A Quick Note About JudahGabriel.BlogSpot.Com

I just posted a referral to judahgabriel.blogspot.com after Judah helpfully noted that someone should get the Complete Jewish Bible onto biblegateway.com and other online Bible sites.

The internet is full of people with many opinions.

Right after I suggested people might want to read Judah’s blog, he posted a critique of the Jewish calendar (saying it is pagan because they picked up the names of months from Babylon).

His critique makes the kind of naive error often found in Two-House and Hebraic Roots circles. First, he misunderstands certain details of the calendar (such as why Rosh haShanah would be considered a new year). Second, he rejects the idea that Judaism is a community and that we all need to follow community standards and not make our own standards. Third, he assumes that any mixing with pagan terminology makes something tainted with impurity (never mind that the Bible uses pagan mythological references — Ps. 48:3 (vs. 2 in Chr. Bibles) calls Zion Zaphon’s peak (in the Hebrew, but not in most translations) with Zaphon being Baal’s mountain in Syria, and check out Leviathan and Rahab in a concordance for more examples, just to name a few).

Anyway, I just wanted to say that I appreciate Judah and his contribution. I do not discount his writings because we disagree about these issues. But neither did I intend to endorse his blog. Rather, we should read everything critically.

Meanwhile, Judah, I challenge you to take in the Jewish perspective. You might be surprised at the beauty of Judaism if you try it.

Derek

A Reader Responds on the CJB

I got a great response from Judah at http://judahgabriel.blogspot.com/ about the CJB and the internet. He has been wanting to see the CJB on biblegateway.com and is hoping to put the folks together from Lederer (publisher of the CJB) and Bible Gateway.

It would be awesome if the blog world got more exposure for the CJB on an important site like Bible Gateway. Thanks, Judah. I hope this will cause some readers to check out your blog as well.

Meanwhile, don’t miss the post below, “Hebrews 10:1: The CJB and Other Translations.”

Shabbat Shalom

Hebrews 10:1: CJB and Other Translations

I don’t want to exaggerate, but it is important to realize how much of a role bias plays in translation of the Bible from Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek into modern languages. All people are biased. We cannot escape that.

Sometimes subtle biases affect the English translations of the Bible in ways that are fairly easy to notice. One bias that has been common in Christendom since the days of Justin Martyr (and even before) and a penchant for disrespecting the Torah, the Law of Moses, the Pentateuch, the covenant between God and Israel.

The following is one of the more obvious examples and one of the reasons the Complete Jewish Bible was undertaken . . .
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I have been in a number of conversations, trying to help Christian friends understand what Messianic Judaism is all about, when someone brings up the line, “But the law is only a shadow.” There is a book by Vern Poythress called The Shadow of Christ in the Law of Moses that takes this concept and justifies centuries of supersessionist reading of the Old Testament/Hebrew scriptures (supersessionist refers to the belief that Christians have taken Israel’s place as God’s people and that God is through with Israel). On amazon.com a reviewer of Poythress’s book puts it this way, “Christianity is not continuation of Judaism. In fact, Judaism today only started after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Ancient Israelite religion in the Old Testament is a different religion altogether.”

I couldn’t disagree more. Is this a fitting statement from those who follow a Jewish Messiah? Is it historically feasible to claim that Judaism today has little or no continuity with Moses, Samuel, David, and Elijah? Of course not.

Lying behind the shadowy view of the Torah is an important verse in a much-misunderstood book of the New Testament: The Letter to the Hebrews.

The verse in question is Hebrews 10:1. Let me cite it for you in the NIV:

The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. (Heb. 10:1, NIV).

Did you notice that word “only”? What is the Greek word which led the NIV translators to put the word “only” there?

There is no word “only” in the Greek.

Check out how a few other translations deal with it:

For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. (Heb. 10:1, ESV).

Since the law has |only| a shadow of the good things to come, and not the actual form of those realities, it can never perfect the worshipers by the same sacrifices they continually offer year after year. (Heb. 10:1, HCSB).

Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered year after year, make perfect those who approach. (Heb. 10:1, NRSV).

For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. (Heb. 10:1, NASB).

To summarize these results, ESV has “but a shadow,” while HCSB, NRSV, and NASB have “only a shadow,” though HCSB has the decency to put “only” in brackets.

There are two English translations that do it much better. The first is a Christian translation called the NET Bible (New English Translation) and which has extensive notes about the language of the Bible:

For the law possesses a shadow of the good things to come but not the reality itself, and is therefore completely unable, by the same sacrifices offered continually, year after year, to perfect those who come to worship. (Heb. 10:1, NET).

This is a good positive translation of the point that the writer of Hebrews is making. He is not saying, “The Law is bad and the Good News of Jesus is good.” He is saying to a group of Jews who are thinking of abandoning their faith in Messiah, “It is true that the Torah possesses a shadow of the Good News we now know in Messiah, but don’t go back to the Torah without Messiah, because the Torah was incomplete.”

Those are very different points.

And all of that leads me to the Complete Jewish Bible and its rendering. The Complete Jewish Bible (see my earlier post this week about the CJB) is the work of Dr. David Stern and has is its goal overcoming anti-Semitism in Christian thought, teaching Christians the connection between Jesus-faith and Judaism, and teaching Jews that the New Testament completes the Hebrew scriptures. Consider how the CJB translates Hebrews 10:1:

For the Torah has in it a shadow of the good things to come, but not the actual manifestation of the originals. Therefore, it can never, by means of the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, bring to the goal those who approach the Holy Place to offer them. (Heb. 10:1, CJB).

This is one of the things I love the CJB for. When few Christian translations can see the connection, the CJB again and again gets it right.

We should not be saying, “the law is only a shadow” or “merely a shadow” or “but a shadow.” The Torah has in it a shadow of the Good News of Messiah! This is a positive point to be appreciated.

Yet the Torah, without Messiah and the Good News, is incomplete. The Torah leaves Israel near to God but banished outside the tent, with God hidden in the back room (called the Holy of Holies). The Torah draws you near, but not into direct contact, with God. The Torah hints at something more, a time when hearts are circumcised and people are directly with God.

If you don’t have a copy of the Complete Jewish Bible, I encourage you to get one at www.messianicjewish.net.

Check Me Out on Video

Shalom Friends:

You can see a video shot of me introducing my latest book at the following link:
http://www.emedialink.com/view_video.php?viewkey=f3d4c9957a1d4397f1b4

You can also see my book featured at the moment on the home page of LifeWay.com

Don’t miss the new post below, “Preparing for Passover, Pt. 5.”

Derek

Preparing for Passover, Pt. 5

This has been a good series for me. I love Passover. I love the haggadah. In fact, I collect them.

I just had a great blessing in Greenville, SC, where I always lead a sort of Passover Seder for a church on Good Friday. That might sound weird to Jewish readers, but remember, Christians are connecting their faith in Jesus with its Jewish roots. And these Christians love to see the connection between the death and resurrection of Jesus with the Passover and Good Friday is the time they want to do it. They say, “every year until Jesus comes.” I’m fortunate to be able to share with them.

Anyway, one of the women who comes every year, passed on a little haggadah she found at the Salvation Army store as a gift to me. It is pocket-sized and it has the famous Siegmund Forst illustrations. It was one of the kind put out by a charitable organization to its donors in the 1940’s and 1950’s. It was an unexpected gift and a nice addition to my collection.

The Passover Haggadah is a piece of Jewish history. We ought to get to know it before the Seder comes . . .
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One of my favorites parts of the Seder happens close to the beginning. The shankbone and the egg are removed from the Seder plate (because they could easily roll off–Jewish customs are not always for mysterious reasons!) and the Seder plate is lifted up. Everyone recites a sort of introduction to the Seder:

This is the bread of poverty which our forefathers ate in the land of Egypt. Let all who are hungry enter and eat; let all who are needy come to our Passover feast. This year we are here; next year we will be in the land of Israel. This year we are slaves; next year may we be free men.

In the Schocken Passover Haggadah, edited by Nahum Glatzer, we read this comment: “The reference to the Passover ‘feast,’ or rather the Passover sacrifice, suggests that the passage was written before the destruction of the temple.” This would seem to conflict with the line “this year we are here,” but perhaps he is right. Perhaps the line changed over the years, but originally it was written for celebrations at the temple.

At the temple, Passover was one of three pilgrimage feasts (Deut. 16:16). The people brought with them their tithe of grain, fruit, and meat, to eat and share with the poor and the Levites (Deut: 14:22-29).

This could very well be the origin of the saying, “Let all who are hungry enter and eat; let all who are needy come to our Passover feast.”

But are we to suppose that a hungry person might just happen to be on our street at the time we hold the Seder? Are to picture ourselves opening our doors and inviting in a homeless person to eat Passover with us? (Note: If they are not Jewish or religious, they might not have the patience to sit for a long, ceremonial meal!).

No, but I think there are two good ways to fulfill the aim of this beautiful introduction to the Seder.

First, we can, in advance, invite some to our Seder who might not celebrate it otherwise.

Second, leading up to Passover, why not make some donations to a local food bank or send money to a world hunger fund?

Then, when the night of Passover comes, we will truly be able to say, “Let all who are needy come to our Passover feast.” Then we will be able to fulfill in spirit the command to set aside a tithe in our towns for the poor and the dispossessed.

Let’s get ready. Passover is coming.

Let’s Talk: The Complete Jewish Bible

I do apologize for my long absence. However, now that I am back, I’m eager to talk about some things.

Some time ago I quit taking direct comments on this blog. I still think that is the best policy. For a while this blog was a bona-fide part time job (minus the salary!). And I work seven days a week already (since I am a rabbi and teach on Saturday morning and evening, while speaking in churches on Sunday mornings and evenings, you get the idea).

But now I want to start a discussion. I want to talk about some issues surrounding the Complete Jewish Bible (see more below).

To participate in the discussion, simply email derekblogger@gmail.com

I will be posting some of the responses in future posts and I hope we can get a great discussion going here.
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If you’ve never seen The Complete Jewish Bible, you owe it to yourself to get one. I recommend the hardcover edition. Get it at www.messianicjewish.net (*Note: for some reason the www is necessary with this site, though it usually isn’t with most websites — can anyone tell me why this is so?).

The Complete Jewish Bible is the work of Dr. David Stern, a Messianic Jewish patriarch living in Israel. I have had the privilege of meeting Dr. Stern at a few conferences, especially the Hashivenu forums in L.A. (hashivenu.org). He is a complete mensch (a fine human being).

One of my earliest experiences with Dr. Stern happened about three years ago at a Hashivenu forum. We were about eighty or so Messianic Jewish leaders and thinkers gathered in a crowded room at the Fuller Seminary in Pasadena. We were all arguing and debating about some theological topic (I don’t remember what the topic was). People were talking over one another and the volume in the room was increasing.

Then, Dr. Stern stood up, with the aid of a cane. He began to speak softly. While everyone else was trying to interrupt and talk louder than the others in the room, Dr. Stern simply spoke softly and slowly. And the room gradually grew silent. Out of respect, this room full of academics and leaders all grew silent. Everyone wanted to hear what Dr. Stern had to say. He wasn’t one who tried to talk often and was, in fact, quite sparing with his words. But I remember being awed by the respect in the room, full of people who could barely agree what time it was, much less about theology. Yet all were in agreement that this man was worth listening to.

More recently, I was at a banquet in honor Dr. Stern and his wife, Martha. The banquet was part of a night dedicated to the David Harold Stern center being opened in L.A.. The Stern Center is part of the upcoming work of the Messianic Jewish Theological Institute (mjti.org), the first real Messianic Jewish seminary and a sign of real hope for the future of our movement.

Rabbi Dr. Stuart Dauermann, another patriarch I admire, stood to say some words about Dr. Stern. The bottom line of Rabbi Dauermann’s tribute was that Dr. Stern was saying things back in the ’70’s and ’80’s about Messianic Judaism that no one else was saying. Dr. Stern anticipated by several decades the emerging direction of the Messianic Jewish movement in his book The Messianic Jewish Manifesto.

It’s true. Dr. Stern saw then what few could see and what still many of the old-school leaders in Messianic Judaism cannot see. Messianic Judaism is a Judaism. It is not Judaism plus Christianity or vice versa. It is not a blended religion. It is a Judaism that finds Yeshua at the center, not merely because we decided to place him there, but because he had been there all along, hidden within the developing tradition by the superintending hand of God.

All of that was a preface to what I am now going to say and the discussion I would like to get started…

The Complete Jewish Bible is perhaps the greatest unifying factor in our movement. The Complete Jewish Bible is the least controversial and perhaps the most useful tool produced yet by the Messianic Jewish movement. In a future post, I’ll talk about the history of The Complete Jewish Bible. But for now, I want to quote a portion of Dr. Stern’s introduction and raise a few points for discussion:

Why is this Bible different from all other Bibles? Because it is the only English version of the Bible fully Jewish in style and presentation and includes both the Tanakh (“Old Testament”) and B’rit Hadashah (New Covenant, “New Testament”). Even its title, The Complete Jewish Bible, challenges both Jews and Christians to see that the whole Bible is Jewish, the B’rit Hadashah as well as the Tanakh. Jews are challenged by the implication that without it the Tanakh is and incomplete Bible. Christians are challenged with the fact that they are joined to the Jewish people through faith in the Jewish Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus) — so that because Christianity can only be rightly understood from a Jewish perspective, anti-Semitism is condemned absolutely and forever. In short, The Complete Jewish Bible restores the Jewish unity of the Bible.

In my opinion, that is one of the finest statements on the Bible and the relationship between Jews and Christians that I have read . . . anywhere.

So here are some questions for discussion:

1. How do you feel about Dr. Stern’s statement? Do you disagree with or have a question about any part of it? Do you have anything to add in support of what he is saying?

2. What has The Complete Jewish Bible meant to you as a reader? How has it helped you?

3. Are there any readings from the Complete Jewish Bible that you are especially fond of?

Let the discussion begin!

Traveling Week . . .

I’ll be traveling this week. The possibility of posting some new blog articles is slim. I’ll be in Boca Raton, Florida, for a UMJC Theology Conference. We’re talking about soteriology, what we believe about God’s requirements for inclusion in the World to Come. Then Thursday I’ll be speaking twice in Rock Hill, SC and on Friday late in Greenville, SC, and then back home for synagogue Saturday morning.

Messianic Jewish Musings will be back to musing very soon . . .

Preparing for Passover, Pt. 4

I’m posting this on a Friday, and Shabbat is coming. Many weeks on this blog I put up a Sabbath meditation. Well, this post is really about Passover, but it’s good for a Sabbath meditation as well. The Passover Haggadah is part of the Torah and tradition passed down to us. It wouldn’t hurt to spend Sabbath meditation time studying the Haggadah and preparing for a meaningful Passover.

I’ve been passing along insights from a wonderful book call Creating Lively Passover Seders by David Arnow. It’s really an explanation of where the parts of the Passover Haggadah came from and what they mean.

As promised in Part 3, here in Part 4 the topic is the Five Sages. That is one section of the Haggadah, no doubt, that many people have little idea what is going on . . .
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The Passover Haggadah is a compendium of tradition from different periods of time as different generations passed on new parts to be recited on Passover. As you go through the Haggadah, you will suddenly come on a part that tells a story about a dialogue between five rabbis:

A tale is told about Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Joshua, Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, Rabbi Akiva, and Rabbi Tarfon. They were reclining in B’nei Barak, discussing the Exodus from Egypt all through the night, until their student came to them and said, “Masters, the time has come to recite the morning Shema.”

For starters, it is helpful to know who these rabbis were:

1. Rabbi Eliezer — As a young man he begged his father to let him go to Jerusalem and study with Rabbi Yokhanan ben Zakkai. His father refused and ordered him to remain and work the family farm. Finally, at age 28, Eliezer did run away to Jerusalem and presented himself to Rabbi Yokhanan, who took pity on him and took him in. Rabbi Yokhanan was amazed with Eliezer’s ability to learn and said, “If all the sages of Israel were on one pan of a balancing scale, and Eliezer were on the other, he would outweigh them all.” Eliezer was a great teacher and his most famous saying is:

Let the honor of your fellow man be as precious to you as your own. Do not be quick to anger, and repent one day before your death.

His students famously asked, “But does a person know the day of his death?” Rabbi Eliezer replied, “Let him repent today and perhaps he will die tomorrow.”

2. Rabbi Joshua — He was also a disciple of Rabbi Yokhanan, who said that Rabbi Joshua is the threefold cord that cannot be broken. After the Romans destroyed the Temple, Rabbi Joshua was the one who looked to Rabbi Yokhanan and said, “Woe to us, that this, the place where Israel’s sins were atoned for, is laid waste.”

3. Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah was one of Rabbi Yokhanan’s later students after the Temple was destroyed and Rabbi Yokhanan reformed the scholars of Israel at Yavne (Jamnia). Rabbi Elazar became the head of the Sanhedrin at the young age of 18! Legend says that when he accepted the job, God turned his hair white overnight to make him look seventy.

4. Rabbi Tarfon also became a teacher at Yavne. One of the legends about him is that he had so much respect for his parents that once, when his mother lost the sole of her shoe, young Tarfon put his hand underneath her bare foot so she would not hurt herself walking home. Tarfon shunned fame and went about disguised. His most famous saying is, “You are not required to complete the task, but neither are you free to avoid starting it.”

5. Rabbi Akiva is one of Judaism’s most famous rabbis. Rabbi Akiva worked a farm until he was forty and did not even start his rabbinical training until after that. He studied under Rabbis Eliezer, Joshua, and Tarfon. Rabbi Akiva added to the principles for interpreting Torah. He said the Torah’s essence was contained in “love your neighbor as yourself.” Rabbi Akiva eventually supported Bar Kokhva in he second Jewish revolt (132 – 135 C.E.). He was captured by the Romans and had his skin removed with iron combs. As they peeled off his skin, Akiva recited the Shema until he died. Akiva is one of the most-quoted sages in the Mishnah, because he wrote down many opinions in a time when most believed they should not be written down.

So why are the five rabbis in the story of the Haggadah?

Arnow finds the reason in a bit of the later story of these rabbis. A time came when Eliezer did not agree with the rest of the scholars on a point of halakhah (practical rulings about how to obey God’s commands).

The story of their disagreement is fascinating and beyond the scope of this article. But suffice it to say that a sad day came into the history of the rabbis. Since Eliezer would not give up his opinion and submit to the majority, they placed him under a ban.

That meant his teachings were not to be passed down. It also meant that all Israelites except Eliezer’s family were to avoid him except for business.

Rabbi Akiva dressed in mourning clothes and came to tell his master the news. They both sat and wept.

Sometime later, Eliezer was on his deathbed. The other four rabbis came to see him, but would not enter his room. Eliezer was angry that they had not studied with or visited him all these years. From the doorway, the four rabbis asked Eliezer’s opinion on a matter of halakhah, whether a certain item was clean or unclean. Rabbi Eliezer’s last word was clean.

This persuaded Rabbi Joshua that Rabbi Eliezer was also clean. So after he died they lifted the ban, which is why Eliezer’s words are in the Mishnah and Talmud today.

The disagreement between these rabbis is a well-known piece of Jewish history. So David Arnow suggests that is why they are in the Haggadah. All five of them are together, including Eliezer, and they are discussing Torah.

The message of the Haggadah in this story is simple and profound: “The message is that peace and fraternity are ultimately more important than ideology or winning an argument” (Arnow, p.49).

The story of the five rabbis discussing Exodus all night until morning is an example of the heavenly overtaking the earthly, and of the value of friendship and Torah.

Esther and Apocryphal Esther

Purim is coming on March 21 this year, which is also the Christian Good Friday. Purim (POOHR-im) means lots as in the ancient custom of casting lots (almost like dice) either as a game or to divine the future. It is about a pogrom that was planned in Persia, a day of destruction decreed for the Jewish people, whose date was decided by the casting of lots.

Purim is all about the story of Esther and Mordecai and King Xerxes (Ahasuerus). If you’ve never read the biblical Esther, you’ve been missing out on one of the earliest comedies in literary history. Who would have guessed that God would include comedy as a genre in his sacred writings.

In this post, I want to introduce you to a few differences between the biblical Esther (Hebrew) and a later Greek version which is included in the Apocrypha. This is part of a series on this blog about Second Temple writings and the Apocrypha. To read more on this subject, look on the right margin under categories and click “Second Temple Lit.”
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In the Hebrew scriptures, Esther is one of the five megillot, the scrolls read for the holidays. Thus, when we read Esther at Purim we speak of reading the “whole megillah.” Esther is famous for not mentioning God even once, though the plan of God I clearly seen running between the lines of the story.

In the Greek scriptures, the LXX or Septuagint, Esther is considerably longer because of many additions that were made by the translator(s). The general trend seems to have been to try and make Esther a more religious book. Esther was controversial in the formative period of the Hebrew Bible because it did not mention God or his covenant with Israel. The Greek Esther seems to have been an attempt to correct what seemed an irreverent, godless telling of the story.

Of course, the genius of the biblical Esther is precisely that it tells the story without mentioning God all the while showing, rather than telling, of his divine power and protection of Israel. Sadly, the Apocryphal Esther loses this in its attempt to make it more religious.

The Apocryphal Esther has three main differences from the biblical Esther. First, it is in Greek instead of Hebrew. Second, it has six additional sections, which I will summarize below. Third, in the story, which parallels the biblical Esther, there are many words and phrases added. What is the main word that Apocryphal Esther adds? You guessed it: God.

The six additions to Esther are:
1. Mordecai’s dream about the two eunuchs who want to kill Xerxes.
2. The text of Xerxes edict to destroy the Jews.
3. The prayers of Mordecai and Esther.
4. A longer version of Esther approaching Xerxes.
5. The text of the edict overturning the first one.
6. The interpretation of Mordecai’s dream.

Here are some brief examples of these additions:

1. “…And this was his dream: Noises and confusion, thunder and earthquakes, tumult on the earth! Then two dragons came forward, both ready to fight, and they roared terribly…and the whole righteous nation was troubled…Then they cried out to God…”.

2. “…Therefore we have decreed that those indicated to you in the letters written by Haman, who is in charge of all affairs and is our second father, shall all–wives and children included–be utterly destroyed by the swords of their enemies…”.

3. From Mordecai’s prayer: “O Lord, Lord, you rule as king over all things, for the universe is in your power and there is no one who can oppose you when it is your will to save Israel…Hear my prayer, and have mercy upon your inheritance; turn our mourning into feasting, that we may live and sing and praise your name, O Lord. Do not destroy the lips that praise you.”

4. “On the third day, when she [Esther] ended her prayer, she took off the garments in which she had worshipped, and arrayed herself in splendid attire. Then, majestically adorned, after invoking the aid of the all-seeing God and Savior, she took two maids with her…”.

5. “…Many people, the more they are honored with the most generous kindness of their benefactors, the more proud do they become, and not only seek to injure our subjects, but in their inability to stand prosperity, they even undertake to scheme against their own benefactors. They not only take away thankfulness from others, but, carried away by the boasts of those who know nothing of goodness, they even assume they will escape the evil-hating justice of God…”.

6. “And Mordecai said, ‘These things have come from God; for I remember the dream I had concerning these matters…”.

Apocryphal Esther has its own charm and wisdom. It is a piece of religious, devotional literature worthy of reading.

Yet it misses the genius of the biblical book of Esther. In seeking to be pious and to frequently reference God in the retelling of the Esther story, the writer(s) of the Greek Esther have failed to understand why the original does not mention God explicitly.

The biblical Esther mirrors our own experience. God is hidden. We do not hear his voice or see directly what he is doing. God is always at work behind the scenes and only the prophets can tell us what God is saying and doing. Esther is God’s people being saved by the invisible hand of God.

Coffee, Torah, Conversation

I just spent an evening and a breakfast with two old friends who live in the country. He is a retired professor of literature and she is a retired nurse. They are young to be retired.

I was traveling back home and made plan to stay with them to get a little rest on a long drive. I’m glad I did. The conversation we had was healing and helped the three of us transcend mere existence for a few hours.

One of the great things about Jewish life (and the same could be said of Christian life) is conversation. Good conversation is an art form and a form of therapy as well. It is healing to the bones.

I like the way Judaism has taught me not to fret about disagreements and details, but to enjoy dialogue. I’m not talking about a full Beit Midrash style conversation where we argue points of Torah even to the point of raising our voices. I’m not comfortable with that level of debate. I’ve seen too many people hurt in such conversations. I think those very religious Jews who engage in Beit Midrash debates have grown into it and are able to sustain friendship because of a cultivated culture of dialogue. But for us more ordinary Americans red-faced debates generally produce pain.

No, the kind of conversation I mean does embrace differences, but not in a rude manner. It is simply an attitude that my opinion and your opinion are valuable and no one’s opinion is final. In fact, in a dialogue we should be comfortable taking on a perspective we’re unsure about, just to test it out and see if those we’re talking to can shoot it down. A good conversation has nothing to do with winning and losing. Its about experience and learning.

So, in the evening we started with some Manischewitz Cream White. Sure, it’s not the best of wines (I prefer Cabernet or a Sauvignon Blanc). But to a tired soul traveling and hoping for a good night’s sleep, the Manischewitz makes a good nightcap.

Over glasses of wine we talked for several hours, staying up later than any of us intended. But when we got to bed, I’d say we probably all fell asleep right away and slept better than on an average night.

The cool thing about these friends of mine is that all three of us have some differences of perspective. We all have our own worthy contributions to make to the discussion. Carol studies and reads about some very specific topics that interest her. Bob has the wisdom of a literature professor, able to appreciate many different ideas and to comprehend the complexity of religious and philosophical ideas. I brought to the table my rabbinical and biblical studies.

We talked about Torah and Yeshua. We talked about changing trends in American religion, the radical changes postmodern culture is bringing to brick and mortar churches and synagogues. I shared some concepts with Bob and Carol from Tony Jones The New Christians, a good read for anyone wanting to grasp what is going on. I suggested that this book would give them insight into their young adult children and they have probably already ordered it from amazon.com by now. We talked about eschatology, the hopes and promises for the future as the end of the age draws nearer.

Carol brought up many non-biblical stories she’s been reading from the Apocrypha, the Pseudepigrapha (books like Enoch and Jubilees), and Midrash (rabbinic commentary that often makes up stories to fill in the gaps in the Bible’s stories). I explained that you don’t need to take Midrashic stories literally to appreciate the points the stories make or what they add to our understanding of the Bible. Robert related that to the idea of story and literature and was glad for Carol to hear a different way of reading. Carol fueled the conversation with questions and observations from her reading.

It was nice having someone who is a student of Jewish and Biblical literature dialoguing with a rabbi and a literature professor (even if he is her husband). I thought to myself, “It would be nice to always have a literature professor around to try out ideas on and to keep me on my toes in interpretation.”

This morning we spent an idyllic morning over coffee, looking out on the back forty acres (pretty much literally), and enjoying some farm fresh eggs.

I thought to myself, “This is about as close to the World to Come as it gets.”

Torah. Wine. Rest. Coffee. Conversation.

It’s not goal driven. Good conversation is about the process, enjoying the experience. And when it is done, it sticks in your mind. You want it again.

FEAST excerpt: Tradition and Passover

The extremely creative team over at Threads (threadsmedia.com), a division of LifeWay, have just released my latest book, FEAST. It is a six-week group study on the Biblical holidays.

You can see FEAST here.

What follow is an excerpt from FEAST and then a few comments. Keep in mind, FEAST is written for a Christian audience and assumes little or no knowledge of Judaism. I also think, however, that many in Messianic Jewish congregations could benefit from FEAST for two reasons: (1) My explanations of holidays and traditions in FEAST unfold a theology that sees Israel at the center of God’s plan and is a corrective to the low place Israel is accorded in much theology and (2) My explanations of the holidays and traditions look for spiritual concepts in them that all can benefit from.
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(From Page 22 of FEAST):
Tradition
Tradition. It’s a negative word to many people, especially in the religious context. To a lot of people tradition is synonymous with empty ritual, manmade process, or stuffiness. The fact is, however, that tradition is everywhere, regardless of whether or not we recognize it. Why does the leader bow when he says a prayer? Why do the people respond to that prayer with, “Blessed is the Lord, the Blessed One, for all eternity”? Why do the people recline? Why is there an empty chair? Tradition.

And that’s just in the religious sphere. If you try living without any tradition, you will find that it’s not possible. What is the last thing you say to a loved one before bed? What is the first thing you say to someone in the morning? What do you say at the beginning of a prayer? At the end? What is your posture in prayer? What time does worship begin at your congregation? How long is the service? What order does it usually follow? What do the leaders wear? The people? Tradition.

Tradition can be positive. Jesus blessed bread and wine in the traditional way. He reclined at the table. He used bread and wine as symbols. He dipped into a special bowl, most likely containing bitter herbs. He sang hymns, Psalm 113-118, at the end of the Seder with his disciples.

Jesus participated in the worshipful traditions of Judaism. He even passed a few traditions on to us. The Lord’s Prayer is very similar to two of the oldest and most important Jewish prayers. Tradition.

Do you believe it’s possible to live without sacred traditions?

What traditions are part of your life? Why do you keep them?

What spiritual truth do these traditions emphasize?
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I wrote the except above as part of the session on Passover in FEAST. I honed in on the idea of tradition because I went through more than a decade of evangelical Christianity where traditions were spoken of in negative tones. I just recently read a sermon outline making a point I had heard many times: don’t pray the Lord’s Prayer (it’s just an example of prayer). The very idea that the Lord’s Prayer is not something we should literally pray, because allegedly to do so would be mindlessly repeating words rather than “really praying,” is offensive. Our Messiah gave us a prayer. He was accustomed to pray in the synagogue. We were taught in evangelical schools and circles to interpret the Bible in its historical context. In context, Jesus meant for us to pray his prayer.

I’m so glad that numerous evangelical churches are making their way out of the anti-tradition, anti-liturgy mode of thinking. I hope that the Psalms and the Lord’s Prayer will make a comeback in evangelical churches.

To understand Jesus, evangelicals are going to have to see beyond 20th century prejudices and revival-movement concepts that are antithetical to the way of life Jesus taught.

I hope that FEAST will be useful to many who want to make that journey, who want to understand the way God merges the physical and spiritual, to understand the power of remembrance, and to appreciate the beauty of food and symbolism in worship.

FEAST is for small groups. It could be used in a Sunday School setting (it would probably need 12 weeks if used in a time-restricted Sunday School setting). It is also just a book you can read on its own, with plenty of text and thought questions about Passover, Shavuot (Pentecost), Rosh HaShanah (Trumpets), Yom Kippur (Atonement), Sukkot (Tabernacles), and Hanukkah.

Emergent Christianity and MJ

I am thinking about developing some Havurah (small group, home fellowship) materials for use in Messianic Judaism. In doing my homework, I’m reading a variety of things. I’m reading some things that have spun off from Synagogue 3000 (http://www.synagogue3000.org/), such as Ron Wolfson’s The Spirituality of Welcoming. I’m also reading some Christian thinkers, including some from emerging and emergent Christianity.

I happened across a gem today: The New Christians by Tony Jones. He is a doctoral fellow at Princeton Theological Seminary and the national coordinator of The Emergent Village (http://www.emergentvillage.org/).

Before I get too far into this explanation, let me say that I tend to be what many people would call conservative in theology. I believe the message of the Bible. It is divine and true as far as I am concerned. But just mentioning that I am enjoying a book by Tony Jones could cause some people to label me as a liberal. That’s one of the great insights from Jones’s book: conservative and liberal are labels that are too simplistic. Reality is more complex and often absorbs parts of many perspectives commonly viewed as antithetical.

Anyway, what follows is a little description of Jones’s book and a small thought about its relation to MJ . . .
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Emerging and emergent Christian groups are not easy to define. In many ways, you may say they are those who checked out of denominationalism and boundary-setting and checked into communities that are generous in including others and oriented toward active faith. Jones’s simple definition is “new forms of Christian faith arising out of the old.” In fact, emergent/emerging groups often blend the ancient and the contemporary seamlessly.

Scot McKnight’s definition of emerging/emergent Christianity is a good one: “Emerging churches are missional communities emerging in postmodern culture and consisting of followers of Jesus seeking to be faithful to the orthodox Christian faith in their own place and time.”

Jones begins his book with a story about meeting a sophisticated looking New York editor on an airplane on one occasion where he upgraded to first class. He was intimidated by her, imagined she would be “a liberated, enlightened member of the East Coast elite,” and, thus, godless. Then, halfway through the flight, she took out rosary beads and proceeded to pray with her eyes closed for a long time. Jones says, “I would have been less surprised if she tried to blow up her shoe.”

That story is a lot of what emergent Christianity is about. It is eclectic. It is spiritual. It does not fit into old molds of liberal-conservative.

Jones turns conventional wisdom on its ear with his first major point: America is becoming more religious, not less. It’s just that the new religious looks different and people assume it’s irreligious.

He discusses the hordes who have checked out of the mainline Protestant churches (liberal) and the evangelical Protestant churches (conservative) and are tired of the arguing about boundaries. To quote emergent theologian Brian McLaren, emergents think “Jesus is the savior, not Christianity.”

Emerging/emergent Christians want substance and not obsession with self-definition. They want God and not an institution.

Recently I made a friend who is an emerging pastor in the Atlanta area (he might even be reading this). I have observed that many emerging churches draw their ancient connections from some varied places like the fourth century church or Catholic or Episcopal liturgy.

People want the ancient and the new blended.

I made the journey years ago from the spontaneuous-prophetic prayer style of evangelical Christianity to the liturgical richness of Jewish prayer. I understand how liturgy transforms prayer and adds new dimensions (most evangelicals will struggle with this an anti-liturgical thought has been pounded into them from the pulpit for too long).

The point I want to make is simple: Messianic Judaism, potentially, has the elements of worship that emergents are discovering anew: multi-sensory worship, rich liturgy, and connectedness with the venerable while remaining open to new forms. The journey emergents are making in worship styles are something that we MJ’s have already delved into. And theologically we’ve also trodden where emergents are going. Because the very nature of leaving evangelical assumptions to chart new territory with an Israel-centered and Yeshua-centered theology causes us to question the white elephants in the theological room. There’s little room for unquestioned assumptions when you’re defying anti-Semitic trends in a 2,000 year old tradition.

Emergent and Messianic Judaism have some affinities. New things are rising out of the old.

Just as Synagogue 3000 is learning from Emergent Christianity, so should we. And Emergent Christianity should learn from us.

Old is the new “new.”

Preparing for Passover, Pt. 3

In this series we’re helping you get ready for Passover early and thoroughly. It’s important to get out your Haggadah and study early. Too many people (including me in previous years) go through the Haggadah with little understanding. It’s not as simple as it seems.

After all, couldn’t Passover just be a series of symbolic foods, bitter herbs, unleavened bread, and stories to remember Passover? I guess it could. But tradition has brought down to us the Haggadah with its layers of tradition from different periods. And the Haggadah cannot be understood without some commentary and history.
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If you don’t have a Haggadah or don’t have a good one, I recommend for families Family Haggadah: A Seder for All Generations by Elie Gindi, available at amazon.com or from behrmanhouse.com

If you want to understand your Haggadah, I recommend Creating Lively Passover Seders by David Arnow available here.

In his third chapter, Arnow says exactly what I feel:

A few minutes after the Seder starts, many people begin to feel lost. We make kiddush, wash our hands, dip parsley in salt water, break the middle matzah and set part of it aside for the afikomen. We continue with the four questions and avadim hayinu l’pharaoh b’mitzrayim . . . we were slaves in Egypt. So far, so good. But soon the confusion begins.

The Haggadah then goes into some weird places. There’s a story about five rabbis debating Passover. Then there is a reading about four kinds of children with relation to Passover. Then there is a story of how the Patriarchs started as idolaters, came into covenant with God, and went into Egypt in the days of Jacob.

What’s going on with these layers of tradition?

In Part 4, we’ll talk about the Five Rabbis. In Part 5, we’ll talk about the Four Children.

But for now, it is important to understand something: The Haggadah goes in two directions following the preferred interpretations of two different rabbis: Rav and Shmuel.

Arnow gives a wonderful explanation of an early stage of the development of the Haggadah. It goes back to Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi (the Prince), whose family lived in the Galilee in Sepphoris (Tzippori) and who survived the Second Jewish Revolt against Rome (132-135 C.E.). R. Judah emerged as the leader of Judaism for his generation. About the year 200 C.E., R. Judah wrote down the traditions and discussions about the law that were current in his day. We call this the Mishnah.

There is a line in the Mishnah about the Passover that says, “He begins with disgrace and concludes with praise.”

Two of R. Judah’s colleagues, Rav and Shmuel disagreed about what this meant. Shmuel believed the disgrace was Israel’s slavery. Rav believed the disgrace was the idolatry of the Patriarchs before the covenant with God. Both had scriptures from the Torah to back their opinions.

So here is a key to understanding why the Haggadah flows as it does. The Haggadah, as Arnow puts it, is two Haggadot (plural of Haggadah) in one. The Haggadah first follows Shmuel’s opinion. The Four Questions (see Part 2) deal with Israel’s slavery, according to Shmuel’s opinion that this is the disgrace spoken of in the Mishnah. It continues with a reading that begins, “We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt.”

Then the Haggadah follows Rav’s opinion. It tells the story of the Patriarchs, beginning with their days of idolatry before the covenant and ending with Jacob going into Egypt.

So, get out your Haggadahs many times in the upcoming weeks leading up to April 19. Study and think about the words and traditions of the Haggadah. This little book is a treasure. It is a memorial of Israel’s history and culture.