US Evangelicals have a nasty habit of sticking their shtick where it just doesn't belong. They've used their influence to "persuade" Israel's lawmakers not to ban missionizing. They've descended on the Jews of Israel like vultures, ready to pounce on every Jew who will give them a moment of their time. Billions of dollars are spent every year to denigrate and mock Judaism and get Jews to convert.
If a person brings a dangerous animal into their house and it bits them, who is to blame? Certainly a rabid dog or wolf cannot be held responsible for acting in a way that is dictated by their nature. The person who brought this danger in is at fault for negligence. Similarly, US Evangelicals can't really be held guilty for seeking to convert Jews. Their bible speaks of the "Great Commission" in which they are ordered to "go baptize all the nations" into their faith. Evangelicals define their religion by evangelizing and "spreading the good word". Those who must be held accountable for this grievous sin of shmad, spiritual apostasy and destruction, are those Jews who brought the Evangelicals into our homes. Churches and baptisms popping up all over Israel are simply the price of courting "a Judeo-Christian alliance". In many ways, armies of missionaries and tens of thousands of missionary pamphlets and Christian bibles are our just reward. We have courted a hornet and now it has stung us.
So desperate for friends, Israeli politicians, religious and secular alike, have flirted with Evangelicals. In 2004, Minister of Tourism, Benny Ellon, gave Pat Robertson an award for "saving Israel from bankruptcy". Later that year, Robertson used his endorsement by Ellon to advocate Messianic "Judaism" (Christianity) at the ICEJ Feast of the Tabernacles. John Hagee's own CUFI (Christians United for Israel) which Israeli politicians believe to be so fundamental in providing support for Israel, is guilt of proselytization as well. Every single Christian leader whom Israel has depended on or considered a friend has supported and advanced the proliferation of missionary activity in Israel.
Nobody is more guilty than the rabbis and their followers of the Religious Zionist group. They have welcomed Evangelicals with open arms. Their claim is "we are comfortable in our faith and have no reason to fear from Evangelicals. We know who we are and we don't have to worry about becoming Christian." How very now for them. And how very callous. They seem to have forgotten that despite the fact that they have a good knowledge of Torah and Jewish spirituality, many Jews tragically do not. Ironically, in Israel today, many Jews have no idea of what Judaism entails, are unfamiliar with the traditions and customs and are completely lost in Judaism. The rabbis who invited the Evangelicals are are guilty of violating the Torah prohibition of not placing a stumbling-block before the blind. They will certainly no convert but there are no such assurances for the secular and disenfranchised Jews in Israel. Missionaries have already reaped their devastating harvest of Jewish souls among the poor and less-fortunate, new Russian and Ethiopian immigrants and the elderly and troubled teens. The Torah repeatedly warns us "you shall exterminate evil from your midst." We are forbidden to tolerate idolatry among us for fear that it will lead many Jews astray. The Torah sets down guidelines for the destruction of an entire city that turns to idol worship, an ir nidachat. Such a city cannot be allowed to continue to exist in Israel. If a center of avodah zarah is allowed to fester, it will attract many Jews. How these rabbis have forgotten these teachings!
Many "rabbis" and leaders are men of little faith. When they put their trust in flesh-and-blood Christians, even at the cost of their souls, they show contempt for HaShem and His Torah. G-d says to us: Do not fear, My servant Jacob. We have nothing to fear as HaShem is with us. By placing our trust on the wobbly reed of Evangelicals, we are pushing away the Redemption. The great "Judeo-Christian alliance" has brought us nothing but bitterness, apostasy and spiritual destruction. We have been so desensitized to idolatry that we do not regard Messianic "Judaism" as exactly what it is: foreign worship. The sight of Christians dancing around wearing talleisim and praising J*sus, freely mixing Judaism and Christianity, does not affect us anymore. Business as usual. The Talmud Yerushalmi tells us the following teaching: Rabbi Acha says in the name of Rabbi Huna: In the End of Days, the evil Esau will don his tallis and go sit among the righteous in Gan Eden, and G-d will drag him out of there." There is no need to wait for the End of Days. Let's give G-d a hand and drag Esau out there ourselves.
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8 comments:
Messianics are never to be tolerated. Never, never, ever should we permit them to debase Judaism as we turn a blind eye.
BK
In your post "We Let Them In" you said in your 4th paragraph:-
"...in Israel today, many Jews have no idea of what Judaism entails, are unfamiliar with the traditions and customs and are completely lost in Judaism."
and I wonder as to the accuracy of that statement.
Some time ago I purchased a book with the title "The Hebrew Yeshua vs. the Greek Jesus". The author is, I understand, a notable Israeli Karaite Jew by name of Nehemia Gordon who is, coincidentally, an observer of the new moon in Jerusalem.
On page 22 of his book he writes:-
"In modern Israel about 70% of the Jews are “secularist” which means they do not live by Torah. If you ask the average Israeli why he has shut Torah out of his life, he will generally tell you that being “religious” is too difficult and it’s not what G-d wants anyway. When you ask for an example, he’ll cite you a thousand and one things the Rabbis require, which have no basis in the Torah. Now these secularists are not stupid. They know these Rabbinical laws are not from the Torah but they usually do not realize that there is a way to live by Torah without being sucked in by Rabbinical innovation. So they end up by throwing the baby out with the bathwater. In essence, by requiring these man-made laws, the Rabbis are driving people away from the Torah."
You have said:-
"...in Israel today, many Jews have no idea of what Judaism entails,.."
So, just what is the truth of the matter>?
Ralph, as a resident of Israel, I would have to agree with BK's assessment, even of secular Jews in Israel. Many Jews are turned off by some of the modern stringencies seen in the ultra-orthodox society, but that does not mean that they actually have learned Torah before arriving at that conclusion.
גילוי
I guess you may be right when you say:-
"..but that does not mean that they actually have learned Torah before arriving at that conclusion."
However, they must have learnt enough to be turned off by the "innovations" imposed by the Rabbinical system. Otherwise, how would:-
"They know these Rabbinical laws are not from the Torah"
as Nehemia Gordon suggests in his book?
I would put forth that as a Karaite, he might have an agenda.
Ralph, the claim you cite is nonsensical, the numbers are in reverse about 20% of Israelis are secualar, 30% Torah observant and the remainder traditional.
kahaneloyalist,
I lay absolurely no claim to political knowledge but would you say the figures you state are reflected in the current Israeli government?
Also, what do you mean by traditional?
Traditional covers a wide range between nearly full observance to minor but regular observances of Torah law.
Limited following of kashrut, lighting of Shabbat candles, great respect shown to the Chachamim.
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