What is the Jewish Belief About ‘The End of Days’?

Source: Noahide.org

What is the Jewish Belief About ‘The End of Days’?
The term “End of Days” is taken from Numbers 24:4. This has always been taken as a reference to the messianic era and therefore we shall explore – albeit briefly – the Jewish belief in the coming of Mashiach.

What does the word Mashiach mean?

Mashiach is the Hebrew word for Messiah. The word Messiah in English means a saviour or a “hoped-for deliverer”. The word Mashiach in Hebrew actually means “anointed”. In Biblical Hebrew the title Mashiach was bestowed on somebody who had attained a position of nobility and greatness. For example, the High Priest is referred to as the Kohen Hamashiach.

In Talmudic literature the title Mashiach, or Melech Hamashiach, (the King Messiah) is reserved for the Jewish leader who will redeem Israel in the End of Days.

What is the belief in Mashiach?

One of the principles of Jewish faith enumerated by Maimonides is that one day there will arise a dynamic Jewish leader, a direct descendant of the Davidic dynasty, who will rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem and gather Jews from all over the world and bring them back to the Land of Israel.

All the nations of the world will recognise Mashiach to be a world leader and will accept his dominion. In the messianic era there will be world peace, no more wars nor famine and, in general, a high standard of living.

All mankind will worship one G–d and live a more spiritual and moral way of life. The Jewish nation will be preoccupied with learning Torah and fathoming its secrets.

The coming of Mashiach will complete G–d’s purpose in creation: for man to make an abode for G–d in the lower worlds; to reveal the inherent spirituality in the material world.

Is this not a utopian dream?

No! Judaism fervently believes that, with the correct leadership, humankind can and will change. The leadership quality of Mashiach means that through his dynamic personality and example, coupled with manifest humility, he will inspire all people to strive for good. He will transform a seemingly utopian dream into a reality. He will be recognised as a man of G–d with greater leadership qualities than even Moshe.

In today’s society many people are repulsed by the breakdown of ethical and moral standards. Life is cheap, crime is rampant, drug and alcohol abuse are on the increase, children have lost respect for their elders. At the same time technology has advanced in quantum leaps. There is no doubt that today, if channelled correctly, man has all the resources necessary to create a good standard of living for all mankind. He lacks only the social and political will. Mashiach will inspire all men to fulfil that aim.

Why the belief in a human Messiah?

Some people believe that the world will “evolve” by itself into a messianic era without a human figurehead. Judaism rejects this belief. Human history has been dominated by empire builders greedy for power.

Others believe in Armageddon – that the world will self-destruct, either by nuclear war or by terrorism. Again Judaism rejects this view.

Our prophets speak of the advent of a human leader, the magnitude of whom the world has not yet experienced. His unique example and leadership will inspire mankind to change direction.

Where is Mashiach mentioned in the Scriptures?

The Scriptures are replete with messianic quotes. In Deuteronomy 30:1 Moshe prophesies that, after the Jews have been scattered to the four corners of the earth, there will come a time when they will repent and return to Israel where they will fulfil all the commandments of the Torah. The gentile prophet Bilam prophesies that this return will be lead by Mashiach (see Numbers 24:17-20). Jacob refers to Mashiach by the name Shilo (Genesis 49:10).

The prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Joel and Hosea all refer to the messianic era. For full references the reader is referred to the book Mashiach by Rabbi Dr.I.Schochet. It is interesting to note that on the wall of the United Nations building in New York is inscribed the quote from Isaiah (Ch.11:6), “And the wolf shall lie with the lamb”. Furthermore, it is clear from the prophets, when studied in their original Hebrew, that Mashiach is a Jewish concept and will entail return to Torah law, firmly ruling out any “other” messianic belief.

What sort of leader will Mashiach be?

Mashiach will be a man who possesses extraordinary qualities. He will be proficient in both the written and oral Torah traditions. He will incessantly campaign for Torah observance among Jews and observance of the Seven Universal Noahide Laws by non-Jews. He will be scrupulously observant and encourage the highest standards from others. He will defend religious principles and repair breaches in their observance. Above all, Mashiach will be heralded as a true Jewish King, a person who leads the way in the service of G–d, totally humble yet enormously inspiring.

When will Mashiach come?

Jews anticipate the arrival of Mashiach everyday. Our prayers are full of requests to G–d to usher in the messianic era. Even at the gates of the gas chambers many Jews sang, “Ani Maamin” – I believe in the coming of Mashiach!

However, the Talmud states that there is a predestined time when Mashiach will come. If we are meritorious he may come even before that predestined time. This “end of time” remains a mystery, yet the Talmud states that it will be before the Hebrew year 6000. (The Hebrew year at the date of this publication is 5763.)

This does not rule out the possibility of Mashiach coming today and now if we merit it. It should be noted that many Torah authorities are of the opinion that we are in the “epoch of the Mashiach” and the Lubavitcher Rebbe stated on numerous occasions that the messianic redemption is imminent.

Could Mashiach come at any time in any generation?

Yes. In every generation there is a person who potentially could be the Mashiach. When G–d decides the time has arrived, He will bestow upon that individual the necessary powers for him to precipitate that redemption.

Any potential Mashiach must be a direct descendant of King David as well as erudite in Torah learning. It should be noted that many people living today can trace their lineage back to King David. The Chief Rabbi of Prague in the 16th Century, Rabbi Yehuda Loew (the Maharal), had a family tree that traced him back to the Davidic dynasty. Consequently, any direct descendant of the Maharal is of Davidic descent.

Maimonides, a great Jewish philosopher and codifier of the 12th Century, rules that if we recognise a human being who possesses the superlative qualities ascribed to Mashiach we may presume that he is the potential Mashiach. If this individual actually succeeds in rebuilding the Temple and gathering in the exiles then he is the Mashiach.

What exactly will happen when Mashiach comes?

Maimonides states in his Mishnah Torah – a compendium of the entire halachic tradition – that Mashiach will first rebuild the Temple and then gather in the exiles. Jerusalem and the Temple will be the focus of Divine worship and “From Zion shall go forth Torah, and the word of the L–rd from Jerusalem.”

The Sanhedrin – a supreme Jewish law court of 71 sages – will be established and will decide on all matters of law. At this time all Jews will return to full Torah observance and practice. It should be noted that in this present age of great assimilation and emancipation an unprecedented return of Jews to true Torah values has taken place. This “Baal Teshuvah” phenomenon is on the increase and paves the way for a full return in the messianic era.

Will miracles happen?

The Talmud discusses this question and again arrives at the conclusion that, if we are meritorious, the messianic redemption will be accompanied by miracles. However, the realisation of the messianic dream, even if it takes place naturally, will be the greatest miracle.

According to some traditions G–d Himself will rebuild the third Temple. According to others it will be rebuilt by Mashiach, while others suggest a combination of the two opinions. Some suggest that there will be two distinct periods in the messianic era: the first, a non-miraculous period, leading on to a second miraculous period.

Maimonides writes, “Neither the order of the occurrence of these events nor their precise detail is among the fundamental principles of the faith … one should wait and believe in the general conception of the matter.”

What will become of the world as we know it?

Initially, there will be no change in the world order other than its readiness to accept messianic rule. All the nations of the world will strive to create a new world order in which there will be no more wars or conflicts. Jealousy, hatred, greed and political strife (of the negative kind) will disappear and all human beings will strive only for good, kindness and peace.

In the messianic era there will be great advances in technology allowing a high standard of living. Food will be plentiful and cheap.

However the focus of human aspiration will be the pursuit of the “knowledge of G–d.” People will become less materialistic and more spiritual.

What are the birthpangs of Mashiach’s arrival?

The Talmud describes the period immediately prior to the advent of Mashiach as one of great travail and turmoil. There will be a world recession and governments will be controlled by despots. It is in this troubled setting that Mashiach will arrive.

There is a tradition that a great war will take place, called the war of Gog and Magog, and there is much speculation as to the precise timing of this war in relation to Mashiach’s arrival.

There is a tradition that Elijah the prophet will come to the world and announce the imminent arrival of Mashiach. However, according to other opinions, Mashiach may arrive unannounced. Elijah would then arrive to assist in the peace process. Some suggest that if the Mashiach arrives in his predestined time then Elijah will announce his arrival, but if Mashiach comes suddenly then Elijah will appear after Mashiach has come.

As mentioned before, it is unclear as to exactly how these events will unfold. However, this uncertainty does not affect the general matter of Mashiach’s arrival.

When will the resurrection of the dead take place?

One of the principles of Jewish faith is belief in the resurrection of the dead. According to the Zohar – an early Kabbalistic text – the resurrection will take place forty years after the arrival of Mashiach. However, certain righteous individuals will arise with the coming of Mashiach. All the dead will be resurrected in the Land of Israel.

There is a small bone in the body called the Luz bone (some identify this bone as the coccyx) from which the body will be rebuilt at the time of resurrection. Our daily prayers are replete with requests for the resurrection and there are many customs connected with it. (See the book To Live and Live Again – SIE Publications)

What can be done to bring Mashiach?

In general, mankind must strive to perform more acts of goodness and kindness. The Jew is mandated to learn and be aware of the messianic redemption, and strengthen his faith in Mashiach’s ultimate and imminent arrival.

Charity is a catalyst for redemption and every day in our prayers we sincerely plead many times for the rebuilding of Jerusalem, the in-gathering of the exiles and the return to Torah observance under the leadership of Mashiach. The Lubavitcher Rebbe mounted a worldwide Mashiach campaign to heighten the awareness of Mashiach’s imminent arrival. The Rebbe constantly urged every Jew to prepare himself, his family and his community for the arrival of Mashiach. This can best be achieved by “living with Mashiach”; that is, by learning about Mashiach and yearning for his coming.

Summary

In conclusion, the Jew always was and remains the eternal optimist. Even in his darkest hour he hopes and prays for a brighter future – a world of peace and spirituality.

By Nissan Dovid Dubov |

Rabbi Nissan D. Dubov is director of Chabad Lubavitch in Wimbledon, UK.

Listen to what G-d says About Addition to the Torah

G-d gave Moses the Torah (bible) and tells us not to add to it or subtract from it. The New Testament seems like an addition to me. Old Testament then New Testament that just doesnt work for me.

Deutoronmy 13

1. Everything I command you that you shall be careful to do it. You shall neither add to it, nor subtract from it.
2. If there will arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of a dream, and he gives you a sign or a wonder,
3. and the sign or the wonder of which he spoke to you happens, [and he] says, “Let us go after other gods which you have not known, and let us worship them,”
4. you shall not heed the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of a dream; for the Lord, your God, is testing you, to know whether you really love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul.
5. You shall follow the Lord, your God, fear Him, keep His commandments, heed His voice, worship Him, and cleave to Him.

Returning to G-d

Source: Moshiach.com

God’s kindness to man • Advantages of repentance and how to achieve complete repentance • The concept of free will • Divine Providence and the individual; the fortune of the individual being dependent on his deeds; the methods of achieving repentance • Payment in the World to Come
If any one concept epitomizes the knowledge of God, it is Judaism’s belief that man can achieve complete repentance. Judaism does not even find the word repentance sufficient, for repentance presupposes a natural state of sinfulness from which, in reality, there is no return. The Jewish idea is called tshuvah, return.

Christianity, for example, views man as being a hopeless victim of original sin. In that light, complete repentance is impossible. How can one return to one’s pure nature if the pure nature itself is blemished?

In truth, repentance is withheld from the sinner only by his own evil mind and deceitful heart. If he sincerely wishes to draw near to God, the gate of repentance is open to him and no hindrance exists which can prevent him from attaining his goal. On the contrary, God opens the gate of righteousness for all and, in His lovingkindness and goodness, instructs man in the good way, as it is written, “Good and upright is the Lord; therefore, He will teach sinners the way” (Ps. 25:8). And it is also written, “The Lord is nigh unto all who call upon Him in truth” (Ps. 145:18).

How can the Christian idea of original sin be acceptable when nine souls have ascended to their eternal reward without experiencing death?[1] The most notable of these, of course, is the Prophet Elijah who ascended to heaven in a flaming chariot (Kings 2 2:11). Another was Serach, the daughter of Asher, who informed her grandfather Jacob that his son Joseph was alive and well in Egypt.[2] The great rabbi, the Baal ShemTov, was offered the opportunity to be the tenth to leave this earth without dying, but he chose to experience death.[3] He saw everything as emanating solely from God, therefore ultimately good and worth experiencing, as it says, “The feet of the Shechina descend even unto death” (Prov. 5:5 and 7:27).

Judaism rejects the notion of man being trapped by original sin. We learn that Abraham and Sara fulfilled what Adam and Eve failed to fulfill.[4] And Jacob, through his exalted service of God, achieved a true rectification of the sin of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.[5]

This means that man can return to God, no matter how far he has fallen. The method of man’s return to his true and sinless state of being is systematically delineated in Judaism and workable by anyone, whether Israelite or Noahide.

Why should man strive to return to God? The lowest reason is, of course, to avoid punishment. But there is a nobler reason. Suppose a person had in his possession a great painting by Rembrandt, for example. Not knowing it was a treasureable object, he had stored it away in the attic gathering dust and mold. Once he learns that the painting is real and that he has a masterpiece in his possession, the person will certainly go up to the attic, retrieve the painting, clean it off and restore it to its original state. Is a person’s own soul not worthy of a similar honor? For it is said that of all the treasures entrusted to you by your Creator, the one most worthy of honor is your own soul.[6]

God’s kindness to man

1. A person must realize that God, Blessed Be He, is more merciful to man than anyone or anything else can be. The Creator, Blessed Be He, does not conceal anything from a person which might improve his personal welfare. For man is God’s creation, and no one can better understand how to care for a creation than the original maker. If this principle applies to a human craftsman, who does not create any new form but merely changes the form of an already existing creation, then certainly it is true of God, Who brought man into being from absolute nothingness and sustains him at every instance and every second. God is all?knowing in the ways of what is best for man, what can damage him and what will work to his advantage.[7]

2. One should contemplate and know that God lavishes great and abundant kindness on man. From the beginning of human existence, God has bestowed these kindnesses even without man’s being worthy of them. And it is not because God has a need for man, but only because of God’s great goodness and generosity.[8]

3. One should also realize clearly that God observes him at all times and that there is nothing hidden from Him. All stand revealed before Him. God knows whether or not a person has complete trust in Him. Therefore, it is fitting that a person trust God and turn to Him, abandoning ways contrary to Him. By observing the Seven Noahide Commandments with care and deliberation, one demonstrates that he has put his complete trust in God. God will then reciprocate with trust in man, leading him to success and happiness in all matters.[9]

4. There is no miracle in the creation as great as returning to God through repentance. Repentance is greater than wisdom. By means of wisdom, man can discriminate between good and evil, choosing the good and rejecting the evil. Nevertheless, the evil remains evil. But through repentance, man has the power to transform evil miraculously into good, for the sins themselves and the remorse over having committed them are the very actions that draw a person to God with impassioned longing and great love.[10]

5. A Chasidic Rebbe once happened upon a person who was a notorious sinner. The Rebbe walked up to the man and confessed that he was envious of him.

“But Rebbe,” the man said, amazed, “you are a saint and I am a sinner. Why should you be envious of me?”

“Because,” the Rebbe answered, “you can bring a much greater light into the world than I can. I can only bring goodness to the world by resisting sin and doing what I am supposed to do. You can transform thousands, maybe millions, of evil deeds into wondrous merits by repenting and returning to God.”[11]

Advantages of repentance and how to achieve complete repentance

1. If a person has transgressed one or all of the Seven Noahide Commandments, either willfully or unintentionally, when he repents, he is obligated to confess verbally, specifying his sins before the God of kindness, Blessed Be He. How should he confess? He should speak words to this effect: “I beseech you, God, I have sinned unintentionally (or “I have transgressed willingly”). I have acted out of spite before You and I have done such?and?such. I regret my actions and am ashamed of them and will not do such?and?such again.” This is the essence of confession. Anyone who increases the content of his confession and elaborates upon it is praiseworthy.[12]

2. A punishment imposed on a person by a Noahide court of law serves as an atonement for the transgression if the person confesses his sins to God in the above manner. Similarly, if one injures a friend or causes him monetary loss, even if he has paid back what he owes, he has not atoned for his transgression until he confesses to God and resolves never to repeat such a deed again.

3. Repentance atones for all sins. Even if one is evil all the days of his life and returns to God on the last of his days, none of his wickedness is mentioned to him in the Divine Judgment.[13]

4. What is complete repentance? If, after having confessed, it occurs to the person to repeat the transgression done in the past, and if the opportunity to do it arises, and if he resists and refrains from doing it solely because of his repentance and not because of his fear of anyone (a policeman, for instance), and not because he is too weak physically and can no longer do it, then he has achieved complete repentance.

For example, if a man has had a forbidden relationship with a woman and he has repented and confessed, and after a time it happens that he finds himself alone with her again, and now he resists and does not transgress, this is a person who has done complete repentance.[14]

5. If a person returns to God (repenting of his transgressions) only in his old age, at a time of life when he is no longer able to repeat the transgressions of the past, although this is not the highest form of repentance, it does help the person and he is considered a true penitent who has returned to God.

6. Even if one transgresses all his life and repents the day of his death and dies a penitent, all his sins are forgiven. Thus, if one remembers his Creator and returns to Him before he dies, he is forgiven.

7. And what is repentance? It is when the sinner abandons his sin, removing it from his thoughts, and is completely resolved not to do it again. Consequently, he regrets what has happened in the past and accepts God, the Knower of secrets, as his Witness that he will never return to such a sin again. And he needs to confess verbally and state the resolutions that he made in his heart.[15]

8. One who confesses with words and does not resolve in his heart to leave his sin is like one who immerses in a ritual pool while grasping a dead rat in his hand. The immersion in the pool brings no purification until he discards the unclean object.[16]

9. On the path of repentance, the penitent should cry to God with tears and supplications and should give charity according to his capability, at least ten percent of his income and preferably twenty percent. He should also distance himself from the thing in which he sinned or the person with whom he sinned. He should change all his deeds and tread a straight path, and he should exile himself from his present residence since exile is an atonement because it brings a person to humility, and the essence of repentance comes through a broken heart and a humble spirit.[17]

10. It is praiseworthy for the penitent to confess publicly, even to the extent of informing others of his transgressions, saying to his peers, “I have sinned against so?and?so and I have done such?and?such. But I have changed my ways, and I deeply regret my past.”[18]

11. One who is haughty and does not inform others of his transgressions, choosing rather to conceal them, does not do complete repentance.

12. Public declaration refers to the sins between oneself and his fellow man. The sins that are between oneself and his Creator need not be broadcast, and, in truth, it is considered the ultimate of brazenness to reveal them, as it shows that the person is not embarrassed about them. Let him simply return to God, Blessed Be He, specifying his sins before Him. Any public confession should be in a general way without specifying actions, and he should consider it a blessing that his iniquity has not become revealed.

13. Repentance helps only with sins that one commits between himself and God. For sins that are between oneself and his fellow man, he has to pacify his fellow and ask forgiveness from him.[19]

14. If a person receives an apology, he should never refuse to be pacified, but should forgive easily and be slow to feel anger toward another. At the time someone asks forgiveness of him, he should grant favor with a full heart and a sincere spirit.[20]

15. Every person should consider himself perfectly balanced between reward and punishment. Similarly, he should see the entire world as similarly balanced because of his deeds. If he commits one sin, he tilts the scales of judgment for himself and for the entire world toward guilt and condemnation, and consequently he can be the cause of the whole world’s destruction. But if he does one good deed, he can tilt the scales of judgment for himself and the whole world toward merit and can bring salvation and deliverance for himself and the whole world.[21]

The concept of free will

1. The power of self?determination is given to every person. If he wants to direct himself toward good and righteousness, the power is in his hand; if he wants to direct himself to the way of evil, the power is similarly his.[22]

2. Man is unique in this world, and there is not another creation that can compare to him in this regard. Man is intellectually aware of good and evil. He does what he wishes to do, and no one can prevent him from choosing to do good or evil.

3. One should banish the idea that fools speak about, that God has decreed man’s destiny from birth whether he will be righteous or wicked. There is no such thing. Every person has the ability to become righteous or wicked, compassionate or cruel, generous or selfish. And so it is with all other character traits and abilities to live within the normative conduct set for man by the commandments of God.[23]

It is true, however, that the individual may be born with tendencies toward specific problematic behavior, but at all times it is within his power to overcome these natural tendencies. No one is born a thief or a sexual deviant.[24]

4. If God had predetermined the individual’s destiny, whether for good or for evil, on what basis could the righteous be rewarded and the wicked be punished? Just as the Creator desired that fire and wind should naturally rise upward, and water and earth should naturally descend, and that a planet should move in a circular motion, and all other creatures of the world should act in accord with the nature that God chose for them, thus did God desire that man should have the free will to determine his actions.[25]

5. Therefore, man is judged according to his deeds. If he does good, good is done to him. If he does evil, evil is repaid him. And at a future time, he must surrender himself to Judgment for his thoughts, speech, and actions. If a person fulfills the Seven Noahide Commandments, thereby doing good in this world, he is repaid with boundless good from God.

6. The reward for doing good is hundreds of times greater than the punishment for doing evil, for it is written, “for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me; and showing mercy unto the thousandth generation of them that love Me” (Exod. 20:5?6).

Divine Providence and the individual; the fortune of the individual being dependent on his deeds; the methods of achieving repentance

1. Whenever a person commits a transgression with his own knowledge and will, it is proper that he be punished for it so that he be paid for his deeds. God knows exactly how he should be paid. The judgment may be that the sinner should be punished in this world with afflictions of his body (various diseases or seeming accidents). Or the punishment might take the form of loss of property and wealth, or the sinner’s children might be afflicted because of his wrongdoings. Also, there are sins that are judged to be repaid in the World to Come, and so no harm befalls the transgressor in this world. And there are sins that must be paid for both in this world and in the World to Come.[26]

2. One should consider it a great kindness to be punished in this world, because the World to Come is eternal and everything of it is eternal. This reveals a glimmer of understanding of why the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper. It is as if God says of the wicked, “The little good he did in this world I will repay him in this world so that there remains no reward for him in the Eternal World, and the payment for his sins awaits him in fullest measure.” And of the righteous, it is as if God says, “For his few sins I will punish him in this world, where afflictions are transitory, and for his great number of merits I will withhold reward in this world so that I can bestow upon him the greatest possible measure of eternal good in the World to Come.”

3. When we speak of a man paying for his wicked deeds, this presumes that he does not repent and abandon them. But if he repents, it is considered a shield between him and the punish­ment. And just as a man sins because of his own understanding and free will, he can also repent through his own understanding and free will.[27]

4. There is a circumstance in which God does not offer a person the opportunity to repent. When with his own understanding and free will, a person commits an extremely grave sin or an overwhelming number of sins (such as causing many others to sin by leading them to idolatry or causing them to follow a false religious doctrine), the opportunity to abandon his evil is not granted to him in order that he should be lost in the sins that he committed. However, this merely means that repentance is not made easy for the person. Nevertheless, it is written that nothing can stand between a man and repentance, for a person can always overcome the obstacles and through strength of will return to God in full repentance.[28]

5. A person should constantly regard himself as being close to death, and finding himself standing in sin, he should imme­diately repent from all his sins. He should not say, “When I grow older, I will repent.” Perhaps he will die before he reaches old age.[29]

6. One should not say that repentance applies only to sins involving actual deeds, such as forbidden sexual relations and theft. For just as a man must repent of those, he must become introspective concerning his evil characteristics and repent of them, from his anger and his hatred and from jealousy and folly and from pursuit of wealth and honor and excessive gluttony and other base character traits. From all of them, he must return to God. For a person who is sunk into these base pursuits and evil traits, it is harder to abandon graver sins involving actual evil deeds.[30]

7. A true penitent should not worry that, as a result of his sins, he is a long way from the exalted status of the righteous. The truth is that he is loved and treasured by the Creator as if he had never committed a sin. Moreover, when he repents, his reward is enormous: he has tasted sin and departed from it, and has conquered his evil inclination. This makes him far greater than one who has never tasted sin, for he has achieved a greater spiritual conquest.[31]

8. The ways of the penitent should be humble and extremely modest. If fools and boors taunt him about his previous deeds and say to him, “Yesterday you were doing such?and?such, and now look at you trying to be so high and mighty,” he should pay no attention to them, but listen silently and rejoice and know that their insults are bringing him great merit. When a penitent is embarrassed about his past deeds and is humiliated because of them, his merits are increased and his spiritual level is exalted.[32]

9. It is a grave sin to say to a penitent, “Remember your previous deeds,” or to mention anything of his past ways in order to embarrass him, or to mention ideas or incidents that will remind him of what he has done.

10. Great is repentance, for it draws a person close to God, and the further one’s distance, the closer and more beloved one can become through repentance. “Yesterday he was despicable in front of God; he was disgusting, distanced, and an abomi­nation. And today, he is precious, close, and beloved.”[33]

Payment in the World to Come

1. The treasure reserved for the righteous is eternal life in the World to Come. This is a life that does not incorporate death. It is a good that does not coexist with evil. And the punishment for the wicked is that they do not merit this life, but they will be cut off and will die out. And all who do not merit this life are truly considered dead. The wicked are cut off in their wickedness and perish like animals. That is to say that the wicked one whose soul is severed from the body by spiritual extinction does not merit the eternal life of the World to Come.[34]

2. Loss of the life of the World to Come is the most terrible retribution, for this is a total loss and a complete destruction. It is a loss than can never be regained because repentance and return to God can be achieved only while the soul is in the body in this material world. Once the soul has separated from the body, it is no longer the time for good deeds or wicked deeds or repentance. Then it is the time for reward or punishment.[35]

3. There are certain misguided people who imagine that the reward for obeying God’s commandments and for following the way of truth is to inherit a paradise where they are able to eat and drink sumptuous foods and beverages, to enjoy relation­ships with “beautiful forms,” to wear linen and brocaded garments, to dwell in ivory palaces and use vessels of gold and silver, and other similar fantasies. The intelligent among mankind will easily see that these images are foolish and vain, and that there is neither inner purpose nor spiritual meaning to them. These ideas betray a lack of understanding and a compulsion for materialism, for it is only because we have physical bodies that these things have any meaning. All of these dreams of sensory delights are attractive only to the body; the soul has no longing for them. The soul desires to fulfill bodily needs only so as to establish and maintain health, and takes no pleasure in physical delights at all.[36]

4. In the time of the eternal life where there is no body nor any physical existence at all, these material things will be entirely nullified. And there, in the World to Come, the great goodness is for the soul alone. And there is no way in this world to grasp or comprehend any understanding of this pleasure whatsoever. But the delights of the World to Come are glorious beyond human concept, and there is nothing of this world to compare to their supernal goodness.

5. The sages of Israel call it the World to Come not because it will exist in a future time and cannot be found here and now, but because it is the life that comes to man after the physical life of this world, in which the soul is encased in a physical body. The World to Come exists now and can be found now. It is found as it has been found from the very beginning.[37]

6. We are commanded to walk the middle path for it is the good and proper way, as it says, “You should walk in His ways” (Deut. 30:16). Just as God is called gracious, man must be gracious. Just as God is called merciful, man must be merciful. Man is obligated to follow the ways of God to the fullest extent of his ability.[38]

7. A person can accustom himself to this manner of conduct by performing deeds that reflect moderation, repeating them constantly until they become ingrained and established traits. And because these traits are called names such as gracious, merciful, kind, righteous, which the Creator is called, this way of the Middle Path is called the way of God. Whoever walks this path brings goodness and blessing to himself.[39]

8. This middle path is a striving for moderation in all things, in physical pleasures, emotional expression, even in intellectual and spiritual pursuits. A parable is given of a religious man who discovers that by withdrawing from a certain physical pleasure, he automatically feels closer to God. So what does he do? He acts in the extreme, becoming a hermit, denying himself everything of this world, denying himself anything of human existence. It does not take long before he degenerates to a level of inhumanity like a wild animal, further from God than when he began his spiritual journey. We can understand the cause of his failure by considering two men, one with a gold coin and the other with a million gold coins. Obviously, the man with a million gold coins has 999,999 more than the man with one. Now consider the case of three men, one with one gold coin, a second with a million gold coins, and a third with infinite gold coins. Who is closer to the one with infinite gold coins, the man with one or the man with a million? They are both exactly the same distance away. So it is with any field of human endeavor. Man is a finite being with limited intellect, limited emotions, limited physical strength. God is infinite. There is no way that man, by using his own reason and power, can approach the Creator. This is why the hermit’s conclusion, logical as it may have seemed, failed him. Man can approach the Infinite only by following the method prescribed for him by the Infinite, and the method prescribed is the way of moderation, the middle path.

9. There are exceptions. When it comes to anger or false pride, one should strive to avoid these destructive traits to the ultimate. Anger is controlled and ultimately eliminated by speaking softly to all people at all times and in all situations.[40] And pride is circumvented by realizing that one is nothing and achieves nothing except for what God bestows as a gift. Another exception to clinging to the middle path is what is called shtus d’kedusha, the foolishness of holiness. This means that man, finding himself in a situation of being sunk in the pursuit of physical pleasures, even permissible physical pleasures, must sometimes act in the extreme to counter the situation and eventually achieve moderation.[41]

10. In order to assure success in one’s strivings, it is important to select a respected friend as both a consultant and a confidant. When matters of doubt or concern arise pertaining to per­formance of the Seven Laws of Noah, another’s assessment of the situation will provide objectivity in determining the appropriate course of action. This is called, Aseh lecha rav (attain a teacher for yourself).[42] This spiritual “buddy system” will expand one’s perspective and clarity, objectives that can be met even if the advisor is less than a towering genius or spiritual giant. What is desired here is the ability to open up in a sincere dialogue. This can be achieved even with an advisor who is on a lower level than the one seeking advice.

11. Every person on the earth whose spirit is humble and who differentiates between good and evil in order to be able to stand before God, to serve Him and know Him and walk upright in His path, removing the yoke of the scheming and calculating with which most people conduct their lives, sanctifies the Holy of Holies. God will be this person’s portion and inheritance in this world and the World to Come forever and ever. And he will merit success in all his material efforts in this world. As it is written, “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near” (Isa. 55:6).

Historical Overview – Seven Commandments of the Children of Noah

Source: Moshiach.com

The code of Divine Law that we now know as the Seven Commandments of the Children of Noah has been with mankind since the creation of the first man, Adam. Though man is the crown of creation, he was created last. The reason that God created man last of all the creations was to serve as a perpetual lesson, symbolic of man’s choice in the world. When he is fulfilling God’s will, man sits atop everything that was created before him?and is truly creation’s crown. But when he falls in disobedience to God, he is last and lowest of all the creatures, lower even than the gnat, which consumes throughout its life but never eliminates waste, the symbol of ultimate selfishness. Even the lowly gnat follows God’s will. Man alone has the option to transgress it.[1]

When God charged Adam, “And the Lord God com­manded Adam, saying: Of every tree in the garden you may surely eat. But from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you may not eat of it, for on the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Gen. 2:16,17), this single commandment contained the source of the Seven Noahide Commandments.[2] And more, Adam was charged by God with the responsibility of teaching the laws to future generations. The verse states that God commanded Adam, “saying.” Although this word “saying” appears superfluous, it is a principle of the Torah that there are no superfluous words, for everything comes to teach us something. In this case, the word “saying” indicates that God not only said the commandment to Adam, but He intended that Adam say it as well. It is a principle of Biblical analysis that when a verse states, “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,” it means that God taught Moses something and that He expected him to teach it to the Jewish people,[3] or, as in the case of the Seven Commandments of the Children of Noah, to all of mankind.

And so, Adam taught his children the Seven Universal Laws: not to worship idols, not to curse God, not to kill, not to steal, not to engage in sexual immorality, not to eat the limb of a living animal, and to establish courts of law to enforce these laws. And so mankind developed.

The clear proof that the descendants of Adam knew these laws and were expected by the Divine Judge and Father to obey them was that 1656 years later He brought the Great Flood as a punishment for mankind’s failure to keep these command­ments. “And God saw the earth and, behold, it was corrupted, because all flesh had corrupted its way on the earth” (Gen. 6:12).

The classic Biblical commentary of Rashi[4] teaches that the corruption was sexual immorality and idol worship. The very next verse reads, “And God said to Noah, the end of all flesh has come before Me, because the earth is filled with wickedness” (Gen. 6:13). Rashi comments that the phrase “the earth is filled with wickedness” refers to theft. So, because of sexual immorality, idol worship, and theft (three of the seven com­mandments which Adam was expected to teach his children, and which mankind was expected to obey), the Creator of all destroyed all, except for the remnant, which included Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives.

When the floodwaters settled and the earth had been wiped clean of its taint, humanity no longer had to fall back on Adam as the father of all mankind. Now mankind had a new father, Noah. And unlike Adam, who failed to fulfill God’s commandments, Noah was “a righteous man, pious in his generation, and Noah walked with God” (Gen. 6:9).

And so, with a new world and a fresh start at building it in sanctity, God reaffirmed the original seven commandments that He had taught Adam. God blessed Noah and his sons and their wives and promised that He would never again destroy the world as He had done, sealing the promise for all time by striking a covenant with Noah as mankind’s father as expressed in the following verses: “And God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, `As for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your seed after you (Gen. 9:8),’” and, “And God said, `This is the sign of the covenant that I am placing between me and your children and between all the living souls that are with you for all generations. My bow I am placing in the cloud and it shall be for a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth’” (Gen. 9:12,13).

The sign of the covenant was the rainbow, which would serve as a permanent symbol of Divine benevolence. It was the first time the rainbow had ever been seen in the world, although it had been created and readied for this moment at twilight after the sixth day of creation, between the time Adam transgressed and the Sabbath, when God rested from all He had made.’[5] The rainbow with its seven colors reflected the beauty and sanctity of the Seven Commandments of the Children of Noah.

* * *

When God created Adam and placed him in the Garden of Eden, this was to be the prime dwelling place of the Divine Presence. But when Adam transgressed God’s commandment, the Divine Presence withdrew and left the earth in favor of the first heaven.[6] Then, with the sin of Cain and Abel, the Divine Presence withdrew from the first to the second heaven. Then Enosh evoked idolatrous gods, and the Divine Presence went from the second to the third heaven. And from the third heaven it rose to the fourth heaven because of the Generation of the Flood.

Although Noah was righteous enough to be spared destruction and be designated the second father of mankind, despite his efforts, he failed in his attempt to effect a true rectification of Adam’s sin, which was necessary to draw the Divine Presence back to Its desired residence on earth. One of the first acts he engaged in upon leaving the Ark was the planting of a vineyard (Gen. 9:20,21). Most Biblical com­mentaries are highly critical of this action. After all, mankind had just been destroyed. To plant a vineyard so as to grow grapes and make wine seems totally inappropriate under the circumstances. But there are those who say that Noah was attempting to rectify the sin of Adam. The Talmud states that, in one opinion, the fruit of the tree of knowledge was the grape.[7] What Adam had done was drink wine in a profane manner. It had been God’s intention that Adam should wait until the Sabbath, which was to come in just a few hours, and then the fruit of the tree, the grape, would be used to sanctify the Sabbath and bear witness to the fact that God had created the world in six days and rested on the seventh.[8] It is argued that Noah knew this deeper meaning of Adam’s transgression, and by planting a vineyard and using the wine for holy purposes, he could achieve the complete rectification of the sin. But Noah failed. He became intoxicated and was discovered naked by his youngest son, Ham, who shamed him by calling Noah’s other two sons, Shem and Japheth, to see their father’s drunken nakedness. Rashi comments on this verse (Gen. 9:22) that Ham either castrated his father or had homosexual relations with him or both. Shem and Japheth respectfully covered their father with a garment, but the damage had been done. Noah awoke and cursed Ham and his descendants, and the Divine Presence looked down in pity (Gen. 9:23?27).

The Seven Commandments of the Children of Noah remained, as before the Flood, unheeded by all but a few, notably Shem and his grandson Eber, who established Houses of Study for the purpose of understanding and fulfilling the Noahide Laws.[9]

Then came the generation of the Tower of Babel. This was a generation of brilliant scientists. Not only did they learn to master many of the world’s natural forces, such as controlling the weather, but they reasoned in their scientific wisdom that the earth had no Master, or, at least if it had a Master, that they were His equal, and they built a tower to the heavens to challenge the authority of God. They scientifically concluded that, since the Flood of Noah occurred in the year 1656 after creation, this meant that every 1656 years the heavens would shake, the depths would open, and the rains would come to destroy the earth.[10] And the Bible teaches, “And God descended to look at the city and the tower that the children of man had built” (Gen. 11:5). This was already from the fifth heaven.

God took measures to stop His errant children by con­founding their language and scattering them to distant lands (Gen. 11:4). Originally, all of mankind spoke one language, the language of Scripture, Hebrew, the twenty?two letters of the Hebrew alef?bet being the very instruments of creation.[11] But now mankind had lost this merit, communicating in the seventy languages of the world.

During these times, King Nimrod arose with a wickedness that was virtually without precedent. He proclaimed himself god of all the earth and commanded all his subjects to worship him as the actual deity. Those who refused, he killed.[12]

Nimrod was called “a mighty hunter before the Lord” (Gen. 10:9). Rashi comments that the phrase “a mighty hunter” means that he captured the minds of men with his mouth and led them astray to rebel against God. “Before the Lord,” Rashi says, indicates Nimrod intentionally provoked God in His Presence. Nimrod, unlike any man who had lived before him, acted wickedly in order to defy God. He knew his Master and rebelled out of spite against Him.

God withdrew His Divine Presence to the sixth heaven in response to the sins of Sodom and Gemorrah, primarily theft and sexual perversion. In those societies, cruelty was admired and human kindness harshly punished, often by death.[13]

The ancient Egyptians completed the job of driving God away by being wholly devoted to their many idols, more steeped in sexual perversion than the Sodomites, and by developing another form of evil to its ultimate ? witchcraft.[14] With God’s revealed Presence removed to the seventh and highest heaven, mankind dwelt in a world of moral and spiritual darkness.

Finally there arose a righteous man whose deeds began to draw the revealed Presence back to earth. Abraham stood alone against the world by clinging to the Creator and doing His will. He challenged Nimrod’s idolatry with his belief in the One God, and eventually vanquished Nimrod completely, bringing man­kind to the recognition of God and His way in the world. In Abraham’s merit, the Divine Presence descended from the seventh heaven to the sixth heaven. Because of Abraham’s son, Isaac, the Divine Presence descended from the sixth to the fifth heaven, then from the fifth to the fourth with Isaac’s son, Jacob.

Jacob’s spiritual might was awesome. He wrestled with an angel of God and defeated it (Gen. 32:25?30). Through Jacob and his children, twelve sons and one daughter, a new and distinct people on earth emerged. The Children of Israel were named after their father Jacob, who had been blessed by God and given the new name: “Your name shall no more be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name, and He called his name, Israel” (Gen. 35:10). Rashi comments that the name Jacob implies one who comes with stealth and guile, but the name Israel denotes a prince and a ruler.

With the Children of Israel, a people of God had come into the world. Abraham, Isaac, and Israel were each mighty prophets and knew that their descendants would go down to Egypt in exile and would then be redeemed by God and given His Divine Law on Mount Sinai.

The Patriarchs fulfilled the Seven Commandments of the Children of Noah, and through their gift of prophecy saw what the Sinai Revelation would bring, and obeyed those laws as well, even though they had not been commanded concerning them. When God had blessed Isaac, it was “because Abraham listened to My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws” (Gen. 26:5). Rashi comments that “charge” refers to the admonitions of the Torah, which had not yet been commanded, including rabbinical prohibitions regard­ing the Sabbath, whereas “commandments” refers to matters such as robbery and murder (two of the Seven Noahide Commandments).[15]

In fact, there were times when a conflict over the two codes of law arose. The initial strife between Joseph and his brothers had to do with the difference between the Mosaic precept of keeping the dietary laws and the Noahide Commandment forbidding the eating of the limb of a living animal. Mosaic Law permits Jews to eat the meat of an animal that has been ritually slaughtered, even if the animal still exhibits movement in its limbs. Noahide Law does not require ritual slaughtering, but forbids Noahides to eat an animal’s meat unless every trace of movement has stopped. The brothers had a heated discussion about the subject, and the sons of Leah argued that they, by following the Mosaic precept, were exempt from the Noahide prohibition. To prove the point, they slaughtered an animal according to the Mosaic precept and ate of its meat before the animal’s limbs had stopped twitching. Joseph felt that they had erred in their judgment and told the matter to their father.[16] Joseph’s brothers then sold him into slavery, but he had God with him and rose to become second in command in Egypt, a veritable king alongside Pharaoh. By the time he had forgiven his brothers for what they had done to him, the Divine Presence had descended from the fourth to the third heaven through the merit of Jacob’s third son, Levi.

Before the Children of Israel settled in the land of Egypt, their brother Judah had preceded them and had established a school in Goshen for the study of God’s Law, both the seven commandments that they were obliged to observe and the laws of the Torah, which they received as a heritage from Abraham, Isaac, and Israel.[17] Even during the long and bitter period of Egyptian slavery, the tribe of Levi remained in the House of Study, exempt from harsh servitude, so that the Divine Law would be remembered and understood and fulfilled.[18] And because of the righteousness of Levi’s son, Kehot, whose sons were destined to carry the Holy Ark of God through the Wilderness, the Divine Presence descended from the third to the second heaven.

When Pharaoh decreed death for the male infants born to the Children of Israel, Amram, the leader of the generation and a descendant of Levi, divorced his wife, Jochebed. His idea was to stop bringing Israelite infants into the world in order to prevent their murder. Amram, as leader, knew that his action would be emulated by his people, which is precisely what happened. But his daughter, Miriam, pointed out that whereas Pharaoh had decreed only against males, Amram had decreed against all infants, male and female, by not bringing any into the world. Respecting their daughter’s words, Amram and Jochebed remarried, and the child Moses was born.[19] And in Amram’s merit, the Divine Presence descended from the second to the first heaven.

Moses was the most humble man who ever lived (Num. 12:3). His humility was so complete that he considered himself as nothing at all. Whatever he achieved, he saw as coming solely from God. He felt that if God had blessed another man with as many talents as he, the other man would surely have achieved more with them.[20] This self?nullification stood him in direct contrast to the self?aggrandizement of Pharaoh, who claimed to be a deity as Nimrod had.[21]

When God redeemed the Children of Israel and decimated the idolatry of the Egyptians, it was for the purpose of His Revelation at Sinai and the Giving of the Torah. Fifty days after the Children of Israel had left Egypt, Moses ascended Mount Sinai, and in full view of 600,000 Jewish men and at least 1,400,000 women and children,[22] the Lord God of Israel descended to earth from His heavenly abode (Exod. 24:10),[23] and said “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”

God had departed from the Garden of Eden and now had returned on Mount Sinai with the Giving of the Torah. It was a Divine Revelation of proportions that the human mind cannot even begin to comprehend. All the blind and the lame and the deaf were miraculously healed.[24] All the righteous souls who would ever be born into this world were called forth by the Lord God to witness His Divine Presence.[25] This was the seal of God, His truth.

With the Giving of the Torah, the God of Israel chose the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as His Chosen People, instructing them to fulfill the 613 Commandments of the Torah. He also commanded the righteous of the other nations of the world to keep the Seven Commandments of the Children of Noah and commanded Moses and his people to teach them how.[26] It was both the establishment of a new covenant and the strengthening of the old one.

The Mosaic and Noahide Laws were inextricably bound together. The Children of Noah, the righteous Gentiles, were obligated to fulfill the Seven Commandments because they were given on Mount Sinai, not because they were given to Noah. And the Children of Israel were commanded to teach the Seven Commandments to the righteous Gentiles.

When Moses ascended Mount Sinai to meet God, earth and heaven came together in a unique way. God took of His holiness and brought it to earth. For the first time in creation, physical objects could be infused with actual holiness. The Torah scroll and other writings, the sacrifices and other articles of use in the Tabernacle and Temple service, and the Children of Israel themselves became holy unto the Lord, meaning separate and distinct from the rest of creation with a sanctity uniquely reserved for the service of God (Exod. 19:6).[27] This was the beginning of the true universal religion in which Israel, the Jewish people, is the priest and the Children of Noah, the righteous Gentiles, its faithful laymen.[28] The year was 2448 of the creation.[29]

During the periods when the Jewish people lived in the Holy Land, their responsibility for teaching the Gentiles the Seven Commandments was generally fulfilled. During the 410 years that the First Temple stood and the 420 years of the Second Temple, Gentiles who wanted to dwell in the Land of Israel had to agree to fulfill the Noahide Laws and had the right to enter the Holy Temple and offer sacrifices to God (Zech. 14:17?18).[30]

With respect to the nations of the world, this posed something of a problem. Influential as it was, particularly during the times of King Solomon, the Land of Israel was but one place on a rather large globe. And the observance of the Noahide Laws outside of the Land of Israel was rare. Then, in the year 4800 of creation, nearly two thousand years ago, God took a drastic step to remedy the situation. He destroyed His Holy Temple, the center of religious Jewish life, and exiled His people Israel to every corner of the planet, where they remain, for the most part, to this very day. As the Talmud states, “The Jewish people went into exile only in order to make converts, meaning to teach the nations faith in the One God.”[31]

The intention was for the Jewish people to proclaim the faith in the God of their fathers and to bring all the peoples of the world into the communion of God and Israel by teaching them the Seven Commandments of Noah. But what the Jews found in the world outside their own land was a difficult situation. Mixed up with a myriad of foreign cultures, the Jews had a lifelong struggle to maintain their own traditions without being swallowed up by the cultures and traditions of the peoples around them, so as to fulfill the Biblical injunction, “Take heed to yourself that you inquire not after their gods, saying: How did these nations serve their gods? Even so, I will do likewise” (Deut. 12:30). Moreover, the Jew found that people were distrustful of him and hostile, and were far too busy trying to convert him to their religions to have any time to listen to what he might have to say about the subject.

Three factors in recent times have caused a change in the situation. First, the spiritual deterioration of mankind has reached a desperate stage. Half the world follows an official doctrine of atheism (which Jews consider the cruelest and most extreme form of idolatry), and much of the rest of the world is sunk into immorality and crime. Second, there exists a spirit of ecumenism, largely due to radio and television and the information explosion, in which Judaism’s view concerning the non?Jew’s relationship to God no longer meets with irrational responses. The third factor is that God has finally brought the appointed time, as it says, “Thus says the Lord of Hosts. In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men of all the languages of the nations shall take hold of the corner of the garment of him who is a Jew, saying, `We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you’” (Zech. 8:23).

Fast Facts on Judaism

Source: ReligionFacts.com

This section provides basic facts and statistics on Judaism in an at-a-glance format, including a guide to Jewish numbered lists.

date founded

c. 1300 BC

place founded

Mesopotamia

founder

Abraham

adherents

14 million

main location

Israel, Europe, and USA

major sects

Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox

sacred text

Tanakh with the Talmud

original language

Hebrew

spiritual leader

rabbi (rebbe in Hasidism)

place of worship

synagogue (“temple” in Reform Judaism)

day of worship

Saturday (Shabbat/Sabbath)

theism

monotheism

ultimate reality

One God (YHWH)

human nature

created good

purpose of life

obedience to God

how to live

obey the law and atone for sin

afterlife

views vary: Gan Eden, Gehinnom, nonexistence, or reincarnation

major holidays

Rosh Hashanah: Jewish New Year (1 Tishri)
Yom Kippur: Day of Atonement (10 Tishri)
Sukkot: Festival of Booths (15 Tishri)
Hanukkah (25 Kislev)
Tu B’Shevat: New Year for Trees (15 Shevat)
Purim (15 Adar)
Pesach: Passover (15 Nisan)
Shavuot: Pentecost (6 Sivan)

Seven days of creation

Separation of light from darkness.
Separation of water above and waters below.
Separation of land from water.
Sun, moon, and stars.
Sea creatures and birds.
Land creatures and man.
God rested. {1}

Ten Commandments

Worship no other gods.
Do not worship idols.
Do not misuse the name of the Lord.
Keep the Sabbath holy.
Honor your father and mother.
Do not murder.
Do not commit adultery.
Do not steal.
Do not give false testimony
Do not covet. {2}

Twelve tribes of Israel

Reuben
Levi/Simeon
Judah
Issachar
Zebulun
Benjamin
Dan
Naphtali
Gad
Asher
Ephraim
Manassah {3}

13 Articles of Faith

God exists
God is one and unique
God is incorporeal
God is eternal
Prayer is to God only.
The prophets spoke truth.
Moses was the greatest of the prophets.
The Written and Oral Torah were given to Moses.
There will be no other Torah.
God knows the thoughts and deeds of men.
God will reward the good and punish the wicked.
The Messiah will come.
The dead will be resurrected. {4}

books of Tanakh

Torah (Law) Bereisheet (Genesis) Sh’mot (Exodus) Vayikra (Leviticus) BaMidbar (Numbers) D’varim (Deuteronomy)

Nevi’im (Prophets) Joshua Judges 1,2 Samuel 1,2 Kings Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel Twelve Minor Prophets

Ketuvim (Writings) Psalms Proverbs Job Song of Songs Ruth Lamentations Ecclesiastes Esther Daniel Ezra/Nehemiah Chronicles

books of Mishnah

Zera’im (Seeds) Berakhot Peah Demai Kilayim Shebiit Terumot Maaserot Maaser Sheni Challah Orlah Bikkurim Mo’ed (Festivals) Shabbat Erubin Pesachim Sheqalim Yoma Sukkah Besah Rosh Hashanah Taanit Megillah Moed Qatan Hagigah

Nashim (Women) Yebamot Ketubot Nedarim Nazir Sotah Gittin Qiddushin Nezikin (Damages) Baba Qamma Baba Mesia Baba Batra Sanhedrin Makkot Shabuot Eduyyot Avodah Zarah Pirke Avot Horayot

Kodashim (Holy Things) Zevachim Menachot Chullin Bekhorot Arakhin Temurah Keritot Meilah Tamid Middot Qinnim Tohorot (Purities) Kelim Ohalot Negaim Parah Tohorot Miqvaot Niddah Makhshirin Zabim Tebul-Yom Yadayim Uqsin

References

1. Genesis 1:3-2:2.

2. Exodus 20:1-17; Deuteronomy 5:6-21.

3. Genesis 49.

4. According to Maimonides.

Fast Facts on Christianity

Source: ReligionFacts.com

This section provides basic facts on Christianity in a quick, at-a-glance format. Here you can get a general sense of the Christian faith before exploring it in greater depth, get the basics in order to compare Christianity to other religions, study for a test on Christianity, play a Christian trivia game, or just learn something new.

Date founded:

c. 33 AD

Place founded:

Palestine

Founder:

Jesus of Nazareth, a Jewish carpenter

Adherents:

2 billion {1}

US adherents:

159 million in 2001 {2}

UK adherents:

51 million in 1997 {3}

Size rank:

largest world religion

Main location:

Europe
North America
South America

Major sects (denominations):

Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant

Sacred texts:

The Bible, comprised of the Old Testament and New Testament

Original languages:

Aramaic, Greek, Latin

Religious professionals:

Priest; bishop; archbishop; patriarch; pope; pastor; minister; preacher; deacon

House of worship:

Church, chapel, cathedral, basilica, meeting hall

Type of theism:

Trinitarian Monotheism

Ultimate reality:

One God (a Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit)

Human nature:

Created good but now born sinful

Purpose of life:

Know, love and serve God

How to live:

Have faith in the true God and Christ’s resurrection, do good works, participate in sacraments

Afterlife:

Resurrection of body and soul, purgatory (Catholic and Orthodox), and eternal heaven or hell

Symbols:

Cross, dove, anchor, fish, alpha and omega, chi rho

Major holidays:

Advent (Nov. 30 – Dec. 24)
Christmas (Dec. 25)
Epiphany (Jan. 6)
Lent (40-day period prior to Easter)
Good Friday (last Friday before Easter)
Easter (date varies)
All Saint’s Day (Nov. 1)

Books of the New Testament :

Gospel of Matthew Gospel of Mark Gospel of Luke Gospel of John Acts of the Apostles Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians

Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon

Hebrews James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude Revelation

Two Greatest Commandments

1. Love God with your heart, soul and mind.
2. Love your neighbor as yourself. {4}

Four Last Things

1. second coming
2. judgment
3. heaven
4. hell

Seven Deadly Sins

1. pride
2. greed
3. lust
4. envy
5. gluttony
6. anger
7. sloth

Seven Ecumenical Councils

1. Council of Nicea (325 AD)
2. Council of Constantinople (381)
3. Council of Ephesus (431)
4. Council of Chalcedon (451)
5. Second Council of Constantinople (553)
6. Third Council of Constantinople (681)
7. Second Council of Nicea (787)

Twelve Apostles

1. James, son of Zebedee
2. John, son of Zebedee
3. Philip
4. Bartholomew
5. Thomas
6. Andrew (Peter’s brother)
7. Simon Peter
8. Matthew the tax collector
9. James, son of Alphaeus
10. Simon the Zealot
11. Judas Iscariot
12. Thaddaeus {5}

Fourteen Stations of the Cross

1. Jesus is condemned to death
2. The cross is laid upon him
3. Jesus’ first fall
4. Jesus meets Mary
5. Simon of Cyrene bears the cross
6. Veronica wipes Jesus’ face
7. Jesus’ second fall
8. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
9. Jesus’ third fall
10. Jesus is stripped of his garments
11. Jesus is crucified
12. Jesus dies
13. Jesus’ body is taken down
14. Jesus’s body is laid in the tomb

References

1. adherents.com
2. adherents.com
3. adherents.com
4. Mark 12:28-31.
5. Matthew 10:2.

The Ten Commandments

Exodus 20: 1 – 17
1	And God spoke all these words, saying,
2	“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3	“You shall have no other gods before me.
4	“You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
5	you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,
6	but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7	“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
8	“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9	Six days you shall labor, and do all your work;
10	but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant, or your maidservant, or your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your gates;
11	for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it.
12	“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the LORD your God gives you.
13	“You shall not kill.
14	“You shall not commit adultery.
15	“You shall not steal.
16	“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17	“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”

How Did Pagan Customs Mix into Christmas and Easter?

Source: Noahide.com

It began hundreds of years ago, when the Church changed the Bible. . .

Many modern traditions of Christian holidays do not originate from Christianity itself. These customs are not “harmless” sources of joy, but rather cause invisible spiritual damage to the souls of family members and other loved ones.

What is the source of such customs as adorning Christmas trees with lights, decorating with pine branches, holly, mistletoe, and yule logs, or exchanging gifts? Indeed, why is Christmas celebrated in late December, a time that Jesus certainly was not born? And from where did the name “Easter” come, together with the 40-day fast of Lent and the Easter egg?

All of these strange customs originated in ancient forms of idol-worship, including the Egyptian cult of Isis, the Syrian and Babylonian cults of Astarte (or “Ishtar”), the Greek cult of Dionysus, the Roman festivals of Saturnalia and the sun, the cults of the Druids in England, and others. Such pagan cults were notorious for practicing witchcraft, forced prostitution, self-mutilation, human sacrifice to false gods, and even burning children alive.¹

In other words, the Church accepted its holiday traditions from ancient Egypt, Babylon, Greece, and Rome–enemies of G-d who fought bitterly against His Word and were condemned by such Biblical prophets as Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel for their wickedness.

Why the pagans hated G-d’s Word

Most of the ancient world was ruled by “secret” societies–powerful sects that controlled education, religion, politics, and much of the economy. These priesthoods had been charged with the responsibility for teaching about G-d and His Law; instead, the priests became corrupt, hiding the Truth from the common people.

The pagan priests knew that G-d is One, and that He alone rules every detail of creation. As the Bible states, “You should know today and place in your heart that Hashem is the G-d, in heaven above and on the earth below; there is nothing else.”²

But these corrupt priests spread the lie that we need a mediator between G-d and man, without whom we cannot reach G-d. The phony “mediators” became the idols and false gods worshipped by the deceived masses. The people were even fooled into believing that G-d dresses Himself in the body of a man, such as Pharoah of Egypt or the King of Tyre.³

Likewise, the priests knew that the Law is the only path to eternal life, and that a sinner is forgiven and cleansed, not through any sacrifice, but only by returning back under the Law. In the Bible, King David declares before G-d:

“You will cleanse me with a hyssop plant and I will be pure; You will wash me and I will be whiter than snow….

“Because You will not desire a sacrifice, or I would give it; a burnt offering you will not want. The sacrifices of G-d are a broken spirit; a broken and crushed heart, G-d, You will not scorn.”⁴

Yet the pagan priests led the people away from true salvation, pretending that only the blood of sacrifices could appease the angry gods and goddesses. The priests mocked G-d’s Law, which guides and blesses every part of our daily lives, by calling it a “curse” too burdensome for man to follow.

The priests of the different nations joined forces, becoming an international priesthood seducing and enslaving most of the world under paganism. Nevertheless, they feared that the Truth might one day become public, exposing the priests and destroying their vast power.

G-d’s victories through true miracles

That day arrived when G-d sent Moses to redeem the Jewish slaves from Egypt.

The priests knew the secrets of sorcery, witchcraft, and magic, and had long been establishing their authority over the people by performing great miracles. When Moses arrived, the Egyptian priests challenged his authority by turning the water of the Nile river into blood and by multiplying frogs upon the land.⁵

G-d, however, turned their miracles into plagues and broke the back of Egyptian imperial power. The plagues were genuine miracles that suspended the very laws of nature-something only the infinite Creator Himself can do. Every year, the redemption from slavery is celebrated in the spring as Pesach (the Passover).

Seven weeks later, the nation of Israel was brought to Mount Sinai. G-d declared that He had chosen the Jewish people to be a “kingdom of priests”–true priests, not pagan ones–to teach G-d’s Word to all the gentile nations.⁶ G-d knew the Jewish people would remain stubbornly loyal to His Law, unlike the pagan priests of the rest of the world. The day G-d spoke to all Israel from the mountain is celebrated as Shavuos (the Jewish Pentecost).

Many centuries later, Greek armies oppressed the Jews in the land of Israel, defiling the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and forcing Jews to worship idols. The Greek pagans were furious that the Jews continued to teach the world the Truth, in word and deed. But G-d delivered the Jews from the vastly superior Greek military forces, and when the Jews cleaned out the Holy Temple, He rewarded them by causing one day’s worth of oil to burn miraculously for eight days in the menorah. This eight-day festival is celebrated in December as Hanukah.

The “New Testament”: Pagan revenge

Between G-d’s own miracles and the Jewish teaching of His Word, the pagan priesthoods of Egypt, Greece, and Rome were steadily losing their power over the gentile populations. They decided to fight back by creating a new religion, one that would claim to be the fulfillment of the Hebrew “Old Testament,” yet would bring back the pagan lies in a new disguise.

Thus the “New Testament” was written, in Greek rather than Hebrew, and attached to the original Hebrew scriptures to try to change their meaning back toward paganism.

The “New Testament” tried to change G-d from One, as in the Hebrew scriptures, into a “trinity” as in Egyptian cults or the eastern religions of Hinduism and Buddhism. It described Jesus as G-d in a human body, like the pagans always described Pharoah and other wicked kings. It declared G-d’s Law to be a “curse” that no one can truly obey, announced that there must be a “mediator” between G-d and man, and pretended that salvation could now be achieved outside the Law.

To blind the gentile nations, the “New Testament” also warned people not to learn from the Jews, declaring that Israel no longer possessed the true, complete Word of G-d.

In the Bible, the book of Daniel warned of an evil power–a false religion–that would believe in the true “G-d of fortresses… plus a god its fathers did not know.” This religion would “speak bizarre words about the Most High, wear out the holy ones (the Jews), and plan to change the festivals and the religious Law.”⁷ The Christian Church has indeed replaced Passover with Easter (the pagan holiday of Astarte and Ishtar) and Hanukah with Christmas (the pagan winter holiday).

Since then, Christian paganism has expanded to include Christmas trees, Easter eggs, and so forth.

How to celebrate genuine Biblical holidays

The only answer is to return to the original Truth of the Hebrew scriptures. The Bible established Passover, Shavuos, and other holidays, while the judges of Israel (the rabbis) acted upon their G-d-given authority to institute such holidays as Hanukah. When we celebrate these true holidays instead of neo-pagan festivals, we clear our homes of dangerous idolatrous symbols, replacing them with G-dly spirituality.

Jews celebrate these holidays slightly differently than Hasidic Gentiles (non-Jews who follow the universal Law), since Jews must follow the priestly Law, which is more difficult and complicated.

¹Hislop, The Two Babylons, Loizeaux Bros., New York (1943), pp. 93-109; Durant, Our Oriental Heritage, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1954, pp. 294-297; Leviticus 18:21.
² Deuteronomy 4:39.
³ Ezekiel 28:1-2,9; 29:3,9.
⁴ Psalms 51:9, 18-19.
⁵ Exodus 7:14 – 8:3.
⁶ Exodus 19:6.
⁷ Daniel 11:38; 7:25.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attacks Jews at UN food summit in Rome

Source: InTheDays.com

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrives at the UN food summit in Rome
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, has used his first trip to Western Europe to launch a new attack against Jews.

“Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the LORD: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished.”
—Eze 34:28

Arriving in Rome for a United Nations summit, Mr Ahmadinejad said: “The people of Europe have suffered the most harm from Zionists and today the costs of that falsified regime, whether political or economic, are on Europe’s shoulders.”

He added: “I do not believe my statements [at the conference] will cause any problems. People love what I say because they are trying to save themselves from the oppression of Zionists.”

Mr Ahmadinejad visited both Belarus and New York last year, but this is his first trip to a major European nation. Italy has refused to hold any talks with him, but was powerless to deny him entry because of United Nations rules regarding the summit.

“In the name of God, I love the Italian people, who are so rich with civilisation and history. Our two people have much shared history,” he said.

Hundreds of Roman Jews protested against his presence outside the Colosseum.

Around 40 heads-of-state attended the first day of the Food Summit in Rome and Mr Ahmadinejad was due to be given the opportunity to address them and to hold a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.

Robert Mugabe, the president of Zimbabwe, was also due to get the opportunity to make a speech on Tuesday afternoon and could use the opportunity to lambast the West. At a previous UN food summit, in 2005, Mr Mugabe labelled the United States and Britain as “terrorists”.

His wife Grace, who, at 42, is half his age, accompanied him to the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organisation where the summit is taking place. Instead of her customary shopping trip, she is expected to attend a lunch inside the building for the wives of the heads of state.

Neither Mr Ahmadinejad or Mr Mugabe have been invited to a banquet this evening at Villa Madama for the other heads of state. The dinner is being hosted by Silvio Berlusconi and Ban Ki Moon, the secretary general of the UN. To avoid the embarrassment of not gaining entry, Mr Ahmadinejad will leave Rome this afternoon.

As the summit kicked off, the head of the United Nations called for farming to increase by 50 per cent by 2030. Jacques Diouf, the head of the FAO, warned leaders that the amount of money spent on food aid for the third world had more than halved in real terms from £4 billion in 1980 to £1.7 billion in 2004.

“Resources to finance agricultural programmes in developing countries are decreasing, not rising,” he said. He said his attempt to draw attention to the problem last December, and to ask for £800 million in grants for fertilizer and seed in the third world, had been ignored.

He also criticised the emphasis placed by Western countries on global warming but the lack of attention to food. “Nobody understands how a carbon market of $64 billion can be created in developed countries to offset global warming, but that no funds can be found to prevent the annual deforestation of 13 million hectares.

“Nobody understands how $11 billion to $12 billion a year subsidies in 2006 have had the effect of diverting 100 million tonnes of cereals from human consumption, mostly to satisfy a thirst for fuel for vehicles,” he said.

He called for the world to find £15 billion a year to give 862 million hungry people the right to food.

Why did the Holocaust Happen?

Source: Moshiach.com

Why did G-d let the Holocaust happen and let all of those innocent people die? Where was he for the 5 or 6 million people who died, and why does he let people like hitler torment and oppress us?

While it would be presumptuous to try to answer this question, it is important to note that man-made evil is not, in and of itself, an overwhelming challenge to the idea of G-d’s goodness. It is a basic tenet of Judaism that G-d gave man free will, and that as a result human beings can choose to do evil. If G-d stopped people every time they tried to do evil, there would be no more free will, which is the essence of what makes human beings human. Of course, this does not entirely resolve the problem of evil in the world. Why, for example, did G-d create in human beings–or at least in some human beings– the desire to torture other people? There could have been free will without endowing some people with a propensity for sadism.

The problem of G-d’s apparent passivity in the face of many evil acts is exacerbated by Judaism’s belief that G-d sometimes does intervene to stop evil. “According to the Torah,” one frequently hears post-Holocaust Jews say, “G-d intervened in Egypt and took the Jews out of slavery. Why did He not destroy the death camps?”

The question is poignant, but naive. The account in Exodus makes it clear that G-d did not intervene when Pharaoh enslaved the Jews. Generations suffered under Egyptian cruelty, and untold numbers of male Jewish babies were drowned in the Nile, before G-d sent *Moses to confront Pharaoh. From that perspective, it has been noted, one could say that G-d intervened in the Holocaust as well: Indeed, He stopped it, but only after six million Jews had been murdered. I do not claim that this answer is satisfactory; in all likelihood, there probably is no satisfactory answer.

One of the dangers of theodicy, in fact, is that in its attempts to justify G-d’s ways to man, it frequently blames man for his sufferings. For example, one sometimes hears ultra-Orthodox Jews speak of the Holocaust as G-d’s punishment for Jewish irreligiosity. Aside from the fact that suffocating a small child in a gas chamber seems an excessive response to the Sabbath violations of that child’s parents, such a view makes no sense on other grounds. However irreligious European Jewry was in the 1930s and 1940s, the percentage of Jews in the United States who were religiously nonobservant was much higher. Yet American Jewry was spared the Holocaust and has had a very prosperous history.

Some anti-Zionist ultra-Orthodox thinkers explain the Holocaust as G-d’s punishment for Jews turning to the secular, Zionist movement. This explanation seems even more far-fetched, since among the few European Jews who escaped the Holocaust were the Zionists who left Europe before 1939 and emigrated to Palestine. Indeed, some religious Zionist thinkers understand the Holocaust as G-d’s punishment of those Jews who did not become Zionists and chose instead to stay in Europe. This argument is morally offensive, too. Putting children into gas chambers as punishment for their parents’ refusal to respond to Theodor Herzl’s challenge seems equally grotesque.

What is offensive about most attempts to explain the Holocaust is that, in one form or another, they convert Hitler into G-d’s ally, or at least into His lieutenant. Somehow, Hitler is seen as carrying out G-d’s will. Invariably, the people who offer such explanations accuse Jews other than themselves of having provoked G-d’s wrath. Such theologians undoubtedly hope that if they can isolate what it is precisely that so angers G-d, then they will be in a better position to pacify Him. Rather than trying to decipher why G-d would have “wanted” six million Jews to be murdered by order of the most wicked human being who ever lived, the proposition that the Holocaust, murders, an many other daily cruelties are the result of human free will seems to make more sense.

There is no comparably easy answer to explain natural suffering. Why are there earthquakes, floods, cancer? Clearly, there is no discernible relationship between human goodness and human suffering. When a truly evil person becomes ill, many people feel a certain satisfaction that someone who has caused so much suffering is now experiencing it. Indeed, if illness or tragedy befell only bad people, we would undoubtedly witness massive movements of repentance. However, suffering seems to be quite evenly distributed among the good and the bad, and remains the single greatest challenge to religious belief.

Without suffering, there would probably be few nonbelievers in the universe. But, if the believer has his troubles with evil, the atheist has more and graver difficulties to contend with. Reality stumps him altogether, leaving him baffled not by one consideration but by many, from the existence of natural law through the instinctual cunning of the insect to the brain of the genius and the heart of the prophet. This then is the intellectual reason for believing in G-d: That, though this belief is not free from difficulties, it stands out, head and shoulders, as the best answer to the riddle of the universe.

Moreover, G-d, by definition, is a higher reality that our mind cannot grasp. If G-d is a given, there are no questions. Just as a computer program is cannot understand the motives of its programmer, it is illogical that creatures should be able to completely understand every decision of their creator and designer.

• Categories

  • Hear Me USA
  • Jewish and Judaism
  • Torah
  • USA News

• Archives

  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • June 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
  • March 2008
  • May 2007
  • October 2006

• Links

  • Divineinformation.com
  • Learn the 7 Noahide Laws
  • NoahideNations.com
  • OutreachJudaism.com
  • Pictures of Israel
  • Rabbi Lazer Brody
  • Ralphs Rant – A Pro Israel Blog
  • Star of David
  • Tanach with Rashi Comments
  • TheLandOfIsrael.com
  • Torah.org
  • TorahAnytime.com

• Links

  • Log in
  • Other Resources
    HearMeUSA.com
    Ahabat Torah
    Aish Torah
    Anshai Torah
    Artscroll
    Avraham
    Bar Mitzvah Torah
    Beit
    Beit Torah
    Ben
    Ben Torah
    Bible
    Buy A Torah
    Buy Torah
    Cantillation
    Chabad
    Chabad Torah
    Chaim
    Chant Torah
    Chanukah Torah
    David Torah
    Divrei Torah
    Dual Torah
    Dvar Torah
    El Torah
    English Torah
    Forums Torah
    Free Torah
    God Torah
    Haf Torah
    Haftorah
    Halacha
    Hebrew
    Hebrew Torah
    Hillel Torah
    History Torah
    Israel
    Israeli
    Jerusalem
    Jerusalem Torah
    Jesus
    Jew
    Jewish
    Jewish Books
    Jewish Torah
    Jews
    Judaica
    Judaism
    Judaism Torah
    Korach
    La Torah
    Learn Torah
    Learning Torah
    Living Torah
    Mesorah
    Messianic
    Messianic Torah
    Mezuzah
    Midrash
    Mishna
    Mordechai
    New Torah
    Ohelei Torah
    Oholei Torah
    Or Torah
    Parasha
    Parashat
    Parsha
    Parshas
    Rabbi
    Rabbi Torah
    Rabbis
    Rambam
    Rebbe
    Rudlin Torah
    Save A Torah
    Sefer Torah
    Sephardic Torah
    Shaarie Torah
    Shabbat
    Shalom Torah
    Shlomo
    Simchah Torah
    Sinchat Torah
    Sofer
    Sofer Stam
    Stolen Torah
    Synagogue
    Talmud
    Talmud Torah
    Tanach
    Tefillin
    Temple Torah
    The Torah
    Toldot
    Torah
    Torah Abraham
    Torah Aliyah
    Torah Anthology
    Torah Anytime
    Torah Art
    Torah Bible
    Torah Blessing
    Torah Blessings
    Torah Books
    Torah Cantillation
    Torah Chaim
    Torah Chanting
    Torah Children
    Torah Class
    Torah Club
    Torah Commentary
    Torah Cover
    Torah Covers
    Torah Crown
    Torah Definition
    Torah Download
    Torah Family
    Torah Fax
    Torah For Sale
    Torah Forum
    Torah Games
    Torah Holders
    Torah Images
    Torah Israel
    Torah Jew
    Torah Jews
    Torah Law
    Torah Learning Center
    Torah Links
    Torah Meaning
    Torah Media
    Torah Midrash
    Torah Moshe
    Torah Mp3
    Torah Music
    Torah On Line
    Torah Online
    Torah Org
    Torah Parasha
    Torah Parashat
    Torah Parsha
    Torah Parshas
    Torah Parshat
    Torah Pdf
    Torah Picture
    Torah Pictures
    Torah Pointer
    Torah Pointers
    Torah Portion
    Torah Portions
    Torah Prayer
    Torah Prep
    Torah Project
    Torah Rashi
    Torah Reading
    Torah Readings
    Torah Resource
    Torah Scribe
    Torah Scroll
    Torah Scrolls
    Torah Search
    Torah Service
    Torah Shabbat
    Torah Sofer
    Torah Software
    Torah Study
    Torah Tapes
    Torah Text
    Torah Torah
    Torah Torah Torah
    Torah Translation
    Torah Trope
    Torah Tv
    Torah Umadda
    Torah Umesora
    Torah Umesorah
    Torah Video
    Torah Videos
    Torah Vodaas
    Torah Vodaath
    Torah Web
    Torah Weekly
    Torah Zone
    Torahs
    Universal Torah
    Universal Torah Network
    Weekly Torah Portion
    Www Torah
    Yaakov
    Yad
    Yad Torah
    Yagdil Torah
    Yehuda
    Yeshiva
    Yeshiva Torah
    Yosef
    Zohar
    126 Jewish
    Ask Rabbi
    Beth Jewish
    Cleveland Jewish News
    Congregation
    Congregation Jewish
    Conservative Jewish
    Date Jewish
    Dov
    Dov Jewish
    Eli Jewish
    Frum
    Half Jewish
    Hebrew Calendar
    Hebrew Date
    Hebrew Jewish
    Hillel
    History Jewish
    Israeli Jewish
    Jerusalem.\"jewish
    Jewish Abraham
    Jewish Agency
    Jewish Art
    Jewish Ben
    Jewish Bible
    Jewish Blessing
    Jewish Blessings
    Jewish Book
    Jewish Business
    Jewish Calander
    Jewish Calendar
    Jewish Calender
    Jewish Chabad
    Jewish Chaim
    Jewish Charity
    Jewish Chat
    Jewish Chicago
    Jewish Christian
    Jewish Cohen
    Jewish Communal Fund
    Jewish Communities
    Jewish Community
    Jewish Customs
    Jewish Dates
    Jewish David
    Jewish Divorce
    Jewish Door
    Jewish Education
    Jewish Events
    Jewish Families
    Jewish Fashion
    Jewish Federation
    Jewish Games
    Jewish Gift
    Jewish God
    Jewish Ha
    Jewish Hand
    Jewish Hillel
    Jewish Holiday
    Jewish Holidays
    Jewish Holocaust
    Jewish Home
    Jewish Israel
    Jewish Jacob
    Jewish Jerusalem
    Jewish Jesus
    Jewish Jewelry
    Jewish Jews
    Jewish Judaica
    Jewish Kosher
    Jewish Lawyer
    Jewish Leadership
    Jewish Levy
    Jewish Library
    Jewish Life
    Jewish Literature
    Jewish Living
    Jewish Los Angeles
    Jewish Magazine
    Jewish Man
    Jewish Media
    Jewish Meditation
    Jewish Men
    Jewish Messiah
    Jewish Mother
    Jewish Mother Virginia Beach
    Jewish Music
    Jewish New Year
    Jewish News
    Jewish Organization
    Jewish Passover
    Jewish People
    Jewish Pictures
    Jewish Post
    Jewish Prayer
    Jewish Prayers
    Jewish Press
    Jewish Rabbi
    Jewish Rabbis
    Jewish Radio
    Jewish Religion
    Jewish Renewal
    Jewish Review
    Jewish Rock
    Jewish Roots
    Jewish Sabbath
    Jewish Shabbat
    Jewish Shalom
    Jewish Singer
    Jewish Single
    Jewish Singles
    Jewish Standard
    Jewish State
    Jewish Studies
    Jewish Synagogue
    Jewish Synagogues
    Jewish Talmud
    Jewish Temple
    Jewish Temples
    Jewish Theological Seminary
    Jewish Tradition
    Jewish Tv
    Jewish Voice For Peace
    Jewish Websites
    Jewish Week
    Jewish Wisdom
    Jewish Woman
    Jewish Women
    Jewish Year
    Jewish Zombie
    Jewish-history
    Jewish-israeli
    Joseph Jewish
    Judaism Jewish
    Kabbalah
    Kosher
    Menorah
    Messianic Jewish
    Mitzvah
    Moshe Jewish
    Orthodox
    Orthodox Jewish
    Parker Jewish Institute
    Reform Jewish
    Religious Jewish
    Rosh
    Rosh Hashana
    Rosh Hashanah
    Rosh Jewish
    Sephardic
    Sephardic Jewish
    Shabbos
    Shalom
    Shlomo Jewish
    Shmuel
    Shul
    Synagogues
    The Jewish Home
    The Jewish Press
    The Jewish Week
    Yehuda Jewish
    Yeshiva Jewish
    Yiddish
    Yom
    Yom Kippur
    Yossi
    Youkilis Jewish
    Zionism
    Zionist
    Zvi
    Jerusalem.\\\"jewish
    

• Recent Posts

  • ????Pleasures – Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi
  • WHAT THE TORAH TELLING US ABOUT GERMANY – Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi
  • Rabbi Yossi Mizrachi – Mordechai and Ester in the Torah codes
  • “Torah And Science” With – Rabbi Yossi Mizrachi – Science
  • Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi – “Torah And Science” (Part 25/25)