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And it brought to mind the image of Jacob wrestling with G-d. Don't know if that's a good or a bad thing. It sure is frustrating.
Jacob didn't wrestle with G-d. He wrested with the angel of his brother Esau.
Flipflop, go easy on Pegotty. Understand where she is coming from. As long as she keeps an open mind and is focused in the right direction, she will find the truth.
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That's very interesting. Seems to me it should be all or nothing. Sure maybe there are different rules for different people, but there really is only one G-d.
The Jewish opinion of G-d is that He is ONE, and that He is incorporeal, He is all-knowing, and infinite, created and is in complete control of and involved in the universe and all its workings down to the littlest worm. For a Jew to believe otherwise is idolatry.
Christians technically worship the same G-d, but gave him human characteristics and added some pagan elements to their rituals. Some claim for non-Jews this is okay, while others claim that this form of worship is also in violation of the 7 mitzvos of Bnei Noach--to which every human being must adhere. I forget which is the Rambam's position.
Islam, on the other hand, is not idolatry.
So how does it affect me as a Jew? I may not enter a church, but I may enter a mosque.
Last edited by iwishiwerethin; 07-24-2013 at 11:23 AM..
I guess there are two extremes for approaching life. You could be like me and live by the motto I learned in the 60's - "If it feels good, do it."
On the other hand, you could belong to a culture or a religion that is very authoritarian so you don't have to think for yourself. One time I saw a poster of a tough guy with his henchmen and it said, "When I want your opinion, I will give it to you."
There is no one that thinks harder than a righteous Jew. They are responsible for hours of thoughtful study and reflection every day, year after year, praying in Hebrew and understanding it, and being expected to know the Torah, both written and oral, inside and out, and every which way. I definitely would not say they don't think for themselves.
On an added side note, thinking about what I should or shouldn't do gets me in trouble most of the time. I know what my responsibilities are, and I don't question them - even when I have a hard time keeping up with them.
There's no finer book written, IMO, demonstrating the difference between the Jewish and Chrstian beliefs in messiah than "The Real Messiah" by Aryeh Kaplan. This link below includes the entire book. This was a life changing book for me, as I first read it back in my non-religious days and was overwhelmed by the truth in what I read. So much i didn't even know about my own religion.
If you are seriously looking for the truth, then knock yourself out reading NT texts. You will likely find a total absence of truth in there. If you want an objective view on who Jesus and Paul really were, on how Paul came to his conclusions to make Jesus a messiah, you should read "The Mythmaker - Paul and the invention of Chrstianity" by Maccoby. It's a brilliant and easy to read book. You'll likely need to purchase this one - I don't think it can be found online. BTW, nearly all Chrstian churches have banned their followers from reading this book. Truth hurts.
Thanks for the internet link. I will buy the other book soon.
Jacob didn't wrestle with G-d. He wrested with the angel of his brother Esau.
Flipflop, go easy on Pegotty. Understand where she is coming from. As long as she keeps an open mind and is focused in the right direction, she will find the truth.
The Jewish opinion of G-d is that He is ONE, and that He is incorporeal, He is all-knowing, and infinite, created and is in complete control of and involved in the universe and all its workings down to the littlest worm. For a Jew to believe otherwise is idolatry.
Christians technically worship the same G-d, but gave him human characteristics and added some pagan elements to their rituals. Some claim for non-Jews this is okay, while others claim that this form of worship is also in violation of the 7 mitzvos of Bnei Noach--to which every human being must adhere. I forget which is the Rambam's position.
Islam, on the other hand, is not idolatry.
So how does it affect me as a Jew? I may not enter a church, but I may enter a mosque.
1) Thank you for clarifying the Jacob thing.
2) I don't perceive Flipflop as being hard at all. Just very straightforward, which i really appreciate and can relate to.
3) Can you expand on your comments about Islam? That makes no sense to me.
If you want an objective view on who Jesus and Paul really were, on how Paul came to his conclusions to make Jesus a messiah, you should read "The Mythmaker - Paul and the invention of Chrstianity" by Maccoby. It's a brilliant and easy to read book. You'll likely need to purchase this one - I don't think it can be found online. BTW, nearly all Chrstian churches have banned their followers from reading this book. Truth hurts.
Orthodox Jews follow Halacha law (Jewish law) while Conservative usually don't. Orthodox Jews dress up modesty and stricter laws for keeping Sabbath more strict, no driving on Sabbath, etc.
Orthodox Jews follow Halacha law (Jewish law) while Conservative usually don't. Orthodox Jews dress up modesty and stricter laws for keeping Sabbath more strict, no driving on Sabbath, etc.
You're posting on Shabbos, which we Jews in this forum find to be a detestable practice, and a direct violation of G-d's will. Please refrain from posting in the Judaism forum on Shabbos.
You're posting on Shabbos, which we Jews in this forum find to be a detestable practice, and a direct violation of G-d's will. Please refrain from posting in the Judaism forum on Shabbos.
Not all Jews observe the Sabbath strictly. I myself attend reform synagogue for few hours, and then back home and have Shabbos dinner. I still drive, cook and shop on the Sabbath. Only conservatives and orthodox Jews are strict about it. BTW no Jews really follow Torah law 100%. God said to stone people who violate Sabbath, which Jew do that?
Is there any law on this forum that says posting on Sabbath is prohibited? Perhaps a moderator could respond.
Not all Jews observe the Sabbath strictly. I myself attend reform synagogue for few hours, and then back home and have Shabbos dinner. I still drive, cook and shop on the Sabbath. Only conservatives and orthodox Jews are strict about it. BTW no Jews really follow Torah law 100%. God said to stone people who violate Sabbath, which Jew do that?
Is there any law on this forum that says posting on Sabbath is prohibited? Perhaps a moderator could respond.
It is not prohibited by city data. It is disgusting nonetheless. The minhag of this forum is to follow the minhag of this forum.
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