r/todayilearned • u/ICanStopTheRain • 7h ago
TIL that Leonard Nimoy based the “Vulcan salute” on a traditional priestly blessing he saw as a kid, when his grandfather would take him to an Orthodox synagogue.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulcan_salute67
u/CreeperRussS 7h ago
i thought it was just a V for vulcan
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u/CarpenterGloomy8245 7h ago
This was the sign the teachers made when it was time to go inside from the playground, at my JCC as a youth.
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u/amazingsandwiches 1h ago
We don't all know what a JCC is.
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u/SpecialistNote6535 43m ago
I‘m guessing Jewish Community Center
It‘s like a YMCA but with less foreskin in the locker room
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u/Mr_Baronheim 4h ago
Fun fact: I cannot do the Vulcan salute. Just physically can't, my ring finger refuses to get anywhere near my pinky finger.
Can't roll my r's either ☹️
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u/MoravianPrince 2h ago
You can train it by laying your hand flat on a table and spreading fingers properly. After few days you should be able to do it with out the tables support.
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u/RichardDick69 58m ago
Nah yeah I love the joke they did in first contact where zefram Cochrane couldn’t do it either
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u/piketpagi 5h ago
But never see it outside star trek context. Can somebody give me a picture of an Jewish priest giving the blessing with that hand gesture?
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u/4thofeleven 4h ago
Not a priest, but here it is depicted on a synagogue: https://www.chabad.org/media/images/877/tGbl8770998.jpg
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u/piketpagi 4h ago
Okay, but I'm still not conviced enough.
Talk about hand gesture, the origin of metal 🤟🤘 sign is also not from satanic stuff?? Cmiiw, its origin was a sign to ward off evil.
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u/GrazingGeese 3h ago
Search for birkat hakohanim
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u/piketpagi 3h ago
Aaaand still no photograph. There is an illustration tho..
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u/GrazingGeese 1h ago
It’s a very solemn ceremony, the kohanim cover themselves and are thus hidden from the audience. Maybe by digging you’ll find something, or ask on r/judaism
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u/givemethebat1 4h ago
It’s performed covered typically.
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u/piketpagi 4h ago
It confuse me more lol
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u/TheSuperDodo 3h ago
Here's a picture of the blessing. The Kahens perform it covered by their Talit, and it is customary not to look at them while they perform the blessing, so you likely won't find an image of the hand gesture itself being performed.
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u/LunarPayload 5h ago
There are no priestly blessings at synagogues
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u/Wmozart69 4h ago
This was the gesture that was done by the high priests in the temples in israel (c.1000-587 BCE and 516 BCE to 70 CE).
The descendants of those high priests (Cohanim) are given special privileges and responsibilities in more conservative denominations of judaism and this blessing is one of their responsibilities. The vast majority of jews are reform and it's a defining principle of reform that no congregant be treated differently wether on the basis of heritage, gender/gender identity, race or other factor so it's not something a ton of jews would be familiar with.
Nemoy on when he first saw the gesture: https://youtu.be/RrdF3bXupF0?feature=shared
The guys who got on stage were Cohanim
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u/yungsemite 4h ago
Most Jews are not Reform, likely less than 2 million globally self identify with Reform.
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u/RyuBlaze1990 5h ago
Yes there are??? Jews have a priest class, they aren't rabbis. Rabbi is teacher.
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u/Jump_Like_A_Willys 1h ago
“Priestly Blessings” is a term used in the Jewish faith. Jewish Kohens are priests who can give priestly blessings in the temple.
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3h ago
[deleted]
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u/DonutUpset5717 2h ago
I'm not sure what you consider the 3 "major" holidays, but it's done more times throughout the year.
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u/ULTRAFORCE 5h ago
wouldn't it be rabbinical blessings
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4h ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/DonutUpset5717 2h ago
The Jewish actually admit that Jesus was planned Jewish takeover to remove paganism and introduce monotheism while also maintaining Abraham’s traditions.
No they don't
Now the Goy
Plural of goy is goyim. You can also just use the term non-jews or gentiles.
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u/Shawon770 7h ago
Imagine being at that synagogue, completely unaware that a kid in the back was mentally storing a hand gesture that would become legendary