Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
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?
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)
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)
Sunday, May 17, 2009
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
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
Thursday, May 14, 2009
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
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
Monday, May 4, 2009
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...
Sunday, April 26, 2009
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?
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?
Sunday, March 15, 2009
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)
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