The answer in life is never to ignore, but to address with openness and honesty. Allow me, please, to show you what I mean. More recent social media posts.
————-
As someone whose Great-grandparents had familial ties to the Satmar community, I so get this statement by Rabbi Jeremy Rosen!
“My loyalties religiously are with the Charedi world (not politically). And I confess I am a solid traditionalist on halachic matters. But I can still tell a petty, silly pointless argument when I see one.
The extreme Charedi world of Satmar is dead right. They live the life they choose and ignore those who are less religious or politically nationalist. They do not try to impose extremes on those who are not.”
Though, unfortunately, too many politically active Orthodox and Heredi Jewish communities *do* feel the need force all Jews to live by their interpretations of halacha. And, in the same manner, the heredi-like anti-religion Chiloni communities attempt to force all Jews to live by their secularism. Both are wrong, and titles don’t mean anything when monopolized for sectarian oppression of pluralism in favor of sectarian idolatry – a chillul ha’Shem indeed!
He has more to say, for which I fully agree with:
“What’s in a title? Titles have been devalued. Every Tom, Dick, and Rebbele nowadays is a Gaon, not to mention a Tsaddik and often a Kaddosh (genius, righteous or holy)! In the Talmud, titles of rabban, rabbi, rebbi, rav, gaon, mar, haham were honorary marks of respect for great minds. Some, like Hillel, were happy to have no title at all. The great heads of yeshivah who ordained me never deigned to descend to the level of having to qualify as communal or synagogue rabbis. And most rebbes only get their jobs because of lucky genes.
In the old days, pastoral matters were usually dealt with not by rabbis but by popular folk healers, Ba’alei Shem, men and women who were relied upon to create magical, mystical, and natural cures for every problem. Even today, swathes of the Jewish world turn to such snake oil figures for solace. Today anyone can follow an online course and become ordained in programs that range from serious to trivial and not go anywhere near a serious yeshivah.
Like degrees, what matters is where one got it from. So why does the very Orthodox world still balk at women with titles? What really is the issue here? Is it about using a title that has anyway fallen into disrepute? Or inventing a new one we never had before? Or is it simply fear of change, the fear of losing power and authority?
In Israel, there are women pleaders in religious courts, halachic consultants, and advisors attached to local religious authorities. Women can call up a Beit Din and ask for a female to respond on a halachic issue and believe me, most of them know a great deal more than many rabbis I know. … So, is the fact that this is happening widely in Israel today, the final proof that the future of Judaism lies in Israel, not the diaspora?”
Read the rest, it’s a healthy and fair scathing analysis! – https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/chief-rabbis-and-women/
The ousting of Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz for receiving rabbinical ordination is a move by men who are simply frightened of dynamic brilliant, women
“It is another example of men being frightened of dynamic brilliant, women. This ban is an insult to Orthodox women. It only reinforces the argument that chief rabbis in Britain and Israel are relics of the Imperial British past and should be scrapped.”
————-
And speaking about heredim mentality….
Really? Is this the new thang? Heredi Christians?! … The OT and NT laws must be fully observed, faith does not free from fulfilling the Law. Includes Sabbath, Kashrut, and Torah festivals, but giving a law exception – no circumcision ritual. Belief that we do not have a soul, it’s “God’s” soul within us, and resurrection is physical – from a rottened state of endless unconscious sleep, to reanimation and living yet again here on earth. … Cool, devout Ger Toshav, … well, almost! (Yes, below is the issue)….
Yahweh’s Restoration Ministry affirms that the “Messiah is Yahshua” – aka, the Christian’s Jesus Christ – and that “Yahshua” is the only path to “salvation to all those that would call upon it (salvation).” Which is not only totally *untrue* (an absolute), but worse, is their belief that Jesus “pre-existed before His earthly birth” and that he “came in human form and was born of a virgin” (a belief in the Christian’s idolatry). Further, that he “died upon the torture stake through which we have atonement for our sins,” even though blood sacrifices are *not* necessary for atonement of “sins.” Jesus died for nothing, so says Torah itself! And, that he “rose from the tomb to be the mediator between mankind and Yahweh.”
Okay, let’s break down the obvious here:
“Yahweh’s Restoration Ministry affirms that sin is the transgression of Yahweh’s Law, 1John 3:4. Without Law sin does not exist, Romans 3:20; 7:7-12, and the penalty of sin is death, Romans 6:23; Hebrews 9:27.”
So, if you worship Jesus as YHWH god in the flesh, then you are breaking the YHWH law of no idolatry, for “God is One” and “has no form” resembling anything physically perceived – especially that of *human* form. And, if you’re saying that Jesus pre-existed his birth (his birth was a divine act of raping a virgin to create a demiGod sacrificial human “Lamb,” for Mary could not consent to this pregnancy), then you are saying that “Yahshua” is a lesser god in the pantheon of YHWH god, which is polytheism and *not* monotheism. … Please, clarify which is it that you believe?!
Further:
“Yahweh’s Restoration Ministry affirms that the dead are unconscious in their graves until they are resurrected, Job 14:12-14; Daniel 12:2; John 5:29; 1Corinthians 15:51-56; 1Thessalonians 4:13-17; Hebrews 11:13, 39. We humans do not have immortal souls, Ezekiel 18:4, 20; Matthew 10:28, but receive immortality as a reward at the resurrection, John 17:2-3; 2Timothy 1:10.”
Okay, this actually *is* the teaching of the Pharisaic Jews before and during and after the Jesus of Nazareth sect wrote their Koine Greek books of Mark, Matthew, and Revelation. So, if “Yahshua” was a lesser god turned flesh through a virgin, then how can he be an example of a souless human returning back to life? For, according to this Heredi Christian sect, he “pre-existed” human life and, thus, could not possibly be human within this life – for “Yahshua” would just return to his natural lesser god state after death! But, if Jesus was a human in a souless sleep of death who was resurrected from this death, he could not possibly have been a lesser god pre-existing his own birth as a human – for the breath of life (the “soul”) is YHWH Elohim god’s breath, so says Torah! … Here, too, please, a clarification is needed.
And one more:
“Yahweh’s Restoration Ministry affirms that the Bible does not support an ever-burning hellfire, but that the wicked who are placed in the lake of fire (Gehenna) will be destroyed quickly and completely, and will not burn forever, 2Thessalonians 1:7-10; Malachi 4:1-3; Psalm 37:20-22; Jude 7. “Hell” is the Hebrew sheol in the Old Testament, which means, “grave or pit”; the New Testament counterpart is the Greek hades, which also means, “grave.” ”
Okay, so you’re still fully Christian, but at least you understand that the Christian’s “eternal Hell” doesn’t actually exist. It’s simply a scare tactic to force belief into the Christian idol, Jesus Christ. But, I must ask, why the extreme law observance – which includes “that only men are permitted to speak before the assembly” and that women “must have their heads covered” – if you’re not going to be (ultra-religious) Jews?! This I just don’t get!
This new Heredi Christian thing just makes no sense to a Jew, because most Jews no longer believe that YHWH god actually requires Jews to abide by Jewish halacha – rather it is a lifestyle choice that certain Jewish communities make for their communities.
And if this is some kind of new Christian attempt to approach their Messianic Judaism movement (Christians pretending to be Jews) in a newly deceptive way, then it’s gonna backfire on them even worse. Jesus, Yahshua, Yeshua, Yahovah, Jehovah, whatever you wish to call your “God,” died for nothing, for blood sacrifices are *not* necessary for the expiation of “sin,” so says Torah itself (Vayikra 5.11-13* … you know, that OT thing).
* – Lev 5:11 “And if his means do not suffice … for that of which he sinned a tenth of an ephah of choice flour for a chatat (חַטָּאת “offering for sin”);…” 5:13 “Thus the priest shall make expiation on his behalf for whichever of these sins he has sinned, and he shall be forgiven….” In other words, it’s not the blood itself that atones, but the mere sincere act of repetance that atones, read D’varim/Deuteronomy!)
————–
On this note, a further thought on radically different understandings….
The very idea of drinking the blood and eating the flesh of your religion’s demiGod, in an act of worshipping this idol as “God,” is just so strange a concept to Jews! Why?
Jews gave up burnt offerings over 2,000 years ago, because blood is *not* required for expiation of sins. I’ll say it again, blood sacrifice is *not* required, for barley offerings have the *same* saving grace from punishment as slaughtered animals (so says Torah!). Yet, to this day, the gentile religion Christianity continues to embrace the pagan era ideal that the only way to “salvation” (aka, removal of sin) is through a blood sacrifice.
Hence, Christians must (symbolically) drink the blood of their demiGod idol, JC, and also eat his flesh, in order to be redeemed. For this paganism is the only path to redemption and freedom from sin for the Christian. A human sacrifice offering to appease the high-God (assumed to be YHWH) that created the semi-divine sacrificial human “Lamb,” which, by doing, assures an individual gentile an (eternal) future freed from sin and punishment.
Okay. In itself, ain’t nothing wrong with preserving an archaic chatat (blood offering) ritual in symbolic form. That is until you commit idolatry along with this, by worshipping your JC as actually being “God” in the flesh. (Besides, it’s kind of gross to be eating your saving god, isn’t it? No?)
When is gentile Christianity going to awaken to the teachings of Torah (specifically, Deuteronomy)? Especially, since you appropriate our “Bible” (aka, “Old Testament”), claiming it to be replaced by your gentile Bible (aka, NT), though Torah is still valid today for all religious Jews upon this planet? And did I mention that blood sacrifices are not even necessary for redemption from sin?! JC died needlessly for a redemption that’s always been available to any human.
https://www.thetorah.com/article/is-atonement-possible-without-blood-a-jewish-christian-divide
Is Atonement Possible Without Blood? A Jewish-Christian Divide
————-
Because this relates to what Judaism is and represents, and how it is not just a “religion” (that you can non-profit on a whim, without Jewish legitimacy given first), allow me please to island Jewish represent:
A synagogue is a communal meeting place for Jews. It is like the hale, secular meeting house, and heiau, religious meeting house, of Hawaiians. The synagogue was originally a building for secular purposes, education, community planning/assistance, and so forth. With the fall of all the BCE ritual-cult Temples (the early Jewish versions of “heiau”) and rise of Rabbinic Judaism, 2nd century CE, the synagogue directly took on the role of religious meeting house, in addition to its other purposes.
The earliest known Jewish synagogues – Jewish community buildings that are secular and/or quasi-religious in nature – were dedicated buildings on Elephantine Island, middle and lower Egypt, 3rd century BCE. They served the Jewish community’s needs in the way the local ritual-cult Temple could not, because of its religious nature.
To this day, there are many synagogues that serve a primarily secular ritual purpose around this world. Jewish Community Centers in the USA are such an example, even though not officially designated a “synagogue.” Then, there is the revival of dedicated “Secular” synagogues, in the 20th century, for ritual and educational use by secular Jewish communities.
Jews and Jewish communities do not have to worship an ancestral god to have a communal synagogue. And, in this 21st century, Jewish “hale/heiau” are no longer centered in just brick and mortar buildings. Tech savvy secular and religious Jews have been working hard on the creation of virtual Jewish communities centered on fully functioning virtual synagogues. They bring the people together, like in the ancient synagogues, for learning and for community action.
Side note: Unlike the Jewish synagogue, the church began as a house of worship and building for religious education (a heiau only, but occasionally used as a hale). Churches owe their very existence to the idolic theology of a heretical Jewish/Gentile religious sect that broke away from Judaism and, by the 4th century CE, labeled Jewish “hale/heiau” as “synagogues of Satan (συναγωγή τοῦ Σατανᾶ).” Islamic mosques, with Islam being a religion only like Christianity, follow the same historical nature as that of the church (a “heiau,” occasionally used as “hale” by worshippers).
0 Comments