[alamo5000]

I don't mean the question in any kind of a rude way at all. I am naturally curious and its a genuine question. I ask because I went to place an order at B&H the other day and they were closed.

Basically where I live in rural Texas we don't have a lot of Jewish people so largely I am very unfamiliar with the nuances of it.

Basically if we have any Jewish posters that wouldn't mind teaching me the basics that would be awesome.

I am not really looking for some big doctrinal discourse just simple primer or whatever you guys are comfortable with.

I absolutely love different people and cultures and yes even religious aspects of that. I have had a few Jewish acquaintances here or there and once a family even invited me over for a holiday dinner once. It was very nice.

I just really don't know the basics. About all I know is no pork, there is passover, Hanukkah, and that Adam Sandler is Jewish. Other than that I'm not really sure.

B&H being closed doesn't bother me a bit. In fact I really respect the idea that they are sticking by what they believe in. That said it has sort of piqued my curiosity.

[DeadJohn]

I'm not Jewish but I think i know enough for a summary. Many Jews observe the Sabbath from sunrisesunset Friday to sunrisesunset Saturday. No work can be done during that time period, no money can be exchanged. That's why B&H and Adorama close their stores and disable online ordering. There are longer holiday periods, several usually occur each autumn, where similar rules apply.

Note that many Jews in the USA (and likely elsewhere) are not that observant. If someone's version of the religion doesn't require them to leave work early, keep Kosher, or dress in a certain manner, then you might not realize they are Jewish.

Web searches for "Sabbath", "Jewish holidays", etc. will provide more detail if you are interested.

P.S. corrections are appreciated.

Edit: Very stupid word-swap on my part that completely changed the meaning of what I meant to say. Thanks, MSL, for clarifying.

[alamo5000]

Thanks for the reply. I was about to say...lets start with the basics. Such as why B&H is closed on different hours

Let's give other people a chance to speak up if they choose. I'm all ears. I love learning about this stuff.

[boriscleto]

A long Wikipedia article on Hasidic Judaism, the branch of Orthodox Judaism that the owners of B&H and Adorama practice.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasidic_Judaism

[alamo5000]

Great resource. I will check that out for sure.

[MSL]

I'm not Jewish but I think i know enough for a summary. Many Jews observe the Sabbath from sunrise Friday to sunrise Saturday.

That should say "sunset Friday until nightfall Saturday".

There are no shortage of web sites that might have useful information. If you're not sure if something is accurate or you have a specific question, feel free to ask.

[micromacro]

Such as why B&H is closed on different hours

You can read all the list of holidays on BH site. Google knows everything

[alamo5000]

That should say "sunset Friday until nightfall Saturday".

There are no shortage of web sites that might have useful information. If you're not sure if something is accurate or you have a specific question, feel free to ask.

Honestly sometimes I am not all that trusting of the internet for some things. I have seen it more than once where online sources turn out to be either not accurate or not friendly to whoever they are trying to describe. I don't have time nor inclination to sort through anti this or that. My main goal is to expand my own knowledge and to appreciate people in a genuine kind if way. The internet is fine but I am going to be picky about what I read. I am open for solid reputable resources for sure though.

[csa]

Honestly sometimes I am not all that trusting of the internet for some things.

Hate to tell you, but you are asking this question on the internet! Seriously, there's a lot of good information to be found on the internet; one just has to sort thru to find what they are looking for.

[MSL]

trusting of the internet for some things

Fair enough. My problem is that your initial question is so open ended. Wikipedia is likley to be a fair source at least as a starting point. It would be easy to send you reliable links, but you might still suffer from information overload.

[hks_kansei]

Basically if we have any Jewish posters that wouldn't mind teaching me the basics that would be awesome.

Not Jewish myself, however a good proportion of my workplace are (including the owners) which means the office tends to follow many of the Jewish religious holidays.


Giving a running idea of what Jewish people do/dont do is difficult since there are so very many different branches of Judaism (much like how christianity has Catholisism, Protestant, Lutheran, etc etc)

The common basics are that most will only eat food that is Kosher, which can get pretty complex but the basics are
no pig products
no meat with dairy in the same meal (some actually have two kitchens in their homes to keep it separate)
no shellfish
no blood products
and some others I forget (like gelatine, since it's made of boiled bones etc)


As far as business hours go the Jewish day is from sunset to sunset, the jewish holy day (Shabbat, or sabbath) is from sunset on a Friday, to Sunset of a Saturday, during this time one cannot toil, some just take the day off work, others take it more seriously and won't even press a button on a computer.
There are also many Jewish religious days around September, due to the sunset day measurement most of these end up meaning Jewish businesses are closed for two regular days.



those are really the bare basics, but as I said so many Jewish people follow slightly different religious rules and interpretations, at my work my boss is Jewish, but wears no yarmulke, and shaves, others always have their yarmulke on, and some others again wear the yarmulke and never shave (there is some teaching about not allowing blades near the face or something along those lines)

[Murfy]

like the above poster mentioned, there many different branches. I worked for the federal government. Many women wore long skirts, wore wigs or had covered heads, and were not allowed to touch men unless it was thier husband (could not shake hands in a business meeting for example), many stricter Christian branches have very similar rules of modesty. Most of the department I worked in shut down early on Fridays.

I do know some families that were so strict as to not even turn on and off lighting. The house was set on timers.

[micromacro]

(could not shake hands in a business meeting for example),

Oooh, I love that!

[DeadJohn]

That should say "sunset Friday until nightfall Saturday".

There are no shortage of web sites that might have useful information. If you're not sure if something is accurate or you have a specific question, feel free to ask.

Thanks, you are right. I really meant "sunset" but my brain tricked me. I've edited the error.

[hks_kansei]

I do know some families that were so strict as to not even turn on and off lighting. The house was set on timers.

Good point.

It reminds me of how the suburb of Balaclava down here in Melbourne changed all the pedestrian crossings to work regardless of the button being pressed. This was to cater to the Jewish population in the area. (Balaclava has a very large Jewish population, and is home to quite a few Jewish schools, and synogogues)

Not sure if it's all the time, or only Saturdays however.