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Thank you for your sensitivity in asking this question.
As pointed out in comments, you are actually Jewish (whether you follow Judaism or not). But as you say in your question, you've been raised with Christianity and it doesn't appear that you've rejected that. You see Judaism as part of your cultural background, if I'm reading you correctly, the way ...
23
A quick Google shows that this person likely took the quote from this site here (I'm sorry to have linked to it).
It seems that this person likely didn't understand what he was reading. The topics are divided into sections labeled with Roman numerals under which different "proof texts" are brought.
On the linked page it says:
VII. THOSE WHO KILL ...
19
The straightforward answer to this question is that whereas the Christians are discussing what Hashem is made up of, the Kabbalists are discussing the ways in which He chose to reveal Himself.
Just like we can understand that ה' ממית ומחיה is not reminiscent of trinity, since it is simply a reflection of what Hashem will do about different circumstances, ...
18
In general, don't try to obtain your knowledge of Judaism from episodes of Arthur or from fiction stories. People make things up in the interest of the story. There are much better, and more accurate, sources for learning about Judaism.
Yes, in general, it is considered not a good thing for a Jewish person to practice another religion.
But in terms of the ...
17
Per Rabbi David Sperling it is not problematic to own or use a Swiss gear bag.
The use of the cross - which is of course a Christian symbol - is
widely discussed in halacha. When the cross is one that people bow to,
or use in their worship, then there are serious halachic problems with
owning such an item. However, when the cross is clearly not for
...
16
The second quote is based on the Sermon of the Mount, from the Christian gospel book of Matthew (5:17). As to the first quote, the Soncino writes that "There is no passage in any known Gospel that a son and daughter inherit alike."
Modern religious (eg., Steinsaltz) and academic scholars understand the philosopher living near Imma Shalom, who is quoted in ...
14
In terms of rabbis being willing to work with you, I don't think that would be a factor. I've talked with a lot of converts and conversion candidates, including one named Christina, and none of them reported any inquiry or hesitation based on factors beyond their control like what their parents named them.
You will probably get some odd looks from other ...
14
Textual indicators abound for the eternal and immutable nature of the Torah. Besides examples provided in other answers, here are a couple more examples:
Even all that the LORD hath commanded you by the hand of Moses, from the day that the LORD gave commandment, and onward throughout your generations (B'midbar 15:23).
And thou shalt keep His statutes, and ...
14
The best (English language) source, in my opinion, is Hyam Maccoby's Judaism on Trial: Jewish-Christian Disputations in the Middle Ages (Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, 1982; later adapted as a play viewable here). In it you will find a translation of the Ramban's Vikuach, and of the official church account of that disputation, together with an ...
14
The first precept of Medishare's Membership Qualifications is "Christian Testimony," stating generally that
All adult Members age 18 and older must attest to a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ."
and then specifying a "Statement of Faith" that includes quite a few assertions about the divinity of a particular man. Such affirmations are ...
13
Rav Aharon Lichtenstein zt"l wrote an essay / teshuvah titled "Brother Daniel and the Jewish Fraternity" (Judaism 12:260-280, Summer 1963). Brother Daniel was a Catholic monk who applied for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return, since he was born Jewish. In it, Rav Lichtenstein deals with this very question.
While we generally repeat ...
13
The expression "Our father in heaven" (אבינו שבשמים) is a relatively common name for God in rabbinic literature (as far as I am aware, this formulation does not appear in the Bible). For example, see Mishnah Sotah 9:5. Typically in rabbinic literature, the description of God as a father uses this particular formulation exactly and certainly seems more ...
12
There is actually only one quote here, and it is taken directly from The Talmud Unmasked: The Secret Rabbinical Teachings Concerning Christians, which was originally written in Latin (with accompanying passages in Hebrew/Aramaic) by Reverend I.B. Pranaitis. The quote is real, as are all of the quotes within his tract, and is from the Zohar. The supposed ...
12
I would say "maybe" or "it depends" to both.
In Gittin 56b-57a there's a story in which Onkelos bar Kalonikos, the nephew of Titus, wishes to convert to Judaism, but before that, consults three evil men through necromancy. One of these is a man called "יש"ו"/"Jesus":
"Onkelos then went and raised Jesus [the ...
11
As a student of early Christology, Patristic theology, biblical hermeneutics, textual criticism of the bible, and the history of the bible and the early church, I can answer this question the way I wish it had been explained to me.
The Jewish messiah is expected to be and do many things, but Jesus simply doesn't fit the description, and he certainly didn'...
11
The only thing that would be offensive is if you posed as accepting the Jewish faith and then went around telling everyone that they have to believe in Jesus.
11
Before or during Jesus's time, what other notable Jews claimed to be or hinted at being the Messiah?
Famously Rabbi Akiva thought that Bar Kochba was the Messiah but I don't know whether Bar Kochba claimed that title for himself.
11
Most of the poskim deem the cross as something that Christians remember Jesus by, but not as an actual tool of worshipping. Therefore most agree that you are allowed to use it for pleasure, etc.
Thus say: Terumat HaDeshen in Ra'avyah's name, the Rama, the Ritva, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. This was taken from the following source (daily halacha based on Rabbi ...
11
The idea is that if someone died or was killed before fulfilling his messianic mission, such as was the case by Bar Kochba, who was thought to be the mashiach until this happened, then he is at most like any other righteous king of Israel, but not the mashiach. This is spelled out in the Rambam, Hilchot Melachim, Chapter 11, as follows:
ח ואם יעמוד מלך ...
11
For more information, I would recommend reading "Paul and Gamliel", in Jacob Neusner and Bruce Chilton (eds.), In Quest of the Historical Pharisees (Baylor University Press, 2007), 175-223 - but especially p208 onwards.
Short answer: nobody named Paul (nor, for that matter, Shaul) ever gets mentioned as a student of this or any other Gamliel, although some ...
10
Before or during Jesus's time, what other notable Jews claimed to be or hinted at being the Messiah?
I decided to expand the scope of my answer a bit beyond the limits set in the question. I did so for a couple of reasons: the period of Jesus' life is a very narrow range; we don't have much information about alleged messiahs prior to Jesus; and most importantly, I was having too much fun to stop. Therefore, my answer spans the period from the first ...
10
You're right, MS stands for manuscript, and the final M stands for Munich. It is the oldest complete manuscript of the Talmud available, which means many consider it to be the most accurate. However as Shalom pointed out, Soncino is NOT citing Jesus as being Balaam, it is citing that Jesus is in place of "sinners of Israel." I think you are seeing ...
10
The main point in the question seems to be:
The idea of a celestial and divine Messiah incarnate in Jesus the Nazarene would not be out of the Jewish tradition, for many Jews believed in the Messiah as being divine and supernatural.
The question is, do the referenced sources support that conclusion.
You list several sources: The fourth book of Ezra, ...
10
Firstly, Mr. J. wasn't only referred to by his name, he had other names that referenced him (see Jastrow, Wiki, Jewish Wiki). Thus, only searching his name will not always yield results. Secondly, the Talmud Yerushalmi was censored just like the Bavli - something to keep in mind. In general, many 'famous' passages found in the Bavli were earlier teachings ...
9
Thank you for your sensitivity.
The issue with "old" and "new" isn't just what you said about "old and outdated, new and shiny". It's also that, to us, the latter isn't a "testament" at all. God made a covenant with Israel at Sinai and God does not break His word, so to say that He set aside that covenant to make a new, contradictory one is problematic.
...
9
An ex-Christian once described to me the seder that her church did when she was growing up. It was adapted from the haggadah, the text that we Jews use, but it had some Christian overlays. I don't know if all Christian seders do this; from the description in the question it sounds like this is not uncommon.
Adding Christian symbolism or theological claims ...
9
This case is mentioned in the Beit Yosef (YD 157):
מעשה ברב אחד ששחט תינוקות הרבה בשעת השמד שירא שיעבירום על דת
It happened that one rabbi slaughtered many children in a time of persecution for he feared they would leave the religion
See there for discussion of other rabbis who disagreed and for each side's reasoning.
8
I would assume that there's no issue, as these crosses were only made for a design (in the game) and would fall under the heter of Shulchan Aruch YD 141:1, where he permits any figure presumed to have been made for merely aesthetic purposes. Even though the crosses on the gravestones are meant to be religious symbols, these particular crosses aren't ...
8
There are people who don't like saying "Christ", and therefore don't like saying "Christmas." If you don't have a strong secular education, you'd assume that "X" just means "fill-in-the-blank", so "X-mas" sounds like a more "kosher" way to refer to the holiday. (This is what my camp counselors did when I was a kid, and that was their explanation.)
As Ze'ev ...
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