Jewish Worldview

2/25
Monday was classes and a Hebrew quiz. I felt awful and was so nervous and discouraged bout it but I think it went ok. Andrew and I celebrated by buying magnum bars.

Then we had Rabbi Ken Spiro tell us things about Judaism and let me tell you, it was crazy and my world was shaken! I found out that they start time on the 6th day and expect the Messiah to come by the year 6,000 because a day is worth a thousand years and a thousand years a day. We have around 227yrs left in their eyes. He talked about our purpose, the purpose of creation. He talked about how the opposite of pain is not pleasure but instead comfort. Pain and pleasure go together. He talked about how a level up from pleasure is love.

They have this view that Abraham chose God, that he dedicated his family to worship God and so in response God said, "I choose you." Crazy! He said Abraham chose the responsibility when in reality God gave them the purpose/job of being a model to teach the world.

He talked about a point man in the army, and that the reason for antisemitism is because they have a unique roll in the world and so they get hit first but then it doesn't end with them. "The Jews don't get the fame but instead the Paparazzi"

Then he gave a description of the Jewish Messiah

1. Big rabbi who has to know his stuff, natural accomplishment
2. Has to bring all the Jews back to Judaism, to take the commands seriously, oral laws.
3. Bring all the Jews back to Israel
4. Has to rebuild the temple and fight off all other nations.

He continued on and on and said how the Jews say miracles prove nothing. The Messiah has to accomplish everything on this list before actually getting the title Messiah. They say laws never change and even with the Messiah the world will go along as normal and Israel will dwell securely.

The Jews are for truth regardless of the consequence. Too bad their truth isn't Truth. It is super sad.

"No one would be happier about a Messiah than the Jews"

They have a problem with God having a Son, that's polytheism.

He described the absence of the sacrificial system as God not needing the gifts like a parent doesn't need their children's scribbled pictures, but it teaches the child to give. Now they have grown and do not need the system.

He spoke of their version of atonement=recognition of wrong. He said it is like you commit a sin and then say you will not do it again and then when you have an opportunity to do that sin and you don't, God clears it.

They view Jesus' death and resurrection as a non event, no historical record in their book.

Some also believe in reincarnation which was most surprising to me. He believes the world can be elevated to a soul world, back to a type of Eden. He said the more we identify with the body, the harder it is to separate the body from the soul. "The soul goes in the vessel kicking and screaming and then forgets it's the soul and associates with the body." The soul has to be judged while in the body. The soul has to learn to be good again so if it fails, it gets another shot. It has to get it right before it can be with God.

They were just crazy views that I had no idea about! He agrees to disagree and will not take scripture arguments. Gave me a lot to think about.