Another "P.S" type post

So this is the second post today, so be sure to read the one below this as it has the bulk of today's activities. This is just a small blurb on tonight's torah based ethical lecture on life and death. More specifically topics like abortion and euthanasia and the Torah's stance on life. It was actually very complicated. The Torah's stance on abortion is actually quite complex, whereas the Catholic stance says life beings at conception- so destroying anything after that is a sin- more or less- simple straightforward, the Torah identifies different stages and goes into every possible situation it seems (or is that in the Talmud? Or just Rabbianic opinions... ?!)

At no point is it okay to abort, but it has complex set of justifications in which it is more acceptable, like within the first 30 days IF the mother's life is in danger, and what consitiutes danger, mental health issues, Jewish law tries to cover it all, which means you get into complex distinctions and lots of them.

We also got off topic about the status of bastard children, (there's a hebrew word for this) born out of adultery and how most Rabbis try to look the other way on this because according to Jewish law they can only marry others of their status, and if it isn't CERTAIN if they ARE or AREN'T its too risky and they can't mary ANYONE- BUT most rabbis just try to anull that whole thing by saying its impossible to prove, we dont want to say anything- so that people dont have to suffer that fate. Nice to know, actually. Also nice that he made the distinction children born to a jew and non jew are NOT of this status (whew).

We got into a lot of complex things, actually. Jewish law boggles the mind and yet they really seem to know it in and out and live by it. The whole time I should have been overwhelmed and frustrated trying to keep it all straight but I wasn't, it was fascinating. Even the Rabbi said you cant possibly understand the Torah without Rabbi help in interpreting it! There is also the Talmud which is a written form of the oral tradition which basically does just that- explains and interprets the Torah.

Anyway, long story short another great Rabbi Lecture at the student center =D