Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I look at it like it would be in the workplace. 98% of the time, I rock it, and my boss tells me what a great job I do. The other 2% of the time, I mess things up, and my boss "coaches" me on the proper way to get it done, and then next time I rock it.
Torah observance works the same way. Have I ever bumped into a light switch on Shabbos and turned on the room light? Of course I have. Have I ever followed a halachic leniency when my mesorah (tradition) is to follow the chumra (the stringency)? of course I have. Do any of these situations mean it's impossible to follow the law? Don't be ridiculous. I know what the Chrstians say about the law being impossible to follow therefore they are exempt, but they have to come up with some kind of excuse for why they don't follow the law - so they've arbitrarily picked that one. But that matters not. Jews don't really care (and certainly do not expect) if Chrsitians follow the law. You're not in the same covenant that we Jews are in. You're actually forbidden to follow the law according to most opinions. You're certainly forbidden to properly observe Shabbos. So pick any excuse in the world for YOU not to follow the law, but please please do not try to give my fellow Jews any excuses for why they don't follow it. Because they have none.
I'm certainly not trying to tell anyone not to follow the laws. I only want discussion here. The way I see it, God is perfect. He created the world and universe. The kind of math He could do for instance, is infinitely beyond what any professor or mathematician can do. The Ten Utterances are supposed to be His laws, His ways and standard. I can certainly keep the rules of the workplace, these rules are given by men. Yet the Law was given by the same One who knows every inch and detail of the universe. It shouldn't be any real wonder that we can't keep His laws 100%. I also think people have made the Law keepable.
Yet going back to my last question, what exactly is the purpose for the sacrifices? This actually goes back to the very beginning, and touches up on my first question about how orthodox jews see the book of Genesis. (Whether literal or figurative)
Again, I only want discussion, I'm not trying to convert anyone. The truth is, my faith does come out of the Torah. Whether or not its the same thing, or Christianity is a new concept altogether is a different subject. It does have a background from Israel and Israel's history. I personally want to affirm some things with my ownself. I'm maybe a Christian, but am certainly not your average one. If I were an orthodox jew, I wouldn't have been your average one either.
Hopefully I've been respectful of everyone here. I haven't brought up my faith other than to tell you who I am, and that I wasn't trying to convert anyone. Perhaps this isn't the right place to have discussion about these things, and I need to make my own topic. (After all, this is a place for getting answers to questions, not so much having open discussions) So I'll do that. Shabbos is about to take place, so I'll continue discussion with you guys later.
Yet the Law was given by the same One who knows every inch and detail of the universe. It shouldn't be any real wonder that we can't keep His laws 100%. I also think people have made the Law keepable.
We'll just have to agree to disagree. I've never once met a Jew who believes the laws in the Torah are optional because Jesus came along and said they were impossible to keep. That's a purely Chrstian concept, and one I suspect, that was created by Jesus' followers to make themselves feel better about refusing to follow the laws. They simply shot the arrow and painted the bullseye around it by declaring the Torah no longer valid, simply because they thought it was too tough to keep the laws. Chas v'shalom a Yid would ever think the same.
Quote:
Yet going back to my last question, what exactly is the purpose for the sacrifices? This actually goes back to the very beginning, and touches up on my first question about how orthodox jews see the book of Genesis. (Whether literal or figurative).
I've also never met an Orthodox Jew who thinks the book of Genesis is anything other than literal. We Torah Jews take the Torah to be the direct word of G-d. Sure, there are many layers of understanding of everything in "the book," but at the end of the day, we either take it as a whole, or leave it as a whole. We do not have the luxary of saying which parts we like and which parts we do not. If you want to know how other non-Orthodox Jews view it, you can ask them.
My question is that if Israel could keep the laws, what was the point of all the sacrifices? I would think if you kept all of the laws, you wouldn't need to give a sacrifice. You wouldn't need to mourn or beat your chest.
My question is that if Israel could keep the laws, what was the point of all the sacrifices? I would think if you kept all of the laws, you wouldn't need to give a sacrifice. You wouldn't need to mourn or beat your chest.
Why is it so important you hear this explanation from me? You're the one who has spent much of your life studying the texts. Certainly you're not asking because you honestly want to know. I'm not generally in the practice of stepping into traps. Just go ahead and share your insightful views. I won't criticize. Non Jews have a right to think whatever they want.
Why is it so important you hear this explanation from me? You're the one who has spent much of your life studying the texts. Certainly you're not asking because you honestly want to know. I'm not generally in the practice of stepping into traps. Just go ahead and share your insightful views. I won't criticize. Non Jews have a right to think whatever they want.
I opened that question up for everyone. I pretty much see the sacrifices as atonement, for breaking the laws. Of course sacrifices had an existence before the commandments were given, but the they were specific in the laws. I want to know those who practice Judaism, how they view the sacrifices. I am a goyim, and perhaps I have the wrong understanding of the hebrew texts.
Now I have a lot to say concerning the Torah, and all of prophets. Yet like I said, I'm not trying to convert anyone. I could talk on these things without ever mentioning my beliefs, yet it will no doubtedly point in that direction. So I won't say. So this is my last question. What is the meaning for all the sacrifices? Anyone can answer.
Heavenese's questions made me think of this question:
Do Jews have any responsibility to encourage non-Jews to follow the Seven Noahide Laws and to believe in the God who gave Jews the Torah at Mount Sinai? Or is it sufficient and best for Jews to avoid the secular and heretical influences of non-Jews and their foreign worship and idolatry? It seems to me that the Orthodox approach is that only Jews have the truth about God and what he wants, and non-Jews can't handle the truth and aren't allowed to even know the true religion (though if they REALLY want to know, we can tell them about the 7 Laws that pertain to them, but then only if they pester us).
What is the meaning for all the sacrifices? Anyone can answer.
OK, I will answer.
Assume I believed the Torah is the word of a god. If god said I should sacrifice something, then I would do it.
I would not ask what the 'meaning' is. I would just do it.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
