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Na NaCH MuSiC (Trance)

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Rolling with the Na Nachs

Rolling with the Na Nachs, the most high-spirited and newest Hasidic sect

By Adam Molner

There is no escaping them. They have left their mark everywhere in Israel, in the form of a cryptic mantra painted in bold Hebrew lettering on security fences, sleek skyscrapers, graveyard walls, freeway billboards and sheer mountain cliffs.

Dressed in characteristic woven white skullcaps, adherents perform leaping dances on street corners in the secular bastion of Tel Aviv, to techno-Hassidic music blasting from vans bearing the slogan "Na Nach Nachma Nachman Me'uman," which has informally lent its name to the newest of Hasidic sects.

The Na Nachs, as some of the group call themselves, are an offshoot of the Bratslav Hassidim, followers of the late Rebbe Nachman (1772-1810), great-grandson of the founder of Hasidism. But what separates Na Nachs from other Bratslavers is their belief that a mysterious letter found in 1962 by Rabbi Israel Dov Odesser, a Bratslaver Hasid from Tiberias, was a miraculous message from Rebbe Nachman himself, and that the mantra it contained, which mentioned Nachman and his burial place, Uman, Ukraine, was a "Letter from Heaven."

All other Bratslaver groups reject the validity of the letter. But this does not deter Na Nachs from believing it to be "the new song through which all of Israel will be redeemed."

Among them is Shmuel David Ravitch, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania into what he calls a "normal Jewish house." His family was secular, but observed the holidays. In 1990, Ravitcher became religious, ultimately spending 13 years with Chabad. But he came to find the Chabad experience unsatisfying.

Oddly enough, given the uniquely Israeli roots of the Na Nachs, it was in Chicago that Ravitch was first introduced to them. "We met a guy who came to America to meet a girl in Chicago. He was Na Nach, and he started to tell us about Na Nach," Ravitch recalls.

"I already knew, because I was in Uman before, but he told us more. One day at Purim time we saw the guys in the van. We were curious and we ran after the van. And they asked 'Hey, do you want to come with us.' And I did. And that was my education."

For others, the brightly colored vans were their introduction to Na Nach. Adorned in stickers bearing the picture of Rabbi Odesser and covered in large decals of the mantra, the vans have been key to attracting new devotees.

For onetime Eliezer Grunwald, born into a Hasidic family in Monsey, New York, an encounter with a Na Nach van crew played an intrinsic role in his conversion. Grunwald had attended yeshiva, where, he said, he had merely gone through the motions to keep his family happy. He was more interested in partying than Torah.

After a while, he felt like he "was wasting his time in America." All his friends started going to Israel, so he decided to follow suit. In Israel his life soon began to revolve around partying and playing in rock bands. It wasn't long before the novelty began to wear off. His mundane routine wore on and on, until one night when he saw the van.

Grunwald was intrigued by the dancing Na Nachs and decided to start dancing right alongside them. "I saw them every night," Grunwald said. Over time, he began to acquire a large collection of Na Nach literature which he procured from the van. It was the literature that he obtained from the van that would spark the transformation in his life.

After a long night of partying, he returned home drunk and depressed. In desperation, he reached for a random title from his bookshelf and opened it up. He looked at the random passage which said, "you're a sinner, but G-d still loves you." After that, he began to open up, he says, and has been Na Nach ever since. That was six years ago.

He decided to stay in Israel for good and now lives in Safed with his wife.

For secular onlookers, the vans and their broadly smiling crewmen evoke mixed reactions, often negative when the Na Nachs are nowhere in sight.

"They are crazy, they stop in the middle of the highway they put their car in the middle of the highway and get out and start dancing," comments one bystander.

"They are good people, but they are all crazy," concludes another.

When the van is present, however, onlookers' expressed perceptions often tend to be more accepting.

"It's good, they bring the Torah and people to the religion."

"They're the most amazing guys I ever heard about."

"It's just funny, it's just nice."

The vans belong to the Keren, which is the organization that prints the books of Rebbe Nachman and Rabbi Odesser. All gasoline is paid for by the Keren with the money that is made from the books which are sold at cost. The van serves two functions. The first is to spread the message through literature. Na Nachs can be seen regularly on street corners, music blaring, standing next to a table full of books.

The second stated function is to drive around and dance to spread joy to the people. This is the most well known and also the most crowd pleasing. Both types of "missions" are referred to as a haftza, a Hebrew-derived expression denoting "spreading," and participation is strictly on a volunteer basis. In recent observations, the van crews appear to be succeeding in their mission of spreading joy. Many observers who are not Na Nach can often be seen joining in the dancing.

Even when no van is near, public opinion can be in their favor. "They can keep dancing, it's fun," remarks Liron Slonimsky. "They put some life spirit in the streets."

 נ נח נחמ נחמן מאומן.

SOURCE: 

PLASTIC JESUS

PLASTIC JESUS

It's time I took a look at my Plastic Jesus I've been carrying around for all these years. I woke up one day and decided to pack all my belonging and get the hell out of Babylon. I loaded my Chevy Good Times van with my bibles, books, CD's and videos, I wasn't going to leave any of them behind because I know I could use them on the road.

I have some videos and audio recordings by some really big names in the Hebrew Roots movement, people like Michael Rood and Jim Staley of Passion for Truth Ministries. Monte Judah and one of my favorites, Reggie White the NFL Football player turned Torah Seeker from mainstream Christianity. My van is full, I even have a pretty good size load on the car-top carrier all tied down as I'm rolling down Highway 11: Baghdad, Al Fallujah, Al Ramadi, Al Rutbah, Syria on into Jerusalem. My destination is the Kotel the most sacred site on the planet where the Torah was given. I'm wanting to learn all I can about Torah and God's instruction to man, what better place than the heart of Judaism the Mountain of God Zion.

The further I distanced myself from Babylon the clearer my seeing how blind to the paganism I actually was while living among the idol worshipers, but I still have my plastic Jesus! Remember this, it's important, I watched one of my video updates from the passion for truth 'Ministries and it suddenly hit me... THIS IS CHURCH! These people are having a full-blown church service as seen on TBN or some other Christian television network. I hear quite often my friends talk about some of their favorite Hebrew Root teachers, people who inspire them, whose books and message encourages them daily, as if these teachers have some new revelation to share with the masses. (at a nominal fee of course) One particular fellow comes to mind who is doing his best to credit Mormon doctrine in a way to give validity to a cult theology and he has a massive following of beggars and blasphemers with their own radio network. I say blasphemers because of their use of the name of God and their feeble attempt's using the English. Yea I know, they've found a pseudo-doctor who wrote his own version of the Bible, he's even formed his very own beit din to override any Jewish legal issues him or his followers disagree on. I'm not making this up!

Here's my point, there has been wise and enlightened sages for centuries. God didn't just happen to form a relationship with his children in the 21st century, there are many wise sages throughout history and we have their teachings and dialog with their students available. Why are none of these fine young cannibals called Hebrew root teachers using or even directing anyone to look into the teaching of these great Jewish sages? I had a friend the other day call the teaching of one of the great Rabbis of old "crap" and this was supposed to be a highly respected follower of the man-god Yeshua?

There are no messianic Hebrew root preachers pointing their students to look into the teachings of these old Rabbis of the past. Maybe it's because most of them are idol worshiping Christians wearing tallites and kippahs, chanting a few Hebrew words to make Christianity look and sound Jewish. Jesus (Yeshua) never told anyone to put a plastic image of himself on their dash board or so much as worship him ever. He directed all his talmidim to worship the father. HaShem alone is God, there is no other, no second or third. One God (period) I realized if I truly do want to get to know more about the One God of Avraham I might want to focus on studying some of the writings of men who have known only HaShem, and what better place than the writings of the Jewish sages.

The closer I get on the road toward the kotel the more I understand how there is a major difference in how gentiles and Jews are expected to approach HaShem. Jews are held to a higher standard than the gentile who wants to follow Torah in their lives. Jews either born or converted, have 613 commands. (not all are applicable today without the temple) and the gentile follower of Torah should remove the plastic Jesus from the dashboard, to be the very best gentile lovers of God as he can be. Stop playing Church is a great place to start! One can aways convert to the religion of the Bible, It's Judaism.

Is the God in the Devils heart?

God is the creator and the creation. Everything that is in existence...God is there. If your god can't be in the Devils heart then your god is limited. He is not. He is omnipotent and omnipresent. Everywhere! To put God in a box or into the body of a created being is making yourself and idol.    

Think about, The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) site estimates there are hundreds of billions of galaxies in the universe. A recent German super-computer simulation estimates that the number may be as high as 500 billion! In 1999 the Hubble Space Telescope estimated that there were 125 billion galaxies in the universe, and recently with the new camera HST has observed 3,000 visible galaxies, which is twice as much as they observed before with the old camera. We're emphasizing "visible" because observations with radio telescopes, infrared cameras, x-ray cameras, etc. would detect other galaxies that are not detected by Hubble. As observations keep on going and astronomers explore more of our universe, the number of galaxies detected will increase.  

Here's a list of some very good teachers: 

The Talmudic Era Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai, 3713-3833 (47 BCE-73 CE). He received from Hillel and Shammai and their courts. Rabbi Yochanan had five main disciples: Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol, Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Yose HaKohen, Rabbi Shimon ben Netanel and Rabbi Elazarben Arach. He was also a student of Rabbi Nechunia ben HaKana and was a teacher of Rabbi Akiva. Expert inKabbala. Rabbi Akiva apparently also studied under Rabbi Yochanan. See Pirkei Avot 2:8; Chagiga 14b,Tosefta 2; Sanhedrin 68a; Yerushalmi Sanhedrin 7:13 (41a). The manuscript versions of this text state, "I can take squashes and pumpkins, and with the Sefer Yetzira, make them into beautiful trees. Rabbi Nechunia ben HaKana, Tanna of the second half of 1st Century CE A disciple of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai. Teacher of Rabbi Yishmael, Rabbi Akiva, RabbiEliezer HaGadol. Wrote the Bahir; Sefer HaTemuna(together with Rabbi Yishmael). Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol (author of Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer) was one of the five main disciples of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananya, (1st and 2nd C Tanna) One of the five main disciples of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai. Rabbi Akiva, c. 3810-c. 3895 (150 CE-35 CE) A very important Tanna who received from Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol. Rabbi Akiva was one of four Tannaitic sages who entered the Pardes. The others were Ben Azzai (early 2nd Century CE), Ben Zoma - who was also a student of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananya - (2nd Century CE), and Elisha ben Avuya, known as Acher (the Other), (first half of 2nd Century CE). See the article: Four Who Entered Paradise. He was one of the Ten Martyrs killed by the Romans. According to some, Rabbi Akiva was the redactor of the Sefer Yetzira. Rabbi Yishmael, Tanna during the first and second century. Died c. 3893 (133 CE) after the fall of Betar. Rabbi Yishmael was one of the first of the Ten Martyrskilled by the Romans. Author of the Heichalot - a mystical manual describing the ascent to higher worlds and the means to achieve it. See M Kantor, Jewish Time Line Encyclopedia p. 287-8. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (Rashbi) (2nd Century CE) and his circle. Author of the Zohar, Rabbi Shimon was one of the main students of Rabbi Akiva. According to the Gemara, Shabbat 33b, Rabbi Shimon and his son Rabbi Elazar hid in a cave to escape Roman persecution in 3909 (149 CE). Buried at Meron in the Galilee, west of Safed Rabbi Elazar (2nd and 3rd Century CE) son of RabbiShimon bar Yochai. Buried at Meron in the Galilee, west of Safed. The Gaonic Period: 6th-11th Centuries. Rabbi Amram Gaon, author of Siddur R. Amram. Recognized as a gaon in Sura 858. Died c. 875 CE. Aharon Ben Shmuel HaNassi of Baghdad (mid 9thCentury CE). Brought teachings of Kabbala from Iraq to Italy and Germany. Mentioned in Megilat Achima'atz(1054) and later in the writings of R. Eliezer of Worms. Rabbi Saadia Gaon, b. 882 in Egypt; d. 942 in Sura (Babylon). Author of Emunot v'De'ot; Commentary onSefer Yetzira. Was appointed Gaon of Sura in 928Rabbi Sherira Gaon appointed Gaon of Pumbedita in 4728 (968 CE) Rabbi Hai Gaon became Gaon of Pumbedita in 4757 (997 CE). Died 4798 (1038 CE). Yehudah ben Barzilai, (1035-1105) Author of a commentary on Sefer Yetzira. The Rishonim Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, 4800-4865 (1040-1105 CE) Better known as Rashi. Born in Troyes, France. Foremost commentator and Talmudist. Also knew and practiced Kabbala, as is evident from his commentary toSuccah 45a et al. Baalei Tosafot, sons-in-law and grandsons of Rashi. The Baalei HaTosefot lived in France and Germany in the 12-13th centuries CE. Rabbeinu Yaakov of Marvege, France wrote Responsa from Heaven 4963 (1203 CE). Rabbi Avraham ben Yitzchak, (1110-1179) Av Beit Din of Narbonne, author of Sefer HaEshkol. Student ofYehuda ben Barzilai of Barcelona. Some identify him as the kabbalist Avraham ben Yitzchak of Granada, reputedly the author of Brit Menuchah (see below). Rabbi Avraham ben Yitzchak of Granada (Rimon), Late 13th early 14th Century CE. He is thought to be the author of Brit Menucha. He is one of the earliest kabbalists to quote the Zohar; his citations, however, vary from the extant copies of the Zohar. Some identify him with Rabbi Avraham ben Yitzchak of Narbonne; Scholem disagrees (possibly because it contradicts his thesis that the author of the Zohar is Moshe de Leon?). Rabbi Avraham ben David, the Ra'avad (Rabad of Posquieres, Provence) c. 4880-4958 (1120 -1198 CE). Son-in-law of Rabbi Avraham ben Yitzchak. Rabbi Yitzchak Sagi-Nahor (the Blind), c. 12th C. CE. Son of Raavad (Rabad of Posquieres), grandson of Rabbi Avraham ben Yitzchak. Rabbi Yehudah ben Yakar, c. 4910 - c. 4985 (c. 1150 - c. 1225). Born in Provence, France; died in Spain. Disciple in Kabbala of R. Yitzchak Sagi-Nahor. Colleague of R. Ezra and R. Azriel of Gerona. Had a great influence on the Ramban. Rabbi Yehuda HaChassid, c. 4910-4977 (c. 1150-1217 CE) of Regensburg. Author of Sefer Chasidim. He headed the movement of Chasidei Ashkenaz. He learned Kabbala from his father, Rabbi Samuel ben Klonymos. Rabbi Elazar of Worms, c. 4920-4998 (c. 1160-1237 CE), also known as the Rokeach. Born in Speyer, Germany; died in Worms. He was a student of Rabbi Yehudah HaChassid. Wrote a commentary on Sefer Yetzira. Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman (Ramban), Born c. 4955 (1195 CE) in Gerona. Died 5030 (1270 CE) in Acco,Israel. Rabbeinu Yona Gerondi, 4940-5023 (c. 1180-1263 CE) Rabbi Menachem of Recanati,4983-5050 (1223-1290). Wrote a mystical commentary on the Torah. He quotes frequently from Ramban. Rabbi Shlomo ben Aderet (Rashba), c. 4995-5070 (1235-1310 CE). Born in Barcelona. Student of Rabbeinu Yonah of Gerondi and Ramban. Rabbi Asher ben David, 13th c. CE. Grandson of Raavad. Studied under his uncle R. Yitzchak Sagi-Nahor. Wrote Sefer HaYichud; Tikkun Yud GimmelMiddot. Rabbi Ezra ben Shlomo of Gerona, born in the last 3rdof the 12 Century CE., died 4998 (1238 CE. 1245 according to others). Not to be confused with Rabbi Azriel below. He was a student of Yitzchak Sagi-Nahor. Wrote a commentary on Sefer Yetzira that is no longer existant; wrote a commentary on Shir HaShirim. Wrote commentaries and explanations of Aggadata. Had a great influence on Rabbeinu Bachya and on Rabbi Yitzchak of Acco. Rabbi Azriel of Gerona, c. 4920-c. 4998 (c.1160- c. 1238) Student of Rabbi Yitzchak Sagi-Nahor. Wrote among others Shaar HaSho'el, a commentary on Sefer Yetzira, a commentary to Talmudic Aggadata, a commentary on the liturgy (mystical meditations), andSod HaKorban on the mystical meaning of the sacrifices. Rabbi Avraham ben Yitzchak Gerondi, (mid 13thCentury CE) He studied under Rabbi Yitzchak Sagi-Nahor and was held in great esteem by the Ramban. Abraham Abulafia, 5000-5051 (1240- after 1291 CE) and his school. A leading Kabbalist in Spain and Italy, R. Abulafia was one of the chief proponents and innovators of "prophetic Kabbala." Rabbi Yehuda Chayat and Rabbi Shlomo ben Aderet (the Rashba) vigorously opposed Rabbi Abraham. For Rashba's controversy with him see Rashba, Responsa 458. Moshe de Leon c. 5000-c. 5065 (c. 1240-c. 1305 CE) in Leon near Castile. Distributed copies of manuscripts of the Zohar that had come into his possession. Rabbi Yaakov ben Sheshet of Gerondi, early 13thcentury. He was a colleague of R. Ezra, R. Azriel and Ramban. Reputed to be the author of the kabbalistic work Shaar HaShamayim. Rabbi Yitzchak of Acco, 5010-5100 (1250-1340 CE). Possibly a student of Ramban, after the latter came to the came to the Holy Land. Rabbi Yosef Gikatilia, 5008-c. 5070 (1248-c. 1310) Born in Medinaceli, Castile and lived in Segovia for many years. During the years between 1272-1274, he studied with Avraham Abulafia, who praised him as his most successful student. Wrote Ginat Egoz; Shaarei Orah; Saarei Tzedek; Shaar HaNikud. Was apparently friendly with Moshe de Leon in the 1280s. Rabbeinu Bachya ben Asher, c. 5025-c. 5100 (c. 1265 - c. 1340 CE). Disciple of Rashba. Author of a mystical commentary on the Torah. Shem Tov ibn Gaon, 5043-5100 (1283-c.1340 CE). Disciple of the Rashba and the Raavad; studied Kabbala under R. Yitzchak ben Todros. Spent some time in Safed, Israel. Author of kabbalistic works Kesser Shem Tov (a super-commentary on the mystical sections of Ramban's commentary on Torah), Badei HaAron, and Sefer HaPe'er among others. Rabbi Shmuel Motot, 14th C. Wrote Meshovev Netivot, an unpublished commentary on Sefer Yetzira. Rabbi Avraham Zacuto, 5185- c. 5275 (1425- c. 1515 CE). Author of Sefer HaYuchasin. LIST FROM:  Mystical Sages - After the Second Temple By Moshe Miller 3713 - 5275 (47 BCE - 1515 CE)

Torah - The Meaning of Freedom

The Meaning of Freedom

by Rabbi Yaakov Menken

"And G-d said to Moshe, 'go to Pharoah, and say to him, "thus says G-d 'LET MY PEOPLE GO...'"'" [Exodus 7:26]

This is, of course, one of the most famous quotes in the Bible.

It is also one of the most common half-quotes therein.

Verse 7:26 does not, in fact, conclude "let My people go," but "let My people go, and they will serve Me." This, even though Passover is the Festival of Freedom. What are we free to do? To serve G-d! And thus we come upon an entirely different understanding of freedom than the view of modern Western thought.

To be "free," as commonly understood, is to be free to do whatever one wishes to do. As long as you do not harm another person -- thereby interfering with his or her freedom -- you can do basically whatever you want. There are no borders, no limitations.

According to this view, of course, even a basic moral code -- something which claims to dictate that certain behaviors are "wrong" whether or not they harm anyone -- is an obstruction to freedom. For better or for worse, a moral code imposes borders and limitations upon an individual. This gives people a profound motivation to dismiss moral systems, and the underlying First Cause of a moral system. Or, as the scientist Aldous Huxley ("Brave New World") stated candidly in "Confessions of a Professional Free-Thinker," in 1966:

I had reasons not to want the world to have meaning, and as a result I assumed the world had no meaning, and I was readily able to find satisfactory grounds for this assumption... For me, as it undoubtedly was for most of my generation, the philosophy of meaninglessness was an instrument of liberation from a certain moral system. We were opposed to morality because it interfered with our freedom.

If even a basic moral system is a limitation on freedom, then it follows immediately and logically that a system such as that Commanded by the Torah, with 613 mandatory and prohibited acts, with countless restrictions and sub-restrictions upon behavior, consumption of foods, sexual activity -- "you name it, Judaism wants to control it" -- is repressive, restrictive, limiting. And this is the vision of Judaism which many of us have.

The Torah itself is uncompromising. Pesach is called "the time of our liberation," not "the time of exchanging one master for Another." This is not "basically free, but with other limitations." No -- the Torah calls all these laws and restrictions "freedom," and even has the chutzpah to claim that what the world calls freedom -- that is limited. As Rabbi Yehoshuah ben Levi says in the Chapters of the Fathers 62, "there is no free man like the one who is involved with the study of Torah."

In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote that we have rights, such as the famous "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." If we view this as an ascension from the most basic right (to life), to the ultimate towards which we all strive, if Liberty is supposed to make it possible for us to be happy, than the Torah's "freedom" seems to serve the purpose very well. Those who visit an active observant Jewish community do not find a restricted, shackled people, but one where sharing, generosity, and happiness are the order of the day. There was actually a Los Angeles Times survey that discovered that residents of religious communities were significantly more likely to describe themselves as "happy."

Nonetheless, something more than an experiential argument is required. Regardless of the sociological data -- how can this be? What is the vision of "freedom" that the Torah gives us?

To answer this question, we must begin by understanding mental bounds. While they are every bit as real as physical ones, they are not so easily perceived.

In the Chapters of the Fathers 428, Rabbi Elazar HaKappar says "jealousy, lust and honor remove a person from the world." What does this mean? One explanation is that these things color a person's vision. Instead of dealing with the "real world," he or she instead sees the world from a distorted perspective. And, of course, this unrealistic perspective limits the person, preventing him or her from doing things which otherwise would be entirely possible and appropriate. The victim is shackled, regardless of his or her self-perception.

Sigmund Freud came close to this concept, saying that a person must continually battle primal urges for lust and power. But Rabbi Elazar HaKappar presents them as items which a person can far more easily set aside. They are the products of the Evil Inclination.

And what are we to do with the Evil Inclination? As the Talmud says, "drag it to the House of Study." "There is no free man like the one who is involved with the study of Torah." The study of Torah is the ideal "sublimation" of those urges which otherwise bound a person, shackle him to his drives and animal instincts. In a word, Torah gives a person perspective. It enables a person to step away from the pursuit of lust, power, or jealousy -- leaving him or her to pursue happiness instead.

There is yet another matter. We are creatures of accomplishment, creatures of purpose. Just as G-d is Creator, we are naturally driven to emulate G-dly traits, and to create, to do, to accomplish.

It should be obvious, yet it must be said in order to accomplish, one must have a goal. For accomplishments to have meaning, the goal must have meaning. And if all life is meaningless, then all goals will be lacking ultimate meaning as well.

If we accept this axiom that accomplishments bring true satisfaction, then Huxley, with all of his "freedom," can never achieve happiness. Because meaninglessness was his ultimate belief, he could not imbue his accomplishments with meaning.

This, too, is crucial to freedom, for freedom brings with it the pursuit of happiness.

Torah teaches meaning. Service of G-d imbues the most trivial of acts with sacred purpose. It says that a person can perfect him or herself, and the entire world, and sets out a path towards that destination. And this is why the Torah can claim that its adherents are truly, ultimately, happily free.

[Rabbi Yaakov Menken is the director of Project Genesis.]

[1] http://www.torah.org/features/holydays/passover/menken.html

Original Sin

Augustine (354-430)Original Sin

Augustine was the author of the disastrous Church doctrine of original sin that would become orthodox dogma for more than a thousand years.

Reinterpreting Jewish scripture, Augustine said that the disobedience of Adam was an inherited human trait, a sin transmitted in the act of procreation. He thus arrived at the conclusion that all people are sinners from birth. No longer was sin solely the result of conscious individual choice.

With pitiless fanaticism, Augustine extended the guilt of Adam's transgression to every new born baby.

"Unconscious infants dying without baptism are damned by virtue of their inherited guilt."
– St Augustine (Newman,Manual of Church History, Vol. I, p. 366).

New born babes were sinners like the rest of us! There was no escape. Unbaptised babies would burn in torment forever, said the wise bishop. Moreover, the individual could not remove sin by himself no matter how "righteous" he might be; only within the embrace of Holy Mother Church could he be "saved."

"It was just, that after our nature had sinned ... we should be born animal and carnal."
– Augustine (R. Seeburg,History of Doctrine, I, p338)

Judaism’s Rejection Of Original Sin

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Saint Augustine (354-430) was the first theologian to teach that man is born into this world in a state of sin. The basis of his belief is from the Bible (Genesis 3:17-19) where Adam is described as having disobeyed G-d by eating the forbidden fruit of the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden. This, the first sin of man, became known as original sin.

Many Christians today, particularly members of the Anglican, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, and Presbyterian Churches, subscribe to this belief. They maintain that the sin of Adam was transferred to all future generations, tainting even the unborn. Substantiation for this view is found in the New Testament (Romans 5:12) where Paul says, "Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. By one man's disobediance many were made sinners."

Christianity believes that only through the acceptance of Jesus that the "grace" of G-d can return to man. A Christian need only believe in Jesus to be saved; nothing else is required of her.

The doctrine of original sin is totally unacceptable to Jews (as it is to Christian sects such as Baptists and Assemblies of G-d). Jews believe that man enters the world free of sin, with a soul that is pure and innocent and untainted. While there were some Jewish teachers inTalmudic times who believed that death was a punishment brought upon mankind on account of Adam's sin, the dominant view by far was that man sins because he is not a perfect being, and not, as Christianity teaches, because he is inherently sinful.

The Unbiblical Doctrine of Original Sin

The Christian Doctrine of Original Sin is a commonly held dogma theorized originally by Augustine of Hippo ("Saint Augustine" -- November 13, 354 - August 28, 430). This dogma says that when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit a "sin nature" entered them and all of their future descendents. Because of this "original sin" they believe that everyone is conceived/born "a sinner" and destined to Hell (a related unbiblical doctrine) unless they get themselves "saved" according to the group's definition before they die:

For Catholics and Orthodox Christians this means that unless one is a member in good standing of the Catholic and/or Orthodox Church they will be eternally lost: "Outside the Church there is no salvation" (Extra ecclesiam nulla salus). The Catholic Church is moderating this view today as the prophets foretold in preparation for the coming global religion.

For most other Christians this means that unless one "accepts Jesus as personal Lord and Savior," is "born again" -- and according to some groups unless one meets various other conditions (for instance certain words must be said upon baptism, one must speak in unknown tongues, one must accept certain beliefs (the Trinity etc) one must live a good life and so on -- one goes to Hell upon death. All such views are based on the belief that the "sin nature" is inherited by all humanity from Adam and Eve's transgression. Various groups explain this in different ways.

The biblical doctrine of yetzer tov and yetzer ra rejects this view. Everyone has to make the same choices placed before Adam and Eve. Will we yield to our positive or negative impulses? A tzadik (righteous person) is one whose good outweighs the negative. As Micah says:

Micah 6:6 "With what can I come before ADONAI to bow down before God on high? Should I come before him with burnt offerings? with calves in their first year? 7 Would ADONAI take delight in thousands of rams with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Could I give my firstborn to pay for my crimes, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?" 8 Human being, you have already been told what is good, what ADONAI demands of you - no more than to act justly, love grace and walk in purity with your God.

YetzerA technical Hebrew term for human "inclination" to do good (yetzer ha-tov) or to do evil (yetzer ha-ra).

High Priest of Sin

"Augustine's primary spiritual task was to remove the stain of sexual desire. He thus became the great theologian of guilt and sin but, as is often the case, he remained blind to the price that others had to pay for his righteousness."

– Bishop J. S. Spong (Born of a Woman, p216)

 

 

 

 

Pure thoughts!

 

 

Sins R Us!

The Church has devised a remarkable catalogue of sins:

Original and actual Sin

Original: the act of disobedience by Adam. Inherited at conception but – for the lucky ones! – remitted in baptism.
Actual: a voluntary act of individual will.

Mortal and Venial Sin

Mortal: intrinsically, always and absolutely evil, e.g. blasphemy.

Venial: pardonable, excusable (can even include killing!)

Capital, Cardinal and Grave Sin
(see Deadly Sin)

Material and Formal Sin

Internal Sin ("Thought crime")

delectatio morosa, the pleasure taken in a sinful thought or imagination even without desiring it;

gaudium, dwelling with complacency on sins already committed.

desiderium, the desire for what is sinful.

Habitual sin

– in a state of sin until grace restored by penance.

Sins of commission and omission

Sin of commission is a positive act contrary to some prohibitory precept.

Sin of omission is a failure to do what is commanded.

Everyone has to make the same choices placed before Adam and Eve.

[1] The Unbiblical Doctrine of Original Sin  http://yeshivabethhashem.org/ 
[2] http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/glossY.html

THE NAME - the prohibition to utter His Name in vain

Hebrew letter VAV acts both as a consonant, W, or as a vowel, 'oo.' It can act as a part of a word or as a prefix that means 'and.' In this sense, VAV is like a connecting tissue, like a mirror where things reflect and meet. Kabbalistically, its form denotes Divine light streamlined downwards into the Creation.
Grammatically, the morphology of the Tetragrammaton, God's Name made of four letters, י-ה-ו-ה, reflects fusion of different forms of the Hebrew verb 'to be.' It is a very elusive word, because grammatically it is neither one of the forms we know. It denotes future continuous tense, meaning that it is an ever evolving Existence that brings everything into being. This name is so elusive, and thus reflects so perfectly the prohibition to utter His Name in vain, that we even don't know how it should be pronounced correctly. All the attempts in English literature to spell it as it is written, are incorrect as they defy the grammar and the phonetics of Hebrew language. Only priests in the Temple knew to pronounce this Name correctly. Therefore in Jewish tradition we do not even attempt to read this Name, lest we misspell it, but replace it instead with the name Ado-nai, which means literally My Lords. It is plural because it reflects the idea that this name does not refer to God Himself (only the Tetragrammaton Name does), but to His manifold manifestations in the worlds.

"On a frequent basis we attach a meaning of a word from the Bible based on our own language and culture to a word that is not the meaning of the Hebrew word behind the translation. From Meditation 8.30.11 "ezekials beating heart" – Matisyahu

Blasphemy 

Blaspheme: The Mishnah (Sanh. 7:5), rules that the death sentence by stoning should be applied only in the case where the blasphemer had uttered the *Tetragrammaton and two witnesses had warned him prior to the transgression. In the Talmud, however, R. Meir extends this punishment to cases where the blasphemer had used one of the *attributes, i.e., substitute names of God (Sanh. 56a). The accepted halakhah is that only the one who has uttered the Tetragrammaton be sentenced to death by stoning; the offender who pronounced the substitute names is only flogged (Maim., Yad, Avodat Kokhavim, 2:7). In the court procedure (Sanh. 5:7 and Sanh. 60a) the witnesses for the prosecution testified to the words of the blasphemer by substituting the expressions "Yose shall strike Yose" (yakkeh Yose et Yose). Toward the end of the hearing, however, after the audience had been dismissed, the senior witness was asked to repeat the exact words uttered by the blasphemer. Upon their pronouncement (i.e., of the Tetragrammaton), the judges stood up and rent their garments. The act expressed their profound mourning at hearing the name of God profaned. The custom of tearing one's clothes on hearing blasphemy is attested to in II Kings 18:37, where it is told that Eliakim and his associates tore their garments upon hearing the blasphemous words of the Assyrian warlord *Rab-Shakeh (Sanh. 60a). It is codified in Shulḥan Arukh (YD 340:37) that whoever bears a blasphemy whether with the Tetragrammaton or with attributes, in any language and from a Jew, even from the mouth of a witness, must rend his garment. The second and any successive witnesses only testified: "I have heard the same words" (Sanh. 7:5); according to the opinion of *Abba Saul, whoever utters the Tetragrammaton in public is excluded from the world to come (Av. Zar. 18a). Besides the sacrilege of God, vituperation against the king, God's anointed servant, was also considered blasphemy (cf. Ex. 22:27 and I Kings 21:10). Gentiles, too, are obliged to refrain from blasphemy since this is one of the Seven *Noachide Laws (Sanh. 56a, 60a). Maimonides also classified as blasphemy the erasure of God's name written on paper or engraved on stone, etc., which was to be punished by flogging (Yad, Yesodei ha-Torah 6:1–6). After Jewish courts were deprived of jurisdiction in those cases where capital punishment was applied, excommunication (see *ḥerem) was the usual sanction against a blasphemer (J. Mueller (ed.), Teshuvot Ge'onei Mizraḥ u-Ma'arav (1898), 27a, responsum no. 103 by Amram Gaon).