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Observing the Letter and the Spirit of the Torah
In one (or more) of D. Thomas Lancaster’s sermons on the Holy Epistle to the Hebrews, he talks about the difference between the “letter of the Law” and the “spirit of the Law”. In traditional Christian...
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What I Learned in Church Today: Christians and Deuteronomy 5
When I go to Jerusalem, I still get goosebumps. -Pastor Randy That was the good news in church today (as I write this). Pastor was talking about how God put His Name in Jerusalem making it the most...
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What I Learned in Church Today: The Eisegesis of 1 Timothy 1:8-11
In church today, Pastor Randy preached on Deuteronomy 5 and 1 Timothy 1:8-11 but I want to preface this “meditation” by citing some of the notes from the Sunday school class, which taught on...
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The Consequences of Disagreeing
Learn to disagree without creating an unpleasant argument. A mature disagreement is when two people both listen carefully to the other’s position in order to understand the position and why the person...
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Mission to Rescue the Jewish Scriptures: The Story of the Kidnapped New...
He who reads through translation looks through a blurred pane, not experiencing the full flavor and the soul’s yearnings. -Chaim Nachman Bialik, “Nation & Language Part 1″ from the Translator’s...
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God vs. Gay? The Religious Case for Equality: My Review of Part Two
I mistakenly thought Jay Michaelson’s book God vs. Gay: The Religious Case for Equality consisted of only two parts, with Part One being a general appeal for acceptance of LBGTQ people into religious...
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God vs. Gay? The Religious Case for Equality: My (Unofficial) Review of Part...
Do LGBT people, as Jung said, have a “special receptivity?” Do gay people experience (or transcend) the balance between masculine and feminine, at the heart of so many mystical and religious...
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The Aftermath of Reviewing Michaelson’s “God vs. Gay”
And you shall love Hashem your God … -Deuteronomy 6:5 And you shall love your neighbor as yourself… -Leviticus 19:18 Both of these statements are positive commandments. We might ask: How can a...
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Lessons in Spirituality and Righteousness
This week I wish to share with you some thoughts about Spirituality. Spirituality is feeling the presence of the Almighty. Feeling this connection to the Almighty is the greatest pleasure a person can...
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Making Sense of the Messiah as the Keystone of Creation
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy...
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Choosing Your Prison
It is worthwhile to elaborate a bit on this important concept of free will, which the Rambam calls “an important principle and a pillar of all Torah and mitzvos.” He states: “Do not let the thought...
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Gentiles Studying Torah for the Sake of Doing
Although the word “chassid” is generally translated to mean exceedingly pious or devout, conjuring up visions of fasting, prayer, and religious zeal, its origin is in the concept of “chesed,” giving...
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Interpretation as Tradition
Antignos of Socho received the tradition from Shimon the Righteous. He would say: Do not be as slaves, who serve their master for the sake of reward. Rather, be as slaves who serve their master not for...
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Viewing the Truth Through a Dirty Window
Truth is simple, it has no clothes, no neat little box to contain it. But we cannot grasp the something that has no box. We cannot perceive truth without clothing. So Truth dresses up for us, in a...
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One Perspective on Messianic Judaism
Long-time commentator ProclaimLiberty (PL), in response to Chaya, another of my enduring readers, has framed a detailed outline of his perspective on the Messianic Jewish viewpoint on God, Messiah, and...
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Review of Loving God When You Don’t Love the Church, Part One
Where is the Church that Jesus said He would build? Where can I find the abundant life that He talked about? Where can I fit in and find real, unforced relationships? Where is the living water that my...
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Review of Loving God When You Don’t Love the Church, Part Four
The Talmud (Makkot 10b) states that a person will be led on the path that he truly wants to travel on. What path is this for you? How far along this path will you go? This depends on your enthusiasm...
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A Schlub Contemplating Intrinsic Greatness
A person is obligated to say: “The world was created for me” (Talmud – Sanhedrin 37a), and “When will my deeds reach the level of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?” The Torah attitude is that we are obligated...
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A Life Like That
I wrote this blog post some months ago wondering if I’d ever publish it. Given recent events, now seems like a good time. The final verse of this parashah uses the words…[which] literally [mean]: “This...
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Do Christians Really Have 1050 New Testament Commandments?
There are 1,050 commands in the New Testament for Christians to obey. Due to repetitions we can classify them under 69 headings. They cover every phase of man’s life in his relationship to God and his...
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