Expert: Rabbi Barry Dov Lerner - 2/13/2005

Question
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Hi Rabbi Barry Dov Lerner,

        Thanks for answering my questions. No, actually this was not a school project, rather I just wanted to make sure what I have known to be true, is verify. From reading Christian history, I have often feel and thought that Paul and the followers of Jesus have often used the Old Testament for their own purpose.

         Misquoting Isahia, and reformer Martin Luther going as far as saying that Jews are liers in many of his writings. When it is clearly imply and stated in the Torah that the Jews are God's chosen people. For some reason, Luther believes that God changed sides, and left the Jews.

Thanks again for the reply,
Nick

Followup To
Question -
Hi Rabbi Barry Dov Lerner,

     My name is Nick and I am currently a religious studies major. I have some questions about Jewish laws and traditions concerning Jesus and Messiah that I was hoping you can help me answer. I know that many websites have posted Q&A, but I rather communicate with someone like you, as you have shown in your profile that you are an expert in your studies. I have also been approched by many Christian Missionsaries that have tried to convert me, so I wa hoping you can help me out with some answers.

1) Is it true that nowhere in the Old Testament does it mention or teach that someone (like Jesus) would die for our sins? I guess my question is, do Jews believed that we all are sinners and are doom for hell? What is Judaism's view on Sin, and the fall of Adam and Eve?

2) Is it true that there is no mention of an afterlife until the time of the Mccabeean(Spelling?) period? Does the Torah mention or teach anything about Hell? I don't understand why God would send plagues and floods, and fire to destroy cities for their sins, if there is a hell. I mean, if Hell exist, then God would wait for the sinners in Noah's time to die so they can go to hell, instead of sending a flood to kill them. And then have them go to hell. Do you have an answer for my observation?

3) Is it true that the Book of Daniels, Isaiah, and Hosea talks about Jesus? Isahia talking about the coming of Jesus?

4) In your studies, what do you think happened to the 10 tribes of Israel? I have heard that there is a small of of people in India claiming that they were descendent from the lost tribes, is that true?

Thanks for helping me answer these questions,
Sincerely,
 NIck


Answer -
Dear Nick,

Thanks for writing and the compliment. I'm not an "expert" and if you are searching for real scholarship you will have to do some extensive serious reading.

If this is any part of a school assignment please understand that we don't participate in such projects, but I will point you toward the best resources of which I am aware.

With regard to Christian missionaries, you'll not succeed in debating them with verses, Bible or the like. We rely upon the Rabbinic tradition post Hebrew Scriptures (Bible)for meaning and exegesis and they rely on the New Testatment post Bible similarly. We have differerent frames of reference, and in particular they - perhaps and we - will fit the verse to the proof rather than see the verse and conclude the proof.

I believe that the Rabbinic tradition struggled to understand the context of the Hebrew Scriptures in their own context and also attempting to meet the needs of the Jewish People at different times and in different circumstances. But they knew and there are "signals" in Midrash that they knew when they were "pushing" an interpretation linguistically, theologically, etc.

Those who believe that Jesus was the Messiah will always "read into" the verses of the Hebrew Scripture what they want to find. We as Jews don't believe that what they "find" is there. Hence, we have not accepted Christianity is any form.

1. Judaism does not accept original sin and hence has no need for various atonement. Jews answer individually for their sins to God and only God can forgive.

From the Encyclopedia Judaica - where you should go for all of these questions - and Rabbi Louis Jacobs (a real rexpert): "The much discussed question of whether there are any parallels to the Christian doctrine of original sin in rabbinic literature can be disposed of simply by noting that there are no such parallels."

2. AFTERLIFE. Judaism has always maintained a belief in an afterlife, but the forms which this belief has assumed and the modes in which it has been expressed have varied greatly and differed from period to period. Thus even today several distinct conceptions about the fate of man after death, relating to the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the dead, and the nature of the world to come after the messianic redemption, exist side by side within Judaism. Though these conceptions are interwoven no generally accepted theological system exists concerning their interrelationship.

HOWEVER I don't believe that God sends any natural disasters - including tsunamis - as any form of punishment, or even a warning. Any meaning to these events are strictly "read into" the events by people who want to find meaning; NOT that God sent them. God doesn't play in our lives in any fashion, reward or punishment.

3. Absolutely NOT. Read Jewish commentaries on these subjects

4. No one knows what the Assyrians did with those whom they distributed after conquest. The intention was to insure that they no longer had a single locus within which to rebel. Are some people in India the descendents of those exiled in 722 BCE? A few might be but 2800 years of intermarriage, inter-cultural, etc. doesn't make them the "Lost Ten Tribes."

Study hard. Read widely and responsibly

Rabbi Dov  

Answer
Dear Nick,

If you do want to pursue some answers, you can always check out a somewhat outdated fundamentalist Orthodox text: "Hizuk Emunah - Faith Stengthened" in a library or for purchase. It does address these questions of scripture from the traditional point of view - it just doesn't take into account modern study of scriptures.

For modern Jewish commentaries, you can start with JPS commentaries.

Best wishes

Rabbi Dov