A Yemeni Muslim Just Explained Judaism Better Than Most Rabbis

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It's time for the lightning round.

What's one of your favorite Jewish dishes you've tried?

>> Ooh, um uh matzah.

>> Really?

>> Yeah.

I really like matzah.

>> Okay.

>> It In Yemen, we have something similar to it, actually.

So, like it remind me of >> It remind you of how Okay, nice.

Uh what's one of your favorite Jewish holidays you've experienced?

>> Passover.

>> Why do you like Passover?

>> It's my memory of my ancestors escaping from from from extreme Yemen.

>> Oh, sure.

What's one of your favorite Arabic words that has no good English translation?

>> Ahsan.

>> How would you translate that?

>> Doing something good that your left right doesn't know what your right hand did.

So, you do it not because we want people to to have credit for it.

You do it because you want to do it for other people and without no credit for it.

>> I can tell why you like that one.

What was the first American food that blew your mind?

[music] >> KFC, but in the wrong way.

I mean, I loved it in in a way, but then when I start eating it more, I feel like, "Okay, that's not the fried chicken experience that I really wanted to have." But yeah, I think I I Also, in America, I think it's unique from other countries.

They have a lot of cuisines.

[music] >> Oh, yeah.

>> And I love that so much.

You can have kosher and halal, and you can have the food from all these [music] restaurants.

I love it so much.

>> Which worship service is more fun?

Jewish Shabbat, Christian Sunday service, or Islamic Jummah?

>> Listen, I I I love everything, but uh I would say Shabbat has a a meaningful thing for me because including food and also um it's [music] so nice to be like with other people like and just like celebrating the end of the week in a relaxing way and like also bring together [music] and things like that.

It has something very meaningful for me.

>> Me, too.

Uh who's got it harder?

Yom Kippur, Lent, or Ramadan?

>> [laughter] >> Sorry, that's my eating kitchen.

I think um all of them hard.

>> Yeah.

>> I think all of them are beautiful in a in a lot of meaningful way.

Listen, >> You would say that.

>> I will tell you something.

I think fasting by itself is so beautiful thing because it remind you of the people who doesn't have food like you or doesn't have blessings like you.

>> [music] >> So, you have a one day 20 25 26 hours and then you have 30 30 days in in Islam and from the sunrise to sundown, [music] you are knowing exactly what are people who doesn't have food or poor or doesn't have that same thing that you have and you you understand their pain.

So, next time when you see someone who's suffering, you understand that.

[music] But also when you don't have food.

Because we as a human being we need to have two kind of [music] foods.

We need to have food of body and we need to have food for spirituality.

And we forget a lot of the food of spirituality.

[music] When you do fasting for Yom Kippur, for Ramadan, for other things, you start focusing more on the spirituality [music] and you have an amazing quality of it.

>> I love that.

I'm going to bring that into my next holiday for sure.

Which leader had it harder?

Moses, Jesus, or Muhammad?

>> All of them they brought away in a revolutionary way that you [music] know we need to say it from from this perspective.

I love about Muhammad the way how like he defeat defeated about slavery.

That we are equal like you know in this life like you know nobody there's no difference between white and [music] black.

It's a difference like you know how you worship God and that I think that's a very beautiful way.

>> [music] >> I love the way how Jesus Christ teach us about forgiveness and the way that you know if someone hurt you out, you need to sacrifice yourself for others.

>> [music] >> And I think that's something that we are missing right now.

Everyone want to be a me me me instead of thinking about others.

I love about Moses how he stand for his people and he did all what he thinks because he trust God.

And a lot of people forget about how trusting God and these [music] days specifically, we need to trust God.

So, I think that's something that we need to learn a lot about.

And like from Baha'u'llah and how he teach us like you know how like you know stand up for woman rights and man rights and how we are equal as as as a bird who's flying in [music] the sky.

So, I think everyone has their own like uh thing that we need to learn from it.

>> Amazing.

Beautiful.

What's a Jewish tradition you wish Islam had?

>> I love the way how Jewish community believe in interfaith.

And like even if you speaking about philanthropy or like you know fundraising and stuff like that for interfaith, you would see like the biggest community who actually like believing about communicating with each other it's Jewish community.

>> [music] >> And I wish if other communities also believe the same way how the Jewish community is believing about it.

>> Amen.

One thing that Jews and Muslims agree on that would surprise people.

>> I think like for for a lot of people who are are listening to us, I think like, you know, even the way how we pray, the way how we fast is similar to a lot of like, you know, our [music] tradition that other faith doesn't have it.

The way how we think about God, the way how we pray to God, it's like in the morning, in the night.

It's so fascinating similar to Islam and Judaism.

>> What I learned is that the Eid al-Adha >> Yes.

>> Yeah, it's celebrating Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac.

You're For you it's al-Adha, for us it's um akedah, really close.

I was just surprised to to learn that that was something that that Muslims celebrate.

>> Speaking of Abraham, I think a lot of people like they don't ask me this question and I would love to just say to you >> Please, please.

>> why I named the House of Abrahamic >> house.

Yeah.

>> It's not just because we all believe in Abraham as a prophet, but also there's a story of Abraham that I really love it and that's why I created Abrahamic House.

It says one day that Abraham was having He loves hospitality.

So, every day he was opening his house looking for anyone who's walking the street and want to see someone who want to eat.

He invite them to come.

And that's something I love.

And one day he saw someone, he's like, "Come, come with me.

Like, you know, let's break the bread together." [music] So, he come inside and with they start chatting and they start eating.

And before eating, Abraham [music] said, "Let's pray to God." And the man said like, "Okay, then." So, he go to the fire and he start pray to the fire.

[music] And Abraham was angry like, "What are you doing?" And he said like, "Oh, I worship I will I worship fire." And Abraham was like, [music] "How could I bring someone to my home who doesn't believe in God and give him food?

Get away from my house." So, he yelled on him and the man left the house.

>> [music] >> And God talked to Abraham.

He said, "How dare you?

>> Mhm.

>> This man who has not worshiped me for 50 years or more, >> [music] >> and I never told him like, "No." I even actually sent him all the way to you >> [music] >> so he can give him food.

And you rejected to give him food." And Abraham realized, God doesn't want you to denounce someone because he's different from you, >> [music] >> doesn't believe the same way.

It's actually the opposite.

So, he started running to the street until he found the man [music] and he started inviting him again to the house.

And I think that's the core of what the Abrahamic House is all about.

It doesn't matter like, you know, if we are are similar of what we believe or not.

It's important for us to live in the house in a way that, you know, we can share meals together.

>> What a beautiful way to finish the episode.

Mo, thank you so much.

This has been such an honor, such a pleasure.

Um thank you for for welcoming me into Abrahamic House.

If this episode spoke to you, [music] take the core message of Abrahamic House to heart.

Gathering, not othering.

Share the episode with people who you think will be inspired [music] by it.

Bring people into your home.

Go into others.

Let's Let's bring this dream from one house into all of our homes.

You can learn more about Abrahamic House at abrahamichouse.org.

And I'll see y'all right back here for the next bridge-building episode of Being Jewish with me, Jonah Platt.