tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9126870050568525252024-03-13T15:26:02.256-04:00The Truth About Moshiach"Whoever saves a Jewish soul, it is considered as if he has saved the world entire" - Talmud Sanhedrin 37AAvihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156322358503174356noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-912687005056852525.post-46288264954076931852009-08-13T17:50:00.004-04:002009-08-13T18:23:55.962-04:00The Missionary VaccineIn Israel and the United States, missionary attempts on Jews are reaching a fever-pitch. Evangelical Christians are using every technique they possess, including <a href="http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1248277906708&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull">converting the elderly</a> in nursing homes, in order to lure Jews to the Cross. Scandalously, missionaries are preparing to inaugurate a new Christian Russian-language TV network will be inaugurated next month in Israel. This station is aimed at the Russian Jewish public, many of whom are painfully ignorant of their Jewish heritage following decades of Soviet oppression, as well as content aimed at children.<br /><br />Incredibly, many young Jews are tragically falling for this Messianic deception, trading their heritage for a pot of lentils. Why is it that unprecedented numbers of Jews are crossing a line that their grandparents would have never dared to cross, whereas in previous generations, despite oppression and force, few Jews accepted the Christian faith? Even under the harshest conditions, which could almost complete disappear upon baptism, most Jews clung tightly to their faith. Forced conversionist sermons, decreed by the Church to be held in synagogues on shabbat, had little effect on Jews. What went wrong?<br /><br />The answer is simple: today's generation of Jews prefers a strong, passionate Christianity to a watered-down, diluted Judaism. Most Jews have no exposure to authentic Jewish practice and belief, and have at best memories of <em>bubbeh</em> and <em>zaideh</em>, or resentment at being forced to attend afternoon school or "temple". An entire generation of Jews has grown up simply having no idea what Judaism is- and they have no idea what Judaism is not. To understand why the "Judaism" of the "temple rabbis" has no appeal to young people, one need only read <a href="http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?apage=1&cid=1249418594422&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull">this</a> interview. The empty, vapid cultural Judaism has nothing to offer, complete with all its trappings of "bar mitzvah", trying to be accepted, and "Christmukkah".<br /><br />It is essential to comprehend what Judaism is not before learning what it is. Judaism is not a culture, and eating gefilte fish or watching Fiddler on the Roof will not keep Jews Jewish. Cultural Judaism is a dead-end which leads to the travesties of trying to incorporate Jewish rituals at mixed-marriages, or of lighting the <em>Chanukiyah</em> next to the Christmas tree. Judaism is not secular Israeli nationalism, and Jews unfounded in Jewish concepts and ideals will find it increasingly difficult to accept the idea of a Jewish state. Not rooted in Jewish thought, many young Jews in the Diaspora are becoming uncomfortable with the Zionist dream. The secularization of Judaism, through "culture" as well as Zionism unfounded in Torah, is a goat-path to nowhere, a nihilistic road to assimilation and intermarriage. The millions of Jews who gave up their lives throughout history screaming the <em>Shemah</em> did not die for kugel or knishes.<br /><br />Judaism is a covenant with G-d, established when G-d appeared before the entire nation of Israel at Sinai and presented them with His Torah. It has been, and continues to be, the way of life for the religious Jew. It is an all-encompassing system that pertains to all aspects of life, infusing them with G-dliness and holiness. When a Jew is committed to his G-d and his Torah, missionary arguments with fall on deaf ears. A Jew has no need for an intermediary between him and G-d because he knows that by keeping the <em>mitzvot</em>, he creates a personal relationship with G-d. He has no need for foreign waters from impure wells because he drink from the Torah, the source of living waters. Only by returning to the faith of our forefathers will our children be immune to conversion attempts. <br /><br />To any Jew who is considering converting to the Messianic religious, I ask you: say <em>Shemah</em>, lay tefillin, keep kosher and observe Shabbat. Learn Torah with a rabbi or a study-partner. Immerse yourselves in the healing waters of the Torah and drink deeply from it. Experience true Jewish spirituality. This is the best and most sure vaccine against missionaries.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.crownheights.info/media/2/20071116-243.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 425px; height: 250px;" src="http://www.crownheights.info/media/2/20071116-243.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Avihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156322358503174356noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-912687005056852525.post-25552433395343345302009-05-01T11:41:00.003-04:002009-05-01T12:09:52.330-04:00Problems with Jesus's Zionists<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.favorzion.org/images/flag.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 351px;" src="http://www.favorzion.org/images/flag.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />The <a href="http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1239710831191&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull">Jerusalem Post</a> describes Aryeh Bar-David as what would seem like a typical religious Zionist. <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Like most religious Zionists, Aryeh Bar-David sees the hand of God in the establishment of the Jewish state and the Jewish people's repeated victories against its enemies. Yom Ha'atzmaut has religious meaning as a tangible sign that God is fulfilling his biblical promises to the Jewish people. "God's intervention in the course of history is so clear that, for me, it is absurd that people think we are just another secular democratic country," said Bar-David, who met me on Remembrance Day outside the Old City's Damascus Gate.<br /><br />"This," said Bar-David, gesturing toward the outer wall of the Old City, "is the manifestation of God's prophecies as stated in Ezekiel, Jeremiah and other places in the Bible," referring to the victory in the Six Day War which gave Israel control of east Jerusalem, including the Old City.<br /><br />Also similar to many religious Zionists, Bar-David, a veteran of four wars, is convinced that his religious faith helped him cope with life-and-death situations in combat. Under Ariel Sharon, he took part in some of the bloodiest battles for control of the Suez Canal during the Yom Kippur War. As platoon sergeant, Bar-David was forced to take over command when the platoon commander was killed in an ambush. "No matter how dangerous things got, I never feared anything. In a way I had a longing to be in heaven, closer to God. So I was not ever scared by the prospect of dying."<br /><br />But, unlike most Jewish religious Zionists - who see the establishment of the state as a precursor to the yet-to be-revealed messiah - Bar-David has a radically different eschatology.<span style="font-weight:bold;"> That's because Bar-David is a Messianic Jew.</span></span><br /><br />The Jerusalem Post falls into the same fallacious logic which Messianic and missionaries use. They argue that since they use Hebrew, support Israel, practice and incorporate Jewish ritual and traditions and were born of Jewish mothers, therefore, their faith is Jewish. The article goes on to mention that there are 200-300 Messianics serving in the IDF, how they love and support Israel and how 2000 Messianics showed up in Geneva to protest the Durban II conference.<br /><br />It bears repeating over and over and over again that the essence of Judaism is not keeping kosher or lighting Chanukkah candles, or even love of Israel. The outward trappings are only reflections of the inner meaning. The essence of Judaism is predicated on the Absolute Oneness of G-d. On Mount Sinai, as millions of the Children of Israel stood ready to receive the Torah, HaShem said clearly to them: <span style="font-weight:bold;">"I am the L-rd your G-d who took you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me."</span> By taking us out of Egypt, G-d claimed our eternal allegiance. This is the definition of true Judaism as opposed to idolatry. Idolatry is not necessarily praying to sticks and stones or building images of the divine. Idolatry, and spiritual adultery, is worshipping anything other than the G-d who took us out of Egypt, from the house of bondage, anything other than the deity than revealed Himself to us at Sinai. G-d instructed the Jewish people with absolute clarity as to what was appropriate form of worship and what was not. Certainly, the name of Jesus was never mentioned. He was not at Sinai, and is therefore not worth worshipping. G-d warns us to remember well, and to take to heart, the mass revelation at Sinai<span style="font-style:italic;">. "And you shall watch yourselves very well, for you did not see any image on the day that the Lord spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire. Lest you become corrupt and make for yourselves a graven image, the representation of any form, the likeness of male or female..."</span> (Devarim 4:15-16)<br /><br />The power and strength of this admonition stood by the Jewish people during their long centuries of exile. The clever and thoughtful arguments of Pope or bishops, neither Crusading swords or the racks of the Inquisitions, could sway the Jew. Despite any attempt to convince him otherwise, the Jew knew that only HaShem, the G-d of Israel, and not Jesus, or Allah, or Buddha, or Zeus or Krishna, gave him the Torah at Sinai, and only He deserved worship. The concept of a Jew accepting a human being as divine, as the son of G-d, and of adoring him, is so absurd and so repugnant to the essence of Judaism. While it may be possible for a less than perfect Jew to ignore some commandments while keeping others, nothing can erase the sin of idolatry. By serving in the IDF, or laying tefillin, an apostate Jew only makes his service all the more abhorrent. In the times of the First Temple, many Israelites for Baal or Astarte served in the army. Many of them were loyal citizens who loved their country. Yet this could not make up for turning from the G-d of Israel.<br /><br />On Wednesday, it was Yom HaAtzmaut, the celebration of the 61st anniversary of Israel's independence. Complete independence means more than no longer being under foreign rule or sovereignty. Jewish independence is much more significant than no longer being controlled by the British. The true and ultimate independence that we hope for is a spiritual independence, of being independent and free from foreign and gentile influences. We hope that the Jewish nation in Israel will not be subject to strange philosophies, beliefs and cults. Being subject to repeated proselytization attempts within our own country is a form of enslavement. That there are people serving in the army of G-d, the Israel Defense Force, identifying with a foreign faith and trying to woo Jews to it shows how our independence is far from perfect.<br /><br />May we merit the Final Redemption speedily in our days, and a complete independence, from all our foes, both physical and spiritual.Avihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156322358503174356noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-912687005056852525.post-17620914623502151262009-03-18T15:29:00.002-04:002009-03-18T15:37:47.603-04:00Attacking the WeakIn their quest for Jewish souls, missionaries will stop at nothing. There is no limit to the deception and trickery that they will use in order to convert ignorant and alienated Jews from Judaism.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(IsraelNN.com) A Jewish outreach organization has called on mainstream booksellers, including Barnes & Noble and Amazon, to remove a Christian missionary version of the traditional Passover Hagaddah from the Judaism sections of online and conventional bookstores.<br /><br />Rabbi Tovia Singer, director of Outreach Judaism, warned, "Despite the innocent-sounding title 'Passover Family Pack: Everything You Need to Enjoy a Passover Seder Dinner,' the guide quickly departs from the traditional holiday message once it is opened."<br /><br />Jewish families seeking to celebrate the ancient exodus of the Jewish People from Egyptian slavery find once they open the package that they are encouraged to express their faith in the Christian deity, "Yeshua the Messiah."</span><br /><br />Outreach Judaism has started a <a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Special/Petition/">petition</a> demanding that Amazon reclassify this Hagaddah accurately as Christian, rather than Jewish. Passover is one of the most fundamental celebrations of the Jewish faith, a holiday which even the most assimilated Jews still celebrate or commemorate. To use the celebration of Jewish nationhood, liberation and renewal to woo Jews away from their faith is beyond disgusting.<br /><br />In a similar story, Jewish religious groups turned down a sizable donation from missionary sources:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(IsraelNN.com) Two Jewish religious groups turned down a missionary donation of thousands of dollars – and received the same sum from a Venezuelan philanthropist instead.<br /><br />The story began several months ago, when a group of families from Disengagement-destroyed Netzarim - formerly of northern Gush Katif - received a donation of 21,502 shekels, worth some $6,000 at the time. The families had reason to believe that their benefactors had ulterior motives, and upon further investigation, found that the money came from a missionary organization.<br /><br />They asked Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, Dean of Yeshivat Ateret Cohanim in the Old City of Jerusalem, for his opinion, and he recommended that they not use the money. He said they should send the full sum to the anti-missionary Yad L’Achim organization, where it would be used in the fight against those who try to convert Jews to any form of Christianity or belief in Jesus. <br /><br />However, Yad L’Achim, too, did not wish to use the money, by express instruction of organization founder and chairman Rabbi Shalom Dov Lifshitz. “This, despite the various dispensations that can be found for situations like this, and despite the dwindling contributions in recent months,” said sources in Yad L’Achim.<br /><br />Following the publication of this story earlier this month, at least one person, a Jew from Venezuela, was particularly moved by the groups’ self-sacrifice – and decided to donate the identical sum. <br /><br />The unidentified philanthropist called the central Yad L’Achim office in Bnei Brak one day last week, and asked to speak to Rabbi Lifshitz “The moment I heard about the large donation that the people of Netzarim sent you because they didn’t want to use missionary money," the caller said, "and how you also refused to use it, despite the difficult financial situation everyone is going through – I was very moved. I could not remain apathetic, and I would like to give you a donation in the same sum.”<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">'Accepting Money From Missionaries Strengthens Them'</span><br />Rabbi Lifshitz said afterwards, “This very emotional donation proves the words of our holy Torah, ‘Is G-d’s hand too short [to provide]?’ Anyone with eyes can see clearly that G-d finds the way to help whoever needs, without having to rely on non-kosher sources… The very acceptance of money from missionary organizations strengthens them, Heaven forbid.”<br /><br />It was not reported if the donor made a similar offer to Netzarim.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Netzarim Families Continue Farming</span><br />Some 45 uprooted families of Netzarim are currently living in the Halutza Sands town of Yevul, southeast of Gaza. Many of them are engaged in the same type of organic agriculture in which they worked in Gush Katif, raising organic lettuce, peppers, and more. <br /><br />Together with another 35 families who have since joined them, they are planning to move to Bnei Netzarim, a community whose construction has just begun. They hope that the first families will be able to begin moving to their new homes, some five kilometers to the south, within a year. </span><br /><br />May we all have the courage and strength to reject those who wish to turn us away from Judaism. May HaShem foil the plans of the enemies of His people and of His Torah.Avihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156322358503174356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-912687005056852525.post-49951487410479689222009-02-26T09:16:00.002-05:002009-02-26T09:22:40.019-05:00The Right to Smash Idols<span style="font-style:italic;">Posted by Ellen W. Horowitz for <a href="http://www.jewishisrael.com/">JewishIsrael</a><br /><br />"Do not bow down to their gods and do not serve them. Do not follow their practices. You must tear them down and you must utterly shatter their monuments." (Parashat Mishpatim 23:24)</span><br /><br />The above was from last week’s Torah portion. G-d with His infinite sense of humor handed that one down to a people who don’t have much of a hankering for violently pulverizing pagan ideas, altars and places of worship.<br /><br />How does one reduce idols to mere dust in a civil society, in a modern Jewish state?<br /><br />Ideally, we Jews should counter idolatry by using our intellect to enable compassionate and just laws which are both considerate of human dignity and in keeping with Jewish tradition. But with Western democracies cramming the mantras of tolerance, political correctness, and freedom of religious expression down our Israeli gullets, we sometimes find ourselves preserving and protecting that which we were commanded to uproot. What’s a Jew to do?<br /><br />Well, there’s always humor… and it’s been a funny week.<br /><br />Headlines reported that the results of a survey on Israeli attitudes toward Christianity indicate a sharp division between religious and secular Jews on topics ranging from missionary activity, to accepting funds from evangelical sources, to visiting churches. Despite the sharp divide, both secular and religious Israelis did find some common ground, as only 50% of Israeli Jews agreed that Jerusalem was central to the Christian faith; and 75% believe the state should not allow Christian groups to buy land to build new churches in Jerusalem.<br /><br />Meanwhile secular Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit of Kadima saw fit to set up a special committee to discuss amending Israel's Law of Return. Sheetrit feels the law has been abused by non-Jews with no connection to Judaism as a way to obtain Israeli citizenship. "In a few years Israel will no longer be the state of the Jews, and I do not want that," Sheetrit said.<br /><br />But by far the most bizarre interfaith clash of this past week was over a skit, broadcast on Israeli Channel 10, which the Vatican claimed had "ridiculed -- with blasphemous words and images -- the Lord Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary."<br /><br />C’mon Mr. Pope, Lior Shlein is just a secular Jewish entertainer - it’s not like he is one of your devout and disciplined Catholic bishops. Israel should be the place where Jews can express themselves fully as Jews; and a late night Hebrew program televised on a private channel in Israel should surely be a safe haven for satirists - and out of the sights and clutches of the “Holy See”.<br /><br />A <a href="http://www.taggartoons.co.uk/Cartoons/Single%20Panel/Christmas/Virgin-Mary.jpg">virgin birthing a deity</a> who can <a href="http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/hre0018l.jpg">walk on water</a> is – for the Jew – absurd to the point of being hysterically funny. For the Jew, there is simply nothing reverent about it.<br /><br />Besides, satire by nature is irreverent, and it’s a given that unconventional artists and entertainers are prone to going over-the-top and dabbling in the tactless, tasteless and insulting. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1loyjm4SOa0&feature=PlayList&p=720F0C1C29D0C457&playnext=1&index=29">Monty Python</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKxnaMeOK20">Mel Brooks</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTzXJMU1sLc">Mr. Bean</a> have all pushed the religious humor envelope to the outer limits. Alternatively, politically conservative comedienne Jackie Mason took his rants in defense of Christmas, Christianity and Mel Gibson to the brink, too ( but drew the line in the form of a law suit when Jews for Jesus put out a broadside entitled: <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14512457/">"Jackie Mason… A Jew for Jesus?!”</a>)<br /><br />Were Shlein’s antics heresy? Were they tanamount to “<a href="http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3675601,00.html">denying Christianity” </a>as Palestinian-Arab-Catholic and Israeli Arab newspaper CEO, Zohir Andreus, claims? Well, Mr. Andreus, we have a dilemma because to acknowledge Christian belief is to deny Judaism.<br /><br />What is sacred for the devout Christian is oft-times blasphemous for the Jew. Even the currently in-vogue fascination many Christians are having with “messianic hebraic roots” movements and Jewish rituals cannot mask, nor bridge, the very fundamental differences between faiths.<br /><br />If we adhere to the philosophy of the late and very great Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, then it seems the secular Mr. Shlein did us all a favor with his “blasphemy”. Rav Kook found a holy spark in Jewish heretics and atheists. In their denial of a Creator, they refuse to ascribe form to G-d or define His attributes and character in limited human terms. The heretic does not fall into the trap of creating a false image. This attitude intellectually and spiritually challenges the religious community and compels it to strive for a more profound knowledge and perception of G-d. The Pope should thank Lior Shlein for expanding his horizons, and for giving him the opportunity to grow beyond the confines and imagery of the Sistine Chapel.<br /><br />We have to remember that it was the patriarch Abraham who, according to Jewish (and Islamic) tradition used common sense and a sense of humor when, as a young boy, he smashed all of his father’s idols except for one, and when asked what transpired replied, “The idols all got into a fight and the biggest idol won." At the time, little Avram must have appeared as a very disrespectful and rebellious blasphemer.<br /><br />They just don’t make Jewish leaders like they used to. I bristled as Ehud Olmert submitted to Vatican demands and confessed and repented with a <a href="http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1233304844544&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull">public apology</a>, It is so in character for our outgoing Prime Minister to take his final bow facing Rome.<br /><br />These are dark times and disputes with the Vatican and other Christian denominations over property rights, rights to proselytize, and the right to freedom of Christian expression, appear to be on the increase. Christian influence is growing in Israel exponentially and we Jews had better find our voice and assert our rights to laugh, legislate, smash idols, and bloodlessly slaughter sacred cows.<br /><br />Cross-posted from <a href="http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com">Shiloh Musings</a>Avihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156322358503174356noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-912687005056852525.post-90893107792481660492009-01-14T21:27:00.004-05:002009-01-14T22:06:38.008-05:00He's in there?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.crownheights.info/media/Rabbinical%20college%20study%20program%20teaches%20Jews%20to%20live%20simple%20life/2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 425px; height: 261px;" src="http://www.crownheights.info/media/Rabbinical%20college%20study%20program%20teaches%20Jews%20to%20live%20simple%20life/2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">"Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." -John 5:39</span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"><br /></span></blockquote>When Christians read the Bible, they see Jesus in every verse and every portion. In their minds, Jesus is literally bouncing off every page. They make the claim that Jesus's messiah-hood and divinity is apparent from a cursory reading of Scripture and that if a person would only honestly examine the texts, they could not possibly deny his truth.<br /><br />A favorite missionary claim is that the early Christians were Jewish, proof of the compatibility of the two faiths. Yet their very own argument works against them. If the Scriptures clearly and unequivocally point to Jesus's coming, one would expect that the people who would be the first to recognize him would be the very people who spent their lives studying the Torah. It would make sense that the Sanhedrin, the great rabbis and leaders of the people would have recognized Jesus's coming, clearly foretold in the Torah. One could imagine, if the Gospel tale is to be believed, Jesus coming before the Sanhedrin and arguing that he was divine, sent by G-d to redeem the world. The rabbis, who should have known from the Torah about such a person, refuted and rejected all of Jesus's arguments and reasoning. Obviously, the idea of a human saviour-god, son of a virgin and the divine, dying for the sins of humanity was not a Jewish concept based on the Torah, but rather a pagan one. While the learned men did not accept Jesus, his disciples were tradesmen, common folk and Torah students. Peter and John were Galilean fishermen, while Paul was a Roman tax collector. Mary Magdelene was a prostitute- certainly not a paragon of Torah scholarship and learning. Far from having the Scriptures clearly testify of Jesus, <span style="font-weight:bold;">those who were familiar with the Scriptures were the first to reject him!</span><br /><br />Similarly, one would expect that missionaries would have the most ease persuading Jews who have studied in yeshiva. Coming out of the synagogue and <em>beit midrash</em>, with a holy book tucked under their arms, they should be easy prey for the missionary sharing "the good news". It is then quite odd that missionaries rarely are sent to Crown Heights, to Monsey, Meah Shearim, Bnei Brak or Hebron. They would have little luck there as Jews well-versed in their faith and Torah are insusceptible to Christian missionizing. On the contrary, missionaries often concentrate their efforts on college students alienated from their Jewish heritage, lonely seniors, new Russian or Ethiopian <em>olim</em>, segments of the Jewish population that do not possess a strong Jewish heritage. A quick glance at testimonies on missionary sites such as 'Jews for Jesus' and the like show that most were raised in homes devoid of Jewish spirituality and whose only Jewish connection was gefilte fish and matzoh balls. That is why the Christian Bible places great emphasis on faith, rather than knowledge. This is because belief in Jesus cannot stand up to a true Jewish examination, based on traditional Jewish teaching and practice.<br /><br />The classic Christian response to this is that Jews have been blinded by Satan. If the Devil had not caused them not to see, they would quickly accept the Cross. The Pope recently restored mass prayers calling for "the veil of blindness" to be "lifted" from the "eyes of the perfidious Jews". This arrogant and condescending claim ignores the many arguments and oppositions that Jews have with Christian theology. The Jewish rejection of Jesus as the messiah is based on study of the requirements of the messiah, which Jesus did not fulfill. The Torah records that in the End of Days, it will be the gentile nations, and not the Jews, who have been mistaken.<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">"O LORD, my strength, and my stronghold, and my refuge, in the day of affliction, unto Thee shall the nations come from the ends of the earth, and shall say: 'Our fathers have inherited nought but lies, vanity and things wherein there is no profit.' Shall a man make unto himself gods, and they are no gods?"</span></span> (Jeremiah 16:19)<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">"[In the Messianic Era] nations shall walk at thy [the Jewish people's] light, and kings at the brightness of thy rising."</span></span> (Isaiah 60:3)<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">"I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and have taken hold of thy hand, and kept thee, and set thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the nations; To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house."</span></span> (Isaiah 42:6-7)<br /><br />May we merit speedily the day in which all mankind will recognize that HaShem is One and His Name is One. Amen!Avihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156322358503174356noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-912687005056852525.post-19401054264914955492009-01-13T16:03:00.004-05:002009-01-13T17:12:59.538-05:00Liar, Lunatic or Lord?A Christian polemicist once argued famously that Jesus was either "a liar, a lunatic or lord". This circular argument has been repeated endlessly by missionaries in their obsessive drive to convert Jews. As such, it is necessary to take a look at who Jesus actually was, and who he most certainly was not.<br /><br />1) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Was Jesus a Prophet?</span></span><br /><br />The Christian Bible refers to Jesus as a prophet (Matt. 14:5, John 4:44). However, from a Jewish perspective, this claim is problematic. Therefore, it is necessary to compare Jesus's claims with the qualifications set down by a prophet in the Torah, contained in Deuteronomy 13 and 18.<br /><br />According to these sources, a prophet is a man sent by G-d to bring revelations. if a prophet predicts something that does not come to pass, or commands something contrary to the Torah, he is considered a false prophet and must be put to death. It is hard to square the idea that Jesus was a prophet with the claim that he was G-d, since that would make G-d His own prophet. We must examine whether all of Jesus' prophecies came true. Jesus prophesied that he would return during the generation and lifetime of his disciples.<br /><br />"Assuredly, I say to you, <strong>this generation</strong> will by no means pass away till all these things take place." (Mark 13:30)<br /><br />"Truly, I say to you, there are <strong>some standing among you here who will not taste death</strong> before they see the Son of Man coming in the Kingdom." (Matt. 16:28, 24:38)<br /><br />Jesus's disciples most assuredly see the second coming in their lifetime. Therefore, Jesus was a false prophet.<br /><br />The final verses of the Torah testify that Moses was the greatest and most authoritative of the prophets. It is a cardinal Jewish principle that never will a prophet arise who will be greatest than Moses and be able to cancel that which he commanded in the Torah. The Torah tells us how to recognize false prophets:<br /><br />Deuteronomy 13:1 <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The entire word that I command you</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">, that shall you observe to do;</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> you shall not add to it and you shall not subtract from it</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">. [2] If there should stand up in your midst a prophet or a dreamer of a dream, and he will produce to you a sign or a wonder, [3] and the sign or the wonder comes about, of which he spoke to you, saying "Let us follow gods of others that you did not know and we shall worship them!; [4] do not hearken to the words of that prophet or to that dreamer of a dream, f</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">or HASHEM, your G-d, is testing you to know whether you love HASHEM, your G-d with all your heart and with all your soul.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> [5] HASHEM, your G-d, shall you follow and Him shall you fear; His commandments shall you observe and to His voice shall you hearken; Him shall you serve and to Him shall you cleave. [6] </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">And that prophet and that dreamer of a dream shall be put to death</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">, for he had spoken perversion against HASHEM, your G-d Who takes you out of the land of Egypt, and Who redeems you from the house of slavery to make you stray from the path on which HASHEM, you G-d, has commanded you to go; and you shall destroy the evil from your midst.</span> (Artscroll)<br /><br />Just about everything that Jesus and Paul preached violated this clause. Paul opposed and condemned ritual observance of the Torah. Jesus dealt with many laws with a curious ambiguity. In Mark 7:18, Jesus declared all foods to be "clean", thus violating the laws of kashrut. Jesus limited or opposed divorce and remarriage in Matt. 19:9 and Mark 10:3-4, although this is permissible by the Torah. We see that Jesus tried to change the Torah, although no one has the authority to "add or subtract" to G-d's perfect Laws.<br /><br />More importantly, it must be remembered that any prophet succeeding Moses must preach a message keeping in line with that of Moses.<br /><br />FACT: No Jew prayed to Jesus prior to two thousand years ago.<br /><br />FACT: Jews would have been unfamiliar with the concept of G-d in human form.<br /><br />FACT: Jesus was, in essence, something that the Jews had not known.<br /><br />FACT: Deuteronomy 13 specifically warns us that G-d will grant the power of miracles to people who would lead us astray from Judaism.<br /><br />FACT: Deuteronomy 13 specifically says that Jews must not worship anything they had not previously known, no matter how many miracles the prophet performs, or how many events he predicts correctly.<br /><br />This brings us to our next point, which will determine if Jesus's message was idolatrous.<br /><br />2) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Was Jesus divine?</span></span></span><br /><br />Christianity teaches that Jesus was both fully human and fully divine. That is contradictory to G-d's explicit statement that He is not a man.<br /><br />"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">God is not a man</span>, that He should lie; <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">neither the son of man</span>, that He should repent..." (Numbers 23:19)<br /><br />"And also the Glory of Israel will not lie nor repent; f<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">or He is not a man</span>, that He should repent.'" (I Samuel 15:29)<br /><br />"..<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">for I am God, and not man</span>, the Holy One in the midst of thee; and I will not come in fury." (Hosea 11:9)<br /><br />If Jesus is a deity, then G-d is not alone because Jesus is a discrete physical being. The Torah and the prophets are filled with statements hat G-d is alone and that there is no other. Claiming that G-d has a physical form and is a Triune being is contradictory to the teachings and spirit of the Torah.<br /><br />"You are the ones who have been shown, so that you will know that God is the Supreme Being, and there is none other besides Him!" (Deuteronomy 4:35)<br /><br />"Know therefore today, and take it to your heart, that the Lord, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other!" (Deuteronomy 4:39)<br /><br />"To whom then will you liken Me, that I should be his equal?" says the Holy One. (Isaiah 40:25)<br /><br />"I am the Lord, that is My name, and My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images!" (Isaiah 42:8)<br /><br />"To whom shall you liken Me and make Me equal and compare Me that we may be alike?" (Isaiah 46:5)<br /><br />"Remember the first things of old, that I am God and there is no other; I am God and there is none like Me." (Isaiah 46:9)<br /><br />Isaiah 11:3 states that the Messiah will fear G-d. Logically, G-d cannot fear Himself. As such, it is illogical to claim that Jesus was G-d. It is important to note that Judaism never considered the Messiah divine but rather a very righteous human being. The early Christian made no claims about the divinity of Jesus. Jesus was actually elected divine at the Nicean Council in 325 CE, by former pagans who worshipped various saviour demigods similar to Jesus.<br /><br />3) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Was Jesus perfect?</span></span><br /><br />Christian claim that Jesus was a perfect being, yet a careful review of the Christian Bible reveals a far from perfect view of him. One incidence where Jesus sinned was the incident recorded in Matthew 21:18-19 in which Jesus destroyed a fruit tree which did not bear fruits. Mark informs us that it was not in the fruit-bearing season. This is in direct violation of the Torah's commandment of <em>bal tashchit</em>, prohibiting even the destruction of enemy fruit trees in times of war (Deut.20:19) If Jesus was "the son of god", certainly he could have caused the tree to blossom rather than vindictively destroying it. (Interestingly, the Talmud describes a story where Rabbi Yossi's son wanted to feed his workers and the fig tree had no fruit. Rabbi Yossi cried out and the fig tree produced fruit.)<br /><br />Jesus also sinned when he ordered his disciple to violate the commandments to honour ones parents and to promptly bury the dead.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> "And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus said unto him, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead</span>. And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him."</span> (Matt.8:21-23) By ordering his disciple not to bury his parents, Jesus violated the Ten Commandments and was guilty of a major sin under Jewish law.<br /><br />Despite being portrayed as a "prince of peace", Jesus was actually quite harsh to those who opposed him and certainly did not practice what he preached. Jesus taught other to turn the other cheek (Matt. 5:38-39) yet when he was struck by the officers, he answered them back (John 18:22-23).<br /><br />Instead of forgiveness and tolerance, Jesus cursed those who opposed him. <em>"If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned."</em> (John 15:6) In Luke 19:27, Jesus commanded that his disciples bring his Jewish enemies before him and slaughter them before him, a role that the Church was all to happy to play throughout history. Similarly, Jesus cursed the cities that did not believe in him (Matt.11:20-24).<br /><br />The Jewish people revere our holy and righteous sages, who rose to unparalleled levels of holiness and sanctity. One such individual was Rabbi Akivah, who was martyred around the time when Jesus supposedly lived. The Romans punished him for teaching Torah and skinned him alive with a hot metal comb.<br /><br />According to Mark and Matthew, Jesus' last words on the cross were a complaint:<em> "My G-d, my G-d, why have you forsaken me?"</em>. In contrast, Rabbi Akivah's last words were the Shemah, in which he proclaimed G-d's Unity and Oneness. Arguably, Jesus, who was supposedly the son of G-d, did not measure up to the exaltedness of Rabbi Akivah.<br /><br />4) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Was Jesus the messiah?</span></span><br /><br />The Jewish tradition of "The Messiah" has its foundation in numerous biblical references, and understands "The Messiah" to be a human being - without any overtone of deity or divinity - who will bring about certain changes in the world and fulfill certain criteria before he can be acknowledged as "The Messiah".<br /><br /><strong>First of all, he must be Jewish</strong> - <em>"...you may appoint a king over you, whom the L-rd your G-d shall choose: one from among your brethren shall you set as king over you."</em> (Deuteronomy 17:15)<br /><br /><strong>He must be a member of the tribe of Judah</strong> - <em>"The staff shall not depart from Judah, nor the sceptre from between his feet..."</em> (Genesis 49:10)<br /><br />To be a member of the tribe of Judah, the person must have a biological father who is a member of the tribe of Judah.<br /><br /><strong>He must be a direct male descendant of King David and King Solomon, his son</strong> - "<em>And when your days (David) are fulfilled, and you shall sleep with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who shall issue from your bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will make firm the throne of his kingdom forever..."</em> (2 Samuel 7:12 - 13)<br /><br />The genealogy of the New Testament is inconsistent. While it gives two accounts of the genealogy of Joseph, it states clearly that he is not the biological father of Jesus. One of the genealogies is through Nathan and not Solomon altogether!<br /><br /><strong>He must gather the Jewish people from exile and return them to Israel</strong> -"<em>And he shall set up a banner for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth."</em> (Isaiah 11:12)<br /><br />Are all Jews living in Israel? Have all Jews EVER lived in Israel since the time of Jesus?<br /><br /><strong>He must rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem</strong> -<em> "...and I will set my sanctuary in their midst forever and my tabernacle shall be with them.."</em> (Ezekiel 37:26 - 27)<br /><br />At last check, there is NO Temple in Jerusalem. And worse, it was shortly after Jesus died that the Temple was DESTROYED! Just the opposite of this prophecy!<br /><br /><strong>He will rule at a time of world-wide peace</strong> -<em> "...they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore."</em> (Micah 4:3)<br /><br />Have you seen a newspaper lately? Are we living in a state of complete world peace? Has there ever been peace since the time of Jesus?<br /><br /><strong>He will rule at a time when the Jewish people will observe G-d's commandments</strong> - <em>"My servant David shall be king over them; and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall follow My ordinances and be careful to observe My statutes."</em> (Ezekiel 37:24)<br /><br />The Torah is the Jewish guide to life, and its commandments are the ones referred to here. Do all Jews observe all the commandments? Christianity, in fact, often discourages observance of the commandments in Torah, in complete opposition to this prophecy.<br /><br /><strong>He will rule at a time when all people will come to acknowledge and serve one G-d</strong> - <em>"And it shall come to pass that from one new moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, says the L-rd"</em> (Isaiah 66:23)<br /><br />There are still millions if not billions of people in the world today who adhere to paganistic and polytheistic religions. It is clear that we have not yet seen this period of human history unfold.<br /><br />All of these criteria are best stated in the book of Ezekiel Chapter 37 verses 24-28:<br /><br /><em>And David my servant shall be king over them; and they shall all have one shepherd. they shall also follow My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Yaakov my servant, in which your fathers have dwelt and they shall dwell there, they and their children, and their children's children forever; and my servant David shall be their prince forever. Moreover, I will make a covenant of peace with them, it shall be an everlasting covenant with them, which I will give them; and I will multiply them and I will set my sanctuary in the midst of them forevermore. And my tabernacle shall be with them: and I will be their G-d and they will be my people. Then the nations shall know that I am the L-rd who sanctifies Israel, when My sanctuary will be in the midst of them forevermore.<br /></em><br />If an individual fails to fulfill even one of these conditions, then he cannot be "The Messiah." A careful analysis of these criteria shows us that to date, no one has fulfilled every condition.<br /><br />Jesus is illegitimate on all counts. He did not possess the proper genealogy to be eligible for the throne of Israel, nor did he fulfill ANY of the basic requirements of the messiah. There is no more reason to believe that he was the messiah than Shimon Bar Kochba, Shabbtai Tzvi or my uncle!<br /><br />In summary, the response to the missionary question of "who was Jesus" is "who cares?" The Torah commands us to venerate G-d and G-d alone. It is immaterial to a Jew who Jesus, Muhammad or Hare Krishna was. Their worship must be avoided at all cost.Avihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156322358503174356noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-912687005056852525.post-5936248591721245002009-01-09T14:42:00.002-05:002009-01-09T14:46:19.027-05:00Always a Jew<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PXMbLwRToJE&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PXMbLwRToJE&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Inside every Jew is a spark of G-dliness, a <em>pintele yid</em>, a Jewish soul that yearns to reconnect with HaShem. Even the most distant Jew longs to come back to his people. The Jewish spark cannot be erased or destroyed but is eternal. Even if a Jew, G-d forbid, gets baptized, moves to India and lives in an ashram or joins a cult, he remains a Jew. <br /><br />May HaShem merit that every single lost Jew return home.Avihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156322358503174356noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-912687005056852525.post-48812458093352344322008-12-22T19:19:00.001-05:002008-12-22T19:22:40.926-05:00Not Afraid to be Unique<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/r8fUAanEqEo&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/r8fUAanEqEo&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><blockquote>Peled said that Israelis want to <a href="http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1229868819366&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull">celebrate Christmas </a>because they do not want to feel culturally isolated from the rest of the world.<br /><br />"Celebrating only Hanukka set us apart, makes us different. People don't want to feel that way. They want to be part of world," she said.</blockquote></span><br />With these words, Tamir Peled, has signed the death warrant of the Jewish people. Explaining the increasing visibility of Christmas decorations in certain places in Israel, Peled says that many Israelis don't want to be different. They feel that Chanukkah sets them apart, something that they are uncomfortable with. This desire to fit in, to be alike the nations, is the slow end of the Jews.<br /><br />The Greeks were one of the most tolerant and universal-minded peoples in the ancient world. It is doubtful that they oppressed or persecuted any other people besides the Jews. How did a people known for its openness and love of philosophy come to commit so many atrocities against the Jews? It is hard to understand how the people that gave the world democracy, Plato and Aristotle, were the same ones as those who murdered Chana's 7 sons before her eyes for not bowing to an idol, or martyred the saintly Rabbi Eliezer for refusing to eat pork.<br /><br />Alexander the Great and his Hellenistic successors wanted to unite the world under Greek culture and philosophy. The ancient pagans were the ultimate in relativism as they syncretized gods and beliefs with great ease. The Greeks adopted the gods of the nations that they conquered and in return gave them their Pantheon. The only people who refused to do this were the Jews. The Jews insisted on circumcising themselves, alone of all the ancients, did not eat the same food as non-Jews and did not share in any of their customs. The Greeks were outraged when they discovered that the Jewish Temple contained no idol or statue. They forbade the circumcision, the mark of the covenant between the Jews and G-d. They decreed that anyone caught studying Torah, the divine laws, observing the Shabbat, the holy day, or keeping kosher was to be put to death. They outlawed the Sanhedrin's proclamation of the New Month, the obligation which gave the Jewish people mastery over time.<br /><br />The Greeks did not wish to eradicate the Jews physically, nor did they wish to destroy them. Rather, the Greeks wanted to put an end to the Torah, G-d's laws which set the Jewish people apart. They desecrated the Temple, and erected a statue of Zeus in the Holy of Holies. They built giant sports arenas and theaters in Jerusalem and the countryside to try and entice the Jews into the Greek culture. In fact, many of the rich and elite became known as Hellenizers because of their affinity for the Greek culture. The Greeks polluted all of the oil in the Temple, reserved for kindling the Golden Menorah, symbolic of their desire to stamp out the Torah and its light.<br /><br />Oil characterized the Jewish people because just as oil does not mix with other liquids, so too do the Jews not mix with other nations. Just as oil always rises to the top, Jews always rise above the mundaneness and triviality of the world, and above the attempts of those who wish to wipe them out. The prophet Bilaam called the Jews "a people that shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations." (Numbers 23:9) The essence of the Jewish people is to be separate, to be distinct and to be holy. The Uniqueness of the Divine is paralleled by the uniqueness of the Jewish people, G-d's chosen vessel through which to reveal His Oneness and Majesty. G-d chose the nation of Israel to bring consciousness of G-d to the entire world, and to spread the light of Torah.<br /><br />Many Jews unfortunately do not want to be alone. They hate their Jewishness, their choseness and distinct-ness with a passion. Deep down, they are afraid of being unique. These Jews want desperately to be accepted. Little do they realize that it is their Jewish destiny to be different. Our Father Avraham was called the 'Ivri' because he stood on one <em>ever</em>, side, while the entire world stood on the other. In a society that worshipped the forces of nature and paid homage to tyrants, Avraham had the courage to stand apart.<br /><br />Our Sages tell us that Israel was redeemed from Egypt by virtue of the fact that they retained their identity. The Jews did not change their Hebrew names, adapt their dress to meet Egyptian fashion and spoke only their Hebrew tongue. Throughout the ages, the Jews resisted assimilation and were therefore able to outlast any other nation.<br /><br />When Jews wish to become like the other nations, it is the beginning of the end. As G-d says: "If you sever yourselves from the other peoples, then you belong to me; but if not, then you belong to Nebuchadnezzar and his fellows." (Midrash, Sifra 93d) In the United States, Judaism is disappearing rapidly in a Silent Holocaust of assimilation, with a 50% assimilation rate. According to research, non-Orthodox Jewry will be largely extinct within the span of 3 generations if the current trend prevails. In Israel, the absurd political situation is a symptom of people of little faith desiring to be accepted by the world. The Israeli government and a large segment of the population are willing to sacrifice land, retreat, withdraw and compromise, all to be accepted by a world that stood silently as European Jewry chocked and burnt in the gas chambers and ovens. Such a government of lemmings is leading the nation of Israel back into the ghettos of exile.<br /><br />The Jewish nation did not survive 2000 years of exile in order to simply be a cultural club. We are told that G-d created the world for the sake of Israel. In order for G-d's Truth to be revealed to the world, He needs a chosen people dwelling in a holy land living by divine laws. Our ancestors rose up against the Greeks so that they should be able to keep the Torah freely, and not be overwhelmed by Greek cultural influence. "Ye are My witnesses, saith the LORD, and My servant whom I have chosen; that ye may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He; before Me there was no God formed, neither shall any be after Me." (Isaiah 43:10) That is our mission, our calling. Tamir Peled's words, which echo those of the Hellenizers before him, are a death sentence to the Jewish nation.<br /><br />This Chanukkah, let us discover what makes us unique and may we spread the light of Torah around the world. May G-d illuminate the darkness that clouds of lives, speedily in our days.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.judaica-guide.com/images/Chanukah.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.judaica-guide.com/images/Chanukah.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Cross-posted from <a href="http://masada1234.blogspot.com">For Zion's Sake</a>Avihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156322358503174356noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-912687005056852525.post-58642775197488616242008-12-17T22:15:00.001-05:002008-12-17T22:15:42.491-05:00Don't Let the Light Go Out<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.jmberlin.de/weihnukka/img/chanukka.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 216px; height: 282px;" src="http://www.jmberlin.de/weihnukka/img/chanukka.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Don't let the light go out. This light has seen mighty empires comes and go. It saw the Greece rise up and conquer world, only to fade away. This light saw the Roman empire grown and collapse. It saw mighty rulers, fearless generals and mighty warriors disappear, without a trace. Yet the light remains.<br /><br />Don't let the light go out. This light overcame the forces of Hellenism and hedonism. It shone through the darkness of immorality and vanity. It gave guidance and meaning to thousands of generations of Jews who resisted assimilation, who refused to forsake their Torah and their G-d. This light illuminated the secularism that blinded many and sought to lead the Jewish people astray. Philosophies, ideologies and 'isms' are relegated to the dustbin of history, yet the light remains.<br /><br />Don't let the light go out. It was tended and nurtured lovingly by Jews throughout the ages, often at the risk of their lives. It was protected and treasured despite pain, despite poverty, despite hardship and persecution. Downtrodden, humiliated and weak, the light gave us strength. When there was no hope, the light promised us a better future. <br /><br />Don't let the light go out. It shone brightly in Morocco and Poland, in Baghdad and Paris. It illuminated the streets of Minsk and Pinsk, Istanbul and Fez, Shanghai and Rome. Our enemies could not extinguish it. Withstanding the cross and the crescent, crusaders and mujahadeen, the light still burns. Under the windows of popes and kings, emperors and sultans, shas and dukes, the light proclaimed that we were still here.<br /><br />Don't let the light go out. It was lit hidden in cellars, for fear of the Inquisitors racks. It was lit in ghettos and camps, in the shadow of the gas chambers and crematorium. It was lit in the freezing gulag's, the punishment for wishing to return home. It burnt long after Crusaders and Almohads, revolutionaries and fascists, Nazis and Communists, disappeared from the earth and will burn long after the suicide bomber, "holy warrior" and jihadist terrorist. For the miracles performed for us in those days, in this time. <br /><br />Don't let the light go out. The light that was kindled at the rededication of the Second Temple, and will be kindled at the dedication of the Third Temple, may it be soon. The light that has returned home after two thousands years of exile, the light that blossoms in its holy land. The light that was shot out in Mumbai, massacred on the streets on Jerusalem, in pizzerias and cafes, synagogues and study halls. The light that is threatened by assimilation and ignorance. The light that has seen history, yet still shines. Don't let the light go out.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chag Chanukkah Sameach!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b10/BethBrewer/f-hanukkah.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b10/BethBrewer/f-hanukkah.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Cross-posted from <a href="http://masada1234.blogspot.com">For Zion's Sake</a>Avihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156322358503174356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-912687005056852525.post-72083194310901013912008-12-15T19:44:00.003-05:002008-12-15T20:20:34.789-05:00Paganism and Christmas<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.treehugger.com/santa-reading283746234.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 450px; height: 358px;" src="http://www.treehugger.com/santa-reading283746234.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />In the West, no holiday is as beloved as Christmas. As soon as Thanksgiving in the United States is over, malls, newspapers, radio and TV are inundated with Christmas decorations. Red and green, Christmas lights, Santa surrounded with his elves. The mad holiday rush begins as the clock ticks down to the "holy night".<br /><br />In today's age of cultural equivalence, holidays are often shorn of their meanings. However, I feel that it is important to understand the significance of the symbols associated with the holiday. To many Christians, Christmas represents the birth of their saviour and is the most important day on the calendar for them. Church attendance is highest on Christmas (and Easter). To those seeking a way to get closer to G-d, it is necessary to learn about the pagan roots of Christmas.<br /><br />Christmas is celebrated on the 25th of December, not due to any particular historical event, but rather because it was the day when the ancient pagans worshipped the rebirth of the sun. On the darkest day of the year, the winter solstice, the Romans would commemorate the advent of their saviour demigod, Mithras. Born to a virgin in a cave, Mithras brought eternal life to his followers. As an inscription on a Mithraic temple in Rome said: "Thou hast saved the many through the shedding of the eternal blood". The Catholic Church, in the 4th century, wanted to eclipse the pagan festivities of Mithras by establishing the day as the birth of their own saviour man-god. In order to introduce Christianity to the pagan world, Church leaders felt it necessary to celebrate Christmas on the winter solstice. The day of the sun's rebirth easily and smoothly became the day of the son's birth. (Christmas' pagan roots were well known. The early colonists opposed the celebration of Christmas in America. It was even banned by colonial law in Massachusetts.) To make pagans feel more comfortable in their new faith, many pagan elements were incorporated into early Christianity.<br /><br />The Christmas tree originated in ancient Germanic history. Germanic tribes lit trees (Tannenbaum) and celebrated the feast of light (Lichtfest) around the shortest day of the year, December 21. During the Roman celebration of Saturnalia, the people decorated their homes with evergreen clippings and hung metals and decorations from trees in honour of their god, Bacchus.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://itsmypulp.files.wordpress.com/2006/12/christmas-tree.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://itsmypulp.files.wordpress.com/2006/12/christmas-tree.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Christians, G-d specifically commands against this pagan practice:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Jeremiah 10:2 <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. 3 For the customs of the people [are] vain: for [one] cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. 4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. </span> </span><br /><br />Mistletoe and holy were used by the Druids to announce the coming of winter. In Scandinavian countries, mistletoe represented peace and harmony. It was associated with the goddess of love, Frigga, which is the origin of kissing beneath the mistletoe. The early church even banned the use of mistletoe because of its pagan connotations.<br /><br />As a <a href="http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:q3Ij5Pab7LMJ:www.biblelogic.com/Documents/Christmas.html+%22Christmas+is+a+pure+pagan+holiday-+%22Christmas%22+is+not+in+the+Bible,+and+we+are+not+commanded%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1">Christian site</a> says:<br /> <br />"December 25th was celebrated by the Pagan sun-worshippers of Mithraism as the "birthday of the invincible sun," because on that day the sun began its return to the northern skies "the winter solstice." And so, the sun and the Son, have become a deliberate Pagan mix. Tammuz, the Babylonian Pagan sun deity, was also the first counterfeit savior… December 25th was also the date of the Pagan Brumalia (winter) festival in Rome. It was preceded by the Saturnalia festival Dec. 17-24 - in honor of the Roman god Saturn, as a period of unrestrained merriment in celebration of the winter solstice. The Saturnalia and Brumalia festivals were so popular among the heathen and so deeply entrenched in their customs, that rather than attempt to reform the Pagan populous the Roman Church, the Emperor Constantine, chose instead to absorb their festivities into the Constantine Roman Catholic Church." <br /><br />There are those Evangelical and Messianic Christians who seek to rehabilitate Christmas of its pagan origins and instead celebrate the birth of Jesus on Sukkot. What they do not understand is that besides the blatant pagan symbols of the Christmas tree and elves, the very concept of a man becoming god and dying for the sins of humanity is contrary to the Torah. Such a belief is pagan to the core and the ancient world was full of similar saviour gods such as Mithras, Osiris, Dionysus and Attis. These beliefs are contrary to G-d's Torah and are idolatrous. G-d repeatedly says that He is not a man (Numbers 23:19, Hosea 11:9, I Samuel 15:29), that human sacrifice is abominable before Him and that no one can die for another's sins.<br /><br />To all of my gentile readers, instead of placing your trust in meaninglessness and vanity, <a href="http://www.shuvoo.com/">return</a> to the Almighty Source. Pagan idols and manmade saviours are empty and have no power. Rid yourselves of idolatrous rites and beliefs and commit yourselves to the <a href="http://noahidenations.com">7 Noahide Laws</a>. Why worship the "son of man", emptiness and futility, when you can worship G-d Himself? Should you not observe the 7 Laws of the Sons of Noah, incumbent upon all Gentiles, whom G-d has created and loves, and wishes to get closer to?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/05/Rainbow123.JPG/251px-Rainbow123.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 251px; height: 251px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/05/Rainbow123.JPG/251px-Rainbow123.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />To all of my readers, Jews and non-Jews, I wish a very happy holiday season. May the light of Torah overcome and destroy all the impurities of idolatry and may we illuminate the darkness that plagues our world, speedily in our days.Avihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156322358503174356noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-912687005056852525.post-67599336570159265462008-11-10T21:00:00.004-05:002008-11-10T21:34:11.230-05:00Chutzpah and Heaven<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.chrismadden.co.uk/meaning/atheist-heaven.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 424px; height: 400px;" src="http://www.chrismadden.co.uk/meaning/atheist-heaven.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />The head of the American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and their Descendants has <a href="http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1225910087233&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull">announced</a> that he is called off talks with the Mormon Church over posthumous baptisms performed by the sect for Holocaust victims. Survivors are upset that names of Holocaust victims have been added to a list of baptisms- including thousands lifted from Yizkor books of Jews massacred at Berdichev in Ukraine. Over 380 000 Holocaust victims, including Ann Frank, have already been baptized by the Mormon Church.<br /><br />The Mormons believe that by baptizing the dead, they give them an opportunity to go to heaven. It is anti-semitic in the extreme to suppose that the murdered victims of the Holocaust need any help from a 150-year old cult in getting to heaven. However, such a belief is not unique to the Mormon Church. Many Evangelical missionary movements which target Jews threaten eternal hellfire and brimstone if Jews do not accept Jesus. <br /><br />Before Adolph Eichmann, may his name be accursed, was to be executed, Israel permitted him to meet with a Christian minister. After he was executed, reporters asked the minister whether or not Eichmann had accept Jesus. The minister explained that having accepted Jesus, Eichmann would surely be forgiven of all of his sins and go to heaven. And as for the poor Jewish boy gassed at Auschwitz, disbelieving in his "saviour", hell would surely be his eternal reward. According to this perverted belief system, the evil architect of the Final Solution would be welcomed at the Pearly Gates simply for accepting Jesus while the 6 million victims of the Holocaust would be condemned to hell for being Jews.<br /><br />This story goes to show the perverseness of exclusivity on heaven. For a cult less than two centuries old to presuppose that it has the key to the eternal salvation of the martyrs of the Holocaust is the ultimate in chutzpah. Even more than that, for anyone to claim that his is the only path to heaven and salvation invites hatred, persecution and intolerance. Such a belief only propagates the reasoning behind burning Jews at the stake, and other such atrocities, in order to "save their souls". Surely, the inquisitors and Church officials reasoned, that whatever they did to the Jews was nothing in comparison with eternal salvation. They believed that they were saving them from a far worse fate.<br /><br />So let's get this straight, for every single Christian or any other cultist who is concerned about my soul: <span style="font-weight:bold;"> Jews don't need you to be saved!</span>. For a Jew to be saved, he must observe G-d's commandments, follow the Torah and serve HaShem with his entire heart and soul. G-d gave us 613 commandments with which to perfect and refine ourselves so that we may enjoy the World to Come. No cult or sect can offer us anything of value in terms of salvation. As for non-Jews, the sacrifice of Jesus is worthless as well. G-d demands of non-Jews that they renounced man-made idolatry, worship HaShem and lead moral lives. No man can atone for another. Only by keeping G-d's Torah, the 613 <em>mitzvot</em> for Jews and the 7 <em>mitzvot</em> for non-Jews, can we be holy in HaShem's eyes.<br /><br />The Mishna (Sanhedrin 90a) teaches that <em>" all of Israel has a share in the World to Come, as it says: 'And your people are all righteous; they shall inherit the land forever. They are the branch of My planting, My Handiwork, in which to take pride.'" </em> (Isaiah 60:21) So just a head's-up to anyone who wants to save us: we Jews don't need any help in that department.Avihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156322358503174356noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-912687005056852525.post-29537153407255415972008-10-26T18:56:00.001-04:002008-12-15T20:20:53.339-05:00Halloween: Treif or Treat?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tutorialquest.com/templates/tutorials/jack-o-lantern/jack-o-lantern_13.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 475px; height: 634px;" src="http://www.tutorialquest.com/templates/tutorials/jack-o-lantern/jack-o-lantern_13.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />It's that time of the year again. The Jack-o-lanterns, pumpkins, goblins and ghouls gave it away. My least favourite goyish holiday is here again. Halloween is celebrated in Anglo-Saxon countries worldwide and is considered a national holiday. Many Jews unfortunately participate in the Halloween festivities: trick-or-treating, decorating the house and dressing up. So is Halloween kosher?<br /><br />While many Jews today prefer to focus on the universal aspect of Judaism, <em>tikkun olam</em>, morality, ethics, etc., Judaism demands that Jews remain a separate people. God tells Moses to teach the people:<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">"I am the Lord, your God. Do not follow the ways of Egypt where you once lived, nor of Canaan to where I am bringing you. Do not follow their customs (be-hukotehem lo teileichu)"</span> (Leviticus 18:1-3, cf. also, 20:23).<br /><br />Deuteronomy suggests that this prohibition is intended to prevent idolatry:<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">"Take heed to yourself lest you be trapped by following them, after they are destroyed from before you; and lest you inquire about their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods?' that I may also do likewise"</span> (Deuteronomy 12:30).<br /><br />While many halakhic authorities understand these injunctions to be limited to the customs of the Canaanites and Egyptians, the Rambam understands it to be a prohibition of following any non-Jewish rite or ritual. The Torah is warning us against adopting <em>chukat hagoy</em>, gentile customs which will lead us to assimilate. He writes:<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">"We do not walk after the ways of the idolaters. We do not assimilate ourselves to them; not in our clothing and not in other things like this, as it says, 'do not walk after the ways of the gentiles' (Leviticus 20:23)…Rather, a Jew should be distinct from them and recognizable through one's clothing and one's other actions, just as one is distinct from them in one's thoughts and characteristics"</span> (Laws concerning Idolatry, 11:1).<br /><br />Halloween, although today it is mostly devoid of religious significance, has pagan and Christian roots. The philosophy behind the festival is idolatrous and antithetical to the Jewish worldview. According to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween#Religious_perspectives">Wikipedia</a>:<br /><br />"Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain (Irish pronunciation: [ˈsˠaunʲ]; from the Old Irish samain). The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture, and is sometimes regarded as the "Celtic New Year". Traditionally, the festival was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, now known as Halloween, the boundary between the alive and the deceased dissolved, and the dead become dangerous for the living by causing problems such as sickness or damaged crops. The festivals would frequently involve bonfires, into which bones of slaughtered livestock were thrown. Costumes and masks were also worn at the festivals in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or placate them."<br /><br />The Catholic Church celebrates Halloween as All Saint's Day and special services are held in churches worldwide. Why would any Jew celebrate a holiday even remotely connected to the Roman Catholic Church? Historically, many pogroms occurred on Halloween. Jews would be kidnapped, murdered or brutalized as part of the celebration, since Jews were associated with evil, the devil and witches. <br /><br />The pagan worldview in which Halloween took root is completely contrary to Judaism's teachings. There are no ghosts and goblins, heavenly families, satanic adversaries or demons. There is only Him, the One and Only. Halloween, or Samhain, was a worship of nature and the spirits which rules it. Judaism, however, is insistent that all of nature is subservient to Him.<br /><br />In short, there is nothing kosher about Halloween. It originates in pagan adoration of nature and was eventually appropriated by the Church as a day to celebrate all of their saints, many of whom were virulent anti-semites. In Eastern Europe, Halloween was a time when pogroms usually broke out. Jews weren't able to celebrate the holiday because they were hiding in cellars for their lives. Tainted with paganism, christianity and a bloody history of anti-semitism, Halloween is treif, treif, treif. This year, Halloween falls on <span style="font-style:italic;">erev shabbos</span>, which makes it all the more unkosher. Instead of dressing up to commemorate pagan worship of nature, Jews should celebrate the day which is testimony to G-d's Creation. Ditch the ghosts and pumpkins and switch them for shabbos candles and kiddush.<br /><br />I certainly won't be answering my door. But if you want to wish me a good shabbos, I'll be ready for your knock.<br /><br />Cross-posted from <a href="http://masada1234.blogspot.com">For Zion's Sake</a>Avihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156322358503174356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-912687005056852525.post-71914167974654091262008-10-13T16:39:00.001-04:002008-10-13T16:39:48.525-04:00Chag Sameach!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.kumah.org/blog/sukkot_ancient%20small.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://www.kumah.org/blog/sukkot_ancient%20small.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Wishing all of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Am Yisrael</span>, and the entire world, a <em>chag sameach</em> and may our <em>simchah</em> be completed by the arrival of Eliyahu Hanavi and Moshiach Tzidekeneinu.Avihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156322358503174356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-912687005056852525.post-56541588014263874862008-10-07T21:14:00.002-04:002008-10-07T21:54:24.407-04:00Remember who you are<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.jewishmag.com/117mag/avowal/title.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://www.jewishmag.com/117mag/avowal/title.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />On the eve of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, 'Jews for Jesus' is getting more and more aggressive in the drive to convert Jews to Christianity. According to <a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/127898">internal memos</a> from the proselytizing organization, missionaries are being directed to the Northern town of Qiryat Shemona. The memo goes on to boast that the missionaries "handed out 21,700 gospel tracts" and "have contact information of 995 Jewish people who told us that they want to know more about Jesus." 'Jews for Jesus' has about 2000 missionaries active in Israel. Just days ago, a radio ad by 'Jews for Jesus' in the Northern Galilee was <a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/127874">blasted from the radio</a> after protests. Irate listeners found that the message was far too aggressive in its call for Jews to accept Christianity.<br /><br />'Jews for Jesus' is but one of close to a thousand missionary groups active in Israel. In the coming weeks, tens of thousands of Christian missionaries are expected to descend on Jerusalem for the annual <a href="http://www.icej.org/">Feast of Tabernacles Parade</a>. The ICEJ, organizers of this mega-missionary event, claim that "the word of G-d <em>(read 'Jesus')</em> is preached nightly and is central to the evening meetings." Christians are entering a fever pitch, trying to get as many Jews as possible to become Christian. Sadly, many Jews who are unaffiliated, secular or have little knowledge of Judaism are succeptible to their tactics. These Messianic groups often claim that they represent authentic Judaism, albeit one that believes in Jesus as messiah. They believe themselves to be restoring the true message of the Torah.<br /><br />This week's parsha of Haazinu tells us how to recognize authentic Judaism and to be able to spot out pseudo-Judaism. With many groups and individuals around the world passing off a fake, corrupted false Judaism as the real deal, this message is essential. "<span style="font-style:italic;">Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations; ask thy father, and he will declare unto thee, thine elders, and they will tell thee."</span> (Deut. 32:7) If a Jew is confused as to what is kosher and what is treif, he need only go back to his roots, to his traditions, to his parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. He must ask himself, "did my great-grandfather worship like this?" The Torah is clear about what happens when the Jews stray from the path of their ancestors. <span style="font-style:italic;">"They roused Him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations did they provoke Him. They sacrificed unto demons, no-gods, gods that they knew not, new gods that came up of late, which your fathers dreaded not."</span> (Deut. 32:16-17) Clearly, the Torah places emphasis on the fact that the Jews went after new gods which were recently invented. This is critical today. When confronted by missionaries who preach that Jews must believe in Jesus or be condemned to an eternity of hellfire, every Jew must take the Torah's warning to heart. Would his great-grandfather with his long beard and black hat sitting in a <em>shtetl</em> in the Pale of Settlement recognize his faith? His grandfather in the <em>mellahs</em> of Morocco? His ancestors in the <em>judeiriahs</em> of Spain? Would any of them recognize Jesus or feel comfortable at a Messianic service? Every Jew must answer back that Jesus and the Christian theology is 'a new god that came up of late, which our fathers dreaded not'. If a Messianic were to stand in a room with a Rambam, a Rashi, a Rabbi Akivah, a Baal Shem Tov, a Vilna Gaon, a Ramban, or even a Moshe Rabeinu, he would not fit in. They would not see any resemblance between their Judaism and the counterfeit junk hawked by the apostate.<br /><br />The Kol Nidrei prayer on Yom Kippur night awakens within every Jew the desire to come home to HaShem, to do teshuva and to be faithful to what they really are. It gained special significance during the time of the Spanish Inquisition when Jews were forced on pain of death to take vows and abandon Judaism. Kol Nidrei became their way of renouncing any vows they were forced to take by the Church. The knew at heart that they were Jews.<br /><br />When the American forces reached the Buchenwald death camp, they opened the gates of the camp wide and liberated the inmates. The prisoners left the camp and dispersed, each going his own way. Reb Leizer of Czen-sto-chow was one of the freed inmates. At the gate he paused. "Where? Where should I go?" He knew that most everyone in his family had been murdered. They came with him to the camp, and he saw them led to the crematoria.<br /><br />Only one hope remained. As all of the people of the town were being herded together for shipment to the death camp, he was able to smuggle his little son Yossele out of the ghetto and into the "Aryan" section of town. "Who knows?" said Reb Leizer to himself, "Perhaps the child is still alive, still alive." He would go looking for him. But how, where?<br /><br />Reb Leizer went back to Czen-sto-chow. He wandered about the streets and the marketplaces, and every time he saw a boy about Yossele's age, he would stop and look at him closely. Perhaps this was his son. He began asking guardedly, "Did anybody know the Leizer family, or what happened to them?" People told him that the family had left the town in the death trains, everyone except the little boy, whom someone took to the monastery. Which monastery? No one knew. "If my son is alive," decided Reb Leizer, "I will save him."<br /><br />He went from one monastery to the next, inquiring about his son. The monks denied ever seeing him. No Jewish child, they claimed, had ever crossed the threshold of a monastery. Reb Leizer knew they were lying, but what could he do? He went and bought an organ. Among the tunes he put into it was the melody of Kol Nidre. Reb Leizer strapped the organ to his back and began making the rounds of the streets and yards from village to village, from one monastery to the next. Wherever he saw children playing, he would set the organ down on its legs and begin turning the handle. Immediately he would be surrounded by children. As the children stood listening, he would watch their faces closely – particularly when the organ ground out the tune of Kol Nidre.<br /><br />Did any child's face change or show some emotion – fear, perhaps, or sadness and longing? Whenever he saw a child stir as the Kol Nidre melody was played, he knew that child was Jewish. As all the other children scattered, he would follow this child, talk to him, and tell him that the war was over and he could go back to his own people. Though unable to find Yossele, history records that he was able to save scores of Jewish children and restore them to their faith, with possibly the most moving tune of our faith.<br /><br />Reb Leizer took his organ and buried it in the ruins of a destroyed synagogue and he went to Israel. People from that district of Poland say that at times they hear the tunes of a hand organ coming out of the earth, and among the tunes is the melody of Kol Nidre.<br /><br />On the eve of Yom Kippur, I pray that HaShem merit that the beautiful and moving melody of Kol Nidrei stir the heart of every single Jew to return to his Father in Heaven. Before we begin the Kol Nidrei service, we say that by the permission of the Heavenly and earthly courts, it is permissible to pray with sinners and transgressors. On Yom Kippur, all Jews are welcome before HaShem. We must remember who we really are and not let any dastardly peddler of false beliefs lead us astray. May every single lost Jewish child return home. <span style="font-style:italic;">Gmar chatima tovah.</span>Avihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156322358503174356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-912687005056852525.post-91849591181802876772008-10-05T17:52:00.002-04:002008-10-05T18:06:19.344-04:00Onward Christian Missionaries<em><span style="font-family:arial;">Posted by Ellen W. Horowitz</span></em><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In the mad pre-<em>Rosh Hashanah</em> rush, I neglected to send out a missionary update. So below is the last update on evangelical missionary activity for the year 5768 - and it's a long one.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Let's hope that this New Year brings shorter and sweeter news, as we make progress in our efforts to upset the designs of those who are determined to take the Jewish people away from<br />their faith.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">With the <a href="http://www.ou.org/chagim/roshhashannah/unetanehtext.htm"><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">U'netaneh Tokef</span></em> </a>prayer being such an integral part of the <em>Rosh Hashanah</em> and <em>Yom Kippur</em> service, we might as well begin in Germany where more than 800 years ago the martyred <a href="http://www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/template_cdo/aid/4460/jewish/Rabbi-Amnon.htm"><span style="color:#6600cc;">Rabbi Amnon of Mainz</span> </a>left us a very painful and eternal lesson on an interfaith friendship gone awry.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"><strong>The WEA issues the 2008 Berlin<br />Declaration: <em>a decree to convert European Jewry:</em></strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"><strong><em><br /></em></strong><a href="http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3597754,00.html"><span style="color:#6600cc;">YNET reports</span> </a>that the <em>World Evangelical Alliance</em> ended their conference in Berlin with a statement calling for the mass conversion of Jews <em>(in the spirit of friendship, of course)</em><br /><em></em><br />The statement issued by the <em>WEA Theological Commission</em> entitled <em>"<a href="http://www.worldevangelicals.org/commissions/tc/berlin.htm"><span style="color:#6600cc;">The Berlin Declaration on the Uniqueness of Christ and Jewish Evangelism in Europe Today"</span></a></em> was developed by a<br />task force at a consultation in Berlin, Germany which took place on August 18-22, 2008.<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.adl.org/PresRele/ChJew_31/5354_31.htm"><span style="color:#6600cc;">ADL was quick to denounce</span> </a>the <em>World Evangelical Alliance</em> for targeting European Jews for conversion. It was not unlike <a href="http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2008/03/bad-news-about-good-news.html"><span style="color:#6600cc;">Foxman's statement</span> </a>issued at the end of March which censured the very same <em>WEA</em> for launching a campaign targeting Jews for conversion via full page ads in the <em>New York Times</em> and other major papers.<br /><br />The <em>WEA</em> is no fringe group. It <em>" is a network of churches in 128 nations that have each formed an evangelical alliance and over 100 international organizations joining together to give a worldwide identity, voice and platform to more than 420 million evangelical Christians."</em><br />And it enjoys the endorsement of some heavy hitters among so-called "Christian Zionists". As you may recall <em>CUFI </em>regional director and publisher Stephen Strang was <a href="http://www.worldevangelicals.org/news/view.htm?id=1732"><span style="color:#6600cc;">among the endorsers</span> </a>of that <em>WEA </em>statement, as was radio-show host Janet Parshall - who was instrumental in<br />launching and establishing the <em>Knesset Christian Allies Caucus.</em><br /><em></em><br />[It should be noted that the "prophetic" Parshall <a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/7160"><span style="color:#6600cc;">withdrew from the Caucus</span> </a>as she sensed a<br />time when Israel would soon essentially say, <em>"We'll take your aid, your<br />support and your tourist dollars, but we won't take your Jesus."</em>]<br /><strong><em>Damn straight, Janet !</em></strong><br /><br />Ironically it was Abe Foxman of the <em>ADL</em> who played a role in <a href="http://www.adl.org/presrele/IslME_62/3180_62.asp"><span style="color:#6600cc;">preventing Israel from passing badly needed anti-missionary legislation back in 1998</span></a>. Something about <em>"the<br />bill's implications on civil liberties and religious freedom in Israel".</em>.<br />What goes around comes around, Abe.<br /><br /><strong>Messianic Jews Promote Ethiopian Aliya:</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><a href="http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1222017409117&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull"><span style="color:#6600cc;">The Jerusalem Post is reporting</span> </a>that Messianic Jewish missionaries from the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America (MJAA) are busy convincing 50,000-70,000 Ethiopian Christians from far-flung villages in Ethiopia that they are really Jewish believers in Jesus and entitled to aliyah.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The following are excerpts from the article:<br /></div><em><div style="text-align: left;">"Operation Tikva is contravening the Israeli government's attempts over<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">the last year to wind down official aliya operations in Ethiopia, and the<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">project is being viewed in Jerusalem with alarm."<br /></div></em><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><em><div style="text-align: left;">...."These people are clearly not Jewish and they are working in areas<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">where none of the people are Jews either; everything they are telling these<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">people are lies," said Rabbi Menachem Waldman, a member of the Public<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Council for Ethiopian Jews, which has successfully persuaded the Israeli<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">government to continue checking the eligibility for immigration of a further<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">3,000 Falash Mura (Ethiopian Jews whose ancestors converted to Christianity<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">more than a century ago) from the same region of Ethiopia...<br /></div></em><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><em><div style="text-align: left;">Aveje Manhanei, who runs an Israeli-based Web community dedicated to<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">preserving the traditions and culture of Ethiopian Jewry, told the Post, "If<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Israel does not put a stop to this activity as soon as possible then there<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">will eventually be another 75 million Ethiopians demanding to make aliya."<br /></div></em><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><em><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></em><strong>Kidnapping the Kotel:</strong><br /><strong></strong><br />Missionaries continue their "love affair" with Jewish symbols with the<br />intent of drawing Jews closer. Well here's one <em>kotel </em>we Jews won't<br />be kissing.<br /><br /><em>Every Home for Christ</em> located in Colorado Springs, will be spending $2.3 million on <a href="http://www.gazette.com/articles/wall_40856___article.html/every_home.html"><span style="color:#6600cc;">a replica of the Western Wall </span></a>which will be housed in the <em>Jericho Center for Global Evangelism</em> - a<br />missionary training center<br /><br />The replica will fill 2,500 square feet of an 8,000-square-foot, 300-seat auditorium. About 50 tons of stone will be used to construct the mini two-story wall and auditorium. Stones will be cut from an ancient mine outside of Jerusalem. The wall will be free and open to the public 24 hours<br />a day. The hope is to have Christians and Jews praying together.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>1 Million Christians to Claim Inheritance of <em>Eretz Yisrael</em>.</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">.if <a href="http://www.frontlineisrael.com/director_letter.html"><span style="color:#6600cc;">Joel Bell</span> </a>gets his way. The Israeli citizen and Christian missionary (how did he make aliyah?)<br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">who sends out <span style="color:#6600cc;"><a href="http://www.frontlineisrael.com/card.html">Hannukah greetings praising Jesus</a></span>, </span><span style="font-family:arial;">has unveiled <a href="http://www.biblicalzionist.org/biblicalcenter.php"><span style="color:#6600cc;">ambitious building designs</span> </a>in Israel, </span><span style="font-family:arial;">as well as plans to bring 1,000,000 Christians on aliyah. Joel figures that <a href="http://www.restorationofthekingdom.org/"><span style="color:#6600cc;">the time has come f</span></a>or Christians to claim their eternal inheritance to Israel - and he's got <a href="http://wezion.org/letter/"><span style="color:#6600cc;"><em>Likud</em><br />cooperation</span></a>.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Joel, knows how to put a slick presentation together for his Christian brethren, and WORLDWIDE BIBLICAL ZIONISTS <em>"actively develop opportunities through partnership for your participation here in Israel. Investments, jobs, housing, education, military training, community, and tools you'll need to make Israel your home. "</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><em><br /></em>Joel Bell has his eyes set on Judea and Shomron, and he will be<br />bringing a large group to Israel in November to seek out opportunities - so<br />heads up, Jews.<br /><br /><strong>IDF Officers "hook-up"with Southern Baptist Missionaries:</strong><br /><strong><br /></strong>According to a series of letters sent to 11,000 Christian clergy, Southern Baptist Pastor Jim Vineyard "hooked up" with 80 <em>IDF </em>officers at a "War College" in France in late September. Vineyard stayed at the same hotel with <em>"these 80 Hebrews to study primarily, the Normandy Invasion"</em>.<br /><br />One of the sponsors of the program is <a href="http://www.wmbmissions.com/history.php"><span style="color:#6600cc;">Colonel J. Tyler Ryberg, USMC (Retired).</span><span> </span></a>Ryberg is the Director of the missionary agency and local church ministry of Faith Baptist Church, Belleville, IL , where his mission is to <em>"evangelize and disciple military men and women around the world through Worldwide Military Baptist Missions".</em><br /><em></em><br />In all fairness, Colonel Ryberg has <a href="http://rodgeralley.com/index_files/Page1057.htm"><span style="color:#6600cc;">a wealth of battle experience</span></a> and appears to have great admiration for Pastor Vineyard and his efforts. But he is first and foremost a missionary with a vision for U.S. military men and women <em>" to be saved, baptized, discipled and serving the Lord Jesus Christ." </em>So one wonders why our <em>IDF</em> officers need this kind of program which appears to have been - to a large extent - coordinated and sponsored by Baptist pastors like Vineyard and Ryberg.<br /><br />According to one of Vineyard's letters, packages were distributed to the <em>IDF</em> officers. <em>"when we put that package of books and DVDs into their hands. They would ask, "For Me?" Then they would walk away amazed."</em>According to the letter, most of the material was related to the<br />subject matter at hand (the Normandy Invasion). But you gotta wonder.<br /><br /><strong>The State Department has an Orthodox Jewish Problem:</strong><br /><strong><br /></strong><a href="http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2008/108484.htm"><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">The International Religious Freedom Report of 2008</span></em> </a>was recently released, and the State Department leveled some unwarranted charges against the Jews. Seems we've been persecuting the church here in Israel and denying Christians their right to pretend to be Jews.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1222017370992&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull"><span style="color:#6600cc;"><em>The Jerusalem Post</em> reports</span> </a>that the State Depatment <em>"put blame for the "tensions" on "certain Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities." </em><br /><em><br />But except in one case, the report, which noted numerous incidents of discrimination or violence against Christian or Messianic Jewish communities or individuals, failed to prove that the perpetrators were Orthodox or ultra-Orthodox</em>.<br /><br />The biased and shoddy State Department reporting seemed to rely heavily on the spin given by <em>CBN (the Christian Broadcasting Network)</em> and the <em>ACLJ (The American Center for Law and Justice)</em> - both Pat Robertson productions. As expected they covered items like <a href="http://www.israelenews.com/view.asp?ID=1580"><span style="color:#6600cc;">the Ariel Purim explosion <em>("bombing"),</em> the Narkiss Church fire <em>("arson")</em></span></a><em>,</em> and the <a href="http://www.israelenews.com/view.asp?ID=2291"><span style="color:#6600cc;">incineration of missionary materials <em>("bible burnings").</em></span></a> Of course <a href="http://www.israelenews.com/view.asp?ID=1541"><span style="color:#6600cc;">Pastor/Lawyer Calev Myer's Jerusalem Institute of Justice</span> </a>was one of the messianic sources which the State Department used in their hatchet job.<br /><br /><strong>Pat Boone "sings" at Eckstein's anniversary Bash</strong><br /><strong></strong><br />Pat Roberston was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award for support of Israel at Yechiel Eckstein's 25th anniversary banquet for the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ).<br /><br />As already pointed out, Robertson's institutions like <em>CBN</em> and <em>ACLJ</em> are giving Israel a messianic migraine. But it was Pat Boone who MC'd the Eckstein event, and Pat "sang" about his hopes for the Jews onChicago's news station <span style="color:#000000;">WBBM 780</span>. You can hear that clip <a href="http://www.wbbm780.com/Singer-Pat-Boone-Here-To-Celebrate-Christian-Jewis/3014859"><span style="color:#6600cc;">here</span></a> or just read it:<br /><br /><em>".one of the early leaders of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, 74-year-old singer Pat Boone, who is Christian but says, with a smile, that he represents the Messianic branch of Judaism.</em><br /><br /><em>"The time will come when Jews themselves will say, 'What do you know? The messiah has been here all this time.' So that's what we believe, and we long for. Not that we try to force it on anybody. And we understand why they don't see that yet. Maybe some never will."</em><br /><em></em><br />The Israeli daily <a href="http://www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/breaking/110386.html"><span style="color:#6600cc;">Ma'ariv reported</span> </a>that Eckstein's organization (IFCJ) gave $10,000 in 2007 to an evangelical group in Jerusalem that proselytizes Israeli Jews. " That organization would be <a href="http://www.kkcj.org/about/vision-and-core-values/"><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Kings of Kings Assemblies</span></em> </a>in Jerusalem.<br /><br /><em>"King of Kings Community is called to be a compelling, Messiah-centered, Spirit-empowered, disciple-making community that reveals the true face of Yeshua (Jesus) to Israel and to the nations</em>. "<br /><br />Yep. That sounds pretty missionary to me.<br /><br /><strong>Is There a Rabbi in the House?</strong><br /><strong><br /></strong>While Rabbi Eckstein may have distributed funds to missionaries, it appears that Rabbi Riskin has accepted missionary related funds.<br /><br /><span style="color:#000000;">A <a href="http://www.njjewishnews.com/njjn.com/092508/njChristianRally.html"><span style="color:#6600cc;"><em>CUFI</em> sponsored</span> </a>event at </span><em><span style="color:#000000;">the</span><span style="color:#6600cc;"> <a href="http://ctnj.org/"><span style="color:#6600cc;">Harvest Training Center</span></a></span></em></span><a href="http://ctnj.org/"><span style="color:#6600cc;"> </span></a>- a <a href="http://www.ctnj.org/missions_home"><span style="color:#6600cc;">missionary organization</span> </a>- raised $12,600 for Rabbi Riskin's <em>Ohr Torah Loving Kindness Fund </em>in Efrat.<br /><br /><em>The Calvary Tabernacle Harvest Training Center</em> of Cranford New Jersey is <a href="http://www.ctnj.org/Mizrachi"><span style="color:#6600cc;">affiliated with <em>Dugit</em></span><em> <span style="color:#6600cc;">Messianic Outreach Center</span></em></a> in Tel Aviv ( a very active <a href="http://www.youtube.com/dugitusa"><span style="color:#6600cc;">missionary organization</span></a>)<br /><br /><strong>ICEJ Crowns Jesus as the Lion King and Ruler of Jerusalem:</strong><br /><strong><br /></strong>Once again the annual ICEJ (International Christian Embassy, Jerusalem) <a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/7432"><span style="color:#6600cc;"><em>Feast of the Tabernacles pilgrimage</em></span></a> will soon descend upon Jerusalem. As you may recall, last year <a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/123697"><span style="color:#6600cc;">the Chief Rabbinate proscribed Jewish participation in the Feast events</span></a>, as well the Jerusalem March due to a missionary presence and activity. As I pointed out in a <a href="http://www.israelenews.com/view.asp?ID=2937"><span style="color:#6600cc;">recent report</span></a>, the rabbinic decision was more than vindicated.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.icej.org/articles/data/images/File/Feast08/Feast%20App%20Form_SP.pdf"><span style="color:#6600cc;">The Lion of Judah</span> </a>is the theme of this year's Feast and this is what <a href="http://www.icejcanada.org/about/profiles/chuck_king.htm"><span style="color:#6600cc;">Chuck King</span> </a>has this to say about this year's feast:<br /><br /><em>From the tribe of Judah came King David, and from the House of David the true "Lion King" - Jesus - appeared. Jesus' identity as the triumphal Lion of Judah is revealed in Revelation 5, where He is described as the only one worthy to open Heaven's scroll.<br /><br />This year's Feast of Tabernacles celebration raises a banner bearing the symbol of the Lion of Judah. By lifting up His tribal ensign, we proclaim in this 60th year anniversary of Israel's national rebirth, that the coming Lion of the Tribe of Judah will soon establish His rightful inheritance and establish His throne to rule over His city and the nations</em>.<br /><br />The lion of Jesus theme is prominently featured throughout the week long pilgrimage with events proclaiming THE INHERITANCE OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH, THE ROAR OF THE LION OF JUDAH, THE LION OF JUDAH AS JUDGE, THE TRIUMPHANT LION OF JUDAH, etc.<br /><br />Some people will simply dismiss this as a Christian event about Christian beliefs. But as Jews living in <em>Eretz Yisrael</em>, we do have the following issues:<br />a) The event - the largest tourist event of the year in Israel - is fully endorsed by the government of a Jewish state.<br />b) the Prime Minister as well as Knesset members and "rabbis" and Jewish/Israeli diplomats and dignitaries attend the events of Feast pilgrimage and/or give it their blessing.<br />c) A Jewish convention center that enjoys a <em>kashrut</em> certificate hosts the pilgrimage<br />d) there is a heavy messianic and missionary presence at the Feast (it is essentially an evangelical/missionary event)<br />e) The Jerusalem March will certainly feature large banners of the Lion of Judah - symbolic of their Jesus, and Jewish bystanders and participants will inadvertently be paying homage to and acknowledging the Christian participants and their symbols (this may pose a serious halachic issue)<br /><br />Honestly I haven't been so disgusted since Jerusalem's emblem of the lion of Judah was morphed into two lions mating to promote a gay pride parade in the streets of Jerusalem .<br /><br />So if I could be so bold as to momentarily reclaim the Lion King from the Christian Embassy, and borrow a line from <em>Walt Disney</em>..<br /><br /><strong><em>"Remember who you are"</em></strong><br /><strong><em></em></strong><br />As we Jews stand before Hashem during these awesome days, we should try and remember just who we are and where we are standing.<br /><br />And I think we can and should restore the symbol of the lion of Judah to its proper place by politely, but firmly, telling the Christian Embassy where they can put their jesus.<br /><br /><em>Shana Tova</em> and <em>G'mar Chatima Tova</em>.<br /><br />Cross-posted from <a href="http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/">Shiloh Musings</a>Avihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156322358503174356noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-912687005056852525.post-39861673612996498422008-10-04T21:53:00.005-04:002008-10-05T17:55:13.457-04:00Having Your Jesus and Eating it Too<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j4/LionessofGod8/YeshuaTorah-2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j4/LionessofGod8/YeshuaTorah-2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Tallis</span>, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">tfillin</span>,<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> shabbos</span>, Torah classes, sukkot, Jewish stars, Hebrew... must be Jewish. A newcomer to a Messianic congregation, upon seeing the Jewish symbols and paraphernalia, often concludes that this is the real deal, that this is authentic Judaism. When called out on the contradictions between Judaism and Christianity, Messianics will quickly point to the fact that they keep the mitzvot. Indignant at being called a Christian, they reply that they keep kosher, that they keep shabbat, light shabbos candles, etc.<br /><br />The Messianic movement emerged 30-40 years ago, as sort of a half-way house for Jews into Evangelical Christianity. Frustrated at the low level of Jewish conversion to Christianity, fundamentalist Christians sought a way to make Christianity more palatable to Jews. Well-aware of the bloody history of Judeo-Christian relations and the deep distrust many Jews feel towards Christians, Evangelicals tried to find a way to make their Christianity feel less "Christian". The crucifix, long associated with persecution and oppression, had to go, as did " Jesus Christ", pastor, altar, Sunday morning mass and all of the <em>goyish</em> accoutrement often associated with church. In its place came Jewish stars, a newly Hebrew "Yeshua HaMoshiach", rabbis, and shabbos morning services. Dressing up their church- I mean synagogue- with Jewish symbols, the Hebrew-Christian movement set out to teach Jews of the "Jewish Jesus". No longer was he a WASP or a Catholic priest, but a good <em>yiddishe bochur</em>, a nice Jewish boy who went to shul, kept the Torah and was 100% kosher. Certainly no Jew could refuse such a messiah.<br /><br />The result of this emerging Messianic movement was a Christianity that gave up none of its fundamental theology that set it apart from Judaism, but that used Jewish symbols and rituals. Messianics don't keep Christmas as they feel that it is a pagan holiday, yet they still believe in a virgin birth which they celebrate on Shavuot. The same goes for Easter; despite not celebrating what they see as pagan, they still believe that a demigod dying for their sins, and commemorate this event during Pesach. This was a win-win situation for Evangelical Christian: they didn't have to give up on any of their fundamental beliefs and were able to, at the same time, take part in Jewish rituals and observances. What resulted was a primitive form of Christianity that hid itself behind Jewish labels.<br /><br />The first commandment that the nation of Israel heard directly from G-d's mouth at Sinai was "You shall have no other gods before Me". Only from this fundamental basis can all other commandments proceed. The essence of Judaism is that there is One G-d, One and Indivisible, and none besides Him. Without this, there is no Judaism.<br /><br />A careful examination of Messianic groups reveals that they fail on this cardinal principle, making any claims of authentic Jewish expression irrelevant.<br /><br />Jews for Jesus, an organization aiming at converting Jews to Christianity while at the same day observing the mitzvot, states the following as its central tenets: <span style="font-style:italic;">"We believe in one sovereign God, existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, perfect in holiness, infinite in wisdom, unbounded in power and measureless in love; that God is the source of all creation and that through the immediate exercise of His power all things came into being... We believe that Jesus the Messiah was eternally pre-existent and is co-equal with God the Father; that He took on Himself the nature of man through the virgin birth so that He possesses both divine and human natures."</span> Whether or not they keep shabbat matters little. At heart, the theology of Jews for Jesus is identical to the theology of Baptists and Evangelical Christians.<br /><br />Sid Roth's Messianic Vision's <a href="http://www.sidroth.org/site/PageServer?pagename=abt_statementoffaith">statements of faith</a> reveal a theology more at place at a Baptist revival meeting, than in a synagogue or yeshiva. Same thing for the Chosen People Ministry, <a href="http://www.chosenpeople.com/main/page/doctrinal_statement.html">whose beliefs</a> are at odds with Jewish beliefs. All Messianic organizations, while pretending to be authentically Jewish, are hostile to traditional and authentic Jewish theology. Simply wrapping a cross in a <em>tallis</em> does not make it Jewish. If something walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it is reasonable to assume that it is a duck. Messianic groups, while preaching adherence to the Torah, fail on the cardinal test of theology. In that realm, they are purely Christian groups, masquerading around with Jewish objects. One can dunk the New Testament in a <em>mikveh</em> and put a <em>hechsher</em> on it, but in the end, if it Jesus Christ to be Lord and Saviour, it ain't Jewish.<br /><br />It is important to discuss Christian misuse of Jewish symbols. By keeping kosher, putting on tfillin and saying the <em>Shmah</em> all the while believing in Jesus, one does not endear themselves to G-d. Quite the opposite. G-d demands as a basis that we remember we should have no other gods before Him, and that besides Him there is no other. Anything else is spiritual adultery. Bowing before Jesus, praising him and calling him divine is adultery with HaShem. <span style="font-style:italic;">"I am the Lord, that is My name, and My glory will I not give to another. Neither My praise to graven images!"</span> (Isaiah 42:8) G-d does not share His glory with anybody, certainly not Jesus. Keeping the mitzvot while worshipping idols only angers G-d. It can be compared to a wife who suspects that her husband is cheating on her and to placate her, he gives her jewelry, a car and other fancy gifts. Coming home with another woman's scent on his clothes, his diamond bracelets are meaningless. They only make the wife angrier at her husband's betrayal. Similarly, if someone lights shabbat candles in Jesus honour, G-d is infuriated at the desecration. It matters little if a person keep the entire 613 commandments scrupulously; he is cheating on the G-d of Israel who shares His with no one, and has no equal.<br /><br />As Yom Kippur approaches, we must all do a <em>cheshbon nefesh</em>, a spiritual accounting and realize where we have come short. It is incumbent upon each and every person to do <em>teshuva</em> and to return to the One who created them. The first step is realizing who the Creator is and who He isn't - and He certainly is no man. <span style="font-style:italic;">"To whom shall you liken Me and make Me equal and compare Me that we may be alike?"</span> (Isaiah 46:5) <span style="font-style:italic;">"I am the Lord your God, Who brought you out of Egypt. You shall acknowledge no god but Me, no savior except Me!" </span>(Hosea 13:4)<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">To my readers, I wish you all a gmar chatima tovah.</span></span>Avihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156322358503174356noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-912687005056852525.post-54299484465693339602008-09-23T20:53:00.003-04:002008-09-24T21:13:50.183-04:00Teshuva<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fdkDk8xIEXw&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fdkDk8xIEXw&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />This past <em>motzaei shabbat</em> (Saturday night), Ashkenazi Jews began reciting <em>Selichot</em>, special penitential prayers. Sephardic Jews have been reciting <em>Selichot</em> since the beginning of the month of Elul. The Selichot prayers beg G-d to have mercy on His people, to forgive us our sins, and to let us do complete teshuva. They are focused on the Thirteen Divine Attributes of Mercy which G-d revealed to Moses after the Sin of the Golden Calf. They beseech G-d's compassion that He may overlook our sins and to forgive us.<br /><br />From the beginning of Elul, through Rosh HaShana and the Ten Days of Teshuva, until Yom Kippur, each Jew goes through an intense period of soul-searching. This period of the <em>Yamim Noraim</em> (Days of Awe) is devoted to doing teshuva, repentance. The Rambam writes in his Hilchot Teshuva (2:6) that <em>"repentance and outcry [in prayer] are always proper, but between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur they are especially proper and are answered immediately, as it is written (Isaiah 55:6): 'Seek G-d when He is found, called upon Him when He is near.'"</em><br /><br />When the Temple in Jerusalem stood, various offerings were sacrificed to G-d. There were special offerings for each day and festival. An elaborate sacrificial system existed. On Yom Kippur, the Torah commands for the following offering: "Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement; it shall be a holy gathering to you; and you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. [28] And you shall do no work in that same day; for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the Lord your G-d." (Leviticus 23:27) However, the essence of the atonement was not the sacrifice itself, but the 'affliction of our souls' ie. fasting and repentance. When G-d decided to overturn His decree against the people of Ninveh, the Torah records that G-d saw their repentance and how they changed their actions. The essence is not in the physical act of fasting, crying, slaughtering an animal but rather in repenting from our sins, confessing our deeds and turning from them.<br /><br />For close to 2000 years, the Jewish people have been bereft of a Temple in which to offer sacrifices to HaShem. What do we do? Are we cut off from repenting for lack of a Temple? The Prophet Hosea (14:3) revealed to the People of Israel take G-d accepts our prayers in the place of animal sacrifice. <span style="font-style:italic;">"Take with you words, and return unto the LORD; say unto Him: 'Forgive all iniquity, and accept that which is good; so will we render for bullocks the offering of our lips."</span> G-d does not desire animal sacrifice but rather sincere teshuva.<br /><br />"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return to God, and He will have compassion on him; and to our God. For He will abundantly pardon." (Isaiah 55:7) <br /><br />"And if My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." (II Chronicles 7:14).<br /><br /> "But if the wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed and observes all My statutes and practices justice and righteousness, he shall surely live; he shall not die. All his transgressions which he has committed will not be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has practiced he shall live...When a wicked man turns away from his wickedness which he has committed and practices justice and righteousness, he will save his life. Repent and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you (Ezekiel 18:21- 22,27,30).<br /><br />"By loving kindness and truth iniquity is atoned for..." (Proverbs 16:6).<br /><br />"If you return to God you will be restored; if you remove unrighteousness far from your tent...then you will delight in God..." (Job 22:23-27). <br /><br />May G-d inscribe all of Am Yisrael in the book of Life, Happiness, Prosperity, Success, and Plenty. May Hashem accepts all our teshuva and cast away our sins. May 5769 be the year of the Complete and Final Redemption, amen.Avihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156322358503174356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-912687005056852525.post-34734355408566983842008-09-18T22:03:00.002-04:002008-09-18T22:07:06.723-04:00Callers try to convert Rabbi SingerIn a powerful 2 hour radio show, Rabbi Singer refutes the claims of Christian missionaries. Click <a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Radio/News.aspx/114">here</a> and <a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Radio/News.aspx/115">here</a> to hear this amazing segment. Provocative callers try to get Rabbi Singer to exchange his Magen David for the Cross.Avihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156322358503174356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-912687005056852525.post-45315134908882089362008-09-14T16:35:00.005-04:002008-09-14T17:13:18.617-04:00Rabbi Shlomo Aviner on accepting Xian money<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bradfitzpatrick.com/store/images/products/preview/pc022-cartoon-hobo-bum-clipart.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://www.bradfitzpatrick.com/store/images/products/preview/pc022-cartoon-hobo-bum-clipart.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, chief rabbi of Beit El and founder of yeshivat Ateret Kohanim, answer questions regarding accepting Christian donations.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Question: I don’t understand why the Rabbis have forbidden accepting money from Christian institutions such as the Christian “Friendship Fund”. After all, that’s a Christian organization that loves Israel and I don’t feel like the money I received influences me the least bit in the direction of Christianity. </span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Answer: First of all, I am puzzled by your great enthusiasm about living off the money of others. Have you suddenly become a beggar, what in Yiddish is called a “schnorrer”? Even to be a schnorrer from Jewish money is a shame, but to be one from non-Jewish money is already a disgrace, a profanation of G-d’s name.<br /><br />Observe what our sages wrote: “Those who eat ‘something else’ are disqualified as witnesses” (Sanhedrin 26b). Generally speaking, in the Talmud ‘something else’ [davar acher] connotes pork. Here, however, Tosafot proves that it should not be interpreted that way (s.v. “Ochlei”). Rather, Rashi explains that here it is referring to “<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">People who accept charity from non-Jews, this being a profanation of G-d’s name for the same of monetary gain.</span> Such people are classed as ‘rasha dechamas’ – avaricious evildoers.”<br /><br />If we were a poor country it would be one thing. I would yet understand this enthusiasm. I wouldn’t justify one’s being an “avaricious evildoer”, but I would understand it. Yet we are a wealthy country, amongst the wealthiest on earth, and all of this money is a tiny percentage of the national budget. And for the sake of this you degrade yourself? Shame on you! And the worst is that it is non-Jewish money.<br /><br />Let me explain. The Evangelical Protestant missionary institutions try to infiltrate anywhere they can by whatever means possible. Now they have found the golden pathway – financial support. The sums they contribute are for them nothing. They just make a big impression on us and arouse our craving for more. In the United States there are fifty million Fundamentalists. If every one of them contributes ten dollars every year, you’ve got half a billion dollars right there, which looks like an enormous sum.<br /><br />Financial support is their present method of slowly infiltrating us. It doesn’t happen all at once. Not everyone who accepts their money immediately becomes a Christian. Yet their influence involves a seepage process that can spread over years. Those people are very patient and gradually they make inroads.<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">When a simple Jew hears the word “Christianity”, he is filled with abhorrence.</span> He immediately thinks of the blood of millions of Jews tortured to death by the Christians. He recalls the Inquisition. He remembers everything. Therefore, he will never want to listen to them.<br /><br />Faced with that, what do we find in the internal memos of those organizations that hunt souls? “We have to break down the barriers between ourselves and the Jews. We have to rehabilitate their trust, which has been totally destroyed. We have to operate slowly and patiently. We have to show that we are friendly, and who is more friendly than He that distributes money to those who crave money?!”<br /><br />They use data to infiltrate every community. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">For example, in order to penetrate the Charedim they dress up like Charedim and keep tabs on their poor.</span> If someone falls ill or passes away, they come to visit, help out, provide money, offer an encouraging word – without a single word about Christianity, obviously. They come again and again until a connection is formed. They talk from the heart. When they see that the time is ripe, they say, seemingly as a side comment, “Certainly Christianity is something bad, but Yeshu the Christian was all-in-all a good person.” In the first stage, that one sentence is enough. Later on comes another sentence, and then another sentence, via the slow-seepage approach.<br /><br />In one place, a missionary dressed as a Lubavitcher gave some Chabad women a series of lectures on Tanach [the Bible] in a style that was totally Chabad. The series went on for two years without one word about Christianity, until one day he mentioned that “That Man” wasn’t so bad.<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Everywhere there are missionaries sporting knitted yarmulkes.</span> The missionary’s son learns in a yeshiva high school, and he is a little missionary. His daughter studies at a girls’ Torah high school, and she is as well. They’re all very nice. They don’t give themselves away. The main thing is to slowly build a connection, to foster trust.<br /><br />That is their approach. We know them and we know exactly how they operate. There’s a story about a man who picked up a hitchhiker, an officer, a lieutenant colonel, with a knitted yarmulke, who lived in Gush Katif. Certainly, all the elements of a fine person. They conversed at length, yet that same lieutenant colonel let slip a comment about “That Man”. Since the driver was personally involved in combating missionaries, he immediately sensed who this was and he reported it to the army. The army investigated and threw him out, because they don’t want missionaries there. The officer turned to the Supreme Court, but lost in court. The army has enough headaches without that.<br /><br />That’s their secret. They wait until we say, “All in all, the Christians are fine people. They give us money. We doff our hats!” <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">That’s how they break down the barriers.</span> Some time later, we say, “Maybe we’ll meet with them. Maybe we’ll talk with them.”<br /><br />Dear friend, you are no expert in the strategies employed by the Christians. Were the donor an individual Christian, there would be room to deliberate from a halachic standpoint on whether one could accept his gift. At the same time, it is no great honor to be a schnorrer, as noted above.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"> If, however, the donor is a Christian organization, then under no circumstances is one allowed to accept even one cent!<br /></span><br />It’s true that if you, as a private individual, accept their gift, one can hope that you won’t be influenced towards Christianity. Yet we are talking about the public agenda of the Jewish nation, that it is forbidden for us to develop a dependency on them. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><br />Here is a terrible case in point. Unfortunately, there are tens of thousands of Christian missionaries working in Israel. Already a number of times a new Knesset law has been recommended: “One is not allowed to persuade someone to convert. Jews cannot persuade Christians or Muslims, Christians cannot persuade Jews or Muslims, etc.” Yet this law fails every time, because those same Christian organizations that support Eretz Yisrael and distribute funds to the settlements and to the poor threatened, “If you enact this law we will cease our financial support. We will also consider ceasing our political support.” <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Money demands something in exchange. It ensnares you. </span><br /><br />Don’t mistakenly say, “They’re Christians, not missionaries.” Every Evangelist Protestant is a missionary, even if he hides it. Also, we haven’t learned Greek, so we don’t realize that the word <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">“evangelist” means “missionary”</span>. At all the pro-Israel Christian marches and demonstrations, the Christian Lovers of Israel walk hand-in-hand with the missionaries. It turns out that because of the money that you receive, Jews become Christians! For the missionaries, hundreds of millions are a pittance, but to us it looks like a lot. To refuse to accept millions is a temptation that you can, indeed withstand. Yet once you start to accept it, it’s hard to stop.<br /><br />About twenty-six years ago, such a Christian approached me, declaring that he greatly loved my yeshiva, because we were building the Temple. I told him that we’re not building the Temple. “But you want to build it, right?” “Certainly we long to build it,” I replied. “And what are you doing on that score?” he asked. I answered, “We learn Torah and strive to improve our character.” “Great! Very good!” he said. “We are fifty million fundamentalist Christians in the U.S.A. Every one of them will give one dollar a year, and you will have fifty million dollars a year, and that will be our contribution towards building the Temple.”</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><br />And what did I answer to his generous offer? “No!”<br /><br />Since, then, I reckon that I have lost out on a billion three hundred million dollars. No big deal. Small change.<br /><br />There’s a settlement in Judea and Samaria that received a million dollars from them. Now, in that settlement there’s a Christian worship service in their Town Council building! A prayer service of Christian missionaries and Jews for J. – right there in the Town Council building! Nowhere is it written that the one was in exchange for the other, but that is precisely the result. Let’s not be naïve.<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">How fortunate you are, through G-d’s grace, to have been born in Eretz Yisrael, such that you don’t know what Christians are, how they operate and how sophisticated they are.</span> You should bone up on your history.<br /><br />By the way, there are two other types of Christians. First, there are liberal Protestants. They are against the State of Israel, because we, allegedly, committed an injustice against the Arabs. Second, there are Catholics, who presently are not engaged in missionizing. Yet, they, too are against the State of Israel, because they think that they are the true Israel, and it was they who were supposed to have established the State.<br /><br />Yet presently we are talking about the Fundamentalist Protestants who love the State of Israel and who are associated with the missionaries. The common denominator is that we suffer fusillades from all of them, and not just today but throughout history.<br /><br />Let us be strong and courageous. Let us not accept from them even a penny. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Let us not run awry after their dollar crusade.</span></span></div>Avihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156322358503174356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-912687005056852525.post-71460780834064984172008-09-11T21:39:00.002-04:002008-09-11T22:14:27.668-04:00We Let Them InUS Evangelicals have a nasty habit of sticking their <em>shtick</em> 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.<br /><br />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 <em>shmad</em>, 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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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 <em>ir nidachat</em>. Such a city cannot be allowed to continue to exist in Israel. If a center of <em>avodah zarah</em> is allowed to fester, it will attract many Jews. How these rabbis have forgotten these teachings!<br /><br />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: <strong>Do not fear, My servant Jacob</strong>. 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 <em>talleisim</em> 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: <span style="font-style:italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">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." </span></span> There is no need to wait for the End of Days. Let's give G-d a hand and drag Esau out there ourselves.Avihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156322358503174356noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-912687005056852525.post-65883067613607490882008-09-10T21:41:00.001-04:002008-09-10T21:42:27.380-04:00Grasping at Flags and StrawsEllen does it again! Check out her <a href="http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2008/09/grasping-at-flags-and-straws.html">latest post</a> on the US elections and Am Yisrael again being caught between a rock and a hard place.Avihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156322358503174356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-912687005056852525.post-34904256408601248232008-09-08T20:31:00.002-04:002008-09-08T20:38:24.520-04:00Our Two-Pronged War<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/images/france_kill_jews_1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/images/france_kill_jews_1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Its open season on Jews in Paris. Saturday, as they were walking home from Mincha prayers, three counselors of the Bnei Akivah youth group were brutally attacked by a gang of Muslims. The counselors were walking when they had chestnuts thrown at them. When they protested, anti-semitic slurs were hurled. 10-12 gang members then joined in and beat them with brass knuckles.<br /><br />This was the second attack near the Bnei Akivah branch in two months. In June, another 17 year-old Jew wearing a kippah was beaten up by a Muslim gang. And a few months ago, a neighbourhood store was caught selling shirts that read, in German and Polish, "Jews forbidden in the parks". Anti-semitic attacks are very common in France. The radical Muslim population is growing exponentially, veiled women from head-to-toe are a very common sight, and mosques are popping up all over the place. The same pattern is repeating itself in the UK, in Germany and all over Europe. This Islamic fundamentalist Jew-hatred combined with "the new-anti-semitism" of the anti-Zionist Left is lethal to Europe's remaining Jews. Many Jews no longer feel comfortable enough to wear kippot in public or to identify themselves as Jews. Entire communities are under siege as going to synagogue literally becomes an ordeal amidst intense security, guards and routine checks. Synagogues, monuments and Holocaust memorials are routinely vandalized. A few weeks ago, a video was placed on YouTube (and subsequently banned) showing a group of Greek students in Rhodes urinating on a Holocaust memorial with violent rock and anti-semitic lyrics in the background. The Monument to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin was defaced for the tenth or so time.<br /><br />Europe's tragic history is repeating itself. It feels eerily like 1938 for Europe as attacks on Jews reach a fever pitch. Not only are Jews violently attacked by Muslim anti-semites but the Jewish State is regularly demonized, delegitimized and condemned. The writing is on the walls for the Jews of Europe as Muslim <em>sonei yisrael</em> as well as Leftist anti-semites work tirelessly to make Jewish lives miserable. The Jews of Europe face an existential threat as the radical Muslim influence is growing. In mosques all over Europe (and the world), Jews are dehumanized, compared to insects and diseases and threatened with extermination. Millions of young Muslims are indoctrinated with Jew-hatred and the terrible fruits of this preaching are being reaped in Europe, as well as against Israel. <em>Esau soneh et Yaakov</em>. Once again, the Jewish nation finds itself in dire straights as the world sits silently by and allows anti-semitism to take hold and grow.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/05/14/jfj.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/05/14/jfj.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />We Jews are in between a rock and a hard place. As Yishmael plans to destroy our bodies, Esau deceives us into giving up our souls. The World Evangelical Alliance, "Israel's best friends", have restated their goal to convert the Jewish nation to Christianity. Coming from the city in which the Final Solution of 6 million Jews was orchestrated, the Berlin Declaration calls for the evangelization of the Jews of Europe. "Everyone needs to hear this message including the Jewish people. Proclamation to Israel was Jesus’ priority. It also reflects the apostles’ practice of going to the Jew first. Nothing has occurred since Jesus came that changes the need for Israel and the nations. " <br /><br />It is astonishing that hundreds of years after the public disputation at the order of the Church in which Jews were threatened with expulsion, death or forced conversion, Jews are again called upon to defend the validity and integrity of their faith. The Jews of Europe, when not being beaten up by anti-semitic mobs, will be swamped with pamphlets and missionaries urging them to convert. The Berlin Declaration in essence says that Judaism has no value and offers no salvation. The Jew who follows authentic Judaism is worthless and is condemned to the fires of hell unless he becomes a Christian. Jews are forced to explain themselves to Christians and to stand up for their faith. Evangelicals claim to be motivate by love for the Jewish people but in reality, they only reject anti-semitism as a means to further their hold on the Jewish soul. Hardly no strings attached! A real love for the Jewish people would be accompanied by a respect for Judaism's validity and choseneness, and the recognition of the legitimacy of Jewish tradition and belief. To issue this declaration of apostasy from the Nazi capital in which Hitler's henchmen orchestrated and planned the annihilation of the Jewish people is the height of insensitivity and callousness. By teaching that Judaism is incomplete and misguided, Evangelicals offer a surefire recipe of hatred and mistrust for the Jewish people.<br /><br />With barely 15 million Jews in the world today, growing anti-semitism in Europe and North America, an existential threat against the State of Israel, rampant assimilation in the United States and an obsessive drive by Evangelicals to convert Jews, the Jewish future is difficult. We are caught between those who wish to kill us physically, to rob us of life, and those who wish to destroy our unique spiritual heritage by baptizing us. <strong>Whether by gas chambers and pogroms or by missionizing and assimilation, the ultimate goal is the same: the eradication of the Jewish people from the face of the Earth.</strong> We must take heart G-d's promise in the Torah that the seed of Abraham shall never cease to be a nation. The end chapter has been written. All that remains for us to decide is how many of us will make it to the finish line. The Jewish nation will outlive all of its tormenters and oppressors, the assimilationists and peddlers of foreign faiths. G-d will surely vindicate His people. <br /><br />Cross-posted from <a href="http://masada1234.blogspot.com">For Zion's Sake</a>Avihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156322358503174356noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-912687005056852525.post-11110693865755334762008-09-04T22:44:00.008-04:002008-09-07T17:51:40.193-04:00Liar Exposed<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://arachnid.pepperdine.edu/privitt/images/sculptures/large/rolling_stock_full/Caught%20Red%20Handed.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://arachnid.pepperdine.edu/privitt/images/sculptures/large/rolling_stock_full/Caught%20Red%20Handed.jpg" border="0" alt=""></a><br />Many Christian believe that whoever does not accept J*sus will "burn in hell" for all of eternity. To this extent, they are willing to do almost anything to win converts to their faith and thus "save souls". Paul, a founding father of the church and one of the most successful missionaries to have ever lived, admitted to employing deception in order to attract people to his new religion. He confessed to using lies and fraud to win converts:<br /><br />- <font style="font-weight:bold;">Corinthians 9:20-22</font>: <font style="font-style:italic;">To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews; to those under the law I became as one under the law -- though not being myself under the law -- that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law -- not being without law toward God but under the law of Christ -- that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak.</font><br /><br />- <font style="font-weight:bold;">Romans 3:7</font>: <font style="font-style:italic;">If through my lies God’s truth abounds to His glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner?</font><br /><br />- <font style="font-weight:bold;">Philippians 1:18</font>:<font style="font-style:italic;"> In every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Jesus is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.</font><br /><br />Some of his followers have taken a page from Paul's play book. A new and frightening phenomenon which has infiltrated many Jewish institutions are "Jewish-Christians", a group which worships J*sus and accepts all of the basic tenets of Christianity but incorporates many Jewish rituals in order to mislead Jews. They claim that they are "completed Jews", insulting the millions of Jews who remain faithful to the religion of their fathers. They give J*sus Jewish garbs, dress him up as a Chassidic Rebbe and imagine him to be a Gadol. These wicked heretics call their churches "synagogues" and their leaders "rabbis". According to them, the New Testament- I mean <em>Brit HaChadasha</em>- is just as Jewish as gefilte fish. Messianics throw around Hebrew and Yiddish terms, copy Jewish practices and pretend to be Jews in order to persuade the ignorant to give up Judaism. They prey on the unaffiliated, often Torah-ignorant college students or the elderly, and the weak, new olim and the poor. "To the Jews, I became a Jew, in order to win Jews". While condemning the Oral Law as the work of man, they freely misappropriate rabbinic literature in support of their idolatrous creed despite the fact that none of the codifiers of the Law believed in J*sus for even a second. They know no shame in their wicked obsession with destroying through missionizing and distributing pamphlets, what could not be destroyed through auto-da-fes and death camps.<br /><br />Enter "Daniel". As we all recall, he was an normal Orthodox, mitzvah observant, Torah-keeping Jew <font style="font-weight:bold;">married to a Jewess for Jesus</font> <font class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">(red flag)</font>. He surrounded himself with <font style="font-weight:bold;">Christian friends</font>, even accepting gifts from missionaries, under the guise of a halacha-bound Jew. He would constantly promote Judeo-Christian dialogue and friendship. Even his arguments against Christianity were half-hearted and conciliatory. He would have us believe that he suddenly had a revelation and realized the truth of J*sus. This set off a warning in my mind as Orthodox Jews who have even the tiniest knowledge of Torah do not suddenly become Christians (or "completed Jews"). What prompted this epiphany? He never let us know. Silence was our answer.<br /><br />Last year, I go into a debate with a Messianic missionary by the screen name of Big Daddy Jew. He claimed to have lived in Teveriah (where Daniel planned to make aliyah to). A few months ago, he suddenly disappeared. I had a feeling that Daniel, Yehudi01 and BDJ might be one and the same. I traced their IP addresses with their e-mails to the same city in California, having <strong>identical IP addresses</strong>. I recall that whenever BDJ showed up, Daniel would be very apologetic. It seems that our Daniel is a wolf in sheep's clothing. He is certainly no Orthodox Jew but was a secret missionary all along. He probably is not even a Jew to begin with, but a skilled Christian missionary who learned the basics of Judaism and passes himself off as a Jew.<br /><br />On a site linked to his blog, Daniel shows his true colours. He writes:<br /><br />Daniel // Mar 28, 2008 at 3:29 pm<br /><font style="font-style:italic;"><font class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><font class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Being trained as a missionary</font>, I always felt that peoples souls were at stake. Specially meeting secular Jews that have little interest in the things of G-d. Once I learned more about Judaism I realized that lack of engagement has much to do with persecution as well as lack of understanding of G-d’s character and purposes. I feel that many people have nowhere to go to, where G-d’s principles are clearly communicated. The many religious groups out there are more interested in numbers than true change in people’s hearts and the Message of Moshiach and Hashem is hidden in a huge pile of garbage that is fed to people.</font></font><br /><br />Religious Jew? Sudden epiphany? Bah! It seems like we've been had all along. Far from being a religious Jew, Daniel has been playing us for fools. He has been sowing doubt in our hearts as to the veracity of the Torah and persuading us to accept his false deity. Now he wants us to believe that his eyes were opened to "the truth of c*rist" while this was his plan all along.<br /><br />In the early centuries of the Common Era, the Jews of Judea were beset by many heretical sects such as the Sadducees, Essenes, Boethusians and early Christians, groups which tried to lead Jews astray with their corrupt doctrines. The great Sage Rabban Gamliel instituted the 19th blessing of the Amidah prayer at Yavneh. This prayer against <em>minim</em> curses the sectarians and asks G-d to protect His nation from the scourge of this cancer. "Let there be no hope for slanderers, and let all wickedness perish in an instant. May all your enemies quickly be cut down, and may you soon in our day uproot, crush, cast down and humble the dominion of arrogance. Blessed are you, Oh L-rd, who smashes enemies and humbles the arrogant." So dangerous are these heretics that the Torah admonishes us to "exterminate evil from our midsts".<br /><br />The Torah says in Devarim, chapter 13:<br /><blockquote><br />7. If your brother, the son of your mother, tempts you in secret or your son, or your daughter, or the wife of your embrace, or your friend, who is as your own soul saying, "Let us go and worship other gods, which neither you, nor your forefathers have known."<br /><br />8. Of the gods of the peoples around you, [whether] near to you or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth;<br /><br />9. You shall not desire him, and you shall not hearken to him; neither shall you pity him, have mercy upon him, nor shield him.<br /><br />10. But you shall surely kill him, your hand shall be the first against him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.<br /><br />11. And you shall stone him with stones so that he dies, because he sought to lead you astray from the Lord, your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.<br /><br />12. And all Israel shall listen and fear, and they shall no longer do any evil such as this in your midst.</blockquote><br /><br />Daniel, consider yourself virtually executed for the capital crime of leading Jews into idolatry. You are a <em>choteh u'machti</em>, a sinner who leads others to sin, and as such the gates of teshuvah are closed to you. The Torah orders us to remove the abominations from among us so you are no longer welcome here or at any Torah-observant site. You lied to us, pretended to be something that you are not, all with the hope of getting us to forsake our faith and accept your idolatrous beliefs. You should be ashamed of yourself. You are now a persona non grata here for your despicable acts. "Daniel", know that despite your best attempts, the Jewish people will survive from now until eternity while you and your wicked missionary friends will be relegated to the ashes. The Jewish people must be whole-hearted with HaShem their G-d. We cannot allow spiritual enemies like you to steal our souls and lead us into idolatry. HaShem will repay you a thousand-fold for your evil to His people.<br /><br />May all the humanity reject their man-made idols and accept the ultimate Kingship of HaShem, speedily in our days. May the King, King of Kings, send us the day when He will be One and His name One. May He crush the wicked and lift up the pride of His beloved people. Amen, amen, amen!Avihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156322358503174356noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-912687005056852525.post-16529532592126555622008-08-30T21:54:00.001-04:002008-08-30T21:56:06.672-04:00The King is in the Field!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb-js6MS0x4flxeRbFUdj9PiDtMjl6mXs1I8_stYEGju6qOv7bGHo50UR0_UzhGWVF7e8cCqx_5K60bt6l9i7gzUmW9KMd-x46fdvQ0v-et7bGLDA-18u87KU13OwwlBPMSuJvEP2qacT8/s1600-h/elul.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb-js6MS0x4flxeRbFUdj9PiDtMjl6mXs1I8_stYEGju6qOv7bGHo50UR0_UzhGWVF7e8cCqx_5K60bt6l9i7gzUmW9KMd-x46fdvQ0v-et7bGLDA-18u87KU13OwwlBPMSuJvEP2qacT8/s320/elul.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240494018628152802" /></a><br />The shofar blast after prayers tomorrow will herald the opening of the heavenly gates of mercy. The sharp call of the shofar arouses us to put away whatever things have been distracting us from HaShem and to return to Him. We are awakened to rise from our spiritual slumber. We begin the 40 day period of soul-searching and self-improvement which culminates in Yom Kippur. During these <span style="font-style:italic;">yamim noraim</span> we must take an honest look at our conduct in the past year, examine our failings and seek to raise ourselves up.<br /><br />During the <span style="font-style:italic;">yamim hanoraim</span>, the King is in the field. During the rest of the year, the King sits in His palace and only His servants, ministers and courtiers have access to the inner sanctum. It is extremely difficult to get an audience with the King. But with the blast of the shofar on Rosh Chodesh Elul, the King will leave His palace to sit in the field. During this time, all of the King's subjects can go before Him, petition to Him, speak to Him and have their requests granted. Here's how Chassidic master Rebbe Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745-1812), describes the month of Elul - the month that precedes the divine coronation on Rosh Hashanah:<br /><br /><blockquote>"It is like a king who, before he enters the city, the people of the city go out to greet him in the field. There, everyone who so desires is permitted to meet him; he receives them all with a cheerful countenance and shows a smiling face to them all. And when he goes to the city, they follow him there. Later, however, after he enters his royal palace, none can enter into his presence except by appointment, and only special people and select individuals. So, too, by analogy, the month of Elul is when we meet G-d in the field..."</blockquote> (Likkutei Torah, Re'ei 32b; see also Likkutei Sichot, vol II p. 632 ff.)<br /><br />The astrological sign of Elul is Virgo, the Virgin. Elul is an acronym for <em>Ani leDodi ve'Dodi Li'</em>, I am for my Beloved as my Beloved is to me. In this month, we are reunited with our Beloved, HaShem. He is accessible to every single one of us. The gates of mercy are opened and HaShem has compassion on each one of us. Whatever sins have cut us off from Him throughout the year are forgotten and we once again become pure and sinless.<br /><br />We add Psalm 27 to the end of our morning and evening services.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">1. By David. The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life-whom shall I dread? 2. When evildoers approached me to devour my flesh, my oppressors and my foes, they stumbled and fell. 3. If an army were to beleaguer me, my heart would not fear; if war were to arise against me, in this I trust 1 4. One thing I have asked of the Lord, this I seek: that I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the pleasantness of the Lord, and to visit His Sanctuary. 5. For He will hide me in His tabernacle on a day of adversity; He will conceal me in the hidden places of His tent; He will lift me upon a rock. 6. And then my head will be raised above my enemies around me, and I will offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of jubilation; I will sing and chant to the Lord. 7. Lord, hear my voice as I call; be gracious to me and answer me. 8. In Your behalf my heart says, "Seek My countenance"; Your countenance, Lord, I seek. 9. Do not conceal Your countenance from me; do not cast aside Your servant in wrath. You have been my help; do not abandon me nor forsake me, God of my deliverance. 10. Though my father and mother have forsaken me, the Lord has taken me in. 11. Lord, teach me Your way and lead me in the path of righteousness, because of my watchful enemies. 12. Do not give me over to the will of my oppressors, for there have risen against me false witnesses, and they speak evil. 13. [They would have crushed me] had I not believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. 14. Hope in the Lord, be strong and let your heart be valiant, and hope in the Lord.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Ketivah v'chatima tovah.</span> May we all be written and inscribed in the Book of Life.<br /><br />Cross-posted from the <a href="http://masada1234.blogspot.com">For Zion's Sake</a>Avihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156322358503174356noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-912687005056852525.post-27381064959222395072008-08-27T20:56:00.003-04:002008-08-27T21:23:50.522-04:00The Prince of Darkness Exposed<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdXSX3gOx9_0pPbiaTvWXm5f2sc4rLYs5j3w64PF07wxJeDTo7YFhTZw0SxtB4-EtSeUj1LUHe-p1zVb-HcbnYt5eu9ErjB2lDtUJSs98u3SKPmCIrjbtFhjCkQBvoykZP395CCGTyTabt/s1600-h/devil.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdXSX3gOx9_0pPbiaTvWXm5f2sc4rLYs5j3w64PF07wxJeDTo7YFhTZw0SxtB4-EtSeUj1LUHe-p1zVb-HcbnYt5eu9ErjB2lDtUJSs98u3SKPmCIrjbtFhjCkQBvoykZP395CCGTyTabt/s320/devil.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239373098046513330" /></a><br />Since the beginning of time, mankind has grappled universally with theodicy, the question of why bad things happen to good people. To solve this dilemma, the philosophers of idolatry reasoned that there must be two gods, a good god and an evil god. This dualism held that the good god was the god of light, life and kindness and was thwarted by the evil god who ruled death and darkness. This dualism, evident in the Persian Zoroastrian faith, held that the god of good was locked in a cosmic struggle against his evil adversary. When Christianity spread and many pagans came into the faith, aspects of this dualism was absorbed. Christianity holds that G-d created mankind sinful and weak, in an evil world so corrupt and full of sin that man cannot be good in G-d's sight on his own. Man is not free to choose good over evil but rather needs the sacrifice of Jesus to atone for him. This doctrine holds that G-d is the author of righteousness and perfection and never created evil. Evil is the domain of Satan, who was created by G-d as a good angel yet rebelled against Him and fights Him constantly. Satan is the embodiment of evil, the Adversary and Prince of Darkness who rules the Underworld and the souls of those who do not gain salvation.<br /><br />Such a theology is completely absent in Judaism. According to the Torah, a man cannot gain salvation through the sacrifice of another but rather through choosing virtue over vice, good over evil. Deuteronomy 30:15 states, "<span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">See, I [God] have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil." </span></span> G-d created free will that man should be able to choose good over evil. G-d bids us to choose life, yet gave us the ability to sin and to do wrong. It is in this context that G-d created the evil inclination, or the <em>yezter harah</em>. Also known as HaSatan (Satan), the yetzer was created by G-d to tempt us and distract us from His service. Satan was created by G-d to serve a specific purpose, of leading people astray that they should overcome it and come closer to G-d, and is His loyal servant. Satan has no power independent of G-d and does not contradict or fight against Him.<br /><br />In Isaiah 45:7, the prophet describes God's creation plan when he reports that,<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I the Lord do all these things. </span></span><br /><br />Good and evil, harsh and cruel are in the hands of G-d and G-d alone. The translators of the Christian New International Version (NIV) Bible recognized that this verse is contradictory to the Church's teachings and translated the Hebrew word 'rah' (evil) as disaster. This is meant to make the point less easily understood. It is not just hurricanes or disease that G-d creates, but sin and immorality were created by Him so that we should reject them and gain salvation. Satan can be compared to a court prosecutor. He has an unpleasant job but rather than being wicked himself, he wants the good of the court system. <br /><br />Satan is one of many <em>malachim</em> mentionned in the Bible. The Hebrew word for angel, <em>malach</em>, means messenger, and that is precisely what Satan is. Never once in the entire Torah is there an example of an angel rebelling against G-d or refusing to carry out His commands, especially not Satan. That Satan is not an enemy of G-d is shown many times over in the Torah. When the snake (representing mankind's evil inclination) was punished by G-d, never once did it object to its sentence. Nowhere is this more evident than in the book of Job. In the first chapter of Job, Satan appears with other angels before God and argues that Job's righteousness would quickly disappear upon torment and loss. Satan then requests from God the chance to test Job's virtue. The Almighty grants this request, but He meticulously outlines for Satan what he may and may not do when putting Job to the test. Satan obediently follows G-d's commands. Job is immediately put to the test and, by the third chapter, begins to struggle. He questions his Maker as to why he was created and, in a moment of despair, wishes aloud that he had perished in his mother's womb. Still, by the end of this unparalleled biblical narrative, Job's virtue prevails over Satan's unyielding torment. Satan had to be given G-d's permission before beginning his persecution of Job.<br /><br />To state that there exists some sort of Adversary, a god of evil, independent of HaShem is to flirt with idolatry and pagan ideas. There is no power besides G-d. This argument cuts to the heart of Christianity. Mankind need not be condemned to sin and punishment. Rather, G-d gave us the ability for personal triumph over evil. By keeping the Torah, man receives salvation from G-d. As our great sage Maimonides taught: <span style="font-style:italic;">"One should see the world, and see himself as a scale with an equal balance of good and evil. When he does one good deed the scale is tipped to the good - he and the world is saved. When he does one evil deed the scale is tipped to the bad - he and the world is destroyed."</span> A person cannot rely on the sacrifice of others as it has no effect on his atonement. Only by rejecting evil in favour of G-d's path can a person achieve righteousness. Choose life.Avihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156322358503174356noreply@blogger.com47