Religions and Philosophies - Part 2 - Judaism, the religion by P.K.Odendaal - 23 April 2011.
Today we start our study with Judaism, the Religion. There is also Judaism, the Philosophy which we will address in the next part.
As per our definition of a religion we say Judaism is a Religion which believes in a superhuman controlling power and especially in a personal God entitled to obedience and worship.
The God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and the Christians.
The obedience He command of them, is that they serve only one God - Himself, and that they do what He commands them to do.
This advice includes :
1. Where they should live
2. How they should worship Him
3. What laws and rituals they should keep (apart from the advice as to their daily life which is discussed under philosophy).
In return He vows to them that :
1. He shall govern and keep them.
2. He shall send them a Messiah who will redeem them.
3. They shall have everlasting life and their seed shall be as the number of the stars and the pebbles of sand on the beach.
This seems to be a very fair covenant, but it has two very serious setbacks.
1. It is impossible for mankind to keep all His commandments all the time.
2. When he sent the Messiah, they killed Him.
The commandments He commanded them to keep, is contained in Exodus 20 - very clear, very concise and very useful and in fact very advanced for their generation of 1300 years B.C.
He also gave them laws to abide by and this is set out in the first five books in the Old Testament written by Moses on the inspiration of God.
These laws are very advanced and fair, even for our generation, and it could not have been written by Moses himself. They are still today part and parcel of our Common Law.
There may also be draconian and even unfair laws in this, of which I name only one, namely : An eye for an eye. It may be revengeful to take an eye for an eye, but it must be kept in mind that in those days a man would kill a whole family if he lost one of his eyes, due to an attack or delict of another man, and this law really says ONLY ONE EYE for an eye and it is indeed much fairer than the customs of the time.
The detail of these laws are not written in these five books, but the Rabbis of the centuries have decided by themselves what the regulations with regard to these laws are. For instance a sabbath day's journey is not specified in the law but in the Talmud, which is the interpretation of these laws by the Rabbis over the centuries. So, one may get an impression that the laws are impossible to abide by, even in its smallest detail, but one must keep in mind that it is really the detail implementation laid out in the Talmud by the Rabbis, which is a prescription of man by himself for himself, that is so difficult to keep, although Orthodox Jews give it a go even today.
I cannot support the interpretation by Rabbis in the Talmud and must conclude that the laws given in the five books of Moses are fair, reasonable and even perfect. Why I cannot support the interpretation of these Rabbis, is that Jesus Christ, the most perfect Rabbi of them all, gave a very drastic and very different interpretation to these laws in the Sermon of the Mount, setting out what was the intention of God with these laws. He said that the laws were perfect and they were there to protect and guide mankind and that the purpose of these laws were Love, not to take them into bondage as has happened. Just the fact that He did this, was an indication of the authority Rabbis had to interpret the laws of God.
In fact, the words of Paul was : 1Ti 1:5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: v:6 From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; v:7 Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm. v:8 But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;
Typical of man, the elders of Israel have used the law to wield power over the nation, making it useless. Here is what Jesus Christ said of them :
Mat 23:1 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, v:2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: v:3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. v:4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. v:5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, v:6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, v:7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. ......
Mat 23:13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. v:14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. v:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. v:16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! v:17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? v:18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. v:19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? v:20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. v:21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. v:22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. v:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. v:24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. v:25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. v:26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. v:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. v:28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. v:29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, I do not know of anyone who got a more severe rebuke than these Rabbis.
it also seems then that the Jews are a lost race today, having despised and rejected their Messiah, but there is hope for them according to the Old testament :
Zech 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. v:11 In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. v:12 And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart;
In the New Testament Rom 14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
One sees their tribulation in every generation, but one is also reminded that they asked for this specifically : Mat 27:24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. v:25 Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.
Today we start our study with Judaism, the Religion. There is also Judaism, the Philosophy which we will address in the next part.
As per our definition of a religion we say Judaism is a Religion which believes in a superhuman controlling power and especially in a personal God entitled to obedience and worship.
The God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and the Christians.
The obedience He command of them, is that they serve only one God - Himself, and that they do what He commands them to do.
This advice includes :
1. Where they should live
2. How they should worship Him
3. What laws and rituals they should keep (apart from the advice as to their daily life which is discussed under philosophy).
In return He vows to them that :
1. He shall govern and keep them.
2. He shall send them a Messiah who will redeem them.
3. They shall have everlasting life and their seed shall be as the number of the stars and the pebbles of sand on the beach.
This seems to be a very fair covenant, but it has two very serious setbacks.
1. It is impossible for mankind to keep all His commandments all the time.
2. When he sent the Messiah, they killed Him.
The commandments He commanded them to keep, is contained in Exodus 20 - very clear, very concise and very useful and in fact very advanced for their generation of 1300 years B.C.
He also gave them laws to abide by and this is set out in the first five books in the Old Testament written by Moses on the inspiration of God.
These laws are very advanced and fair, even for our generation, and it could not have been written by Moses himself. They are still today part and parcel of our Common Law.
There may also be draconian and even unfair laws in this, of which I name only one, namely : An eye for an eye. It may be revengeful to take an eye for an eye, but it must be kept in mind that in those days a man would kill a whole family if he lost one of his eyes, due to an attack or delict of another man, and this law really says ONLY ONE EYE for an eye and it is indeed much fairer than the customs of the time.
The detail of these laws are not written in these five books, but the Rabbis of the centuries have decided by themselves what the regulations with regard to these laws are. For instance a sabbath day's journey is not specified in the law but in the Talmud, which is the interpretation of these laws by the Rabbis over the centuries. So, one may get an impression that the laws are impossible to abide by, even in its smallest detail, but one must keep in mind that it is really the detail implementation laid out in the Talmud by the Rabbis, which is a prescription of man by himself for himself, that is so difficult to keep, although Orthodox Jews give it a go even today.
I cannot support the interpretation by Rabbis in the Talmud and must conclude that the laws given in the five books of Moses are fair, reasonable and even perfect. Why I cannot support the interpretation of these Rabbis, is that Jesus Christ, the most perfect Rabbi of them all, gave a very drastic and very different interpretation to these laws in the Sermon of the Mount, setting out what was the intention of God with these laws. He said that the laws were perfect and they were there to protect and guide mankind and that the purpose of these laws were Love, not to take them into bondage as has happened. Just the fact that He did this, was an indication of the authority Rabbis had to interpret the laws of God.
In fact, the words of Paul was : 1Ti 1:5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: v:6 From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; v:7 Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm. v:8 But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;
Typical of man, the elders of Israel have used the law to wield power over the nation, making it useless. Here is what Jesus Christ said of them :
Mat 23:1 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, v:2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: v:3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. v:4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. v:5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, v:6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, v:7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. ......
Mat 23:13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. v:14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. v:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. v:16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! v:17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? v:18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. v:19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? v:20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. v:21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. v:22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. v:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. v:24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. v:25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. v:26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. v:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. v:28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. v:29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, I do not know of anyone who got a more severe rebuke than these Rabbis.
it also seems then that the Jews are a lost race today, having despised and rejected their Messiah, but there is hope for them according to the Old testament :
Zech 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. v:11 In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. v:12 And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart;
In the New Testament Rom 14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
One sees their tribulation in every generation, but one is also reminded that they asked for this specifically : Mat 27:24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. v:25 Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.
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