Aish HaTorah

I was sitting here considering why I get upset with this topic. I suppose it has to do with a history of persecution. Granted, we have consistently ignored G-d's clear warnings on many occasions, leading to our suffering. BUT, when major world leaders, who subscribe to Islam, call publically for the destruction of ALL Jews (and, I might add, Christians), it tends to get under my skin just a bit. Color me silly, but it does. So...this leads me to ask: Do these Muslim leaders a) not know their religion, b) know their religion very well and believe that their comments are supported by scripture, or c) lie? Perhaps they don't really mean what they've said. The point is this: When it comes to protecting my freedom, my family, my faith, myself, and my beloved Christian friends, I cannot help but take such comments personally and seriously.

That is nice of you. I feel more like a coal mine. Why are there no modern Jewish prophets? I wish I knew. I'm glad I'm patient. Moses was slow. Moses plead on behalf of the Jewish people (after the whole golden calf ordeal) for forty days and forty nights. Perhaps we are not ready. Perhaps we have not prayed with great enough fervor. We are, by nature, a stubborn people. We were in captivity in Egypt for so very long, and, after we were delivered and after a brief Thanksgiving Day Parade, what did we do? Complain. About manna. And pretty much everything else we could think of. It isn't enough for someone to tell us to turn to G-d because we are suffering. We need to have it proven to us that we are, in fact, actually suffering. Q) How many Jewish grandmothers does it take to change a lightbulb? A) Never mind, I'll just sit here in the dark.

On a side note, I do find myself frequently praying for Muslims. Not praying that they will change, necessarily, but that those inclined to violence will be healed of this line of thinking. I pray for the peace of Jerusalem and Christians as well. It is always a simple prayer of healing. If you recall in the book of Numbers, Miriam was kvetching about Moses choosing Zipporah for a wife. She wasn't a Jew, after all, and Miriam was not well pleased with her brother's "foolishness." G-d, in turn, wasn't please with her, and she was struck with leprosy. At that point, Moses, who was NOT known for brevity, prayed a simple and eloquent prayer on behalf of his sister: "El, na r'fa na lah." "And Moses cried unto the L-RD, saying: 'Heal her now, O G-d, I beseech Thee.'" - Numbers 12:13 Simple. Replete with sincerity. The way, I believe, many of our prayers should be.

The last nevi'im (prophets) mentioned in our scripture are Malachi, Haggai, and Zechariah (the same as oversaw the building of the Second Temple). They lived at the end of the Babylonian exile. The only thing that now remains is the Ruach HaKodesh (The Spirit of Holiness) to speak G-d's word to our minds and hearts. As to your "gotcha...!" comment. No worries, friend, I do not mind. It would be disingenuous of you not to share your beliefs.

Muslims are quick to point out that the Quran implicitly states that taking the life of one innocent person would be the same as murdering all of humanity. True, it does say this. What they fail to share is that they do not consider them to be innocent. Therefore, it isn't murder. Are all Muslims bad people? Clearly not. Is the potential for violence inherent in their deeply held creeds? I believe so. Those that say that radical Muslims distort the teachings of their scripture have not, in my opinion, carefully read said scripture. If they did so, they would either correct their beliefs or lean toward violent enforcement of those beliefs. I believe that many of them are peaceful and loving. I do not believe that their faith is.

You have more Chutzpah than do I. I have always struggled with this.

Hmmm. If they all disappeared today... You just had to go there, didn't you? Can Muslims and Jews ever reconcile? Do you want the long or the short answer? The short answer is "no." The long answer is "nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo." With all candor, I cannot possibly envision this happening, short of them renouncing their faith or us renouncing ours, which is not likely on either side. This isn't just a can of worms, this is THE can of worms. We could fish for the next thousand years, and still have a boat full of bait. I am...less than fond...of Muslims for so very many reasons. Their twisting of scripture, their proclivity toward violence for its own sake. Their eschatological views, their epistemological views. This could go on forever...ok, ALL of their views on practically everything. The problem goes back to Isaac and Ishmael. We believe (and rightly so, IMNSHO) that the birthright went to Isaac. They believe Ishmael. Thus was the birth of contention ushered in. If you truly want to discuss this (and I suspect you do), then perhaps we could start a new thread about it. Oh, wait, you did. I will give it more thought lest I ramble further. Please share with me your views on a) if you think this is even a possibility and b) how that would take shape.

1) With regard to the Second Temple, the Talmud indicates that Zechariah, Haggai, and Malachi were directly supervising the construction. It has not been implicitly stated who will supervise the construction of the Third Temple, on that it will require similar prophetic oversee. I (as well as others) believe this to be the Messiah. It could be someone else. There is no one currently living that we could consider a prophet in the biblical sense. 2) Ani Maamin B'emunah Sh'leimahk B'viyat Hamashiach. V'af al pi sheyitmahmehah im kol zeh achake lo b'chol yom sheyavo. "I firmly believe with complete faith in the coming of the Messiah, and even though he tarries (or has yet to arrive), with all that, I (longingly) await his arrival with each day." This is Orthodox teaching. When will he come? Back to the flavors of Judaism. Hasidic Jews...I will extend that to less Orthodox, but still Orthodox, Jews also...believe that he will come at any possible moment. Immediately. On Fox News tomorrow morning, kind of a thing. I am a Conservative Jew, and as such, I tend to migrate toward our Statement of Principles, which says, in part: "Since no one can say for certain what will happen in the Messianic era, each of us is free to fashion personal speculation. Some of us accept these speculations are literally true, while others understand them as elaborate metaphors. For the world community, we dream of an age when warefare will be abolished, when justice and compassion will be axioms of all, as it is said in Isaiah 11: "...the land shall be filled with the knowledge of the L-rd as the waters cover the sea." For our people, we dream of the ingathering of all Jews to Zion where we can again be masters of our own destiny and express our distinctive genius in every area of our national life. We affirm Isaiah's prophecy that, "...Torah shall come forth from Zion, the word of the L-rd out of Jerusalem." MOST Reform Jews that I have met and with whom I have discussed the Messianic Age, argue that there will be no Messiah in actuality. They view the Messianic Age as a kind of happy, inclusive utopia. I am not as familiar with their (or Reconstructionist) views other than that. To further complicate matters, it is widely believed that there will be not one, but TWO Messiahs. Mashiach ben David (Messiah, son of David) and Mashiach ben Yosef (Messiah, son of Joseph). He will be of the line of King David and will institute a season of peace.

Ask the Muslims. *sigh* But seriously, the answer depends upon to whom you ask the question. (Always my answer, right?) Generally speaking, certain things are preventing the building of the Third Temple (if the temple in Ezekiel is the one to which you refer), or Beit haMikdash haShlishi. We cannot build it before the coming of the Mashiach (Messiah) as we understand him. Only G-d can make the time known for this. I personally do not see an issue with the Muslim occupation of what we believe to be rightfully ours. HaShem will take care of it in His own way. I wouldn't want to be Muslim when that happens. Some notable scholars argue that the Dome of the Rock is not the actual location of either the First or Second temple, but I personally do not lend credence to any of their arguments, and I have read them thoroughly. Again, I am not a scholar by any stretch, but I do read carefully and have not found myself convinced in any meaningful way. (To the Mods...I apologize - mostly sincerely - for disparaging another faith, but I can tell you that I am writing with careful restraint. There is SO MUCH MORE I could say with regards to Muslims and their claims, but I will try to remain amiable. Even typing it makes me angry.) Several organizations (actually, quite a few, although only a few of them get any real attention) have contrived ways to bring to pass the construction of the Third Temple now. I find their ideas intriguing, but I tend to proceed with caution. I think without G-d's direction, any such attempt would be doomed to failure before it even begins. It may well be that the Mashiach will direct the building at a different site entirely within Jerusalem. Even if the Dome of the Rock suddenly vanished tomorrow, it would still be practically impossible to begin construction, IMO. Talmudic writing suggests that the temple can only be constructed under direct prophetic guidance, just as the Second Temple was. Having said all of this, I cannot stress the importance of the building of the temple to us. It is of utmost importance, and no one has a hope of stopping it from happening when G-d gives the green light.

I should have remembered all the episodes of Duck Dynasty. Not Florida, but close enough.

I can send you snakes (probably not boas), spiders, and scorpions from our yard.

A little like our Mogen David (Shield -often called Star- of David).

I am not sure that I understand that.

Our scriptures are divided somewhat differently from yours or other Christians (if I understand correctly). We divided them into three sections: 1) Torah (The Law). Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. 2) Nevi'im (The Prophets). Joshua, Judges, I Samuel, II Samuel, I Kings, II Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and The Twelve: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. 3) Ketuvim (The Writings or Poetical Writings). Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, I Chronicles, and II Chronicles.

In the Midrash, yes. We primarily try to lend our focus to the Parashat ha-Shavua (weekly readings from the Torah scrolls and that of the Nevi'im and Ketuvim (the prophetical and poetical writings). I do, however, think there is great value to be found in the Midrash, although it is exegesis. As long as we recognize that it is Midrashim, and not Tanakh. Sometimes we read directly from the Midrashim, and sometimes it is related to us by the rabbi or cantor. This raises another interesting point. Many Christians with whom I have spoken about efforts to proselytize to Jews, have erroneously believed that it is difficult because many Jews lack a working knowledge of scripture. In my experience, it isn't that at all. The problem is in that many of us believe that the rabbinical teachings are on par with Torah. In some cases the clarify to a point of superseding it.

Not I. MLB, on the other hand...

1) Not all matzo is created equal. There is matzo that is kosher, but not kosher for Passover. 2) Gefilte fish should be biblical, IMHO. My children would heartily disagree.

If you could own any kind of exotic animal (assuming there were no restrictions to the animal in the area in which you live and had the resources to care for the pet), what would you pick an why? Or, even if it is already permitted in the area you live, what crazy animal do you not have, but would like to?

Yesterday I was pondering the idea of idolatry and how it relates to both traditional Jewish and Christian belief systems. My rabbi often shares a pseudo-historical example of idolatry to illustrate a point: "Abraham's father, Terach, was an idol maker. One night, just before retiring to bed, Terach left his young son in charge of the idol shop. When Terach returned the following morning, he saw that all the statues had been scattered all over the work tables and the floor. They were broken and irreparable. Naturally, he was outraged at Abraham. 'What happened here?!' he screamed at his son. Abraham shrugged his shoulders casually and then said, 'The idols had a fight.' Terach remained furious at this unexpected turn of events. Looking at his son, he said, 'They cannot fight. They cannot even see or think!' Abraham said calmly, 'Then, father, why do you worship them?'" What do you believe with regard to idols and idol worship. What definition would you give to this practice? Do you believe, as we do, that even displaying the image of G-d to be idolatry? What about the cross? Do you think idolatry is limited to the active worship of material idols, or can the definition be expanded and made more broad? This could include habits or other traditional practices. I look forward to your ideas. Shalom!

Perhaps I will avoid matzo all together this year (other than the obligatory eating for the seder meal) and embrace other family favorites. Stuffed veal, brisket, pear puree, macaroons, farfel puffs, walnut torte, and, of course, gefilte fish. NO chopped liver and easy on the plums, please.

Every year at this time, the chore...er, I mean creative blessing...rears its grinning head. What new and interesting things can we do with matzo to keep the kiddos interested. They have (kindly) provided me a list of some of the more innovative (risky?) recipes we tried last year that were not so much a hit. (Suffice it to say that even the dog was tired of eating matzo by the end of the week. ) There are a few staples - matzo ball soup, matzo pizza, matzo lasagna, etc. I am determined to add more this year! I will do it. I will.

Hebrew is interesting as well in that it is the only language (to my knowledge) to have once been considered a dead language that has been brought back into full use world-wide.

When a boy or a girl celebrates his or her bar or bat mitzvah, respectively, he or she is considered an adult within the synagogue and Jewish community at large. With such a consideration comes additional requirements and expectations for behavior and moral conduct. This is true within the congregation as well as in family and community life.

Thank you! So, am I correct that your faith would be considered dispensationalist? I mean, you have indicated such, but would you feel comfortable using that term to describe yourself to Jews or other Christians?

Yep. Every one! Except for the ones I don't, of course. P.S. Don't talk to my rabbi.