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The reason why women are not supposed talleisim and all the other things men wear is because women have more emunah in Hashem. We don't have to wear them beacause we are special. We have other wonderful mitzvos like lighting Shabbos candles.

If I was Jewish I would totally wear the Lilac one.

Heh; mine is distantly similar to the lilac/twilight one. 3nodding

Well when you have a bat mitzvah, you can put it on the wish list of things you want.

Who knows, you might even get one. (They come in other colors too, hunt for chifon talit and see what you can see.

Again it has to do with the wording. Women are obligated but it's optional for men.

Edited by a guild moderator. I put in paragraph breaks so this wouldn't be nearly so hard to read.

I was actually correct with the wording. Women are not supposed to wear the clothing of men.

What does the Torah say about cross-dressing?

A. Firstly, let's understand "cross-dressing," of which there are two types. There's the silly party stuff that guys and gals occasionally indulge in for fun, like donning a wig or other garment that makes them appear like a woman (or a man). Then there’s the serious stuff, where guys go en femme from sporadically to regularly, and from one private piece of apparel to a full public make-over.

Anyway, a cursory psychological examination of cross-dressing (the serious stuff) indicates that it is essentially a man wanting to be a woman--ninety-nine percent of cross-dressers are heterosexual males (the majority of which are happily married as well) who exhibit no other bizarre behavior. (Rarely, they are women wanting to be men, or drag queens.) Why on earth would a guy want to be a gal, or vice versa? Because we all have the opposite sex inside of us, and what the cross-dresser is doing is simply expressing that opposite sex in an extreme way.

B. Through His Torah, G-d approaches cross-dressing--and all other unconventional sexual behaviors--with a recently popularized phrase: tough love. G-d understands that some people have a preference for cross-dressing, a genetic disposition towards homosexuality, a bent for bestiality, or an issue with incest--any of the twenty-something negative Mitzvot that deal with sexual issues. He is sensitive to who and what people are. Yet, surprisingly, that's precisely why He rules those behaviors out. Because Judaism is not a religion--it's a way of life.

There is no fact of life that Judaism does not have an opinion on. Because eating is a fact of life, Judaism says, "Oh, you're hungry? Well, here's how to relate to G-d through the part of you that gets hungry--eat kosher." And because sexuality in all its forms is a fact of life, Judaism says, "Oh, you’ve got that feeling? Well, here's how to relate to G-d through the part of you that gets stimulated--observe the sexual Mitzvot." And since sexuality means unconventional orientations, desires and lusts for some people, such as cross-dressing, homosexuality, bestiality or a desire for various family members, G-d acknowledges this reality by mentioning them in the Torah. In other words, G-d does not consider one evil or immoral for his or her innate sexual nature or orientation, just like He doesn't consider one evil or immoral for wanting to eat non-kosher. G-d doesn't say, "Don't get hungry for pork"--G-d says, "Don't eat pork." G-d acknowledges that you might get hungry, but tells you what and what not to eat. Likewise with sexuality, He acknowledges that you may have certain innate desires, but tells you to how to react to them.

C. Why? Because if you were to act out on every thought or impulse that crossed your mind, you would be diminishing your potential for spirituality. Your mind would not be leading your body--your body would be leading your mind. With the sexual Mitzvot, G-d shines a light through the fog of sexual anarchy and gives us a straight, narrow but ultimately liberating path towards the deepest, truest sexual fulfillment. Let men be men, women be women, and let the two meet and make each other happy. What are the sexual Mitzvot?

1. All in the familyVirtually all cross-generational family affairs are Torah-illegal. Negative Mitzvot Nos. 330-336 and 340-345 rule out sexual relations with one's mother, stepmother, sister, half-sister, daughter, granddaughter, aunt, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, father or uncle. (Remember, when the Torah was given, this stuff was not unheard of at all.)

2. Things you may have thought about, but the Torah thought about firstExperimenting with your sexuality and taking it to extremes, though naturally justifiable, is curtailed--just because you think, doesn't mean you are. And even if you are, doesn't mean you must. Bestiality (Negative Mitzvot 348-349) and sex between men (350-352) are out.

3. Cross out cross-dressingCross-dressing, whichever reason motivating it, is not allowed, whether men dressing as women or women dressing as men. Cross-dressing either expresses that opposite sex awake within us, or awakens it if it was lying dormant. Either way, G-d tells us not to go there. According to Halachah, the prohibition of cross-dressing is only violated when one puts on something that is exclusively the domain of the opposite sex, such as men wearing women's jewelry, make-up or dresses.

Are we actually discussing the right and wrong way to be a jew? Honestly is there such thing as the right and the wrong way?

(Puts a few more logs on the smoker and gives the spare ribs a turn)

There is no one here who has the authority to say who's doing their business the right way or the wrong way. This is why I have a problem with the organization of the religion and why I'm such a solo act. It seems that judaism is going down a dangerous path, because some believe judaism is literally killing itself trying to be what it isn't, and there's others that say that the religion must modernize or be cast into even more obscure isolationism and breed the fear and loathing which has plagued us in the past.

We're not just a religion, it's a society, it's a culture, we're accepted among the rest of the goyim as fellow people, be it if we... hold on...

(turns the ribs and puts more sauce on the spit fire roasted suckling pig)

My pagan brother in law says it this way. "I can undedrstand not wanting to loose the identity of ones faith, since mine has been vigorously hunted by the other two religons of abraham for a long time, accept for judaism, which never seemd to give more than a cursory 'oh thats nice' when it came to pagans. So, there is already a deep culture and ancient pracitces, and everything that makes this religon/socioty venerable while the other two....well...words fail me when it comes to them. A want to put on a new face to not be isolated is something that has to be considered very carefully because that very act could be what causes the isolation in the first place. this is simply food for thought from your friendly neighborhood necromancer"

Are the orthodox and reform jews going to be the next Suni and Shiite? Will we start throwing rocks at eachother for worshiping the same G-D differently?

We're in a high point in our history, in most of the known world we can practice how we like and be accepted as Jews. But can we accept eachothers different interpretaions of what mitzvot.

It's a labor of love to be a practicing jew, much like... well... cold smoking pork ribs for a day and a half. From the facinating rules and regulations that we share, to the quaint and curious costumes that we're called upon to wear, it's not easy, but it should be made to be enjoyed.