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Category Archives: Judaism
In Prayer We . . .
I found out about the Siddur Eit Ratzon (Season of Favor) from the Reform Shuckle blog just before High Holidays in 2010. I love this prayerbook. If it was affordable, I’d buy a hundred and make it the prayerbook of … Continue reading
Posted in Judaism, Messianic Prayer, Philosophy
14 Comments
Teaching Faith to Youth
I’ve been doing a short series on Sabbath afternoons with the youth of our congregation talking about faith. I didn’t have any when I was a teenager and was not raised in any sort of religious environment. So I find, … Continue reading
Posted in Abraham Joshua Heschel, Atheism, C.S. Lewis, Christian, Faith, Judaism, Judeo-Christian
5 Comments
God in Search of Man, #4
Justin Bond sort of got the jump on me over at Messiah Connection. I had discussed possibly resurrecting J-BOM (the Jewish Book of the Month). And 3.5 people responded enthusiastically! I’d said let’s make Heschel’s God in Search of Man … Continue reading
Posted in Abraham Joshua Heschel, Atheism, Bible, Judaism, Philosophy
2 Comments
Not Jewish Yet Drawn to Torah, Part 7
It has been a long series, but this post will be short. I said in “Summary and Perspective on Part 5” to some of those who were dubious about my views: “If you, as Jews, do not understand the spiritual … Continue reading
Posted in Bible, Christian, Gentiles, Judaism, Judeo-Christian, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Torah
8 Comments
Congregations of Yeshua (Jesus)
I know readers are waiting for Part 7 of “Not Jewish Yet Drawn to Torah” and also for me to revive the “Conversations on Law and Grace” series. They are coming. I appreciate your patience. Believe it or not, I … Continue reading
Rabbi Kinbar on Why MJ’s Should Learn Hebrew
Not just the rabbis and rabbis-in-training, but you! Even a little Hebrew is better than none. Take the challenge in 2011. He provides a link to some great self-learning or group learning materials. Read it here.
Not Jewish Yet Drawn to Torah, Part 6
This post should not be read in isolation from previous ones in this series. If you are short on time, at least read “Part 5” here. We have now come to the part of this series which some readers have … Continue reading
Posted in Christian, Gentiles, Judaism, Judeo-Christian, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Torah
28 Comments
A Very Non-Expert Introduction to Mussar
I spent the later part of the afternoon yesterday meeting with a friend and congregant to compare notes and discuss Mussar. Mussar is a movement coming out of Lithuania in the 19th century. Mussar is about working on the improvement … Continue reading
Posted in ethics, Judaism, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Spirituality
2 Comments
Complaining, With Permission, to God
At the end of Exodus 2, we read that after a long time, Pharaoh died. Israel groaned under bondage. They cried out and their cry came up to God in heaven. God heard their groaning and remembered his covenant. Most … Continue reading
Posted in Bible, Judaism, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Theology
Tagged Lament, Molinism
4 Comments
Not Jewish Yet Drawn to Torah, Part 5
I have a friend who led a Messianic congregation with few Jews. In the early days, he assumed that non-Jewish followers of Yeshua could and should take on a life of Torah and even specifically Jewish ways of keeping the … Continue reading
Posted in Bible, Christian, Gentiles, Judaism, Judeo-Christian, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism
31 Comments
Mount Sinai and Mount Zion
I wrote something for a Christian audience explaining Hebrews 12:18-29. It is a passage, like many in Hebrews, which can be misunderstood as anti-Jewish or anti-Torah. Actually, it is a pro-Torah message of considerable genius, as I try to show … Continue reading
Not Jewish Yet Drawn to Torah, Part 4
I’ve had many emails asking me to resume this series. Sometimes I start something and fail to complete it. The series has been my thinking, as a rabbi with plenty of non-Jewish members in my synagogue, about the phenomenon of … Continue reading
Posted in Gentiles, Judaism, Judeo-Christian, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Torah
25 Comments
God in Search of Man, #3
This is all part of a parallel series on Heschel’s God in Search of Man and Lewis’s Miracles. If Messianic Judaism is a sort of Christian-Jewish hybrid, why not study two the greatest modern thinkers, one from each? And the … Continue reading
Posted in Abraham Joshua Heschel, Bible, C.S. Lewis, Judaism, Philosophy
3 Comments
Empowered Experience: Laying Tefillin
Life with God isn’t purely intellectual. It isn’t purely emotional. And emotional-rationality doesn’t explain it all either. I am not alone, in the vast see of Jews and Christians, who feel we have connected in reality with God through experience. … Continue reading
Empowering Jewish Identity in Yeshua
Being Jewish has long been growing less and less meaningful to Jews. A few symbols of the covenant are clung to. I think of the popularity of the Passover Seder and High Holidays and Hanukkah. But when Adam Sandler has … Continue reading
Posted in Judaism, Judeo-Christian, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism
1 Comment
Feasting in the Age to Come
Visions of feasting recur in our dreams. Two images of happiness predominate: the adventure and the feast. God describes what he has for us in the age to come in terms of a rich banquet with wine and meat. There … Continue reading
God in Search of Man, #2
Since Messianic Judaism is a hybrid of Judaism and Christianity, I had the bright idea of doing a blog series on a great, modern thinker from Judaism and another from Christianity. Obviously (many will agree) the choice for Judaism is … Continue reading
Posted in Abraham Joshua Heschel, Bible, Judaism, Philosophy
8 Comments
Joseph and the Covenant of Blessing
The Joseph stories have long been thought to be more than simple reporting of the life of the patriarch. Too much resemblance between Joseph’s life, and the life of all the patriarchs, and Israel’s later history is present to ignore. … Continue reading
Posted in Bible, Christian, Judaism, Judeo-Christian, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism
Tagged Abrahamic Covenant, Genesis
1 Comment
Vridar Against the Messiah Concept
Vridar is the moniker of Neil Godfrey, an avid fan of some rather extreme historians such as Thomas L. Thompson, Philip R. Davies, Niels Peter Lemche, and other pleasant individuals (avid politickers for the Palestinian cause using historical writing to … Continue reading
Posted in Bible, Christian, Judaism, Judeo-Christian, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Yeshua, Yeshua In Context
Tagged Copenhagen School, Neil Godfrey, Vridar
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Announcement: MJPassages
http://MJPassages.com Your intersection for good things Jewish, Christian, Messianic Jewish, Judeo-Christian, biblical, archaeological, and theological. It’s not yet a finished product, but there’s a good bit already to explore. Should be easy to explore on your triptophan buzz this Thanksgiving … Continue reading
Whaddya Think? Resurrect J-BOM?
We used to have something here called J-BOM (Jewish Book of the Month Club). And we had hundreds of people reading the same Jewish books all over the U.S. and overseas. It was great. A regular Messianic Jewish Musings reader … Continue reading
Posted in Book Reviews, J-BOM, Judaism, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism
5 Comments
SBL 2010, Amy-Jill Levine
Amy-Jill Levine is a rockstar. That’s my conclusion after hearing her speak for the first time. It was a panel discussing whether faith is incompatible with “objective” historical research in the historical Jesus project. Several evangelical Christian panelists made their … Continue reading
Shmuley Boteach’s Non-Divine, Non-Messianic Jesus
Shmuley Boteach has a book soon to be released about how non-Jews can save Judaism and how Jesus is a prophet, but not divine or any kind of messiah. Judaism is a failure, he says. It’s too tribal. It has … Continue reading
Posted in Christian, Judaism, Judeo-Christian, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Yeshua, Yeshua In Context
Tagged Shmuley Boteach
5 Comments
God in Search of Man, #1
Messianic Judaism is, in essence, a hybrid faith incorporating Jewish and Christian traditions and theology. I have for some time had in mind a project: reviewing some works by one Jewish and one Christian thinker who might be termed seminal … Continue reading
Posted in Abraham Joshua Heschel, Bible, Christian, Faith, Judaism, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism
5 Comments
Not Jewish yet Drawn to Torah, Part 3
In Part 1 of this series, I had one main point and several sub-points. The main point: non-Jews learning Torah should realize that the primary audience of Torah is the Jewish people. Sub-points: (1) Torah, like gospel, is not anyone’s … Continue reading
Posted in Bible, Christian, Gentiles, Judaism, Judeo-Christian, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Torah
16 Comments
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