Hi,
My name is Dean and I'm new to the list. No one on my family was raised as a Jew but I've been interested in getting back the Hebraic roots of our faith. I've begun by reading about the Jewish festivals. Specifically, I'd like to hear how some of you have incorporated Jewish lifestyle elements into your lives. Where and how would you suggest beginning? How far would you go? For instance, as I have begun reading things, I have read that some, out of respect (not legalism) have decided to wear a tallit (with the fringes). I know a friend who tries to honor the spirit of the Sabbath to the letter.
Also, how would one approach the written use of God? As I talk and email others, I want to approach that topic respectfully. Should I use forms such as G-d and L-rd in emails or something else? Also, I know that many use the Jewish name for Jesus. Should I change my terminology?
There's lot to learn and I appreciate your suggestions.
Blessings,
Dean
Hi Dean While i am glad that you want to celebrate the feasts (passover,Tabernacles) what ever you do in your Walk With God you should be care full that in whatever you do your actions are God Honouring , your'e first priority is to live A lifestyle that Honours God and is based in Scripture
so as i continued to read i became concerned
for one i see no reason to wear a Tallit also referred to as a head covering or Prayer Shawl
so pardon me for referring to Scripture
1 corinthians 1:1 Imitate me just as i also Imitate Christ
verse 3 But i want you to know, That the Head of Every man is Christ and the Head of woman is man, And The Head of Christ is God
Every Man praying or prophesying, having his head covered Dishonours his Head (Christ)
as for whether one should use the Hebraic name Y'shua or Yeshua is of little importance me i use The Name when corresponding with
Hi Dean
.......continued cos i hit "send" by mistake
as i was saying i use the name Y'shua when corresponding with Jewish-Believers but the rest of the time i use Jesus
which ever one you use dousnt really matter cos it is the same name just in different language like Meschiach in the original Hebrew (Messiah)means Anointed One
but so does Christ derived from Christos ( in the Greek language)again means Anointed One, both refer to Jesus Christ
so changing ones terminology is unneccessary
as for keeping The Sabbath (fri evening to sat evening) for the purpose of Prayer and Study and meeting with Jewish Believers and serving God together there is no problem with that i do it myself and have done for several years and it has helped me in my walk
though whatever one does, one should take care that ones actions do not Violate Scripture (His known Will)Dishonour God or bring offense to others i have known of incidents where where Common Garden Variety Believers (like me) though not me have innocently without realizing incorporated aspects from Jewish lifestyle and inadvertantly brought an offense (most Jews view such actions as portraying a False sense of Jewish-ness, and view this as being the worst form of Anti-semitism around, almost as bad as Replace-ment theology
unfortunately this is NOT a good witness for Christ and certainly not a good witness for other Christians
on a final note one should treat The Jewish People with Respect And Love for they Are His Chosen People....... Romans 11.1-3 and we should pray daily for Israel And The Peace of Jerusalem and The Their Fulfillment in Christ
but we are to Love ALL Men
Martin
Hi,
My name is Dean and I'm new to the list. No one on my family was raised as a Jew but I've been interested in getting back the Hebraic roots of our faith... out of respect (not legalism) have decided to wear a tallit (with the fringes).
Blessings,
Dean
Hi Dean, why do you say that you wear a tallis "out of respect, not
legalism?" Are you talking about a tallis gadol, or katan? These
things come from Jewish oral law, so why would you consider it
necessary to wear one?
just curious!
chava
Hi Chava,
Curiousity can be a good thing. In this case, it can help me flesh out this thoughts a little more thoroughly!
I've done some more reading and talked with a lot of people since I wrote the quote to which you refer. What I was trying to convey originally was that I've heard that some choose to wear the tallit out of respect/love for the Lord or even respect/love for the Scriptures -- not necessarily a legalistic reason (i.e., I must wear a tallit to justify my spiritual status). What I'm trying to figure out for myself is to what extent does one honor the letter of the Torah. For instance, the Torah discusses the tallit in Numbers 15:38 and Deuteronomy 22:12. There's a lot of ceremonial laws in the Torah are longer done because there is no Temple. So, it seems that there are still some laws which one might consider honoring.
What I am hearing, reading, and discussing with my friends is that one's love for the Lord is the only thing that matters. One certainly should not feel obliged to honor the "letter of the Law" in order to gain a higher spiritual status with God. We can't honor the letter of the Law perfectly anyhow. If one honestly wants to wear a tallit, eat kosher foods, etc., because of their love for the Lord, then they should do it. They should not do it out of any sense of obligation nor should they feel guilty if they "miss a day." Neither should they should expect or demand that others obey the Laws even if they choose to honor them. The bottom line is if they choose to honor the Laws, then do so privately (as opposed to being showy).
That's kind of what I'm seeing, reading, and hearing at this point anyhow. I think I'm leaning in that direction as well. I know I still have a lot more to learn about all this.
Blessings,
Dean
Romans 11:25 (KJV)
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
see it says that israel is blind and they still are today..as a nation they do not serve god. even the ones that keep certain feast and such most dont beleive.. thats a fact
there are three groups of people on this planet and thats it....
1- are jews
2- are gentiles
both are not even heaven bound...............incase you dont know, gentiles are everybody that arent jews..italians or russians or americans or all..
3- are the church of god, they are born again through jesus christ.
you have to stop being a jew and you have to stop being a gentile as far as beleif goes..
Acts 20:28 (KJV)
Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
to feed the church of god purchased by the bood, those hat beleive in christ jesus that are born again as john 3:3 jsus says. and in john 3:5 those born of water and spirit they are born again as titus 3:5 is the result of acts 2:38 which is to repent and be baptised in the name of jesus for the remission of sins and ye shall recieve the gift of the holyghost..as roamn 8:1-? 12 tells you , IF that spirit dwells in you, if..if.
but we are not to ofend anybody period, even if they are not of the church
1 Cor. 10:32 (KJV)
Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:
see, the church of god is of his not the jews or the gentiles...so we must be born again to make the rapture..and as far as israel the nation, god will still deal with them and that happens after the rapture during the tribulation.. as far as the rapture goes, its not being jew or gentile, no matter the color, its being born born again, have you obeyed acts 2:38
may god bless you with understanding
Steven Bailey has a good book called "Kashrut, Tefillin, and Tzittzit" by Aronson...if you wish to expand to Tefillin.
I am of a mind that instead of daily, tefillin should be limited to special and rare occasions, but then again that's me...and acceptable under the Law of Liberty and Grace.
I got the impression from the book that tallit katan (the small tallit under the shirt, worn through the day) was based first on Torah.
To this, I would show disagreement with Chava who sources the Tallit Katan as Oral Torah over written Torah.
As for Tallit Gadol, I would not disagree that it is from the Commentaries that she and others call Oral Torah.
Hope this helps. Shalom.