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I used to be a Christian but converted to Orthodox Judaism more than 32 years ago. I have a website called: "A Primer: Why Jews Can't Believe in Jesus" that should more than adequately answer your question (although I actually designed it for Jewish education and not to combat missionaries). But let me just touch on the basics:
Not only isn't Jesus the ...
34
Do Jewish people have a collection of books which are the equivalent of the Christian Old Testament?
The Jewish scriptures are called the "Tanach", which is traditionally divided into 24 separate books.
It is hard to say exactly how it measures up to the Christian Old Testament, since there are different versions as to what is included in the Old Testament depending on what sect of Christianity one belongs to. Here is an excellent chart which shows the ...
24
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 ...
22
The Talmud, in discussing whether the practice of refraining from engaging in business with worshipers of Avoda Zara (lest they offer thanks to their Avoda Zara) three days prior to (and according to R Yishmael also: following) their holidays (cf. Mishna AZ 1:1) includes the day of the holiday itself in the count of three days, states (AZ 6a and 7b):
אמר ...
22
According to the sources cited by the Gra on Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah 147:3, the prohibition against mentioning the name of a foreign deity does not apply to the name of Jesus, and in fact we find that he is mentioned by name in many sources.
In a very interesting teshuva, R' Esriel Hildesheimer discusses this issue at some length. He comments that the ...
19
To add to Jeff's and Josh's points, we find that there are in fact practices in prayer (kneeling, raising our hands) that are attested in Tanach but were later abandoned as Jewish practices, precisely because non-Jewish religions made these parts of their own rituals. How much more so, then, that we shouldn't adopt prayers that they originated!
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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 ...
18
For a complete treatment of the subject, see a work like this. There are anti-missionary sites that certainly go through the various Biblical descriptions of the Messiah; these aren't hard to find if you google around a bit.
In brief, here's how Maimonides codifies the job description of the Jewish Messiah, in Chapter 11 of his Laws of Kings & their ...
17
See this summary on Wikipedia.
The first five books of the Bible -- Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy -- form the "Torah" (like would be in a Torah scroll). The text of these is, as far as I know, identical between Jewish and Christian Bibles (though there will certainly be differences in translation; studying the original Hebrew is extremely ...
17
One: the Rema does not rule that goyim are permitted shituf, but merely rules that for them swearing in the the name of a shituf is not an act of avodah zarah (as only Jews are prohibitted from swearing in anything but HaShem's name). As explained in the Nodah Beyahudah, Yoreh Deah 148: "The intention of the Tosefos and the Rama is that combining the Name of ...
17
It's important to highlight that Christianity StackExchange has a very different atmosphere to Mi Yodeya. Christianity SE is very much true to its mission of being a Q&A site about Christianity. It is not a Christian site. And that post on meta isn't just a claim. It's lived up to throughout the site. In fact, it was recently brought up again in ...
17
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
...
15
In the original version of the Rambam in Sefer Qedusha, Hilkhot Maakhalot Asurot 11:7 (compare the censored version and the uncensored version) he rules that xian are idol worshipers.
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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, ...
14
He is saying that the year 3724 coincides with the end of a 532-year calendrical cycle. This cycle is when the 19-year machzor katan and the 28-year machzor gadol return to their initial positions (19 x 28 = 532). The year 3724 comes after exactly 7 of those cycles (532 x 7 = 3724). He does not explain why this has any significance.
UPDATE: Mevaqesh's ...
14
Obviously, I can't actually speak for the family involved, however, in general, giving any kind of Christian religious symbol to a Jewish family will be considered offensive. The meaning conveyed by the cross for most Jews is very different from the meaning that Christians see in it, and not the least bit positive.
14
Yoshke is simply a Yiddish diminutive nickname for Yehoshua (Joshua, for which a parallel English nickname would be Josh). Thus, it was simply a way for European Jews to make reference to Jesus in a manner that (a) conveyed the idea that Jesus was not viewed as important and (b) not likely to be picked up on by nearby Gentiles.
I doubt there is any record ...
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,...
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
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 ...
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 the gemara that ...
12
Assuming it was your father's Mother's Mother or some combination thereof who was Jewish, then it might be best for you to find a Large cross with a small Jewish star.
The Jewelry you currently have has strong associations with "Messianic Jews", or "Jews for Jesus", both groups which are roundly rejected by Jewish groups as being either an oximoron or ...
12
First, it should be noted that you are asking a very broad question, as, unfortunately, there certainly are many Jews who celebrate it as a secular, cultural holiday, and many Christians who classify themselves as Jews.
Mainstream Judaism, however, rejects Jesus. Adamantly, decisively, and without qualification. We do not believe he was a prophet, a ...
12
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 ...
11
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 ...
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
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 ...
10
Prayers are composed with different attitudes, and reference different Scriptures.
I am certainly not paskening here, but it is essentially a sectarian prayer, and gives credence to that religion. What is the motivation in saying it? Breaking down boundaries in this area is surely a slippery slope, when dealing with a religion that actively wishes to ...
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