Weekly Sidra: Bamidbar (Numbers)
Torah Portion: Bamidbar / Numbers 1:1-4:20
Haftorah: Hoshea / Hosea 2:1-2:22

“The number of the people of Israel shall be like that of the sands of the sea, which cannot be measured or counted; and instead of being told, "You are Not-My-People," they shall be called Children-of-the-Living-God.” (Hosea 2:1)

One thing that can be said about the Jewish people is that they have a strong resiliency for survival.

This week’s reading starts the book of Bamidbar or Numbers in English.  Moses is commanded to take a census of the children of Israel.

The Haftarah portion states that the people of Israel will be too numerous to count and that they shall be the people of God.  This is incredible viewed in the light of many attempts to eliminate the Jewish people.  The crusades, the pogroms and even the Holocausts could not rid the world of Jews.

We too can take solace in this fact.  No matter how much people may hate or despise us we can always put our trust in HaShem.

Rav Shaul states “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6)

“To his talmidim Yeshua said, “Because of this I tell you, don’t worry about your life — what you will eat or drink; or about your body — what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. 24 Think about the ravens! They neither plant nor harvest, they have neither storerooms nor barns, yet God feeds them. You are worth much more than the birds! 25 Can any of you by worrying add an hour to his life? 26 If you can’t do a little thing like that, why worry about the rest? 27 Think about the wild irises, and how they grow. They neither work nor spin thread; yet, I tell you, not even Shlomo in all his glory was clothed as beautifully as one of these. 28 If this is how God clothes grass, which is alive in the field today and thrown in the oven tomorrow, how much more will he clothe you! What little trust you have!  “In other words, don’t strive after what you will eat and what you will drink — don’t be anxious. 30 For all the pagan nations in the world set their hearts on these things. Your Father knows that you need them too. 31 Rather, seek his Kingdom; and these things will be given to you as well. 32 Have no fear, little flock, for your Father has resolved to give you the Kingdom! 33 Sell what you own and do tzedakah — make for yourselves purses that don’t wear out, riches in heaven that never fail, where no burglar comes near, where no moth destroys. 34 For where your wealth is, there your heart will be also.” (Luke 12:22-34)

Remember, those who belong to HaShem are His children and we will continue to survive, not due to our strength, but because of His strength.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYiNc3LVExk

On the holiday of Shavuot, the 6th day of the month of Sivan, 3313 years ago, the entire Jewish nation received the Torah on Mount Sinai and heard the Ten commandments from God Himself. The Torah primarily presents the feast of Shavuot as a harvest festival, which represented the end of the barley harvest and the first fruits of the wheat harvest (Shemot / Ex 34:22; Bamidbar / Num 28:26; Devarim / Deut 16:10).[5] Later, Jewish tradition links Shavuot with the day Israel received the Torah at Sinai.

Traditionally dairy products are often eaten because Song of Songs compares the Torah to milk — some stay awake all night in one long study session of the Torah. Generally Exodus (or at least the 10 commandments) are read along with the book of Ruth on this holy day. In Acts we learn Shavuot was the day the Ruach (Holy Spirit) fell on the emmisaries in Jerusalem and began Its indwelling ministry within believers. This festival is also known as Chag HaKatzir (Festival of Harvesting) and Yom HaBikkurim (a second First Fruits). After the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE Shavuot became primarily identified with the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai, therefore Shavuot is also called Z’man matan Torateinu (the time of the giving of our Torah). As Messianic Jews, Shavuot takes on additional meaning as the context of Acts chapter 2, when the Ruach HaKodesh was poured out in a greater manifest way upon those gathered upon the Temple Mount.

It is started with Pesach or Passover, a picture of redemption then the two-month wait is nearly over now, and we anticipate a time to recommit our lives to the God of Israel. This time is recognized as Shavuot or Pentecost. The Hebrew word "sheva" means "seven", "shavu’ah" means "week", and "shavu’ot" means "weeks". So the word "Chag Shavuot" means "The Festival of Weeks". On Shavuot we are commanded to remember the revelation given at Sinai as written in Devarim / Deuteronomy 4:9 and to spiritually revive the receiving of the Torah.

Shavuot is symbolic of an engagement. It is a day when God betrothal / engages Israel as His own people, separates from all others. The goal of Passover redemption was to set us free to become God’s own treasured people (am segulah), a light to the nations: ambassadors for Heaven’s voice.

We have been saved from our spiritual exile when the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) was given to us (Ma’aseh HaShlichim / Acts 2). Also, we have been engaged as His own Bride, separate from all others when we received the Ruach HaKodesh.

In Jewish tradition, the second day of Sivan is called Yom Hameyuchat or "Yom Yichut," the "Day of Distinction" – since it was on this day that God told the Israelites that He would make them into a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Shemot / Exo 19:5-6).

Shavuot is a unique jewel, and within it gleams a hope of the world to come. The giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai was a dramatic and miraculous experience. It was filled with thunder, lightning, trembling blasts of a heavenly shofar, and HaShem descending on the mountain in a column of fire. At the base of the mountain, trembling before God, we took upon ourselves the mitzvot through our utterance of “na’ase v’nishma” – that everything HaShem has said, we will do and we will obey.

Yet this is not the end of the story. For within the giving of the Torah was a remez, a hint of more to come. Our sages teach us that, “R. Hiyya b. Abba said in R. Johanan’s name: All the prophets prophesied [all the good things] only in respect of the Messianic era; but as for the world to come ‘the eye hath not seen, O Lord, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.’ Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Sanhedrin Folio 99a”

Our holy prophets foretold that a renewal of Torah would be brought through Mashiach, when God would take the Torah and inscribe it upon our hearts, making it ever more personal. This must happen in order to prepare the world for the final culmination of Yemot HaMashiach – the Messianic Age.

Since Shavuot recalls the time when Israel received revelation from God at Sinai, at daybreak additional prayers and blessings are recited at the synagogue for the gift of the Torah. However, since ignoring the Torah leads to ruin, admonition to pursue the study of Torah is also made during this time.

Studying God’s revelation is a prelude to re-experiencing the joy of His Presence, though this requires diligence and hard work. In order to understand what HaShem requires of us, we must make effort to study the Torah. We therefore ask God to make Torah sweet on our tongues and to help us be "engrossed" in the words of the Scriptures.

All of this, obviously enough, indicates that Shavuot is a time when we are called to engage ourselves in the study of God’s revelation and Torah. Torah learning is not an individual act. When we learn to "talk Torah" with each other as members of a community, we share the greater message of redemptive love that the Mashiach gave to the world.

Within Ma’aseh HaShlichim, the emissaries and followers of Mashiach were gathered together observing Shavuot when the promise of our holy prophets became a reality. In events similar to the original giving of the Torah (heavenly voices, miraculous occurrences), a fire descended similar to the fire which fell on Mt. Sinai. However, this time the fire descended and divided itself, and came to rest upon each individual who was present. This experience caused the Written Torah and the Living Torah, through the Ruach, to be inscribed upon the deepest parts of our hearts, enabling a new heavenly power, and Malchut HaShamayim, the Kingdom of Heaven to be infused into the earth in a new way.

Let us prepare our heart for the Living Torah who will come in the near future! Maranatha!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=felPbrhDKqE

Yom Yerushalayim / Jerusalem Day – the Israeli government proclaimed the holiday of “Jerusalem Day” for the 28th of Iyar, corresponding to the date that the Israeli military liberated those parts of Jerusalem which had previously been in Arab possession.

In 1967 – 19 years after the establishment of the State in 1948 -
The Israelis captured Jerusalem in 1967.

On May 14, 1948, on the day in which the British Mandate over a Palestine expired, the Jewish People’s Council gathered at the Tel Aviv Museum, and approved the following proclamation, declaring the establishment of the State of Israel. The new state was recognized that night by the United States and three days later by the USSR.

For the first time in 2520 years she was independent.
That follows the destruction of the Jewish state 2520 years ago by the Babylonians in 606 BC followed by the destruction of Jerusalem and Solomon’s Temple on 9th of AV 587 BC exactly 19 years later. Jerusalem was never to be under Jewish rule until 1967.

“This will be a sign to the house of Israel. Lie also on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it. According to the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity. For I have laid on you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days; so you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. And when you have completed them, lie again on your right side; then you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days. I have laid on you a day for each year” (Ezekiel 4:3-6).

Each day represents one biblical year. 430 years (390 years plus another 40 years). “And after all this, if you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins” (Leviticus 26:18; see also Leviticus 26:21, 23-24,27-28). 430 years – first 70 years = 360 years x 7 = 2,520 biblical years x 360 day = 907,200 days

If we work backwards from May 14, 1948 and using this information the 907,200 days (2,520 years) prophecy, we arrive at 606 BC

Israel lost its independence in 606 B.C. but Jerusalem was left intact with the Second temple. The “desolations of Jerusalem” began with the annihilation of the city of Jerusalem and the Solomon’s Temple in 587 B.C. According to Jeremiah it was punishment for not yielding to the “Servitude of the Nation” which began in 606 B.C., with the first siege of Nebuchandnezzar – 19 years prior.

On the morning of Shavuot, June 15, 1967 — just six days after the liberation of the Old City of Jerusalem in the Six Day War — the Old City was officially opened to the Israeli public.

In total, 200,000 visited the Western Wall that day. It was the first pilgrimage, en masse, of Jews to Jewish-controlled Jerusalem on a Jewish festival in 2,000 years, since the pilgrimages for the festivals in Temple times Some wept, but most faces were wreathed in smiles. For 13 continuous hours, a colorful variety of all peoples trudged along in perfect order, stepping patiently when told to do so at each of six successive barriers set up by the police to regulate the flow

Enjoy the Day and ponder the fact that the generation that saw her restored would also see the end of the age.

I ponder the number 40 more so for it is a generation. Gods time piece in the end times is Israel and Jerusalem the “cup of trembling” handed the nations.

“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it… Zechariah 12:2-3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L64q221HsKA

Earlier today I was browsing Facebook pages that belong to people who are on my friends list when I came across a sister who uses the Hebrew word "YAHshua" to describe our Master. This is the message I sent her. I would love your comments below – especially if you disagree with the conclusions of this note. However, I ask that you respect this conversation and take the time to review my references.

My dear sister,

I noticed your profile just now and it brought a smile to my face to read Jeremiah 6:16 and how we are to walk on the ancient paths. That is a wonderful verse.

Next, I noticed that you call our Master by the word "yah-shua" (יהשוע). I have something very, very important to share with you about that Hebrew construct.

First, it isn’t even a word in Hebrew. It isn’t found once in Scripture, but the real Name of our Master, "Yeshua" (ישוע) is found 30 times in the Tanach (29 times in Hebrew and once in Aramaic). It is something that someone fabricated and it has spread throughout our circles.

You may know that it is supposed to mean "YAH" and "saves". You may have heard that "shua" (שוע) means "saves". Actually, the Hebrew verb for "to save" is "yasha" (ישע). The word "shua" (שוע) does mean something, but what it does actually mean will shock you.

The two words are related. The verb "shua" is the PUAL form of "yasha". A pual verb form takes the verb and intensifies it and shifts it’s focus to the subject. Instead of the verb describing something the subject is doing, the verb describes something that IS BEING DONE TO THE SUBJECT. That is what a Hebrew pual verb form does. The following document will introduce you to this concept: Introduction to Hebrew Verbal Patterns, Stems, Binyanim PDF.

What "yah-shua" actually means is not that "YAH saves" us, but that "YAH cries out for help", God forbid. It means the opposite of what our Saviour’s name actually means. Do you understand the significance of that? It is blasphemy. When someone says "YAHshua" in Hebrew they’re actually saying that "YAH cries out for help". They’re saying that YAH needs someone to save Him, God forbid! It is foolishness and wickedness. I’m sure that hasatan laughs whenever he hears someone say such a blasphemous thing.

I don’t know the origin of this blasphemy, but I hope that you will carefully consider your involvement with it. I realise that this will come as a shock to you, since so many are using this word and are convinced that it is perfectly right. You will be skeptical of what I have told you because you probably have never heard this before and I’m some stranger you don’t know.

So, I hope that you will invest a little of your time to listen to the following lecture in two parts. It will help you to understand this better.

The Name of the Messiah Part #1

The Name of the Messiah Part #1

The Name of the Messiah Part #2

The Name of the Messiah Part #2

If you are convinced that what I have told you is true I would appreciate a short reply to tell me that you have received this message with the love it was intended.

Peace and grace,

Writen by Bryce Henderson

PS: Something I forgot to mention in my letter to this sister is that this Hebrew word, "shua" (שוע) appears in Job 30:24b.

See also: Mashiach’s Name / מה-שמו ומה-שם-בנו

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ph5aZIcDkic

If one is in search of a single codification that represents the essential core of Jewish belief, no source is better than the Rambam’s thirteen principles of faith (apart from the Hebrew Bible of course). The Rambam himself refers to these thirteen principles as "the fundamental truths of our religion and its very foundations" (Pirush on Mishnayos-Sanhedrin Chap.10).

We quote here the final of these two foundational principles:

Principle #12 " The days of Mashiach –(it is obligatory) to believe and trust that they will come…one who has doubts (about whether or not he will come) or degrades his glory- denies the Torah that explicitly promises (his coming and his greatness) in Parshas Billam (Bamidbar: 23-24) and "Netzavim" (NOTE: ibid. 30:3-5)"

Principle #13 "(The obligation to believe) in the Resurrection of the Dead" 

We see here that in establishing the very foundations of the Jewish religion, the Rambam dedicates two out of his 13 principles to the belief in the Messianic era. The Rambam makes it quite clear that Mashiach is a part of everything Judaism stands for. Just as one must believe in God to be a Torah Jew (principle #1), one is equally obliged to believe in the coming of Mashiach and Redemption (principles #12 and #13).

These are all pillars upon which the Jewish faith stands. In practical terms this means that should one deny the belief in Mashiach’s coming or the accompanying resurrection of the dead, such a person could no longer be accurately labeled ‘a believer in Judaism’, let alone a practicing Jew.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNLFDA3xjJ8

Question: Was Martin Luther anti-Semitic?

Martin Luther, a former German Catholic monk and the father of Protestant Reformation, had made an indelible impression on Christianity and the world of faith. His revolutionary [at the time] views on papal authority, scripture, grace and salvation were a stark departure from the Catholicism of his day. His ideas have influenced millions of Protestants of all denominations for generations and continue to do so. For all the good he’s considered to impart, Luther, however, had a very dark side to him, a horrible legacy that is often swept under the rug and very rarely discussed.

Although Luther did not invent anti-Jewishness, he promoted it to a level never before seen in Europe. Luther bore the influence of his upbringing and from anti-Jewish theologians such as Lyra, Burgensis, (and John Chrysostom, before them). But Luther’s 1543 book, “On the Jews and their lies” took Jewish hatred to a new level when he proposed to set fire to their synagogues and schools, to take away their homes, forbade them to pray or teach, or even to utter God’s name. Luther wanted to “be rid of them” and requested that the government and ministers deal with the problem. He requested pastors and preachers to follow his example of issuing warnings against the Jews. He goes so far as to claim that “We are at fault in not slaying them” for avenging the death of Jesus Christ. Hitler’s Nazi government in the 1930s and 40s fit Luther’s desires to a tee.

So vehemently did Luther speak against the Jews, and the fact that Luther represented an honorable and admired Christian to Protestants, that his written words carried the “memetic” seeds of anti-Jewishness up until the 20th century and into the Third Reich. Luther’s Jewish eliminationist rhetoric virtually matches the beliefs held by Hitler and much of the German populace in the 1930s.

Converting Jews to Christianity: When his efforts at conversion failed, he grew increasingly bitter toward them. In 1543, his most egregiously anti-Semitic book was published, On the Jews and Their Lies, in which he makes outlandish statements regarding the Jews, calling them “a base, whoring people, that is, no people of God, and their boast of lineage, circumcision, and law must be accounted as filth.â€

What shall we do with…the Jews?… I advise that all their prayer books and Talmudic writings… are to be taken from them. I advise that safe-conduct on the highways be abolished completely for the Jews. I advise that their rabbis be forbidden to teach on pain of loss of life and limb. …set fire to their synagogues or schools and bury and cover with dirt whatever will not burn, so that no man will ever again see a stone or cinder of them. …their homes also should be razed and destroyed.

Martin Luther the reformer, the Anti-Semite father of Christian Protestantism. The “Final Solution” proposed by the Nazis against the Jews was firmly rooted in nearly 2,000 years of Church anti-Semitism.

How can some one who says he loves the God of the Bible hate Jews?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukOWnkc8Fxw

Giving may seem like a sacrifice at times  (especially when money is tight) or we often wonder if the person we give to is worthy or really needs our help, but in reality being charitable to others does more for us, for our relationships with G-d and with our fellow human beings than it does to the people who we give to. Jewish people are renowned for being generous when it comes to charitable giving.

The Hebrew word for charity is “tzedaka”. The word Tzedakah means righteousness, justice or fairness. Doing tzedaka, often translated as €œjustice€ or €œcharity€, is incumbent on all Believers according to the Torah. Usually doing tzedaka involves putting a few coins in a tzedaka box. Our Sages, teach us that there is a lot more to this mitzva than meets the eye.

Don Isaac Abarbanel served as finance minister to Ferdinand and Isabella prior to the expulsion of Jews and Muslims from Spain in 1492. He is reported to have told them that all he owned is what he had given to others.

Giving charity to the poor has a special place among the 613 commandments of the Torah. Actually, the word “charity” is a poor and misleading description of this important precept.

In Judaism, it’s common to follow Maimonides’ Eight Levels of Tzedakah (the Hebrew word for charity or justice found in the Mishneh Torah, Laws of Charity, 10:7-14). The aim is to give as close as possible to level 1. It’s considered a ladder that you climb gradually over time as you mature and have the means to do better. There are eight levels of charity, each greater than the next.

[1] The greatest level, above which there is no greater, is to support a fellow Jew by endowing him with a gift or loan, or entering into a partnership with him, or finding employment for him, in order to strengthen his hand until he need no longer be dependent upon others . . .

[2] A lesser level of charity than this is to give to the poor without knowing to whom one gives, and without the recipient knowing from who he received. For this is performing a mitzvah solely for the sake of Heaven. This is like the €œanonymous fund€ that was in the Holy Temple [in Jerusalem]. There the righteous gave in secret, and the good poor profited in secret. Giving to a charity fund is similar to this mode of charity, though one should not contribute to a charity fund unless one knows that the person appointed over the fund is trustworthy and wise and a proper administrator.

[3] A lesser level of charity than this is when one knows to whom one gives, but the recipient does not know his benefactor. The greatest sages used to walk about in secret and put coins in the doors of the poor. It is worthy and truly good to do this, if those who are responsible for distributing charity are not trustworthy.

[4] A lesser level of charity than this is when one does not know to whom one gives, but the poor person does know his benefactor. The greatest sages used to tie coins into their robes and throw them behind their backs, and the poor would come up and pick the coins out of their robes, so that they would not be ashamed.

[5] A lesser level than this is when one gives to the poor person directly into his hand, but gives before being asked.

[6] A lesser level than this is when one gives to the poor person after being asked.

[7] A lesser level than this is when one gives inadequately, but gives gladly and with a smile.

[8] A lesser level than this is when one gives unwillingly.

Tzedakah is not only used to fulfill physical requirements of the needy but it can also be used to lift others spiritual and psychological well being. Maimonides wrote, “If a poor person requests money from you, and you have nothing to give him, speak to him consolingly.”

There is a story of a beggar who asked a man for money. The man had no money to give to the beggar, so he said to the beggar, “Brother, I have nothing to give you.? The beggar thanked the man. The man asked, “Why did you thank me? I have given you nothing? ” The beggar responded, “You called me brother.” Tzedakah, if done properly, preserves the dignity of the person on the receiving end. Maimonides eight levels of tzedakah are In ascending order….

The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. The opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference. Because of indifference, one dies before one actually dies before they die. Charity implies that your heart motivates you to give and maybe give a little extra than you normailly would; tzedakah, however, means doing the right thing no matter your feelings. I guess tzedakah might look like giving to someone in need even if your heart is not in it because it is the right thing to do.

In practice, most Believers carry out tzedakah by donating a portion of their income to charitable institutions, or to needy people that they may encounter; the perception among many modern day Jews is that if donation of this form is not possible, the obligation of tzedakah still requires that something be given. Traditional Jews commonly practice “ma’aser kesafim,” tithing 10% of their income to support those in need.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvAHvH_iXNo

Armilus / Anti-Messiah? – ארמלגוס "Rab said: All the predestined dates [for redemption] have passed (according to Daniel 9:26 Mashiach was to come before the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash / Temple), and the matter [now] depends only on repentance and good deeds. But Sh’muel maintained: it is sufficient for a mourner to keep his [period of] mourning. This matter is disputed by Tannaim: R. Eliezer said: if Yisrael repent, they will be redeemed; if not, they will not be redeemed. R. Joshua said to him, if they do not repent, will they not be redeemed! But the Holy One, blessed be He, will set up a king over them, whose decrees shall be as cruel as Haman’s, whereby Yisrael shall engage in repentance, and He will thus bring them back to the right path." Sanhedrin 97b

These times will be of great pain for Yisrael, and ALL the nations of the world will be against her. The world will be following the command of this world leader, who will be a swift talker, thereby convincing the world that he is doing all the things that he does for peace sake, but in reality they are done to the destruction of Yisrael. His name according to Jewish Tradition is Armilius, know by the non-Jews as Anti-christ (this is the king spoken of in Sanhedrin 97b). This Armilius will gather the nations of the world around him and will proclaim himself the world’s true leader. Only Yisrael, the nation of HaShem will resist him. The wrath of Armilius will then rage against Yisrael and those who join them all over the world.  According to the Book of Zecharya, chapter 12 to 14, Melech HaMashiach returns pierced, once He is recognized by His Jewish brothers (by the piercing He has Zecharya 12:10), and they call upon God’s help to deliver them from their enemies.  This is when the end of this age comes, and the Kingdom of Melech Mashiach comes to power, our Sar Shalom / Prince of Peace (Yeshayahu 9.5).

Mashiach is our Prince of Peace; He will rebuild the holy Bet HaMikdash (Temple), and teach us Torah from there. Once there is peace upon Yerushalayim, there will be Shalom every where. If there is not Shalom in Yerushalayim, there will not be peace any where. Let’s pray and be active for Mashiach is coming soon. Our שר שלום / Sar Shalom! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2vbZG4_g8k

Suppose you’re traveling to work and you see a stop sign. What do you do? That depends on how you apply exegesis to the sign.

1.A postmodernist deconstructs the sign (i.e., he knocks it over with his car), thus ending forever the tyranny of the north-south traffic over the east-west traffic.

2.Similarly, a Marxist sees a stop sign as an instrument of class conflict. He concludes that the bourgeoisie use the north-south road and obstruct the progress of the workers on the east-west road.

3.A serious and educated Catholic believes that he cannot understand the stop sign apart from its interpretive community and their tradition. Observing that the interpretive community doesn’t take it too seriously, he doesn’t feel obligated to take it too seriously either.

4.An average Catholic (or Orthodox or Coptic or Anglican or Methodist or Presbyterian or whatever) doesn’t bother to read the sign but he’ll stop if the car in front of him does.

5.A Fundamentalist, taking the text very literally, stops at the stop sign and then waits for it to tell him to go.

6.A preacher might look up "STOP" in his lexicons of English and discover that it can mean either: 1) something which prevents motion, such as a plug for a drain, or a block of wood that prevents a door from closing; or 2) a location where a train or bus lets off passengers. The main point of his sermon the following Sunday on this text is: when you see a stop sign, it is a place where traffic is naturally clogged, so it is a good place to let off passengers from your car.

7.An Orthodox Jew does one of two things:

8.(A) Takes another route to work that doesn’t have a stop sign so that he doesn’t run the risk of disobeying the halachah (Jewish Law), or

9.(B) Stops at the stop sign, says "Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, king of the universe, who hast given us thy commandment to stop," waits 3 seconds according to his watch, and then proceeds.

10.Incidentally, the Talmud has the following comments on this passage: Rabbi Meir says: He who does not stop shall not live long. R. Hillel says: Cursed is he who does not count to three before proceeding. R. Simon ben Yudah says: Why three? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, gave us the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. R. ben Isaac says: Because of the three patriarchs. R. Yehuda says: Why bless the Lord at a stop sign? Because it says: "Be still, and know that I am God."

11.R.Hezekiel says: When Jephthah returned from defeating the Ammonites, the Holy One, blessed be He, knew that a donkey would run out of the house and overtake his daughter; but Jephthah did not stop at the stop sign, and the donkey did not have time to come out. For this reason he saw his daughter first and lost her. Thus he was judged for his transgression at the stop sign.

12.R. Gamaliel says: R. Hillel, when he was a baby, never spoke a word, though his parents tried to teach him by speaking and showing him the words on a scroll. One day his father was driving through town and did not stop at the sign. Young Hillel called out: "Stop, father!" In this way, he began reading and speaking at the same time. Thus it is written: "Out of the mouth of babes." R. ben Jacob says: Where did the stop sign come from? Out of the sky, for it is written: "Forever, O Lord, your word is fixed in the heavens." R. ben Nathan says: When were stop signs created? On the fourth day, for it is written: "let them serve as signs." But R. Yehoshua says: … (continues for three more pages)

13.A Haredi [ultra-Orthodox "black hat" Jew] does the same thing as an Orthodox Jew, except that he waits 10 seconds instead of 3. He also replaces his brake lights with 1000 watt searchlights and connects his horn so that it is activated whenever he touches the brake pedal.

14.A Breslover Hasidic Jew sees the sign and makes hisboddidut (a form of spontaneous personal prayer) saying: "Robono Shel Olam [Master of the Universe] — here I am, traveling on the road in Your service, and I’m about to face who knows what danger at this intersection in my life. So please watch over me and help me to get through this stop sign safely." Then, "looking neither to left nor right" as Rebbe Nachman advises, he joyfully accepts the challenge, remains focused on his goal — even if the car rolls backward for a moment — then he hits the gas pedal and forges bravely forward, overcoming all obstacles which the yetzer hara [evil inclination] might put in his path.

15.A Lubovitcher Hasidic Jew stops at the sign and reads it very carefully in the light of the Rebbe’s teachings. (In former times he would have used his cell phone to call Brooklyn and speak to the Rebbe personally for advice, but this is no longer possible, may the Rebbe rest in peace.) Next, he gets out of the car and sets up a roadside mitzvah mobile [outreach booth], taking this opportunity to ask other Jewish drivers who stop at the sign whether or not they have put on tefillin today [male ritual] or whether they light Shabbos candles [female ritual]. Having now settled there, he steadfastly refuses to give up a single inch of the land he occupies until Mashiach [the Jewish Messiah] comes.

16.A Reform Jew sees the stop sign, and coasts up to it while contemplating the question "Do I personally feel commanded to stop?" During this internal process he edges into the intersection and is hit from behind by a car driven by a secular Jew who ignored the sign completely.

17.A Conservative Jew reacts by calling his rabbi and asking him whether stopping at this sign is required by unanimous ruling of the Commission on Jewish Law or if there is a minority position. While waiting for the rabbi’s answer he is ticketed by a policeman for obstructing traffic.

18.A Reconstructionist Jew, seeing the stop sign, might say: First, this sign is part of our evolving civilization and therefore I must honor it and stop. On the other hand, since its origins are in the past, I must assert that "the past has a vote and not a veto," and therefore I must study the issue carefully and decide if the argument "to stop" is spiritually, intellectually and culturally compelling enough to convince me to stop. If yes, I will vote with the past. If not, I will veto it. Finally, is there any way that I can re-value or transvalue the stop sign’s message for our own time?

19.The Renewal-Movement-Jew meditates on whether the STOP sign applies in all kabbalistic Four Worlds [Body-Emotion-Mind-Spirit] or only in some of them, and if so which ones? Must he stop feeling? thinking? being? driving? Since he has stopped to breathe and meditate on this question, he is quite safe while he does so, barukh HaShem. [Praise God.]

20.A scholar from the Jesus seminar concludes that the passage "STOP" undoubtedly was never uttered by Jesus himself, but belongs entirely to stage III of the Gospel tradition, when the church was first confronted by traffic in its parking lot.

21.A NT scholar notices that there is no stop sign on Mark Street but there is one on Matthew and Luke streets, and concludes that the ones on Luke and Matthew streets are both copied from a sign on a completely hypothetical street called "Q". There is an excellent 300 page discussion of speculations on the origin of these stop signs and the differences between the stop signs on Matthew and Luke street in the scholar’s commentary on the passage. There is an unfortunate omission in the commentary, however: the author apparently forgot to explain what the text means.

22.An OT scholar points out that there are a number of stylistic differences between the first and second half of the passage "STOP". For ample, "ST" contains no enclosed areas and 5 line endings, whereas "OP" contains two enclosed areas and only one line termination. He concludes at the author for the second part is different from the author for the first part and probably lived hundreds of years later. Later scholars determine that the second half is itself actually written by two separate authors because of similar stylistic differences between the "O" and the "P".

23.Another prominent OT scholar notes in his commentary that the stop sign would fit better into the context three streets back. (Unfortunately, he neglected to explain why in his commentary.) Clearly it was moved to its present location by a later redactor. He thus exegetes the intersection as though the stop sign were not there.

24.Because of the difficulties in interpretation, another OT scholar amends the text, changing "T" to "H". "SHOP" is much easier to understand in context than "STOP" because of the multiplicity of stores in the area. The textual corruption probably occurred because "SHOP" is so similar to "STOP" on the sign several streets back that it is a natural mistake for a scribe to make. Thus the sign should be interpreted to announce the existence of a shopping area.

25.A feminist scholar notes that all commentary refers to "he" and concludes she is thus exempt, so she runs the sign and is killed.

26.A radical feminist, observing what happened to the first feminist, concludes this is a misogynist plot to get all feminists killed by inciting them to run stop signs. So she gets out of the car and stages a protest against the inherent sexism in all traffic signs.

27.An observant Orthodox Jewish woman concludes that she is not allowed to observe the mitzvah [commandment] of stopping because she is niddah [menstruant]. This is a dilemma, because the stop sign is located on the way to the mikvah [ritual purification pool]. She refers the dilemma to all the Rabbinical scholars, who shrug.

28.A feminist Jewish woman sees this as a sign from the Shekinah [feminine aspect of God] that translates roughly "enough already…."

What would a Messianic Jew say? A Two houser? How about a Nazarene who is not affiliated with the Rannana Group?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5QAU63oVHE

Shabbat (sabbath) is the only ritual observance instituted in the Ten Commandments. Primarily a day of rest and spiritual enrichment, the word ‘Shabbat’ comes from the root Shin-Bet-Tav, meaning ‘to cease, to end, or to rest’.

The injunction to “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy” is the fourth of the Ten Commandments recorded in the Torah (Shemot / Exodus 20:8; Devarim / Deuteronomy 5:12). The commandment continues: “Six days you shall work but the seventh day is a Sabbath unto HaShem.”

The Hebrew word for ‘holy’ implies ‘separate’. Shabbat is a day set apart. In Jewish literature it is often called ‘a taste of the world to come’. Shabbat is seen as a gift from G-d to the Jewish people; as a sign of the eternal bond between them.

Shabbat is to be a time for peace, harmony, tranquility, community and spirituality that is unmatched by any other day. Shabbat is the time when we meet the King of the Universe. He set Shabbat as a moed (an appointment in the Scriptures). Shabbat has been the Jewish oasis in time.  To connect with Shabbat, you have to get in touch with your sixth sense, with your soul.

People who do not observe Shabbat think it must be a day filled with stifling restrictions. But to those who do observe it, Shabbat is a precious gift from G-d. It is a day of great joy eagerly awaited throughout the week, a time when we can set aside all our weekday concerns and devote ourselves to higher pursuits.

Shabbat is more than a day of rest. It is an experience that is often described as ‘stepping outside time’. All the labour of the week is merely preparation for the sanctity of Shabbat.

Shabbat is designed to facilitate the soul’s contact with spirituality ― with G-d. We free our attention from the pressures of the workday and focus on our spiritual goals, which are built into the fabric of the day through the prayer services, the festive meals, the learning of Torah, time spent with family and friends.

"If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and HaShem’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in HaShem, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." The mouth of HaShem has spoken. Yeshayahu / Isaiah 58:13-14

There is one tried and true, guaranteed activity that will draw you closer to G-d, fortify your faith in HaShem, strengthen your marriage and build a health family. What is this activity? The ancient Jewish tradition of celebrating the Shabbat! In Hebrew this is called the kabbalat Shabbat dinner or the "Welcoming the Sabbath" dinner. This is referring to the special, weekly ceremony that follower of HaShem employ to welcome the festival of the Sabbath. If your goal is to have a healthy, functional and spiritually strong family, then I encourage you to make this weekly tradition a part of your family activities!

Much of what Sabbath-observant believers do during Shabbat takes place outside the orbit of home and family. As much as Shabbat may be an opportunity for nuclear families to spend time together, it is also a chance to enjoy the company of extended family and community in a relaxed atmosphere. During the work week, considerations of profit or advancement often dictate with whom we spend our time; on Shabbat, we can choose for ourselves with whom to spend our time.

The synagogue is the focus of much of the public observance of Shabbat. A ceremony to welcome Shabbat precedes the formal evening service on Friday nights. Most often the worshippers disperse to private homes for dinner, and it is common for individuals and families to have dinner guests.  In many communities, the evening prayers are followed on occasion by a communal meal at the synagogue. Some synagogues regularly put off their Shabbat evening service until after the dinner hour and follow it with un-programmed socializing over light refreshments, often calling this event oneg Shabbat, the traditional term for "the pleasure (or delight) of Shabbat."

Preparing for Shabbat. Since it is a special day of rest, preparations normally occur throughout the week and especially during the day, before sunset. The house is cleaned, the food is cooked and other chores are finished so that everyone can relax and enjoy the sanctity of time apart from their normal routines. The Sabbath is to be an jubilant time of eating and drinking. In Jewish homes, families sing songs, set the table with china, dress up a bit and prepare a special meal. There is wine, laughter, smile, rest and refreshing. An evening when the TV, the cell phone and the computer is turned off. There is not discussion of work, bills, troubles or anxieties. Truely a taste of Olam Habah (the world to come), indeed, Shabbat is described as “me’eyn olam ha’ba” – a small degree of the experience of the next world. There is an idea that all spiritual realities have at least one tangible counterpart in the world so that we can experience them: it would be too difficult to relate to the abstract if we could never have any direct experience of it. Sleep is a sixtieth of the death experience; a dream is a sixtieth of prophecy. Shabbat is a sixtieth of the experience of the next world.

This means that if one lives Shabbat correctly one tastes the next world! Who does not want that?

Synagogue worship continues on Saturday. Shabbat morning services usually begin at a later hour than is common on workdays, when participants commonly proceed from the synagogue to their workplaces.

At many synagogues, services are followed on some occasions or every week by a communal Kiddush ("sanctification" of Shabbat)–a very short liturgy recited over wine or another beverage–followed by light refreshments. Some communities have a communal lunch at the synagogue following Kiddush.

Mincha, the afternoon service, is enriched on Shabbat as well–this time by a public Torah reading that offers a first taste of the following week’s Torah portion and by reciting the prayers in a wistful musical mode especial to that one weekly occasion. After dark, a weekday evening service is recited in the synagogue, most often followed by a public recitation of havdalah, the liturgy that ends the Sabbath.

Perhaps the most unique feature of Shabbat is that it teaches us how to make time holy. We are accustomed to considering places and object sacred, but Shabbat is holy time. It the modern secular world, where "time is money" and no one every has enough time, Shabbat comes to deliver a message we all need to hear: We are the masters of our time and our lives; we are not slaves. As Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote, "The higher goal of spiritual living is not to amass a wealth of information, but to face sacred moments." (The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Our Time, p. 6). While others build cathedrals of bricks in space, Jews build cathedrals in time, by sanctifying holy moments such as Shabbat. Shabbat permits us, indeed bids us, to separate ourselves from the ephemeral physical world (at least somewhat) one day each week so that we can taste eternity.

The freedom we experience on Shabbat is a suggestion of the time in which we will be completely free; free of exile, free of evil within ourselves, and free of evil in the world.

One can say without exaggeration that more than the Jew has kept the Shabbat, the Shabbat has kept the Jew." This is true today, as it was in ancient days. When we gather each week to celebrate Shabbat in the synagogue, we reconnect with our community and strengthen one another.

13 principles of faith

Doctrinal Statements, or Statements of Faith, are supposed to be summary statements of what an organization or individual believes the Scriptures teach about specific subjects. In order to be effective, a doctrinal statement should address each area of theology that an organization holds specific beliefs about, and should summarize everything that the Scriptures have to say about that subject, particularly if the organization requires its members or adherents to subscribe to that doctrinal statement as a condition of fellowship.

It should be noted as a practical matter, however, that very few organizations write Doctrinal Statements that accurately reflect what they actually teach. Therefore, when reading an organization’s doctrinal statement one should be careful not to accept it as actually authoritative for the organization that produced it.

Messianic Jews are unique among other observant Jews in that we look to the Torah and Messiah and Messiah’s disciples for guidance and doctrine and theology. The rabbis of Judaism play also a role in our lives than in the lives of other Jews. Rabbinic rulings come after Messiah’s and the disciples’ halakah, their interpretation of how to live a Godly life according to the commandments.

We look at some of Judaism’s guiding principles and how we Messiah-believers relate to them. Moshe ben Maimon, better known as his Greek name, Maimonides or by his acronym Rambam (Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon), formulated what became the basic statements of faith among many observant Jews.

We hold that there are three principles that each Believer should follow concerning their belief system:

1. Know what you believe.

2. Know why you believe it (be able to accurately cite Scripture to back up your stated beliefs).

3. Know how to teach your beliefs to others.

Maimonides, in his commentary on the Mishnah, compiles what he refers to as the Shloshah-Asar Ikkarim, the Thirteen Articles of Faith, compiled from Judaism’s 613 commandments found in the Torah.

Judaism’s halacha remain an essential reference point for us as we can look to Judaism to help solve issues left unresolved by Scripture.

The Thirteen Articles of Jewish faith are as follows:

Summary Statements

1. I believe with perfect faith that God is the Creator and Ruler of all things. He alone has made, does make, and will make all things.

2. I believe with perfect faith that God is One. There is no unity that is in any way like His. He alone is our God He was, He is, and He will be.

3. I believe with perfect faith that God does not have a body. physical concepts do not apply to Him. There is nothing whatsoever that resembles Him at all.

4. I believe with perfect faith that God is first and last.

5. I believe with perfect faith that it is only proper to pray to God. One may not pray to anyone or anything else.

6. I believe with perfect faith that all the words of the prophets are true.

7. I believe with perfect faith that the prophecy of Moses is absolutely true. He was the chief of all prophets, both before and after Him.

8. I believe with perfect faith that the entire Torah that we now have is that which was given to Moses.

9. I believe with perfect faith that this Torah will not be changed, and that there will never be another given by God.

10. I believe with perfect faith that God knows all of man’s deeds and thoughts. It is thus written (Psalm 33:15), “He has molded every heart together, He understands what each one does.”

11. I believe with perfect faith that God rewards those who keep His commandments, and punishes those who transgress Him.

12. I believe with perfect faith in the coming of the Messiah. How long it takes, I will await His coming every day.

13. I believe with perfect faith that the dead will be brought back to life when God wills it to happen.

Maimonides refers to these thirteen principles of faith as "the fundamental truths of our religion and its very foundations."

I believe Yeshua Ha’Nazaret is the Messiah of Israel. I believe Yeshua came to call Israel to do T’shuvah (come back to Adonai and His Torah). We as Messianic Jews believe in the return of the Messiah and await His coming everyday. We believe in Yeshua of Nazareth, honoring him as Messiah.

Jewish Roots: Nothing can be more Jewish than believing in Yeshua as Messiah. The culture that the Scriptures of the Tanach and Besorah Tovah were written in were totally Jewish. A full and complete understanding of the Scripture requires an understanding of the writer’s Jewishness.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6SVSUxYEEk

Devarim / Deuteronomy 10:20. Moshe says, “You shall fear HaShem your God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him…” What does it mean to “cling to Him?” It is actually the same Hebrew word which is used of Adam in the garden when it says, “a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” (Bereshit / Genesis 2:24)

But how is this cleaving done in practical terms? The Rabbis ask, “Is it possible for a man to cleave to the Divine Presence, seeing that it is written, “For HaShem your God is a devouring fire?”

They answer the question by suggesting that “clinging to God” can be accomplished by clinging to the servants of God, i.e. those who teach Torah. This is explained specifically as the act of discipleship to a man of Torah who is already connected with God and can teach you the way to God via his Torah teaching and his Torah living.

Judaism believes that through clinging to one’s rabbi (spiritual leader), one is brought into union with his God. Because the rabbi is in union with God, the disciple is also elevated into union with God by virtue of that connection. In the same way, our Rabbi, Yeshua, taught us that in order to cling to God we must cling to him (Yochanan  / John 15:1-7) and by clinging to him, we cling to God. “In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.” (Yochanan 14:20)

Therefore the commandment to “cling to God” can only be fulfilled by clinging to the Master, our Rabbi Yeshua! The mediator between God and man. the second Adam, King Messiah!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlkryvBdTLI

Devekut, deveikuth or deveikus (Heb. דבקות , Mod. Heb. "dedication", traditionally "clinging on" to God) is a Jewish concept referring to closeness to God.

Why do people pray to idols? What does idol worship mean today? What is an idol? Is there new idols today?

Idol worship begins in the mind—it starts with an incorrect perception of who HaShem is. It says you can turn an abstract, invisible God into a concrete, metal, wood or plastic god, which of course, is impossible.  It is written by the Rambam’s 13 principles of the Jewish faith‎:  “I believe with perfect faith that God does not have a body. Physical concepts do not apply to Him. There is nothing whatsoever that resembles Him at all.”

Idol worship doesn’t just mean singing and dancing and bowing in front statues, it does means believing in any force, object or item outside of the  infinite, or the all-powerful God Himself; an angel, a man of God, a constellation, a force of nature, a living creature—or simply a funny-looking little statue. Everything is created by HaShem, and to designate any piece of physical matter as “God” or a “Higher Power” is idol worship. To think that HaShem is not control at all times, and that somehow he is fighting and even some times losing to another power (Satan) is also idol worship.

Idolatry can take many shapes, in my opinion. It’s not only bowing to a representation of a deity, it’s giving up your faith to anything else than God. One can also worship a car, a job, a boss, a woman, etc. It doesn’t have to be a deity per say. You commit this sin if you ever come to consider something in your life more important than God. Idols can be made out of desires, ideas, fears, ideals or simply lies.

The Decalogue begins with the command to reverence the one true God and to recognize no other deities.  I am HaShem your God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shalt have no other gods before me. You shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: You shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them… Shemot 20:2-5.

There is no end to the false gods we create when our homing device gets misdirected. In Western cultures we often bow down to the false gods of materialism and control. Some try to relieve their inner emptiness by trying to get approval for being talented or successful. The list goes on, but the point is clear. Whatever we try to derive our core sense of worth and meaning apart from HaShem is idol worship or avodah zarah. Idol worship is also coming into the presence of a holy God on your own terms, not on God’s terms. Doing what you want because your god loves you and changes His standards as you go along.  Idol worship is placing your faith in a thing of God and not in God Himself. And by the way, the god of Islam is not a god but a demon.

Making the holy Jewish Messiah into someone he is not is idol worship. We are not to pray to him, but through his holy merit, we are to acknowledge that he is the one send from HaShem. He is the second Adam, the one after one after Moses, suffering like Yosef (suffering, but at the end saving the Jewish people), coming back as King David, to fight the wars of God. But we must remember that we are not to pray to him: Our holy Rabbi, Maran Yeshua HaMashiach said in Mattityahu / Matthew 4:10, “You shall worship HaShem your God and Him only shall you serve.”

We must only worship God and our worship must be in spirit and in truth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=METrbSiEANo

The story of the Marranos, the lost Jews from Spain, started in the 14th century when the Spanish Inquisition of the Roman Catholic Church persecuted the large Jewish community in Spain and Portugal. Many Jews preferred to die rather than to give up their faith and convert. Many other Jews were forced to become Christians. Despite this, the church called them by the disparaging name Marranos which means pigs. They secretly continued to observe their Jewish faith, laws, holidays and Shabbats. Over the generations they lost the knowledge that they were Jews but continued to keep some of the Jewish traditions and laws without knowing why they did so.

In 1233, the Papal Inquisition had began. It was first directed at the Albigensian sect in southern France. In Spain, the Papal Inquisition was applied against the Jewish people that were converted by force to Christianity. The secret Jews known as Conversos practiced Judaism secretly. In every colony of Spain, from Mexico to the Philippine Archipelago, the Spanish Inquisition came seeking for the New Christians (Conversos, Marranos, or Crypto-Jews) that practiced Judaism covertly. Those that had been found guilty were burned alive and their properties were confiscated. In 1469, Ferdinand of Aragon married Isabella of Castille. Their union had made it possible for the Papal Inquisition to reach Spain.

In the late 14th and 15th century, at the time of mass expulsions of Jews from Spain and Portugal, the Benei Anusim remained behind, where they continued to preserve their Jewish identity and to practice the Jewish faith covertly. As a result, this unique phenomenon is still evident even today, even though the Inquisition invested enormous efforts over the centuries to eradicate it.

It took a long time – 500 years – but at least some of the Marranos, victims of the Inquisition forced to convert to Catholicism, are returning to Judaism and renewing their connection with the Jewish people. This movement is all the more remarkable because the rabbinical establishment has done little or nothing to encourage this movement. The Marranos must have lifted a collective eye-brow when they heard the Pope lecturing Muslims about compulsion in religion.

There is a lot of questions that the Benei Anusim have today. The best advice that we can offer them is to come back despite of the possible rejection that the Rabbinical Establishment may impose upon your return. Start keeping Torah, the commandments of HaShem, get circumcise (if make), eat kosher, keep Shabbat. Soon enough through your prayers and your efforts HaShem will make a way.

Come back to your roots, come back to Judaism.

The videos below, some of them are done by Christians who speak about the inquisition through a historical perspective (only).

In later Jewish eschatology and legend, a king who will arise at the end of time against the Messiah, and will be conquered by him after having brought much distress upon Israel.

Parasha Ve’zot Haberacha, Devarim 34 says “and the affliction of generation after generation, and the punishment of Armalgos the wicked…”

In ancient Jewish literature, the Anti-Christ (Greek term) or False/Psuedo Messiah (Aramaic term) was called "Armilus". "Armilus (Hebrew: ארמילוס‎)" is a Hebrew version of "Romulus", put in future form, to indicate that he would rule from Rome.

Targum Yonathan translates Isaiah / Yesha’yah 11:4 into Aramaic with the following paraphrase: "and with the speech of his lips he [Messiah] will slay the wicked Armilus. "

In the Midrash Pirkei-Ha-Mashiach (8th century CE) the False Messiah is called,  "Satan Armilus, whom the Gentiles call Antichrist"

It is interesting that main line judaism disagree with believers on the concept of the Messiah, but still tell us that their concept of Armilus is the same as found in the Good News of Messiah.

According to the Jewish Encyclopedia, Armilus is "a king who will arise at the end of time against the Messiah, and will be conquered by him after having brought much distress upon Israel", similar to Gog. He is spoken of in both Midrash Vayosha and Sefer Zerubbabel, in which he defeats the Messiah ben Joseph.

We believe that the Madhi is the Anti-Messiah, whom is the future messiah for the Islamic people.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2vbZG4_g8k