What is a Jewish rabbi?
A Jewish rabbi, in the most basic of terms, is a teacher. In the time of Christ, rabbis were respected teachers of the law and religion. Modern Jewish rabbis are specifically teachers of Judaism, the Torah, and the extrabiblical Talmud. The title rabbi or rabboni came into use among the Pharisees, and it means “teacher”…
What is Orthodox Judaism?
Judaism is the traditional religion for Jews, but it may be practiced by non-Jews as well. Not all Jews practice Judaism, of course; some reject Judaism in favor of other religions or no religion at all. Judaism is a religion that emphasizes lifestyle and values more than beliefs, so correct doctrine is not emphasized nearly…
What are the different sects of Judaism?
Like most major religions, Judaism worldwide is comprised of several different sects. However, the branches of Judaism active today are not the same as those seen in the Bible, so the ancient and modern eras have to be understood separately. When looking at different sects of Judaism, one should also note that the term Jewish…
What is Hasidic Judaism?
Hasidic (or Chasidic) Judaism is a conservative branch of Haredi Judaism, which is itself a branch of Orthodox Judaism. Thus, Hasidic Jews are Orthodox, although they differ from Orthodox Jews in some respects. The word Hasidic comes from the Hebrew word chesed, meaning “lovingkindness.” The Hasidim are literally “those who do good deeds for others.”…
Who was Maimonides?
Moses Ben Maimon (1138—1204) is known to English speakers as Maimonides and to Hebrew speakers as Rambam. He was a medieval Jewish philosopher. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy calls him the “greatest Jewish philosopher of the Medieval Period” (https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/maimonides, accessed 10/27/2020). Maimonides’ philosophy was distinctly Aristotelean. Maimonides’ 14-volume work, the Mishneh Torah (“Second to the…
What happened in the Six-Day War?
The Six-Day War, also called the June War or the Third Arab-Israeli War, was an international conflict occurring in June of 1967. This series of battles pitted Israel against several Arabic nations, including Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon. The Islamic nations received varied support from more than a half-dozen other nations in their fight…
Who are the Jews for Jesus, and what do they believe?
Jews for Jesus is a ministry organization based in San Francisco, California, with the stated purpose to “relentlessly pursue God’s plan for the salvation of the Jewish people.” Jews for Jesus grew out of the turbulent hippie movement in the 1960s in San Francisco. The organization practices truth in advertising by making sure that those…
What does “from the river to the sea” mean?
Terrorist attacks on Israel by Hamas on October 7, 2023, led to a massive invasion of the Gaza Strip by Israel. These events placed the wider Arab-Israeli conflict under increased scrutiny—if greater attention were even possible. In connection with these incidents, pro-Palestinian groups, rallies, and protests have sometimes used the phrase from the river to…
What is the difference between Israel and Palestine?
The region where Israel is located was referred to as “Palestine” at least as early as the 5th century BC. Writings from such men as Aristotle, Herodotus, and Plutarch all refer to this area as “Palestine.” This term is believed to come from Masoretic Hebrew biblical texts. Some scholars think that the word Palestine means…
Should Israel be building settlements in the occupied territories?
In December 2016 the Security Council of the United Nations passed a resolution that condemns Israel for its building of settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. However, the resolution was nothing but a formal statement of what most nations in the world already believed about the settlements. The United Nations has passed similar…