Deanne Shallenberger (Glenn) - Homeward Bound

Deanne Glenn's new single "Homeward Bound" 

"Lyrics by Joshua Shallenberger Purchase the hit single "Homeward Bound" as heard on Hebrew Nation Radio: www.lulu.com A passionate cry to Yahweh to return to the covenant so that the nations might be restored as His people (Israel) once again."

FROM.. YOU ARE MY WITNESSES (Is. 43:10) THE TRADITIONAL JEWISH RESPONSE TO CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES by Yisroel C. Blumenthal

The authors of the Christian scriptures describe the

development of the early church in the following manner.

Jesus was a Jewish man, who lived in the land of Israel. When

he was about thirty years old, he began to travel throughout the

country. For about three years, Jesus traveled and taught. By

the time Jesus died, he had created a small following. All of

his followers were Jews. Prominent among Jesus’s followers

were his twelve disciples. These disciples formed a

community with its center in Jerusalem. The community of

Jesus’s followers was lead by James, a brother of Jesus. This

community is referred to as the “Jerusalem Church”. In the

years following Jesus’s death, the Jerusalem Church grew in

size. At one point, the authors of Christian scriptures claim

that they numbered several thousand. But the members of this

church were all Jews.

Christianity reached the non-Jewish world through the

person of Paul. Paul traveled the length and breadth of the

Mediterranean, teaching the gentile world about Jesus. Paul

founded many churches throughout the Roman Empire. The

churches which Paul established were predominantly gentile.

The Christian scriptures end their narrative at this point.

They leave the reader at the historical point where there are

two churches; the Jewish church of James, and the gentile

church of Paul.

History tells us that the Jewish church of James did not

survive as a separate entity. By the time Christianity became

the established religion of the Roman Empire, there were

almost no Jewish Christians left. The few Jewish Christians

which still existed, were persecuted as heretics by the gentile

church. All of Christianity as it exists today, was transmitted

through the body of the gentile church. The books of Christian

scripture were products of the gentile church. They may have

included in these books, material which came from the Jewish

Christians. But the gentile church was the editor of this

material. It was the gentile church who determined the

contents of the Christian scriptures, and who transmitted these

texts to the future generations.

In order to be convinced that the gentile church is truly

transmitting the original message of Jesus, one must determine

that Paul’s teachings conformed with the teachings of Jesus.

The gentile church only learned of Jesus through the teachings

of Paul. If Paul’s teachings were not synonymous with the

teachings of Jesus, then the gentile church does not possess the

original message of Jesus.

To determine Paul’s connection to Jesus, we will turn to the

books of Christian scripture. It is clear that the editors of these

books were strongly motivated to present Paul as one who is

faithfully transmitting the original message of Jesus. Yet even

these biased writers, were not able to do so.

The Christian scriptures describe the basis of Paul’s mission

in the following manner. Paul never saw Jesus in real life.

Neither did Paul learn of Jesus’s teachings through the

disciples of Jesus. Paul emphatically states (in the 1st and 2nd

chapters of Galatians) that no living person was involved in

transmitting Jesus’s message to him. Paul only learned of the

teachings of Jesus through a series of visions. In these visions,

Jesus appeared to him and imparted his teachings. Paul’s

entire message was the product of these visions.

The only way we can verify the truth of Paul’s claim, is by

determining the reaction of Jesus’s disciples to Paul’s

message. These men who lived with Jesus and heard him

teach, could compare the teachings that they heard, to the

prophecy of Paul. How did the Jewish following of James

react to Paul’s claim to prophecy?

Paul makes the claim (Galatians 2:9) that the leaders of the

Jerusalem Church acknowledged the fact that he was

appointed (by the dead Jesus) as a messenger to the gentiles.

But Paul was lying. James and the Jerusalem Church never

acknowledged the validity of Paul’s visions. It is the Christian

scriptures themselves who contradict Paul’s claim.

The 15th chapter of the book of Acts, describes how the

leadership of the Jerusalem Church disregarded Paul’s claim

to prophecy. Paul had come to Jerusalem. He had been

preaching to the gentiles that they are not required to practice

the law of Moses. Some members of the Jerusalem Church

disagreed with Paul. They felt that in order for a gentile to join

their following, he should be required to observe the law of

Moses. This question was brought before the leadership of the

Jerusalem Church. The elders of the church discussed the

question, and James handed down his decision. His judgment

was that the gentiles were not obligated to observe the entirety

of the law of Moses as a prerequisite to joining the Christian

community. But he stipulated that the gentiles were obligated

to observe certain dietary laws, and to avoid immorality.

If Paul was telling us the truth when he claimed that the

leadership of the Jerusalem Church acknowledged him as a

true prophet, then this story makes no sense. Here we have

Paul, who was personally appointed by the dead Jesus as his

emissary to the gentile world. Whatever Paul taught was

personally revealed to him in these prophetic visions. One of

the central teachings of Paul was that the gentile world is not

bound by the law of Moses. Yet when the leaders of the

Jerusalem Church are in doubt as to what Jesus would have

said concerning the gentiles, they discuss the question, and

look to James for guidance. If there was any truth to Paul’s

claim, that these leaders acknowledged the truth of his

prophecy, then they should have simply asked him “what did

Jesus tell you?” The fact that they considered the question, and

the method that they used to resolve the question, clearly tells

us that these men did not believe that Jesus had ever spoken to

Paul. The author of the book of Acts, his bias

notwithstanding, could not hide this simple fact.

The difference between the gentile church founded by Paul,

and the Jerusalem Church founded by Jesus, was not limited to

the question of the authenticity of Paul’s prophecy. These two

institutions espoused two totally different philosophies. The

central teaching of Pauline Christianity is, that faith in the

redeeming sacrifice of Jesus, is the only valid method through

which atonement for sin can be achieved. The entire

philosophy of Paul, revolves around this one teaching.

Evangelical Christianity is founded upon this basic teaching of

Paul. If you were to ask an Evangelical Christian to sum up his

belief system in one sentence, he would respond with this

point. That faith in Jesus is the only redemption from sin. In

fact the entire concept of the messiah-ship of Jesus is basically

limited to this one point. Jesus is the messiah of Evangelical

Christians, only because they believe that his death provided

atonement for sin.

But the Jerusalem Church which was established by Jesus,

and which was guided by his disciples, did not believe in this

teaching of Paul. They did not believe that faith in Jesus could

effectively atone for their sins. This is demonstrated by the

testimony of the Christian scriptures. The 21st chapter in the

book of Acts reports that the normal activities of the members

of the Jerusalem Church included the offering of animals for

the explicit purpose of the expiation of sin. The book of Acts

describes how four members of the Jerusalem Church had

taken a Nazirite vow. This means that they had voluntarily

brought themselves into a situation where they would be

required (by the law of Moses) to bring an animal as a sin

offering. It is clear that these people saw in the temple

offerings a valid method for the expiation of sin. If they

believed as Paul did, that Jesus died for their sins once and for

all, then there would be no point in bringing a sin offering in

the temple. The fact that the Jerusalem Church still

participated in the temple offerings after Jesus had died, tells

us that they did not see in Jesus’s death an all atoning

sacrifice. These people were not Evangelical Christians.

The Christian scriptures provides both the theological and

the historical justification to the accusation that Christianity

has failed in the transmission of its own message. The

Christian scriptures tell us that the disciples of Jesus never

believed the fundamental teaching of Evangelical Christianity.

These people who lived with Jesus and heard him preach did

not believe, that with the death of Jesus, the world is redeemed

of its sins. The Christian scriptures also tell us, at which

historical point the break in the transmission occurred. These

books tell us that Paul, the father of modern Christianity, had

no connection to Jesus. Christianity is an edifice erected upon

the testimony of one man. All of Christianity stands upon

Paul’s word that Jesus appeared to him. The only people that

were qualified to verify Paul’s claim, contradicted him to his

face. This emerges from the pages of the very books which

Christianity regards as true witnesses to its claims.

Saturnalia for Dummies

 

Saturnalia for Dummies

 

There is no Biblical warrant, precedent, nor precept for remembrance of the day of Christ's birth as a day of special religious celebration. This is not to say that we shouldn't remember Christ's birth and its significance, but for religious commemorations or celebrations, we must have Biblical command or precedent! The fact of the matter is this -- the early church did not celebrate Christ's birth, but such celebration only came into the church with the "Christianization" of pagan rites as Catholicism was made the state religion by Constantine in the fourth century A.D. Since the Word of God does not support the tradition of Christmas, a Christian's conscience ought not and must not be bound.

The following outline describes the origin of Christmas (with its associated pagan customs, symbols, and terminology), details the Scriptural support against celebrating Christmas, attempts to show that celebrating Christmas violates the spirit of every one of the ten commandments, attempts to demonstrate that celebrating Christmas does not fall in the realm of Christian liberty, and attempts to debunk eight of the major rationalizations Christians put forth for celebrating Christmas.


2. Nativity Scenes (tainted with paganism) -- Nearly every form of pagan worship descended from the Babylonian mysteries, which focus attention on the "mother-goddess" and the birth of her child. This was adapted to "Mary-Jesus" worship, which then easily accommodated the multitude of pagans "converted" to Christianity inside Constantine's Roman Catholic Church. If anyone were to erect statues (i.e., images) of Mary and Joseph by themselves, many within Protestant circles would cry "Idolatry!" But at Xmas time, an image of a little baby is placed with the images of Mary and Joseph, and it's called a "nativity scene." Somehow, the baby-idol "sanctifies" the scene, and it is no longer considered idolatry! (cf. Exo. 20:4-5a; 32:1-5a; 9-10a).

Yiddish Handbook: 45 Words You Should Know

S'iz given a shvere togedike nakht

Beatles - A Hard Day's Night - in Yiddish

Yiddish Handbook: 45 Words You Should Know

by Michael

The Yiddish language is a wonderful source of rich expressions, especially terms of endearment (and of course, complaints and insults). This article is a follow up on Ten Yiddish Expressions You Should Know. Jewish scriptwriters introduced many Yiddish words into popular culture, which often changed the original meanings drastically. You might be surprised to learn how much Yiddish you already speak, but also, how many familiar words actually mean something different in real Yiddish.

There is no universally accepted transliteration or spelling; the standard YIVO version is based on the Eastern European Klal Yiddish dialect, while many Yiddish words found in English came from Southern Yiddish dialects. In the 1930s, Yiddish was spoken by more than 10 million people, but by 1945, 75% of them were gone. Today, Yiddish is the language of over 100 newspapers, magazines, radio broadcasts, and websites.

1. baleboste
   A good homemaker, a woman who’s in charge of her home and will make sure you remember it.
2. bissel
   Or bisl – a little bit.
3. bubbe
   Or bobe. It means Grandmother, and bobeshi is the more affectionate form. Bubele is a similarly affectionate word, though it isn’t in Yiddish dictionaries.
4. bupkes
   Not a word for polite company. Bubkes or bobkes may be related to the Polish word for “beans”, but it really means “goat droppings” or “horse droppings.” It’s often used by American Jews for “trivial, worthless, useless, a ridiculously small amount” – less than nothing, so to speak. “After all the work I did, I got bupkes!”
5. chutzpah
   Or khutspe. Nerve, extreme arrogance, brazen presumption. In English,chutzpah often connotes courage or confidence, but among Yiddish speakers, it is not a compliment.
6. feh!
   An expression of disgust or disapproval, representative of the sound of spitting.
7. glitch
   Or glitsh. Literally “slip,” “skate,” or “nosedive,” which was the origin of the common American usage as “a minor problem or error.”
8. gornisht
   More polite than bupkes, and also implies a strong sense of nothing; used in phrases such as “gornisht helfn” (beyond help).
9. goy
   A non-Jew, a Gentile. As in Hebrew, one Gentile is a goy, many Gentiles are goyim, the non-Jewish world in general is “the goyim.” Goyish is the adjective form. Putting mayonnaise on a pastrami sandwich is goyish. Putting mayonnaise on a pastrami sandwich on white bread is even more goyish.
10. kibbitz
    In Yiddish, it’s spelled kibets, and it’s related to the Hebrew “kibbutz” or “collective.” But it can also mean verbal joking, which after all is a collective activity. It didn’t originally mean giving unwanted advice about someone else’s game – that’s an American innovation.
11. klutz
    Or better yet, klots. Literally means “a block of wood,” so it’s often used for a dense, clumsy or awkward person. See schlemiel.
12. kosher
    Something that’s acceptable to Orthodox Jews, especially food. Other Jews may also “eat kosher” on some level but are not required to. Food that Orthodox Jews don’t eat – pork, shellfish, etc. – is called traif. An observant Jew might add, “Both pork and shellfish are doubtlessly very tasty. I simply am restricted from eating it.” In English, when you hear something that seems suspicious or shady, you might say, “That doesn’t sound kosher.”
13. kvetsh
    In popular English, kvetch means “complain, whine or fret,” but in Yiddish, kvetsh literally means “to press or squeeze,” like a wrong-sized shoe. Reminds you of certain chronic complainers, doesn’t it? But it’s also used on Yiddish web pages for “click” (Click Here).
14. maven
    Pronounced meyven. An expert, often used sarcastically.
15. Mazel Tov
    Or mazltof. Literally “good luck,” (well, literally, “good constellation”) but it’s a congratulation for what just happened, not a hopeful wish for what might happen in the future. When someone gets married or has a child or graduates from college, this is what you say to them. It can also be used sarcastically to mean “it’s about time,” as in “It’s about time you finished school and stopped sponging off your parents.”
16. mensch
    An honorable, decent person, an authentic person, a person who helps you when you need help. Can be a man, woman or child.
17. mishegas
    Insanity or craziness. A meshugener is a crazy man. If you want to insult someone, you can ask them, ”Does it hurt to be crazy?”
18. mishpocheh
    Or mishpokhe or mishpucha. It means “family,” as in “Relax, you’re mishpocheh. I’ll sell it to you at wholesale.”
19. nosh
    Or nash. To nibble; a light snack, but you won’t be light if you don’t stop noshing. Can also describe plagarism, though not always in a bad sense; you know, picking up little pieces for yourself.
20. nu
    A general word that calls for a reply. It can mean, “So?” “Huh?” “Well?” “What’s up?” or “Hello?”
21. oy vey
    Exclamation of dismay, grief, or exasperation. The phrase “oy vey iz mir” means “Oh, woe is me.” “Oy gevalt!” is like oy vey, but expresses fear, shock or amazement. When you realize you’re about to be hit by a car, this expression would be appropriate.
22. plotz
    Or plats. Literally, to explode, as in aggravation. “Well, don’t plotz!” is similar to “Don’t have a stroke!” or “Don’t have a cow!” Also used in expressions such as, “Oy, am I tired; I just ran the four-minute mile. I could just plotz.” That is, collapse.
23. shalom
    It means “deep peace,” and isn’t that a more meaningful greeting than “Hi, how are ya?”
24. shlep
    To drag, traditionally something you don’t really need; to carry unwillingly. When people “shlep around,” they are dragging themselves, perhaps slouchingly. On vacation, when I’m the one who ends up carrying the heavy suitcase I begged my wife to leave at home, I shlep it.
25. shlemiel
    A clumsy, inept person, similar to a klutz (also a Yiddish word). The kind of person who always spills his soup.
26. schlock
    Cheap, shoddy, or inferior, as in, “I don’t know why I bought this schlocky souvenir.”
27. shlimazel
    Someone with constant bad luck. When the shlemiel spills his soup, he probably spills it on the shlimazel. Fans of the TV sitcom “Laverne and Shirley” remember these two words from the Yiddish-American hopscotch chant that opened each show.
28. shmendrik
    A jerk, a stupid person, popularized in The Last Unicorn and Welcome Back Kotter.
29. shmaltzy
    Excessively sentimental, gushing, flattering, over-the-top, corny. This word describes some of Hollywood’s most famous films. From shmaltz, which means chicken fat or grease.
30. shmooze
    Chat, make small talk, converse about nothing in particular. But at Hollywood parties, guests often schmooze with people they want to impress.
31. schmuck
    Often used as an insulting word for a self-made fool, but you shouldn’t use it in polite company at all, since it refers to male anatomy.
32. spiel
    A long, involved sales pitch, as in, “I had to listen to his whole spiel before I found out what he really wanted.” From the German word forplay.
33. shikse
    A non-Jewish woman, all too often used derogatorily. It has the connotation of “young and beautiful,” so referring to a man’s Gentile wife or girlfriend as a shiksa implies that his primary attraction was her good looks. She is possibly blonde. A shagetz or sheygets means a non-Jewish boy, and has the connotation of a someone who is unruly, even violent.
34. shmutz
    Or shmuts. Dirt – a little dirt, not serious grime. If a little boy has shmutz on his face, and he likely will, his mother will quickly wipe it off. It can also mean dirty language. It’s not nice to talk shmutz about shmutz. A current derivation, “schmitzig,” means a “thigamabob” or a “doodad,” but has nothing to do with filth.
35. shtick
    Something you’re known for doing, an entertainer’s routine, an actor’s bit, stage business; a gimmick often done to draw attention to yourself.
36. tchatchke
    Or tshatshke. Knick-knack, little toy, collectible or giftware. It also appears in sentences such as, “My brother divorced his wife for some little tchatchke.” You can figure that one out.
37. tsuris
    Or tsores. Serious troubles, not minor annoyances. Plagues of lice, gnats, flies, locusts, hail, death… now, those were tsuris.
38. tuches
    Rear end, bottom, backside, buttocks. In proper Yiddish, it’s spelledtuchis or tuches or tokhis, and was the origin of the American slang wordtush.
39. yente
    Female busybody or gossip. At one time, high-class parents gave this name to their girls (after all, it has the same root as “gentle”), but it gained the Yiddish meaning of “she-devil”. The matchmaker in “Fiddler on the Roof” was named Yente (and she certainly was a yente though maybe not very high-class), so many people mistakenly think that yentemeans matchmaker.
40. yiddisher kop
    Smart person. Literally means “Jewish head.” I don’t want to know whatgoyisher kop means.
41. Gonif – thief
42. Shnorren – to beg or mooch
43. Versteh – understand, get it? – use in place of “capeesh” (from Italian, capire) for a one word interrogative for “Do you understand? ”
44. Macher – a “hot shot” or “big wig”
45. Zaftig – buxom or hefty (but in a good way)
    
    

As in Hebrew, the ch or kh in Yiddish is a “voiceless fricative,” with a pronunciation between h and k. If you don’t know how to make that sound, pronounce it like an h. Pronouncing it like a k is goyish.

God hates human sacrifices

Jews believe that God hates human sacrifices.

Who died on the cross? Was it Jesus-the-god, or was it Jesus-the-human? If it was Jesus-the-god, Jews don't believe that God can die. If it was Jesus-the-human, then all Christians have in the death of Jesus was a human death, a human sacrifice. Jews believe that God hates the very idea of human sacrifice.

IN SHORT... What, EXACTLY does God say about human sacrifice in the TaNaCH? In Deuteronomy 12:30-31, God calls Human sacrifice something that He hates, and an abomination to Him, "for every abomination to the Eternal, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods. In Jeremiah 19:4-6, God tells us that Human sacrifice is so horrible a concept to Him, that it did not even come into His mind to demand it from His creation, "They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind." We see the same thing in Psalm 106:37-38, and in Ezekiel 16:20. This means that God would not accept Jesus's death on the cross as a blood sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. The very idea of that God would accept a human sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins is UnBiblical.

A FULL EXPLANATION...

The Christian idea of the messiah is that Jesus was the blood sacrifice that saves everyone from his or her sin. But who, EXACTLY died on that cross? If it was Jesus-the-god, then how can God die? If it was only Jesus-the-human, then all Christians have in the death of Jesus is a human sacrifice. And what, EXACTLY does God say about human sacrifice in the TaNaCH?

In Deuteronomy, God calls Human sacrifice something that He hates, and an abomination to Him!

Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto the Eternal thy God: for every abomination to the Eternal, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods. [Deuteronomy 12:30-31]

In Jeremiah, God tells us that Human sacrifice is so horrible a concept to Him, that it did not even come into His mind!

Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents; They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind: Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Eternal, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor The Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but The Valley of Slaughter. [Jeremiah 19:4-6]

We see the same thing in Psalm 106 and in Ezekiel 16:

Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood. And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood. [Psalm 106:37-38]

Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter? [Ezekiel 16:20]

And yet we are to then turn around and believe that God changed His mind, and required human sacrifice, and then it was the sacrifice of His own human son that God wanted? After telling the Jews to stay away from pagan practices, and pagan beliefs, God then changes His mind and says, "Okay, now go ahead and believe in a human sacrifice, just as these very pagans believe?"

The Christian definition of the term, Messiah, is closer to the pagan notion of a dying/saving god or hero than to the Jewish understanding of Messiah. The ancient world is filled with examples. Mithra, Adonis, Dionysis, Attis, Ra, and many others were born in the Winter, died in the Spring, and came back to life. Along with this, they believed that their followers would not die, but have immortal life, since the death of the hero/god acted as their sacrifice for their sins. The pagan world was filled with gods who were the product of a human mother and a god for the father. Even Hercules had Zeus for a father, and a human mother.

When the earliest Christians would come into the synagogues and missionize, they would get kicked out. They were not allowed to stay and preach, they were rejected, because their message was pagan, was recognized as such by the Jews, and they were removed and separated from the Jewish people as a result. This shows the real reason why Judaism and Christianity separated from each other. It also shows that one cannot be a Jew and a Christian at the same time. See Question Number 9. Source: http://www.whatjewsbelieve.org/explanation4.html

The Nicene Christian Concept of "the Blood"

There are some Nicene heresies that are so deeply rooted in the Christian psyche that for those seeking authentic biblical religion getting beyond them is very difficult, even with the Light of Torah. One of these is the "Blood of Jesus" dogma. The famous Christian hymn declares this central Nicene dogma clearly:

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus
What can make me white as snow?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

The Nicene dogma of "the blood atonement" causes many to question and even reject the clear word of Torah! Some even claim that the Torah of HaShem has been "nailed to the cross" and made irrelevant!

It's this simple #1 You have to make up your mind to believe Torah (which is not to be changed) or The New Testament that changes it...

Deuteronomy 4:2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. 

Proverbs Chapter 30:5-6 Every word of God is tried; He is a shield unto them that take refuge in Him.
Add thou not unto His words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. 

Deutronomy 13.1 All this word which I command you, that shall ye observe to do; thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.
2 If there arise in the midst of thee a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams--and he give thee a sign or a wonder, 3 and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spoke unto thee--saying: 'Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them'; 4 thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or unto that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God putteth you to proof, to know whether ye do love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

Joel Osteen Says Mormons "Are Christians"

In a recent interview with The Washington Times Osteen shared his thoughts about Mitt Romney, Mormonism, and Christianity.

Mormons don't follow the commandments of God or His holy days. They keep pagan festivals. Dec. 25th. Easter. They worship on the first day of the week, Sunsday. Like 13,800 other daughter christian denominations of the catholic "universal" church. i.e. They are Christians?

What's your reaction to Osteen's perspective on Mormonism? Do you think Mormons should be labeled as Christians, a cult, or somewhere in between? Share your thoughts in the comment section below (don't worry about being civil) SOURCE

The Birth of Yeshua (Jesus) on Sukkot

Hag Sukkot / Feast of Tabernacles

Sukkot
October 12-19, 2011

Rabbi Gary Davidson, right, and Jewish personnel celebrate Sukkot on an Air Force base in the Middle East. Photo courtesy Rabbi Gary Davidson

For the Record

To my fellow member of the human race

Peace

It has come to my attention that certain members of my people have been promulgating a doctrine that distorts the essence of the teaching that we were entrusted with.

You have heard how the Creator of all took us out of Egypt with signs and wonders and how He taught us His Torah through national revelation and through His prophet. The open miracles that God preformed for us spread our reputation as the possessors of God’s Law. These men of whom I speak, exploited our reputation as possessors of God’s truth, and they spread a teaching that has no basis in the Torah that God has bequeathed to us.

These teachers taught you that all of mankind is damned before God to eternal punishment. They taught that if a person commits one sin it is as if he or she violated all of the commandments. These men taught that the God of Israel will not forgive your sins unless you present a blood sacrifice. These men taught that the God of Israel is unapproachable. And they taught that the good deeds that you do will not bring you any closer to God.

All of these teachings are blatant falsehoods. As a member of the people who were entrusted with God’s Law, I see it as my duty to correct these falsehoods that were taught as if they were the Law of my God.

God does NOT condemn everyone to the fires of eternal damnation. You can search the Jewish Scriptures from cover to cover; you will not find one verse that supports such a teaching.

A person who commits one sin is NOT equivalent in God’s eyes as if they violated the entirety of the Law. The Scriptures explicitly teach that God judges every deed, both bad and good (Ecclesiastes12:14). The conscience that God breathed into all of us tells us that there is a great difference in God’s eyes between a person who lived a moral life on the one hand and a person who lived a life of cruelty and immorality on the other hand.

The Jewish Scriptures do NOT teach that God requires blood sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin. The Scriptures openly declare that if you turn to God in sincere repentance, God will forgive you (Isaiah 55:7).

The Jewish Scriptures do NOT teach that God is unapproachable. On the contrary, our prophets declare that God is close to all who call upon Him in truth (Psalm 145:18).

If I were to say that the good deeds that you do will bring you closer to God, I will not have said enough. Our prophets taught us that the practice of justice IS intimacy with God (Jeremiah 22:16). When we follow the universal principle of justice: “that which you hate done unto yourself, do not do unto others”, we allow God’s truth to penetrate into our psyche. When we recognize the grace of God’s goodness that is expressed in every detail of existence, and we are moved to take the goodness that we were blessed with and allow it to flow towards another creation of God, we have then connected to the kindness and love of God. It is not that these activities bring us closer to God. The practice of kindness and truth are a connection to God in and of themselves.

There is one more false teaching that these men have propagated in the name of the Torah of my God. They have encouraged people to direct their hearts in worship of and in devotion to a man who walked God’s earth and breathed God’s air like the rest of us.

If there is any teaching that is contrary to the Torah with which we were entrusted it is this one.

My nation was called upon by God to serve as His witnesses (Isaiah 43:10). God taught us that there is none beside Him that is worthy of our worship and devotion (Deuteronomy4:35). Our core duty as a witness nation before God is to remain loyal to the truth that all created beings are equally subservient to the One Creator of all. Every facet of our existence, including our ability to love and to worship belongs to God and to God alone. It is my duty as a Jew to testify to you that your heart belongs to the One Almighty God who loved your heart into existence in the first place.

There is no greater joy on earth than approaching your Creator in heartfelt prayer. You don’t need anyone to plead for you and you don’t need to bring Him a blood sacrifice. The One who lovingly created every facet of your existence will accept you. All you have to do is to trust in His love.

A Jew

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"On the fifteenth of this seventh month is the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to Yahweh. On the first day is a solemn assembly; you shall do no laborious work of any kind." . . . "You shall dwell in tabernacles for seven days." (Leviticus 23:34-42) Observing Hag Sukkot - the Feast of Tabernacles, means having a seven-day (hag) feast, dwelling in a (sukkah) tabernacle, and keeping the first day holy (dedicated to worship). For seven nights we sleep in a sukkah - a temporary shelter made from tree branches and leaves, not a hotel room or cabin. One may work during the day except on the first day. For seven days we eat a festive meal of symbolic foods - including tree fruit and nuts: this is the final-harvest festival. The evening festive meal is eaten in the sukkah, as well as any other meals eaten 'at home'.

Leviticus 5:11-13 But if his means are insufficient for two turtle doves or for two young doves, then he shall bring, as his guilt-offering for that which he sinned a tenth-ephah of fine flour for a sin-offering; he shall not place oil on it nor shall he put frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering. He shall bring it to the Kohen, and the Kohen shall scoop his three fingers full as its memorial portion and cause it to go up in smoke on the Altar, on the fires of Hashem; it is a sin-offering. The Kohen shall provide him atonement for the sin that he committed regarding any of these, and it will be forgiven him; and it shall belong to the Kohen, like the meal-offering. "Hashem gladly accepts a simple product grown from the soil of the earth upon His altar as a sin offering. A product of grain ground into flour offered by a poor Jew. Obviously flour is not a blood sacrifice. It is a grain sacrifice. These verses of the Torah clearly dispute what the author of the Epistle of Hebrews wrote in chapter nine verse twenty-two. The King James Translators state: And almost all things are by the law [the Torah} purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. The New International Version states: In fact, the law [the Torah] requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. It is interesting that so much emphasis is placed on just the words without shedding of blood is no remission" and "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. The word ALMOST and the words NEARLY EVERYTHING are ignored! Yet their presence agrees with Leviticus 5:11-13. In other words a blood sacrifice is not the only way." The Seven-Day Wedding Feast (to be installed) see COMMENTARY Y1-28 The Biblical Etrog One year after picking The etrog is Biblically known as “the fruit of beautiful trees” and “the fruit that dwells”. “Now on the first day (of the Feast of Tabernacles) you shall take for yourselves (Heb. - pri etz hadar) the fruit of beautiful trees, (lulav) date-palm branches, and boughs of braided (Myrtle) trees and (arava) willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before Yahweh your God for seven days” – Leviticus 23:40. "Pri etz hadar" can mean the fruit tastes the same as the tree, or the fruit dwells on the tree from year to year (Mesechet Sukkah 35a), from the basis of fruit that is a continuance of (the taste or part of) the tree. The etrog is a citrus fruit that grows on a broadleaf evergreen tree. It is known for its taste and fragrance. Other fruits fall from their trees in one season – after ripening; the etrog continues to hold on more tightly – it “dwells” on the tree, taking years to ripen. Fruit from several years, at various stages of ripening, hang on a tree at one time. The entire tree, including branches, leaves, and fruit, is edible. All of it tastes like the fruit. The fruit, which is similar to a lemon in appearance, has a deep yellow skin covering a thick white pithy portion, and a small amount of juicy fruit toward the center. When the picked fruit is kept, either refrigerated or open in a room, it does not rot. It dries, and becomes smaller and smaller over many years, until finally disappearing (presumably by evaporating). The etrog has both a flavor and a scent, like one who is both learned and observant of the commandments. The lulav is from a date palm, and so it has a taste but no scent. It is likened to one who is learned but does not apply that knowledge in action. A myrtle has a pleasant odor but there is nothing tasty about it, and it parallel’s one who has little book learning behind his or her observance. Finally the willow lacks both fragrance and food value, just like one who neither studies the Torah nor keeps the commandments – (From a midrash in Vayikrah Rabba 30:12). Readings for Hag Sukkot 1st Day Num 29:12-16 Lev 22:26 - 23:44 Haftara: Zech 14:1-21 2nd Day Num 29:17-19 3rd Day Num 29:20-22 4th Day Num 29:23-25 5th Day Num 29:26-28 6th Day Num 29:29-31 7th Day Num 29:32-34 For Eighth Day, see SHIMINI ATZERET

How is Sukkot Observed? An Overview of Sukkot's Traditions and Customs Chabad.org Staff

For forty years, as our ancestors traversed the Sinai Desert prior to their entry into the Holy Land, miraculous "clouds of glory" surrounded and hovered over them, shielding them from the dangers and discomforts of the desert. Ever since, we remember G‑d's kindness and reaffirm our trust in His providence bydwelling in a sukkah – a hut of temporary construction with a roof-covering of branches – for the duration of the autumn Sukkot festival. For seven days and nights, we eat all our meals in the sukkah – reciting a special blessing – and otherwise regard it as our home. We reaffirm our trust in His providence by dwelling in a sukkahAnother mitzvah that is unique to Sukkot is the taking of the Four Kinds: an etrog (citron), a lulav(palm frond), at least three hadassim (myrtle branches) and two aravot (willow branches). The Midrash tells us that the Four Kinds represent the various types and personalities that comprise the community of Israel, whose intrinsic unity we emphasize on Sukkot. On each day of the festival (except Shabbat), during the daytime hours, we take the Four Kinds, recite a blessing over them, bring them together in our hands and wave them in all six directions: right, left, forward, up, down and to the rear. (The Four Kinds are also an integral part of the holiday's daily morning service.) Sukkot is also called The Time of Our Joy; indeed, a special joy pervades the festival. Nightly Water-Drawing Celebrations, reminiscent of the evening-to-dawn festivities held in the Holy Temple in preparation for the drawing of water for use in the festival service, fill the synagogues and streets with song, music, and dance until the wee hours of the morning. Sukkot runs from the fifteenth through the twenty-first ofTishrei. The first two days of this festival (in Israel only the first day) are a major holiday, when most forms of work are prohibited. On the preceding nights, women and girls light candles, reciting the appropriate blessings, and we enjoy nightly and daily festive meals, accompanied by the Kiddush. Celebrations fill the streets with song and dance until the wee hours of the morningThe remaining days of the festival are Chol Hamoed ("intermediate days"), when most forms of work are permitted. We try to avoid going to work, writing, and certain other activities – many families use this time to enjoy fun family outings. Every day of Sukkot, including Chol Hamoed, we recite the complete Hallel, Hoshanot, and Musaf, and theTorah is read during the morning service. The seventh day of Sukkot is called Hoshanah Rabbah("Great Salvation"). According to tradition, the verdict for the new year – which is written on Rosh Hashanahand sealed on Yom Kippur – is not handed down by the Heavenly Court until Hoshanah Rabbah. On this day we encircle the bimah (synagogue reading table) seven times while holding the Four Kinds and offering special prayers for prosperity during the upcoming year. During the course of the morning prayers it is also traditional to take a bundle of five willow branches and beat them against the ground five times. Sukkot is immediately followed by the independent holiday of Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah. http://www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/template_cdo/aid/4457/jewish/How-is-Sukkot-Observed.htm

Chabad-Lubavitch of Rome director Rabbi Yitzchak Hazan welcomes officials to the “Sukkah of Peace” erected for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot at the city’s Piazza Farnese.