interesting facts about orthodox jewish people?

Good answers above, except that Suzanne's notion that non-Jews are not welcome in Jewish homes is entirely baseless.

One point to clarify -- there is absolutely nothing in Jewish law that requires 2 refrigerators, dishwashers, or sinks (cooking pots, and most dishes, are a different matter). Jews have been doing fine for a long time without the doubling up, and this was virtually unheard of until very recently. It's only because modern American houses and kitchens have gotten so big that anyone even thought of going to this extreme.

Due to the details of the requirements of separating milk and meat, it can be *convenient* to have totally separate appliances, so you don't have to be careful and pay close attention to what you are doing with milk and meat things, but it is absolutely not a requirement.

One item:

What shalhevt said does make sense -- any prudent orthodox family should give the babysitter some basic education in the rules -- but it appears to me that the Asker did in fact get the necessary basics (otherwise how does she know the purpose of the 2 fridges, etc.), but is looking for explanations about the reasoning or origins of these rules.

OK--the eating of meat and milk together does go back to the verse in the Torah which says not to "seethe a kid in its mother's milk." There is an overriding principle about Jewish law which is to "build a fence around the Torah." This means that in order to make sure that the actual laws were not violated, additional measures were put in place to make sure that this would not happen. It's kind of like a speed limit--if 75 miles an hour is the really upper edge of being safe, then you can be assured that the posted signs will probably say the limit is 70 or 65. Thus, in order to make absolutely sure that the basic prohibition was never violated, the additional rules were put in place that bars *any* contact of meat with milk. And since you can't always tell for sure whether the source of the meat and milk is from cattle, sheep, etc., the prohibition has been extended to all forms of meat and all forms of milk. The link below has a lot more on this.

As to the telephone--when you pick up the receiver you close a circuit in the phone, and this use of electricity is analogous to kindling a fire. Kindling a fire is prohibited on the Sabbath as it is one of the 39 classes of labors defined as work--one of the 39 classes of labors used to make the Tabernacle in the wilderness. Remember, the law in the Torah only says, "Don't do work on Shabbat" but it doesn't define what work is. There's more about that in the second link.

Facts About Orthodox Jews

The Sabbath, from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday, is considered a day of rest. The work that is or is not permitted is carefully detailed in the Talmud. Using the telephone qualifies as work under their definitions. So are things like pressing an elevator button or turning on a stove element. That is why in apartment buildings with heavy Orthodox Jewish tenancy, the elevators may be automatically set in Saturdays to stop at every floor. And some observant Jews hire a "Shabbos goy" to turn lights and stoves on and off during Sabbath (since Sabbath law would not apply to a Gentile). It amounts to a great deal of extra trouble and planning, but for the observant Jew it is worth it to follow God's Law as closely as possible.

The separation of meat and dairy is based on Exodus 34:26: "Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk." The kosher laws have been an important part of maintaining Jewish identity during centuries of persecution.

The meat/dairy separation is because of the admonition: Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother's milk (referring to a calf, etc.). Essentially, this means that you do not eat milk and meat at the same meal (and in fact wait times may be from 3-6 hours), so if you eat a steak, you cannot have cream or milk in your coffee.

The phone? Saturday morning is the Sabbath (Shabbat) and a day of rest. You cannot 'cause' energy to be created. That's why folks that follow the laws strictly will keep a stove burner on low from before Sabbath on Friday evening until Sabbath is over (sundown Saturday).

Why not ask your babysitting family? I think they will enjoy answering your questions.

Edit to Suzanne - non-Jews are certainly welcome in the home; not sure why you would think otherwise.

Also, in an unrelated discussion, non-Jews are employed in some synagogues to turn on / off lights and perform other work that Jews are not allowed to do on the Sabbath, but that fact is just an aside.

I just want to correct what SUZANNE said.

There is no rule or law anywhere that says we can't have gentiles in our home on shabbat - or indeed any other time!!!

This is not the first time that I've seen SUZANNE answer questions on Judaism only to provide totally wrong information.

Perhaps she would have the courtesy to stand back and allow Jewish people to answer, since naturally we are less likely to give people misinformation.

TO THE ASKER

- Orthodox Jews do follow many customs and rules that can seem pretty exotic to other people :)

There are several groups within Orthodox Judaism, and of course there are many Jews that are not religious and so don't adhere to all those rules.

Also: PLEASE be wary about people answering your posts on Judaism and giving the wrong info. There are a number of Jews on this site and we will ALL be most happy to answer any questions you have.

It is really frustrating when people like SUZANNE repeatedly INSIST on jumping in and then answering wrongly!

You and I both know why norcal. Silly people. gratvol.....the majority of Muslim women do not wear the veil. Many scholars in Islam do not consider the veil (face covering) mandatory. Mark S...I am Muslim and not only do I not 'feel' oppressed I am not oppressed. AND by my own choice I actually wear the veil not just the head covering. jimmie...Muslim women can not be beaten at all let alone in the street. Any punishment for disobeying the law (like speeding, murder etc) is to be carried out by a proper court. Just because you saw one video (the same ONE video we all saw) of some jerk in Afghanistan smacking a woman's feet doesn't mean it is acceptable or part of Islam. Just me.....the punishment for adulterers is the same, male or female. Women are not kept in any part of this world. People like you seem to think that some women don't have brains, free will, strong wills! and desires in their lives. We Muslim women have the same as any other woman on this planet and act on those. We also have our rights in Islam. Rights that were granted to us 1400 years before any other religion or nation did so.

Just to clarify, the Shabbat begins at Sundown Friday night and ends at nightfall Saturday night. Nightfall is about 30-40 minutes after sundown. Which I might add, is a real bear late on Yom Kippur.

Orthodox and Conservative sects are both supposed to abide by kosher, but regardless, I've read a lot on Judaism in general.

1. Dairy and meat are not allowed to be together because it says in the Bible to "not boil a kid in its mother's milk." The rabbinate extrapolated this to it being cruel to have dairy and meat together at all, to make sure they were fully observing the Torah command to not boil a kid in its mother's milk. Ashkenazi Jews include fowl in this separation, apparently some mid-eastern and South American Sephardic communities consider fowl parve just like eggs and fish (meaning okay to eat with either meat or dairy) (pg. 262 of "Living Judaism" by Wayne Dosick).

Kosher also limits the types of animals we are allowed to eat - they must have cloven hooves and chew their cud (cows, goats, sheep). If they do not have both of these requirements, they cannot be eaten (rabbit, horse, any animal of prey).

They cannot be animals that cause animals pain - hawks and such.

Pig is never allowed, nor is shellfish. Fish have to have regular scales.

2. Shabbat observance - this is why your friend cannot answer the phone on Friday evenings through Saturday (techniaclly all day, not just the morning). On Shabbat, the day is supposed to be completely holy. You cannot start a fire (so you can't drive - ignition) and since phones run on electricity they include them in what is not allowed to be operated. You can't plow, write, exchange money or items, and many other things.

They probably observe havdalah - the ending of Shabbat - with a two-wick (or more than that) candle and wine, with spices. Conservative people may or may not do this, but it's generally how Shabbat ends.

3. Married women are supposed to keep their hair covered; men have rules regarding shaving (ultra-orthodox might not shave at all, I'm unsure). Men tend to wear kippot to remind themselves of G-d above.

4. Prayer. Orthodox men are likely to use tefillin in the morning, there are five required prayers a day, they probably remember all the brachot (blessings) before meals or upon seeing, eating, or doing certain things.

5. Modesty - their modesty laws are much more strict than the Conservative idea of modesty. Women tend to be mostly covered.

6. Strict adherence to the mitzvot (commandments). There are 613 fo them. Any that can be done are supposed to be done, and Orthodox doesn't leave things as open to interpretation as Reform or Conservative. For instance, you should see a mezuzah on any divider between rooms with a door (doorpost).

Chabad isn't the best Orthodox group - not accepted by many Orthodox sects at least from a convert's perspective (the reason why I say "not the best" - it has nothing to do with the movement in general, but how it is perceived) - but its website has a lot of good information, essays, stories, and video. I highly recommend going through there to learn and read more on it.

To be honest, I'm a bit surprised an Orthodox family would let a non-Orthodox person babysit and stay in the home without supervision. Many wouldn't let that happen lest the person accidentally de-koshers their home by bringing in treif (forbidden food) or other things of the sort. It has nothing to do with not liking the person... Just making sure no laws are accidentally broken within the home. Likewise, they are not supposed to go to a Gentile's house lest the people give them non-kosher food.

You've asked a LOT for one question. I am Jewish, but not Orthodox. I'll star your question for my Orthodox friends to better help you. I will give links to help you better understand the faith of Judaism.

EDIT: It is most certainly NOT prohibited from having a Gentile in the home of a Jew.