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The Charlotte Jewish News - October 2018 - Page 8 Rabbi Journal II Now, How Do I Answer That? By Rabbi Chanoch Oppenheim, Charlotte Torah Center This subject might make some people uncomfortable but it is a question 1 am often asked. When someone in the Jewish communi ty asks, it’s usually in response to a question asked by a non-Jew- ish person at the office (and the Jewish person didn’t’ have an an swer). When a non-Jewish person asks me the question, it’s usually out of curiosity about something that seems so obvious that they can’t understand how someone could disagree. The question: Why don’t the Jews accept Je sus as the Messiah? Although people get fidgety and try to slip away from the situation, the an swer, like all others in the Torah and our heritage, is something for which we neither apologize nor evade. That being said, we are not here to disparage the beliefs of other people, especially those who do so much social welfare for the world, rather we just want to speak rationally and provide a safe space for the person’s ques tion. ITere goes. Judaism has three fundamental issues with Christian theology. 1. Trinity. Jewish belief has never, will never, and does not believe that God has a human form. God is beyond space and time; God not t^ing a physical form is one of the central ideas in Judaism. Making a corporealiza- tion of the Deity is a violation of a basic Jewish tenet. 2. Classical Jewish literature does not accept the notion of a second coming. Once messiah reveals himself, he will accom plish a designated mission of get ting the Jews back to Israel and rebuilding the Temple and estab lishing world peace. Jesus was cmcified before he completed any of these things and therefore we carmot accept him as the Messiah. The way Christianity got around this was to develop the concept of a second coming in which he will complete his mission. Our version is that when the messiah comes, he is going to get the job done and that he is not coming back. 3. Judaism is based on mitzv- ot, i.e. proper conduct and good deeds (action). Christian theology (i.e. either Jesus, the apostles, or architects of the early Church) states that God abrogated and replaced His covenant. A major ramification of this is Paul’s iimo- vation that one gets redemption not by actions but by faith. That is a theological postulate that is inconsistent with Judaism. One might argue that this is Paul’s in novation not Jesus’, but the main point is that it is diametrically op posed to Judaism. There is nothing negative above these three points, they are merely meant to articulate why Jews have not historically accepted Jesus as the Messiah. At this point, one question is usu ally asked: Doesn’t the Old Tes tament predict the events of the New Testament? No, not if you read them in the original Hebrew or in accurate translations such as ArtscrolTs Stone Edition or the Jewish Publication Society’s Eitz Chaim. (This subject is too broad to discuss in the limited space of this article.) So where does this leave us? What do Jews actually believe concerning the Messiah? Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Britain’s former chief Rabbi, closed one of his talks on the subject with these words. “Our task - to repeat - is to be tme to ourselves and to be a bless ing to others; to bring forward the Messiaruc Age, the narrative of redemption, to do so by the ex ample of our lives and, through our lives, to reduce that disso nance ... We bring Moshiach - we bring redemption - one day at a time, one act at a time, one life at a time - respecting the faiths of others because we are confident in our own; inviting others to join with us in building a world wor thy of being a home for the Di vine Presence. 1 have to tell you that although that is a lofty goal, ... there is not one member of the Jewish world today that does not have an important and rmique task in that process ... And we are part of a people that we can be proud. That is what is bringing the Messiaruc moment closer, one day at a time. “The Jewish Messiah does not come to atone for our sins, he instracts us how to live with out them and usher in an age of peace, something humanity with its own devices has failed to ac complish. At that time, ... they shall beat their swords into plow shares, and their spears into prun ing hooks- Nation shall not lift up sword against rration, neither shall they learn war anymore.” ^ ^ H A R L 0 Xbrah N T E Women/V NeMiy Temple Kol Tikvah Sisterhood On Monday, August 27, the Sisterhood of Temple Kol Tikvah spon sored a talk on “Human Trafficking In Our Com- murrity.” Bo Qrrickel, founder of Vigilante Trackers, spoke to our congrega tion and members of orrr commurrity about human trafficking and sex slav ery. ft was a revealing talk of the hideous crimes that plague our commurrity and society. We were also privileged to have a new member of our congregation, Mindy Sanchez, who added to this conversation. Mindy is an Attorney and was a Professor of Criminal Procedure. If you would like more in formation regarding this topic, please visit VigilanteTrath.com. ^ MOVE IN NOW!
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