Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D.
Sometimes I am asked , what is
special about being a Sefardic Jew? Or, alternatively, can a Sefardic Jew become
a Reform Jew? Here below is a simplified response.
First, a definition: A Sefardic Jew
is one who can trace his/her background to medieval Spain. The word Sefarad in Hebrew
means Spain. Jews came into Spain from North Africa in large numbers in 711 CE,
but were expelled by King Ferdinand and
Queen Isabella in the year 1492. Then they
spread all over the Mediterranean basin. Today, even though they have never
been to Spain, Persian Jews follow the practices of Sefardic Jewry.
On the other hand, an Ashkenazic
Jew, is one who comes from many parts of Europe, including Poland and Russia.
The Hebrew word Ashkenaz means “German.”
There are many differences in
religious practices between Sefardic and Ashkenazic Jews:
1.
Hebrew is pronounced and written differently by these two groups.
When the State of Israel was established in 1948, they adopted the Sefardic
pronunciation and the Ashkenazic script.
2.
There are major differences in the use of food, based on the
background of each group. For example, Sefardic Jews are allowed to eat rice during
Passover, whereas Ashkenazic Jews are not.
3.
There are many different
religious customs unique to each group: For example, Sefardic Jews do not mark
Yahrzeits, they have Meldados at home. Selihot is celebrated by Sefardic Jews
many times before the High Holidays, whereas Ashkenazic Jews have a special day
for it. During the High Holidays, Sefardic Jews greet each other by saying, Tizku
leshanim rabbot (“ May you merit to celebrate it for many years”), whereas
Ashkenazic Jews simply say, shanah tovah (“a good year”). The chanting
of the Torah differs between Sefardic and Ashkenazic Jews. Sefardic Jews name
their children after living parents. Ashkenazic Jews do not. In a Sefardic
cemetery, the stones are flat; in Ashkenazic cemeteries, they are placed
standing.
4.
The physical structure of the synagogue depends on whether or not
it is a Sefardic or Ashkenazic: In a Sefardic synagogue, the pulpit is in the
center, whereas among Ashkenazic Jews, it is usually placed before the Ark.
5.
In Europe, the “home” language of the Sefardic Jews is Ladino, which
is a mixture of medieval Spanish and Hebrew with various additions from the
country of residence . Ashkenazic Jews speak Yiddish.
Presently, these differences are
slowly disappearing, because of migrations, inter-religious marriages and the realities in Israel today where the
two communities live close to one another. Reform Judaism emerged out of an
Ashkenazic milieu; so did many non-Orthodox Jewish denominations, such as
Conservative or Reconstructionist. Sefardic Jews tend to be Orthodox in their
religious practices or totally secular. This too is changing, in as much as
there are many non-Orthodox Jews who have a Sefardic background. I grew up as a
Sefardi and became a Reform Rabbi. In
the modern world, there is a greater tendency to eliminate differences.
SONSINO’S BLOG,
rsonsino.blogspot.com
