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Messianic Judaism
I am Messianic. This does not mean that I am a Christian. It does not mean that I am crazy. It does not mean that my stated goal in life is to “evangelize” every Jew on the face of the planet.
It does mean that I follow the Torah. It does mean that I live within the Jewish community. I does mean that I engage in dialogue with Jewish people in an effort to understand G-d better, to understand Torah better, and to become more aware of what I can do to bless them in return for the blessings they have given me.
There are a lot of sites on the Web use the name “Messianic.” Few of those, however, actually portray who I am, what I believe, and how I live my life. That is part of the purpose of this web site—to give you a picture of me and my beliefs so that you can better understand me. This part of the site is devoted to information on Messianic Judaism from my perspective. I cannot claim to know everything about this topic, nor can I claim to speak for anyone except myself (even my wife and I disagree on the reasons for our observance sometimes).
You may have noticed that I placed this section under the larger topic of “Judaism,” not under the main topic of “Moshiach.” I have done so for two reasons. 1) I believe Messianic Judaism is a form of Judaism, making this the logical place for this section; and 2) This is not information about Moshiach as much as it is about belief in and obedience to Him.
I suggest you begin this section by taking a look at the article Real Messianic Judaism. That will give you a basic understanding of my approach to this topic. If you have not already read my article on Moshiach, that would be a good starting point, as well.
Jewish pluralists know that it will not be easy for the Jewish community to come face to face with itself and to recognize that Messianic Judaism is no more inauthentic than other forms of contemporary Jewish life. Many Jews will need to overcome subconscious feelings of antipathy towards rural values as well as hostility toward evangelical fundamentalism. Yet, paradoxically, Jewish pluralists argue, Messianic Judaism can evoke from the Jewish community a greater awareness of the need for acceptance and tolerance in the modern age. Rather than engaging in bitter and acrimonious criticism of one another's religious viewpoints, the Jewish people need a new framework for harmonious living, one which will serve as a remedy for the bitter divisions that have split the community into warring factions since the Enlightenment. On the principle that it is always better to listen to people than spit on them, the pluralists argue for an open model. In accordance with this, the seven-branched menorah in which all denominations, including Messianic Judaism, are represented, is the only reasonable starting point for inter-community relations in the twenty-first century.
- Messianic Judaism, by (Reform) Rabbi Dan Cohn-Sherbok, page 213.
תּוֹרָה — The first five books of the Bible. Alternately, refers to the entire body of commandments of G-d. The Torah is read in the synagogue on a yearly schedule, starting and finishing on Simchat Torah.מָשִׁיחַ — “Messiah”; means “Anointed One.” The concept of Moshiach as a deliverer is a completely Jewish concept.
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[Joshua] did an excellent job, mixing in the hard-to-format quotes and photos that start each chapter with aplomb. If you're an author or a publisher looking to format books of your own, I'd highly recommend him.