" The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ' You shall surely observe My Shabbats; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you, Therefore you are to observe the Shabbat, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a Shabbat of complete rest, holy to the Lord; whoever does any work on the Shabbat day shall surely be put to death."
I have been wondering, since according to BE and "Divine Invitation," Gentile believers are not a part of the people, therefore they cannot be cut off from the people...Gentiles 1--Jews 0.
Since Gentiles are not a part of the people, and not to do any work on Shabbat is a Jewish thing, Gentiles don't get to be put to death....Gentiles 2----Jews 0.
Since "there is a shabbat of complete rest" for the Jews only, Gentiles are not restricted and can do any heavy recreational activity...Gentiles 3--Jews 0.
What a deal....
I am starting to understand why FFOZ made the switch.
Wait..We can apply the same principle to eating pork...Gentiles get to have a ham sandwich...No problem... Biblically Kosher?....
Not for nothing did Yeshua say: "Therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things, and do not do them."
Monday, February 20, 2012
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Kabbalah: the way to God or a game for adults (Part II)
Kabbalh opposite Torah
"We want Mashiach now!" the famous cry of the Lubavitch Chasidim. It looks like they believe they have the right to demend Messiah's coming now, They believe that there is increased study of Torah, and there are more Mitzvot performed then ever. They offer "food for the soul" mixed with Kabbalistic ideas. But did God really hide Himself from mankind like the Kabbalah claims? Is the Kabbalah the right way to find Him, and find the Messiah? And what do Scriptures have to say about that? What does the prophecies about the Messiah say? Who will He be? When and how will He appear? What does the Torah have to say about the nature of God and how to stay connected to Him? What does the Tanach teach regarding the sinful nature of mankind, and how can we solve the implications?
The best thing to do is to listen to what the Torah says:
" The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this Law" ( Deut. 29:29).
how clearly did Moses address the Israelites before they enter the Promise Land. The fact is, that throughout the five books of Moses we discover a personal God, who communicates with Moses and others freely and honorably. The Torah reveals to us a holy God, separate, distinct, and exalted, and at the same time unreachable. It shows us a God who distances Himself from sin, but at the same time paving a way for sinners to right the obstacles by teaching how to remove the consequences of sin. The god of the Bible loves to be close to His people.
There are many hidden things in connection to God that the Torah does not reveal. Also the God of Abraham did not insist on us knowing the precise mystery of his unique nature, yet God still revealed all we need to live a life of holiness, including strict warnings of the consequences for human rebellion and unconfessed sins. In Deut. 31:17 God is says:
" Then my anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide my face from them, and they shall be consumed, and many evils and troubles shall come upon them; so that they will say in that day, 'is it not because God is not among us that these evils have come upon us?' "
Adam and Eve sinned and were removed outside the presence of God. The Israelites were warned that they too will be exiled from God's presence if they will live a life of sin without repentance. God heeded his warning and Israel has a hard time to understand why this had happened. The Kabbalists are wrestling with this issue and uses signs and symbols to support the mystical answers they come up with. But what did God say to the first person who held the complete Torah in his hands?
" This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success" ( Joshua 1:8 ).
God commanded Joshua to take His words seriously, not to add nor remove anything from them. God did not command Joshua to find some secret code in the Torah nor did He ask him to search for hidden mysterious meanings. Joshua was to keep the commandments in a practical manner, honor God and neighbor. Joshua was also to learn the severity of sin and the need for repentance before God.
Unfortunately, the philosophy of the Kabbalah concerning the redemption ignore these command completely, a command that still supposed to speak to us today. How did we get to this condition? well, a look at the historical development of the Kabbalah reveals some understanding on how this flawed philosophy concerning the redemption came to be. Rabbinic Judaism itself was developed as a result of the destruction of the 2nd Temple in 70 AD. The spirit of God resided in the Temple, but as God warned beforehand, his spirit departed the temple at the same time that the nation was dispersed. The Talmudic Rabbis were not mysticans, they seriously struggled with the event of their time, The questioned: how are we to continue living as Jews without the presence of God and without a temple? They turned toward the traditions, the Chukim- rules and the Takanot-regulations. Later on, when the Kabbalists also struggled with the loss of the presence of God, they developed a mystical yearning for His closeness, and later they systematically edited all these ideas and codefied them.
In order to explain the absence of God they combined Gnostic superstitions. As a result of the troubles that the Jewish people experienced in the diaspora, which demanded explanation, the Kabbalists in Tzefat developed mystical superstitions and beliefs concerning the departure of the Shekinah. Later on in a desperation to try to connect with God, the Chasidics zeroed in on mystical experiences, like "Dvekut" and "Kavanah," in order to try to unify with God and open a way for Messiah who will redeem and renew the world.
Despite the fact that god promised Moses that he will raise a prophet like him for the Israelites( Deut. 18:18) the Mysticans arrive to the belief that they, themselves, will be responsible to the return of the Messiah. By doing so, the Kabbalists missed the important and open to everyone source, the teachings of the prophets. Throughout the pre-exilic period God revealed clearly who the Messiah will be, and what he will do. Messiah will be the one that will be sent by God to redeem the world through his sacrificial death.
All of us long for the mysteries of the universe to be solved and reveal hidden truths, But god wants us to experience His presence without running through a maze in order to solve this mystery. he sent the Messiah to show us how we can be with god today and forever. Yeshua told His disciples that he was going to prepare a place for them, and they will know how to get there. Yeshua said: "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me. If you see me, you see my Father."
whoever saw Yeshua, saw God. Messiah came indeed, but the mysticans missed Him. instead of searching for the answers through good intentioned scholars, but who lack godly gaudiness, we need to take into account that God revealed everything through Yeshua, who came to carry our sins, to forgive and to offer us an eternal future. A future we will not see through dark glass anymore (1 Cor. 13:12).
God bless.
"We want Mashiach now!" the famous cry of the Lubavitch Chasidim. It looks like they believe they have the right to demend Messiah's coming now, They believe that there is increased study of Torah, and there are more Mitzvot performed then ever. They offer "food for the soul" mixed with Kabbalistic ideas. But did God really hide Himself from mankind like the Kabbalah claims? Is the Kabbalah the right way to find Him, and find the Messiah? And what do Scriptures have to say about that? What does the prophecies about the Messiah say? Who will He be? When and how will He appear? What does the Torah have to say about the nature of God and how to stay connected to Him? What does the Tanach teach regarding the sinful nature of mankind, and how can we solve the implications?
The best thing to do is to listen to what the Torah says:
" The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this Law" ( Deut. 29:29).
how clearly did Moses address the Israelites before they enter the Promise Land. The fact is, that throughout the five books of Moses we discover a personal God, who communicates with Moses and others freely and honorably. The Torah reveals to us a holy God, separate, distinct, and exalted, and at the same time unreachable. It shows us a God who distances Himself from sin, but at the same time paving a way for sinners to right the obstacles by teaching how to remove the consequences of sin. The god of the Bible loves to be close to His people.
There are many hidden things in connection to God that the Torah does not reveal. Also the God of Abraham did not insist on us knowing the precise mystery of his unique nature, yet God still revealed all we need to live a life of holiness, including strict warnings of the consequences for human rebellion and unconfessed sins. In Deut. 31:17 God is says:
" Then my anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide my face from them, and they shall be consumed, and many evils and troubles shall come upon them; so that they will say in that day, 'is it not because God is not among us that these evils have come upon us?' "
Adam and Eve sinned and were removed outside the presence of God. The Israelites were warned that they too will be exiled from God's presence if they will live a life of sin without repentance. God heeded his warning and Israel has a hard time to understand why this had happened. The Kabbalists are wrestling with this issue and uses signs and symbols to support the mystical answers they come up with. But what did God say to the first person who held the complete Torah in his hands?
" This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success" ( Joshua 1:8 ).
God commanded Joshua to take His words seriously, not to add nor remove anything from them. God did not command Joshua to find some secret code in the Torah nor did He ask him to search for hidden mysterious meanings. Joshua was to keep the commandments in a practical manner, honor God and neighbor. Joshua was also to learn the severity of sin and the need for repentance before God.
Unfortunately, the philosophy of the Kabbalah concerning the redemption ignore these command completely, a command that still supposed to speak to us today. How did we get to this condition? well, a look at the historical development of the Kabbalah reveals some understanding on how this flawed philosophy concerning the redemption came to be. Rabbinic Judaism itself was developed as a result of the destruction of the 2nd Temple in 70 AD. The spirit of God resided in the Temple, but as God warned beforehand, his spirit departed the temple at the same time that the nation was dispersed. The Talmudic Rabbis were not mysticans, they seriously struggled with the event of their time, The questioned: how are we to continue living as Jews without the presence of God and without a temple? They turned toward the traditions, the Chukim- rules and the Takanot-regulations. Later on, when the Kabbalists also struggled with the loss of the presence of God, they developed a mystical yearning for His closeness, and later they systematically edited all these ideas and codefied them.
In order to explain the absence of God they combined Gnostic superstitions. As a result of the troubles that the Jewish people experienced in the diaspora, which demanded explanation, the Kabbalists in Tzefat developed mystical superstitions and beliefs concerning the departure of the Shekinah. Later on in a desperation to try to connect with God, the Chasidics zeroed in on mystical experiences, like "Dvekut" and "Kavanah," in order to try to unify with God and open a way for Messiah who will redeem and renew the world.
Despite the fact that god promised Moses that he will raise a prophet like him for the Israelites( Deut. 18:18) the Mysticans arrive to the belief that they, themselves, will be responsible to the return of the Messiah. By doing so, the Kabbalists missed the important and open to everyone source, the teachings of the prophets. Throughout the pre-exilic period God revealed clearly who the Messiah will be, and what he will do. Messiah will be the one that will be sent by God to redeem the world through his sacrificial death.
All of us long for the mysteries of the universe to be solved and reveal hidden truths, But god wants us to experience His presence without running through a maze in order to solve this mystery. he sent the Messiah to show us how we can be with god today and forever. Yeshua told His disciples that he was going to prepare a place for them, and they will know how to get there. Yeshua said: "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me. If you see me, you see my Father."
whoever saw Yeshua, saw God. Messiah came indeed, but the mysticans missed Him. instead of searching for the answers through good intentioned scholars, but who lack godly gaudiness, we need to take into account that God revealed everything through Yeshua, who came to carry our sins, to forgive and to offer us an eternal future. A future we will not see through dark glass anymore (1 Cor. 13:12).
God bless.
Friday, February 17, 2012
The truth will set you free.
Our old friend Derek finally had enough. He is against an even field. He owns the ball and if you don't play by his rules he will take the ball and go home. See here:
http://www.derekleman.com/musings/2012/02/16/cute-poodles-a-parable/#comments
You see, it is a lot more comfortable to live in a world of Poodles. You can cuddle them, you can yell at them, you can whine at them, but they don't answer, they just stare at you and sometime lick you. Wow...Isn't that wonderful? Isn't that real utopia? Can life be better than that? You present yourself as someone you ain't, and no one can expose you for the fraud you are. because the truth, Derek is, that you and your ilk spend most of your time trying to prove who you are, because you still are not sure yourself.
Derek decided he wants to become a Messianic Rabbi. But how can one become one without being a Jew? so he decided to ignore Scripture (1 Cor. 7:18) and become one. He found a small obscure organization that will convert him, and walla, he is Jewish now....Never mind that none of the Jewish organizations accepts his phony conversion, not even the group that he claim to represent, the UMJC.
Derek, among other things sees himself as a pioneer, so he mastered enough chutzpah to have his own blog and present himself as a Jew among Jews. As long that he can find some gullible poodle lovers, he is in business. So what if we have a little deceit here and there.....
So, when someone comes to his blog to remind him of the fraud that he is, Derek takes the ball and goes home....Some scholar...
http://www.derekleman.com/musings/2012/02/16/cute-poodles-a-parable/#comments
You see, it is a lot more comfortable to live in a world of Poodles. You can cuddle them, you can yell at them, you can whine at them, but they don't answer, they just stare at you and sometime lick you. Wow...Isn't that wonderful? Isn't that real utopia? Can life be better than that? You present yourself as someone you ain't, and no one can expose you for the fraud you are. because the truth, Derek is, that you and your ilk spend most of your time trying to prove who you are, because you still are not sure yourself.
Derek decided he wants to become a Messianic Rabbi. But how can one become one without being a Jew? so he decided to ignore Scripture (1 Cor. 7:18) and become one. He found a small obscure organization that will convert him, and walla, he is Jewish now....Never mind that none of the Jewish organizations accepts his phony conversion, not even the group that he claim to represent, the UMJC.
Derek, among other things sees himself as a pioneer, so he mastered enough chutzpah to have his own blog and present himself as a Jew among Jews. As long that he can find some gullible poodle lovers, he is in business. So what if we have a little deceit here and there.....
So, when someone comes to his blog to remind him of the fraud that he is, Derek takes the ball and goes home....Some scholar...
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Quote of the week.
" What does it mean to follow the Bible literally?
To follow the Bible literally-at face value, at its word, according to its plain meaning-isn't just a daunting proposition. It's a dangerous one.
Consider: In the third century, the scholar Origen is said to have interpreted literally Matthew 19:12- ' There are the eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven' -and castrated himself. Origen later became a preeminent theologian of his age and an advocate of figurative interpretation."
A. J. Jacobs
The Year of Living Biblically.
To follow the Bible literally-at face value, at its word, according to its plain meaning-isn't just a daunting proposition. It's a dangerous one.
Consider: In the third century, the scholar Origen is said to have interpreted literally Matthew 19:12- ' There are the eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven' -and castrated himself. Origen later became a preeminent theologian of his age and an advocate of figurative interpretation."
A. J. Jacobs
The Year of Living Biblically.
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