Does anyone have a good knowledge of ancient Jewish tradition and attitudes?

Question

I'm in a Christmas play about the Innkeepers family and the only Jewish customs I know come from Fiddler. In the script she calls herself proud; would she? Also what were the responsibilites of an Innkeeper's wife and what would be her attitudes toward the public ....as far as customs of the day goes?

Christian is a religion. Jew is a nationality with a long history of social laws and customs. i.e. women aren't citizens, do they walk behind men, do they do menial labor? Do they do book keeping? I don't think they were taught to read.

I'm not talking about modern jewish families, I need ancient customs please

Answer 1

Being an observant Jewish wife has not really changed that much. The Jewish home is a sanctuary and the Jewish wife loves to nurture and show great hospitality to her guests. The Jewish home is always open to all guests and they are considered a blessing. As for the innkeeper's wife, she would've been no different. Even though the inn was a family business, her hospitality surely extended to all and of course that is always something to be proud of. Read Proverbs 31:10-31 for a description of " The Woman of Valor " and you will find a good description of the Jewish wife.

Answer 2

Other people already gave good answers. You have a lopsided view of Jewish customs if you rely of Fiddler. Start with the 10 Commandments, yes - the ones given to Moses on Mt Sinai. If that doesn't give you a better feel for so-called customs consider the high amount of Jews that go for higher education - yes that is also a custom, but not limited to Jews. Actually most of what you would find in a traditional Jewish home you would also find in a traditional Italian, Greek, Cuban, etc home (now are you starting to get the picture? Respect yourself and others, work hard, do the best you can, treat others as you want to be treated. It's mostly all common sense).

Answer 3

For responsibilities:

Think a hotel-counter-manager type person. You're not necerssarily *happy* to see another person, especially one you don't have room for, but you're gonna grin and bear it because you're the innkeeper's wife. I really don't think that Jewish customs/tradition tie into it...I just don't think it's very important there. It's like someone asking you how Mary would behave according to ancient Christian attitudes....it's a strange question, no?

Answer 4

The Jewish wife is always in charge of the money & she allows her husband to have only what she gives him to keep himself on a level that is equal to his standing in the community. If he was an inkeeper, then he would need to have proper clothing & access to food for entertaining within their means & the needs of his customers. Ultimately, she would have the final word on any transaction that would be out of the ordinary & that could bring in less money than usual on a business day (such as a discount). The wife would be the one who society judges & she would do anything to keep up appearences in order that her husband would not look like a failure. In return, he would treat her with the utmost respect & make sure she was getting no less than his own Mother would have received in the ways of the community.