Ask me anything (almost) about Judaism

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You are correct.

But currently all of Reform Judaism has as a denomination rejected the idea of a “personal” Messiah. I wasn’t speaking about individual Jews on any spectrum. There may be individual Jews in all denominations who hold to beliefs in an individual Messiah.

I also want to note how far extensive in generality I was speaking by pointing to something Jewish scholar and author Amy-Jill Levine once stated. Technically speaking, she said, a Jew can “believe” that Jesus is the Messiah because Judaism is not a religion of beliefs, it is one of practice. This is why a Jew can be an atheist and still be a Torah-observant Jew. Many Jews don’t believe in God but still pray to God. (Confusing? Yes. It is better to have one of them explain it to you than me however on how that works.)

On a personal level the beliefs of Jews differ greatly. There is no central doctrine or standard. I myself do not hold to a central creed of any kind and reject the notion of “beliefs” in the conventional sense as most Christians understand them (i.e., “articles of faith”).

So my comments are not meant to do much more than speak in generalities. Judaism is highly complex. Not only can there be different views on one matter between two Jews of the same denomination, the denomination can suddenly change the view without fanfare or a synagogue or temple (which generally has autonomy) can alter things without the general Jewish public knowing much about it, let alone the public at large.

So my comments should be read with the space for much room for further information, for flexibility, for contrary Jewish views, and for revisions as necessary. They should never be read as absolute or by any means exhaustive.
 
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You’re correct that life for Hasidic Orthodox Jewish families is structured around prayers in the synagogue. The evening prayer begins late, more than one hour (by custom 72 minutes) after the beginning of nightfall. The prayers may also be followed by Torah study. Orthodox Jewish males who are at least 13 years of age participate in the prayers. So praying and studying Torah are often combined with last-minute grocery shopping by Orthodox Jewish families. In my neighborhood, which is quite diverse with regard to ethnic groups, there is a sizable Orthodox population. What I notice here is that some shops open after the Sabbath in the evening and close rather late at night. The shops are not even necessarily owned by Orthodox Jews but they cater to that population. Even one of the Chase banks in my neighborhood is closed on Saturday and open on Sunday.
 
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Yes, yes, and yes, I agree! Judaism is more oriented toward orthopraxy than orthodoxy. One tiny qualification: the Reform movement, which has traditionally denied the personal Messiah, as you state, is in the process of, well, reform concerning a lot of matters, including wearing kippah and tallit in the synagogue, dietary laws, and even the Messiah. It is not quite Conservative Judaism yet, but perhaps getting there.
 
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Morwenna, you are too kind! Your good words are greatly appreciated.
 
Using the name “Jesus” doesn’t imply anything.

For instance. I’m a Sephardic Jew and I speak the Jewish language Ladino. “Jesus” is also a common way in Ladino to say Yeshua or Joshua, though it is pronounced similar to how you would hear it in Spanish. I normally speak in Ladino daily and use the name “Jesus” when English speakers use Joshua and Hebrew speakers use Yeshua.

So you might need to think a little more “three-dimensionally” when it comes to names and language. Jesus is not an English name. It Is Latin-based.

As I mentioned in a prior post, Judaism is not a religion about beliefs as much as it is about practice. But this should not be construed to the conclusion that Judaism is without doctrines or definitive theology.

In the Middle Ages, Maimonides (Rambam) introduced vocabulary into Jewish theology to help counter the wave of Protestant proselytizing of the era. While it isn’t that Judaism (or myself for instance) is without beliefs or faith, it generally has not spoken of itself in these terms in ancient times. In order to deal with Christian proselytizing, Maimonides developed a way to speak of Judaism as a system of faith and belief.

After the Holocaust, things began to slowly change back. While it will likely never leave our vocabulary, and Judaism will likely always be spoken of as a “faith,” it is not uncommon to find Jews from all quarters learning to speak of Judaism in more primary, ancients terms.

Leaving terms like “faith” and “belief” for more personal experiences, Jewish communities will let you know what they expect of congregants. You will have to inquire with the community you wish to join regarding your question about your personal views on the Messiah.
 
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Some Jews have suggested the Holocaust was a test of faith, and it was my first impression without thinking the matter through. I never did get around to elaborating upon my reply to the poster I had responded to. Ultimately, I suppose Judaism does not have an answer to the suffering of the Jewish people or humanity in general, except that it is all part of G-d’s plan for us and the universe. I recall that Conservative Rabbi Harold Kushner’s best-selling book for families who are grieving the loss of a loved one is entitled “When Bad Things Happen to Good People” rather than “Why Bad Things Happen to Good People.”
 
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In another thread, Midge posted:
According to the Pew Research Center the largest group of practicing Jews in the United States are the Reform Jews (35%) with the second largest being Post-denominational Jews (30%)–Orthodox Jews make up only 10%.

Counting the number of Orthodox Jews in Israel, they make up almost a quarter of Jews in the world, but their numbers are decreasing.

According to the Pew Research Center, the largest number of growing practicing Jews in the world (and the movement is surpassing Reform Judaism) is Post-denominational Judaism. Connected by the Internet and using social media, with an average age of 27-30 of each member, they appear to be the future of Judaism, not the Orthodox.
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Can you explain what Post-denominational Judaism is and believes?

Is it more of an internet/social media phenomenon? Is it a “denomination” similar to non-denominational Christians? Do Post-denominational Jews meet weekly in a synagogue? Do they have rabbis? Can one convert to this particular type of Judaism?

Also, can you explain what a Reconstructionist Jew believes?

Thank you!
 
Thank you for your answer. I am glad to be able to dialogue with you. I have another question. Do people of the Jewish faith believe in spiritual warfare? Do they believe that there are evil spirits / devil who deceive people, are causing evil to prevail in the world and who are trying to get souls to turn away from God?
 
Can you explain what Post-denominational Judaism is and believes?

Is it more of an internet/social media phenomenon? Is it a “denomination” similar to non-denominational Christians? Do Post-denominational Jews meet weekly in a synagogue? Do they have rabbis? Can one convert to this particular type of Judaism?

Also, can you explain what a Reconstructionist Jew believes?
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Post-denominational Judaism is an umbrella term for Jews who have moved beyond the divisions of Jewish denominations to worship together as “just Jews,” as many of them put it. “Labels are for cans, not for Jews” has been their “battle cry,” you might say. While some still hold membership in various traditional synagogues of various denominations for convenience sake, there are congregations of post-denominational Jews and very many rabbis who serve them all around the world. In my city there is one very large one.

The movement started in the 1980s, but it really started to grow in the Internet days of the 1990s when it became easier for non-affiliated Jews to find answers about Judaism without going to rabbis for answers. By the beginning of the 21th century with the invention of social media, it grew into networks of chavurahs, some physical and some that were merely online. Non-affiliated rabbis began to serve these groups which in turn began to grow larger, some developing into the larger communities of today. They no longer view themselves as Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, etc., or even as Ashkenazi or Sephardi. They believe the lines of denomination should come down and the Jewish people should be one again, autonomous in practice and conscience, with rabbis as guides, not masters, where tradition is respected but not master of the present or future. While one still needs to convert if they become a Jew-by-choice, one does not need to convert from another denomination if they become post-denominational.

Reconstructing Judaism was born in America out of the Conservative movement. While it shares much with the Reform movement in theology, it shares a lot more with Conservatism and Orthodoxy in tradition. They are often heard to say: “Tradition has a vote, but not a veto.” They highly hold to the view that God is transcendent, far above and beyond the personal anthropomorphic language of the Bible, yet still close enough for us to connect with. They generally dress and pray traditionally in Hebrew, more like Conservative or Orthodox Jews than other liberal movements. And while they tend to find ways of making Torah more applicable to modern life, they don’t do it at the cost of losing the traditional way of how it has been kept in the past. They are egalitarian in their worship, and they don’t hold to traditional views on the resurrection (similar to the Reform movement).

You can learn more about both movements by using Google. While there is no central site for post-denominational Jews, you can locate official information about Reconstructionist Jews by visiting the Reconstructing Judaism website, the RRA site, and/or the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College site.
 
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Very interesting and informative. I’m not Jewish and have no say but like the way Post-denominational Judaism sounds and hope it continues to grow.

Thank you!
 
What does Judaism say about the messiah. What is their version of it or idea of it. What is the Messiah according to Judaism?
 
I know the answer varies wildly, but what are some of the Jewish interpretations of Creation through the fall?
 
Thanks for taking the time to answer questions.

What is the Jewish definition of “sin”, how is one to atone or be forgiven of sin, and what was the purpose of the sacrificial/Temple system in Judaism as described in the Bible?

What is typical synagogue worship like?
 
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Unlike Christianity, the concept of the Messiah is not central to Judaism.

As such there is a wide spectrum in Judaism as to who and or what the Messiah is and if the Messiah has or will ever come.

Some Jews hold to the view that the Messiah is a singular individual who will be a monarch in Israel, reuniting all Jews back to their proper place in the land and restoring the Temple to its proper place. It has become a bit more common for Jews who accept this view to see the Messiah as a monarch and a priest, two persons who will work together to restore Israel both through rule and religion.

Some Jews have seen other persons in history as the Messiah (besides Jesus of Nazareth). And most notably, after the Bar Kokhba revolt there was an introduction of abstract thought about the Messiah for the first time in Jewish religion.

With the birth of Zionism and Reform Judaism, the idea of a non-personal Messiah developed and became popular. Today this idea has spread beyond these movements to even some more traditional-thinking Jews, so that now there is a plethora of ideas among the Jewish population.

Again, being that it is not central to the Jewish religion, this freedom of opinion among Jews today regarding the Messiah is allowed. It is also partially a response to Christian proselytizing.

But by no means has the view of a personal Messiah vanished. It has become less popular or has been transformed or reinterpreted, but it stems from the primitive view.

@Itwin

To answer just part of your question now: One purpose of the sacrificial Temple system was actually practical. It served as a central butchery system. This is but one purpose, but it seems to be the most ancient and predating the Mosaic Law.

The Israelites may have had their sacrificial system, their Passover and Sukkot celebrations many generations before they had a working Mosaic Law system. These customs may have come from Abraham’s original land.

Eventually religious attributes were given to the actions performed during each sacrifice, and over the centuries they became what we have today.

This, of course, is the historical-critical view. It is not accepted by some in Judaism or by Fundamentalist Christians.
 
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Midge said:
To answer just part of your question now: One purpose of the sacrificial Temple system was actually practical. It served as a central butchery system. This is but one purpose, but it seems to be the most ancient and predating the Mosaic Law.
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Makes sense. This lines up with sacrifice in the Greco-Roman world where a large part of the meat people ate was sacrificial meat, which adds much more social importance to the Greek Christian dilemma of eating meat sacrificed to idols we see in Paul’s letters in the New Testament.
 
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Thank you so much for your informative (name removed by moderator)ut on post-denominational Judaism and Reconstructionism. Although I label myself as Reform, I cross denominational lines and lean toward Conservative Judaism at times. Likewise, some Jews I know think of themselves as hybrid Conservative and Orthodox (“Conservadox”). And Orthodox Jews have been known to describe Jews as more Orthodox or less Orthodox. (Although Orthodox Jews do not generally place blame on Jews who do not follow Orthodox doctrine, they sometimes do blame rabbis of other denominations for being heretics and leading their congregations astray.) So, as you have indicated, even if the streams of Judaism do not officially cross denominational lines, some individual Jews do.
 
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Yikes! Moses613 will no doubt have something to say about your comments regarding the sacrificial Temple system and the celebration of Passover and Sukkot BEFORE the advent of Mosaic Law. But I thank you for this fascinating historical perspective.
 
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