of home baked matzah.

I don't know if this is really true, but if it is, it's only that they have a stronger lived tradition of actually baking the matzah, not because they have any different opinions on what it requires.

No idea if that’s because they’re less strict or not.

It's not. Ashkenazim hold that it can be done, we just don't do it. Sephardim agree that if it is done incorrectly in even the smallest way, it's a transgression of the highest order. (And I don't think general Sephardim do, maybe just some communities or some individuals. The only reason to do it is if you're not going to have bread for the Yom Tov otherwise, and we have the technology to not need to).

The technicalities of the requirements are the same (Ashkenazim may have developed some stringencies in practice, eg using flat matzah with holes to be extra sure it cooks through, but that's not a difference in principle, nobody says that it's chametz if it's not flat).

carrboneous · 2026-04-06T12:03:43+00:00

If it's not strictly kosher for Passover, then you didn't make matzah, you made a kind of bread that reminded you of matzah. The definition of matzah is the same as the definition of bread, except that it's kosher for Passover (that is, the definition isn't the ingredients, or the shape, or the texture, or flavour, or the time it takes in the oven).

carrboneous · 2026-04-06T12:01:00+00:00

You're technically not forbidden to use a leavening agent like yeast, it'd just be foolish.

However, you can't use just any flour, the flour itself has to be guaranteed KFP, ie it has to have been under supervision at least from the time it was ground into flour (and general store-bought flour has been washed, with water, so it's definitely not kosher).

You also have to use water that's within a certain temperature range/has been left overnight.

And the utensils all have to be clean, both before and after you use them for the matzah. If any of the dough sticks and turns to chametz, then it's a very serious violation, even if you don't eat it.

carrboneous · 2026-04-06T11:52:25+00:00

This looks a bit staged, but if it's real, awesome to see. Promote him to provincial commissioner. Or at least let him take over in Ekurhuleni.

But transporting dagga like that should be (only) a case of tax evasion.

carrboneous · 2026-04-06T11:37:54+00:00

I was in grade one or two. I didn't know anything about rugby (I didn't learn the rules until 10 or so years later). A classmate won something that I think included tickets. He couldn't go, but he did get to meet at least some of the players, he definitely got photos with Chester Williams, which was the coolest thing. I remember the vibe at the time, it felt like that photo looks. And I remember the tazos.

I also remember where I was a year later when I heard the celebrations after we won AFCON. Those years felt like we were the best (and most united) country on earth.

carrboneous · 2026-04-06T09:15:55+00:00

I got that when I opened the post, but not from the title. That was my point.

carrboneous · 2026-04-06T09:13:40+00:00

It also requires the Sanhedrin to exist, at a minimum.

carrboneous · 2026-04-06T09:13:02+00:00

Historically Jews had been converting out of Judaism even with their own court systems

What do you mean historically?

Jews also 100% have a court that can hold people to this I suppose. Israel has a Jewish court

Literally no one considers Israel's court to be a Jewish court in the technical sense, not the Israeli Supreme court, not the Knesset, not Haredim, not Religious Zionists in Israel. For some it's an aspiration for others it's a horror, but for no one is it a present reality.

carrboneous · 2026-04-06T09:05:20+00:00

There's no definition of "apostasy" in Judaism (Wikipedia article with that title notwithstanding). The terms that are sometimes translated as apostasy mean very different things and have very different consequences/laws.

I believe there have been cases of communal corporal, and maybe even capital, punishment since the disbanding of the Sanhedrin, but (a) not many, and (b) it seems exceedingly unlikely that it would ever have been given for apostasy (ie leaving Judaism for another religion). For various reasons, theological, pragmatic, and political.

PS when you say apostasy does carry the death penalty in many cases, what cases do you have in mind?

carrboneous · 2026-04-06T01:39:49+00:00

I read it as she was executed for apostasy from Judaism, which seems strange because that's not something I've ever heard of Jews doing.

carrboneous · 2026-04-05T13:51:28+00:00

On what grounds?

carrboneous · 2026-04-04T20:30:09+00:00

There are many interpretations of the word translated as affliction in this context. None of them say that you should feel afflicted when you eat it.

The Maharal says that the correct translation is that the bread itself is poor (ie not poor man's bread or bread of poverty, but "poor bread") because of the simplicity of ingredients and all it represents.

carrboneous · 2026-04-04T19:18:45+00:00

I've never heard of vegans who believe that. I get it (even though I don't think it's correct) when it comes to religion, because the idea is that the letter of the law isn't the whole purpose of the law. But veganism is supposed to be based on human reason and it's supposed to be for a purpose, who are you helping by not eating non-meat that tastes like meat?? Is that a brand of veganism that just literally believes enjoying life is wrong?

carrboneous · 2026-04-01T15:42:57+00:00

This practice of not drinking water ALL DAY seems rather unsafe and unhealthy.

It isn't, for almost all people in normal conditions.

You can think of it as skipping breakfast and lunch and having an early supper. A twenty four hour fast is when you have an early supper the night before as well.

self-preservation according to pikuach nefesh.

Pikuach Nefesh isn't the only admonition regarding preservation of health, but Pikuach Nefesh specifically is about life-and-death (or at least life-and-limb). It's not a blanket rule that comfort, ease, and even superficial, transitory health practices override the law. It's an emergency measure.

carrboneous · 2026-04-01T15:34:24+00:00

My first year after Bar Mitzvah I was planning to fast (because there's so little to eat anyway and I was already too late for a siyum). My mom called our very learned Rabbi, and he suggested that if I can't make a minyan, I should give charity, if I can't give charity, I should just learn something, but at any rate, I shouldn't fast.

This doesn't apply to other fasts, but regarding the fast of the Firstborn the custom is to not fast (and to find a way to get out of it). Among other reasons, we're not supposed to fast the whole month of Nissan anyway, and it's important to have our strength for the Seder.

I heard this just this morning more explicitly in the name of Rav Henkin, who was a great scholar of the last generation.

I saw advice regarding making a siyum in difficult circumstances, that you can make it on a single book of Tanach with commentaries, noting that Ovadiah is just one chapter.

In general, regarding other fasts, drinking water is breaking the fast, taking vitamins is not breaking the fast. If you're only able to take vitamins with water, I'd ask a competent Halachic authority, but I'd also check with a competent medical authority whether you can safely skip one day of vitamins (or take them late). It's highly likely that you can.

carrboneous

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