Ask a Jew! What the Heck, why not....?

Oy... Sigh...
Do "Texans" give Americans a bad name? Or perhaps you think that Texas is just another place, just some crappy piece of land? I don't know.
But - do you know what a "Zionist" is? What do you think?
And, are you similarly contemptuous of black people because of folk like Sharpton and Jackson and Obama?
How about Catholics - bad because of those pedophile priests?
Asians? Son of Crazy Il JimmyJong in North Korea? Them Chinese folk?
All Iranians are nutjobs because of Ahmanutjob?
And, what Jews do you know that claim that the Holocaust was a "strictly Jewish tragedy?"
Then again, as the Holocaust did manage to wipe out nearly ALL of the Jews in Europe for the crime of being Jewish - as opposed to the millions of Poles; Russians; and other victims whose survivors still live in their respective homelands... you might agree that the Holocaust had a tad more impact on Jews (well - and Germans too but, that's a corollary...)

 

So, then, Jewish is a religion, not a genetic identity, and it means one correctly worships the G-d of the Bible?



9 Behold, I, (The Elijah???), will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

 

According to Jewish Law, a Jew is a person born to a Jewish mother or a person who has converted to Judaism under Jewish Law.
It is both a People and a Religion. G-d set it up that way.
I suspect he set it up that way because, for many, "it's not easy being Jewish."
And, many, many, many Jews have therefore abandoned Judaism over the last 3,000 years.
There are only about 15 million Jews in the world today.
And, less than half of those are religious Jews.
And, probably less than 5 million are Torah observant; Orthodox Jews.
So... we need all the genetics we can get!

 

So You lied when you said 'no thank g-d'. That doesn't inspire much confidence. Only when I sought proper reference have you caved in. As far as I know my Great Great Grandmother and her forebears were all completely jewish

If you thought I was denigrating then you mistook my intention. I admire much about Jewish society. I am, imho, not a jew as I am not religious at all but I have been impressed with then way that jews have arguments about minute references.



However my question about God and G-D still stands.

 

I see a message here sent through prophecy which the Jews are meant to consider when they compare Christ with their Elijah:


Matt. 24:21 For then, (thereafter, during the long Diaspora that so begins), shall be great tribulation, (culminating in The Holocaust), such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, (1942 AD), no, nor ever shall be, ("Never again!").

Matt. 24:22 And except those (1260 [Rev 11:3]) days, (3.5 years, 1942-45 AD: [Rev 11:7-13]), should be shortened, there should no (Jewish) flesh be saved: but for the (Hebrew-Christian) elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

 

Well fear not, because you are joined in a Judaism which has evolved beyond the seed of Abraham, as was predicted to happen:

http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/5849-eschatology

The Messiah (ben Joseph) will furthermore win the heathen by the spirit of wisdom and righteousness which rests upon him (Sibyllines, iii. 780; Test. Patr., Levi, 18; Judah, 24; Targ. Yer. to Gen. xlix. 12 and Isa. xli. 1).

He will teach the nations the Noachian laws of humanity and make all men disciples of the Lord (Midr. Teh. xxi.).

The wonders of the time of Moses will be repeated on a larger scale in the time of the Messiah (ben Joseph) (Mek., Beshallaḥ, Shirah, 8, after Micah vii. 15; comp. Hosea ii. 17; Targ.; Tan., Bo, ed. Buber, 6).


What Moses, the first redeemer, did is typical of what the Messiah (ben Joseph) as the last redeemer will do (Eccl. R. i. 9). The redemption will be in the same month of Nisan, (at the Passover seders), and in the same night (Mek., Bo, 14); the same pillar of cloud will lead Israel (Philo, "De Execrationibus," 8; Targ. Yer. to Isa. xxxv. 10):
the same plagues will be sent upon Israel's foes (Tan., Wa'era, ed. Buber, 15; Bo, 6, 19; Midr. Wayosha'; Jellinek, "B. H." i. 45);
the redeemer will ride on an "donkey" (Zech. ix. 9; comp. Ex. iv. 20);

manna, (transubstantiation?) will again be sent down from heaven (Ps. lxxii. 16; comp. Ps. lxxviii. 24; Syriac Apoc. Baruch, xxix. ;
and water rise from beneath by miraculous power (Joel iv. [A. V. iii.] 18; comp. Ps. lxxviii. 15 et seq.; Eccl. R. i. 9).


Like Moses, the Messiah will disappear for 40 days after his appearance (Pesiḥ. R. 15; Pesiḥ. v. 49b, after Hosea v. 15).

The same number of people will be redeemed (Sanh. 111a)
and the Song of Moses be replaced by another song , (the New Testament)(Mek., Beshallaḥ, Shirah, 1; Rev. xv. 3).

But, like Moses, the Messiah (ben Joseph) will die (II Esd. l.c.); the opinion that the Messiah will not taste death (Midr. Teh. lxxii. 17) seems to be of later origin, and will be discussed in connection with the account of the Messiah from the tribe of Joseph or Ephraim (see below).

 

Sab,
Generally when people start writing "jooz" and compare G-d to "F*ck and N*gger," they are being intentionally insulting.
It would appear, based on your hurt feelings, that you are not aware that your writing is offensive and insulting.
So, let me help.
Your writing is offensive and insulting. You should try and rephrase your queries if you are sincere. You also might not want to accuse people of lying, if you actually want to dialog.

You did not write that your Great etc. Grandmother's descendants were Jewish. You wrote that your Great, etc. Grandmother was Jewish.
According to Jewish Law, if your Great etc. Grandmother was Jewish and her daughter became a follow of another religion and you were the descendant of the female line of that Great Grandmother, then you would most definitely NOT be Jewish.
If you could prove that your Great etc. Grandmother and ALL of her female descendants were Jewish, and did NOT convert to some other religion, then yes, you would be Jewish.
If you could not prove that you had an unbroken female Jewish line then, if you wanted to be Jewish, you would have to convert.
That is Jewish Law.
I would be happy to discuss further if you could tone down the unpleasant aspects of your rhetoric.

-

 

Moishe

OK I will accept that you have misunderstood me and me you. I am not an American. I just don't 'get' this looking to be insulted thing but you claim to feel insulted so I will rephrase as a courtesy

lets start again.

If My Great Grandmother was Jewish but not religious and she had with her non Jewish husband (great grandfather) a daughter (My grandmother) who was not religious (in any religion) but whose husband (my Grandfather) was also not religious but of a christian background and they had a daughter (my mother) Who has never been religious, never identified as being any religion but married someone who was officially a Roman catholic (My father) but who was also agnostic/ Non religious. Where does that leave my grandmother , my mother or me? Obviously this is purely academic.

Secondly. You use G-D to signify what I would write as God. I understand why you do this BUT since G-D obviously refers to GOD (just as other people use letter substitution for words that are taboo (That I mentioned before) )Then how is it NOT the same as just writing 'God'?

 

Do Jews believe in heaven?

Does keeping the Mosaic laws help a Jew go to heaven?

 

Hey Blackrook, did you abandon the other thread we were talking in?

 

Yes. It occurs to me that Catholicism has many doctrines that would look as strange to an outsider. Our strangest belief is that we quite literally eat the body of Jesus Christ every Sunday at Mass, and quite literally drink his blood.

And when I say literally, I mean that -- literally. The body and blood only maintains the appearance of bread and wine but in every other way have been transubstantiated.

Most Protestants have rejected the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and because of that their Last Supper ceremonies aren't as meaningful to them.

Some Protestant churches serve crackers and grape juice for the Last Supper. I think that's sad.

 

So you show up to the thread, post your opposition, then leave with no intent of discussion?

Is this your typical behavior?

Because it is called trolling. So redeem yourself, and pick up your banner and resume your crusade. Or you can retire to the dungeon.

...btw, has anybody vomited during communion to be disappointed not to find blood and flesh? Just curious.

 

“There are roads which must not be followed, armies which must not be attacked, towns which must not be besieged, positions which must not be contested, commands of the sovereign which must not be obeyed.”

― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/3200649---s-nz-b-ngf

 

Obviously you lost the wisdom of the quote, you shot first Chief. But nice try.

 

I have started a thread on the Catholic doctrine of transubstantation.

If you feel a need for revenge, go ahead and mock the doctrine.

I will understand.

 

Daniel 9:25-27

Why does the Messiah delay his coming?

 

Tearing down another will not increase one's stature.

I'm just disappointed in your behavior is all. Figured you were better than that, I was wrong.

 

I don't understand. Would you have a better opinion of me if I continued to bash Mormonism? That doesn't even make any sense.

 

Bash? No, obviously not. Debate and inquire? Yes. I'm not trying to convert anybody, I don't have that power. I was trying to do a myth busting session, and then you cruised in and took a dump on the thread, then abandoned the thread you created to bash on us.

I mean if you're going to rag on us, use facts for crying out loud. Have some conviction at least. Otherwise I can't even take your seriously an an opponent.

Eh. This isn't the thread for this anyways. I'm out.

 

Thank you. Although, if you don't get the whole "be insulted thing," then why were you offended when I responded in kind?
It doesn't matter.

Technically speaking, you are Jewish, as would be your mother.
If you could prove your lineage as stated, then you would be Jewish according to Jewish Law. If there was a doubt about your lineage as stated, then you would not be considered Jewish but, if you so desired and insisted on being Jewish, you could probably get away with it.
This would only matter under Israel's Law of Return; otherwise it makes no difference at all, as you noted...
Although... if you are Jewish, it wouldn't hurt to learn a bit about what that means...

We don't pronounce the Hebrew Holy Name of G-d outside of prayer. And, if we were to literally write the Holy Name of G-d in Hebrew, it is considered Holy and would have to be treated as a piece of holiness and disposed of in a specific manner.
For instance, when we normally read the Name of G-d or speak G-d's Name, we say "Hashem," which literally means "The Name."
Why all of this?
Mainly because G-d said to keep His Name Holy; to make his Name Holy; to not profane His Holy Name; etcetera.
On one hand, literally speaking, this only applies to G-d's Name in Hebrew.
But, on the other hand, as I noted before, in this whole wide world, most people, including most Jews, consider the Name, "G-d" to be G-d's Name. Therefore, a tradition arose among Torah observant Jews to not spell out G-d's Name.
If it is NOT spelled out completely or correctly, then it is not G-d's Name.
And, on the Gripping Hand, there really is no requirement to spell the Name "G-d" as G-d other than the fact that it is a religious habit that I have kept for a long time as most of the religious Jews that I communicate with follow this Tradition.

 

I would fully Qualify to become an ISraeli citizen since I have a paternal Jewish Grandfather and Israeli law stipulates that only one grandparent needs to be Jewish however I have no interest in gaining Israeli citizenship.

Ok thanks for that. If you were talking to a Non Jew and needed to mention god in speech how would you do so since hashem would not mean anything.

Also Christians realise that 'God' is not the name of God but that name is contained in the YHWH letters that welsh Methodists refer to a Jehovah but even that only refers to the Hebrew for " I am what I am" and no actual name is revealed.

 

Yes... and not exactly....
We don't have the same emphasis on "heaven" as does Christianity and, apparently, Islam.
We live in This World; which is also called The World of Lies.
"Heaven," as it were, is The World to Come; The World of Truth; Gan Eden; Paradise; and other descriptions. It is not This World.
However, Judaism emphasizes doing what G-d wants us to do in This World in order that our place in The World to Come is... Good.

Well... "The Mosaic Laws" is kind of a misnomer. We have 613 Commandments; Mitzvos that G-d asks us, as a Jewish Nation, to keep. Plus, there are many, many behaviors (? midos... good deeds; not exactly... right action... ?) that are corollaries of G-d's Commandments that are expected of us.
So, yes, if a Jew does his utmost to live the way the Torah instructs us to live, that will determine our place in The World to Come.
However, literally getting there? All Jews go to "Heaven."
As a matter of fact, according to the Torah, with very few exceptions, All Mankind goes to "Heaven."
"Hell" or Gehinnom is only a temporary station where one might have to purify his Soul from the mistakes of his former Life.

 

It pertains directly to the point you are trying to make, in this thread.

Specifically, which of the points I made do you disagree with?

No, by the 1800s, European Jews were most certainly considered in the UK to be a class above people with darker skin. Even though Jews were still discriminated against, for example they were excluded from gentleman's clubs in London, and places for Jews at the top schools such as Eton were strictly limited, Jews were prominent and respected in all walks of life. And as per your analogy regarding blacks, accepting Jews into society didn't happen all at once, but it had progressed enough by 1837 that we elected a Jewish Prime Minister, onky 3 years after officially abolishing the slave trade throughout the empire. So your claim that Jews were considered to be ''doubly inferior,'' and especially those who were ''above themselves,'' in the UK, until after WW2, is absolutely ridiculous. Churchill likened Jews to the Europeans who had colonised the US, and the Palestinians to the ''inferior race'' they replaced. I suggest you avail yourself of some facts to support your opinion, before telling me that I need to study some British history.

Correct. European Jews began colonising land in Palestine long before Israel came into being. Anti-Muslim terrorist attacks by the Jewish terrorist gangs began long before Israel came into being. Menachem Begin's terrorist gang the Irgun, came into being in 1931.

Arab Jews were much more successful in other parts of the middle east, prior to any ''success'' that Zionist Jews in Palestine had. For example, as late as the mid 1940s in Iraq, a majority of the Iraqi Chamber of Commerce were Jews.

As I've already pointed out, that was most certainly not the case, with regard to British attitude to Jews at that time, so the basis for your claim is entirely false.

Arabs blamed both the British and the Jews who were immigrating to Palestine for their problems, because that was the cause of their problems. The British ruled Palestine, and Jews were terrorising and displacing Palestinians. The timeline of anti-semitism in the middle east is consistent with the timeline of the problems in Palestine and then Israel. Problems between Jews and Muslims were few and far between prior to British rule in Palestine, and mass Jewish immigration from Europe. They steadily increased throughout the 1920s, then there was the Arab revolt in 1928, and the first of the anti-semitic laws in the Arab countries not long after. Most Jews left the Arab countries during and in the aftermath of the 1948 war. Most of those who remained, were expelled in 1967, just after the 1967 war.

But you have failed to support your opinion with any facts whatsoever.

Arabs have been, and still are, fighting for freedom of dominance by the west, ever since the west dominated them after WW1. For example, the Arab Spring is a revolution against the remnants of colonial rule. The most oppressive regime of all in Saudi Arabia is still supported by the US. The most notable example of dominance in the middle east, is dominance of the Palestinians by Jews who originally came from Europe. Any attack on the west or Israel, is an attack on their dominance.

Dusty

 

I would say G-d; god. Which is what I do...
People ask me how I am and I reply, to a Jew: Baruch Hashem, Life is Beautiful all the Time (or if I want to be cute, HaChaim Yafim kol Hazman) and to a non-Jew: Thank G-d (pronounced god) Life is Beautiful all the Time.

- - - Updated - - -

Because we have not repented (done teshuvah) and done what G-d has required of us as the Jewish Nation.

 

I respectfully disagree with your conclusions.
The idea that the entire Muslim and Arab world would become Antisemitic because Jews were moving into the desolate Land of Israel in the early 1900's is absurd.
And, Disraeli was Christian. Even so, he was considered an upstart because of his Jewish heritage.
Does your history include Iranian Antisemitism? Or Turkish Antisemitism? How about Morocco? India, which used to have the largest Muslim population in the world?
In other words, if "Israel" is the cause of Muslim and Arab Antisemitism, what happened to these countries? They opted out? And then what? Israel kept on winning and not deferring to the Arabs and so... ? Iran and Turkey suddenly decided to go Radical Islam because of Israel? And why not India? Didn't they get the memo?
I suppose Syria; Egypt and Libya are all in revolt and slaughtering each other because of Israel's treatment of the Arabs called Palestinians?

Ah well, as noted, I disagree with your conclusions and your premise.

Anything else you'd like to know about Judaism?