A Bewhiskered Believer Bewildered By Beard-Hating Brethren

Several years ago I was interviewed by a pastor for a job as principal of a Christian school. At the end of the interview, the pastor offered me the position, and said he really hoped I would accept it. 

"There’s just one more thing," he said rather hesitantly. "If you do decide to take the job, I’ll have to ask you to shave your beard." 

The pastor was quick to assure me that he himself had nothing personal against beards. It was just that a few parents from some fundamentalist churches had enrolled their children in the school. These parents wanted good role models for their children, and a fuzzy-faced principal in a Christian school did not fit their definition of a good role model. 

I assured the pastor that if I decided to accept the position as God’s will, I would accept shaving my beard as a necessary requirement to doing the will of God. 

As it turned out, I did not take the job. The reasons I turned it down had nothing to do with shaving. However, this incident, along with the fact that many Christian seminaries forbid students to have beards, got me interested in the subject of Christian misopogons–beard-haters. 

I have always been bewildered by the glaring inconsistency of people who literally worship a Man who had a beard, and then say it is wrong (or at least not nice) for a follower of that Man to have a beard. Men of the Amish, old-line Mennonite, and Orthodox Jewish faiths are expected to have a beard, a God-given feature that visibly distinguishes males from females. In contrast, men in some Christian circles are expected to make their faces hair-free and smooth like a woman’s. Who is right? You, the reader, may have guessed from my subtle hints which position I take in this raging controversy. 

To better understand the significance of the man’s beard, we should go back to man’s beginning, when God created Adam and Eve. "Male and female created he them," the Scripture says (Gen.1:27). Distinction of the sexes is a principle upheld throughout the Bible. One of the physical traits that distinguishes men from women is the man’s beard. One glance at a bearded face immediately lets us know that we are looking at a man, not a woman. 

Sunday-school and story-book illustrations almost always picture Old Testament Patriarchs and Prophets with full beards. Oddly enough, these same artists often portray Adam without a beard. While I cannot prove beyond a five-o’clock-shadow of a doubt that Adam had a beard, I have a difficult time believing that Adam shaved in the Garden of Eden. I cannot picture Adam strolling down to the stream each morning, lathering up his face, and shaving by his reflection in the water. Even if I picture him using a clam shell or a flint knife, the idea of Adam shaving in the Garden of Eden seems too unnatural to be real. 

The fact that shaving is unnatural is perhaps the strongest argument against it. I remember reading an interview with beatnik poet Allen Ginsberg in Playboy magazine in the mid-1960s. (I was not a believer at that time of course. Besides, I bought the magazine "mainly for the stories and articles," like everyone else did). In the interview, Ginsberg was asked why he had a beard. His reply was that he did not plant it there; it just grew. 

Granted, Allen Ginsberg is not a good role model for Christians, but he does have a point. God planted the beard on man’s face; there should be no need to defend its existence. TV critic David Friedman made a similar argument a few years ago in an article expressing the nobility of man’s beard. "I’m proud," he wrote, "because, in a world drowning in unnatural fibers and unnatural acts, having a beard is a completely, utterly and incontrovertibly natural thing to do" (Friedman 318). 

Jewish and Christian writers have also appealed to nature when grappling with this subject. The Talmud points out that the beard is one of the physical traits that distinguishes man from woman. To remove it is an offense against nature [Abrabanel to Lev.19:27 (Encyclopedia Judaica, 358)]. The beard is "the adornment of a man’s face," (BM 84a) and a man without his beard is compared to a eunuch [Yev.80b; Shabb.152a (Encyclopedia Judaica, 358)]. Some Medieval Jewish commentators considered a man with a shaven face to be tantamount to a man in a woman’s garment, an abomination according to Deut.22:5 (The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia, 123). 

Among Christians, Clement of Alexandria probably wrote more against the evils of shaving than all other early Christian writers combined. Like the Jews, Clement called the beard man’s "natural adornment" and said it is "never permissible" to remove it (The Fathers of the Church 218). "The hairs of the beard have been numbered," Clement warns his readers. "To seek beauty in hairlessness is sheer effeminacy, if done by men" (The Fathers of the Church 215). "God planned that woman be smooth-skinned, taking pride in her natural tresses, the only hair she has, as the horse in its mane," writes Clement. "But man he adorned like the lion, with a beard. . . ." (The Fathers of the Church 214). 

Clement also refers to Psalm 133:2–"It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard." "By repeating the word," Clement reasons, "he means to sing the nobility of a beard. . . ." (The Fathers of the Church 247). 

Other early Christian writings similarly oppose shaving. Jerome wrote against the removal of the beard (The Jewish Encyclopedia 612). The "Apostolic Constitutions" (i.3) insisted that men should have beards (The Jewish Encyclopedia 612). In 398, the fourth council of Carthage prohibited clergymen from removing the beard (The Jewish Encyclopedia 614). It did little good to try to force the laity to conform to the prohibition against shaving, but for many centuries after this, clergymen were expected to have beards, according to Bingham’s "Antiquities of the Christian Church" [I.ii.15,16 (The Jewish Encylopedia 614)]. 

As the centuries passed, shaving became more and more acceptable among Christians until finally, by about the year 1000, men in Christendom were almost universally clean-shaven (Krumholz 6). It is worth noting that this period of history is now referred to as "the Dark Ages." 

Since the Dark Ages, there have been a few lonely voices crying in the wilderness on behalf of the beard. In 1528, Tindale pointed out that shaving "is borrowed of the heathen" and proclaimed that "the shaven nation hath put Christ out of his room" (Oxford English Dictionary XV, 194f). 

In 1838, the English poet Southey lamented the bondage of shaving when he wrote, "Oh pitiable condition of human kind! One colour is born to slavery abroad, and one sex to shavery at home!" [Doctor cliii (OED XV, 195)]. 

In 1859, another Englishman, James Ward, wrote Defence of the Beard, a pamphlet which listed eighteen reasons why a man was "bound to grow a beard, unless he was indifferent as to offending the Creator and good taste" (Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics 442). One year later, a longer work was published, entitled Shaving a breach of the Sabbath and a hinderance to the spread of the Gospel. In this book, the author defended the beard on the grounds that it was "a Divinely provided chest-protector." "Were it in any other position," the writer reasoned, "its benefit and purpose might be doubted" (Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics 442). 

One cannot help but wonder what the Apostle Paul would have written if he had been dealing with beards and shaving, rather than with head coverings and hair, when he wrote to the saints at Corinth. "Doth not nature itself teach you," he might have reasoned, "that if a man have a shaven face, it is a shame unto him?" 

Beard-haters might object at this point by saying, "Women shaving their legs and armpits is also unnatural. Do you want your wife to have hairy legs and armpits?" This is a fair question, and one that deserves an answer: No, I don’t. 

There is a difference between men shaving their faces and women shaving their legs, however. A woman shaving, though unnatural, does not blur the distinction of the sexes. As Clement pointed out, "God planned that the woman be smooth-skinned," so shaving only adds to her femininity. When a man shaves, however, he strips away one of the most obvious marks of his masculinity. 

The presence or absence of a beard can also have very real psychological effects on men. A recent study shows that beards cause men to experience an "increase in self-perceived masculinity" (Bozzi 20). 

People in earlier times recognized other psychological benefits of the beard. To the ancient Egyptians, the beard was a symbol of royalty (Friedman 319). Among Greek philosophers, it represented wisdom (Friedman 319). Of course having a beard is not proof of wisdom, as Jewish poet Solomon del Medigo cleverly pointed out: 

"If men be judged wise by their beards and their girth, Then goats were the wisest of creatures on earth." (The Jewish Encyclopedia 613)

In spite of the many benefits the beard provides, it has had its enemies throughout history. The Tartars made war on the Persians because the Persians refused to shave. During the Norman Conquest of England, Englishmen were forced to choose between shaving and exile. Some chose exile in order to keep their beards. Later in England, men’s beards were taxed according to the age and social status of the beardling (Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics 442f). 

Peter the Great also levied a tax to discourage beards in Russia. Those who refused to comply were punished by having their beards shaved with a dull razor or plucked out with tweezers, and it is reported that "Peter gleefully did some of the shaving himself" (Krumholz 8). Nicolas I of Russia, as well as other rulers in history, ordered Jews to shave their beards (Encyclopedia Judaica 358). Americans have also suffered persecution for their beards. In 1830, Joseph Palmer of Massachusetts was sentenced to one year of solitary confinement for resisting attempts by his fellow-citizens to shave him (World of Knowledge 197). 

Unfortunately, beard-haters are not confined to the past. Some bearded men in America are forced to lose their jobs or take their employers to court. In 1990, firefighters in Atlanta had to fight to keep their beards ("Atlanta Firefighters" 12). That same year, a police officer who had lost his job at the University of Maryland in 1983 went to court, was reinstated, and awarded back pay ("Black Wins Right" 6). 

Even among Moslems, who wear their beards in imitation of Mohammed and swear "by the beard of the prophet," there has been persecution by their own countrymen. In 1987, when Syrian troops entered Beirut, bearded Moslems were ordered to shave. Though most complied with the order, some refused, such as one man who told reporters, "I won’t obey the orders of a mortal and reject the instructions of the prophet" (Dickey and Issa 47). 

And in America, there are still some Bible-believing Christians who would like to see all bewhiskered believers shave, in spite of the Biblical commandment in Lev.19:27 that prohibits shaving the edges of the beard. Of course if this verse is shown to these beard-hating Christians, they usually respond by quickly pointing out that they are "not under the law," and thereby, according to modern Christian theology, exempt from this commandment. It is interesting that many Christians so easily dismiss commandments in Lev. 19, but use Lev. 18 to condemn homosexual behavior. 

Granted, Christians are not "under the law" — salvation is not earned by obeying Old Testament law. But is that a reason to insist that students and principals of Christian schools disobey Old Testament law to prove their Christian commitment? To compel disciples of the Messiah to disobey Lev.19:27 makes no more sense than compelling them to disobey Lev.19:28, and get tattoos. 

It is ironic how many of Christendom’s heroes would, because of their beards, be ineligible to study in many of today’s Christian schools — Charles Finney, General Williams Booth, D. L. Moody, the Old Testament Patriarchs and Prophets, and, of course, the Messiah Himself. 

If I am ever again offered a job that requires the removal of my beard, I know what I will say in response to such an offer: "No thanks. Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin." 

SOURCES

• “Atlanta Firefighters Wage Battle to Keep Beards.” Jet 77 (Feb.26, 1990):12. 
• “Black Wins Right To Wear Beard At Work.” Jet 78 (July 23, 1990):6. 
• Bozzi, Vincent. “The Macho Man Behind the Beard.” Psychology Today 21 (May 1987):20. 
• Dickey, C. and Issa, S. “The Battle for Beirut: A Close Shave.” Newsweek 109:7 (March 16, 1987):47. 
• Encyclopedia Judaica, Vol.4. Jerusalem: Keter Publ. House Ltd., 1971. 
• Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, Vol.II. Ed. James Hastings. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons. 
• The Fathers of the Church, Vol.23. Trans. Simon P. Wood. Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 1954. 
• Friedman, David. “Hirsute It Is.” Gentleman’s Quarterly 58 (March 1988): 318-21. 
• The Jewish Encyclopedia, Vol.II. Ed. Isidore Singer. New York and London: Funk and Wagnalls, 1903. 
• Krumholz, Phillip L. A History of Shaving and Razors. Bartonville, IL: Ad Libs Publ., 1987. 
• Oxford English Dictionary, Vol. II and XV. 2nd Ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989. 
• The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia, Vol.2. Ed. Isaac Landman. New York: KTAV Publ. House, 1969. 
• World of Knowledge. Compiled by Susan Lurie. New York: Waldman Publ. Corp., 1985. 

By Daniel Botkin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPiCJweInB8

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

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

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.

Weekly Sidra: Terumah (Gift)
Torah Portion: Shemot / Exodus 25:1-27:19
Haftorah: Yeshayahu / Isaiah 66:1-24

He who pays Maaser removes part of his self love for the sake of the Creator.

Maaser kesofim literally means a tenth of money. Tithing one’s income for charity, is an age-old practice dating back to our forefathers’ days. Avraham gave Maaser to Malki-Tzedek (Bereishis 14:20); Yitzchak gave Maaser (Rashi Sefer Bereishit 26:12); and Yaakov, too, says, "And of all that You will give me I will surely give a tenth to You" (Bereishis 28:22). In addition, tithing is a time-honored formula for becoming wealthy (Tanchume Devarim 18), so much so that it is even permitted to give Maaser with the intent of "testing" Hashem to see if one will become rich through giving tithes (Based on the verse in Malachi 3:10).

Is there any difference between the Mitzvah to give Tzedakah (charity) and the obligation to give 10% from our income? What unique laws are involved in this obligation, and what is the reward for giving Maaser properly? Although anyone who gives Tzedakah has a guarantee from our Torah that he will not be impoverished by doing so, one who properly separates 10% of his income to charity has a guarantee that he will be repaid for every penny that he gives to charity, and that he will become wealthy over time.

Maaser means “a tenth.” It’s based on the Hebrew word eser, or ten. As a rule, it refers to donating ten percent of whatever to whomever. While maaser may seem like a lot of giving, it’s actually all about receiving. Just like sacrifices, which primarily benefit those who bring them, giving maaser whips you into spiritual shape by forcing you to extend yourself. The original concept of maaser is Torah-based. Additionaly, every person is obligated to give a tenth of his earnings to charity. We already find this custom by our patriarchs. Before Jacob went to his uncle Laban he pledged to God that "everything that You give me, I will surely tithe to You." Income maaser is given from all gross income and monetary gifts which a person earns or receives.

Halacha requires the tithing (separation of teruma and Maaser / Tithes). Teruma and Maaser may not be separated on Shabbat and Festivals.

The base on which Maaser kesofim is calculated is one’s income including recurring income like wages and ordinary profits, plus non-recurring income such as inheritances and capital gains. One should give tzedakah on his capital. However tzedakah should be calculated on each asset only once, not annually. Maaser k’sofim must be deducted even if the income is received from one who has already given Maaser kesofim on those funds. (This is different from agricultural tithing in which case the tithe must be given only once on any given crop.) Maaser kesofim may be paid in cash, merchandise, or one’s labor. In the case of labor, Rav Auerbach points out that Maaser must be given on the value of the work done.

Rabbi Akiva said about the Maaser (Mishnah, Masechet Avot): “Tithing is a qualification for wealth.” The Vilna Gaon: “Who keeps Maaser is guarded from harm.”

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

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).

When we study the Hebrew Scriptures (from Genesis to Revelations writen by Jews to Jews), we find some very interesting verses concerning the tzitzit / fringes. In Hebrew, we say tzitziyot. Specifically, these verses are Mattityahu 9:20; 14:36a, Mark 6:56; and Luke 8:44. Without a shadow of a doubt, they demonstrate that Yeshua definitely was a Torah-observant Jewish man who kept the Torah commandment to wear tzitziyot in the four corners of his garment as instructed in the Torah in Bamidbar 15:37-41. But what is the purpose of wearing tzitziyot? The purpose is to help remember the mitzvot of HaShem and to perform them. HaShem has given many object lessons to His children so that they (also we) would remember and keep His instructions and another one concerns the wrapping of tefillin. The reason for this mitzva is for shamar v’zachor (remembering, keeping, and observing) His instructions for our lives, that is, the Torah. 

 The Greek word phylakterion has been transliterated into English as the word "phylactery" and literally means a protecting charm or amulet. (remember that Maran Yeshua spoke Aramaic every day, thus He never thought of them as such) Through this unfortunate transliteration, the important spiritual meaning contained in the commandment and even in the word itself is lost. In Maran Yeshua’s time, phylacteries were not regarded as amulets or “lucky charms”. The Hebrew word is tefillin which is the plural of the word tefillah.  The meaning of tefillah is diametrically opposed to amulet or lucky charm. Tefillah means prayer. The word phylactery does not even appear in the Tanach.

Tefillin consist of the two small leather boxes or batim, boxes that house small slips of parchment. The parchment slips are inscribed with the Scripture passages in Shemot 13:1-10, 11-16, Devarim 6:4-9, and Devarim 11:13-21. All components of tefillin are made from kosher materials. The central theme of wearing tefillin is the act of binding. The tefillin bind you not only physically but also spiritually. We, with our western mindset and culture, conjure up all kinds of negative “feelings” when we hear the word bind. Somehow we associate it with bondage. Yet when we read the Scripture references above in connection with tefillin they are associated with remembering, keeping, and observing HaShem’s instructions. Who would dare to consider that to be bondage? No one is 100% sure how the tefillin were worn in Maran Yeshua’s day (2000 years ago, when yemot hamashiach begun) except to say that the same two parts that are worn today were in existence 2000 years ago. The two components of tefillin are called shel yad, which is worn on the arm and fingers and shel rosh worn on the head.

Archeological discoveries have confirmed this as fact. Today, just as in Maran Yeshua’s day, the tefillin are strapped on the forehead and the arm. The shel yad, consists of one compartment containing a parchment on which all four Torah passages or  parshiyot are written; the shel rosh is divided into four compartments each of which contains a parchment with one of the four Torah passages written on it. When you gaze upon them, as you would also upon the mezuzah and the tzitziyot, you are quickened to remember the words of the Torah for your life. The tefillin also serve as a memorial – a remembrance of the exodus from Mitzrayim. The remembrance also of the mitzvot of HaShem. The tefillin are a sign of where we have been, that is, Miztrayim or bondage and where we are going, that is, Malchut HaShem or the Kingdom of Heaven, the kingdom of Messiah here on earth (we are NOT going to heaven!). The tefillin are especially a sign of our recognition of HaShem even by their very construction. The Hebrew letters shin, dalet, and yod are evident through the wrapping of the straps around the fingers and across the palm of the hand and the knots in the straps.

The letter shin is also engraved upon the outside of the batim. The three Hebrew letter shin, dalet, and yod spell the word Shaddai which means HaShem, the one who is all-sufficient and sustains His people with spiritual nourishment. The literal meaning of Shaddai is the “many breasted one” implying a feminine side of HaShem that nourishes His children as a nursing mother breastfeeds her baby. The theme of binding is carried out by reciting the verses of Hoshea 2:21-22 while winding the strap around the fingers. “And I will betroth you to me forever. Yes I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, and in lovingkindness, and in compassion. And I will betroth you to me in faithfulness and you will know HaShem”. These verses consummate the binding in a betrothal between man and HaShem. This is a marriage ceremony of sorts each time the tefillin is worn.

In Maran Yeshua’s day, the wearing of tefillin was and is viewed as a fulfillment of the Torah mitzvah or commandment. Although the word tefillin is not found in the Tanach, the Talmud has interpreted the instruction literally and so the words of HaShem are literally bound around our arm (close to our heart) and are literally frontlets between our eyes (close to our minds).  In all probability, tzitziyot and tefillin were part of ordinary dress of the Israelites 2000 years ago and even earlier.  The custom of wrapping tefillin during weekday morning prayers as is practiced today, is a relatively modern custom (This writter does it daily). They were worn most likely all day only being removed for work or when entering a place that was deemed ritually unclean.

Archeological evidence of tefillin fragments dating back to the 1st century was unearthed in the Judean Desert in caves near the Dead Sea. The most dramatic find was a shel rosh approximately 2000 years old with 3 of the 4 original parchment slips still folded and securely ties in their original compartments. Announcement of this discovery was published by Israeli archeologist Yigael Yadin in "Tefillin from Qumran". 1969. The size of the shel rosh, or frontlet was so small and inconspicuous that it hardly would have been noticed. The bayit or box found at Qumran is rectangular and approximately ½” by ¾”. It was very inconspicuous to say the least. Is this what Yeshua was criticizing when we read the account in Mattityahu?

In Mattityahu 23:5, we read that our holy Rabbi, Maran Yeshua criticized those men who enlarged their batim or boxes and widened the straps that were securing them. Note that he never condemned them or criticized them for simply wearing tefillin. On the other hand, he was indeed criticizing them for enlarging their tefillin to appear to be a level above the rest spiritually yet were acting hypocritically. In all probability, Yeshua himself was wearing tefillin as he most certainly was wearing tzitziyot in the four corners of his outer garment, the tallit katan. These were not customs or traditions but rather acts of obedience to HaShem’s commandments in the Torah. There is no evidence to think that Yeshua condemned the wearing of tefillin. On the other hand, he supported the Halacha (Torah tradition) that interpreted the Scriptures literally concerning the fact that they are indeed to be “a sign upon your hand and as frontlets between your eyes”.

Adapted from Dr. David Bivin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fijs2MtCSf0

Quienes son los marranos? Cuando la Iglesia Catolica establecio la Inquisicion en España en 1481, en conjunto con la explusion de los judios en 1492, la practica del judaismo era una ofensa castigable por el gobierno. Estableciendo las mas grotescas torturas y penas de muerte a todos los judios que no confesaran con su fe en el catolicismo. Siete años mas tarde en Portugal, en 1497 , ocurre lo mismo, siguieron el ejemplo de España. Esto trajo en consecuencias que muchos judios huyeran a tierras tales como Italia, Yugoslavia, Romania, otros tomaron curso a las colonias del Nuevo Mundo de España, Portugal y Holanda. Pero luego el fantasma de la Inquisicion llego al Nuevo Mundo y se establecieron Palacios de Inquisicion en Lima, Peru; Cartagena, Colombia; Ciudad De Mejico, Mejico. Miles de judios sefarditas no tuvieron otra alternativa que publicamente declararse “catolicos”, pero estos en secreto mantenian la identidad de judios.

El nombre de marrano significa “cerdo, puerco” fue dado por los catolico a los judios que eran forzados a conversion pero que practicaban el judaismo a escondidas. (Cabe aclarar que esto es un insulto pues el cerdo o puerco el considerado por nosotros animal inmundo ver la Torah, Levitico 11:6-7) Tambien los marranos son conocidos como Cripto-judios, que significa “judios en secreto”, pues mantenian las costumbre en secreto. Como resultado de la Inquisicion muchos judios sefarditas mantuvieron en secreto su identidad por generaciones, por temor a ser descubiertos y ejecutados. Hoy en dia es dificil documentar el linaje judio de estos sefarditas pues por generaciones se mantuvo en secreto estas costumbres. Pero hay aun muchas memorias o relatos de nuestros ancestros como nuestros abuelos, tatarabuelos, tios, o tias que nos pueden confesar que “somos judios” o que estos comenzar an a realizar una serie de practicas y rituales que resultan ser costumbres judias. Estos no tienen una explicacion razonable o consciencia de que son practicas judias, para ellos eran tan solo una costumbre heredada por su abuela o su mama, la cual paso a ser parte de esta persona en su vida diaria sin tener consciencia que era judia.

Regresa benei Anusim. Te esperamos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guOQlMnoB4I

The Jews of India aren’t one singular community. Among themselves they are divided into different communities. Each community has its own different culture, background and origin. Each community claims its arrival in India in different ways and it is not always clear how they really came to India. The three main Jewish communities of India are: Bene Israel, Cochini and Baghdadi. Besides there were Ashkenazi Jews and a community in east India which claim Israeli origin and call themselves Bne Menashe. The first three communities had some social religious connections with each other but most of the social religious connections of each community were within their own community and they regarded the other as ‘outsiders’.

Cochin Jews, also called Malabar Jews (Malabar Yehudan) are the descendants of the ancient Jews in the former Kingdom of Cochin in South India, including the present day port city of Kochi.. But actually the first settlement of the Cochini Jews wasn’t in Cochin but a little north from Cochin in the town of Kudungallur (formly Cranganore).

Like the Bene Israels, the arrival time of the first Cochini Jews isn’t clear. But one fact is sure about the Cochini Jews, that they weren’t a single emigration. At different times Jews arrived and settled in south India at Kudungallur. According to one version the first forefathers of the Cochini Jews arrived in India during the King Solomon’s period. King Solomon had commercial business with a kingdom probably existing in the present state of Kerala in south India. Other version claims that the Cochini Jews are from the Lost Tribes. Another version claims that the Cochini Jews arrived in India after they were exiled from Land of Israel by Nebuchadnezzar. Later on in the history Jews from Spain, arrived in Cochin. The Spanish Jews lived separately from the veteran Jews and considered them as Indian proselytes to Judaism. The Keralans take pride in the fact that the kingdoms of Kerala were world famous and merchants from around the world frequently visited Kerala, since the times of King Solomon and later on Romans, Greeks, Arabs, Chinese and others. Among the merchants, also arrived in Kerala many Jewish merchants and some of them settled in Kerala. The main center of the Jewish community in Kerala was at Kudungallur (referred to in English as Cranganore). The existence of the Jewish community in south India was known to other Jewish communities outside India and some other Jewish merchants also arrived in India. The Jewish merchants were influential community in their state and outside their state and were main reason for the prosperity in their kingdom. As a gratitude for their contribution to the kingdom, the ruler Sri Parkaran Iravi Vanmar gave to the head of the Jewish community Joseph Rabban the village of Anjuvannam and pronounced him the Prince of this village. These Jewish rulers had all the rights preserved to the ruling families of the Indian kingdoms.

The Cochini Jews are divided in three groups. The biggest group is called ‘Meyuhassim’ (meaning ‘privileged’ in Hebrew) or Malabari Jews (Malabar is the name of the coast on which Kerala is situated). These Jews forefathers are considered to have arrived in India as merchants during the period of King Solomon. The second group is called ‘Pardesi’ (meaning ‘foreigner’ in some Indian languages). The Pardesi Jews are Jews who came to Kerala at different periods from different countries namely Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Spain and Germany. These two groups were merchants and had slaves who were converted to Judaism and later on released from their status as slaves and are called ‘Meshuhararim’ (meaning ‘released’ in Hebrew). These groups were sometimes referred to by colors. The ‘Privileged’ Jews were called ‘black’ Jews, the ‘Pardesi’ were called ‘white’ Jews.

The ‘Pardesi’ Jews looked at the ‘Privileged’ Jews as impure Jews and as Jewish proselyte. Both these communities claim that the ‘prince’ was from their community. The Jewish principality survived till the 16th century A. D. In 1524 the Jews were attacked by Moorish Arabs because of the monopoly Jewish merchants had in some commodities. The Jews who were a principality with no real army deserted their principality and asked for shelter from the king of Cochin. The king received them in his kingdom and so was established the Jewish community of Cochin. The area where they lived and did business is even today called ‘Jew Town’.

The Cochini Jews knew all of the Jewish traditions and preserved all Jewish traditions. They were particularly strict of Passover and didn’t even allow the non-Jews to touch the cooking utensils during this period. As stated before the Cochini Jews were very influential in their society. Numerically the Cochini Jews at their height were 3000 and that was in the 1940s. Of that the Pardesi were only 200. Today there are about 70 Jews in Cochin.

The earliest followers and disciples of Rabbi Yeshua of Nazareth believed that Yeshua was the promised Mashiach (Messiah) of Israel and the Redeemer of all nations. However, they did not believe that Yeshua came to start a new religion or to abolish the Torah (Teaching, Instruction) of Moshe; instead, they continued to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as participants in the ancient Israelite faith, now called Judaism. To be clear, the first known Christians in fact were Messianic Jews. Messianic Jews still practice Jewish law and tradition but also follow the Jewish Messiah. A Christian does not follow Jewish law and tradition.

Are Messianic Jews really Jews? This is one question that has come up that I find especially curious. While Jewish interest in Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sufism is so commonplace as to have given rise to terms like Bu-Jus, Hin-Jews, and Jufis), a Jew who finds himself attracted to Yeshua (who was after all a Jew) is somehow weird. The issue isn’t theological. Buddhism and its absence of God, Hinduism and its plethora of gods, and Islam and its final Book and Prophet, are each completely opposite to Judaism. If we can have Jewish Buddhists, why can’t we have Jewish believers in Yeshua?

The first followers of the Messiah were all Jews. The first century movement was one hundred percent Jewish movement. The Besorah Tovah (Good News) is a Jewish book, and Yeshua was nothing if not Jewish; all his teachings are kosher, and understood within a Jewish historical context. So if was good enough for all the early Jewish believers, why not today’s Jews?

Yeshua taught Torah, as did His disciples after his death and resurrection. He never told them to start another religion and He never broke Torah law. Why would His true followers want to be a different religion than He was?

On the other hand, any Jew who cuts himself off from the destiny of his people and from his God by denying the revelation at Sinai, in which God taught all of the Jews that He is the one and only God, and that His Law is binding on the Jewish people forever, there by definition ceases to be a “good Jew”. A Jewish person can be a wonderful person, doing acts of man-to-man kindness all day long, but such is only half of a whole picture that includes decency both in man-to-man relationships as well as man-to-God relationships. The whole package is required to be a member in good standing of the Jewish community.

So, Messianic Jews consider their primary identity to be "Jewish" and belief in Yeshua to be the logical conclusion of their "Jewishness." They try to structure their worship according to Jewish norms. They uphold the Torah of HaShem as their main constitution and the teachings of Rabbi Yeshua HaMashiach as the main Torah teacher.

They circumcise their sons. They abstain from non-kosher foods. They observe the Sabbath, and the Feasts. Most do not use the label "Christian" to describe themselves. They also have a strong desire to pass on their Jewish identity and culture to their children. In a nutshell Most Messianic Jews are much more "zealous for the Law (Torah)."
Messianic Judaism is a biblically-based end-time movement of Jewish and non-Jewish people who have come to believe that Yeshua is the promised Messiah of Israel.

We know Sadly, Jewish brethren who have been assimilated into the mainstream church, we do not agree with that, and wish them back to the true Torah of Mashiach.

Our hope of the world is that Messianic Jewish movement will unify as believers in Yeshua and doers of the Torah by laying down our differences and forming a unified community. Thereby becoming the light of the world that we are expected to be.

Rabbi, Yeshua HaMashiach thought us, in Mattityahu 5:17-19: "Don’t think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete. Yes indeed! I tell you that until heaven and earth pass away, not so much as a yud or a stroke will pass from the Torah – not until everything that must happen has happened. So whoever disobeys the least of these mitzvot and teaches others to do so will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever obeys them and so teaches will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9HuIDF7qtQ

One of the most difficult sections of the Torah to understand is the discussion of "Tzarat," a skin disease commonly mistranslated as "leprosy." In truth, Tzarat is a physical manifestation of a spiritual deficiency. The Talmud (Arachin 16) says that Tzarat comes specifically as a consequence of "lashon hara" – negative speech about another person.

A Jewish tale illustrates this point: A man went about the community telling malicious lies about his Rabbi. Later, he realized the wrong he had done, and began to feel remorse. He went to the Rabbi and begged his forgiveness, saying he would do anything he could to make amends. The Rabbi told the man, "Take a feather pillow, cut it open, and scatter the feathers to the winds." The man thought this was a strange request, but it was a simple enough task, and he did it gladly. When he returned to tell the Rabbi that he had done it, the Rabbi said, "Now, go and gather the feathers. Because you can no more make amends for the damage your words have done than you can recollect the feathers."

Evil speaking of another has been compared to an arrow that once released cannot be stopped or recalled. Likewise, the words spoken once released cannot be stopped from harming their intended target . . . the character and soul of another. The person who listens to gossip is sometimes viewed even worse than the person who tells the story, because no harm could be done by gossip if no one listened to it. It has been said that lashon hara (an evil tongue and speech) kills three people: the person who speaks it, the person who hears it, and the person about whom it is told.

The Hebrew term lashon hara (or loshon hora) (Hebrew לשון הרע; "evil tongue") is the halakhic term for derogatory speech about another person. Lashon hara differs from defamation in that its focus is on the use of true speech for a wrongful purpose, rather than falsehood and harm arising. By contrast, hotzaat shem ra ("spreading a bad name"), also called hotzaat diba, consists of untrue remarks, and is best translated as "slander" or "defamation". Hotzaat shem ra is worse, and consequentially a graver sin, than lashon hara.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRBjbQ8VjSY

The largest Jewish community of Indian Jews is that of the Bene Israel. Earlier the Bene Israel lived in the villages of west Maharashtra in the Konkan coast. In the nineteenth century they started moving to the cities, mainly to Bombay (now called Mumbai) and to other cities among them Pune, Ahmadabad and Karachi which is now part of Pakistan. From 1950 onwards they started immigrating to Israel. The Bene Israel community was completely isolated from most of the other Jewish communities of the world. They are known as Bene Israel because that’s how they called themselves. The Bene Israel believe that their forefathers arrived in India before the destruction of the second temple. The accepted version is that their forefathers were sailing in a commercial ship from the Land of Israel to India. The ship wrecked near the coast of Konkan. From the ship survived 14 people, seven men and seven women. They swam towards the land and arrived at the village called Navgaon. All their belongings drowned in the sea. The dead bodies of the others from the ship were buried in the village. The survivors somehow managed to settle in the village and started working in agriculture and oil producing which later on became their main profession. As time passed the descendants of the survivors forgot Hebrew and their religious tradition. But they carried out some of the Israeli tradition.

The Bene Israels observed Sabbath (Saturday) and abstained on this day from any work. They circumcised their sons on the eighth day after birth. They didn’t eat fish which didn’t had fins and scales. They observed a few Israeli festivals and called them by Indian names, but until their association with other Jewish communities they weren’t aware of the Hanukkah festival and the ninth of Ab fast. These two traditions became part of Jewish tradition after the destruction of the second Temple and therefore the belief that the Bene Israels forefathers arrived in India before the destruction of the second temple. On each religious occasion such as marriage; circumcision or death the Bene Israelis used to recite the ‘Shema’ verse.

The Bene Israel community grew and they became a guild or an Indian caste with the profession of oil pressers. They left their first village, Navgaon, and dispersed to other villages and towns in the coast of Konkan becoming the oil producers and oil pressers of their respective villages. From the names of the villages and towns; like Roha, Pen, Pali or Ashtam; they derived their surnames like Rohekar; Penkar; Palkar; Ashtamkar and such others. The Bene Israels used to abstain from any work on Saturday (which wasn’t an acceptable feature in India) and were therefore called ‘Shenwar Teli’ meaning ‘Saturday oil pressers’.

According to Bene Israel tradition, somewhere between 1000 AD to 1400 AD a Jewish merchant, David Rahabi, arrived in west India. The Bene Israels believe that Rahabi was Moses Maimonides (a very respected Jewish scholar also called ‘Rambam’) brother. Rahabi was surprised to find this Bene Israel community which followed some Jewish traditions and festivals. He decided to enlighten them with all the Jewish traditions. He chose three men from the Bene Israel community and taught them Talmud and other Jewish books. These three people became to be known as ‘Kaji’ (meaning judge in Arabic) and were religious and social leaders of the Bene Israel community. And so, it is believed, began the revivification of the Bene Israel Jews towards Judaism. Later on in the eighteenth century Cochini Jews and other Jewish communities also began to associate religiously with the Bene Israel Jews.

A very important non-Jewish community that had an impact on the Bene Israel was the Christian missionaries. In the eighteenth century many Christian missionaries came to India. Some of them had anthropological interest in India. They began with their own theories about the origins of Bene Israel and other researchers including the Bene Israel themselves also began theorizing the origins of the Bene Israel. Different researchers came to different conclusions. Among the theories there were a few which came to conclusion that the Bene Israel’s forefathers arrived in India before the destruction of the second Temple and this is because the Bene Israel (meaning children of Israel) did not call themselves Jews (In the narrow sense the Jews are descendants only from the two of the twelve tribes of Children Of Israel, Yehuda and Benjamin) . For the same reason others concluded that the Indian Bene Israel are from the ‘Lost Tribes’ which are the ten tribes (of the twelve tribes of the Children Of Israel) whom the Assyrians exiled from the Land Of Israel in 800 BC and what happened of them is not known (and are therefore called Lost Tribes) . Others concluded that the Bene Israel originate from the tribes of Zvulun and Asher and that’s because the Bene Israel engaged in the profession of oil pressing which is believed to be the profession popular among the tribes of Zvulun and Asher. Other reasons that support the theory that the Bene Israel Jews are in India for over 2000 years is the fact that they weren’t aware of the main Jewish tradition which evolved in Judaism between 200 BC to 300 AD. Others concluded that the Bene Israel are Jews who came to India from Arab countries at a much later period, somewhere around the seventh century AD. And there are other theories, among them is that the Bene Israel aren’t at all of Israeli origin.

With the revival of Judaism among the Bene Israel by David Rahabi, he selected three men to be the religious leaders of the community and called them ‘Kaji’. These Kajis fulfilled all the religious jobs of the community. The Kaji’s profession was hereditary. From the eighteenth century the Bene Israel developed contact and communication with other Jewish communities especially with the ‘Cochini’ Jews who lived in the southern part of India the present state of Kerala and with Jews from Iraq and Yemen. The contacts and communication with the Yemen Jews started when Bene Israels, who were soldiers in the Indian-British army, were posted at Aden in Yemen. The Bene Israel in Aden had their prayer hall in Aden and later on brought Yemenite Jewish cantors to India and so adopting the Yemenite style of praying (Because of the Yemenite way of praying some researchers wrongly presume that the Bene Israel originate from Yemen). In the first synagogues of the Bene Israel Jews the cantors were mainly Yemenite or Iraqi or Cochini. After the cantors, the Bene Israel began to bring to India Jewish circumciser and butchers from Yemen and so the Kajis lost their traditional position as head of the community.

So, what is a “ger”? What is Zar? Let’s start off with what ger means.  Strong’s translates the Hebrew word ‘ger’ as stranger, sojourner, alien.  It is defined as:  a) a temporary inhabitant, a newcomer lacking inherited rights b) of foreigners in Israel, through conceded rights.  A “ger” is one who dwells among Israel as one who is not against them, but alongside them.  The ger has no inheritance rights and therefore has no way to support themselves and their family because they own no land. 

The ger is listed as one of the disadvantaged people in the Torah – “the widow, the orphan and the foreigner…”  They, therefore, are given special place as servants in the families of Israel.

It’s easy for non-Hebrew speakers and readers to feel a sense of confusion when one non-Hebrew is allowed to do something and another isn’t and then there’s the whole “there shall be one law for the native and the sojourner” verse that just adds to the confusion.

To be a “ger” in Israel and a servant meant you were protected, provided for, you were part of an Israelite household.  And there was no shame in this!  Ger is contrasted with ezrach which is a “native born” as in “native born Israelite”.  Take a look at Exodus 12:19 where both the ger and the ezrach are mentioned in the same passage.

Now, to be clear there are several words that are translated as “foreigner” or “sojourner”.  Let’s touch on those really quick.

Toshav is another word that often translates as “sojourner” and it is also a foreigner who has taken up residence in Israel.  The key with Toshav and ger is that they sojourn “with you”.   Toshav is used in Leviticus 25:45 as “strangers that do sojourn among you”.

By the times of Yeshua’s ministry and the teachings of the Emissaries, the word ger had come to mean proselyte. A proselyte is one who was not born a Jew and yet found the truth of the One True G-d and His ways, and wanted to join Israel, to convert.  These people converted from paganism of whatever variety to Judaism, which was the only expression of faith in the G-d of Abraham, the G-d of Isaac and the G-d of Jacob.

Zar is the word used in Isaiah 61:5 and speaks of an outsider, one who is estranged.  Zar is a stranger, a foreigner.  Zar is also the word used when speaking of strange fire.  A Zar would be one who is different, and is used to describe someone who is not walking with Israel. A Zar could be a born Israelite who is doing the job that he is not supposed to (for example a non-priest doing the work of priest).

Zar is also used to speak of foreign gods, strange fire and strange incense.  But the “Zar” isn’t all bad, he’s just separate because he is “strange” (not unique, but estranged). The Zar may be the one who worships the G-d of Israel but in a way that reveals a certain disregard for the Scriptures or those to whom He has entrusted them.

The Zar was not the one who later became the proselyte that was the Ger.  The Zar seems to show no interest in becoming a proselyte.  To my mind this resembles much of those who say worship the G-d of Israel; they say it in the Churches, but worshiping the same G-d but doing it their own way and with their own customs, traditions and interpretations.  Sometimes there is hostility and sometimes there isn’t, but they are distinctly different than Israel.

Neichor (nachri) is another word for foreigner or stranger.  The neichor is one who is hostile to Israel and whose allegiance is toward another god.  Deuteronomy 23:20 uses the word neichor as the stranger that is treated differently than the Israelites.  It is interesting to note that Ruth called herself nochri when speaking humbly with Boaz, her ultimate redeemer.

The issue here is that there are a few words used to speak of non-Jews who have left their native land or native position to join themselves to Israel (ger and Toshav) while there are also a few words used to speak of those who are estranged from Israel and those who are hostile toward her and HaShem (Zar and neichor).  Ger and Toshav are often used together with ger being the most common word used, these are like resident aliens who have joined themselves to Israel in one way or another. 

In English, they all translate the same:  stranger, sojourner, foreigner, alien, etc.  It is important to know which type of people a particular verse is referring to and to understand that the Torah’s applications are different for the differing classes of people.  It is from these classes of people that we begin to draw our identity.

So, what about the non-Jews with the Messianic Jewish movement?  As non-Jews who are grafted-in to the heritage of Abraham by our faith, where do you stand in this list?  Or the question might be better phrased – who do you best represent, and who are you supposed to represent?

So how does one change status from a Zar to a ger? It is our thought, that as a pagan hears of the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that he will have a natural progression toward the Light of the World. He will see that Israel has a Great G-d and will want to serve Him. As they turn from their pagan ways they will begin to walk more and more according to the Torah. This is the path from nochri to Zar and eventually to Ger.

How have you come to understand the difference between the various types of sojourners, foreigners and strangers in the Bible?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p2sN-MeWas

This year, This Thursday April 19 is Yom Hashoa v’Hag’vurah- Holocaust Memorial Day. Really it is the Day of the Martyrs and Heroes . begins on Sunday, April 11th starting at sundown and continues through Monday, April 12th at sundown. The commemoration of Yom Hashoah is held on the 27th day of Nissan, one week after the seventh day of Passover. Passover celebrates the freedom of the Jewish nation from the harsh slavery of the Egyptians, while Yom Hashoah Ve-Hagevurah or Day of (Remembrance of) the Holocaust and the Heroism, grips our hearts with tremendous sorrow in memory of the enslavement and execution of 6 million Jews and a great number of other “undesirables”.

We deeply mourn the six million Jews who perished at the hands of the evil and cruelty of the Nazis. We mourn the way of life that was destroyed. The Jewish community of Europe was nearly ended. And today even as it tries to rebuild itself it is a small shadow of the millions that once lived there. And to boot there is still Anti-Semitism that runs deep throughout Europe. Lithuania is one place where Anti-Semitism has never been addressed. It run throughout the culture. Jews are still seen as foreigners there and in truth are not welcome.

The world, or at least certain portions of it, would have us forget an event that they either say happened too long ago to care about or indeed, didn’t happen at all. The events of the holocaust occurred within living human memory and are systematically denied, while we continue to commemorate much older events, such as Canada Day and Thanks Giving in this country without any doubt whatsoever.

For thousands of years, the Jewish people have been systematically attacked, exiled from the Land of Israel on numerous occasions, and been subject to a long list of pogroms, forced conversions to Christianity and Islam, rejection, condemnation, torture, and murder.

Whenever any group of Jewish people finally decide they have had enough, stand up for their right to live and fight back, the rest of the world condemns them as oppressors and even “occupiers” of their own land. All manner of “conspiracy theories” have been associated with the Jews, from blood libel to the irrational fear that Zionism is an attempt by Jews to take over the world.

All of this thinking and much more, makes universal hatred, bigotry, expulsion, and murder of Jewish people possible and likely across history. That is why it’s so important to commemorate Yom Hashoah and to continue to remind the world that such atrocities as the Holocaust must never be allowed to happen again.

The world we live in is closer to repeating this sort of behavior than we’d like to believe. That’s why we must never be complacent or lax in our defense of the Jewish people; the chosen ones of God. This year, don’t forget! This year, don’t let the world forget! Once the world forgets a tragedy, it has no problem in repeating it. Even if you aren’t Jewish, if you are a person of conviction, compassion, and faith, how long will it be before an oppressor comes for you? Don’t wait until then. Care, not because it might happen to you. Care because it already happened to us all.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDB4EEE2E01DFE013

What does Shoah means? Shoah is the Hebrew word for "destruction" and is another name used to refer to the European Holocaust, when six million Jews – including one and a half million children – were systematically murdered by the Nazis during World War II.

Note: Some Jewish people do not observe Yom HaShoah, but commemorate the long history of anti-Semitism during Tisha B’Av, the Ninth of Av. They reason that remembering the European Holocaust recalls a singular event, whereas anti-Semitism has a long and bloody history where thousands and millions have perished over the millennial (for example, recall the two conquests of Israel, the destruction of the two Temples, the Inquisition, the Crusades, the Pogroms, the Intifada – etc.).

Here is some of what I have found in my studies on the subject. “Don’t round your hair at the temples or mar the edges of your beard.” - Leviticus 19:27

Nowhere does HaShem say that cutting the beard is acceptable. One of the humiliations of a conqueror was to shave or take off the beards of the men. The reason for both prohibitions in Lev. 19:27 have to do with pagan practices. HaShem told His People Israel not to shave their hair around the temples by the ears and around the head. This was not only a perversion of the hair of the head but also a practice of idolatry.

HaShem commanded His People not to cut or to trim their beards because of grief toward the dead. This was another pagan practice. They were not to ‘mar’ or destroy their beards.  Yeshua therefore, like Fathers Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and King David and Isaiah, etc., would have had a full beard.

The way that HaShem has made Man is with a beard. When men shave it to “beautify” themselves, as the ancient Greeks and Romans did, they alter HaShem’s design for men. It is a profaning or defiling of what HaShem has made. 

Beards are one of HaShem’s ways to distinguish between a man and a woman. In this day when men have long hair and woman have shaved heads, it is hard to distinguish some men from some women. HaShem never intended this. HaShem wants men to have beards. It was considered a disgrace for an adult man not to have a beard (2 Samuel 10:4-5).

“How womanly it is for one who is a man to comb himself and shave himself with a razor, for the sake of fine effect, and to arrange his hair at the mirror, shave his cheeks, pluck hairs out of them, and smooth them! … For God wished women to be smooth and to rejoice in their locks alone growing spontaneously, as a horse in his mane. But He has adorned man, like the lions, with a beard, and endowed him as an attribute of manhood, with a hairy chest, a sign of strength and rule.” – Clement of Alexandria (vol. 2, p. 275)

“This, then, is the mark of the man, the beard. By this, he is seen to be a man. It is older than Eve. It is the token of the superior nature… It is therefore unholy to desecrate the symbol of manhood, hairiness.” – Clement of Alexandria (vol. 2, p. 276)

“The nature of the beard contributes in an incredible degree to distinguish the maturity of bodies, or to distinguish the sex, or to contribute to the beauty of manliness and strength.” – Lactantius (vol. 7, p. 288)

Because it was part of Israelite life for a man to have a beard, the Bible has only a few direct references to beards. However, those mentioned are significant and set precedence for a man having a beard. The Bible refers to the following people as having beards:

• Aaron the High Priest – Psalm 133
• King David – Samuel 21:13
• Ezra the scribe – Ezra 9:3
• Yeshua the Messiah – Isaiah 50:6

These are all significant people. The most notable of them is our Messiah, our Rabbi Yeshua. We can learn something important about beards by reviewing Isaiah 50:6 - I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. In this prophetic passage we learn that Yeshua not only had a beard, but that it was long enough to be ripped out by those who tortured him to death. Yeshua is our example (1 Peter 2:21). As such, we must follow his example.

Godly man grow your beard. As for me and the man of my house we want to be like my Rabbi Yeshua.

Warning, this video tries to pronounce the Name of HaShem.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQfT1Rt8BP0