CRAFTING the 613 Commandments
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
Lamb of God" Title in John's Gospel: Background, Exegesis, and Major Themes Christiane Shaker [email protected]
Seton Hall University eRepository @ Seton Hall Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs) Fall 12-2016 The "Lamb of God" Title in John's Gospel: Background, Exegesis, and Major Themes Christiane Shaker [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.shu.edu/dissertations Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Shaker, Christiane, "The "Lamb of God" Title in John's Gospel: Background, Exegesis, and Major Themes" (2016). Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs). 2220. https://scholarship.shu.edu/dissertations/2220 Seton Hall University THE “LAMB OF GOD” TITLE IN JOHN’S GOSPEL: BACKGROUND, EXEGESIS, AND MAJOR THEMES A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN THEOLOGY CONCENTRATION IN BIBLICAL THEOLOGY BY CHRISTIANE SHAKER South Orange, New Jersey October 2016 ©2016 Christiane Shaker Abstract This study focuses on the testimony of John the Baptist—“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” [ἴδε ὁ ἀµνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁµαρτίαν τοῦ κόσµου] (John 1:29, 36)—and its impact on the narrative of the Fourth Gospel. The goal is to provide a deeper understanding of this rich image and its influence on the Gospel. In an attempt to do so, three areas of concentration are explored. First, the most common and accepted views of the background of the “Lamb of God” title in first century Judaism and Christianity are reviewed. -
Sermon: How As a Christian Should I Respond? (Jen Goode 03‐04‐2018)
Page 1 – Sermon: How as a Christian should I respond? (Jen Goode 03‐04‐2018) (Exodus 20:1‐17; Psalm 19; John 2:13‐22) Let us pray: Holy One, I pray that the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart will be acceptable in your sight, my rock and my redeemer. Amen. On January 13 of this year, I posted on my Facebook page a letter I had seen to a company called Scholastic. I’m not sure if you all know this company, but Scholastic encourages school‐aged children to purchase books through monthly flyers that are sent home in backpacks. This is the letter Jaime Brusehoff wrote: “Dear Scholastic: I’ve heard you’ve been targeted … for offering and celebrating books that are LGBTQ‐inclusive. I’m sorry they’re targeting you with their ignorance and miseducation. As the mom of a transgender child, I want to say thank you. What you are doing matters. Your books make a difference. Representation matters, and when my transgender daughter reads a book that features a transgender character, she feels seen, affirmed, and valued. She thrives knowing that her peers are reading books about kids like her too. When she meets a new friend who doesn’t quite understand what it means to be transgender, do you know what she does? She hands them a book. I regularly do trainings for educators and other professionals who work with youth, and when I come with my stack of children’s books that celebrate gender creative and transgender kids, they are so happy and relieved. -
Maimonides on the First Commandment: Belief In
Special for Shavuoth 5768 Is Belief in God a Miztvah? Maimonides on the First Commandment Rabbi Assaf Bednarsh The first of the Ten Commandments, which we will read with much fanfare on Shavuot morning, is “Anochi Hashem Elokecha” – I am the Lord your God. Or is it? The Torah never actually refers to ten commandments, but to “Aseret HaDibrot”, ten statements, that God uttered to the Jewish people at Sinai. While the importance of these ten statements has never been questioned, the question of whether they in fact constitute commandments is quite controversial, specifically with regard to the first of these statements. Rambam, in his Sefer HaMitzvot, counts belief in God as the very first mitzvah, and cites “Anochi Hashem Elokecha” as the Biblical source for the commandment of faith. Ramban, however, in his glosses to Sefer HaMitzvot, points out that the passuk is not phrased as a commandment – “Believe in the Lord your God”, but rather as a statement of fact – “I am the Lord your God.” Therefore, the earlier mitzvah compendium Halachot Gedolot did not count the first of the ten statements as one of the 613 commandments, viewing it rather as a statement of theological fact. Of course, Halachot Gedolot does not deny that a good Jew must believe in God, but he understands that this requirement is too basic to be counted as a mitzvah. Faith is the pillar which supports all the 613 mitzvot of the Torah, and thus is not considered one of them. Rav Soloveitchik once summarized this disagreement using halachic terminology –Rambam considers faith as a mitzvah, but Halachot Gedolot considers it a “hechsher mitzvah”, a necessary precondition of the mitzvot. -
(Mk 1:44): Jesus, Purity, and the Christian Study of Judaism Paula Fredriksen, Boston University
"Go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded" (Mk 1:44): Jesus, Purity, and the Christian Study of Judaism Paula Fredriksen, Boston University In the last century, and especially in the last few decades, historians of Christianity have increasingly understood Jesus of Nazareth as a participant in the Judaism of his day. Many scholars, however, even when emphasizing Jesus' Jewish ethics, or his Jewish scriptural sensibility, or even the apocalyptic convictions which he shared with so many of his contemporaries, nevertheless draw the line at the biblical laws of purity. These laws rarely appear realistically integrated into an historical reconstruction of Jesus. Allied as they are with the ancient system of sacrifices, they seem obscure to modern religious sensibility; and with the Roman destruction of the Temple in 70, they soon became irrelevant to the later, largely Gentile church. Perhaps, too, such purity codes -- a hallmark of virtually all ancient religions -- are too disturbingly archaic to fit comfortably with modern constructions of Jesus and his message. Very recently, a handful of prominent New Testament historians and theologians have even argued that Jesus taught and acted specifically against the purity codes of his native Judaism. The repudiation of the biblical rules of purity, "the taboos of Torah," stood, they say, at the very heart of Jesus' ministry. Marcus Borg, for example, has urged that Jesus fought the "politics of purity," motivated as he was by a vision of a more compassionate society. Similarly, John Dominic Crossan portrays Jesus as a radical social egalitarian for whom the purity codes of the Temple system were morally and socially anathema. -
Newsletter for Shavuot 5774
Shabbat Shalom from Cyberspace June 7, 2014 - 9 SIVAN 5774 SHABBAT SHALOM FROM CYBERSPACE SHABUOT and BEHA’ALOTECHA JUNE 4-7, 2014 6,7,9 SIVAN 5774 DEDICATIONS: To Grandma Chantelle and her partner Baby Chantelle SEPHARDIC CONGREGATION OF LONG BEACH We say Yehi Shem through the 13th of Sivan I hope you will join us for Shavuot Tuesday Night , June 3 - Candle Lighting – 8:05, Mincha Services – 7:45pm - Do not begin Kiddush at home if possible until 8:45 …. Tikun Lel Shavuot – 11:00pm Rav Aharon, Rabbi Yosef and Rabbi David will interject derashot and ideas into the reading Desserts, Fruits, tea and Coffee will be served throughout the night Wednesday, June 4 – 1st Day of Shavuot - Sunrise Minyan begins at 4:30 AM, Sunrise at 5:24.34 - Regular services begin at 9AM – As many of those who typically arrive early will be at the first minyan we need commitments from ten for the second Minyan. B’H – as usual Uri Lemberger will lead this minyan and read the Torah He needs help! Who will be there? We need ten guys to commit to the late minyan. No Meal in the Synagogue ….But something better - Phyllis invites everyone for Kiddush with home-made desserts after services. Return for Azharot and Mincha at 7:15 followed by Arbit Candle Lighting – After 9:05pm The most distinctive Shavuot custom is undoubtedly the recital of the Azharot and the Book of Ruth that takes place before the Minha service. The main poem is a precis of the 613 commandments written by R. -
Introduction of Rabbi Yosef Kapach to His Edition of Moses Maimonides
Introduction of Rabbi Yosef Kapach to his edition of Moses Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah (translated by Michael J. Bohnen) Rabbi Kapach was the foremost editor of the works of Maimonides. Born in Yemen in 1917, he used ancient manuscripts to restore the text of the Mishneh Torah. Several fascinating articles about Rabbi Kapach can be found at www.chayas.com/rabbi.htm The following is a summary and translation of his 20 page Introduction to his edition of the Mishneh Torah. Translator’s Summary My Work. When in my youth I studied the Mishneh Torah with my grandfather of blessed memory, most people used printed books, each with his own edition, but my grandfather and several of the others had manuscripts which were several hundred years old, each scroll of a different age. The errors and deficiencies of the printed texts were well known. The changes that Maimonides made over time in the Commentary on the Mishnah, after completing the Mishneh Torah, he then inserted in the Mishnah Torah. These are all found in our manuscripts, but some are not found in the printed texts. The Jews of Yemen are a conservative group. They would never have presumed to "correct" or "amend" a text that came into their hands, and certainly not the works of Maimonides. However, the Mishneh Torah was subjected to severe editing by the printers and various editors who made emendations of style, language, the structure of sentences and the division of halachot, to the extent that there is hardly any halacha that has not been emended. In this edition of ours, we are publishing, with God’s help, the words of Maimonides in full as we received them from his blessed hand. -
Loving the Convert Prior to a Completed Conversion: with a Test Case Application of Inviting Conversion Candidates to Pesach Seder and Yom Tov Meals
147 Loving the Convert Prior to a Completed Conversion: With a Test Case Application of Inviting Conversion Candidates to Pesach Seder and Yom Tov Meals By: MICHAEL J. BROYDE and BENJAMIN J. SAMUELS Introduction The Torah enjoins us numerous times concerning the mitzvah of Ahavat ha-Ger,1 which literally means the love of the stranger or sojourner, though is primarily understood in Jewish legal sources to refer more specifically to loving the convert to Judaism.2 Furthermore, the Torah commands us that “you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18), and also charges us to love God (Deuteronomy 6:4), creating multiple duties of love as halakhic obligations. This article will explore the question: When does the duty to love the convert commence and does it impact the con- version process? Does it apply only to a newly converted Jew, or to a Noahide who is in the process of converting, or even to a Gentile who has expressed an interest in converting? The process of conversion to Judaism can be divided into three fun- damental stages: In the first stage, the person makes a personal decision 1 See Leviticus 19:34; Deuteronomy 10:18-19. The Torah also prohibits oppress- ing the convert, “lo toneh” and “Lo tonu”—see Exodus 22:20; Leviticus 19:33; TB Bava Metzia 58b, 59b, and Ben Zion Katz, “Don’t Oppress the Ger,” Seforim Blog <https://seforimblog.com/2019/07/dont-oppress-the-ger/>. However, this article will not investigate the question of when the prohibition against oppressing a convert begins, which may or may not track in parallel with the mitzvah of Ahavat ha-Ger. -
A Modern Christian Perspective on Global Poverty in Light of Economic Globalization
A MODERN CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE ON GLOBAL POVERTY IN LIGHT OF ECONOMIC GLOBALIZATION an Honors Project submitted by Isaac B. Sharp 6825 Mountain Shadow Dr Knoxville, Tennessee 37918 (865) 256-9595 in partial fulfillment for the degree Bachelor of Arts in Religion with Honors April 28, 2010 Project Advisor: Dr. Ross Brummett © 2010 Isaac B. Sharp Approval Sheet A MODERN CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE ON GLOBAL POVERTY IN LIGHT OF ECONOMIC GLOBALIZATION _________________________ _________________________ Faculty Director Chair, Department of Religion _________________________ Director, Honors Program ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This project could not have been completed without the diligent work and support of several people. By no means can I take all of the credit for the completion of this project, and I would be remiss if I did not thank those who have guided me along the way for their efforts. I first must thank Dr. Christine Jones and Dr. Don Garner for their invaluable editing of and suggestions for the drafts of each of the chapters. As members of the hearing committee, it was far above and beyond their duties to be as involved as they were. The final project is infinitely better than it would have been if they had not assisted along the way. I also want to thank Ken Massey for his service on my hearing committee. Most importantly, I want to thank Dr. Ross Brummett. His tireless efforts in every step of this process have been without parallel, and he truly has embodied what it means to be an Honors Project advisor. If not for Dr. Brummett, there is truly no way that this project would have been completed. -
Gossip, Slander, and Talebearing Parashat Va-Yeishev, Genesis 37:1-40:23 | by Mark Greenspan
Worse than Sticks and Stones: Gossip, Slander, and Talebearing Parashat Va-yeishev, Genesis 37:1-40:23 | By Mark Greenspan “Gossip, Slander, and Talebearing” by Benjamin Kramer (pp. 582) in The Observant Life Introduction According to Rabbi Kramer, the ability to express ourselves in words is central not only to our humanity but to the divine image in which we are created. Just as God created the world through language, we have the power to create or destroy worlds and lives by the way we use words. As soon as we begin to speak, we reveal to the world our true character. It is for that reason that the sages placed so much emphasis on the ethics of language. Yet where does one draw a line between good and bad words? Few people would argue with the suggestion that slander and defamation of character are wrong; yet it‟s hard to resist the temptation to engage in a tasty bit of gossip. Simple straight-forward words can sometimes be destructive in ways we never anticipated. We also live in a time when the destructive or constructive power of words is amplified by digital and social media. What type of ethic should we have for the means and goals of communication at the beginning of the twenty-first century? The ethics of language plays an important role in Jewish life. The Talmud devotes a good amount of space to this topic and Maimonides codified the laws of lashon ha-ra in the Mishneh Torah. And yet there can be no simple or obvious rules for „good talk‟ and „bad talk.‟ While we can easily identify „bad talk‟ it is not easy to know what type of conversation is appropriate and inappropriate. -
The Sin Offering No
Sermon #739 Metropolitan tabernacle Pulpit 1 THE SIN OFFERING NO. 739 A SERMON DELIVERED ON LORD’S-DAY MORNING, MARCH 10, 1867, BY C. H. SPURGEON, AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON. “If the priest that is anointed do sin, according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he has sinned, a young bullock without blemish, unto the LORD for a sin offering.” Leviticus 4:3. IN the previous chapters of the book of Leviticus, you read of the burnt offering, the peace offering, and the meat offering—all types of our Lord Jesus Christ, as seen from different points of view. Those three sacrifices were sweet savor offerings, and represent the Lord Jesus in His glorious person and perfect righteousness as an offering of a sweet smell unto God. The chapter before us, the whole of which we shall require as a text, describes the sin offering, which although quite distinct from the sweet savor offerings, is not altogether to be separated from them, for the Lord Jesus Christ viewed in any light is very dear unto His Father, and even when beheld as a sin offering is elect and precious unto God, as we shall have to show you in the type before us. Still, the sin offering does not set forth the acceptance of the substitute before the Lord, but rather brings out the abhorrence which God has towards sin, the putting away from His holy presence of everything upon which sin is laid. This morning, if God shall enable us, we hope to impress upon your minds, first of all, the great evil of sin and secondly, the great and wonderful power of the blood of atonement by which sin is put away. -
Why Was Maimonides Controversial?
12 Nov 2014, 19 Cheshvan 5775 B”H Congregation Adat Reyim Dr Maurice M. Mizrahi Adult Education Why was Maimonides controversial? Introduction Always glad to talk about Maimonides: He was Sephardic (of Spanish origin), and so am I He lived and worked in Egypt, and that's where I was born and grew up His Hebrew name was Moshe (Moses), and so is mine He was a rationalist, and so am I He was a scientist of sorts, and so am I He had very strong opinions, and so do I And, oh yes: He was Jewish, and so am I. -Unfortunately, he probably wasn’t my ancestor. -Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, aka Maimonides, aka The Rambam: b. 1135 (Córdoba, Muslim Spain) – d. 1204 (Fostat, Egypt): Torah scholar, philosopher, physician: Maimonides was the most illustrious figure in Judaism in the post-talmudic era, and one of the greatest of all time… His influence on the future development of Judaism is incalculable. No spiritual leader of the Jewish people in the post- talmudic period has exercised such an influence both in his own and subsequent generations. [Encyclopedia Judaica] -Best-known for Mishneh Torah and Guide for the Perplexed: -Mishneh Torah (Sefer Yad ha-Chazaka) codifies Jewish law. Gathers all laws from Talmud and adds rulings of later Sages. Clear, concise, and logical. No personal opinions. -The Guide for the Perplexed (Dalalat al-Ha'erin; Moreh Nevukhim) is a non-legal philosophical work, for general public, that bridges Jewish and Greek thought. -Controversial in his lifetime and for many centuries afterwards. Controversies concerning Maimonides 1-No need to study Talmud -He appears to downplay study of Talmud. -
אוסף מרמורשטיין the Marmorstein Collection
אוסף מרמורשטיין The Marmorstein Collection Brad Sabin Hill THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER Manchester 2017 1 The Marmorstein Collection CONTENTS Acknowledgements Note on Bibliographic Citations I. Preface: Hebraica and Judaica in the Rylands -Hebrew and Samaritan Manuscripts: Crawford, Gaster -Printed Books: Spencer Incunabula; Abramsky Haskalah Collection; Teltscher Collection; Miscellaneous Collections; Marmorstein Collection II. Dr Arthur Marmorstein and His Library -Life and Writings of a Scholar and Bibliographer -A Rabbinic Literary Family: Antecedents and Relations -Marmorstein’s Library III. Hebraica -Literary Periods and Subjects -History of Hebrew Printing -Hebrew Printed Books in the Marmorstein Collection --16th century --17th century --18th century --19th century --20th century -Art of the Hebrew Book -Jewish Languages (Aramaic, Judeo-Arabic, Yiddish, Others) IV. Non-Hebraica -Greek and Latin -German -Anglo-Judaica -Hungarian -French and Italian -Other Languages 2 V. Genres and Subjects Hebraica and Judaica -Bible, Commentaries, Homiletics -Mishnah, Talmud, Midrash, Rabbinic Literature -Responsa -Law Codes and Custumals -Philosophy and Ethics -Kabbalah and Mysticism -Liturgy and Liturgical Poetry -Sephardic, Oriental, Non-Ashkenazic Literature -Sects, Branches, Movements -Sex, Marital Laws, Women -History and Geography -Belles-Lettres -Sciences, Mathematics, Medicine -Philology and Lexicography -Christian Hebraism -Jewish-Christian and Jewish-Muslim Relations -Jewish and non-Jewish Intercultural Influences