There are 2 choices, 3 votes for moshe alban's debate

Jewish Identity

• Jewish Faith

  (u)Jewish faith(/u) is called Judaeism. Hebrew is the race and in my opinion the true name of Hebrews. Isreali is the nationality, but originally they were Hebrews and Jew is just a stereotype. However a Jewish Rabbi is a teacher of Judaeism and the Rabbi told you truth.

  66%  Voted for by frndofyaweh, Weydon.

  View 13 comments Hide Comments

  Please login or register to comment.

  Registration is required because of issues with spam. It is fast and free! This author would LOVE to get a comment from you, please join!

  • right now

    Adding your comment:
  • moshe alban
    September 2, 2006
    Edit | Reply
    You raise an interesting point. The central prayer of Judaism is the Sh'ma (or "Shema"). The prayer says, "Sh'ma Yisrael, Adonai Eloheynu, Adonai Echad." (Listen descendants of Yisrael, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One." So does that mean the Jewish people should be called Jews or "Yisraelis"? I never really thought about it before. The word Rabbi means "my teacher" as some people are taught in Sunday school. But Rav also means great in Hebrew. Is there a Hebrew word for a female rabbi? I'm not sure. Also, I'm not sure how Christians view themselves - do they think of themselves as descendants of Israel, too?
  • moshe alban
    September 2, 2006
    Edit | Reply
    Your comment got me thinking about the issue of identity in general - how do Muslims and Christians see themselves? This is really the essence of the phenomenological method - how does a given group understand their own history. What is your own religious orientation, if you don't mind my asking? Just curious...
  • 
    frndofyaweh
    September 3, 2006
    Edit | Reply

    How about Gentiles?

    I see gentiles as simply non believers of the Jewish faith. The races themselves are not necessarily important. As a Christian, I must also be Jewish. The only real difference is, I pray daily for cleansing and do it through an eternal sacrifice; Jesus Christ. The Hebrews of old sacrificed in blood continually, which of course will eventually become a problem as the faith grows. Too many animal sacrifices for too many faithful. I love the Old Testement books most of all. Proverbs being my favorite. Followed by Genesis and Exodus and so forth through the laws. ----- The Law of Moses has not changed. Justice is measured by a rod and the hand that offends thee should still be cut off. A rapist should be put to death, as he has changed the course and destiny of a life forever. ----- Not many Christians are like me in those respects.
  • 
    Dwn
    September 3, 2006
    Edit | Reply

    Types and shadows

    The hebrew people of the old testament were a type of the jerusalem to come after the sacrifice made by Jesus.Now Jerusalem is a spitual place , it consists of the children of God elected before the foundation of the world and saved by the blood of the christ.
  • DryIce808
    September 15, 2006
    Edit | Reply
    Dwn, the jews of the old testament have nothing to do with Jesus, other than the fact that he was one. The people who live in Jerusalem now also have nothing to do with Jesus.
  • moshe alban
    September 17, 2006
    Edit | Reply
    As a Jew I'm concerned that within Christian theology there is a widespread belief that there was some redeeming aspect to Jesus' death. Jesus was a Jew, and Judaism *does not* glorify martyrdom. One of the lessons of the Akedah (the binding of Isaac) was the rejection of child sacrifice and the intervention of an angel who stayed Avraham's hand from going ahead with sacrificing Isaac. What kind of message do Christians send to their children by glorifying the crucifixion? As a Hasidic Jew I feel that sometimes I just don't understand Christian theology...
  • • DryIce808
      September 18, 2006
      Edit | Reply
      As a reformed Jew, I often find myself not understanding Hasidic Jews. What kind of message do you send to your children... don't eat chicken and drink milk? People will believe what they are led to believe. You and I are not different.
    • 
      Mujtaba H Zaidi
      January 25
      Edit | Reply

      Hello Dear Moshe Alban!

      Hello Dear Moshe Alban!
      It is really nice to find your valuable contributions regarding theology. I am also interested in studying Abrahamic religions. If yo get some time, please study the views of the three communities under the Title "MUSLIMS AND JEWS" in the Category "ACCEPTANCE.
      Many thanks and regards
  • moshe alban
    September 19, 2006
    Edit | Reply
    I think that the great tragedy of the so-called Enlightenment was that it opened a pathway for a gradual break with Jewish tradition. On the one hand, Reform Judaism may have been a necessary step in giving Jews full citizenship. But the break with tradition opened a pathway to gradual relativism -- just do what you want to do. I do think there's a lot to learn from Reform Judaism, but then again I'm not a traditional Hasid! What else do you find confusing about Hasidism? I'm just curious...
  • • DryIce808
      September 21, 2006
      Edit | Reply
      The purpose of my last post was mostly in response to your previous post. If you read them one after the other you will see the point I am trying to make. To address your last question, I have a hard time understanding why anyone would want to be orthodox anything. But... that is just me. I do not believe it is right to interpret the bible as absolute truth. To me, it represents a collection of stories and moral messages to help guide ones life. Certain parts are good, others are outdated.
    • • moshe alban
        September 24, 2006
        Edit | Reply
        Thanks for your comments. Regarding the issue of orthodoxy - I think that over the years the term "orthodox" has acquired a very negative connotation, so it's not surprising that you are turned off by anything orthodox. Merriam-Webster's defines orthodoxy as "of, relating to, or constituting any of various conservative religious or political groups." And conservation is an attitude of protecting the past - just as conservation is a political movement within the envrionmentalist ethic. In my opinion, if a holy text is to have real meaning then it must be more than just a collection of stories. It should be viewed as something sacred - but it doesn't mean that it *must* be seen as absolutely perfect. The notion of revelation is certainly a topic open for debate! (In Judaism the Oral Torah is a vital extension/continuation of the revelation that Moses received at Mount Sinai.)
  • moshe alban
    October 3, 2006
    Edit | Reply

    Reform Judaism

    In response to DryIce808: I'm curious how you see Reform Judaism - what are the benefits of being affiliated with the Reform movement? What are the costs? I personally grew up in a Conservative congregation, and I know that for me one of the costs was that we didn't really *understand* the Hebrew prayers that we were singing - it was mostly a bunch of nice songs and familiar melodies. It sounds to me like you feel a real sense of disconnect from Torah-observant Jews (whether Orthodox, Hasidic, or Haredi). Am I correct about this impression?
  • • DryIce808
      October 9, 2006
      Edit | Reply
      Exactly. I too grew up in a Conservative congregation. There were 4 hour services almost completely in hebrew. I can read the language but have no idea what most of the words mean. It greatly disconnected me from the message. Now I am reformed and find the brief but meaningful services more appealing.

  Please register or login to comment! It's totally free
• right now

  Adding your reply:
• Your Comment: