Judiasm

I know there are readers here that represent every faith we've discussed. I've heard from Buddaists, Jews, Muslims and Christians this week. I know that not all of you agree with me. And, that is OK! Unfortunately for you... this site is now all about me:):) Seriously, I've been asked to elaborate on our faith, how my wife and I seemed to do so well during her illness and how I continue to do well after her death.

It has not been an easy path, but our faith is what got us through it all... and if I can just get you thinking about your own faith, I feel I've done my job here. If you can learn just one thing that strikes a cord in your being... it will have been worth the effort.

This is like a court of law, and I am building a case. We're just getting through some of the evidence before we get into the meat of the topic. It's really going to get a lot more interesting as we go along. I'm watching the numbers and will decide if I continue on this course or not. So lets get some others on board for the ride:)

I think some of the coolest people on earth are the Jews. In fact, if I didn't know Jesus the way I do, I would probably be Jewish! The Jews are sitting on a treasure of information that they do not fully understand. Unfortunately, those of us that are Christians should know more about things Jewish... but we got all full of ourselves after Jesus came and figured we could remove everything Jewish from our texts and beliefs. Bad move... cuz man doesn't get to make up the rules! Christians need to remember that the God of the universe decided to relate to man by limiting himself to a human body... and he came as a Jewish rabbi.

Eventually, we'll be covering the topic of prophecy... which is kind of a hobby of mine:) It's the primary reason why I decided to go down this road on this separate Blog site. Believe me, I don't need the stress, controversy, or headache! But, I think it is a really cool topic and one that very, very few people really understand.

To fully understand eschatology and prophecy, one needs to understand the original laws and customs G-d gave to mankind. The "law" was originally given to the Jewish people. And so we continue...

During this posting, I am respecting the Jewish custom. The term "G-d" is used in this essay to respect the Jewish prohibition against spelling the name or title of the deity in full.

History: The G-d of the ancient Israelites established a divine covenant with Abraham, making him the patriarch of many nations. The term Abramic Religions is derived from his name. These are the three main religions which trace their roots back to Abraham: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. These are the only faiths that start with texts, secular and religious, have witnesses to the acutal presence of God, have witnesses to miracles and words of knowledge given to ordinary people, and have thousands of archeological finds that support them.

The book of Genesis describes the events surrounding the lives of the three patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Joseph, who is recognized as a fourth patriarch by some Christians is not considered one by Jews). Moses was the next leader of the ancient Israelites. He led his people out of captivity in Egypt, and received the Law from G-d.

A point I'd like to make here: Moses had direct communication with the Lord for 40 days. Most people think he came down the mountain with just his stone tablets and 10 commandments. Moses was given volumes of information which is why the Lord kept him in his presence 40 days. He wasn't just up there bleaching his hair!! It is interesting to note that literally thousands of witnesses saw him come down the mountain and he was visibly, spiritually and physically altered by his experience in the presence of God... white hair being just one of the changes.

After decades of wandering through wilderness, Joshua led the tribes into the promised land. The original tribal organization was converted into a kingdom by Samuel; its first king was Saul. The second king, David, established Jerusalem as the religious and political center. The third king, Solomon built the first temple there.

[I will be covering a topic on the 'temple mount' in Jerusalem as it is the flash point for all the religious turmoil we are seeing now in the middle east. It is a fascinating discussion we'll leave for another time.]

Division into the Northern kingdom of Israel and the Southern kingdom of Judah occurred shortly after the death of Solomon in 922 BC. Israel fell to Assyria in 722 BC; Judah fell to the Babylonians in 587 BC. The temple was destroyed. Some Jews returned from captivity under the Babylonians and started to restore the temple in 536 BC. (Orthodox Jews date the Babylonian exile from 422 to 352 BC). Alexander the Great invaded the area in 332 BC. From 300 to 63 BC, Greek became the language of commerce and Greek culture had a major influence on Judaism. In 63 BC, the Roman Empire took control of Palestine.

Four major (and some minor) religious sects had formed by the 1st century AD: the Basusim, Essenes, Pharisees and Sadducees. Many anticipated the arrival of the Messiah (prophecy mentioned in the Old Testament) who would drive the Roman invaders out and restore independence. Christianity was established initially as a Jewish sect, centered in Jerusalem. Paul broke with this tradition and spread the religion to the Gentiles (non-Jews). Many mini-revolts led to the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple in 70 AD (which was also prophesized).

The Jewish Christians were wiped out or scattered at this time. The movement started by Paul flourished as he spread the word about Jesus the Messiah and it quickly evolved into the religion of Christianity. Jews were scattered throughout the known world. Their religion was no longer centered in Jerusalem; Jews were actually prohibited from setting foot there (the very land that G-d gave them as a permanent inheritance). Judaism became decentralized and stopped seeking converts. The local synagogue became the new center of Jewish life, and authority shifted from the centralized priesthood to local scholars and teachers, giving rise to Rabbinic Judaism.

(This might be a good time to go back a few posts to my writing on Isaac and Ishmael. Basically remember, the God that all 3 faiths believed in initially (the Old Testament God) gave a specific land to the descendants of Issac and Ishmael. The tiny area known as Israel was given to the Jews for eternity.)

The period from the destruction of the temple onward give rise to heavy persecution by Christians throughout Europe and Russia. Many groundless stories were spread, accusing Jews of ritual murder, the desecration of the Catholic host and continuing responsibility for the execution of Jesus. Unsubstantiated rumors continue to be circulated today. In the 1930s and 1940s, Adolph Hitler and the German Nazi party drew on centuries of anti-Semitism, and upon their own psychotic beliefs in racial purity. They organized the Holocaust, the attempted extermination of all Jews in Europe. About 6 million were killed in one of the world's greatest examples of religious and racial intolerance.

The Zionist movement was a response within all Jewish traditions to centuries of Christian persecution. Their initial goal was to re-create their Jewish homeland in Palestine. Primarily because the deed to the land was permanently given to them by God Almighty. The state of Israel was formed on May 18, 1948. There are currently about 18 million Jews throughout the world. They are mainly concentrated in North America (about 7 million) and Israel (over 5 million).

The Tanakh corresponds to the Jewish Scriptures, (often referred to as the Old Testament by Christians). It is composed of three groups of books:

The Torah (aka Pentateuch): Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

The Nevi'im: Joshua, Judges, Samuel (2), Kings (2), Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zachariah, MalachiIsaiah, Amos.

The Ketuvim, the "Writings" including Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, Ruth, Esther, Lamentations, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Chronicles.

The Talmud contains stories, laws, medical knowledge, debates about moral choices, etc. It is composed of material which comes mainly from two sources:
The Mishnah, 6 "orders" containing hundreds of chapters, including series of laws from the Hebrew Scriptures. It was compiled about 200 AD.

The Gemara (one Babylonian and one Palestinian) is encyclopedic in scope. It includes comments from hundreds of Rabbis from 200 - 500 AD, explaining the Mishnah with additional historical, religious, legal, sociological, etc. material. It often records many different opinions on a topic without giving a definitive answer.


The Jews believe that G-d is the creator of all that exists; he is one, incorporeal (without a body), and he alone is to be worshipped as absolute ruler of the universe. The first five books of the Hebrew Bible were revealed to Moses by G-d. It will not be changed or augmented in the future. G-d has communicated to the Jewish people through prophets. G-d monitors the activities of humans; he rewards individuals for good deeds and punishes evil. Although Christians base much of their faith on the same Hebrew Scriptures as Jews, there are major differences in belief: Jews generally consider actions and behavior to be of primary importance; beliefs come out of actions. This conflicts with Christians for whom belief is of primary importance and actions tend to be secondary.

Jewish belief does not accept the Christian concept of original sin (the belief that all people have inherited Adam and Eve's sin when they disobeyed G-d's instructions in the Garden of Eden). Judaism affirms the inherent goodness of the world and its people as creations of G-d. Believers are able to sanctify their lives and draw closer to G-d by performing fulfilling mitzvot (divine commandments). No savior is needed or is available as an intermediary. Beliefs about Jesus vary considerably. Some view him as a great moral teacher. Others see him as a false prophet or as an idol of Christianity. Some sects of Judaism will not even say his name due to the prohibition against saying an idol's name.

The Jews are often referred to as G-d's chosen people. This does not mean that they are to be considered superior to other groups. Biblical verses such as Exodus 19:5 simply imply that G-d has selected Israel to receive and study the Torah, to worship G-d only, to rest on the Sabbath, and to celebrate the festivals. Jews were not chosen to be better that others; they were simply selected as the people G-d chose to reveal His plan through.

The 613 commandments found in Leviticus and other books regulate all aspects of Jewish life. The Ten commandments, as delineated in Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21, form a brief synopsis of the Law Moses received from G-d.

Jews believe their Messiah (anointed one of G-d) will arrive in the future and gather Jews once more into the land of Israel. There will be a general resurrection of the dead at that time. The Jerusalem Temple, destroyed in 70 AD, will be rebuilt.

Boys reach the status of Bar Mitzvah on their 13th birthday; girls reach Bat Mitzvah on their 12th birthday. This means that they are recognized as adults and are personally responsible to follow the Jewish commandments and laws; they are allowed to lead a religious service; they are counted in a "minyan" (a quota of men necessary to perform certain parts of religious services); they can sign contracts; they can testify in religious courts; theoretically, they can marry, although the Talmud recommends 18 to 24 as the proper age for marriage.

G-d provided all of us with a series of celebrations or "festivals" to follow. These were put into place for several reasons. They are a celebration. They have current significance (like forgiveness of sins for Jews). They have a prophetic significance. These are critical to understanding prophecy. The problem is that since the Jews do not follow Jesus, they do not see the full significance of their purpose. And, since the Christians feel that Jesus came to fulfill the law, we don't need to do the festivals any more. While this is true from a Christian perspective, having no knowledge of them leaves us in the dark as to G-d's future appointments with man.

The 7 Jewish Festivals (Old Testament Festivals)


Passover, or Pesach is held each Spring to recall the Jews' deliverance out of slavery in Egypt circa 1300 BC. A ritual Seder meal is eaten in each observing Jewish home at this time. Six different foods are placed on the seder plate in the order in which they area eaten. Not placed on the Seder plate, but often eaten, is a boiled egg.

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year, and is the anniversary of the completion of creation, 576X years ago according to the Jewish calendar. It is held in the fall in September and October.

The 10 days from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, are days of fasting and penitence.

Sukkoth or the Feast of Booths is an 8 day harvest festival; a time of thanksgiving.

Hanukkah or the Feast of Lights is an 8 day feast of dedication. It recalls the war fought by the Maccabees in the cause of religious freedom. It is typically observed in December. Originally a minor Jewish holy day, it has become more important in recent years and will definitely play a role in the future.

Purim, the Feast of Lots recalls the defeat by Queen Esther of the plan to slaughter all of the Persian Jews, circa 400 BC.

Shavout, the Feast of Weeks recalls G-d's revelation of the Torah to the Jewish people. It is held in late May or early June.

Overview: The Jewish people start with the same foundation and base of knowledge that was known to all religions. Unlike the prior religions we covered, they have not altered the original concepts or texts to fit man's ideas. There are limitless historical documents, archeological finds, and non-religious (secular) findings that confirm a knowledge of a higher being, and literally thousands of witnesses and documentation to the presence of God in historical events.

The difference between Jews and Christians is simply that they do not recognize Jesus Christ as the Messiah they are looking for. The prophecy study we are about to enter, revolves around this belief, the Festivals, proof of Christ as Messiah, and future events.