Ultra Orthodox Atheism

These posts are going to be some of the toughest, most impossible-to-answer questions I've ever encountered in Judaism, many of them from when  I was still religious. No rabbi, no source, and nobody could ever give a satisfying answer (one that is not contradictory in some way). This is even if you accept the premise that Hashem exists and that the Torah is accurate. So most everyone knows the story of Joseph. If you don't: There was a kid named Joseph, his dad Jacob loved him more than his other sons, the other sons got jealous, decided to kill Joseph. This is it in a nutshell. However, Jews run into a problem. They believe that the 12 tribes, or brothers (Reuven, Shimon, etc.) were all huge tzadikim , righteous people. Now, the backstory is that the brothers sat down and paskened   that Joseph was worthy of the death penalty according to Jewish halacha . So, assuming that's true, here's the problem. Once they killed (or thought they killed) Joseph, they then t...

You are about to step back in time. Forget about women's rights, feminism, equality, etc. Let us examine what the Torah (the supposed perfect word of an all-loving god) thinks about women. To give a small foundation for those who don't understand Jewish hashkafah  regarding women: women are basically considered inferior to men in Judaism, since men have a commandment to learn and keep all the Torah's laws, while women basically are required to keep an abridged version. This being the case, Judaism actually looks down on women, because the whole "point" of a Jewish life is to learn Torah. So since women are not commanded to learn Torah, they are already less important, more dispensable, than an adult male who needs to serve god.  One of the most clear examples of this are the morning prayers. Men are required to say, "Blessed are you ... who did not make me a woman." What do woman say? "Blessed are you ... who made me according to his will....

Judaism, homophobia, and masturbation. How am I going to show how all of these are connected? Sit back, read, and enjoy! Homophobia is generally defined as having negative attitudes, dislike, or prejudice directed against LGBT people. Judaism makes no qualms about its dislike for the gays. This is because Hashem created gay people, and then commanded them NOT to enjoy the urges he put in them in the first place. Leviticus 18:22 seems to be the starting point. "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination." "Abomination" can also mean "off the path," or "not the way." This is because the "point" of a man's seed is to impregnate a woman and have a baby. Hashem made this clear when he told Adam and Eve to "be fruitful and multiply."  This is also why masturbation is prohibited in Judaism, since in Genesis 1:12   the rabbis learned out that just like seed goes "according to its own kind...

Quick introduction for those who don't know: Jews believe that the Torah is the word of Hashem, god, and is perfect. They also believe that you can't fully comprehend the Torah without the Talmud, which is also the word of god, but explained through sages who were big Tzaddikim and are (almost) infallible. With that being said, most people are unaware of how crazy and anti-scientific the claims in these books are (including lots of Jews!). So without further ado, let's jump right in! Sukkah 29a : ת"ר בזמן שהחמה לוקה סימן רע לכל העולם כולו משל למה הדבר דומה למלך בשר ודם שעשה סעודה לעבדיו והניח פנס לפניהם כעס עליהם ואמר לעבדו טול פנס מפניהם והושיבם בחושך Our Rabbis taught: When the sun is in eclipse it is a bad omen for the whole world. To what can this be compared? To a flesh and blood king who made a banquet for his servants and put a lamp in front of them. When he got angry with them he said to his servant, "Take the lamp away from them, and let them s...

Jews claim the wisdom of the Torah as the most perfect book ever written, and profess to follow it completely. They are used to quoting Proverbs 3:17 : "Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace." But are they really? I was having a discussion with a religious friend of mine, and we somehow got on the topic about how, historically, children were hit by their parents/guardians, and this was considered perfectly normal in society. My friend then interjected, "Of course, Jews never did that!" Seriously? First of all, hitting in Judaism is, if not explicit, absolutely condoned in the entire atmosphere of the Torah. From hitting your slave ( Exodus 21:20 ) to warning parents to hit their children ( Proverbs 13:24 ), Judaism's entire premise is one of control, not love. The Rambam , revered by Jews as a Tzadik, wrote explicitly that you may beat your wife, even with a rod ( Rambam, Hilchot Ishut, 21-10 ).  This doesn't sound very peaceful, d...