Why Jews Know Jsus was a false messiah

Written by R' Kaplan (Z"L) this article explains who the messiah will be and how to recognize him. Reading this should explain for non-Jews why we have rejected false messiahs (including Jsus) and still await the real one.

Quote: The final Messiah will be a normal human being, born of human parents. It is thus possible that he is already born.

Similarly, the Messiah will be mortal. He will eventually die and bequeath his kingdom to his son or his successor.

Tradition states that he will be a direct descendant of King David, son of Jesse, as it its written,

"A shoot will come forth from the stock of Jesse, and a branch will grow from his roots" (Isaiah 11:1).

Likewise, in our prayers, we ask,

"May the shoot of David flourish,"

and

"May the memory of Mashiach ben David rise up... before You."

There are numerous Jewish families today that can trace their ancestry directly back to King David.

The final Messiah will be the greatest leader and political genius that the world has ever seen. He will likewise be the wisest man ever to have lived. He will put these extraordinary talents to use to precipitate a worldwide revolution which will bring perfect social justice to humanity, and influence all people to serve G-d with a pure heart.

The Messiah will also achieve prophecy and become the greatest prophet in history, second only to Moses.

Special Qualities

The prophet Isaiah described six qualities with which the Messiah will be blessed: "G-d's spirit will rest upon him,

(1) the spirit of wisdom and
(2) understanding,
(3) the spirit of counsel and
(4) might,
(5) the spirit of knowledge and
(6) fear of G-d" (Isaiah 11:2).

In all these qualities, the Messiah will excel all other human beings.

The Messiah will see through the sham and hypocrisy of this world. He will have the power to sense a person's spirit, thereby knowing his entire spiritual record, and judging whether he is guilty or not. Regarding this power, it is further written,

"He will be filled with the spirit of the fear of G-d; he will not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear" (Isaiah 11:3).

This is one sign by which the Messiah will be recognized. However, similar to the gift of prophecy, this power will only develop gradually.

The Messiah will use this power to determine to which tribe every Jew belongs. He will then divide the Land of Israel into land inheritances with each tribe receiving its portion. He will begin with the tribe of Levi, determining the legitimacy of each Kohen and Levite. Regarding this the prophet said,

"He will purify the children of Levi, and refine them like gold and silver, to become bearers of an offering to G-d in righteousness" (Malachi 3:3).

Goals and Mission

The mission of the Messiah is six-fold. His primary task is to cause all the world to return to G-d and His teachings.
He will also restore the royal dynasty to the descendants of David.

He will oversee the rebuilding of Jerusalem, including the Third Temple.

He will gather the Jewish people to the Land of Israel.

He will reestablish the Sanhedrin, the religious supreme court and legislature of the Jewish people. This is a necessary condition for the rebuilding of the Third Temple, as it is written,

"I will restore your judges as at first, and your counselors as in the beginning; afterward, you will be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city. Zion shall be redeemed with justice, and those who return to her, with righteousness" (Isaiah 1:26-27).

Such a Sanhedrin would also be able to formally recognize the Messiah as the king of Israel.

He will restore the sacrificial system as well as the practices of the Sabbatical Year (Shmitah) and the Jubilee Year (Yovel).
Therefore, as Maimonides states,

"If there arises a ruler from the family of David, immersed in the Torah and its commandments like David his ancestor, following both the Written and Oral Torah, who leads Israel back to the Torah, strengthening the observance of its laws and fighting G-d's battles, then we may assume that he is the Messiah.

If he is further successful in rebuilding the Temple on its original site and gathering the dispersed of Israel, then his identity as Messiah is a certainty."

Worldwide Influence

As the Messiah's powers develop, so will his fame. The world will begin to recognize his profound wisdom and come to seek his advice. He will then teach all mankind to live in peace and follow G-d's teachings. The prophets thus foretold,

"It shall come to pass in the end of days, that the mountain of G-d's house shall be set over all other mountains and lifted high above the hills; and all nations shall come streaming to it. Many people shall come and say, 'Come, let us go up to G-d's mountain, to the house of Israel's G-d. He (the Messiah) will teach us His ways, and we will walk in His paths.' For Torah shall go forth out of Zion, and G-d's word from Jerusalem. And he (the Messiah) will judge between nations and decide between peoples. And they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither will they practice war anymore." (Isaiah 2:2-4, Micah 4:1-3)

In the Messianic Era, many non-Jews will feel compelled to convert to Judaism as the prophet foretold,

"I will then give all peoples a pure tongue, that they may call in the Name of G-d, and all serve Him in one manner" (Zephaniah 3:9).

Once the Messiah has revealed himself, however, converts will no longer be accepted.

Still, Jerusalem will become the center of worship and instruction for all mankind. G-d thus told His prophet,

"I will return to Zion and I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth and the Mountain of the G-d of Hosts, the Holy Mountain" (Zechariah 8:3).

This will begin the period when the teachings of G-d will be supreme over all mankind, as it is written,

"For HaShem of Hosts will be King in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem. [He will reveal His] Glory in the presence of His wise elders" (Isaiah 24:23).

All peoples will then come to Jerusalem to seek G-d. The prophet Zechariah describes this graphically when he says, "Many people and mighty nations will come and seek the G-d of Hosts in Jerusalem... In those days, ten people out of all the nations will take hold of the corner of the garment of every Jew and say,

'We will go with you, for we have heard that G-d is with you'" (Zechariah 8:22-23).

In Jerusalem, the Jewish people will thus be established as the spiritual and moral teachers of all mankind. At that time, Jerusalem will become the spiritual capital of the world.
In the Messianic Era, all people will believe in G-d and proclaim His Unity. The prophet thus foretold,

"G-d will be King over all the earth; on that day G-d will be One and His Name One: (Zechariah 14:9).

Peace and Harmony

In the Messianic Era, jealousy and competition will cease to exist, for all good things will be most plentiful and all sorts of delicacies will be as common as dust. Men will no longer wage or prepare for war, as the prophet foretold,

"Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither will they practice war any more" (Isaiah 2:4).

In the Messianic Era, all nations will live peacefully together. Similarly, people of all dispositions will live together in harmony. The prophet spoke of this allegorically when he said,

"The wolf will dwell with the lamb; the leopard will lie down with the kid; the calf, the young lion, and the fatling together, will be led by a young child. The cow will graze with the bear; their young will lie down together; the lion will eat straw like the ox" (Isaiah 11:6-7).

Although the Messiah will influence and teach all mankind, his main mission will be to bring the Jewish people back to G-d. The prophet thus said,

"For the children of Israel will remain for many days with no king and no prince... Afterward, the children of Israel will return and seek G-d their L-rd and David their king; they will come in awe to G-d and His goodness, in the end of days" (Hosea 3:4-5).

Similarly,

"My servant David will be king over them; they will all have one shepherd; they will also follow My ordinances and observe My laws" (Ezekiel 37:24).

As society reaches toward perfection and the world becomes increasingly G-dly, humanity's main occupation will only be to know G-d. The truth will be revealed and the entire world will acknowledge that the Torah is G-d's true teaching. This is what the prophet meant when he foretold,

"The earth will be full of the knowledge of G-d, as the waters cover the sea" (Isaiah 11:9).

Similarly, all mankind will attain the highest levels of Divine Inspiration without any difficulty whatsoever. G-d thus promised through His prophet,

"It shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy" (Joel 3:1).

Although man will still have free will in the Messianic Age, he will have every inducement to do good and follow G-d's teachings. It will be as if the power of evil were totally annihilated. This is what the prophet predicted,

"I will place My Torah inside of them, and inscribe it upon their hearts... A person will no longer teach his friend and his brother saying, 'Know G-d!' For all of them will know Me, great and small alike" (Jeremiah 31:32-33).

The prophet likewise said in G-d's name,

"I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26).

That is, the inclination toward good will be strengthened in man to such an extent that he will not be drawn after the physical at all. Rather, he will constantly strengthen himself spiritually and incline toward serving G-d and following His Torah. This is the meaning of the Torah's promise that,

"G-d will circumcise the foreskins of your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you will love G-d your L-rd with all your heart and soul" (Deut. 30:6).

Religious Practice

The Messiah will not change our religion in any way. All the commandments will be binding in the Messianic Era. Nothing will be added to or subtracted from the Torah.

There is an opinion that the only books of the Bible which will be regularly studied in the Messianic Era will be the Five Books of Moses and the Scroll of Esther. The reason for this is that all the other teachings of the prophets can be derived from the Torah, and since the Messiah will reveal all the meanings of the Torah to perfection, the prophetic writings will no longer be needed.

The sacrificial system will be restored in the Messianic Era. However, the only private sacrifices which will be accepted will be the thanksgiving offering. Since man's heart will have been circumcised, the desire to sin will no longer exist, and the private sacrifices which are brought to atone for sins will no longer be needed. Similarly, the only prayers which will be necessary will be prayers of thanksgiving.

Our prophets and sages did not long for the Messianic Era in order that they might rule the world and dominate others. They did not desire that the nations should honor them, or that they should be able to eat, drink and be merry. They only wanted one thing, and that was to be free to involve themselves in the Torah and its wisdom. They wanted nothing to disturb or distract them, in order that they should be able to strive to become worthy of the life in the World to Come.

Jews cant believe in Jsus from Aish

Jews do not accept Jsus as the messiah because:

1) Jsus did not fulfill the messianic prophecies.

2) Jsus did not embody the personal qualifications of the Messiah.

3) Biblical verses "referring" to Jsus are mistranslations.

4) Jewish belief is based on national revelation.

But first, some background: What exactly is the Messiah?

The word "Messiah" is an English rendering of the Hebrew word "Mashiach", which means "Anointed." It usually refers to a person initiated into G-d's service by being anointed with oil. (Exodus 29:7, I Kings 1:39, II Kings 9:3)

Since every King and High Priest was anointed with oil, each may be referred to as "an anointed one" (a Mashiach or a Messiah). For example: "G-d forbid that I [David] should stretch out my hand against the L-rd's Messiah [Saul]..." (I Samuel 26:11. Cf. II Samuel 23:1, Isaiah 45:1, Psalms 20:6)

Where does the Jewish concept of Messiah come from? One of the central themes of Biblical prophecy is the promise of a future age of perfection characterized by universal peace and recognition of G-d. (Isaiah 2:1-4; Zephaniah 3:9; Hosea 2:20-22; Amos 9:13-15; Isaiah 32:15-18, 60:15-18; Micah 4:1-4; Zechariah 8:23, 14:9; Jeremiah 31:33-34)

Many of these prophetic passages speak of a descendant of King David who will rule Israel during the age of perfection. (Isaiah 11:1-9; Jeremiah 23:5-6, 30:7-10, 33:14-16; Ezekiel 34:11-31, 37:21-28; Hosea 3:4-5)

Since every King is a Messiah, by convention, we refer to this future anointed king as The Messiah. The above is the only description in the Tanach of a Davidic descendant who is to come in the future. We will recognize the Messiah by seeing who the King of Israel is at the time of complete universal perfection.

1. JSUS DID NOT FULFILL THE MESSIANIC PROPHECIES

What is the Messiah supposed to accomplish? The Tanach says that he will:

A. Build the Third Temple (Ezekiel 37:26-28).

B. Gather all Jews back to the Land of Israel (Isaiah 43:5-6).

C. Usher in an era of world peace, and end all hatred, oppression, suffering and disease. As it says: "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall man learn war anymore." (Isaiah 2:4)

D. Spread universal knowledge of the G-d of Israel, which will unite humanity as one. As it says: "G-d will be King over all the world -- on that day, G-d will be One and His Name will be One" (Zechariah 14:9).

If an individual fails to fulfill even one of these conditions, then he cannot be "The Messiah."

Because no one has ever fulfilled the Tanach's description of this future King, Jews still await the coming of the Messiah. All past Messianic claimants, including Jsus of Nazareth, Bar Cochba and Shabbtai Tzvi have been rejected.

Chrstians counter that Jsus will fulfill these in the Second Coming, but Jewish sources show that the Messiah will fulfill the prophecies outright; in the Tanach no concept of a second coming exists.
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2) JSUS DID NOT EMBODY THE PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS OF MESSIAH

A. MESSIAH AS PROPHET

The Messiah will become the greatest prophet in history, second only to Moses. (Targum - Isaiah 11:2; Maimonides - Yad Teshuva 9:2)

Prophecy can only exist in Israel when the land is inhabited by a majority of world Jewry, a situation which has not existed since 300 BCE. During the time of Ezra, when the majority of Jews refused to move from Babylon to Israel, prophecy ended upon the death of the last prophets -- Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi.

Jsus was not a prophet; he appeared on the scene approximately 350 years after prophecy had ended.

B. DESCENDANT OF DAVID

According to Jewish sources, the Messiah will be born of human parents and possess normal physical attributes like other people. He will not be a demi-G-d, (1) nor will he possess supernatural qualities.

The Messiah must be descended on his father's side from King David (see Genesis 49:10, Isaiah 11:1, Jeremiah 23:5, 33:17; Ezekiel 34:23-24). According to the Chrstian claim that Jsus was the product of a virgin birth, he had no father -- and thus could not have possibly fulfilled the messianic requirement of being descended on his father's side from King David. (2)

C. TORAH OBSERVANCE

The Messiah will lead the Jewish people to full Torah observance. The Torah states that all mitzvot remain binding forever, and anyone coming to change the Torah is immediately identified as a false prophet. (Deut. 13:1-4)
Throughout the New Testament, Jsus contradicts the Torah and states that its commandments are no longer applicable. For example, John 9:14 records that Jsus made a paste in violation of Shabbat, which caused the Pharisees to say (verse 16), "He does not observe Shabbat!"
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3) MISTRANSLATED VERSES "REFERRING" TO JSUS

Biblical verses can only be understood by studying the original Hebrew text -- which reveals many discrepancies in the Chrstian translation.

A. VIRGIN BIRTH

The Chrstian idea of a virgin birth is derived from the verse in Isaiah 7:14 describing an "alma" as giving birth. The word "alma" has always meant a young woman, but Chrstian theologians came centuries later and translated it as "virgin." This accords Jsus' birth with the first century pagan idea of mortals being impregnated by G-ds.

B. SUFFERING SERVANT

Chrstianity claims that Isaiah chapter 53 refers to Jsus, as the "suffering servant."

In actuality, Isaiah 53 directly follows the theme of chapter 52, describing the exile and redemption of the Jewish people. The prophecies are written in the singular form because the Jews ("Israel") are regarded as one unit. Throughout Jewish scripture, Israel is repeatedly called, in the singular, the "Servant of G-d" (see Isaiah 43:. In fact, Isaiah states no less than 11 times in the chapters prior to 53 that the Servant of G-d is Israel. When read correctly, Isaiah 53 clearly [and ironically] refers to the Jewish people being "bruised, crushed and as sheep brought to slaughter" at the hands of the nations of the world. These descriptions are used throughout Jewish scripture to graphically describe the suffering of the Jewish people (see Psalm 44). Isaiah 53 concludes that when the Jewish people are redeemed, the nations will recognize and accept responsibility for the inordinate suffering and death of the Jews.

For further reading, go to: http://www.jewsforjudaism.org/web/faq/faq-ss.html
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4) JEWISH BELIEF IS BASED SOLELY ON NATIONAL REVELATION

Throughout history, thousands of religions have been started by individuals, attempting to convince people that he or she is G-d's true prophet. But personal revelation is an extremely weak basis for a religion because one can never know if it is indeed true. Since others did not hear G-d speak to this person, they have to take his word for it. Even if the individual claiming personal revelation performs miracles, there is still no verification that he is a genuine prophet. Miracles do not prove anything. All they show -- assuming they are genuine -- is that he has certain powers. It has nothing to do with his claim of prophecy.

Judaism, unique among all of the world's major religions, does not rely on "claims of miracles" as the basis for its religion. In fact, the Tanach says that G-d sometimes grants the power of "miracles" to charlatans, in order to test Jewish loyalty to the Torah (Deut. 13:4).

Of the thousands of religions in human history, only Judaism bases its belief on national revelation -- i.e. G-d speaking to the entire nation. If G-d is going to start a religion, it makes sense He'll tell everyone, not just one person.

Maimonides states (Foundations of Torah, ch. :

Quote:The Jews did not believe in Moses, our teacher, because of the miracles he performed. Whenever anyone's belief is based on seeing miracles, he has lingering doubts, because it is possible the miracles were performed through magic or sorcery. All of the miracles performed by Moses in the desert were because they were necessary, and not as proof of his prophecy.

What then was the basis of [Jewish] belief? The Revelation at Mount Sinai, which we saw with our own eyes and heard with our own ears, not dependent on the testimony of others... as it says, "Face to face, G-d spoke with you..." The Torah also states: "G-d did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us -- who are all here alive today." (Deut. 5:3)


Judaism is not miracles. It is the personal eyewitness experience of every man, woman and child, standing at Mount Sinai 3,300 years ago.

For further reading: "Did G-d Speak at Mount Sinai?"

WAITING FOR THE MESSIAH

The world is in desperate need of Messianic redemption. And to the extent we are aware of the problems of society, is the extent we will yearn for redemption. As the Talmud says, one of the first questions asked of a Jew on Judgment Day is: "Did you yearn for the arrival of the Messiah?"

How can we hasten the coming of the Messiah? The best way is to love all humanity generously, to keep the mitzvot of the Torah (as best we can), and to encourage others to do so as well.

Despite the gloom, the world does seem headed toward redemption. One apparent sign is that the Jewish people have returned to the Land of Israel and made it bloom again. Additionally, a major movement is afoot of young Jews returning to Torah tradition.

The Messiah can come any day, and it all depends on our actions. G-d is ready when we are. For as King David says: "Redemption will come today -- if you hearken to His voice."

For further study visit: Jews for Judaism

See also:

"You Are My Witness: The Traditional Jewish Response to Chrstian Missionaries" A booklet in pdf format by Yisroel C. Blumenthal

"The Real Messiah," by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan

"The Path of the Righteous Gentile," by Chaim Clorfene and Yakov Rogalsky

FOOTNOTES
1.Maimonides devotes much of the "Guide for the Perplexed" to the fundamental idea that G-d is incorporeal, meaning that He assumes no physical form. G-d is Eternal, above time. He is Infinite, beyond space. He cannot be born, and cannot die. Saying that G-d assumes human form makes G-d small, diminishing both His unity and His divinity. As the Torah says: "G-d is not a mortal" (Numbers 23:19).
2. In response, it is claimed that Joseph adopted Jsus, and passed on his genealogy via adoption. There are two problems with this claim:
a) There is no Biblical basis for the idea of a father passing on his tribal line by adoption. A priest who adopts a son from another tribe cannot make him a priest by adoption;

b) Joseph could never pass on by adoption that which he doesn't have. Because Joseph descended from Jeconiah (Matthew 1:11) he fell under the curse of that king that none of his descendants could ever sit as king upon the throne of David. (Jeremiah 22:30; 36:30)
To answer this difficult problem, apologists claim that Jsus traces himself back to King David through his mother Mary, who allegedly descends from David, as shown in the third chapter of Luke. There are four basic problems with this claim:
a) There is no evidence that Mary descends from David. The third chapter of Luke traces Joseph's genealogy, not Mary's.

b) Even if Mary can trace herself back to David, that doesn't help Jsus, since tribal affiliation goes only through the father, not mother. Cf. Numbers 1:18; Ezra 2:59.

c) Even if family line could go through the mother, Mary was not from a legitimate Messianic family. According to the Tanach, the Messiah must be a descendent of David through his son Solomon (II Samuel 7:14; I Chronicles 17:11-14, 22:9-10, 28:4-6). The third chapter of Luke is irrelevant to this discussion because it describes lineage of David's son Nathan, not Solomon. (Luke 3:31)

d) Luke 3:27 lists Shealtiel and Zerubbabel in his genealogy. These two also appear in Matthew 1:12 as descendants of the cursed Jeconiah. If Mary descends from them, it would also disqualify her from being a Messianic progenitor.

by Aryeh Kaplan (Z"L)

Many people are fascinated by the person of Jsus. Even when they find it impossible to accept Chrstian theology, they still feel that they can identify with Jsus the person.

They see him as someone who preached love and peace, and whose life embodied the greatest ideals.

When we look at Jsus in such idealized terms, many of the things done in his name seem very strange. How could the Crusaders have pillaged and destroyed entire communities in his name? How could the Inquisition have tortured people to death in the name of a man who taught that the foremost commandment was love your neighbor as yourself? How are such contradictions possible?

It is much less surprising that his followers did not live by Jsus' teachings when we realize that even Jsus himself did not abide by them. Chrstians like to present us with an idealized picture of Jsus the man, but a careful reading of the Gospels dispels this picture very quickly.

Let us look at a few examples.

One of the best known teachings of Jsus is

Quote: (Luke 6:29), If someone smites you on one cheek, turn the other cheek.



This might have been a beautiful ideal, but Jsus himself did not live up to it. When one of the High Priest's officers struck him, Jsus did not turn the other cheek at all. Instead, the Gospel tells us that his response was

Quote:
(John 13:23), if I spoke amiss, state it in evidence at my trial. If I spoke well, then why did you smite me?



He did not meekly and quietly submit, as he himself is alleged to have preached.

Throughout history, it seems that the only one who ever turned the other cheek was the Jew.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jsus instructed his followers

Quote: (Matthew 5:43) Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, and do good to those who hate you.



This might have been a fine lesson if Jsus himself lived up to it. But when it came to his own enemies, Jsus declared

Quote: (Luke 19:27), Take my enemies, who would not have me rule over them, bring them here, and kill them before me.



Jsus might have preached against vindictiveness, but he did not practice as he preached, when he said

Quote:
(John 11:39), I come to the world for judgment. I may give sight to the sightless, but I will blind those who see.



Some of us may have a picture of Jsus preaching love and peace, as when he said

Quote: (Matthew 5:22), Anyone who nurses anger against his brother must be brought to judgment. . . If he even sneers at him, he will have to answer for it in the fires of hell.



The picture, however, changes very rapidly when Jsus himself is put to the test. We then find him declaring

Quote:
(Matthew 10:34), Think not that I have come to send peace to the world. I come not to send peace, but the sword.



Jsus subjected anyone who dared oppose him to the most awful abuse, curses and threats of dire punishment. When the Jews tried to defend their ancient faith, Jsus answered them by saying,

Quote: (Matthew 23:33), You snakes, you generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell?



Jsus did not limit himself to his immediate opponents, such as the Rabbis and teachers. He spoke against all those who dared not believe in him, branding them as outcasts, subject to divine punishment. We thus hear his pronouncement

Quote: (John 3:36), He who believes in the Son has everlasting life. But he who does not believe in the Son shall not see life, but shall suffer the everlasting wrath of G-d.



He may have preached love, but it was a very restricted love. He thus said

Quote: (John 3:5), I surely say to you: Unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of G-d.



In contrast to this, the Rabbis, whom Jsus hated so much, did not place any such limitations on G-d's love. It was the Rabbis of the Talmud who made the statement

Quote: (Tosefta, Sanhedrin 13), The righteous of all nations have a share in the World to Come.



They saw G-d's love as available to all people, and not only to Jews.

An even stronger statement can be found in our Midrashic literature, where a rabbi declares

Quote: (Tana DeBei Eliahu Rabbah 9), I call heaven and earth as witnesses: Any individual, whether gentile or Jew, man or woman, servant or maid, can bring the Divine Presence upon himself in accordance with his deeds.



The Jewish attitude toward non-Jews is most clearly expressed in King Solomon's prayer, where he says

Quote: (I Kings 8:41-43), When a stranger, who is not of Your people Israel, but comes from a distant land . . . turns in prayer toward this Temple, then listen to his prayers.



Jsus, however, was not so broad minded. When he sent out his twelve disciples, he charged them

Quote: (Matthew 10:5, 6), Do not take the road to gentile lands, and do not enter any Samaritan city. Go only to the lost sheep of Israel.



The Rabbis who lived in Jsus' time taught

Quote: (Avos 4:3), Do not despise any man.



They likewise declared

Quote:
(Baba Kama 38a), Even a gentile who studies Torah is equal to a High Priest.



These Rabbis saw G-d's salvation freely available to all men. Contrast this with the terrible sentence proclaimed by Jsus

Quote: (John 15:6), He who does not abide in me is thrown away like a withered branch. Such withered branches are gathered together, cast into the fire and burned.



This terrible statement was later used by the Catholic Church to justify their practice of burning non-believers at the stake.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jsus preached

Quote:
(Matthew 5:43:44), You have been previously taught to love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you: Love your enemies and bless those who curse you.



Jsus may have said this, but the Gospels are aflame with his own words of hatred toward those who did not accept him. Time after time, he displays the same appetite for revenge as any other mortal.

One of the basic teachings of Judaism is

Quote: (Leviticus 18:19), You shall love your neighbor as yourself.



This commandment is so important that Rabbi Akiva declared that it was the fundamental principle of the Torah. Even though this is openly stated in the Torah, written over a thousand years before Jsus' birth, many people still think of it as one of Jsus' teachings.

But even in explaining this commandment of love, Jsus was not above displaying his vindictiveness. The Gospel (Luke 19:29), records that he was asked, But who is my neighbor? Jsus replied with one of the best known parables in the Gospels:

A man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho is attacked by robbers. They plunder and beat him, leaving him half dead by the roadside. A priest comes along and sees the injured man, but he promptly crosses the road to avoid him. A Levite then happens to pass by, and he also crosses the road to avoid him. Finally a Samaritan comes by and is touched by pity. He binds the stranger's wounds, carries him to a secure spot, and tenderly cares for him. Thus, the Samaritan becomes the perfect example of the good neighbor.



At first glance, this looks like a most beautiful story. But when we look beneath the surface, we see Jsus' vindictiveness only too clearly.

Let us carefully note the three persons who saw the unfortunate victim. They are a priest (Cohen), a Levite and a Samaritan. Anyone familiar with the three classes of Jews called to the Torah, knows that they are Cohen (priest), Levite and Israelite. We would therefore expect that after the Cohen and Levite passed up the victim, the story would tell us that the third person was an Israelite, an ordinary Jew.

Instead, however, Jsus substitutes a Samaritan, a member of a tribe who had been enemies with the Jews for almost five hundred years. This Samaritan then becomes the example of moral love. The Priests and Levites, who were the religious leaders of the Jews, were thus downgraded, while the hated Samaritan was praised. What Jsus is implying is that every Jew, even a religious leader, is incapable of even a simple act of mercy.

Even in his parable about love, Jsus was not above demonstrating his spite toward the Jewish leaders who rejected him. Good Samaritan is a byword among Chrstians to this very day. Many churches even bear the name, Church of the Good Samaritan. But Jsus' vindictiveness assured that there would never be a church with the name, Church of the Good Israelite.

Jsus was even able to be vindictive against a tree. When he found himself hungry, he was not able to restrain his too human emotions. The Gospel thus records

Quote:
(Matthew 2 1:18, 19), In the morning, on his way to the city, Jsus felt hungry. Seeing a fig tree near the road, he went up to it, but found nothing on it but leaves. He said to the tree, `may you never bear fruit anymore.' The tree then withered and died.



The Gospel of Mark (11:13) makes it plain that it was not even the season for figs.

Did this innocent tree deserve such cruel punishment? It was not even the season for figs, and the tree was merely fulfilling its nature. If Jsus merely wanted to show his miraculous powers, as the gospel seems to indicate, why did he not command the tree to bring forth fruit?

Indeed, the Talmud (Taanis 24a) brings a very similar incident, but with a very different ending. Rabbi Yosi's son once wanted to provide his father's field hands with food. All he could find was a fig tree, but it was not the season, and the tree was bare. He cried out,

Quote: Fig tree, fig tree, send forth your fruit so that my father's workers may eat.



The Talmud tells us that the tree produced fruit before its time and the men were able to fill themselves.

If Jsus were truly capable of miracles, he could have done the same. Instead, he chose to display his vindictiveness.
A primary teaching of Judaism is expressed by the Psalmist many generations before Jsus. He declared

Quote: (Psalm 145:9), G-d is good to all, and his love extends over all His works. No distinction is made between Jew and gentile.



Contrast this with the following event in Jsus' career

Quote: (Mark 7:25-27): A woman whose daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit heard of Jsus, and came in, falling at his feet. She was a Gentile, a Phoenician from Syria. She begged Jsus to drive out the spirit from her daughter. Jsus replied, `Let the children be satisfied first. It is not right to take the children's bread and cast it to the dogs.



From the context, it is obvious that the children mentioned by Jsus refer to the Jews, while the dogs were the gentiles. These dogs must be satisfied with scraps from the table.

Now compare this narrow view with a teaching of the much maligned Pharisees (i.e. rabbis). They declare in the Talmud

Quote: (Gittin 61a), We are obliged to feed the gentile poor in exactly the same manner as we feed the Jewish poor.



We can bring many such contrasts between Jewish and Chrstian ethics. In every case, the margin seems to be on the side of Judaism. Jsus may have taught many beautiful ideals, but unfortunately, he never seemed to be able to live up to them himself.

Apparently, it was difficult even for Chrst to be a Chrstian.

Footnote:
The Real Messiah, Aryeh Kaplan, 1997, Olivestone, New York, NY

Why do Jews not accept Jesus as a god or a messiah? #4 [-]


Why do Jews not accept Jesus as a god or a messiah?

Answer:

Almost since the inception of Christianity, some Christians have made it their life's work to convert others, including Jews. At times, these missionaries have used torture and other coercions to gain their goal, such as during the Spanish Inquisition. More recently, Christian missionaries have employed different techniques-using friendly arguments and slick propaganda-for the same purpose. Missionaries have aggressively confronted Jews with misleading arguments and incorrect Biblical quotes. Lately, they have even resorted to using Jewish names and Hebrew songs to mislead Jews into thinking that they, too, are Jewish. Thus, we have the rise of the "Jewish Christians" who claim that the only "fulfilled" Jew is the one who believes in JC (called by them, "Yeshua").

Judaism respects the right of Christians to worship as they please. It, however, condemns those who try to impose Christianity on Jews through deceit or any other way. The missionaries show a dangerous degree of intolerance towards Judaism, implying that it is a false religion. Jews should therefore be ready to defend their religious beliefs, and to counteract missionary propaganda. Jews must know that missionary arguments can readily be answered, for they are misleading and based on false premises. Jews cannot sit idly by watching missionaries misleading their fellow religionists. There are too few Jews in the world today for us to afford defections to Christianity.

Missionaries say that JC is both the son of G-d and the long­-awaited Messiah. Jews reject both claims, for the following reasons:

a) No Man Can Be a G-d. The Torah makes it clear that there is only one omnipotent, indivisible G-d:

"The L-rd He is G-d; there is none else besides him" (Deuteronomy 4:35)."

G-d is unique unto Himself, and does not consist of a trinity:

"The L-rd He is G-d in heaven above and upon the earth below; there is none else" (Deuteronomy 4:39).

JC himself accepted G-d's uniqueness:

"And he (JC) said unto him, 'Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, G-d." (Matthew 19:17).

How, then, could a mortal man-one who was born and who died on a cross-be a segment of an immortal, indivisible G-d? There is no concept of infinity possible if G-d is a man or a Trinity. The Torah states clearly:

"G-d is not a man" (Numbers 23:19).

b) JC did not accomplish the tasks of the Messiah. If JC had indeed been the Messiah, he would have fulfilled the Messianic prophecies mentioned in Tanach. For instance, the Moshiach (Messiah) will bring about universal peace and tran­quility:

"And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war any more" (Isaiah 2:4).

The Moshiach will bring about universal respect for G-d, and lead all people to follow His ways:

"The knowledge of G-d will fill the earth. The world will be filled with the knowledge of G-d as the water covers the sea" (Isaiah 11:9).

He will cause an in-gathering of the Jewish exiles:

"Then the residue of his brethren shall return with the children of Israel" (Micha 5:2)

and will bring about the rebuilding of the Beis Hamikdosh (Holy Temple):

"In that day will I raise up the Tabernacles of David that is fallen" (Amos 9:11).

He will also bring physical cure to all who are sick:

"Then the eye of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. Then the lame man will leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb will sing" (Isaiah 35:5-6).

Furthermore, he will accomplish these tasks within his own lifetime: "He shall not fail or be crushed until he has set the right in the earth" (Isaiah 42:4).

The clear-cut fact is that JC did not fulfill any of these tasks. The Beis Hamikdosh has not been rebuilt, and the Jews are still in exile. (Incidentally, it is hard to see how JC could rebuild the Beis Hamikdosh or return the Jews to Israel when the Beis Hamikdosh was still in existence and the Jews were still in Israel during his lifetime.)

Suffering and pain still abound, and the world is certainly less religiously-inc lined today than it was during JC's day. Immorality, corruption, and crime are definitely in evidence to this very day, and the past 2,000 years have seen one war after another.

If the Messiah has already come, why is the world in such a sad state?

Christian theology has come up with the explanation that JC will reappear during a Second Coming, when he will finally fulfill the Messianic prophecies. But there is no reference to such a delayed second coming of the same Messiah anywhere in the Torah. JC himself promised his followers that he would succeed in his own era:

"Verily I say to you that there be some of them who stand here, which shall not taste of death until they have seen the kingdom of G-d come with power" (Mark 9:1);

"Verily I say to you that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done" (Mark 13:30).

But the things were not done, and JC was instead killed.

c) JC did not keep Jewish law. The Moshiach is expected to keep all the laws of the Torah, and to inspire others to do likewise. (See Deuteronomy 13). However, at times JC considered himself to be above the law:

"For the Son of Man is master even of the Sabbath" (Matthew 12:.

He broke the laws of the Sabbath ­part of the Ten Commandments-and reviled the Rabbis, who are accorded great respect by the Torah. JC did not even always espouse peace:

"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth; I came not to send peace, but a sword" (Matthew 10:34).

Can one who denies G-d's sacred law be His Messiah?

d) Lack of Jewish support. JC lived at the time of Roman suppression of the Jews. The Jewish people eagerly looked forward to the arrival of the Moshiach. They were certainly well-versed in the requirements to be filled by the true Moshiach, and would definitely have accepted the Moshiach if it was clear that he had appeared. Yet the Jews of that time—and especially the learned Sages—rejected JC' claims to be the Messiah. They knew and saw JC in the flesh, and found him wanting; on the other hand, Paul of Tarsus, who established the Christian religion, never knew JC personally. If JC were indeed the Messiah, why did his fellow Jews, who had every reason to want a Messiah, almost unanimously reject him?

Missionaries often say that they have Biblical proof of JC' divinity or Messianic role. However, these arguments often rely on misquotes and faulty reasoning.

One such "proof" comes from Isaiah 7:14, which they translate as follows:

"Behold the virgin is with child, and she will bear a son, and his name will be called Immanuel."

The unsus­pecting individual might think that this is a prophecy of the New Testament's account of JC' birth. However, one who studies the verse in its original Hebrew will note that the term used is “almah”, which means "young woman", not "virgin". (The Hebrew word for virgin is “besulah”, as mentioned in Leviticus 21:3). In any case, the verse refers to the birth of King Chezkiah, and has nothing at all to do with the Moshiach.

Another supposed "proof" is the verse in Micha 5:1: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrasah, which are little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of you shall come forth ' onto Me that is to be ruler in Israel, whose going forth are from old, from ancient days."

Missionaries claim that this refers to JC, who they say was born in Bethlehem. But the verse really refers to the fact that the Moshiach will come from the lineage of King David, who was born in Bethlehem. And Christians cannot claim that JC came from King David, for the lineage follows the father, and they say that JC had no earthly father.

Finally, there is the so-called "proof" from Isaiah 53, which refers to a "Suffering Servant". Missionaries will say that this means JC, who suffered on the cross. But the term "servant", when used elsewhere in Isaiah, refers to the Jewish nation, whose members are G-d's dedicated servants. They have certainly suffered throughout the years-yet they have survived for a long time, unlike JC, who died childless at the age of 33, and the verse refers to the servant's prolonged days and "seed" (children).

There are other such arguments, with accurate and concise Jewish responses to each. All Jews must be aware that missionary claims should not be taken at face value, and that the Jewish rejection of the Messiahship of JC has a sound Biblical basis.
Rabbi Eliezer Gevirtz is author of L'hovin U'lhaskil - A Guide to Torah Hashkofoh (Feldheim 1988)