Rabbi Riskin: Jesus and Messianism

Hello, fine Kineti readers. Hope you all had a great holiday, and also that you’re ready to enter a new (western, Gregorian) decade in a few days! Time flies.

As I got back on the computer after a few days of technical hiatus, I stumbled on a post detailing a video that is “causing alarm on Orthodox Jewish web sites”.

The video’s of the chief rabbi of the Israeli city of Efrat, an Orthodox Jew, speaking about Jesus and the hope in Messiah shared by both Jews and Jesus’ followers:

 

 

Here’s a snippet:

I was truly fascinated by the personality of Jesus, whom I refer to as rabbi Jesus, because I think he is, indeed, a model rabbi in many counts.

He lived the life of a Jewish rabbi, in Israel, at a very critical time in our history. And I've constantly come back to a study of his personality, and his teachings, which are very strongly rooted in Talmudic teachings, and I've come to the very obvious conclusion that Christians and Jews are the root and the branch.

Jesus emerged out of Jewish teachings and Jewish society. Jesus went on to present much of the fundament truths of the bible to the entire world.

He then goes on to describe messianism, the shared hope that “there will be an end game, in which there will be peace, redemption, good will, for all humanity” (his words).

The rabbi’s respectful words are a welcome change. I hope the 2010s will be marked by this kind of honorable dialog.

Hat tip to Aaron Eby.

Justice For Ami Ortiz

Last week we covered the triumphant case of Israeli Messianic Jewish teen Ami Ortiz, documenting that an arrest had been made in his case, and more importantly, a great number of secular, Orthodox, and Ultra Orthodox Jews across Israel came to support the Ortiz family, condemning the shameful actions of whomever carried this out.

Today, the news is exploding all over the web and the Israeli media that Ya'acov Teitel, an Ultra Orthodox Jewish, right-wing settler has confessed to the attempted murder of the Ortiz family, as well as a long list of bombings and shootings carried out over the past several years. Details have emerged indicating he tried to murder the Ortiz family for their belief that Yeshua is the Messiah.

In one article, the Jerusalem Post documents:

He [Teitel] confessed to planting a bomb on March 20, 2008 at the entrance to the Ortiz family home in Ariel, who he believed were messianic Jews and were trying to convert Jews to Christianity.

Was Teitel an anti-missionary, as many suspected?

Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz cites a note left by Teitel at one his crime scenes that confirms his anti-missionary stance, where he accuses the state of Israel of “supporting Christian missionaries whose sole aim is to make us convert from our religion”.

Teitel is also responsible for carrying out violent attacks against and attempted murder of Arabs, homosexuals, and a college professor over the last several years.

Rightfully, Ami’s parents, David and Leah Ortiz, are calling for justice. But are they angry at the Orthodox Jewish community that produced this man who nearly killed their son? A Jerusalem Post article explains,

The Ortiz family said that they do not hold the Orthodox community to blame for the bombing, and that they understand it is only a very small minority in the community who would carry out such an attack.

When the family found out that the alleged attacker was a Jew, "it really hurt," Ami said, "because it's like your own brother has done something like this to you."

Praise God they are not holding bitterness towards the Orthodox community over this. I think that stands as a great witness for Messiah. Please pray for Ami as he has undergone great pain, both physically and mentally.

Last week, we showed how God has taken this terrible event – the attempted murder and critical injury of a young Messianic Jewish boy – and turned it into something great, something used for God’s glory, as religious and secular Jews across Israel acknowledge the evil carried out, and sympathized with and showed support for the Messianic family. As Leah Ortiz stated,

We can testify that the nation as a whole condemns this man's actions. We have received telephone calls and communications from Israelis throughout this past year and a half, from every town, city, and village in Israel. They have been secular, orthodox and ultra orthodox Jews, and the message has been the same - shock, grief and anger over the incident, and the need to let us know that they condemn this vicious act.

And now, things are only becoming more visible; even the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has issued a statement condemning the act,

They do not represent the majority of the nation. They are a small and marginal group, but we have already seen the strength and damage of one murderer. We must continue to condemn the use of violence and to use all legal power against any attempt at violence.

Indeed, these vigilante anti-missionaries are a small and marginal group that do not represent Jews, Judaism, or Israel. Praise God! And may God continue to turn their violence into instruments of his glory. And may he continue to turn their hearts of stone into hearts of flesh, just as God is softening the hearts of many Israelis, many now who no longer look down on Israel’s Messianic Jews as cult members, but rather as fellow Jews and Israeli citizens.

With the murder suspect arrested and his confession signed, what comes next for the Ortiz family? What is the final word?

Ami said he is not sure if he will be able to serve in the IDF, because the battery of operations he has undergone may render his physical profile too low. If given the choice, the youth said he would volunteer for combat service, just like his father did.

Ami had difficulty thinking of what he would say to his attacker if he faced him, saying it's too hard to say. However, his mother, Leah, said, "I would tell him, you didn't get what you wanted, we won, in the end we won."

Amein!

Hat tip to the Rosh Pina blog for their excellent coverage in documenting and exposing anti-missionary abuses.

The Triumphant Case of Ami Ortiz

Hat tip to Rosh Pina for the heads up on the Ortiz case.

I’m a few days late to the chase, but – praise God – there is new good news in the case of Ami Ortiz, the 15 year old Messianic Israeli who was nearly killed in a bomb sent to his family’s house.

15 year old Israeli Messianic before and after the bombing.

The good news in the case: A suspect has been arrested, and the police may have a confession from the suspect. I’ll let Ami’s mother Leah tell the story:

We have incredible news and answer to prayer. A suspect has been arrested in our case! Actually he was arrested about 2 weeks ago, but there has been a continuing gag order placed on the story. Therefore we cannot tell you all the details because we don't have them yet. To be noted that we didn't hear the news from the police, but from our lawyer and media sources, and today the American Embassy called us to tell us that there was an arrest! We are dual American and Israeli citizens, and I thanked them for having the consideration to inform us.

Concerning the suspect, we only know that he is an Orthodox Jew, originally from the U.S. He was living in a settlement in our area, is married, the father of four children, and is now being held by the secret services because the case is wider than we expected. We know that weapons and explosive material were found in his home, and that there is a lot of hard evidence against him. We also know that there are those in Ariel who are under intense investigation as well, but we're not sure if any other arrests have been made. We also know that his lawyer went before the judge to ask for the suspect to be released on bail, and he was refused because of the amount of evidence against him in his file. We expect that the gag order will be lifted maybe on Wednesday or Thursday, and then we will know more details and the press will be all over the story for a few days.

GREAT RELIEF

Our family has experienced great relief. We are happy that we don't have to look over our shoulder, we don't have to check our car before we get into it, and we can open our front door with more confidence. Before this we knew there was a murderer roaming free, perhaps standing in line with us in the post office, or continuing to keep surveillance on our house. We also feel sorrow for the suspect who has so ruined his life, the lives of his family, and has brought a bad name on the people of Israel. We can testify that the nation as a whole condemns this man's actions. We have received telephone calls and communications from Israelis throughout this past year and a half, from every town, city, and village in Israel. They have been secular, orthodox and ultra orthodox Jews, and the message has been the same - shock, grief and anger over the incident, and the need to let us know that they condemn this vicious act. They all blessed Ami with wishes for a full recovery, and hopes that he would succeed in life and fulfil his dreams.

PRAY FOR WISDOM

Please pray for us as the media interviews begin, both domestic and international, for wisdom and for the name of Yeshua to be lifted up. Please pray for Ami, as he goes back to the moment and shares it publically. He took the news very coolly. I don't think he wants to let his heart get involved in any way, which I understand. Right now he is with all the 11th graders in his school in the northern Negev, in a pre-army type of experience called in Hebrew the "gadna" which means "youth battalions". It's kind of a light basic training simulation with many lectures from the army about what they can expect, and what their possibilities are.
Psalm 27:1-6 sums it all up-

The LORD is my light and my salvation-
whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the stronghold of my life-
of whom shall I be afraid?

When evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh,

when my enemies and my foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.

Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;

though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident.

One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.

For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;

he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.

Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;

at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.

Thank you for standing with us as you have helped us to pray this through, and for continuing to be with us in prayer.

In the Messiah,
Leah

This is huge news.

First, it confirms the suspicion of anti-missionary vigilante violence carried out by ultra-Orthodox Shamer groups like Yad L’achim.

Second, vindication! The police were initially sitting on their hands, dismissing this as a accidental firecracker accident (!), and the media chimed in with agreement, excusing the violence by claiming Messianic Jews are part of a cult. For example, here’s an original article from the left-leaning, secular Haaretz newspaper that all but excused the bombing:

Police are investigating the possibility that the explosion occurred while the boy was opening a Purim gift basket. Police reportedly believe the blast was caused by some sort of firecracker used during Purim celebrations.

The Parents of the victim are members of the Messianic Jews movement, which the police classify as a cult. The boy's father is considered to be one of the movement's leaders.

After previous attempts to harm the family, a security camera was installed at the family's home. The police were checking the footage to see whether the explosion was documented by the cameras. The police emphasized that there was no proof to support the theory that the explosion was deliberate and malicious.

Fine blog readers, notice the non-sequitur arguments used here: “This cult family has been targeted by attacks before. Therefore, it’s probably a firecracker accident.” (What kind of journalism and police detective work is this?!)

And the article failed to mention that the family’s security cameras caught a man in Orthodox Jewish garb dropping off the bomb at the family home. Yet the police, and apparently the author of this Haaretz article, cite no proof of malicious intent.

This highlights the extreme anti-Messianic bias witnessed in the Israeli media: Messianics are portrayed as a cult, violence against us is denied or excused, and finally dismissed. No one wants to be on the side of the ugly Messianics.

A great goodness has come out of this!

Things are changing. With the Jerusalem Institute of Justice standing up in court on behalf of persecuted Messianics, and the Israeli courts cracking down on evil vigilante anti-missionary Shamer groups, we’ve seen a turn in the Israeli media, with a few lone voices speaking up for the plight of Messianic Jews, praise God.

Additionally, many Jews in the Israeli Orthodox community are distancing themselves from these shameful anti-missionary groups. The Ami Ortiz family reports that when Ami was hospitalized after the bombing, many from the surrounding Orthodox Jewish communities came to visit Ami, and denounced and apologized for whomever carried out this bombing.

In word, the Orthodox communities were denouncing vigilante anti-missionary groups, whether knowingly or not. Praise God!

As Leah Ortiz put it,

We can testify that the nation as a whole condemns this man's actions. We have received telephone calls and communications from Israelis throughout this past year and a half, from every town, city, and village in Israel. They have been secular, orthodox and ultra orthodox Jews, and the message has been the same - shock, grief and anger over the incident, and the need to let us know that they condemn this vicious act.

Praise God that secular, Orthodox, and Ultra Orthodox Jews have all condemned this shameful act! I believe God has his hand on this situation: a terrible tragedy – the attempted murder of a family because of their belief in Messiah – has been turned into a great witness, changing the hearts of many. Praise God!

Look out, anti-missionaries, God is at work. When Messiah comes, I hope he finds you loving his flock, instead of persecuting it. And even should you continue persecuting us in your stubbornness, God is going to use it for his glory, just as he has in the triumphant case of Ami Ortiz.

Pray for Messiah’s followers in Israel

I received a note from Israeli Messianic Jewish music artists Avner & Rachel Boskey earlier this week:

The last months have been very full.  As you may remember, on June 10, Avner testified in a legal trial in Beersheva, regarding the riot against the Beersheva Messianic congregation in 2005 (which we've written about in our recent personal updates). 

As mentioned before, Messianic Pastor Howard Bass filed a suit against the chief rabbi of Beersheva and against Yad L'Achim, an anti-Messianic organization which actively harasses Messianic believers in Israel [emphasis mine], for their instigation of and involvement in a riot which took place in December 2005.

During the trial on June 21 the remaining three witnesses for the prosecution (all believers) gave their testimonies of what they saw and heard during the riot, and one witness from the defense (a leading Chabad rabbi) was also questioned.  The chief rabbi of Beersheva, Yehuda Deri, and the head of the anti-Messianic organization Yad L'Achim were not yet questioned due to lack of time.  The next trial session is scheduled for this fall – November 23.

Please continue to pray for righteousness, truth and justice to prevail in Israel.  A number of Messianic believers who were present in the courtroom spoke of the hostility and hatred for believers they sensed in the eyes and hearts of some who do not yet know the Lord.  Please pray for grace, love, blessing and the revelation of Yeshua for these precious people.  Several fair articles appeared in the Jerusalem Post recently regarding this case.

This same morning I got a blog comment from a poster going by the name Yad L’achim in the comments to Are We Christian, posting yet more of the same rehashed arguments attempting to sway us from the path God has called us, attempting to sling mud on Messiah.

This blog sure attracts the anti-missionaries! Praise God, I must be doing something right!

Yad L’achim is an anti-Messianic organization that harasses Yeshua’s followers in Israel through verbal abuse and violence. They are currently on trial in Israeli courts for their vigilante violence against those followers of Messiah.

This isn’t the first incident of persecution against Yeshua’s devout: we’ve documented Ultra Orthodox persecution of Messianics at least three times before on this blog, covering everything from book burnings, harassment on the streets while shouting epithets, physical attacks, burning of homes, exploding packages that almost killed a Messianic boy, fire-bombings, and finally revocation of citizenship and exportation. There’s a spirit of hatred towards Yeshua in Israel unlike any place on the planet, and it’s growing.

Please pray daily for these precious people that, in their blindness and hard-heartedness, commit acts of violence and hatred against Messiah’s own. Though they think they are doing right according to their religion, they are actively subverting God’s Kingdom. Pray for them that God would give dreams, visions, first-hand encounters with Messiah, softened hearts, even an inkling of warmth toward Messiah. God can do anything, folks. I’m convinced of it. Pray for it with patience and endurance, God will bring it to pass. Pray for the folks undergoing this persecution, too, that God would give them the perseverance and longsuffering that will stand as a righteous example of Messiah.

Thoughts on my first visit to an Orthodox Jewish synagogue

Last night, my older brother picked up some food at a kosher meat market. The Jewish guy behind the counter told my brother, “We’re having a Purim service tonight – why don’t you come?”

Purim, for those fine blog readers who don’t know, is the Jewish holiday remembering the story of Hadassah (Esther) in the Jewish and Christian bibles. Unlike the Feasts of Leviticus 23, Purim is not commanded by God; it’s truly a Jewish feast. It is a celebratory festival where Jews celebrate how Hadassah and Mordechai saved the Jews of Persia from an evil Persian politician, Haman, who attempted to exterminate Jews through political means.

So, back to our story last night:

My brother called me up, and off we went to a Chabad Orthodox Jewish synagogue for the Purim holiday. I wanted to record the experience here while it’s still fresh in my mind.

Heading there, I wasn’t sure what to expect. A little nervous, knowing that if anyone knew me to be a believer in Yeshua, I’d probably be unwelcomed. I knew for sure I wasn’t going as a means to convert Jews to another religion; I’m not a salesman out to sell Christianity. I certainly didn’t want to offend or cause discord; knowing full well the Chabadniks practice a very strict form of Judaism, I came decked out with my talit koton and tzitzit. (Still knowing I wouldn’t quite fit in – no beard, no big black hat or yarmulke!) I brought my Tenakh only. I didn’t come with any hidden agenda, I went to celebrate the fact that God saved his people, and to mingle with others doing the same.

When we arrived, the small building was packed to overflowing. We had no place to sit, so we stood in the doorways of the sanctuary where the book of Esther was being sung in Hebrew chant.

Looking around, many of the men were decked out in Orthodox Jewish garb: bearded men with big black hats, black suit, black pants:

But these weren’t the only folks there. A number of men, perhaps not as strict in their halakah, would wear only yarmulke and wear plain secular clothes. Others wore Purim costumes as is often the custom for this celebratory holiday.

During the reading of Esther, each time the evil Haman was mentioned, the crowd would boo, jeer, shoot children’s cap guns and swing their noise makers, as is customary.

During the reading, a Jewish man and his family came up behind us. Seeing our fringes, he asked if we would like some yarmulkes. Yes, we said. The man returned with 2 kippas for us. We talked with him during the service; he asked about our families, where we were from, where we attend congregation. That’s one clear thing I got during the whole time there – a strong sense of family. “Is your family here with you?”, the man asked. “No, it’s just me and my brother”, I replied. “You should bring them.” said the man without hesitation.

I got the sense that the Orthodox understand Judaism has helped preserve the Jewish people, and that to be Jewish, one ought to have his whole family part of the synagogue. It’s unlike a church, where there’s this underlying optional feeling to attending; for Judaism, it’s meant to be part of life, part of being Jewish. You’re Jewish, so you attend the synagogue. Doesn’t matter if you’re “secular”. You’re a son of Israel, so you’re there and welcomed.

The man asked about our family name, I assume in hopes to discover whether we’re Jewish or just goyim decked out in Jewish garb. I explained our last name, and my partial Jewish ancestry. We continued to talk until a man came up to us, “Guys, this will be a fun party tonight, but now we’re reading and ask you to be quiet, OK?”

Hushed we were, and a little embarrassed. Oh well.

The service ended. My brother recognized the cantor who was chanting the book of Esther, remembered the cantor as a customer in his store. We went up and talked to him. He said, “Oh yes, I remember you. And I saw you guys talking during my chanting.” Woops.

Food was served free of charge for everyone. That’s another thing about Chabad, I hear they never charge for their Passover services or other feasts. This was no different – a buffet of Chicken, rice, salad, pastries, and beverages for all attending, free of charge.

We got in line for the food and another Jewish guy started talking to us. While I was a little uncomfortable talking to the first guy when we arrived, this guy in the food line was really friendly and cool. “Where do you go to congregation?”, he asked. We replied, “A small group of us meets in homes on shabbat and studies the Scriptures.” “Cool,” he says, “Is it run by Chabad?” “No, it’s just family and friends. My dad runs the study.” He was cool with that. Nice guy, friendly. I could get along with him. We talked with him for awhile as the food line was long with so many people there.

Once we got our food, we had no place to sit as the place was overflowing with people. We started to eat our food standing, but one of the men from the congregation saw us, and without us asking, grabbed a man and setup another table with chairs right there in the walkway. That’s another thing I’ve heard about Chabad, they meet the need immediately without hesitation. I like that.

Par-tay!

We sat down to eat at our newly-provided table. We were approached by a gray-bearded rabbi, decked out in fanciful costume for Purim, wearing a big pink hair wig. He came up to us, holding a bottle of Crown Royal whisky. I had to laugh to myself, imagining what a foreign thing this would be to Christians, seeing a veteran gray-bearded religious man in a pink hair wig going table to table with a bottle of celebratory alcohol.

He came up to us and asked, “A little shot?”

Sure, why not.

“But first, I will say a bracha. And then you must say one to me.”

He proceeded to pour us shot cups of hard stuff, and of course one for himself. His blessing was,

“May you always get everything you need, but not everything you want.”

I fumbled for a quick return blessing. “May God always have his hand on you!”

“L’chaim!”

Ok, shoot back the Crown Royal. Youch, that’s strong.

A Russian family came to our table and sat with us. Really kind folks. A man and his wife and their 20 something year old son Greg. They came from a Reform Jewish background, not strict religious at all, but very kind people. Greg told us about his adventures to Israel, joining the military for 2 years. “It’s the greatest thing a Jew can do for his country”, he said to us. We chimed in agreement.

Another religious leader came by with a cart full of whisky and various liquors. Really is a celebration feast! I had a tiny bit of Irish whisky. Not nearly as hard as the Crown Royal.

We talked more with the Russian Jewish family about life, religion, Israel, aliyah. It was good. They were really nice people. The son Greg was especially nice, a very real guy. Too many religious people I know are so, um, religious and awkward. Greg wasn’t like that. Good kid. Greg explained that in order to prove his Jewish ancestry and join the IDF, he had to fill out 40 papers. “Makes filing your taxes look like a job application.” He had to get an Orthodox rabbi to investigate his family ancestry, seeing if his ancestors were buried in Jewish cemeteries, in order to move to Israel and join the military there. We talked more with them about our families and background. Explaining our partial Jewish ancestry, our gentile wives, all kinds of things, being pretty open with them. They were accepting of it all.

After all the mingling and food, we decided it was time to go. We wanted to talk one last time with our pink-haired friend before leaving. He was completely drunk now. I pulled out my phone and took a snapshot:

Too funny.

On the way out, we talked with Greg again. The cantor came up to me and talked for a few minutes. Then another Jewish guy talked with me for a few minutes more on my way out the door.

We had a good time. It’s hard to judge the religious nature of people at such a weird time. Purim is definitely a weird time to visit a Chabad Orthodox Jewish synagogue. It’s strange to see people who are so strict in their religious observance be all…crazy and partying.

Relaying all this to my wife when I got home, she said, “Um, aren’t they supposed to be religious? Isn’t drinking against the Bible?”

Heh.

I suspect the picture I’ve painted of Chabad for you, fine blog readers, is one of a rowdy gang of Jews. Don’t be fooled. I think I caught them on the one day of the year the Chabad just let loose and party like this. I’d like to attend a shabbat service and see how they worship and pray in their normal form to get a better picture of them.

My closing thoughts is that the people were friendly and opened. Chabad, strict as they are, were accepting of even the least religious Reform Jews, all the way to awkward, partially Jewish guys like myself.

Thanks, God, that I'm not like them!

Derek Leman relates his first experience in an Orthodox Jewish synagogue. As he entered the place where Jews were praying, repenting, and beating their chests, Derek relates,

I expected to go into the synagogue, see how confused and sadly lost these Jewish people were, and exit more resolved than ever to convert all Jewish people to Jesus.

I had brought in the attitude of the Pharisee. In a paradoxical reversal, I was now the Pharisee and these modern day Pharisees were the tax collectors. I was thinking to myself,

“God, I thank you that I am not like these Orthodox Jews but that I know my sins are already forgiven.”

I thought, how sad that people would beat their chest. What a pathetic and wasted display of ritual and emotion when simple faith in Jesus would do!

Yet as I watched, my mind was changed. I started praying for them to be saved, but the spirit of repentance was contagious. Didn’t I have enough failures that I should also beat my chest before the Living God? Or should I expect that grace makes all such displays of contrition irrelevant?

There is a Grace Myth to the effect that we are automatically alright with God because of the cross and that we are in need of very little repentance.

My experiences with Christians leads me to concur: There's an abuse of grace in the Christian Church today. Some have gone as far as to say repentance of sin isn't even required; you're automatically forgiven in Jesus. That is, if I sin, say I committed adultery, I would have no need to go to the Lord and repent; I would be forgiven without repentance because of the cross of Jesus Christ.

I'm going to stop there; this isn't a let's-bash-Christians post. I only want to say, each person who loves the Lord needs repentance and forgiveness.

Why?

Because everyone fails, even the best-intentioned, upstanding Christian -- even me. Even you. Each knows what evil is in him. So let's have a heart of repentance as we near the final 3 Feasts of the Lord this year.

These final 3 Feasts are a shadow of Messiah's return in Yom Teruah, his judgment and atonement in Yom Kippur, and finally his coming to live with us in Tabernacles.

Given this light, as His feasts draw near this year, keep in mind his quick forgiveness. Remember how His mercy has no end, just like the psalmist said. Come humbly before the Master of all Creation, the one who formed you. Repent -- turn your back on those ways of darkness you keep to yourself -- and come clean to the One who loves you.

Protesting the Orthodox Jewish Discrimination of Messianic Jews

Derek Leman points us to the Jerusalem Post's article on Messianic Jews to Protest Discrimination.

The Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations, an umbrella body for about 80 US congregations, is holding a three-day conference in Jerusalem that starts Thursday.

During the conference a number of issues will be discussed - including the recent public burning by haredim of New Testaments distributed by missionaries in Or Akiva, a bomb attack that seriously wounded the son of well-known Messianic Jew in Ariel and the attempt to disqualify a Messianic Jewish high school girl from this year's International Bible Quiz for Jewish youth.
"We are planning to call on the Israeli government to address the problem of discrimination against Messianic Jews who wish to make aliya," said Rabbi Russ Resnik, executive director of the US-based Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations.

"Messianic Jews see Israel as the place of our past, from the earliest visit by Abraham to the modern rebirth of the Jewish state. And it is the place of our future, which will culminate in the messiah's return," Resnik said.

"We are avid supporters of Israel in the present, and that's why we brought our conference here. But we are also concerned about recent expressions of violence against Messianic Jews."

More Orthodox Persecution of Messianics In Israel

Last year, I showed a video documenting how Ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel were persecuting Messianic Jews by personally harassing and stalking Messianic Jews.

This year, a state-wide teen Bible knowledge competition, initially promoted by rabbis, was soon boycotted by many rabbis as they found that one of the winners was a Messianic Jew.

Also earlier this year, the Israeli Ministry of Interior was revoking the citizenship of Messianic Jews in Israel, forcing them to leave the country.

In March of 2008, a young Messianic Jewish teen, Amiel Ortiz, son of a Messianic pastor, was critically injured as he opened up an exploding package delivered to their home. The blast of the bomb shattered the windows of their home and the nearby automobiles, sending nails and over 100 pieces of shrapnel to permeate the boy's body. Amazingly, if not miraculously, the boy remains alive. The security cameras which Amiel's father installed on their home after an anonymous firebombing last year caught a well-known Jewish extremist delivering the explosive package to their home.

15 year old Amiel Ortiz, a Messianic Jew who was critically injured in a bomb delivered by Jewish extremists

Today, CNN is reporting that Jewish students from the city of Or Yehuda, near Tel Aviv, rounded up New Testaments in the city and burned them en masse.

The man responsible for organizing the students was Deputy Mayor of Or-Yehuda, Uzi Aharon. Uzi Aharon claims he did not intend to burn the New Testaments, he only meant to round them up to prevent missionizing in his city.

Uzi Aharon is a member of the Shas political party in Israel, an Ultra-Orthodox party that currently holds several seats in the Israeli Knesset.

Fortunately, many Conservative and Reform rabbis are condemning this New Testament burning. Derek Leman cites an excellent piece from a Conservative Jewish leader condemning the burnings.

Understanding the Persecution

I do not write this to villify Orthodox Jews. So many Orthodox Jews are zealous for Torah and for God; I understand where Orthodox Jews are coming from. To them, a Messianic Jew is a Christian, a member of a religion foreign to Torah; an idolatrous religion. Becoming a Christian means abandoning Jewish identity, Jewish culture, Jewish religion -- even Hitler could not make Jews lose their Jewish identity; how much worse, then, is converting to Christianity!

(To this day, in some Jewish circles, if an Orthodox Jew comes to believe in Y'shua as Messiah, family members will recite traditional prayers reserved for his or her death; to these Jews, faith in Y'shua is the death of a Jew.)

The reality of the matter, however, is not as the Orthodox Jews perceive it. Nor as the Christians perceive it, for that matter. The reality is that Messianic Judaism is not a Jewish flavor of Christianity.

While alone I cannot speak for all, I can say that many see Christianity as a Roman-led departure from the Hebrew faith. While many beautiful things have come from the Christian religion, and while God has used it to bring 1/3rd of the whole gentile world to the God of Israel through the Messiah of Israel, we must still contrast Christianity with the Hebrew faith.

The early believers in Y'shua as the Moshaich of Yisrael were initially known as Nazarenes, members of the Way community of Jews; they were not part of a new religion. Indeed, they kept the Torah as any God-fearing person ought to, received instruction at Beit HaMikdash (Temple), and were standing members in the Jewish community.

What happened in 325 CE was the official creation of a new state religion, and what came out of that has become what we know as Christianity today. This Roman religion in numerous ways is a departure from the Hebrew faith. It is indeed idolatrous in its praying to saints, in praying to Messiah's mother, in its claims of an infallible human being elected by the College of Cardinals, in its replacing Israel with an unclean people, in its replacement of God's Feasts with holidays of pagan origin, and most of all, its rejection of Torah.

When Constantine severed the Hebrew origins of this faith in Messiah, a new religion was officially created. It is this religion that Orthodox Jews fear their relatives and friends becoming members of. Many Orthodox Jews are zealous for God and do not wish to see Jewish folks severing their Jewish culture, identity, religion.

Ditto.

It is with earnest conviction I say that Messianic faith does not wish a loss of Jewish culture, a loss Jewish identity, especially not a loss of Jewish religion. There is no need to be baptized into Christianity. (Indeed, if one is already following Torah, a regular mikvah for outward cleansing is already prescribed!) There is no need to go to a Christian Church. There is no need to convert. Messianic faith requires one thing alone: faith in Messiah. Trust that the Jew from Natzeret, Y'shua ben Yosef, is the Moshiach foretold by the prophets in the Tenakh. As Rabbi Hallel once said, "Everything else is details."

I do not excuse this persecution by the Orthodox. One must not confuse understanding for agreement. Unfortunately, I suspect that the Orthodox will not see Messiah until he reveals himself in the flesh, again. Perhaps this time around, it will be the gentiles, with their idolatrous religion, who stumble on the stone laid in Tziyon. Or perhaps God's plan is that Jews and gentiles alike will finally be united in their faith in the God of Israel through Messiah.

At this time, however, it looks like many Christians will refuse to give up ties to the idolatry in their religion and that will be their stumbling block, just as it was for many of the devout Jews in Messiah's day.

We will see. Whatever the plan, I hope we see it come to fruition in our day, and soon; things sure are heating up down here on planet earth. Father help us.

Conversations of Zeal: Part 2

In the first part of our conversation, Aaron makes the assertion that Yeshua was a rabbi according to the house of Hillel, many of whom were called Pharisees. We all know from the gospels Yeshua was a rabbi; Aaron theorizes further Yeshua was a Pharisaical rabbi of the House of Hillel.

We talked about what a Pharisee really was, as opposed to the modern definition of a Pharisee, one often held by many Christians: a legalistic, outward-only Judaism teacher.

We discussed some Scriptures and some bits from the Talmud that suggest Yeshua was a Pharisee.

We theorized how it could be that Messiah, let us suppose him for a moment to be a Pharisee, argued with Pharisees, and why rebuking certain Pharisees did not necessarily mean he was not a Pharisaical rabbi himself.

In the next part of the conversation, we'll try to answer some of the tough questions: was Messiah really influenced by Hillel? Why is it that their teachings align so much, given Hillel lived before Messiah (dying ~10 years after Messiah's birth), is it possible Messiah was influenced by the teachings of this righteous rabbi? We will also discuss some of the questions you fine blog readers have raised: we've proved there were some righteous Pharisees, but where is the proof that Messiah himself was one? We'll go over the evidence.

And what if Yeshua was a Pharisee, why didn't Paul teach others to become Pharisees? Why didn't the Pharisees chide Messiah for not following Pharisee rules? (Or did they?) We'll answer this as well.

Aaron:

You could definitely say that Hillel instead aligned with Yeshua, since Yeshua is the Living Torah, and Hillel's teaching often aligned righteously with Torah. But, Yeshua definitely seemed to grow up in a Hillel household, which would be common for one who was raised in the Galili (Gallilee). No wonder he reiterated so many of Hillel's teachings.

It's also interesting to note that modern Orthodox Judaism bases its halacha on that of Rabbi Hillel's.

Yeshua's teaching of loving your neighbor/fellow (Israelite) as yourself was also stressed by Hillel. It's no wonder when a Hillel Pharisee came to Yeshua and asked him what the greatest mitzvah is. Yeshua responds, and in the Mark account, the Pharisee actually finishes off Yeshua's response. Yeshua then replies to him, "you are not far from the Kingdom of Heaven."
Why does this so greatly contrast other statements Yeshua made to other Pharisees? Because many in the Shammai sect were unrighteously strict with unlearned Jews and converts, showing their pride in their knowledge, and doing things for show rather than in sincerity.

A number of Yeshua's comments also indicate that he interacted with the discussion between the schools of Hillel and Shammai. For example, the statement about tithing mint and dill (Mt. 23:23) reflects one of the things included for tithing by Shammai, but not by Hillel (here, as also with divorce, Yeshua sided with Shammai; Maaserot 1.1 cf. 4.6; Eduyyot 5.3; Demai 1.3). Yeshua's reference to enlarging the tzitzit (tassle) and tefillin (phylacteries) for the sight of men (Matt. 23:5) was a reference to the House of Shammai who wanted to make their tzitziyot and tefillin larger than those of the followers of Hillel (Menahot 4).

Judah:

Hillel's teachings may have influenced Yeshua, then? Interesting. How would you answer a Christian who asserts all Yeshua's teachings are straight from God and not influenced by men?

Can you sum up the arguments for Yeshua being a Pharisaic rabbi? A Christian commenter tells me the only thing we've discussed so far is how certain Pharisees were righteous. Can you restate the evidence that makes you believe Yeshua himself was a Hillel Pharisee?

(You must try to put yourself in the Christian mindset; while most of my readers are privy on the Jewishness of Messiah, still many Christians picture him not as the Jewish Rabbi Yeshua ben Yosef, but as a peace-loving Gandhi-like figure named Jesus Christ who started a new religion. These same folks look at the Pharisees as the "bad guys" in the gospel. To these people, saying Jesus was a Pharisee is bound to make heads explode!)

Now I have another question. You mentioned how the Shammai were more strict than the Hillel sect of the Pharisees. It is the Hillel sect that "won", if you will; as you mention, Orthodox Judaism today is based on Hillel halacha. Here's my question: aren't the Orthodox (Hillel's descendants, if you will) unnecessarily strict today? It is difficult to imagine a religion more strict than Ultra Orthodox Judaism! Yet you say it is Shammai that was stricter yet? Has Hillel grown more stringent since Yeshua's day? They seem too strict today!

For example, a Jewish blogger acquaintance, who is perhaps not very religious, but believes in God, once told me she could never keep most of the Torah because she didn't have room in her apartment for 2 kitchens, 2 sets of dinnerware, etc. referring to the Orthodox practice of separating dairy and meat.

Isn't that an unnecessarily strict practice of Orthodox Judaism, and by extension, Hillel's halacha? Are some of the rabbinic rulings -- even from Hillel's followers -- a burden or even unrighteously strict, as were some of Shammai's halacha?

Aaron:

Yeshua upheld many of Hillel's teachings, because they were righteous. Yeshua had a problem with certain customs which somehow annulled the commandments, and with people equating them as equal status to Torah. Notice in the Mark account, that some of Yeshua's talmidim/students didn't wash their hands according to the custom. That means some did. The custom was not evil, but the certain Pharisees who upheld it as equal to a mitzvah/command of Torah were wrong.

So where is the evidence of Yeshua being a Pharisee? In Yochanan 1:26,27 Yochanan indicates that "among you (the Pharisees)... is the one coming after me (Yeshua)". As I stated, Yeshua wasn't physically there that day which is made clear in the next few verses. Instead, Yeshua was among the Pharisees - he was a Pharisee.
Also, Nakdimon, who is recorded as a righteous Rabbi and member of the Sanhedrin in the Talmud, came to Yeshua and told him "we know you are a Rabbi from HaShem..." in Yochanan/John 3.

Do you ever wonder why Yeshua never interacted with the Sadducees much, instead he mostly dealt with the Pharisees, because this was his sect. And in his interaction with Pharisees, they discussed mostly Talmudic issues like issues of cutsom, tradition, halachot, etc, not clear cut unarguable issues of Torah. The things they argued about would be comparable to two Christian pastors arguing about the right way to baptize someone, or something to that effect.

It was to the Pharisees that Yeshua said they do not need a physician, because they are well (because they kept Torah; Matt. 9, Mark 2). Yeshua said he was there for the lost sheep of the House of Israel, both the dispersed Ephraimites who became goyim and the unlearned, non-Torah-observant, and/or Hellenistic Jew. Yeshua shunned mostly the Shammai Pharisees for being so strict and hard on new converts and the unlearned Jew - for loading upon them heavy loads they could not lift. Yet Yeshua himself performed Rabbinic customs, but it was because he was learned and capable...

-Yochanan/John 1:26,27 (as explained above) indicates Yeshua was a Pharisee.

-Yochanan/John 3:1-2 (as explained above) shows that a high-standing Pharisee believed in Yeshua, and said "we", i.e. at least some of the Pharisees, knew Yeshua was a "Rabbi from HaShem". (Also, Yochanan/John 19:38-40 tells of Nakdimon and Yosef burying their Moshiach/Messiah according to the Rabbinic custom)

-Luke 2:39-52 indicates Yeshua being brought up in the faith and traditions of his ancestors.

-Mark 6:41; 8:6 indicates Yeshua performing the Rabbinic custom of saying a bracha (blessing) over food.

-Mark 14:22-23,26 indicated Yeshua and his talmidim/students performing the custom of singing the Hallel after the Passover seder.

-In the Encyclopedia Judaica (vol.10, p.14) it says: "the gospels provide sufficient evidence to the effect that Jesus did not oppose any prescription of the Written or Oral Mosaic Law.

Many of Yeshua's teachings can be found in the Talmud as well. For example:
"He who is merciful toward others will receive mercy from Heaven". This is found in the Talmud (Shabbat 151b) and in the Brit Chadasha (Matt. 5:7).
"Do they say, 'take the splinter out of your eye?' He will retort, 'remove the beam out of your eye'" is found in the Talmud (Baba bathra 15b) and in the Brit Chadasha (Matt. 7:3).
"Let your yes be yes and your no be no" is found in the Talmud (Baba metzia 49a) and in the Brit Chadasha (Matt. 53:7).

One final point, although there are many more examples I could get into.
When Yeshua stood before the Sanhedrin (Mark 14:55-56), no fault could be found with Yeshua. No fault means the Pharisees and Sadducees in the Sanhedrin could find nothing wrong with Yeshua - meaning he lived flawlessly both to the Written Torah and to the customs.

An Orthodox scholar and Rabbi, Pinchas Lapide, wrote the following:
"Jesus never and nowhere broke the Law of Moses, nor did he in any way provoke its infringement - it is entirely false to say that he did...In this respect you must believe me, for I know the Talmud more or less...This Jesus was as faithful to the Law as I would hope to be. But I suspect Jesus was more faithful to the Law than I am - and I am an Orthodox Jew."

Judah:

Good recap.

We've got several comments from first part of our conversation that I'd like to openly discuss. Let's take them one at a time to make it more readable.

A Messianic Israelite, Efrayim, asks,

"If Yeshua was a Pharisee, why would Sha'ul count being one as worthless, if his entire life's goal was to be as his Master? Wouldn't he have taught the Greeks to be Pharisees so they could be like their Messiah?

If He were really a Pharisee of the school of Hillel, wouldn't He be recognized as one by those very Pharisees? The answer comes from the Pharisees themselves. Not once did they ask Him why He was not keeping the teachings of the Pharisees (either school), nor did they complain about His choice of talmidim, not one of them a Pharisee."

It is interesting to note that Yeshua most certainly was deemed a rabbi in his day; we have evidence from the gospel of many folks calling him "rabbi", as well as him teaching in the Temple (acting as a rabbi, if you will). I'd also contend that Efrayim is wrong on one point: the Pharisees actually did ask Yeshua why he and his talmidim (followers) were not keeping the teachings of the Pharisees, for example, regarding the ritual washing of hands.

What do you say to Efrayim?

It is interesting that Encyclopedia Judaica states Yeshua never broke either the Torah of Moses or the Torah of the rabbis (Oral Torah). While this distinction is often lost on Christians today, to us it seems like an absurd statement; Yeshua most certainly broke some of the Oral Torah, did he not? The picking of grain on Sabbath, or rejecting the tradition washing of the hands prior to the meal, for instance. What do you say?

Aaron:

Rabbi Shaul didn't say being a Pharisee was worthless. He taught that (da'at) knowledge is nothing without cochmah and binah (wisdom and understanding), that is why the Chassidic sect of Judaism called Chabad has their name, which is an acronym for CHochmah, Binah, and Da'at (CHaBaD), wisdom, understanding, and knowledge.

In other words, Shaul's knowledge of the Torah would be useless if he did not hearken to the wisdom of HaShem - which is found in the Torah itself, but is cannot be gained if one does not keep the Torah with sincerity of heart - which is what Yeshua taught (the "letter" and "spirit" of the Torah go hand in hand).

Is it no wonder everyone called Yeshua a Rabbi? Is it no wonder why a very notable Pharisaic Rabbi and Sanhedrin member confessed that THEY KNEW Yeshua was a Rabbi from HaShem? How can someone argue this? What more evidence do they need? It seems to me people are choosing not to believe this, because everything points directly at Yeshua being a Rabbi - heck, we even have a Rabbi, Pharisee, and Sanhedrin member of Yeshua's time who is even spoken of in the Talmud telling Yeshua that they know Yeshua is a Rabbi from HaShem. Do I have to reiterate it again!? What more could people ask for in evidence?

As for Rabbi Shaul of Tarsus... he was an admitted Pharisee after believing in Yeshua (Acts 26:3), and he was a Rabbi trained under Gamaliel II. I don't see how someone could really argue this.

Another fact to note is that the Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the dead, which Yeshua taught and even Christians today believe too (although they believe a different version of it, of course).

-Shaul tells us that there is only one true faith (the Faith of Israel which has become known as Judaism), in Eph. 4:3-6. Yehudah (Jude) tells us that this one true Faith was delivered to the tzadikim once and for all, in Jude 1:3.

-2 Maccabees 2:21 tells us that all the Jews who fought the Greeks were "those who strove zealously on behalf of Judaism."

-Shaul himself uses the term Judaism in Galatians 1:13 to describe his own faith (see Acts 23:6 for proof that he is comparing his old life in Judaism to his new life in Judaism).

-I would like to say to the Christians what Yeshua said to the Samaritan woman in Yoch./John 4:22-23.

-In the 4th Century, a "church father" named Epiphanius writes (Panarion 29):
"But these sectarians do not call themselves Christians, but "Nazarenes"... however they are simple complete Jews... They have no different ideas, but confess everything exactly as the law proclaims it - and in the Jewish fashion..."

Now, about Yeshua "breaking" Rabbinic/Pharisaic customs...
Here is one good example. One day, on Shabbat, Yeshua spat in dirt to make mud in order to heal someone. This was a violation of the Shabbat by some Pharisees' standards. Notice Yeshua's argument is not that he didn't break Shabbat - but instead he used a Rabbinic argument method called kal vachomer (the light and the heavy), which Rabbi Hillel was famous for using.

Yeshua made the argument that what was of greater important (heavier, if you will) was the healing of a human being...

And he took it further, follow this.

With Matt. 12:33b in mind: in Hoshea 6:6, it is stated that HaShem desires mercy over sacrifices. The High Priest, who performed the sacrifices were commanded by HaShem to perform them even on Shabbat - so that they broke Shabbat by doing these sacrifices, yet it was of greater importance to HaShem for them to do this. EVEN STILL, mercy is of greater importance that even the Sacrifices, which Hos. 6:6 tells us. So therefore, the mercy Yeshua had on a man as he healed him on Shabbat was of greater importance than keeping Shabbat in every detail.

So Yeshua's argument was: "Yes, I am breaking Shabbat by breaking this halacha which says making anything, even mud out of spit and dirt, is a violation of Shabbat (he agrees with this halacha), but it is for the MUCH GREATER purpose of mercy, since I healed this man of blindness. Therefore, because I have done the thing that is of greater importance to my Father in Heaven, I have been righteous and have not broken Shabbat."

Now, shortly, with regard to the hand washing. The answer is simple. It is a custom, not halacha of any Torah commandment. Therefore it is entirely optional to do this. Some Pharisees were setting this up as a mitzvah, which it is not.

In the next conversation, we'll discuss more about this breaking of a small commandment to do a greater commandment; many times I've heard from Christians, "Well, Paul didn't circumcise Titus, so he wasn't keeping the Torah. Therefore, we do not keep the Torah." Did this "light and heavy" play a role in Paul decision to circumcise Timothy, but not Titus? I'd like to discuss a little more this kal vachomer idea; I've never heard of this in Christian circles, and I suspect it is a point lost on the gentile world, if not an explanation for some of the "double standards" of Paul.

One thing that's really eating at me is this Shaul (Paul) stuff -- how can we say he was a rabbi and an observant Jew when he deliberately refused to circumcise Titus? On the other end of the spectrum, Christians will tell you Paul was "nailing the Law to the cross" and refusing to be "under it" -- but how does that reconcile with Paul's taking a Nazirite vow from Torah, or his circumcision of Timothy? And what does "under the Law" mean, anyways? Was Yeshua "under the Law"?

Before this post reaches its end, I must admit we've offend a lot of you, as I predicted before we began. I don't have regrets about that -- we throw around ideas and beliefs and theories in an attempt to better understand the Scriptures.

But one thing I've done that I must apologize for, something Gary Kirkham brought to light, is that too often I have mocked Christians; certainly in the past, if not in this conversation. The tongue is powerful and mocking is not from God; I apologize and repent for that. I will learn to more carefully watch my words. Thank you, Gary, for making that known in the soft-spoken way you always do, your behavior in these matters is from Messiah.

Conversations of Zeal: Part 1

My younger brother Aaron is a zealot. :-) He's zealous for Torah, for Messiah, for the land of Israel. He has a deep understanding of the Scriptures that dwarfs my own knowledge and wisdom, but better still, he has a desire for yet more understanding.

This past sabbath, after a little Torah study, I had a conversation with him regarding Messiah, Judaism, Chabad Judaism, and the Pharisees -- the conversation was getting so deep, I stopped him in the middle and said, "I need to get a sound recorder and record this - this is good stuff!"

I didn't have a sound recorder handy, but we did decide to take this conversation online and post it publicly.

The result? The multi-part conversation below is a frank, unadulterated discussion and debate regarding belief in the God of Israel and role of Messiah in that faith. I hope you all find it challenging and thought-provoking; you'll hear things you won't hear in your church! Nor your synagogue for that matter. You might get offended! And you'll almost certainly disagree. Ready?

Without further ado, here is part 1, in which Aaron asserts Yeshua the Messiah was actually a Pharisee. We discuss how this could be and what the implications would be if Yeshua (Jesus) was indeed a Pharisee...

Yeshua the Pharisee?

Aaron:

So Judah... after some study of the religio-political atmosphere of the first century, I came to a conclusion that is far different than what most of Christianity and Messianism believes. And that conclusion is: Yeshua was a Pharisaic Rabbi. And in fact, he was a netzer (sprout) out of the House of Hillel. What say ye?

Judah:

You said your conclusion of your studies was that Yeshua was a Pharisaic rabbi. I can already hear Christians cringing and quickly rushing to quote something from the gospels where Messiah rebuked the Pharisees -- why would he rebuke a Pharisee if he were one himself?

I think Yeshua was not a Pharisee by how the Western world defines a Pharisee. (That is, a corrupt, outward-only, legalistic teacher of Judaism.)

So here's the $64,000 question: how do you define a Pharisee? Before we can say whether Yeshua was a Pharisee, we must answer this question.

Aaron:

Good questions! I agree with you that Yeshua definitely was NOT the kind of Pharisee that is defined by the western Christians. And the problem itself is the misconception of the Pharisee.

As the House of Judah (the Jewish people) came back from Babylonian exile, only a very small fraction resettled in Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel). Those who did were the ones who were most zealous for Torah.

These Jewish returnees who came out of Babylonian exile and settled in Eretz HaKodesh (the Holy Land) eventually became divided into 3 groups. One of those groups/sects of Judaism were the Pharisees.
The word Pharisee (Hebrew: P'rushi) comes from the Hebrew root word "parash" which means to be separated, to be distinguished, or to define. The Pharisees called themselves this because they separated from the many Hellenistic influences.

There arose two houses of Pharisaism headed by two opposing Rabbis. One was Hillel, the other Shammai.

Rabbi Shammai had much stricter halachot (ways in which to keep Torah). The House of Shammai had wealthier members than did the House of Hillel. In fact, the Talmud records that Rabbi Hillel was never wealthy - even when he had the opportunity to be. Rabbi Hillel, even after becoming a great Rabbi, decided to have very little.

Rabbi Hillel was also very lenient and accepting to the unlearned Jew and the gentile convert. There are many stories in the Talmud which show Rabbi Hillel's patience with people who came to him with questions and for help.

Rabbi Yeshua ben Yosef lived a life that greatly paralleled Rabbi Hillel's (Rabbi Hillel died when Yeshua was young). It was a life of righteous humility (not self-loathe), a life of elevating others at one's own expense - the hallmark of a righteous Rabbi.

Now for the Scriptural evidence to back up what was said above...

In Yochanan (John) 1:27, Yochanan/John HaMatbeel (the Immerser), who was from the Essene community (the Essenes being another sect of Judaism in the first century which produced many believers in Yeshua) was being questioned by some Pharisees about who he was. Near the end of the questioning, Yochanan tells them, in verse 26 and 27, "standing among you... is the one coming after me (Yeshua)". As you can read in the next few verses, Yeshua was NOT literally physically standing among the Pharisees that day... Yeshua was of the Pharisees.

Nakdimon (AKA Nicodemus), who is recorded in the Brit Chadasha ("New Testament") as a believer in Yeshua, and the man who met Yeshua at night to speak with him. He is also recorded in the Talmud as being a very righteous Rabbi (of the Hillel sect of Pharisees)!

Also, after his supposed "conversion", Rabbi Shaul of Tarsus (AKA Paul) makes the following statement: "I am a Pharisee, and the son of a Pharisee"-Acts 23:6

It is a documented fact that the Netzarim (Nazarenes), who were a sect of Judaism that believed in Rabbi Yeshua ben Yosef as Moshiach, were a coalition of Pharisees and Essenes. In fact, as you can read in the Talmud (which is a compilation of Pharisaic writings) and Essene writings that Rabbi Yeshua taught many Pharisaic and Essene principles and teachings - mostly Pharisaic, House of Hillel halacha and Essene spiritual teachings.

Also, after the destruction of the Temple, the only remaining sects of Judaism were the Netzarim and Pharisees. They lived in peace and harmony together, studied together, often times were literal blood brothers and sisters, and synonymous - all until the time of the Bar Kochba revolt, where a major split between them began to take place.

Hope that wasn't too long!

Judah:

Interesting. So our modern definition of a Pharisee is a misconception -- not all Pharisees were the outward-only, legalistic teachers we often think of. As evidence of this, you state how Paul called himself a Pharisee, how Nakdimon (Nicodemus) was a righteous Pharisee, and how Messiah's teachings aligned with the Hillel sect of Pharisees. Here's another thing to munch on: before Yeshua made the famous statement about the 2 greatest commandments of Torah, that is, the Sh'ma and to love your neighbor as yourself, before any of that, Rabbi Hillel made the statement,

What you yourself hate, don't do to your neighbor. This is the whole Torah; the rest is commentary. Go and study.

This statement was uttered at least 20 years before Messiah's birth, yet Hillel and Yeshua align.

You also mention Rabbi Hillel embraced humility, embraced the poor, was lenient and patient in Torah. This is also a staple of Yeshua: always humble, embraced the poor and lowly rather than the rich and haughty.

These cases show yet more alignment between rabbis Hillel and Yeshua, and this is what leads you to believe Yeshua was a Pharisee.

Can we say Messiah was influenced by Rabbi Hillel, as many other Pharisees were? Or do we say no man can influence Messiah, and that the reason Messiah and Hillel aligned was because Rabbi Hillel's teachings were righteous and perfectly aligned with Torah?

In part 2, we'll hopefully get an answer to this question: since Hillel and Yeshua had such similar teachings and lived very much paralleled lives, is it possible Yeshua was influenced by a righteous rabbi of his day? And what about the differences between Yeshua and the Pharisees of his day - what a contrast! How does that fit? Looking forward to these answers myself!

If any of you fine blog readers have questions, or think we're dead wrong, or have a different view, please say so in the comments! All feedback is welcomed. We love discussion and debate and may address them as the conversation progresses.

Shalom!

Jewish Followers of Messiah Being Persecuted

I've blogged before on the disturbing persecution of Messianic Jews by Ultra Orthodox Jews in Israel.

Now comes news that Israel's Minister of Interior is revoking the citizenship of Jews who believe in Messiah, essentially forcing them to leave the country.

Israeli law gives the Minister of Interior absolute authority in this matter, granting him the ability to revoke anyone's citizenship without any kind of judicial appeal.

Below is a letter from Jerusalem Institute of Justice's senior legal activist Michael Decker.

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Lately a very disturbing situation has been occurring whereby the Minister of Interior has attempted to revoke the citizenship of Jewish believers who have immigrated into Israel in accordance with the Law of Return. The main claim is that these people have immigrated into Israel on the basis of falsified information.

According to the current legal situation in Israel, the authority to begin the procedure of revoking a person's citizenship is given to the Minister of Interior. The Minister of Interior then gathers the evidence whereupon he decides to revoke a person's citizenship and also makes the decision based on the evidence that he himself gathers. Furthermore, the final process of executing the final decision is also given exclusively to the Minister of Interior. By right (de jure), the law itself does not provide any appeal procedure.

This situation is very disturbing and it has a direct effect on the local Messianic community in Israel since many well known Israeli Messianic leaders have received such notices from the Ministry of Interior.

The Jerusalem Institute of Justice wishes to change this disturbing legal situation and we believe that such a change is possible. We intend to utilize various examples of mistakes made by the Ministry of Interior wherein an attempt was made to revoke a person's citizenship based on falsified information which the person had presented, when in reality this person did not present falsified information at all and has basically been a victim to this unrestrained authority granted to the Minister of Interior.

In order to publish this information, we would need to hire a lobbying company who would post articles and news broadcasts including true stories of mistakes made by the Minister of Interior, while at the same time we would submit an amendment to the two existing sections in the Law of Citizenship and in the Law of entry into Israel which grants the Minister of Interior this authority.

We will propose that this right be stripped from the Minister of Interior and given to the judicial authorities. If a registration clerk desires to revoke a person's citizenship, it should not be done in a closed, hidden or secretive manner. We believe that a proper process would be for the Ministry of Interior to submit a letter of indictment before a court of justice, which would thereby give a citizen the chance to defend himself. Subsequently, a neutral judge would decide according to the evidence, presented before him by both parties.

If this amendment passes, then the Ministry of Interior will be obligated to write a statement of claim accusing a person merely because of his religious beliefs. It goes without saying that such a prerequisite would prevent the Ministry of Interior from beginning a procedure to revoke the citizenship of a person merely because of his religious worldview.

Sincerely Yours,

Michael Decker
Senior Legal Activist

*update* Orthodox Jew turned devout Jewish follower of Messiah Judith Rood touches on these points in her recent February article. Especially relevant are these bits:

It grieves me now to have to share with you yet another part of the equation so prevalent in the lives of the Messianic Jewish believers here in Israel. In the Land we have read and learned so much about in His Word over the years, not only do Jewish Messianic new immigrants face physical hardship; they also face prejudice and persecution. One would not expect to hear this, but anti-Semitism it is as alive in Israel as it is in every other part of the world. Yes, many of the very people who have been persecuted so savagely in the past for nothing more than being Jewish are themselves now persecuting fellow Jews for their faith in Yahshua as Messiah.

As I said earlier, I grew up in an Orthodox Jewish world, which included both my family and my community. Orthodox Jews believe very strongly that for a Jew to believe that Yahshua is the Messiah is the worst thing that could ever happen; to many it is tantamount to death. In the eyes of the devoutly observant Orthodox, the only thing that these people are worthy of is to be cut off from the Jewish people and shunned. Many of the Orthodox will sit shivah (the traditional seven-day period of mourning for the dead that is observed in Jewish homes) for a family member who has accepted Yahshua as Messiah. There are many in the Land who persecute both Jews and Gentiles who have come to know Yahshua as their Messiah.

Yes – one can be a Jewish atheist, a Jewish agnostic, a Jewish reprobate, a practicing Jewish Buddhist, or literally anything – except a Jewish believer in Yahshua – and he will be welcomed to make aliyah to Israel with open arms. However, if one is a believer in or becomes a believer in Yahshua as Messiah, he can look forward to persecution, prejudice, and even expulsion from the Land. The very benefits that are afforded to those who hate Yahweh or do not even believe in Him are not available to those who claim Yahshua as their Messiah.

To the Jew First (audio)

A frequent reader and commenter to this blog, Lou Vasquez, pointed me to one of the best teachings I've heard in a long time, which I've posted below. The teaching covers humanism, secularism, Judaism and the revolutionary thing that is the Good News, the gospel.

In particular, it asks, why is it that Scripture -- even the gentile's favorite New Testament author, Paul -- commands us to spread the Good News of Messiah to the Jew first, then the gentile? Why is that? Why would God prefer one race over another? Isn't that racist?

The answer is in this teaching by a Jewish man, a former Maxist and atheist, turned believer in Christ named Art Katz. This man of God, I've just recently learned, passed away only 5 months ago, on June 28th, 2007. His teachings live on...



Please give it a listen. It is simply one of the most direct, confrontational teachings I've heard in some time. You can even hear his gentile audience squirming at the non-politically-correct, bold assertions he makes. Please, please give it a listen.

"To the Jew first" is a statement that makes many gentile Christians uncomfortable; here we are with 1/3 of the whole world having received Messiah and the God of Israel, but the only things Israel and the Jews have received is hatred, persecution, anti-semitic pogroms, the Crusades, the Inquisition, and the Holocaust, mostly at the hands of supposed Christians! To say we have failed the "Jew first" commandment would be an understatement.

Some choice quotes on Judaism and Jewish life, giving a background to why the gospel is "to the Jew first":

"You would do well to avoid Jews. Not only do they have an historical case against you, they happen also to be bright, and intellectual, and formidable. And if ever you want to feel the full extent of your inadequacy, try confronting one. It's one thing to bring the gospel to some slob and drunk gentile in the gutter, who went to Sunday school as a kid and knows that he should be saved, but it's another thing to knock on the door of an erstwhile Jew who has 2 or 3 university degrees and is an impeccable man, morally and ethically, as many if not most Jews are, who has never so much raised his voice once to his wife -- to tell that man he's as lost as that drunkard slob without your Christ, in whose name he has been persecuted for 2000 years. Got the picture?

Judaism is not just another world religion. It's the embodiment of a wisdom. It's predicated on humanistic principles. It makes certain assumptions about man and his intrinsic virtue. It believes that man is innately good. It does not subscribe to the Scripture or doctrine that says, "There is no man good, not one." It rests on the premise of human virtue and good works, under righteousness of man, rather than the righteousness of God.

And what we need to understand also is, what we call Judaism today is not a Biblical faith so much as it is a rabbinical faith. With the destruction of the Temple, when there is no possibility again of continuing in a Biblical Judaism with a priest-oriented worship, some kind of substitute had to be found, so that the Jewish community could have a coherence and a continuation. And that was provided by the same class that saw to Jesus' execution. It became a rabbinical class. The Judaism that is practiced today has its origin with them. It is more Talmudic than it is Biblical.

But underlying all of that -- even with the references to Scripture -- is a philosophical premise as an understanding about man that elevates man in his own righteousness and sees him as perfectible. We Jews are the ultimate humanists of the world, even when we are religious. We are the ultimate secularists, even when we are religious.

As for example, when I was invited as a missionary to the Jews to come to a Jewish classroom in New York City, who wanted to hear about this Jews for Jesus phenomenon, I got into a confrontation with the Jewish teacher. Van Dyke beard and yarmulke -- kippa, the head covering -- and deeply Orthodox and religious. We went out into the hall when the period ended, and as we were having our discussion, I all of a sudden squinted my eyes and said, "Excuse me a minute," I said, "do you believe that God parted the Red Sea and made it as a dry ground that we should go over in safety and closed up the seas and engulfed the pursuing Egyptians?" He hesitated and choked and spluttered, and finally he said, "It was a confluence of tides." He began to give me a rational explanation, a natural explanation for a supernatural event.

And then I asked, "What about the birth of Isaac? If you can't believe for the birth of Jesus, how about the birth of Isaac?" And again he gave me a rational and natural explanation. So what the Lord was showing me, and I think that it is basically true, is there's a deep-seeded, rational and natural component of Jewish life and thought, which is really an expression of a world itself which is at enmity with God, and that has an abhorrence for supernatural explanation, even while it speaks about God and is fastidious in its religious observance about what to eat, and how to eat, and other kinds of ritual things that are performed.

It brings me to another point: if we are ruled by the things that are visible, rather than the things that are of God, we are likely to find ourselves applauding such a people who have an ethical quality of life, an impressive religious quality of life, that is historically impressive, that has a liturgy that leaves us in the shade, and by every natural appearance, seems to support what they say! That they are moral, ethical, and righteous, whereas we're the ones who are coming apart at the seams. We're the ones that are struggling to keep our spiritual heads above water and have our marriages somehow to be coherent, and are struggling against sin and against temptation, and they seem to be walking through the world whistling Dixie."

As a Jew myself, I relate deeply to that last sentiment. I have found myself applauding and am often drawn towards the beautiful Jewish lifestyle, even with its faults, as I find it more Scriptural that the way most Christians are living! (gulp, I'm gonna get hell for that one in the comments!) Yes, Jews don't get it all right, as Katz mentions, but they often live much better than many Christians do, as far as religion and moral teaching goes. Katz summed it up nicely: here Christian evangelicals have one of the highest divorce rates in the United States, yet this lowly, erstwhile Jew has not once raised his voice at his wife.

Indeed, the anti-Torah lifestyle of most of backwards, idolatrous western Christianity only pushes me in that direction -- more Jewishness, less Christianity! I am constantly pulled towards Judaism merely by appearance and pushed -- by Christians! -- away from Christianity. (In fact, I was recently told by a Christian man that I am not a Christian because I throw out church tradition and instead opt to celebrate the Feasts of the Lord.)

Wisdom has taught me that all have sinned and all are dirty inside, no matter how clean one looks from appearance alone. That applies to all religious people, no matter how pious, no matter how devout, all sin. So do the most Orthodox Jews, no matter how strictly they outwardly observe Torah. This wisdom has kept me from abandoning all ties to gentile Christianity.

Like the Pharisees, I suspect many Jews aren't clean inside as they are on the outside; all the wonderful moral practices and regulations and commandment-keeping does nothing for you if you aren't alive with the Spirit of God, really living for God on the inside as much as the outside.

I also recognize that loving God and loving others trumps all. This is something straight from the mouths of both Moses and the Messiah, something Jews and Christians can agree on. The beautiful Jewish lifestyle currently misses Messiah, and even though I have contempt for the idolatry in Christianity, and though I cringe at the sight of Constantine's anti-Jewish, anti-Torah version of Christianity being preached today, I trust that God doesn't want hatred towards those practicing and preaching the faults of gentile Christianity. The Lord is so good, he doesn't let his anger rage against us when we fail, but instead corrects us out of love and brings us back to him. The least I can do is imitate that kind of love.

And it's us Jews that need this love and need to hear about Messiah, not about your misguided gentile church traditions, or how I need to become a Baptist, or Lutheran, or Catholic, in order to truly know my own God, the God of Israel.

To the Jew first, and to us with the Good News of the revolutionary Jewish Messiah, not the Lukewarm News of Gentile Christianity.

To the Jew first, because we are the tough guy that spits out what pagans so readily accept.

To the Jew first, because God chose us and revealed himself to us while gentiles were still worshipping hand-crafted idols.

To the Jew first, because we've held fast to God's commandments for 4000 years, while the gentile world traded that in for man's traditions, despite immense pressure and persecution to do otherwise, often by men in the name of Christ.

To the Jew first, because we are the litmus test for the gospel.

If you want to hear more of Art, please see his podcast teachings on SermonIndex. Also see BenIsrael.org.

I Plead With You (audio)

In light of the recent post on Ultra Orthodox Jews persecuting Messianic Jews in Israel, I'm reminded of a song by Barak that covers this very subject.

The song is titled I Plead, and is a cry to God for Israel, to set them free from man-made religion (both in Judaism and Christianity) and to open their eyes to Messiah, as it was written in the Tenakh over 2500 years ago.


How long will they be kept in the shadows?
How long will there be no life?
How long will their eyes be blinded?
How long will your Spirit be silent?

I plead with you
Yahweh Elohim
I plead with you
When will they be free?
I plead with you
Come and set them free
I plead with you

For the non-Hebrew speakers, "Yahweh" is the name of God, "Elohim" a title much like God or God-head.

Barak - I Plead.mp3

Orthodox Jews are persecuting Messianic Jews in Israel (video)

Really sad, but at the same time, I know Messiah will reveal himself even to these lost sheep of Israel. Can't wait for that day when Messiah silences the critics -- both the humanistic and religious spirits will be silenced.



Messiah, forgive them and have mercy on them. They don't see you yet, but I recognize your master plan in bringing the gentiles to you, the God of Israel, and during this time they have hard hearts and strong ties to tradition and man-made religion. Bring them back to you -- not in some distant century, but in modern day! I want to see this while I'm still alive!

Master Messiah, it hurts to see them like this. Show yourself and your power to them, that there will be no denying Yeshua HaMoshiach, Messiah of Israel, Hope of Israel, Suffering Servant, son of Joseph, son of David. Show yourself to your people Israel, so that they'll know the Lord their God is with them and that Messiah is for them, not against them. Heal the wounds inflicted by both Christianity and Judaism; over the centuries we've persecuted Israel in your name, Messiah, can you ever forgive us for that terrible thing? And now it's in full turn: Israel persecutes Messiah. If you can forgive us, forgive them. Heal these wounds and tie us together as one body, a complete Israel: both Jews and those grafted in by Messiah. Show yourself to Jerusalem! Reveal Messiah to Tel-Aviv! Let all Israel know that Messiah lives, the God of Israel and the son of David stands with them even today! So be it!

I'm reminded of what Paul said in his letter to the Romans regarding Jews who've reject Messiah:

I want to lay all this out on the table as clearly as I can, friends. This is complicated. It would be easy to misinterpret what's going on and arrogantly assume that you gentile believers in Messiah are royalty and the Jews are just rabble, out of God's plans for good. But that's not it at all. This hardness on the part of insider Israel toward God is only temporary. Its effect is to open things up to all the gentiles so that we end up with a full house. Before it's all over, there will be a complete Israel, Jews and gentiles the same, together making up a holy people for God. As it is written,

A champion will stride down from Mt. Zion;

he'll clean up the unrighteousness in Israel.

Here's my commitment to my people Israel:

removal of their sins.

From your point of view as you hear and embrace the good news of the Messiah, it almost looks like Jews are God's enemies. But looked at from the long-range perspective of God's overall purpose, they remain God's oldest friends. God's gifts and God's call are under full warranty--never canceled, never rescinded.

There was a time not so long ago when you were on the outs with God: living rebelliously, doing whatever felt good, living for yourself. But then Jews slammed the door on Messiah and things opened up for you. Now Jews are on the outs. But with the door held wide open for you, they have a way back in. In one way or another, God makes sure that we all experience what it means to be outside so that he can personally open the door and welcome us back in.

What amazing wisdom! Giving discipline to those who rebel and generous grace to those who are lost, making us all come back to Him, one way or another.

Is there anyone around who can explain God?

Anyone smart enough to tell him what to do?

Anyone who has done him such a huge favor

that God has to ask his advice?

Everything comes from him;

Everything happens through him;

Everything ends up in him.

Always glory! Always praise!

Yes!