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Showing posts from December, 2016

Judaism is Fundamentally a Religion of Practice

An article I read about an interview with Noam Chomsky inspired me to write this blog. It brought back some old memories for me. I grew up in a town that did not have a synagogue and I did not personally know any Jewish people until I began my research on the Jewish Jesus in my mid-30s . Keep what Chomsky said about Judaism in mind when you read about the life and teachings of the Real Yeshua. Read the complete blog at -- http://therealyesua.blogspot.com/2016/12/judaism-is-fundamentally-religion-of.html

Before Islam: When Saudi Arabia Was a Jewish Kingdom

The discovery of the oldest-known pre-Islamic Arabic writing in Saudi Arabia, from ca. 470 CE, evidently caused some consternation, given its Christian and Jewish context. According to the report, the Arabic text, scrawled on a large rectangular stone, is simply of a name,  “Thawban (son of) Malik,” followed by the date. Further consternation may have arisen when realizing that these texts are not only the legacy of a once-numerous Christian community, but are also linked to the story of an ancient Jewish kingdom that once ruled over much of what is today Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Read the complete article at -- http://www.haaretz.com/jewish/archaeology/.premium-1.709010

Who Founded Christianity? Jesus, Paul or Neither? The Answer Will Surprise You

Nowhere in the New Testament does Jesus or Paul say he is rejecting Judaism and starting a new religion. In fact, the term “Christian” doesn’t appear at all in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), which chronicle Jesus’ spiritual mission; and only later, three times in the rest of the New Testament. If Jesus conceived of a new church, why did he spend his life religiously celebrating the major Jewish holidays in the Temple in Jerusalem? And we must remember that throughout the years Jesus prayed, preached, and read from the Torah in a synagogue on the Sabbath. Read the complete blog at -- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bernard-starr/who-founded-christianity_b_13821370.html

DO TZEDAQAH Yeshua’s Primary Message

The theme of JUSTICE remains central to the understanding of TZEDAQAH ( righteousness ). Support for the poor is understood as an obligation and as a means of restoring justice to the world, and not as an altruistic or voluntary gesture. If the poor are entitled to the same dignity and quality of life as the wealthy, and if the fortunes of the wealthy and the poor are understood to be interconnected, then it stands to reason that the better off would be expected to care for the needs of the less well-off. Read the complete Real Yeshua Blog at -- http://therealyesua.blogspot.com/2016/12/do-tzedaqah-righteousness-yeshuas.html

A Home is a Primary TOV Value

Without a secure home, normal social relations fall apart, and happiness becomes impossible. Homelessness brings with it fear, depression, and a loss of grounding. Read more about this primary TOV value at -- http://bit.ly/2hMzz1m http://tovcenter.org

Have You Met Rabbi Yeshua?

Is understanding Yeshua as a rabbi more important than "believing in Jesus"? The role of Yeshua as a messianic figure gets much more attention than his role as a rabbi. The Synoptic Gospels , however, provide a wealth of information and highlights his activities as a rabbi. Interestingly, and as surprising as it may seem, we have a record of more of the sayings and the deeds of Yeshua than any other 1st century rabbi. Learn more about Yeshua the Rabbi at --  http://www.biblicalheritage.org/rabbi-yeshua.html

Go and Learn What This Means

Over the past 2000 years there have been many opinions about Yeshua, but I believe almost everyone will agree that he was a good teacher. His followers were known as “ disciples ,” which Dr. Ike Tennison likes to call “ learners .” “ Go and learn what this means ” has to be a clue about something that was very important to Yeshua, and something he wanted his disciples to learn. What did he want them to learn? Was it the meaning of this – “ I desire mercy and not sacrifice?” Click here to find out -- http://www.biblicalheritage.org/go_and_learn_01.html

Some Things I Learned Trying to be Happier

Remember my story about the supermarket grocery bagger who loudly proclaimed, “ I am too blessed to be stressed! ” If that is his authentic state of being, effervescent happiness, that’s great for him. My response, “ I’m Jewish, I’m blessed and I’m stressed! ” Well, that has a lot to do with my point. Read the Rabbi Leynor’s complete blog at -- http://tovcenter.blogspot.com/2016/12/some-things-i-learned-trying-to-be.html

Who were the Poor in Spirit?

Some passages suggest that Jesus may have been influenced in a positive fashion by the Essenes. The very first beatitude in the Sermon on the Mount is “ Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven ” (Mt 5:3). The meaning is now supplied in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Read what scholars discovered at -- http://therealyesua.blogspot.com/2016/12/who-were-poor-in-spirit.html

What Kind of Jew was Yeshua?

Today, almost everyone agrees that Jesus was a Jew and an increasing number of people understand that his name was actually “Yeshua.” People often describe him as an “observant Jew.” When asked what that means, people usually reply by describing what it means to be an observant Jew today as a member of Rabbinic Judaism in American democracy. There are three very big problems with that understanding of Yeshua. Read the complete blog at -- http://therealyesua.blogspot.com/2016/12/what-kind-of-jew-was-yeshua.html

Pillar of Cloud Defends Israel's Border With Syria

Amidst increasing ISIS activity on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, Israeli soldiers stationed there reported that over the weekend a literal pillar of cloud descended on the border. The bizarre storm completely engulfed the Syrian side of the border, but stopped just at the boundary and did not enter Israel. See video at -- http://www.israeltoday.co.il/Default.aspx?tabid=178&nid=30652

Ancient Underwater Inscription Reveals Name of Unknown Ruler of Judea

Just south of Haifa, Israeli divers and archaeologists have discovered a statue base bearing an inscription from the 2nd-century CE. It mentions a previously unknown Roman governor of Judea. It is only the second known mention of the province of Judea in Roman inscription. The other is the "Pontius Pilate stone" dating to around 100 years earlier. See pictures and read the complete article at -- http://www.haaretz.com/jewish/archaeology/1.756193

`Post-truth’ named 2016 word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries

Oxford Dictionaries declared that its international word of the year in 2016 is " post-truth ", citing a 2,000% increase in usage compared to 2015. It is a political culture in which politics (public opinion and media narratives) have become almost entirely disconnected from policy (the substance of legislation). Read complete blog at -- http://tovcenter.blogspot.com/2016/12/post-truth-named-2016-word-of-year-by.html

The Real Ten Commandments

Think about the   Ten Commandments.  How many sermons have been preached, books have been written, movies have been made, monuments have been constructed and court cases tried in which the focus was on the Ten Commandments. Now what would you say if I told you they weren’t about the actual Ten Commandments. Are you ready for a surprise? What they called the Ten Commandments in the examples above were not the commandments written on the two stone tablets Moses received at the top of Mount Sinai and brought down to the Israelites! If you are willing to follow Moses up and down Mt Sinai, you will discover when he received the stone tablets and what was written on them. The journey begins by going to – http://www.biblicalheritage.org/ten_commandments_p1.html