If Chabad is Kosher Why Not Messianic Jews
Judaism, Jewish culture, Politics of Religion, Jewish Spirituality May 10th, 2007Update: I’ve received some feedback from a reader who has taken issue with some of my characterizations of Chabad in this post. I’m certainly not going to apologize for my attitude and views of Chabad because I am after all entitled to my own opinions on the subject. However I can acknowledge that a few of the Chabad comments appearing in the original version of this post, were not relevant to the point being made. I have therefore decided to remove them.
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A while back I was reading this Jerusalem Post Article which in of itself wasn’t all that interesting, however I was struck by one of the reader comments at the bottom of the article. It was a comment made by a ” Messianic Jew” living in Israel and was about her sense of isolation and discrimination at the hands of other Jews.
I don’t recall all that much about the article but something about it really stuck with me. She brought an interesting point worthy of consideration about what she perceived to be a double standard within the Jewish community.
Anyhow before I move into my own thinking about the topic let me share with you the actual quote so you can see for yourself what I’m talking about.
I can relate, as a Jew who believes in Jesus. Most seculars accept me. I keep biblically kosher, I observe all the feasts and the blood hasn’t changed in my veins just because I recognize Yeshua is the Messiah. However, I’m told I’m no longer a Jew and it’s not okay to ‘prostelytize’ other Jews. But, it’s okay for others to believe that Schneirson is the Messiah and go around in their “Torah mobile” and speak to little children (the very thing they say if I ever do they’ll put me in jail for five years) about their Messiah. The Orthodox will spit on Messianics, threaten to steal our children, throw fire bombs in our windows, burn our books and slash our tires. Seculars will say “whatever works for you” which I don’t necessarily agree with, but at least they accept me as being one on their team. I had free tickets to leave during last years Lebanon war and a free home to stay in the States. I chose to stay here, with my people, secular or Orthodox because we’re ONE people under ONE G-D. We are ALL Jews. Some observant, some not. Yes, we must be a light to the nations but hatred and name calling others who do not follow our practices will never, ever convince our fellow bretheren to walk the path of the righteous. Love, bottom line, is all we need. The Beatles had it right, All we need is love, G-D’s love.
Even reading this again now weeks after my initial read, I feel that she brings up several interesting points related to Jewish identity, cultural diversity and a double standard. In some ways what’s been bugging me about this is that this is not just a religious question. It is a much broader one at least when I think about it through the perceptual filter of Judaism as an evolving civilization.
It would seem that for many it is OK to reject G-D, Torah and any notion of religious truth and still be considered Jewish. Including secular humanists , Communists and the Israeli/cultural Jews. It’s also okay to believe in G-D but reject the word for word literal truth of the Torah and the binding nature of Halacha and still be Jewish. It is OK for organizations such as Chabad to run around to promote what they claim is authentic Judaism.
All of these are in some way considered to be legitimate expressions of Jewish identity. I am not suggesting that I or anyone else should take issue with this fact.
There are even Jew-bu’s and HinJews out there and they are for the most part considered to be Jewish. Yet someone who proclaims “I believe in Jesus” gets blacklisted, regardless of what that might mean for this person . Don’t get me wrong because I’m not a fan of Christian evangelical attacks against Jews(or anyone else for that matter) and am repulsed by what Jews for Jesus are doing.
My point isn’t that Chabad and Messianic Judaism are the same thing because I don’t believe that they are. Although I do believe that they sometimes share similar approaches to outreach. Anyhow that is all besides the point and I’m not trying to bash Chabad with this post I understand that they are a Jewish Organization.
I am able to distinguish between a Messianic Jew and a Jew for Jesus.
Jews for Jesus are an evangelical group bent on infiltrating and converting Jews and I believe that they’re willing to do anything regardless of how inappropriate it is, because they believe that the end justifies their means. Jews for Jesus are not a religion they are an outreach organization targeting the Jewish demographic and I think that’s despicable.
I also realize that there are no Jewish Buddhist organizations which are actively trying to recruit and convert Jews to Buddhism. Therefore I can accept that there is probably a huge difference between the average Jewbu and Jew for Jesus.
However I believe it’s a mistake to assume that a Messianic Jew automatically equates a Christian evangelical with a hidden agenda a.k.a. a Jew for Jesus. After all if were willing to still consider a Jewbu a legitimate Jew because they aren’t evangelical, should we not be willing to extend a similar level of tolerance towards a Messianic Jew if the same criteria are met? If not then shouldn’t we be reconsidering our laissez-faire approach to Jewish identity, one which has ample room for just about everyone except those who claim a relationship to Christ? Are we making a mistake by painting every Jew who brings up Jesus with the same brush?
I don’t know if the woman who made that comment is a Messianic Jew in the way that I have suggested one can be a messianic Jew, or if she’s just a Jew for Jesus trying to pull the wool over people’s eyes but I don’t think it really matters. I say this because I’m not convinced that the issue is really all about “ them” and not at least in part also about us, and by us I am referring to those who give a shit about this question.
I’m a progressive (a fancy way of saying post- halachick ) Jew by choice and to be honest I’m more bothered by Jews who perpetuate halachick forms of ethnocentric prejudice, homophobia, sexism, dogmatism and environmental irresponsibility, then I am by a Messianic Jew doesn’t proselytize (if such a person does in fact exists).
I don’t know what the answer to this question is but my own inner voice is telling me that something is not quite right with this picture. At any rate I haven’t formed any solid conclusions about any of this and for the most part this post is just a way of airing out some of my own muddled thinking on the topic.
Incidentally The Velveteen Rabbi put together a very interesting post on a similar topic a few years back. Like I said it is a few years old but it read to me as still being relevant, not to mention that it ties in relatively well to this post.
And on that note as always your thoughts on the subject are welcome, however I ask that you do so with both tact and respect.
Be Well
Technorati tags: Jews for Jesus, Messianic Judaism, Jews by Choice, Reform, Orthodox, Who Is a Jew
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May 10th, 2007 at 9:10 pm
i think it has something to do with the history of Jewish-Christian relations. A Jew who believes in Buddhism doesn’t have quite the same ‘betraying your people to the enemy’ reaction as a Jew who believes in Christianity does. Buddhists didn’t spend 2000 years torturing, murdering, and forcibly-converting Jews; Christians did.
Also, what the heck do you mean by “halakhic forms of environmental irresponsibility”?
May 10th, 2007 at 9:26 pm
Hi Steg, your comment regarding history is a good one and the point is taken but I am not sure justifies things 100%.
Form might not be the best word to have used but for example. carbon dating is wrong, the earth is only 6000 years old and therefore science is wrong about it and about global warming and about evolution etc. All things I believe influences how one relates to the environment.
I am not sugesting that all orthodox are like this, just that that bugs more then some other stuff.
May 10th, 2007 at 9:34 pm
I don’t know whether it justifies the reaction, but i think it adequately explains it.
Okay… i wouldn’t call that ‘halakhic irresponsibility’; that’s philosophical blindness, nothing to do with halakha. Halakha is fairly pro-environment when it comes to not cutting down fruit trees, not wasting, leaving land fallow, etc.
May 10th, 2007 at 9:42 pm
I agree with your points, you are right about things being pro earth at least for most people. My comment was more about using “halakhic” rhetoric to justify an assortment of things which i find both dangerous and wrong.
Anyhow I am off to watch some Jericho, you got me addicted big time.
May 11th, 2007 at 3:49 pm
There’s an old comment-post from last year on this subject, very similar to this one at http://velveteenrabbi.blogs.com/blog/2005/01/rabbi_ramis_man.html Last comment, under “Shalom”
There’s also a referral to an article on this subject by Bella Online’s Judaism editor. http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art8263.asp
May 12th, 2007 at 8:47 am
Below is the comment (I referred to previously) made on VR’s blog in Feb ‘06. As you can see, you’re not alone in your thoughts about this topic. Your post has much in common with this comment below. No one responded to the comment back then, which is probably an indicator of the avoidance surrounding our community’s prejudice in this area or disinclination to face the issue as a legitimate bias. BTW, I’m not a Messianic Jew, I’m just a regular ol’ Jew by birth. Just Jewish.
Comment below from: http://velveteenrabbi.blogs.com/blog/2005/01/rabbi_ramis_man.html
“I saw the reference to the “J4J” post in these posts & went back to read it.
I recommend the book “Messianic Judaism” (Amazon) by Reform Rabbi Dan Cohn-Sherbok, (not a Messianic Jew) who personally investigated the Messianic Jewish movement, (J4J is but one sect of MJ), & concluded that Messianic Judaism, as represented by Jews by birth, should be included as another denomination of Judaism.
His conclusion was based on his personal investigation & the history of Messianic Judaism as an ancient sect of Judaism, when the Jews who believed in Jesus as Moshiach & those who did not splintered, yet those who did believe in Jesus as Messiah were still very much Jewish, as Jesus was.
I’m reminded of the Lubatvitcher Chassidim phenomenon, when the Lubavitcher Rebbe was largely believed to be Moshiach & untold numbers of Lubavitcher Chassidim still believe he is & will return by “Techiyas Hameisim,” resurrection of the dead.
Messianic Jews were at one time, exactly that, an ancient sect of Jews who believed Rebbe Jesus, a devout, erudite Torah scholar & profoundly revolutionary Jewish spiritual leader & teacher was the Moshiach, or “annointed one.”
Messianic Jews participated in Temple worship until its destruction by the Romans & the advent of Rabbinic Judaism, which became the foundation for Orthodox Judaism.
Far before his time, R’ Jesus tried to revolutionize & revitalize Judaism, a feat that has since been accomplished in other ways by the Reform, then Renewal movement.
Was he Moshiach? Was the Lubavitcher Rebbe?
Honestly, I don’t know the answers, but I trust we’ll all find out eventually, so all the conflicting over it is a senseless source of fractioning & hostility. What will be, will be.
Understanding that the MJ movement is not represented solely by J4J, reading R’ Cohn-Sherbok’s book, & learning the history of Messianic Judaism as an ancient Jewish sect, changed my bigoted perspective about it.
If I respect the Reform & Renewal view that the Torah was not dictated by G-D & Mitzvot are not binding as valid branches of Judaism, & I can respect the view that many Lubavitcher Chassidim believe their Rebbe is Moshiach as a valid branch of Judaism, why not the ancient Jewish sect of Messianic Judaism?
Paula E. Kirman, BellaOnline’s Judaism Editor, wrote a good article about Messianic Judaism & R’ Cohn-Sherbok’s book.
Everyone who considers him/herself a religiously liberal or progressive Jew, (as I do), or is aligned with those movements, should at least read the book & her article accordingly.
Who am I to say the followers of an ancient sect of Judaism are any less a legitimate part of the Jewish religion for believing in Rebbe Jesus as Moshiach, than Lubivitcher’s who believe their Rebbe is Moshiach?
Or any less than the liberal & progressive Jews who believe Torah & mitzvot are evolving, subjective, non-binding, & flexible?”
June 10th, 2007 at 10:46 am
David Ben Gurion once said that “Anyone who says they are a Jew and suffers oppression with Jews is a Jew.” The debate comes down to if Jewishness is a religious definition or an ethnic definition, and while that may never be resolved, Messianic Jews (NOT JFJ, which is a CHRISTIAN organization financed by Christian denominations and believes that Jesus is a deity and part of a trinity, beliefs that Messianic JUDAISM does not hold as truth)are generally upright citizens in Israel and are extremely similar to Chabadniks. Also, non-Messianic Jews decry alleged “avodah zarah” in regard to Jews who believe in Jesus; they fail to realize that more and more of the Lubavitcher meshichim are believing that their rebbe, zt”l, is g-d, chas ve shalom. (see http://www.rickross.com/reference/lubavitch/lubavitch47.html). I would like to see Yad le achim come after these people, all Jewish denominations to condemn them as they have done to Jewish believers in Yeshua, the Israeli Supreme Court declare they are ineligible for aliyah, the Israeli government renounce their citizenship, and make sure that they get blacklisted from all Jewish organizations and Israeli causes, as has been mercilessly done to Jews who believe in Rebbe Yeshua. I have no clue when the issue of who the alleged “Messiah” is beacme the litmus test for involvement in the Jewish world. Indeed, the first believers in Yeshua were Jews and the historian Epiphanus writes that “They differed from the Jews in nothing except for believing in the Messiah Yeshua.” Furthermore, evidence shows that the so-named Nazarenes were fully accepted in the Jewish community and remained within the sphere of Pharisaical Judaism that archaeology tells us included Yeshua/ Jesus. Yad le achim and the Orthodox parties, mind you, also loathe the Reform and Conservative movements. Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu believes that Reform Jews caused the Holocaust (in which 1.75 Million Jewish believers in Yeshua were sent to the concentration camps alongside their brothers and sisters), while the Orthodox Union declared that they are not practicing Judaism in 1998 and notoriously said that it is better to pray at home than even step foot in a non-Orthodox synagogue. Furthermore, there are regular protests against Reform institutions in Israel, and the irony is that Reform Jews do not ascribe to any of the beliefs of the Yigdal, while many Messianic congregations use it as their creed. I believe that we, as a people, need to build each other up, and that this is only possible when we embrace each other, refuse to proselytize or coerce each other and view ourselves as ” different branches of one menorah,” in the words of Rabbi Dan Cohn Sherbok.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:19 pm
Chabad is a Jewish heresy. Messianic groups are Christian groups. You can be Jewish or Christian, you cannot be both. Being Jewish is not simply a matter of who your mother was but who you are.
Lapsed Jews differ from Jews who have actively left the Jewish people by choosing Christianity. The fundamental dishonesty behind the Churches who promote forms of Jewish Christianity is the attempt to recreate a Jewish identity subservient to Christianity.