The Truth about Judaism

[Truthspeaker]

My questions for true, knowledgeable Jews:

1. Where did our spirits originate?
2. What will the Messiah be like when he comes?
3. When will the Levites begin practicing the Law of God again?
4. What qualifies a man to be a prophet?
5. Are there prophets today?
6. If not, then why?
7. What happens to those who die without accepting Judaism?
8. What happens to innocents who die?
9. Why do Muslims hate you?
10. Why is Jerusalem coveted by the Muslims and why shouldn't they have it?
11. What does the skull cap mean?
12. What is the purpose of the Wailing wall?
13. Why would Judaism only build one temple?

 

[Mr. Jones]

My questions for true, knowledgeable Jews:

1. Where did our spirits originate?
2. What will the Messiah be like when he comes?
3. When will the Levites begin practicing the Law of God again?
4. What qualifies a man to be a prophet?
5. Are there prophets today?
6. If not, then why?
7. What happens to those who die without accepting Judaism?
8. What happens to innocents who die?
9. Why do Muslims hate you?
10. Why is Jerusalem coveted by the Muslims and why shouldn't they have it?
11. What does the skull cap mean?
12. What is the purpose of the Wailing wall?
13. Why would Judaism only build one temple?

I have one more for your list-
Why does it say in the Talmud that Jesus was an idolater and conceived while his mother was menstruating and that she was a whore?

 

[Truthspeaker]

My questions for true, knowledgeable Jews:

1. Where did our spirits originate?
2. What will the Messiah be like when he comes?
3. When will the Levites begin practicing the Law of God again?
4. What qualifies a man to be a prophet?
5. Are there prophets today?
6. If not, then why?
7. What happens to those who die without accepting Judaism?
8. What happens to innocents who die?
9. Why do Muslims hate you?
10. Why is Jerusalem coveted by the Muslims and why shouldn't they have it?
11. What does the skull cap mean?
12. What is the purpose of the Wailing wall?
13. Why would Judaism only build one temple?

I have one more for your list-
Why does it say in the Talmud that Jesus was an idolater and conceived while his mother was menstruating and that she was a whore?

That would be a good question. But I am still waiting for a Jewish person to answer any. I am not lying in wait here to attack, I just want to know.

 

[jillian]

I have one more for your list-
Why does it say in the Talmud that Jesus was an idolater and conceived while his mother was menstruating and that she was a whore?

I've never heard of it saying any such thing. In fact, Jesus wouldn't be mentioned in the Talmud, since the Talmud preceded him; the mishnah by 200 years; the gemarra by 500 years.

Thanks for playing.

 

[Truthspeaker]

I have one more for your list-
Why does it say in the Talmud that Jesus was an idolater and conceived while his mother was menstruating and that she was a whore?

I've never heard of it saying any such thing. In fact, Jesus wouldn't be mentioned in the Talmud, since the Talmud preceded him; the mishnah by 200 years; the gemarra by 500 years.

Thanks for playing.

Hey Jillian, can you answer some of my Questions?

 

[Sunni Man]

I have one more for your list-
Why does it say in the Talmud that Jesus was an idolater and conceived while his mother was menstruating and that she was a whore?

I've never heard of it saying any such thing. In fact, Jesus wouldn't be mentioned in the Talmud, since the Talmud preceded him; the mishnah by 200 years; the gemarra by 500 years.

I believe he was talking about the Midrash which was compiled after the time of Jesus

 

[Sky Dancer]

I'd love to have a serious discussion about Judaiam--one that is respectful and informative.

 

[jillian]

My questions for true, knowledgeable Jews:

1. Where did our spirits originate?
2. What will the Messiah be like when he comes?
3. When will the Levites begin practicing the Law of God again?
4. What qualifies a man to be a prophet?
5. Are there prophets today?
6. If not, then why?
7. What happens to those who die without accepting Judaism?
8. What happens to innocents who die?
9. Why do Muslims hate you?
10. Why is Jerusalem coveted by the Muslims and why shouldn't they have it?
11. What does the skull cap mean?
12. What is the purpose of the Wailing wall?
13. Why would Judaism only build one temple?

I'll give it a go. Though I have to admit a serious lack of knowledge about certain of these things.

Also, you ask these questions like all jews believe a single thing. Judaism is much more nebulous, IMO, and is always dependent upon what branch of judaism you follow; whether you believe in jewish mysticism; and who your rabbi is. Even among rabbis, if you ask one question, you will get a different answer from each. Remember, the socratic method is based in the way the talmud is studied. Unlike christianity, there are not always hard and fast answers. We study by asking questions.

1. The spirit... I needed google for a clear response on this one, I'm afraid. But I do have a link that's a good start:

Jewish views of the soul begin with the book of Genesis, in which verse 2:7 states, "Hashem formed man from the dust of the earth. He blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being." (New JPS)

The Torah offers no systematic definition of a soul; various descriptions of the soul exist in classical rabbinic literature.

Saadia Gaon, in his Emunoth ve-Deoth 6:3, explained classical rabbinic teaching about the soul. He held that the soul comprises that part of a person's mind which constitutes physical desire, emotion, and thought.

Maimonides, in his The Guide to the Perplexed, explained classical rabbinic teaching about the soul through the lens of neo-Aristotelian philosophy, and viewed the soul as a person's developed intellect, which has no substance.

In Kabbalah the soul is understood to have three elements. The Zohar, a classic work of Jewish mysticism, describes the three elements as nephesh, ru'ah, and neshamah. They are differentiated thus:

Nephesh – The living mortal being; it feels hunger, hates, loves, loathes, weeps, and most importantly, can die (cease to breathe). The nephesh is simply an "air-breather". Animals also are a nephesh (they breathe air), but plants do not (although there are Jewish traditions that claim that plants do - such as Chabad). It is the source of one's physical and psychological nature. (derived from Old Testament Theology, by Gerhard von Rad)
The next two parts of the soul are not implanted at birth, but are slowly created over time; their development depends on the actions and beliefs of the individual. They are said to only fullyexist in people awakened spiritually:

Ruach – the middle soul, or spirit. It contains the moral virtues and the ability to distinguish between good and evil. In modern parlance, it equates to psyche or ego-personality.
Neshamah – the higher soul, Higher Self or super-soul. This distinguishes man from all other life forms. It relates to the intellect, and allows man to enjoy and benefit from the afterlife. This part of the soul is provided both to Jew and non-Jew alike at birth. It allows one to have some awareness of the existence and presence of God. In the Zohar, after death Nefesh disintegrates, Ruach is sent to a sort of intermediate zone where it is submitted to purification and enters in "temporary paradise", while Neshamah returns to the source, the world of Platonic ideas, where it enjoys "the kiss of the beloved". Supposedly after resurrection, Ruach and Neshamah, soul and spirit re-unite in a permanently transmuted state of being.
The Raaya Meheimna, a Kabbalistic tractate always published with the Zohar, posits two more parts of the human soul, the chayyah and yehidah. Gershom Scholem wrote that these "were considered to represent the sublimest levels of intuitive cognition, and to be within the grasp of only a few chosen individuals":

Chayyah – The part of the soul that allows one to have an awareness of the divine life force itself.

Yehidah – the highest plane of the soul, in which one can achieve as full a union with God as is possible.

Soul - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2. The Messiah is not a "spiritual" savior in the sense that Christians believe. In fact, Jews tend to use the word "moshiach" in order for the concept not to be confused with the Christian concept. Interestingly, there is no mention of the moshiach in the Torah and there are those who believe that as a concept, it came later, during the days of the prophets.

Moshiach means "annointed one" as in having been annointed like a king would be. He is a messianic king of the line of David who will be a charismatic leader and great warrior and bring a millenium of peace at the end of our days on earth, during which time everyone will live togther in peace.

3. The "levites" are not the priests. those are the kohans. The Levites (of which I am one), being a descendent of the tribe of Levi, are the only tribe of Israel with no tribal land. When the temple is rebuilt they receive tithes because their sole duty is to minister to the kohanim and keep watch over the Temple. Without a temple, no duty to the temple.

4/5/6 I'm afraid I can't answer your questions about prophets because we don't believe there are any now as far as I know. We believe that age has passed and that Elijah was the last. (Now, I could be wrong about that... but that's my understanding. someone may correct me on it).

7. Nothing happens to those who "die without accepting judaism". If a child is circumcized in accordance with jewish law, he is jewish. If you are born to a jewish mother, you are jewish. If you are a righteous person, whether jew or gentile, you're blessed. (which isn't to say that if you're jewish, you don't have to live by the laws... ).

8. Innocents who die are always blessed and go to G-d.

9. Muslims? Think of it as the worst case of sibling rivalry ever in the history of mankind.

10. A yarmulke (what you call a skull cap) is worn to show devotion to G-d.

11. It's the "western wall". We don't really call it the wailing wall. But the wall was the western wall of The Temple in Jerusalem and is what remains after the Romans destroyed the Temple in 70 CE. It's our holiest spot because the Temple was built over the holy of holies where Abraham took Issac to be sacrificed but was stopped and a ram given to him for sacrifice.

12. Obviously, we have many temples in the sense that there are synagogues all over the world. But as I said, THE Temple is over the holy of holies; we aren't allowed to follow certain laws until it is rebuilt. Right now there's a mosque over that site and we can't go there. (Although I did go to Al Aqsa [the Dome of the Rock] years ago when we were still allowed to).

 

[Sky Dancer]

Jillian-

I'm particularly fond of your answer to number seven--that righteous people are blessed.

I remember attending a Billy Graham event in Shea Stadium as a teenager with my two closest friends, one a Jew, the other a Native American. We argued this point with those Christians on the stage who had invited us all to 'surrender ourselves to Jesus'.

I have to say I find teachings on Judaism make more sense than some of the Christian teachings I've heard. Especially, the first part of your post, which describes how the Talmud is studied with the Socractic method. This makes Judaism, much more of a living lineage. I've met and read a number of learned and wise rabbis.

 

[jillian]

I have one more for your list-
Why does it say in the Talmud that Jesus was an idolater and conceived while his mother was menstruating and that she was a whore?

I've never heard of it saying any such thing. In fact, Jesus wouldn't be mentioned in the Talmud, since the Talmud preceded him; the mishnah by 200 years; the gemarra by 500 years.

I believe he was talking about the Midrash which was compiled after the time of Jesus

Midrash isn't talmud. It's just rabbinic interpretation of the bible. I've certainly never heard of any that said things like the above about Jesus.

Though there are those who believe the gospels are just midrash given that both Jesus and Paul were rabbis.

 

[jillian]

Jillian-

I'm particularly fond of your answer to number seven--that righteous people are blessed.

I remember attending a Billy Graham event in Shea Stadium as a teenager with my two closest friends, one a Jew, the other a Native American. We argued this point with those Christians on the stage who had invited us all to 'surrender ourselves to Jesus'.

I have to say I find teachings on Judaism make more sense than some of the Christian teachings I've heard. Especially, the first part of your post, which describes how the Talmud is studied with the Socractic method. This makes Judaism, much more of a living lineage. I've met and read a number of learned and wise rabbis.

There is a story, about a group of jews arguing about the meaning of a law. G-d attempts to chime in and he was essentially told that his input wasn't welcome and that he had given the law, but it was man's to interpret. lol.. which is why I say that there are no easy answers.

On a personal level, I've always found that a lot of judaic concepts make sense and it's one of the things that appeals to me. My own objection is to orthodoxy and fundamentalism in any religion because women being second class citizens doesn't sit well with me. What does resonate for me are the kabbalistic concepts.

 

[jillian]

I have one more for your list-
Why does it say in the Talmud that Jesus was an idolater and conceived while his mother was menstruating and that she was a whore?

I've never heard of it saying any such thing. In fact, Jesus wouldn't be mentioned in the Talmud, since the Talmud preceded him; the mishnah by 200 years; the gemarra by 500 years.

Thanks for playing.

Hey Jillian, can you answer some of my Questions?

Done

 

[jillian]

oops... I left out number 10

10. Why is Jerusalem coveted by the Muslims and why shouldn't they have it?

Jerusalem is said to be the third holiest spot in Islam because of Mohammed's ascendance from Al Aqsa. But Jerusalem isn't mentioned in the koran.

jerusalem is the holiest spot for jews and the temple can't be rebuilt without it.

 

[Truthspeaker]

Jillian, you know why we mormons feel so much for Israel is because we claim to have the same blood. I for one am a descendant of Joseph through Ephraim. Our theology is far closer to Judaism than to traditional Christianity except that we believe in Christ.

We also believe that He will come at the end of days and usher in a 1000 year reign of peace. He will reign as King of Kings during this time. That is why I am always reaching out to the Jews.

 

[Sunni Man]

I for one am a descendant of Joseph through Ephraim. .

And how do you prove that non sense?

 

[AllieBaba]

Probably through a knowledge of bloodlines, dumbass.

 

[Sunni Man]

Probably through a knowledge of bloodlines, dumbass.

Nope

 

[AllieBaba]

If you know, one wonders why you ask. Why does he need to prove it, anyway?

 

[jillian]

I for one am a descendant of Joseph through Ephraim. .

And how do you prove that non sense?

Faith doesn't need to be proven. That's what makes it "faith".

I really don't understand why people feel the need to harass people for their beliefs unless those beliefs impinge on others.

But for your edification, they believe that they decended from Joseph via Ephraim, the same way Jews believe they are descended from Joseph via Judah. Two "sticks" from the same line.

 

[jillian]

Jillian, you know why we mormons feel so much for Israel is because we claim to have the same blood. I for one am a descendant of Joseph through Ephraim. Our theology is far closer to Judaism than to traditional Christianity except that we believe in Christ.

We also believe that He will come at the end of days and usher in a 1000 year reign of peace. He will reign as King of Kings during this time. That is why I am always reaching out to the Jews.

I actually had read that about Mormons believing they're descended from Joseph. In what other ways does your theology lean toward Judaism?

As for reaching out to Jews, that's great... so long as we're not being prosyletized.

And you already know my feeling about baptizing the dead.