What alternate method of Temple sacrifice was and is still used for 2000 yrs?

 What is true repentance? 

Do Messianic Jews celebrate the Lord’s Supper?  

How do you understand Baptism?

What does Acts 15 actually saying that Gentiles are not obligated to serve Messiah in the same way Jewish believers are?

How did Ha Shem “appear to Abram in Bereshit 12:7? 

Do Messianic Jews celebrate Christmas?

Does my daughter (a Christian) need to convert to Judaism to marry a Jewish man?

What is today's use of the Menorah?

Is the Hanukkiah a pagan symbol?

 Do Messianic Jews believe in the Trinity?

How do we balance a life of “faith” and obedience to Torah?

Even though I am convinced about the Sabbath, there are verses in the Bible like Colossians 2:16-17 that make me wonder. 

 What is the difference between an Orthodox Jew, A Reformed Jew and a Messianic Jew?

Can you help me to clarify 3 questions of translation from Hebrew to English concerning the convert?

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Preguntas generales al Rabino:

1.- ¿La bendición sacerdotal solo de dice en las fiestas?

La bendición sacerdotal o mejor dicho el Birkat JaCojenim, se dice generalmente durante las fiestas o JaMoedim, incluyendo por supuesto el Shabbat. Según el rito asquenazita lo dicen solo en las fiestas, según el rito sefardita en toda ocasión que es especial.

2.- ¿Cuál es la palabra que en 1a. Timoteo 3: 1-6  se traduce como obispo?

La palabra griega episcopeis, que en el latín es Obispus y en el castellano se ha hecho como Obispo; es una palabra administrativa que significa el dirigente, o el líder, o el administrador de una organización. En el hebreo es traducido de tres maneras rosh-jaedah- רוש העדה, que significa el jefe de la asamblea, o manehig-מנהיג  que significa jefe, guía, conductor, cabecilla, líder ; o pequidut- פקידותque significa empleado administrador burocrático. No tiene connotación religiosa y es totalmente administrativa. Hoy en día en las congregaciones judías o sinagogas se usa el termino de presidente.

3.- En el mundo existe una corrupción tremenda ., casi todo se tiene que hacer con cohecho . ¿Cómo creyentes cual debe ser nuestra posición? como actuar frente a esto.

El vivir de acuerdo a la Torá es siempre un desafío, hay que medir el bien en contra del mal. Hay que separar lo que conocemos como lo secular ó el ‘mundo’ con lo Sagrado ó del Eterno. Cuando vivimos en una sociedad donde el cohecho es una práctica natural en los negocios, aunque no esté escrita la regla, en el judaísmo se le llama la costumbre gentil. Por lo tanto dadle al César lo que es del César y dale a D—s lo que es de Él.

Did Jesus die on Friday and resurrect on Sunday? I was reading in one of the gospels that Jesus died on the day of Preparation (Friday), and rose on the first day of the week (Sunday) It was very clear to say the day after the Sabbath. I think that is why Christians worship on Sunday. What is the real Sabbath?  

Thank you for your question. It is an excellent one. Without any background in Jewish traditions it is very difficult to understand this passage. The first important thing that we need to understand is that there can be two Sabbaths in one week. For instance, this past year Passover fell on Thursday April 9^th so the evening before, Wednesday is when we had our Seder (Banquet). Thursday therefore was a Sabbath day followed by the regular Shabbat on Saturday. Let’s examine some of the verses:

Luke 22:7 Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. Yeshua sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover."

So here Yeshua and his disciples are preparing for the Passover Seder. He would be the lamb so he would not be able to be at the dinner with his disciples. They would have celebrated the banquet the night before. It was customary for a rabbi to call his students together to have a banquet the night they would be graduated. It was called a Seudat Birkat.

We know that after this he was betrayed, arrested and hung on a Roman execution stake between two criminals. Then we go to Luke 24 20-23. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn't find his body.

Sometimes we need to do some digging because remember it is Jews speaking to Jews, so we know our customs well and they don’t need to be explained. We also know that there was only one sign that Yeshua gave to the Pharisees about his being the Messiah in Matthew 12:40. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

From his hanging on the stake (crucifixion) to his resurrection there needs to be 3 days and 3 nights. Let’s look at it from the idea that I explained at the beginning that there is more than one Shabbat in a week. Luke 23: 54-56 gives us some clues.It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. "The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment."

Which Preparation day are they talking about? If all the facts are taken in context, then the Preparation of the Passover is what they are talking about. The Passover Sabbath approaches and Yeshua had been crucified. They could not go out to purchase the spices needed to anoint his body. Study shows that it was a 24 hour period to prepare these spices. According to the lunar calendar Passover fell on a Wednesday that year so Thursday would have been the Shabbat of Passover. They went out early on Friday to get and prepare the spices as we read in verse 56 and they rested again on the regular Shabbat.

Another important point to note is that in Matthew 24:61-66 we read "Now on the next day, the day after the preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate, and said, "Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, After three days I am to rise again.' Therefore, give orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day, otherwise His disciples may come and steal Him away and say to the people, 'He has risen from the dead,' and the last deception will be worse than the first."Pilate said to them, "You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how." And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone. “

This is another clue about when Yeshua died and resurrected. Again if we look at the Jewish calendar for the 3 days and 3 nights, if Jesus died on the Wednesday just before the Passover (a Biblical Holiday, a Shabbat) it would begin at sunset Wednesday. The next day, Thursday is the day of Passover where the High Priest would be at the Temple all day performing his sacred duties concerning the Passover offerings. For this reason it would have been impossible to go and visit Pilate. The next day, Friday would be a regular day and it is then that he went to see the Pilate. When speaking from a Jewish perspective if it is written “the next day the day after the preparation” it means the day after Passover since this would not have been considered a day when he could go anywhere.

Pilate told them to send their own guard which they could only do on a regular day, not on the Sabbath. It is also important to see that the women prepared the anointment and then the Scriptures say “the day of rest came” so they needed to wait until the Shabbat was over. Very early in the morning they went to the Tomb. The guards were afraid and fled because the Tomb was empty and they could be killed for not doing their duty.

We read in Luke 24:1; Matthew 57:61: On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.” When the women went while it was still dark to anoint the body on the first day of the week, they found the tomb empty. Again taking Jewish understanding into consideration, when does the first day of the week begin—Saturday evening? According to Genesis creation story…’and the evening and the morning were the first day.” So before the sun rose on the first day of the week, Sunday Yeshua who said that he was the Lord of the Shabbat, had already risen. He rose somewhere between the two lights (noon and dusk) exactly at the same time that the one year lamb was sacrificed before the first Passover, in the book of Exodus. From Wednesday around 3 PM when he was crucified to Shabbat 3 PM makes three days and three nights. Yeshua perfectly fulfilled every Scripture written about the Messiah. His coming did come not out of thin air…it had been prophesied in the Hebrew Scriptures.

Knowing these things and for political purposes, the ancient Catholic Church changed the Word of G-d. The early Nicean council did everything it could to remove Israel and the Hebrew roots from the Scriptures in order that salvation would come through the church and not through the Jews and the Jewish Messiah as is also written.

Now let me respond to your question concerning the real Shabbat day and Sunday.

Regarding Sunday worship, this is a typical example of syncretism in the early church in their desire to reach the larger pagan population of the Roman Empire. Basically Sunday, the first day of the week which had been the regular day of worship of their “Sun” god now became the new religious day of worship for the “Son of God”…an easy transition to make. It now became the new Christian holiday. To bring more credence to this day and to support their cause, they took two terms totally out of their context within the Hebrew Scriptures—“Resurrection Day” and “The Day of the Lord.” They began by teaching that that Jesus resurrected on Sunday and the “Day of the Lord” which was also to be the Sunday was given a completely different meaning. It has nothing to do with a worship day but specifically refers to the great and terrible day when Messiah will return to do battle with the enemies of G-d. It was never meant to be a day of worship however when Messiah does return, he will most certainly reinstate the Shabbat to this world in the olam ha bah, the world to come.

A friend of mine and I are Christians, and we were wondering:
If the Jewish people could no longer sacrifice animals for the atonement of the people's as well as the priests' sins, since they lost the Temple in 70A.D. what alternate method was and is still used for 2000 yrs?
Also: How and what did they sacrifice in Babylon for 70 yrs?

These are excellent questions. After the Temple was destroyed, Rabbi ben Zakkai received permission from Rome to establish a Yeshiva (school of Learning) at Yabneh where the Biblical tenets of Judaism were re-written thus excluding from that point on the need for atonement through sacrifice and the shedding of blood. It is interesting however that the concept of blood sacrifice is understood even today among the Chassidim who have a ceremony called “shlug kapporah“ where they will take a live chicken, swirl it over theirs and their children’s heads praying that their sins will be taken on by this innocent animal.

For the most part however in Judaism, it is taught that charity, good deeds, prayer and fasting are sufficient for G-d. Since most Jewish people do not read the Scriptures, they would not know that atonement could only be accomplished through the shedding of blood of an innocent animal (Leviticus 17:11).

In Babylon we read how Daniel and the other young men were forced to bow down and worship false gods but that they resisted. They would not have been able to openly sacrifice to the G-d of Israel. G-d however, knows the heart and who belongs to Him. In times such as this, the heart would rule over an outward show of sacrifice. The heart of the three boys who were thrown into the fiery furnace because they would not bow down to foreign gods, surely demonstrated their zeal and faithfulness to the G-d of Israel.

So how are our sins atoned for today? There is no longer a temple, no longer sacrifice? This is a question which truly needs a response and in so doing, one would have to accept the ha besorah (good news) that G-d Himself fulfilled all the need for sacrifice at the specific time in history when Messiah Yeshua came to be the perfect sacrifice (Isaiah 52:12-53:12), the Lamb of G-d who came to take away the sins of the world. Those to whom G-d has revealed this wonderful mystery and believe it, their names are sealed in the Sefer ha Chaim (Book of Life) for eternity. What a marvelous gift!

What is true repentance? Do we need to repent before we are saved?

True repentance… only G-d can give that to us because our heart is deceitful...Who can know it?

We do not play a part in our Salvation. Can we do anything to save ourselves? Was Abraham seeking G-d when he was called upon to leave everything he knew? G-d chose him as he chooses each of us for bad or good. Even Judas was chosen to do what he did. It is not because of anything we do, think or say that causes us to be chosen and "saved"...or in other words - have our names written in the Sefer ha Chaim (Book of Life). At the moment that G-d chooses to reveal Himself to us we go through a heart change and everything after that becomes our choice. It is as if we suddenly develop a conscience. We now have the choice to obey or disobey. When we disobey, we are miserable. G-d spanks us and we run back to Him in repentance.

It has been that way from the beginning. Yeshua did not change anything. The people of his day understood that G-d would take our heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh according to the prophecies of Jeremiah 31:31 and Ezekiel 36:26. We are not saved because we suddenly knew we needed Him. The Israelites spent 40 years in the desert with Him. They knew they needed Him. They weren’t saved because they repented. They were saved because G-d chose to do so.

Our natures are fallen due to the sin of Adam and Eve and we know from Scriptures that our hearts are deceptive. Religion has so changed the message into is a self-righteous one where we are responsible for our own salvation. Gentiles believe that if we say a simple prayer and accept Jesus we are saved. Judaism believes that our works and good deeds will get us to be accepted by G-d. Both are untrue. G-d alone saves and He causes us to repent, thus turning us from the world toward Him. This is true repentance, true t’shuva.

Do Messianic Jews celebrate the Lord’s Supper? If so do they use bread and grape juice?

Yeshua’s words and actions must be understood in the context of the culture of the people and the times. Yeshua kept the Passover as prescribed in the Torah. Like most Jews, Messianic Jews have observed Passover at a Seder or Banquet in their homes for over 3000 years. Seder literally means 'order of service'.

Only Unleavened bread or matzah is can be eaten during the seven days of Passover and no leavening agent is consumed. At the Seder (Passover banquet), Yeshua took the piece of matzo and the “Gaal” cup-—the Cup of redemption. The Greek word for wine (hoinon) is a different word than for grape juice (zumos). In all the passages in the Messianic Writings, the Greek word used is hoinon- wine. For thousands of years the blessings made at every Jewish religious ceremony are made using only wine never grape juice.

Yeshua lifted the wine cup and after he blessed it, he said “whenever you do this, do this in memory of me.” The whenever he was speaking about was at the Passover Seder (banquet). In other words, from now on each year when we celebrate the Passover, we would be doing it in memory of him. Not whenever we chose but on the day that G-d chose.

The Catholic Church divorced itself from the Jewish context in which Yeshua flourished and it created the “Lord’s Supper” where the wine becomes the literal blood of Christ and the wafer His actual body, a supernatural transaction with no basis in Biblical reality.

There were many changes made to the Scriptures by Constantine’s Council of Nicaea in 325 C.E. in order to completely distance itself from Israel and anything Jewish. In so doing however, Christians were separated from their Biblical Jewish roots.

By celebrating the Lord’s Supper at whatever time of the day or year in church, Christianity has added a new tradition which is not biblical and they have misinterpreted the true meaning of this very important festival given to all believers in Messiah, both Jew and Gentile.

As a note of interest, Yeshua who was the Rabbi of his talmidim (disciples) knew that he would not be able to celebrate the Passover with them the next night, on the actual night of Passover because He would have already been sacrificed. It was and still is customary for a Rabbi to celebrate the graduation of his students at a Seudat Birkat* when they were ready to be on their own. In this case the night before the actual Passover Yeshua called his talmidim together to send them off on their own and to reveal to them what would happen to him the next day. This banquet fulfilled a dual purpose. It is called a Seudat Birkat Pesach.

* See Seudat Birkat under Rabbi’s writings

How do you understand Baptism?

Baptism comes from the Greek word, “baptismo” translated from the Hebrew word “mikveh” meaning immersion. This is the ritual cleansing practice which was given to Moses by G-d in the Book of Leviticus. When the nation of Israel went into the Red Sea and came out the other side, we were being immersed as a people. This represented our leaving the life of slavery (sin) behind and coming out a new nation belonging to the G-d of Israel. As believers in Messiah Yeshua, we are acknowledging publically that we are leaving our old lives where we were slaves to sin and entering into a covenantal relationship with G-d afforded us only through by his sacrificial death. We now belong to the G-d of Israel and declare that we will obey His Mitzvoth (Commandments).

It was also a custom that the graduating students (talmidim) of any rabbi (teacher) be immersed in the name of that rabbi to publicly identify with his school of teaching. When Jewish or Gentile believers in Yeshua, are immersed in the name of Rabbi Yeshua, we are identifying ourselves with him and are making a public declaration that we are now His followers and He is our Teacher, our Rabbi. Yeshua clearly told us to obey as he spoke in Mattityahu 5:17-19 17"Do not think that I came to abolish the Torah or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18"For truly I say to you until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Torah until all is accomplished. 19"Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

What does Acts 15 actually saying that Gentiles are not obligated to serve Messiah in the same way Jewish believers are? Is it necessary for them to keep the Law of Moses?

This crucial issue needs to be examined from a Biblical perspective as this gives the only valid understanding of the Gentile (Christian) and the Messianic Jewish congregations.

If it is true, then G-d has established different standards for Jews and Gentiles, the consequence being a dangerous ethnocentricity on the part of the Jewish body of Messiah – a false sense of superiority over the gentile believers.

The Torah speaks at length about the Goyim Tzaddikim (Righteous Gentiles) and their place in the history of Israel. Its verses state emphatically that the “ger” (foreigner) living in the Land was required to abide by the same rules and regulations as the Jewish residents.

They left Egypt with the Jewish People, fought with them and lived under the protection of the G-d of Israel.

Please see the following references: Genesis 17:23; Exodus 12:91,49; 23:12; Leviticus 16:29; 17:8,13,15; 18:24; 22:18; 20:2; 24:15,22; Deuteronomy 1:16; 14:29; 16:14; 24:14,17,19; 29:10,21; Numbers 15:28,29; 19:10; Joshua 8:35; Ezek. 44:9

There were only two men who survived the 40 years in the desert and entered the Promised Land—Joshua and Caleb. Joshua was a Hebrew and Caleb the son of Jefunneh was a Kenizzite (Numbers 32:12; Gen. 15:19) a Gentile. Caleb exemplifies the honor that G-d bestowed on the ger in the community. He represented the tribe of Judah from whom the Messiah would come. These Righteous Gentiles did not separate themselves from Israel but, like Ruth, left paganism behind fully integrating themselves into the life of Torah.

If the Gentiles (Christians) truly love Israel and the Jewish people, and desire to grasp what it means to be grafted into the natural olive tree, it must base its future actions on a Torah-based understanding. The gentiles have mistakenly expressed their love by taking the natural branches and grafting them into an organization replete with pagan traditions instead of becoming a part of the commonwealth of Israel, (the natural branches), as Ruth and Caleb did.

Some Messianic congregations have cloaked their service in a veneer of Judaism while really being Gentile in their core beliefs and practices; they will follow the gentile practices acquired by their rabbis in their initial training. It is important to discard superficial poses and practices and follow the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
the G-d of Israel and of the entire world.

The Messianic movement is in transition today. Jewish believers wish to throw off the chains of 1700 years of bondage embodied in false gentile teaching and practices. The birth of gentile denominations arose from a desire to distance themselves from their Biblical Jewish heritage. It is important to recognize the many gentile believers who are questioning the organized church and rejecting all traditions not in line with Biblical truth.

Acts 15: 13-21 is important because it gives us the foundation of how the early believers in Yeshua who were all Jews were to treat the gentiles who were coming to Yeshua and being grafted into the body of believers. We read that Yaakov (James) made a recommendation not a law! In verse 20 Yaakov states that the 4 major things for the new gentile “converts” to begin observing are “to abstain from anything polluted by idols, fornication, meat of strangled animals and from blood. “ To the Jews, these were the four most disgusting pagan practices. But then he continues on in vs 21 “For Moses has always had his teachers in every town and is read aloud in the synagogues every Sabbath.” So what is he saying here? The gentiles who were coming to Yeshua weren’t shipped off to churches which did not exist until hundreds of years later….they lived with the Jewish community and learned directly from being with them in the synagogues every Shabbat. Eventually they would be completely grafted in like Ruth or Caleb and there would be only one people, under one G-d and one Messiah. It was never meant that there would be two separate believing communities.

The Righteous Gentiles who are flocking today to Messianic Congregations desire the truth about who they are. They are the "ger" (foreigner) among us, who are exhorted in Romans 11:11 to make our people jealous. They are called to bring the Jewish people to Messiah. They have entered into the Commonwealth of Israel like Ruth, who left her pagan ways and was honored by being in the line of the Messiah.

We as believing Jews and gentiles cannot pretend to play the game of Gentile (Christian)-Jewish dialogue and accept this behavior as okay. Political correctness is not Biblical correctness. This is not a matter of which religion is better. This is a relationship with the one true G-d of the universe who calls us to a higher standard. We need to be continually searching our hearts to make sure that we are not watering down the Good News of Messiah.

Believing in the atoning death and resurrection of Yeshua the Messiah is simply Biblical, it’s G-d’s Way for all humanity.

Bereshit 12:7 says: “Then the LORD appeared to Abram………”
How did Ha Shem “appear?” What is your wisdom?

Thank you for your question, it is a good one. G-d revealed Himself to Abram; the Scriptures say in Genesis 12:7 that He appeared to Abram. The word “vayeira” literally means to appear, to be seen and comes from the verb “reeh” to see. Our beloved rabbis and sages struggle with these possibilities because as you know the Scriptures very clearly tell us that no can see G-d and live (Exodus 33:20; Exodus 19:21; Leviticus 16:2; etc.)

At the same time in Genesis 32: 31 {30 in Hebrew Bible} for example, it says that Jacob saw G-d and didn’t die. We have the same message in Judges 13: 22 when Manoach and his wife, the parents of Samson saw G-d and also didn’t die. In Exodus 33:18-23, we have the dialogue between Moses and G-d where Moses requests to see G-d’s face. G-d answered that Moses could not see His face but that he would see His back, a euphemistic expression for G-d showing a representation of Himself to Moses since G-d cannot be seen by humans the way He is.

Yeshua said something similar, “You have seen me, you have seen the Father” (Yochanan 14:9) which means that Yeshua was the visible representation of G-d when He was on the earth. In the same way, when Abraham and Jacob and others saw the angel of the L-rd, these appearances or manifestations were also a representation of G-d.

It is interesting that Rabbi Hirsh (Artscroll Tanach series, Bereshit page 439) said not only was the voice of G-d heard but that G-d Himself appeared emerging from invisibility to visibility, revealing Himself.

Do Messianic Jews celebrate Christmas?

At She'ar Yashuv, we Messianic believers (Jew or Gentile) believe that according to the evidence laid out in Scripture that Yeshua was born on Sukkoth (the Feast of Tabernacles.) We do not encourage our Gentile friends to celebrate the birth of the Messiah, however if they choose to do so, Sukkoth would be the correct time.

How do we come to his conclusion?

Here are some clues for you from Matthew and Luke: The angel, Gabriel came to tell Elizabeth that she would have a child. At the time, her husband, Zechariah from the priesthood of Aviyah, was performing his service in the Temple. (Luke 1:9). This would bring that date to around Sivan (June). (See 1 Chronicles 29). Two hundred and eighty days later, (between March and April) Yochanan the Immerser (John, the baptizer) was born.
Miriam (Mary) came to see Elizabeth in her six month after she learned that she herself would conceive; during the month of Kislev (around December). This would bring the date that she would give birth to Yeshua between September and October—Tishrei.

Mattityahu (Matthew) tells us that Yeshua was born in Beit-lechem (Bethlehem) and in Luke we read about the order for a census to be taken and Yosef and Miriam traveling there during the time she was to give birth. The shepherds were spending the night in the fields.

We know that during November or December the flocks were taken back to the stables since it was too cold during those months to be out in the fields. We also know that there was no room in the “inn”. Why? In Israel, there were three times a year when the Israelites had to travel to Jerusalem to the Temple; during the “Shalosh Regalim” (three pilgrim festivals)—Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (Pentecost), Sukkoth (Tabernacles). Beit-Lechem is close to Jerusalem and people would stay here. They would have been put up in a Sukkah, not a stable.

The Gospel of John gives us a very important “sod” (hidden teaching). John 1:14 tells us that the Word became flesh and “dwelled” among us. This word dwelled in the Greek is "skeno" used in the Septuagint to translate sukkah (tabernacle). In other words, the Word became flesh and came to “tabernacle” among us.

And finally, G-d instructs Moshe in Leviticus 23: 34 to have us observe Sukkoth for seven days. Then in verse 36, there is to be a holy convocation on the eighth day. The only way to understand this eighth day is in light of Messiah. The Scriptures tell us that Salvation is from the Jew. In our tradition a Jewish boy who is not circumcised is not considered Jewish. Yeshua would have been circumcised on that eighth day and would enter the house of Israel.

It is also traditionally when he is given his name. Yeshua ben Yosef received his name on that day. Immanuel was his popular name and Yeshua his Hebrew given name.

Our sages believe that there would be two Messiahs; Messiah ben Yosef, the suffering Messiah and Messiah ben David, the conquering Messiah. We know that there is only One who would come twice. Yeshua came to suffer and die in order to take on the sin of mankind and He will come again one day soon to be the One who puts an end to the tyranny of the evil one on this earth; to restore things as they were in Gan Eden (the Garden of Eden).

The time of Sukkoth is the true time of celebrating the birth of the Messiah. Imagine if the gentile body of believers in Messiah would celebrate Christmas on this date, how much they would be fulfilling Romans 11 and make our people jealous. In John 7 and 8, Yeshua went into the Temple and declared at this festival, that He was the Light of the world.
John 10:22 shows Yeshua celebrating Hanukkah. He went into the Temple (Feast of Dedication) and was challenged by the Judeans (an extremely religious sect of Jews) to tell them that he was the Messiah. Yeshua said "I and the Father are one (Echad)."

My daughter who is a Christian wants to marry a Jewish man. She wants to know if she needs to be converted to Judaism?

The simple answer is no unless the couple is considering making aliyah to Israel one day. True conversion is of the heart and is called t’shuva (turning back) to the G-d of Israel.

An excellent example of this true conversion is Ruth. If you examine Ruth’s life, she was given the opportunity to return to her family and her gods, the way Orpah did. She chose instead to follow Naomi to Israel. She left a life of ease in Moab to go to a land of hardship and certain rejection. She obeyed Naomi in every manner of Jewish custom and finally received ultimate blessing— being in the lineage of King David and the Messiah.

A follower of Messiah Yeshua who is not Jewish should ideally be like Ruth. As a non-Jewish believer who will be marrying a Jew, it would be wise for her to learn how to be a Ruth and follow the G-d of Israel. It is the woman who brings light into the home and sets the stage for the religious education for the children who will come from this union. It is our hope that both are believers in Yeshua our Messiah and that G-d will be at the Center of their home while they follow and are obedient to Torah..

We can perform Messianic Conversion services if requested but again Rabbi Shaul (Paul) reminds us to remain as we came to him. It is sufficient that we are chosen to serve Him, Jew and Gentile alike.

As I was reading Numbers today, 27:18, a question came to me.  Traditional Christian teaching is that before Yeshua, the holy spirit rested ON G-d’s followers and that Yeshua sent the Ruach Ha Kodesh and it now resides IN His followers.  As I read Numbers re Joshua that traditional interpretation came into question in my mind.

I am glad to know that we are still looking for more revelation from G-d in our own reading of His Word. After many years of being involved in the so called western way of thinking or better said Hellenistic thinking, I turned back (did t’shuvah!) and I began allowing G-d to speak to me (revealing His Word) instead of allowing man to tell me what he thinks. It has been wonderful to rediscover new ways of understanding, which by the way are not NEW WAYS but were there from the beginning.  Basically I followed very simple methods to reckon with His Word— first: to whom He was speaking (individuals, group of leaders or in general to His people), second: what was the time period of this revelation (was it during the exodus, the settling of the land, the time of exile, etc.) and third: what were means used to bring His message to His people (language, miracles, dreams, visions, etc.). Furthermore there is another simple approach to examining His Word following the rabbinical pattern of PaRDeS (the meaning in Hebrew of this acrostic is Orchard): Peshat: literal or direct meaning; Remez or a hint or allegory; Drash or teaching from it; and Sod or the mysterious or mystical.  

After this brief introduction, let me comment on your question about Numbers 27:18. This passage follows immediately after the laws of inheritance, and specifically the inheritance of the daughters of Zelophehad. Then in verse 12 of this same chapter, G-d announces to Moshe Rabenu about his departure from the land of the living to join his fathers. After listening with much care, Moshe Rabenu shows his true ‘spirit’ and intercedes for a successor i.e. inheritor . “May YHVH, G-d of the spirits of all flesh….It is not good to have people without a shepherd (15-17).  G-d answered Moshe Rabenu “Take to yourself Yehoshua son of Nun, a man in whom there is ‘spirit’ and lean your hand upon him.” Here the word “spirit” and in all such situations, is a word which describes function and attributes.  We can infer thus that G-d, the G-d of “the spirits of all flesh” or the G-d of all His creation, has chosen a man who has those qualities which G-d Himself has bestowed upon Yehoshua. Moshe Rabenu can therefore recognize these qualities. Then, for the same reason as matter of continuation Moshe Rabenu lays hands upon Yehoshua before the Elders for them to also acknowledge Yehoshua’s leadership, and later the Cohen Gadol will do it in front of all Kahal Israel. This would be the official announcement of the new leader who would continue performing the duties of their leader Moshe Rabenu. Basically it is the transference of power as is done today in the USA when we change presidents as they swear on the Bible.

To me what it is inherently true, the succession of a leader needs to be done under the auspices of our Creator, Blessed be His Name! He is the one who is in control; even though we assume that we are the ones who are selecting our own leaders, it is our G-d who is in control; sometimes good leaders, sometimes bad leaders, because we often deserve what we choose.  

There are other passages in the Chumash that I believe will focus more clearly on your questions e.g. Numbers 11:24-29 and Exodus 24:9-18.

I trust that this helps you to better understand this passage

A friend of mine wondered if the Menorah used for the Sabbath is only used in Synagogues or if every Jew have one home also. If there is one home, is it used at the beginning of every Sabbath? Who lights it - men, women or it doesn't matter? What is today's use of the Menorah?

Thank you for your question. Today as far as I know the menorah is mostly a decorative item in the home of most Jews who identify with their Jewish heritage. It is used as identification outside Jewish buildings as well in Israel. It was used in the Temple but since we do not have a Temple today, it is not generally used.

Here is link to what 'wikipedia' says about the menorah:
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menorah_(Temple)

There is also the Hanukkah menorah or Hanukkiah which is used for lighting the candles the eight nights of Hanukkah. Men or women can light these lights.

We usually do not use the Menorah on Shabbat but instead two candles are used and lit by the mother of the home. In the Sephardic tradition each woman at the table lights one candle. Traditions are not necessarily biblical and therefore change according to the customs of the peoples. There is also no single Jewish culture since the Jews have been scattered all over the world and have developed traditions in those countries where they have been scattered. Messianic Jews try for the most part to keep Biblical traditions as these we know are from G-d. Lighting the Shabbat candles is not Biblical but represents bringing the light G-d into the home by the mother of the house. It is interesting that it is through a woman, Miriam that the Light of the world, our Messiah Yeshua was brought into the world.

There is another candle which is lit at the end of Shabbat at the Havdala service. This is a braided candle and can be again lit by either man or woman. It is also not Biblical but a tradition when the Sabbath ends, we separate it from the rest of the week, the Sabbath being a very special Holy day given to us by G-d at the beginning of time as we read in Genesis for the whole world to observe. One day we will have an eternal Shabbat with our Lord dwelling among us forever. We look forward to being with the Light of the world forever.

You told me that the reason why we should not use the Menorah now, is because there is no temple.  But after the temple was destroyed, Messiah Yeshua said that the temple(dwelling Place) that took 46 years to build,  He will raise up within 3 days (dwelling place of His body ) (Yochanan 2:19).  The seven branch menorah also stands for the seven Spirits of YHWH (Yesha’yahu 11:2) who we need to proclaim.  I heard that said that the Hanukkiah is completely pagan and that there is no scripture reference for it.  Could you explain why are you using the Hanukkiah?

Re the Hanukkiah being pagan…it is certainly not biblical but there is nothing wrong with its use.  Yeshua himself celebrated Hanukkah (John 10:22) and accepted the traditions of the elders. He was clear that there were rabbinic traditions that could be observed as long as they did not take us away from Torah.  I wonder if the person who told you that it was pagan said the same about the Christmas tree which according to Jeremiah 10 is obviously pagan. I am sure that if you wanted to use a menorah there is no mandate against it. There is freedom in Yeshua however we try to be sensitive when using Jewish symbols so as not to turn our Jewish people away from G-d. For example, there are well meaning gentiles who use the shofar anytime they want to, blowing it on any occasion and thus giving the Jews reason to mock them. We don’t want to put any other stumbling stones in front of our people that will keep them from finding Messiah.  Yeshua himself said that he would be enough of a stumbling stone for our people to come to him.

What is the significance of the Torah service in Messianic Jewish congregation?

"She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who hold her fast".             (Proverbs 3:18)
The Torah is the living word of G-d; for this reason the service is filled with reverence and ceremony befitting the worship of the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It is our instruction for life. On Shabbat morning, the men of our congregation take the Torah out of the Ark and walk with it ‘in a figure 8’ around the sanctuary. It is a tradition and great honor for the congregants to touch the Torah with their Bible, Siddurim or Tallit (prayer shawl that the men wear), and then kiss these. For us the Torah, the Word of G-d represents Yeshua who is the Living Word.  Imagine if Yeshua himself were to walk around the room…how much we would want to reach out and touch him!
The Torah is considered to be the most sacred object in Judaism. Its production is handled with the utmost of care. The scrolls that are inscribed upon are made by parchment, kosher, certified by a Rabbi, and only a quill and ink are used. Each letter is meticulously written by hand. It can take up to eighteen months to write one Torah. There are two types of Torah scrolls, the Ashkenazi one, written on white parchment, and the Sephardic, written on brown.  The covering of the Torah in the Ashkenazi is a beautifully adorned mantle with crowns on it.  The Sephardic Torah is covered in a decorated round hard shell also topped with silver crowns.  They represent our King Mashiach who is forever crowned in majesty.

This scribal process is called STa"M. It is an acronym for Scrolls, Tefillin (http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/tefillin.html) and Mezuzah (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mezuzah ). The Torah Scrolls, the Tefillin and the Mezuzah casings are all considered sacred. Before the sofer (scribe) begins to write, he prepares himself for this holy work. He submits to having a mikveh, a ritual water immersion, because the name of G-d is written. He might have a mikveh each day as he most likely writes the name of G-d daily. Personal integrity is mandatory. It takes great concentration to be a sofer. He writes for only a few hours a day to prevent mistakes as The Torah is considered unfit for use if there are any.

This scribal art is considered a mitzvot, a good deed. It is the last good deed mentioned in the Torah, Deut. 31:19. “Now therefore, write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the sons of Israel.” G-d desires that we take hold of His Word; it is a tree of life and breaths life from each page. The word for “take hold” is chazak in Hebrew and it means to preserve, to be attached, to strengthen, to seize, to retain, to keep. The word is often used in Scripture to denote battle. It is often a battle to take hold of G-d's word.

The Torah embodies true joy, peace and fulfillment. “You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”             Ps. 16:11

Do Messianic Jews believe in the Trinity; in one G-d in three Persons, in other words, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit?

To begin with the subject of the Trinity which is a very sensitive one to Christians, the word trinity cannot be found in the scriptures, this word was coined by Christian theologians, and they admit that the Trinity is impossible to explain but they then work hard trying to explain it. Rabbis never try to define G-d. The Torah states (Deut. 6:4) that G-d is One (”Echad” in Hebrew).
We can see from Scripture that the One true G-d, the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has appeared on earth at various periods in history for a variety of reasons and has manifested Himself in many forms.

In the beginning, Bereshit (Genesis), G-d’s Ruach, His Spirit hovered over the surface of the water; G-d walked in the garden with Adam, He appeared to Abraham as Malach Elohim (the Angel of the Lord) who destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and as Melchizedek, (as a Priest);He wrestled with Jacob; He appeared to Moses in the burning bush and several times after that; He appeared to the parents of Samson and to Gideon; He appeared as the Sh’chinah in the Temple and so on.   G-d chose to appear to man in a form for us to see Him and not die.

The book of Yochanan (John) declares that G-d came in a transitory form whereby we could see G-d face to face and not die. In Sh’mot (Exodus) 33:18-23, G-d tells Moses, “but my face you cannot see, for no human being can see me and survive.”  In Hebrews 1:3, we read that Messiah is the reflection of G-d’s glory and bears the image of G-d’s own being…”  bringing us back to Genesis where mankind was made in His image.
When a Jewish person prays, you will often hear the words Avinu Malkeinu which means our Father, our King.  Father is one of the hundreds of descriptive terms for G-d while His only true name is YHVH hvhy.  The Ten Commandments warns us not to take His Name in vain so we use many names for G-d without actually saying his Name. There is nowhere in Torah which says that we cannot say His Name YHVH but the sound has been lost over the centuries.  Instead of saying G-d, Orthodox Jews use the term “Ha Shem” which means literally “The Name” (YHVH hvhy) because they are afraid that they could mispronounce His Name.    G-d is sometimes referred to according to his attributes or functions of Himself.

Elohim is a generic term that represents G-d and is used interchangeably with Eloha and El. It does not necessarily represent plurality or three persons. In some passages in the Bible, “elohim” is used to indicate mere human beings e.g. judges or the gods of the gentiles.
Christian theology attempts to define G-d through the concept of plurality-specifically the Trinity- thus limiting Him and putting Him in a box. He is omnipotent and He can do whatever He wants to do.

How do we balance a life of “faith” and obedience to Torah?

Can you help me understand how we balance a life of "faith" (trusting God to change us) through Messiah and still following the details of Torah? If I am justified and considered saved, considered righteous just for trusting God, like Abraham was (Romans 4) - how do I follow Torah with that in mind? The two seem to contradict because one says I don't have to "DO" anything but trust, yet by following Torah we are sort of say it is by "DOING" the laws we please God, not just by faith. It is more confusing because I know Paul also says we do not nullify the "law". I am just struggling how to balance these two important concepts. I am getting confused.

I am so happy that you have asked this question. It is a very good one and deserves an answer that is far from trite.
It is important to understand, first of all that our Salvation is not and has never been dependent upon our own personal works or merits. It is not by obeying G-d’s Torah that we are saved. It is and has always been G-d who saves, so no one can boast (see Eph. 2:8-10).

It is the working out of this faith, given to us by G-d where obedience steps in. In addition to faith, G-d gave us His Torah or His rules and regulations by which mankind could learn how to live with each other with justice, love and respect for human life made in His image.
G-d chose a people, Israel out of the nations through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to be the bearers or emissaries of this message to the rest of the world.

Yes, it is true that Abraham was called righteous because he believed but it goes deeper than that. Please read the Rabbi’s Drash in archives on Lech Lecha. Abraham acted upon the faith which G-d gave him by being obedient to the call and leaving his home and pagan roots. The book of Yaakov (James) addresses this issue about faith without works being dead.

In Acts 15:19 Yaakov gives his opinion concerning the basics of what the new Gentile believers needed to start with in order to turn to G-d…”abstain from things polluted by idols, from fornication, from what is strangled and from blood. For from the earliest times, Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him with his words being read in the synagogues every Shabbat.” In other words, once the new believing gentiles would start attending synagogue with the other believing Jews, they would learn how to live as part of Israel in the same way Ruth the Moabite did. How did Jews live? They obeyed Torah or at least tried.  This does not mean that you need to be “religious”; it means to be faithful to the G-d of Israel. How? This is a life-long process of obedience. Living in a believing community with those who are obedient to Torah will help a lot in learning how. We as Messianic Jews and Gerim today love the Torah;  Yeshua is the living Torah and G-d has implanted His Torah into our hearts. I hope that this answers your question.
One of the books from our congregation bookstore which we recommend, is called “They Loved the Torah” written by David Friedman, Ph.D, former academic Dean of King of Kings College in Jerusalem. It will help you to understand the love for Torah by the early Jewish believers in Messiah.

What is the difference between an Orthodox Jew, A Reformed Jew and a Messianic Jew?

As usual this is a little complex to answer but I will do my best to keep it as simple as I can...
Judaism has developed and changed in many ways over the last 2000 years after the destruction of the Temple. We need to be careful when we believe that Judaism by itself is monolithic; totally the contrary …many groups or “Sects” have developed over this period of time.  Those who continued to follow “The Way” were the Messianic Jews one of the Sects of Judaism; they believed in Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah as the fulfillment of all Biblical Prophecy. At the time of the uprising against Rome, Rabbi Akiva, proclaimed Bar Kochba to be the Messiah however the followers of Yeshua refused to back him up, thus developing a major rift between them and the larger body of Jews. They escaped to the mountains as Yeshua had advised them to do and did not stay in Jerusalem when Titus came to destroy the city and the Temple.  This caused the deep divide with the Jewish community which continues until today.
After the destruction of the Temple and the scattering of the Jews, a way was needed to keep the community together. The Jews who did not believe in Yeshua the Messiah as the final sacrifice did not continue to follow the Biblical mandate which demanded a sacrifice of an innocent to atone for sin (Leviticus 17:11); instead they substituted the sacrifices and developed a religion based on prayer, fasting and good works.

Over the years, Rabbinic Orthodox Judaism develop two major sources of Scriptural revelation; the first one the Shebichtav שביכתב     The Tenach (Torah, Neviim and Ketuvim תנ"ך ); known in Christianity as the Old Testament. From Torah the Rabbis took the 613 commandments and ordinances found in it, which G-d gave to Moses, gave these 613 commandments the acrostic name “Taryag”   תרי"ג. They constructed a fence around it called “Tayag” (the Hebrew term is seyag latorah, סיג לתורה, to protect the faithful not to trespass it); in this way they were able to add and develop interpretations of the laws which are found written on the   ShebealPe  שבעל פה or  the Oral Torah, and other Jewish writings. The Jewish people observe to a greater or lesser degree these ordinances many of which have developed due to their reaction to Christianity over the past 2000 years.

Now, the Orthodox Jew is the most religious of the sects to varying degrees. Most Orthodox Jews do not read the Bible in English. They read portions on the Sabbath which are in Hebrew and most people who attend synagogue in the Diaspora do not really understand what they are reading.  Of course amongst our people there are always the few who have a deep faith in G-d but most are involved in the synagogue as the center of the community. They support major causes in the greater community as well as the State of Israel. The Ultra-Orthodox for the most part do not support Israel today believing that when Messiah comes he will establish the true state of Israel.
The Reform movement came out of Germany before the last war and there is much written on this movement. These were the Ashkenazi Jews, or Eastern Jews as opposed to the Sephardic Jews who came from Spain and spoke Ladino, a mixture of Hebrew and Spanish. The Ashkenazi Jews speak Yiddish, a mix of Hebrew and German.

To encapsulate, the younger generation of German Jews were tired of the rigors and ascetic life of the older Orthodoxy, desiring to fit more into the gentile society which finally accepted them. They had not suffered the pogroms and were prospering in a new Germany that accepted them as doctors, lawyers, statesmen, part of the upper echelon. They became more of a social than a G-d-fearing religion. They reinterpreted and changed several of the strictly Orthodox laws, like the kosher laws, removed the keepah (head covering), changed the Sabbath and worshipped on Sunday, etc.The Conservative movement, which is a product of ‘made in the USA’, grew out of this since they felt that the Reformers had actually gone too far away from the Scriptures and returned to the middle.
All Sephardic (Spanish Jews) consider themselves to be Orthodox even if they are not observant of the commandments but according to tradition celebrate all the Biblical festivals.  There are many Jews who are secular but still consider themselves Orthodox. Sephardic, Ben Israel. Ethiopian Jews etc. are simply Orthodox.

We Messianic Jews are the descendants of the early believers in Yeshua the Messiah, who were “zealous for the law (Torah)…Yeshua being the living Torah.  We keep all the Biblical festivals knowing that Yeshua said that He didn’t come to change the smallest letter of the Law but to complete it.

Can you help me to clarify 3 questions of translation from Hebrew to English?

1) In the following verse, what is the word in hebrew. Is it aliens as in the NIV or convert?
Deuteronomy 10  :19 And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt.

The word for aliens in these cases in Hebrew is "ger" and it means, stranger or foreigner living among us.In the cases of Caleb and Ruth, they left their nations with their local gods and joined with Israel becoming one with us, faithful to the one G-d of Israel.

2)  What is Leviticus Rabbah ?
"When a proselyte comes to be converted, one receives him with an open hand so as to bring him under the wings of the Divine Presence." (Leviticus Rabbah 2:9)
Leviticus Rabbah is part of the Midrashic Teachings of the Talmud.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leviticus_Rabbah

3) What is the true verse Exodus 23:9 in Hebrew of  "Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt.   OR "You must understand the feelings of the convert."   
It is literally written in Hebrew: "for you know intimately the soul of the stranger"...yadatem et nefesh ha ger
again in both cases, we Jews were able to understand what it was like to be treated as a foreigner in a foreign ...

That is why you have always seen in history, Jews stand up and fight for oppressed peoples and defend them in everyway we can.

The idea of convert then and convert today has greatly changed. There were no great rabbinic schools of higher learning which created classes for conversion. The person becomes one of us....

I hope this helps.

Even though I am convinced about the Sabbath, there are verses in the Bible like Colossians 2:16-17 that make me wonder. This said that we are not to judge a person concerning a festival, new moon or Sabbaths. Many interpret this verse as saying that one doesn’t need to observe the Sabbath. I notice in my readings in the Bible that the three choices (Feasts, new Moon and Sabbaths) are often associated with the specific sacrifices in the Old Testament. Is this what apostle Paul is referring to in this verse?

We must remember to never take one verse and allow it to stand alone.  If you continue to read the next paragraph, vs. 22, Rabbi Shaul (Apostle Paul) is talking about man-made rules and teachings. Man has added many things to the Shabbat as well as eating and drinking and Jewish festivals ( vs. 16).  We are not to be judged if we do not do the man-made rules regarding these things.

We can however continue in doing what was handed down to us by G-d.  Many Christians today judge us for wanting to observe the Shabbat and the other Festivals but I think that Rabbi Shaul was speaking to them about not judging us for observing what G-d has commanded us to do. G-d has not changed His mind about the Sabbath for Yeshua said that He did not come to change anything but to explain it more fully.

…Another verse that intrigues me is Roman’s 14:5 :  5One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.”

Again Rabbi Shaul is telling us here to not judge the motivations of a man's heart... only G-d can do this. Remember, that in both books, we must consider to whom Rabbi Shaul is speaking... he is speaking to gentile believers. He is telling them not to judge the Jewish believers for wanting to honor things which they have always kept according to their customs.

Many things had been added over the years in order to protect themselves from breaking G-d's law. This was called building a fence around the law.
Paganism was creeping into the body and Rabbi Shaul wanted the gentiles to understand that on both sides, Jewish and gentile, both had other traditions which were man-made.

In the end, the only thing which would last and be important is our love and relationship with G-d- everything else was a physical reminder of him on this earth. Rabbi Shaul was not eliminating what G-d gave us, he was simply reminding us to keep in perspective what was important. I recommend that you get a copy of David Stern's Jewish New Testament Commentary.

This will help you understand the Messianic Writings from a Jewish perspective and it will clear up many areas which have been changed by the Christian church due to a lack of understanding of Hebrew culture and language.

Mat 3:4 Juan iba vestido de pelo de camello, llevaba un cinturón de cuero a la cintura y se alimentaba de langostas y miel silvestre. Que comia Yojanan?????langostas???????

Si, el comía langostas específicamente un tipo llamado arbé, que lo encontramos en el Parashat de esta semana Shemimi; en Vayiqrá 11:22 que son cuatro tipos de langostas o saltamontes como son más conocidos en Latino-América ó Ayaná en las áreas de los judíos Yemenitas, Marroquíes más conocidos como judíos árabes ó orientales, quienes actualmente los consumen.. Se pueden comer sin ningún recelo, esto lo podemos encontrarlo mejor explicado en  Daat Sofrim (Conocimiento de los Escribas).Por cierto estos insectos son más limpios que el pollo. Según Rashí tienen que tener cuatro patas, tobillos y las alas cubren casi todo el cuerpo, pero como no somos expertos no sabemos distinguir entre ellos. Por lo tanto el recomienda no tocarlos, como te puedes dar cuenta los azquenazitas siempre son mas religiosos y fanáticos que los sefarditas.

Dear Rabbi,  I work on the weekends (Thurs to Mon).  Is it ok to hold the Shabbat on Monday night.  My shift is nights.

Thank you for your inquiry. Shabbat is not optional and it is not interchangeable with any other day of the week.  If you absolutely have no choice in regards to working on the weekend, ask G-d to open the door to change your schedule. If that is not possible yet, you can still honour G-d on Shabbat which starts Friday evening after sundown and ends on Saturday evening after sundown.  We are not religious but we want to be obedient to G-d’s Word. As our Messiah Yeshua taught us, the Shabbat is not for the sake of G-d but for the sake of man.  This day is totally dedicated to G-d for your sake.  While you are working always put G-d first in everything you do and G-d will give you the desires of your heart.  If you truly wish to observe the Shabbat He will grant you that desire. Every other day is not Shabbat but you can honour G-d any day of the week.

I stumbled onto your website & is it ever an eye opener. You claim that you can be Jewish & believe in Jesus at the same time. I never heard of that. It appears that Christianity & Judaism are completely different belief systems that conflict with each other. Your response would be appreciated

Our congregation consists of Jews and Gerim (Righteous Gentiles) who believe in the G-d who revealed Himself to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and have a strong desire to observe Torah. It is in Torah that we can clearly see the picture of the fall of man through Adam and Eve and G-d's plan of redemption for the whole world fulfilled in Messiah Yeshua (Jesus). Our Yeshua however is very different from the Jesus Christ portrayed in Christianity which changed him into a Roman/Greek god presently unrecognizable by our people.  Judaism on the other hand, has for the most part rejected him yet there are many who can see that he is the one who was foretold by the prophets to be Messiah. Modern Rabbinic Judaism has added many things over the centuries to the religion in sheer reaction to Christianity.

We see ourselves as the bridge between these two religions both of which hold some truth but have added or taken away from the Scriptures which we are commanded in Torah not to do.

Any religion consists of man-made doctrines and dogmas which try to control man and make them believe in its own form of God. Religion tries to make us good enough for G-d and that is impossible. Religion divides humanity while true faith is about being in a relationship with the Creator the universe and is inclusive.  There is only one G-d for both Jew and Gentile alike. Those He has chosen are observant out of love for Him not out of obligation or fear of a god who is waiting for them to fail with ensuing punishment.

I hope that that has answered your question a little.  What were you searching for that you stumbled upon us?  What is your faith? If you live in Montreal you are welcome to come and visit us and see for yourself.

Why in Numbers (Bemidbar) 7 it repeats the same offering for each tribe - why not say they all brought the same things?  Is there a reason behind mentioning it over and over?

If you had twelve children, wouldn't you want as a loving father to show each one of them that they were equally precious and special. That is why it is repeated for each one.  G-d treats us all exactly the same and takes the time to show us how each of us has such a high value in His sight. Baruch ha Shem!