Judaism,Christianity & Islam

I want to summrize the main similiraty & diffrences between those 3 religions:

1.God:

Judaism - One God

Christianity - 3 in 1 God

Islam - One God

2.Holy Scriptures:

Judaism - OT

Christianity - Accept OT and Add NT

Islam - Don't accept OT or NT,Just Quran

3.National or cosmopolitan religion:

Judaism - Religion for the Jewish Nation

Christianity - Cosmopolitan

Islam - Cosmopolitan

4.Calander:

Judaism - Combination of Solar & Lunar Calendar

Christianity - Solar Calendar

Islam - Lunar Calendar

5.Revelation:

Judaism - Public revelation in front whole nation in mount Sinai.

Christianity - Private revelation(Jesus)

Islam - Private revelation(Muhammad)

6.Circumcision:

Judaism - Mandatory on the 8th day after birth.

Christianity - Not needed

Islam - Debate wheater it's mandatory or just recommended

7.Converting:

Judaism - a long process - need to learn all Judaism laws + Circumcision + Full-body immersion

Christianity - declartion of Faith.

Islam - declartion of Faith.

8.Wine/alcohol:

Judaism - no prohibition,used in religious rituals

Christianity - no prohibition,used in religious rituals

Islam - prohibition of any use

9.Can man be perfect?

Judaism - Only God is perfect,Human are imperfect "For there is not a righteous man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not."(Ecclesiastes 7:20) and that why we can find faults about biblical figures.

Christianity - Like Judaism,But Jesus is perfect cause he's God...

Islam - All the prophets were perfect.

10.Authority:

Judaism - The Authority of Rabbies - According to the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do; thou shalt not turn aside from the sentence which they shall declare unto thee, to the right hand, nor to the left. (Deuteronomy 17:11)

Christianity - pope

Islam - I still don't have a clear statement.

Why KING David, Not Prophet David by Jews?

This is a question was forwared to me by a muslim:

It was Hazarat Daud (A.S) who conquered the sacred land(JERUSALEM) for the jews. Sure he was a King, but a prophet as well, who received Zabur(PSALMS) from Allah. In Bible however, It seems like he was a King alone, and he wrote PSALMS himself. He is potrayed as adulterous too(Nauzubillah). Jews should be having respect for him for what he did to them. They were suffering humiliation untill due to Hazrat Daud they entered Jerusalem again after so long. On the contrary, they only believe him as a king. WHY??In the Quran, it is mentioned that he used to recite zabur so beautifully that even birds and mountains used to sing with him. Why is this not mentioned in Jewish Scriptures? And he used to soften iron in his hand and used to sell hand-made armours to get his income. Why these things are ommitted by them?I just want to know brothers that why Jews remember David as a King but not as a Prophet.Thanks in advance for sharing your views.Jazak Allah

This is my answer:

1.Jews attitude towards David

King David is one of the most appreciated figures by Jews.King David era consider as the Golden era,the highest peak in Jewish History.The hope for the return of David Kindom created one of the most known religious terms - "Massiah"

read here:http://shabtayorkuting.blogspot.com/2009/04/concept-of-masshia.html

2.King or Prophet

Is considering David as a King Only is a decrease in his respect?
King and Prophet are diffrent functions in the Jewish nation leadership.
Do you expect from the heart to function also as a brain?
Both are important and should be seperate.

read here:http://shabtayorkuting.blogspot.com/2009/07/anatomy-of-nation.html

3.Psalms - Prophecy?

What is the diffrent between prophecy and Prayer?
The direction.
Prophecy - From God to Man.
Prayer - From Man to God.
So what is the direction of Psalms?

A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.LORD, how many are mine adversaries become! Many are they that rise up against me.Many there are that say of my soul: 'There is no salvation for him in God.' SelahBut thou, O LORD, art a shield about me; my glory, and the lifter up of my head.With my voice I call unto the LORD, and He answereth me out of His holy mountain. SelahI lay me down, and I sleep; I awake, for the LORD sustaineth me.I am not afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God; for Thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek, Thou hast broken the teeth of the wicked.Salvation belongeth unto the LORD; Thy blessing be upon Thy people. Selah
(Psalms 3)

For the Leader; with string-music. A Psalm of David.Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness, Thou who didst set me free when I was in distress; be gracious unto me, and hear my prayer.O ye sons of men, how long shall my glory be put to shame, in that ye love vanity, and seek after falsehood? SelahBut know that the LORD hath set apart the godly man as His own; the LORD will hear when I call unto Him.Tremble, and sin not; commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. SelahOffer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.Many there are that say: 'Oh that we could see some good!' LORD, lift Thou up the light of Thy countenance upon us.Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than when their corn and their wine increase.In peace will I both lay me down and sleep; for Thou, LORD, makest me dwell alone in safety.
(Psalms 4)

if we read Psalms carefully we get the feeling that the direction of the Book is from Man to God (Prayer).

The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
(Psalms 72:20)

If you open the current Jewish prayer Book(sidur) you will find that most of it are quotes from Psalms.

And David spoke unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul;
(2 Samuel Chapter 22:1)

Again we see the direction Man -> God.

4.David and other Prophets

King David met during his life several prophets.
The First Prophet was Samuel which anoint David:

And the LORD said unto Samuel: 'How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from being king over Israel? fill thy horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite; for I have provided Me a king among his sons.' ...Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren; and the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
(1 Samuel 16:1-13)

Another Prophet Who was with David is prophet Gad:

And the prophet Gad said unto David: 'Abide not in the stronghold; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah.' Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hereth.
(1 Samuel 22:5)

the word of the LORD came unto the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying...
(2 Samuel 24:11)

Another Prophet Who was with David is prophet Nathan:

And it came to pass, when the king dwelt in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies round about, that the king said unto Nathan the prophet: 'See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.' And Nathan said to the king: 'Go, do all that is in thy heart; for the LORD is with thee.' And it came to pass the same night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying: 'Go and tell My servant David: Thus saith the LORD: Shalt thou build Me a house for Me to dwell in?
(2 Samuel 7:1-5)

And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him: 'There were two men in one city: the one rich, and the other poor.
(2 Samuel 12:1)

As i already said earlier that King and Prophet are 2 diffrent function in the leadership of Israeli nation we can understand why David needed Prophet who served along with him.

5.Did David had revelation?

Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren; and the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
(1 Samuel 16:13)

The spirit of the LORD spoke by me, and His word was upon my tongue. The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me...
(2 Samuel 23:2-3)

6.David as adulterous

And it came to pass at eventide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house; and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. And David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said: 'Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?' And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness; and she returned unto her house.
(2 Samuel 11:2-4)

We find a lot of biblical stories that show us the dark side of the great figures.
The bible don't do idealization to anyone.

For there is not a righteous man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
(Ecclesiastes 7:20)

The focus shouldn't be on the sin but on "sin managment":

And David said unto Nathan: 'I have sinned against the LORD.' And Nathan said unto David: 'The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
(2 Samuel 12:13)

The focus should be on David repent!

7.Summary of David in bible

There is a verse that summarize David Status in the eye of the jews:

Now these are the last words of David: The saying of David the son of Jesse, and the saying of the man raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet singer of Israel
(2 Samuel 23:1)

8.Talmud & Islamic prespective

As i said before The bible don't do idealization to anyone.
But the Islamic prespecive that believe that Prophets can't commit sins like this is probably developed from the talmud:

R. Samuel b. Nahmani said in R. Jonathan's name: Whoever says that David sinned is merely erring, for it is said, And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways: and the Lord was with him.Is it possible that sin came to his hand, yet the Divine Presence was with him?
(Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 56a)

Jews & Judaism

People usually are confused about the connection between Jews & Judaism.

Even Jews themselvs are confused!

It's very simple:

Judaism is a religion.

Jews are member of the Jewish Nation.

So What is the connection between them?

Definition of Judaism is a reilgion of the Jewish Nation.

So you can be a jew but not practice Judaism and still consider to be a good Jew.

Is there a documentation on Muhammad?

I asked this question in Interfaith Dialogue community:

Is there a non-islamic documentation on Muhammad during his living?
please don't bring sources after the year 632 AD.

Here are some responses to this question:

Shekhar:

Interesting. I never thought like that. Looking forward to some interesting information.

Zubia was the first muslim who tried to give an answer:

writing books or knowing how to read n write was not a norm these days. according to a source, there were only 17 ppl in Makkah who can read n write. in arab, the ppl in those times were simply illiterate.

So Zubia is aware of that there is no such documentation and try to explain why.

Then the discussion diverted to other places.

It was Jay who Explain my question far better than i did:

Friends purpose of this topic as I understood is to share the history of Arabia from a Pagans perspective ie perspective of victims of Islam.
As islam was the winner it would naturally demonise the pagans exactly the way British Historians demonised Indians and Muslim historinas demonised Hinduism/Sikh Gurus during Muslime rule in India.
Invaders and their associates always demonsie teh victims.
But there is always a perspective of the same event from a victims point of view.
Naturalyy muslims will glorify Mohammed and justify his every actions.
However there is a need to understand the same vent from a Pagan point of view.
Are there any contemporay sources that highlight pagans point of view about Mohammed and his mission.
After reading both points of views only we can know unbiased truth.
But unofrtunately muslim invaders in every part of teh world attacked temples , universities and libraries from taxshila to Nalanda and put the books on fire they hardly allowed any book avaialable other then Quran to surviwe due to simple reason.
Does this books anything better then Quran?
Yes it has : you are lying it is impossible . so get kileld and burn the book.
If it doesnt : then its not required. again burn it.
That's why Pre Islamic sources of history were destroyed completelt to make sure uninterrupted glorification of Mohamemd buy carrying out onesides propaganda.
That's why none here is able to bring even a single source of victims point of view.
I am amazed by Zubia's justification that there were all illeyral people except 17 in mecca those days. She never gave any reference of her information though? Is it a naturally biased Islamic source of some unbiased pre Islamic source?

Kamel also joined saying:

topic being documentation ON muhammed , by his contemporaries !
it is shown to NOT exist , and one wonders why !?
I mean its not like it is 3000 - 4000 years ago , surely the copts , the jews of that time , pagans , Zoroastrians , these are / were Arabia's neighbors.
NO ONE recorded anything ??

Khuldoon which is Muslim guy answered:

an account by a non-muslim upon prophet at that time, I dont know. havent heard of any.

So buttom line there's no such documentation,the question is why?
Is it cause in this time and area people weren't such developed to write such documents? or Is it cause muslims destroyed such documents?

Why are Jews?

Anatomy of a Nation

The Israeli nation is like the human body.
Like the Human body there are important organs that the body can't live without them.

Here is a short summary of 4 important organs in the Jewish Nation - The Judiciary,The Priesthood,The King and The Prophet.


The Judiciary

And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people; and the people stood about Moses from the morning unto the evening.

And when Moses' father-in-law saw all that he did to the people, he said: 'What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand about thee from morning unto even?'

And Moses said unto his father-in-law: 'Because the people come unto me to inquire of God;

when they have a matter, it cometh unto me; and I judge between a man and his neighbour, and I make them know the statutes of God, and His laws.'

And Moses' father-in-law said unto him: 'The thing that thou doest is not good.

Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee; for the thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.

Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God be with thee: be thou for the people before God, and bring thou the causes unto God.

And thou shalt teach them the statutes and the laws, and shalt show them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.

Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating unjust gain; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

And let them judge the people at all seasons; and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge themselves; so shall they make it easier for thee and bear the burden with thee.

If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people also shall go to their place in peace.'

So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he had said.

And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.

(Exodus 18:13-26)

After 40 years in the desert,Moses look back to this event:

And I spoke unto you at that time, saying: 'I am not able to bear you myself alone;

the LORD your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude.--

The LORD, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as He hath promised you!--

How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife?

Get you, from each one of your tribes, wise men, and understanding, and full of knowledge, and I will make them heads over you.'

And ye answered me, and said: 'The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us to do.'

So I took the heads of your tribes, wise men, and full of knowledge, and made them heads over you, captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, and captains of fifties, and captains of tens, and officers, tribe by tribe.

And I charged your judges at that time, saying: 'Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him.

Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; ye shall hear the small and the great alike; ye shall not be afraid of the face of any man; for the judgment is God's; and the cause that is too hard for you ye shall bring unto me, and I will hear it.'

And I commanded you at that time all the things which ye should do.

(Deuteronomy 1:9-18)

So what will be with judiciary system when Israel will enter land of Israel?

Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, tribe by tribe; and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.

(Deuteronomy 16:18)

If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, even matters of controversy within thy gates; then shalt thou arise, and get thee up unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose.

And thou shall come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days; and thou shalt inquire; and they shall declare unto thee the sentence of judgment.

And thou shalt do according to the tenor of the sentence, which they shall declare unto thee from that place which the LORD shall choose; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they shall teach thee.

According to the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do; thou shalt not turn aside from the sentence which they shall declare unto thee, to the right hand, nor to the left.

And the man that doeth presumptuously, in not hearkening unto the priest that standeth to minister there before the LORD thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die; and thou shalt exterminate the evil from Israel.

(Deuteronomy 17:8-12)

The Priesthood

The Levites tribe got the Job of the Temple rituals:

but appoint thou the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, and over all the furniture thereof, and over all that belongeth to it; they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the furniture thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle.

(Numbers 1:50)

'Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him. And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle. And they shall keep all the furniture of the tent of meeting, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle. And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons; they are wholly given unto him from the children of Israel. And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, that they may keep their priesthood; and the common man that draweth nigh shall be put to death.'

(Numbers 3:6-10)

Cause of their special status,they won't have any land in Israel:

The priests the Levites, even all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion nor inheritance with Israel; they shall eat the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and His inheritance. And they shall have no inheritance among their brethren; the LORD is their inheritance, as He hath spoken unto them.

So how will they provide food for their family?

And this shall be the priests' due from the people, from them that offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep, that they shall give unto the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw. The first-fruits of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give him. For the LORD thy God hath chosen him out of all thy tribes, to stand to minister in the name of the LORD, him and his sons for ever.

(Deuteronomy 18:1-5)

Beside of the Temple rituals,the Pristhood Job is for Spiritual guidance in purity and impurity questions:

When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, or a scab, or a bright spot, and it become in the skin of his flesh the plague of leprosy, then he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest, or unto one of his sons the priests.

(Leviticus 13:2)

When the plague of leprosy is in a man, then he shall be brought unto the priest.

(Leviticus 13:9)

The King

When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein; and shalt say: 'I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are round about me';
thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose; one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee; thou mayest not put a foreigner over thee, who is not thy brother.
Only he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses; forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you: 'Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.'
Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away; neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book, out of that which is before the priests the Levites.
And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life; that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them;
that his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left; to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children, in the midst of Israel.

(Deuteronomy 17:14-20)

The Prophet

When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.
There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one that useth divination, a soothsayer, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, or one that consulteth a ghost or a familiar spirit, or a necromancer.
For whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto the LORD; and because of these abominations the LORD thy God is driving them out from before thee.
Thou shalt be whole-hearted with the LORD thy God.
For these nations, that thou art to dispossess, hearken unto soothsayers, and unto diviners; but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.
A prophet will the LORD thy God raise up unto thee, from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;
according to all that thou didst desire of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying: 'Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.'
And the LORD said unto me: 'They have well said that which they have spoken.
I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee; and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto My words which he shall speak in My name, I will require it of him.
But the prophet, that shall speak a word presumptuously in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.'
And if thou say in thy heart: 'How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?'
When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken; the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously, thou shalt not be afraid of him.

(Deuteronomy 18:9-22)

The meaning of the word Almah

What is the source for the virgin birth in christianity?

In Matthew 1:

[22] All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
[23] "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son,and his name shall be called Emmanuel"

So who was the prophet who said that?

It's Isaiah!

lets see what is written in his prophetcy:

[14] Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Imman'u-el


What is the reason for that diffrance?

It's all about translation!

The Hebrew word for virgin is betulah.

An example for that:

If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her, and lay wanton charges against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say: 'I took this woman, and when I came nigh to her, I found not in her the tokens of virginity[1]'; then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel's virginity[2] unto the elders of the city in the gate. And the damsel's father shall say unto the elders: 'I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her; and, lo, he hath laid wanton charges, saying: I found not in thy daughter the tokens of virginity[3]; and yet these are the tokens of my daughter's virginity.[4]' And they shall spread the garment before the elders of the city.And the elders of that city shall take the man and chastise him. And they shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin[5] of Israel; and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days.

(Deuteronomy 22:13-19)

Those verse descibe a procedere that muslim are familiar with - Virginity Test.

So those verse talk very clear about the physical status of a woman = Virgin or Not.
What is the Hebrew word which describe the physical status of a woman?
All words in this section are from the Root word Bethulah.
In 4 first times when it relate to the hymen - the word is "Bethulim".
In the 5th time when it reltaed to the woman Status,virgin - the word is "Bethulah".

In Aramaic also (which is also a sematic languagh) the word for virgin is Betulata.
see here: http://www.peshitta.org/lexicon/

So it's very clear what is the word in Hebrew for a virgin.

What is the Hebrew word Isaiah use?

Isaiah use the word almah which mean in Hebrew - a young girl.
An example for this:

And the king said: 'Inquire thou whose son the stripling is.'

(Samuel1 17:56)

The meaning of the word stripling is a youth( http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/stripling )

The Hebrew word for stripling is "alem" which is the masculine form of the word almah.

So the source for this concept of Virgin birth is a mistake in translation!!!


for more reading see this:

http://judaism.about.com/od/jewishviewofjesus/a/jesus_virgin.htm

Bible,Torha and New Testement,what's the diffrance?

A common phenomenon that people use the same word but they mean to diffrent thing.

It's the case for the word Bible.

Jews & Christinas use the same word but for each it has a diffrent meaning.

The Hebrew word for Bible is Tanakh which is acronym for its 3 parts:

The Torah,which contain those books:

1. Genesis [בראשית / B'reshit]
2. Exodus [שמות / Sh'mot]
3. Leviticus [ויקרא / Vayiqra]
4. Numbers [במדבר / B'midbar]
5. Deuteronomy [דברים / D'varim]

Nevi'im,which contain those books:

6. Joshua [יהושע / Y'hoshua]
7. Judges [שופטים / Shophtim]
8. Samuel (I & II) [שמואל / Sh'muel]
9. Kings (I & II) [מלכים / M'lakhim]
10. Isaiah [ישעיה / Y'shayahu]
11. Jeremiah [ירמיה / Yir'mi'yahu]
12. Ezekiel [יחזקאל / Y'khezqel]
13. The Twelve Prophets [תרי עשר]
a. Hosea [הושע / Hoshea]
b. Joel [יואל / Yo'el]
c. Amos [עמוס / Amos]
d. Obadiah [עובדיה / Ovadyah]
e. Jonah [יונה / Yonah]
f. Micah [מיכה / Mikhah]
g. Nahum [נחום / Nakhum]
h. Habakkuk [חבקוק /Khavaquq]
i. Zephaniah [צפניה / Ts'phanyah]
j. Haggai [חגי / Khagai]
k. Zechariah [זכריה / Z'kharyah]
l. Malachi [מלאכי / Mal'akhi]

Ketuvim,which contain those books:

14. Psalms [תהלים / T'hilim]
15. Proverbs [משלי / Mishlei]
16. Job [איוב / Iyov]
The "Five Megilot" or "Five Scrolls":
17. Song of Songs [שיר השירים / Shir Hashirim]
18. Ruth [רות / Rut]
19. Lamentations [איכה / Eikhah]
20. Ecclesiastes [קהלת / Qohelet]
21. Esther [אסתר / Est(h)er]
The rest of the "Writings":
22. Daniel [דניאל / Dani'el]
23. Ezra-Nehemiah [עזרא ונחמיה / Ezra wuNekhem'ya]
24. Chronicles (I & II) [דברי הימים / Divrey Hayamim]

Christians accept all those book as sacred and call them Old Testement.

The Story of Jesus and other books that related to Christians are known as The New Testement.

more info here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanakh

The concept of "Son of God"

What is the meaning of this title anyway?

If it means that his mother was a virgin that conceived from God - So there's no real father but God.

This concept is far away judaism.It sound like stories from Greek/Roman Mythology.

There are several stories in the bible of God Helping woman to conceive.In all of them there was a father involve.

The concept of barren woman that eventually succeed to concieved by the help of God

The concept of barren woman that eventually succeed to concieved by the help of God is very common in Bible:

1.Abraham & Sara:

And He said: 'I will certainly return unto thee when the season cometh round; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son.' And Sarah heard in the tent door, which was behind him.-- Now Abraham and Sarah were old, and well stricken in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.-- And Sarah laughed within herself, saying: 'After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?' And the LORD said unto Abraham: 'Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying: Shall I of a surety bear a child, who am old? Is any thing too hard for the LORD. At the set time I will return unto thee, when the season cometh round, and Sarah shall have a son.'

(Genesis 18:10-14)

And the result:And the LORD remembered Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as He had spoken. And Sarah conceived, and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.

(Genesis 21:1-3)

2.Jacob & Rachel:

And when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and she said unto Jacob: 'Give me children, or else I die.' And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel; and he said: 'Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?'

(Genesis 30:1-2)

and the result:And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb. (Genesis 30:22)

3.Birth of Samson:

And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bore not. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her: 'Behold now, thou art barren, and hast not borne; but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.

(Judges 13:2-3)

and the result:And the woman bore a son, and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.

(Judges 13:24)

4.Birth of Prophet Samuel:

Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim, of the hill-country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.And he had two wives: the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah; and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

...but unto Hannah he gave a double portion; for he loved Hannah, but the LORD had shut up her womb.

...And she vowed a vow, and said: 'O LORD of hosts, if Thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of Thy handmaid, and remember me, and not forget Thy handmaid, but wilt give unto Thy handmaid a man-child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.'

...And it came to pass, when the time was come about, that Hannah conceived, and bore a son; and she called his name Samuel: 'because I have asked him of the LORD.'

(Samuel1 1)

All of those stories there are childless woman that God "Help" them to concieve.In all of those stories the father was involve in the concieving...

The concept of having sex in order to concieve

In Judaism Sex between married couple is not a sin,on the contrary it's a commandment:

And God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. And God blessed them; and God said unto them: 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that creepeth upon the earth.'

(Genesis 1:27-28)

Those verse are consider in Judaism as a commandment do bring children to the world.If you understand this concept you can understand that there's no reason that a prophet/Massiha will be from a virgin woman...

What is a miracle?

God created the natural rules.When God "break" his own rules - we call it a miracle.

In Judaism God "break" his own rules only if there's a reason or purpose.

few examples:

And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh will not hearken unto you, and I will lay My hand upon Egypt, and bring forth My hosts, My people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt, by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth My hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.'

(Exodus 7:3-5)

And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Go in unto Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might show these My signs in the midst of them;and that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son's son, what I have wrought upon Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them; that ye may know that I am the LORD.'

(Exodus 10:1-2)

And lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thy hand over the sea, and divide it; and the children of Israel shall go into the midst of the sea on dry ground. And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall go in after them; and I will get Me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten Me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.'

(Exodus 14:16-18)

And Israel saw the great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians, and the people feared the LORD; and they believed in the LORD, and in His servant Moses.

(Exodus 14:31)

the miracles of Exodus had a purpose - To strengthen the faith of Israel in God and in Moses prophethood.

So those are miracles with purpose.There's also miracles with special reason:

Sara birth in the age of 90 was due to the covenant that God maid with Abraham:

And God said: 'Nay, but Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son; and thou shalt call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him.

(Genesis 17:19)

Some of the miracles were done because of righteous person pray:

And she vowed a vow, and said: 'O LORD of hosts, if Thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of Thy handmaid, and remember me, and not forget Thy handmaid, but wilt give unto Thy handmaid a man-child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.'

(samuel1 1:11)

So every miracle has a purpose or a reason.

What purpose or reason has the virgin birth miracle? It's unnecessary miracle !

Is a virgin conceiving is a miracle?

When 90 years old woman get birth - It's a miracle.Everyone knows that 90 years can't get birth and if she does - they say:"It's miracle!".

When a woman who claim to be a virgin get birth - ppl will say...ok you can imagine what ppl will say...

It's like a wood failing in the wood and no one hear it.If no one can know if the woman is virgin or not for them it's not a mircle...

The concept of Masshia

A lot of muslims ask me who is the Masshia for the jews or Why jews don't believe Jesus is the Masshia?

I think that before asking Who is the Masshia we should understand What is Masshia.

The literal meaning of this word:

Masshia is from the Hebrew root of words : M.SH.H Which mean to anoint(to rub something with liquid/cream).

This word is also used in Aramaic(see here http://www.peshitta.org/lexicon/ the words in Aramaic to Oil and anoint are from M.SH.KH root)

The words is commonly used with oil and it's a part of jewish rituals:

1.For the high priest:

And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tent of meeting, and shalt wash them with water.And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the tunic, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the skilfully woven band of the ephod.And thou shalt set the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre.Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him.
(Exodus 29:4-7)


if the anointed priest shall sin so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the LORD for a sin-offering.
(Leviticus 4:3)

So after the priest anointed he name is the the anointed priest - In Hebrew it will be the Masshia Priest.

2.For Kings:

The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them...
(Jotham allegory in Judges 9:8)

Which means that king coronation is by anoint oil on the king head.

The first Israeli King was Saul.here is the description of his coronation:

Then Samuel took the vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said: 'Is it not that the LORD hath anointed thee to be prince over His inheritance?
(Samuel1 10:1)

When David talked about Saul he said:
And he said unto his men: 'The LORD forbid it me, that I should do this thing unto my lord, the LORD'S anointed, to put forth my hand against him, seeing he is the LORD'S anointed.'
(Samuel1 24:6)

In Hebrew David calles Saul - Massiah!

After that David became King,here is the description of his coronation:

So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the LORD; and they anointed David king over Israel.
(Samuel2 5:3)

David,before he died ordered that his son - Solomon will be the next king:

And the king said unto them: 'Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon.And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel; and blow ye with the horn, and say: Long live king Solomon.
(Kings1 1:33-34)

and this is the description of Solomon coronation:

And Zadok the priest took the horn of oil out of the Tent, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the ram's horn; and all the people said: 'Long live king Solomon.'
(Kings1 1:39)

So In Hebrew Massiha - The anointed became to be synonym for Israel King!

The highlight moment in Israel History was the Israeli Kindom under David House.

So after Assyrian,Babylonian & Roman empires took over the rule in Israel and most of the jew were exhiled the jewish hope was to return to this point - to David Kindom era.

To this hope they called - Massiha!

see here the essence of this hope:

The anointed King(Massiha) is destined to stand up and restore the Davidic Kingdom to its antiquity, to the first sovereignty. He will build the Temple in Jerusalem and gather the strayed ones of Israel together. All laws will return in his days as they were before: Sacrificial offerings are offered and the Sabbatical years and Jubilees are kept, according to all its precepts that are mentioned in the Torah.

(Maimonides Kings 11:1)

If this is what jews hope for Massiha , did Jesus fullfilled any of those hopes?

Where is Abraham Grave?

And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre--the same is Hebron--in the land of Canaan.
(Genesis 23:19)

And Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre;the field which Abraham purchased of the children of Heth; there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.
(Genesis 25:9-10)

According to the Jewish tradition Abraham Grave is in Hebron.

Muslim also believe that Abraham grave is in Hebron:

Habra (Hebron) is the village of Abraham al-Khalil (the Friend of God)...Within it is a strong fortress...being of enormous squared stones. In the middle of this stands a dome of stone, built in Islamic times, over the sepulchre of Abraham. The tomb of Isaac lies forward, in the main building of the mosque, the tomb of Jacob to the rear; facing each prophet lies his wife.
(Al-Muqaddasi http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Strange.309.jpg )

But what is the Islamic source for that?

I asked in Islam community (source: http://www.orkut.com/Main#CommMsgs.aspx?cmm=3126&tid=2554556273932877972)
where is Abraham grave and what is the source for that.

At the beginning - no one knew where is the place.One even suggested mecca...

After a while a guy named Arif said:

"The grave of Ibrahim (as) is located in the Ibrahimi mosque. The mosque is now divided in two in 1994. One part for Muslims and another for Jews community.

but no authentic source.. "

So Muslim can't find any Islamic source not in Quran or Hadith that say that Abraham grave is in Hebron!

So on what they base this believe?

Other guy named mYstiKaL SouL said:

"Muslim tradition in this respect is not independent. anything in the sources of the People of the Book which doesnot contradict Islamic sources can be accepted. "

So that means that the source of Islamic tradition that Abraham grave is in Hebron is actually the Jewish tradition!!!

One of the guys(which by now deleted his profile) said it's like Isra'iliyat:

The term isra'iliyyat usually refers to early literature of various types attributed by Muslim scholars to Jewish and Christian sources. Despite the continual and pervasive negative regard for isra'iliyyat, however, a massive amount of this material has been utilised by Muslim commentators throughout Islamic history.
(http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=13759409)

A bridge between Judaism & Islam

I usually asked by Muslims what Judaism say about Non-Jews?

Can a Non-Jew(Gentile) be a Righteous And Go Heaven in the afterlife?

Jews Believe that Non-Jews have to practice 7 laws in Order to be consider as Righteous:

1.Prohibition of Idolatry: There is only one God. You shall not make for yourself an idol.

2.Prohibition of Murder: You shall not murder.

3.Prohibition of Theft: You shall not steal.

4.Prohibition of Sexual Promiscuity: You shall not commit adultery.

5.Prohibition of Blasphemy: Revere God and do not blaspheme.

6.Prohibition of Cruelty to Animals: Do not eat flesh taken from an animal while it is still alive.

7.Requirement to have just Laws: You shall set up an effective judiciary to fairly judge observance of the preceding six laws.

Those 7 laws are called the Seven Laws of Noah

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Laws_of_Noah )

Those 7 laws can be found in Quran:

A possible connection between the Qur'an 17:22-36 and Noahide law might be:

1.Qur'an 17:22 — Prohibition of Idolatry #1

2.Qur'an 17:23 — Prohibition of Blasphemy #2

3.Qur'an 17:32 — Prohibition of Sexual Immorality #4

4.Qur'an 17:33 — Prohibition of Homicide #3

5.Qur'an 17:34 — Prohibition of Theft #5

6.Qur'an 17:35 — Imperative of Legal System #7

7.Qur'an 17:36 — Prohibition of Limb of a Living Creature #6??? (although the last is specifically mentioned by the Qur'an 2:173; 5:3)

(http://wikinoah.org/index.php/Noahide_Law_in_the_Qur%27an)

Whats the difference between these 7 laws and the 10 commandments?

The 7 laws are for all man kind from time of Noah,the 10 commandments are part of 613 laws for Israel nation,from Moses time.

In my opinion those 7 laws of Noah can be the bridge Between Judaism & Islam!

The rule of religions

While being around in the Muslims communities on orkut,i learned many stuff.

I grew up in Haifa which many Muslims lives in.

In one of the neighbourhoods there where a Muslim community - The Ahmadiyya.

To be honest i never met any of them,every one consider them as Muslims.

Their mosque is something you can't miss when you enter the city.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kababir )

It was a very big surprise to discover that most of the Muslims don't consider them as Muslims,but as a new religion.

Then i realized that it's some sort of deterministic rule of how religions come to this world...

This rule is for the Abrahamic Religions:

[1]Group A have a religion based on prophet X with the scriptures of @

[2]Then come a man Z who claim he is a prophet and he is a successor to prophet X.

[3]The people from group A accuse this man that he is a false prophet.

[4]There's people that do believe him that he is really the prophet Z and they establish now Group B who follow the prophet Z with the scriptures of #.

[5]Group B say that there's proofs in the scriptures of @ that Z will come.and only the evil harts of group A prevent them to accept this.

[6]Group A say that according the scriptures of @ there's no way Z could be a prophet.

Now you can put instead of A,B,X,Z,@,# any of the Abrahamic religions and it will be the same:

You can say A=Judaism and B=Christianity.

You can say A=Christianity and B=Islam.

You can say A=Islam and B=Ahmadiyyat.

and there will be sure more...