Reader's Digest
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Anonymous writes:
This is in response to your comment that Rabbinic Judaism is set against Yeshua. Understand that reliable scholarship (both Gentile and Jewish but particularly Jewish) that the original community of the Jewish followers of the Master would not have agreed with you, because they WERE Pharisaic.
It is only the anti-semitic scholarship-lite Christian encyclopedias (such as Newadvent) that may suggest another story.
The problem is not that Israel's religious leadership is Pharisaic (the same authority the initial community functioned within), but that it is Pharisaic according to the Ashkenazi rite with a clearly "ultra-Orthodox" bend.
Think about it, when you so much as hear the phrase "Orthodox Jew", what imagery goes through your mind? Of course: a man in a black hat, long dark suit, with foot-long peyoth. No one imagines Sephardim wearing casual clothing and knitted kippas, or a bronze-skinned Yemenite.
Yet scholarship of the most reliable form confirms that various aspects of the Ashkenazi rite are the product of some mix of Judaism and assimilation, despite what the Chareidim want to do to make all Judaism revolve around their tradition. Contrary to this, these same aspects are much more authentic and in continence with ancient Judaism in the Sephardic tradition, all the way down to the pronunciation of the Hebrew. What has been researched and confirmed as the most authentic Pharisaic tradition of all time, however, is that of the Mizrahim, particularly the Yemenites.
Their customs and their Jewish blood is ancient and virtually untouched by assimilation going all the way back to the 1st century and ultimately to Har Tzion. …If we're following any halakha, Teimani is the way to go.
My Response:
In identifying Yeshua and His talmidim as Pharisees, one enters into a slippery-slope of egalitarian thinking. I've discussed the concept of defining Yeshua through human terminology before; suffice to say, trying to define G-d Himself in human terms, through human traditions or ways of thinking, is moot. G-d defines Himself through Torah and the prophets—both of which have been grossly ignored by the Jewish people since their publication and canonization, even going as far back as Mt. Sinai!
How could Yeshua have been a Pharisee when He spent so much time criticizing their hypocrisy? If He cared so much about Pharasaism, or upholding the traditions of the Pharisees, He wouldn’t have been so critical, for as He taught, "A house divided against itself cannot stand." Moreover, as Rabbi Stephen Wylen writes in his book The Jews in the Time of Jesus the Pharisees were a classist sect who were greatly prejudiced against the am ha'aretz; they supported Roman rule over Yhudah; they took liberty to reinterpret Torah to suit current situations—a liberty that translated itself into a complete reinterpretation of the entire sacrificial system after the destruction of the Temple, one that negated the need for blood atonement, and replaced sacrifice with the concept of praise—two distinct actions in Torah. Does any of this sound compatible with the teachings and actions of Yeshua?
Could it be that, just as 19th century Christian scholarship sought to demonize the Pharisees to provoke or justify anti-Semitism, 20th century Rabbis seek to associate Yeshua with the Pharisees in an attempt to quell this same anti-Semitic fervor? If so, are we reaching any solid conclusions, or simply attempting to use scholarship to put out the fire instead of fan the flames?
Your visual image of Orthodox Judaism is illustrative of the lack of American and Jewish American knowledge of the greater Jewish world. However, your reliance on scholarship claiming that the Yemenite diaspora is somehow more "authentic" disregards the Biblical fact that, since the beginning, the Jewish people have been composed of a mixed multitude. Even in the Exodus, the greatest, most self-defining moment in our history, a mixed multitude of Jews and gentiles escaped from Egypt. King David's great-grandmother Rut was born a gentile, so if you want to be particularly biological about it, even Yeshua wasn't a "pure Jew." Quite frankly, this blood-line research is not only non-Biblical, it's a scary reminder of why Jews prefer not to be typed as a "race".
Historically speaking, the Talmud (the founding text of Rabbinic Judaism) began in the Babylonian Diaspora, long before the first century. So why should we believe that any Diaspora community is somehow more inherently Jewish than another? Even in the middle ages, the Jews of Europe were being educated with Babylonian Talmuds delivered via Sephardi Jews in Spain-- so no matter the location, the source text was the same. We must understand that distance from HaShem is not merely a matter of geography or geneaology, but a matter of spirit. The spirit of Rabbinic Judaism is one that prefers to distance the Jewish people from G-d by means of human laws and traditions. This is the complete opposite of Yeshua's teaching, preaching, and purpose on earth.
Bo'az writes:
B"H
Shalom, Shoshana.
My comment for your article "Israeli Leadership, the Orthodox, and Us" is as follows:
You stated:
"It is important for the believing community to understand the ultra-Orthodox culture. As we begin to develop a more Jewish identity as Messianics, we sometimes strain to adapt to Rabbinic culture, believing it to be an authentic representation of Judaism when it so clearly is not."I think it is important to differentiate between the Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox) and Orthodox Judaism. The Haredi are usually the Chassidic anti-Medinat Y'sra'el (State of Israel) yet are true Messianics too as they wait for HaMashiach just as we do to establish Israel as she should be. They do differ on a lot of things (especially in their vehement treatment of the State, and the holocaust deniers came from this camp albeit in the very, very small minority), but not as much as first perceived---a lot of Chassidic writings read just like the Apostolic Writings for example, it's uncanny.
The question is not whether they wait for Moshiach, but who they believe Moshiach to be, and how they believe He will establish His reign. The Orthodox vision of Moshiach is grossly different from the Biblically prophesied vision fulfilled through Yeshua, which leads one to question where their vision is coming from, and how accurate it can truly be. It's nice to think that we, as believers, and the Orthodox are more alike than popular thinking tends to believe—and this is true in some areas. However, we cannot equate the truth of Yeshua with their vision of Messiah, because we base our faith on two different sources; ours is in scripture, and theirs is in the writings of the Rabbis. Hence, they can be both pro-Moshiach and anti-Israel at hte same time.
Orthodox Judaism has become slightly more stringent over the centuries, but I'd have to disagree with you and say they are very much representative of the Judaism of Yeshua HaMashiach's day (i.e. 1st Century). In fact, he tells his disciples to respect those "who have seated themselves" in Moshe Rabbeinu's authority---so even if we think they're not "deserving" of it, and Yeshua HaMashiach even alludes to their future "seating themselves" yet still says we are to respect their authority with the stipulation we're not to be active in hypocrisy as many P'rushim were in the habit of doing at his time. So in essence, I believe we're not following our Rabbi's example when we deviate from this teaching.
Firstly, Yeshua was not a Rabbi. In his book The Jews in the Time of Jesus Rabbi Stephen Wylen explains to perfection why the title of Rabbi is completely unsuitable for Yeshua:
In Yeshua's day, a Rabbi was "a scholar of Jewish legal traditions who had received ordination from another rabbi. …Their authority came from knowledge that had been handed down orally from teacher to teacher. Rabbis demonstrated this authority by quoting the law in the name of the teacher from whom they heard it. …A rabbi's exegetical ingenuity was limited by tradition. He could not validate just any ruling with a proof text from scripture. Rabbinic rulings had to be in line with current practice and the opinions of the sages in general. …[Yeshua's] own words have the authority of G-d. [Yeshua's] teachings need no support from tradition. The gospels affirm that [Yeshua] was not a rabbi.
It is possible that [Yeshua] did, on occasion debate the meaning of scriptural laws with Pharisees and other scholars, but that was not central to His calling. There is no evidence that [Yeshua] had studied formally in any advanced school for scholars, nor did He receive any formal ordination.
…[Yeshua's] parables have a power and freshness which, in this devoted Jew's opinion, formalized rabbinic parable cannot match" (163-165).
Perhaps this is why the writers of the gospels make a special point of noting, "They were amazed at the way He taught, for He did not instruct them like the Torah-teachers but as one who had authority Himself." In this light, calling Yeshua a "Rabbi" is more like a demotion than a promotion. You could argue that by calling Him "Rabbi" you are referring to Him as "Master" however, to a contemporary Jew, referring to Yeshua as a Rabbi lends credence to the idea that He was a mere teacher instead of the Moshiach.
Secondly, I believe the verse regarding the prushim taken from Matthew 23, "The Torah-teachers and the Prushim, He said, 'sit in the seat of Moshe. So whatever they tell you, take care to do it. But don't do what they do, because they talk but don't act!" is probably one of the most mis-interpreted verses in the Brit Chadasha. To understand what Yeshua was saying, we have to look to the Torah's attitude toward authority and the prophet’s comments regarding the spiritual leadership of Israel.
In Exodus 18, the Hebrews are at the base of Mt. Sinai, receiving instruction for how to act when G-d approaches the mountain. HaShem instructs Moshe to warn the people not to push forward to try and see Adonai; in the warning, He includes, "Even the cohanim, who are allowed to approach Adonai, must keep themselves holy; otherwise, Adonai may break out against them."
In Leviticus 4, as Adonai details the requirements for atonement, we read, "…if it is the anointed cohen who sinned and thus brought guilt on the people…" in other words, the sins of the religious leadership bring guilt upon all of Israel. Because of their role, the cohanim—the religious leadership—must adhere to their assigned duties ministering to Adonai and the people, lest both they and the people perish.
The prophet Hosea writes:
"Because you rejected knowledge, I will also reject you as cohen for Me. Because you forgot the Torah of your G-d, I will also forget your children. …But the cohen will fare no better than the people; I will punish him for his ways and pay him back for his deeds." (4:6,9)
Adonai appointed the cohanim—He also has the power to take away the authority He has given. Just as Yeshua taught to render unto G-d what is G-d’s, by teaching us to respect the words of the religious leadership, He is instructing us to respect the authority He has given them through the Seat of Moshe.
Yeshua's teaching against arguing with leadership is echoed earlier in the same chapter of Hosea: "But no one should quarrel or rebuke, because your people are having to quarrel with the cohen. Therefore you will stumble by day, and the prophet will stumble with you at night." Clearly, arguing with the religious leadership is something that causes stumbling, an action associated with walking off the way of Adonai in the Book of Proverbs. But, if the religious leadership is failing, how could arguing with them result in stumbling off the path?
To understand this in the context of Yeshua's statement, we must understand the role of the religious leadership in Yeshua's day. In the second temple era, the Torah-teachers were exactly that—teachers of Torah. The Torah was not available for the average reader to pick up and study as it is today—just as the talmidim decided in Acts that the new believers would learn how to live Jewish lives by attending synagogue every week, so Yeshua understood that His people would learn His ways by listening to Torah being read every week by those sitting in authority—in the seat of Moshe.
As Wylen points out, in Judaism we have "Torah" (Instruction) and "Halakha" (the Way to live out the Instruction). (81) When Yeshua instructed to "do as they say, don’t do as they do" He was drawing that fine line between listening to the Word of G-d and living the traditions of men. Yeshua never gave credence to the Pharisees' way of living Torah—He gave credit to HaShem for "putting leaders on their thrones and removing them" in accordance with His will, a concept clearly stated in Torah and the prophets.
As to the relevance of Yeshua's teaching on authority today, upon His ressurection, He taught, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore, go and make people from all nations into talmidim, immersing them into the reality of the Father, the Son and the Ruach haKodesh, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." Through Messiah's sacrifice and defeat of sin, through our faith in this, we have been given the authority to preach and teach Torah, because the One with ULTIMATE authority is our Messiah! Therefore, He is in the seat of Moshe, He is our source for learning Torah and living it. He is not a hypocritical parush or Torah-teacher, but the Living Torah, the Son of Man. Moreover, if we deny our faith in Him and-by implication-the power of the Ruach, we are subject to the same kind of termination as the cohanim (see Mark 3:29).
You wrote:
"How can we aspire to imitate a culture that is so blatantly anti-Israel, whose leadership is so corrupt, and whose mindset consists of levels of fear and self-loathing so great that they refuse to even speak their own language, lest they somehow cause offense? Not only would this be doing a disservice to our Jewish identity as members of the House of Israel, but we would be regressing, going against everything our Messiah instructed and sacrificed Himself for."When I look at Messianic Judaism now--I see the Christian Church in "Jewish drag". And Christianity fits into your venomous description of Haredi Judaism as well. Several Christian denominations refuse to do business with Israel because of the "un-Christian" treatment of the Palestinians. Turning Jews into Greek anti-nomians is as anti-Mashiach as you can get! Forget calling him by a wrong or distasteful name, besides who can blame them when they've seen the results of "Christian love" over the centuries? We need to try to stay fair in our assessment of people, and remember that if our goal is a unified body, that non-believing, physical Israel needs as much love, patience and understanding (if not more so) as we give the Church.
Shavuah tov,
-Bo'az
For a scriptural definition of "venomous," try reading what HaShem has to say about Israel, and Israeli leadership in particular, in the prophets—Ezekiel 16 comes readily to mind.
Mark writes that Yeshua felt "both anger with [the Jewish people] and sympathy for them at the stoniness of their hearts" (3:4) . As a Jewish person, who has experienced real anti-Semitism more than once, any vitriol I possess in condemning the current religious leadership has nothing to do with ancient Jew-hatred and everything to do with the desire to see my people better themselves before it is too late.
Because you see Messianic Judaism as "the Christian Church in Jewish drag" are you somehow justifying the hatred the Chasidim have for Messianics in the land? Tell me, what justifies Jewish-on-Jewish violence? The Scriptures certainly don't. Are you somehow trying to justify the Charedi persecution of Messianics by claiming that the Jewish people have been historically persecuted by Christians? Discussions like the one you quoted aren't about who did more wrong to the Jewish people over the centuries, but, rather, learning from the wrong to do what is right!
Quite frankly, if we stopped granting so much authority to the sins of others over the centuries, we would realize that it is we who have been given authority over these sins through our faith in Yeshua! I have no need to justify the vulgar actions of my people by employing the same scapegoat stereotype that has pinned us in a corner, weak and helpless, for centuries. We are not a weak and defenseless people; we are the chosen ones of the one and only, most powerful G-d of the universe, and it's time we started to act like it.
Kol Tuv, mishpocha b'Yeshua!
posted by Shoshana @ 5:35 PM
