Can we discuss Judaism without the politics?

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There’s a beautiful midrashic story where Rabbi Joshua ben Levi (3rd century) is brought before the prophet Eliyahu (Elijah) in a vision. He asked him, “When will the Messiah come?” Eliyahu explains, “The Messiah is at the gates, sitting among the poor, the sick and wretched. Like them, he changes the bindings of his wounds, but does so one wound at the time, in order to be ready at a moment’s notice.”

Rabbi Levi soon went to Rome and found him there, where he asked him the same question. The Messiah answered him: “Peace be to you. I will come today if only the world will merit it.”

The point of this passage is not we, the Jewish people, as well as the rest of the world, must merit the Messiah, otherwise, we’ll keep waiting until that time. In Jewish tradition, each generation has a potential candidate. If we would just merit one time, that Messiah will be it. Hopefully, may he come speedily in our day.
 
I used plural because I thought there was one for each subject. For instance, the mishnas regarding ancient festivals, mishnah regarding rituals, mishnah regarding civil law, and so on.

I’m not familiar with all of them though
 
The Talmud has some things of its own as far as I know. And It involves politics and even morals which I don’t think this is the place to discuss about.

I prefer studying mishnah because I use it to help people understand the Tanakh (Old Covenant) and the Church today.
 
Now I know what you’re saying. Yes, there are things called Mishnayot, plural. There are, basically, 6 orders, each divided further into tractates, then, chapters, each with their own number of halachot. This structure is has been the subsequent template for all things Jewish. Its the same way with the Gemara. Then there’s a thing called the Tosefta (supplement), which is included in the Mishnah as material Rabbi Yehudah left out. The Tosefta and Midrash were preserved in the Talmud as a whole in something called the Baraitot (excluded material).

Therefore, one could speak of a certain Mishnayot, say in festivals. I was earlier confused because I thought you were saying along the lines of many Mishnahs’, as in books. I hope this cleared things up a little.
 
I see, but just know that its hard to understand the Mishnah without the Gemara; both make up the Talmud. Yes, there are political things in Talmud, but nothing hurtful. This is just my education, perhaps there is something I’m yet to discover.
 
True, I just hope you’re right. Anyway, I think we’ve seen the last of him.
 
Rabbi said:
True, I just hope you’re right. Anyway, I think we’ve seen the last of him.
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Oh, I forgot my favorite one… people who claim dinosaurs were not real! Some people really divorce logic and reason from their beliefs- whether religious, political, ideological, etc

Mind boggling
 
Rabbi, even though I am a cradle Christian, I recognize the Rambam is your thumbnail. It’s a very long story I won’t burden you with. What would you like to tell us about the Holocaust?
 
On the Holocaust itself, I lost no members, However, others around me, people I know, have. My family was sadly persecuted in what is modern day Poland and fled to the states long before Hitler was born.

On the history behind the Holocaust, and why it happened, there are many good books, documentaries, films, and testimony of the survivors themselves. Is there anything in particular you’d like to know, as writing in general would likely take a lot of posts.

Thank you for recognizing Rambam. Much appreciated. I honestly did know any Christians on here would.
 
Such nonsense is the child of ignorance! Just as the early Christians were accused by the pagans of cannibalism, since they ate the Flesh and drank the Blood of Christ. Certainly not cannibalism, as that was impossible, but true in the Liturgical/Sacramental sense. Yet, there was and is much more to the story.

As to the Jews, hatred has existed since Abraham. The desperation in the claims only show how utterly baseless they are.
 
I’ve been studying Torah parshat with an Orthodox friend of mine for years. So now, we are starting a new cycle. We did a few lessons from the Rambam’s description of each mitzva. It was over my head. So we may go back again. But for now, it’s back to more simple lessons.
 
My mother was born in 1930. So she saw newsreels of the camp liberations when she was a young teen. She passionately educated me and my sister about the Holocaust. We had books to read about it. And we also watched documentaries as a family. I never had a class that dealt with the Holocaust until I was in college. I am so happy my mother taught us about that history.
 
I’m sorry anyone would deny the holocaust. Us Catholics lost a lot of good people too like saint maximillian kolbe.
 
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