What Would You Say?

April 10, 2007 by 1 Comment

What would you say if this 10 year-old boy told you “[bad] things happen to you because you don’t wear a kipa (a.k.a. yarmulke or skullcap) and eat kosher food”? That’s what happened to me.

I had occasion to be at his school and he befriended me while I was waiting for his principal. His school is a private, religious, elementary school with an enrollment of about 80.

To say that I was the odd man out would be a dramatic understatement. Although I made a special effort to dress in long pants and a hat before going there, I was clearly the outsider, with no chance of ever fitting in. However, he was friendly and conversational. The other kids mostly stared at me, much like I do a strange fish featured on the National Geographic Channel.

He told me that his class had just finished studying the book of Joshua, so I asked him to give me the short story version of Joshua. He started regaling me with a Midrashic story of Joshua beating up three thieves. He enjoyed doing karate chops and shadow punches as he mimicked Joshua’s clear and overwhelming victory over the bad guys. I enjoyed seeing his excitement, though I was disappointed that he didn’t include anything about Joshua from the Bible in his summary.

During our conversation, it was clear that, in spite of his willingness to engage me in conversation, he, like the rest of his classmates, viewed me as an outsider, too. I didn’t look like him, therefore, it was obvious that I didn’t eat like him either. His comments revealed that the two criteria he used to determine my standing before HaShem (God) were my dress (especially the type of head covering) and my food.

He was surprised to find out that we actually buy kosher food. (It’s not so hard in Israel. In fact, it is more difficult to buy non-kosher food here.) However, it only took him one more question to reveal that we don’t “really” buy kosher food: we don’t buy food authorized as kosher by his particular group. “If it isn’t [a particular kosher stamp], it is not really kosher. They just trick people like you with all the other kosher stamps,” he said with complete assurance.

Though the hat I had chosen to wear allows me entrance to the Western Wall in Jerusalem, it wasn’t an approved head cover in his world. After all, it wasn’t a black kipa like he wears. However, there is still hope for me: If I stop eating non-kosher food and wear a black kipa, bad things will stop happening to me.

While I wouldn’t expect a ten year-old to see the irony of this conversation, I didn’t miss it. When I asked him how many brothers and sisters he has, he said, “I have three sisters, but I only say two because the youngest [an infant] is about to go to heaven.” (I found out later that his youngest sister has a serious heart problem and he has 4 brothers.) The problems I was there to speak with the principal about weren’t even on the “problem scale” compared to the death of an infant.

It never occurred to him that the proper head cover and kosher stamp hadn’t prevented bad things from happening to his family. The only thing he could clearly see is that I was an outsider invading his world, which must be the reason for my problems.

Questions:
1. How would you respond to his conclusions? Would you challenge him or simply not accede to his position?
2. How would you offer him encouragement and hope regarding his sister’s health condition?
3. How would you share the gospel with him?

Filed Under: Evangelism, Judaica, Life in Israel, Ministry

Friday Foto: Is That A Blackberry?

December 29, 2006 by Leave a Comment

This photo reminds me of the frequently told story of the conversation between Menachem Begin and Jimmy Carter. As the story goes, Begin told Carter that God is easier to reach from Jerusalem: “We have a direct line from Jerusalem.”

I wonder who this man stood conversing with during his prayers at the Western Wall.

Filed Under: Judaica, Life in Israel, Photography

Scary Quote

December 6, 2006 by Leave a Comment

“Every religious Jew knows that when you keep the Shabbat, the Shabbat in turn keeps and protects you.”

Background: Due to a recent public sector labor strike, workers at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport refused to process passengers and aircraft coming or going. This work stoppage caused a tremendous backup that stranded passengers from all airlines.

Once the strike ended, all the airlines, including El Al, Israel’s recently privatized, national carrier, worked overtime on Shabbat (Sabbath) to get their stranded passengers to their destinations. El Al’s “desecration” of the Sabbath has stirred quite a controversy in Israel, particularly but not exclusively among religious Jews.

On Monday, following the perceived Sabbath desecration, a New York bound El Al aircraft had to return to Ben Gurion Airport due to a landing gear malfunction and some (perhaps, many) among the religiously observant community saw it as a sign that God was displeased with El Al.

Minor Question: Is this any different than Pat Robertson suggesting that Ariel Sharon’s massive stroke demonstrated God’s displeasure with his handling of Gaza and the West Bank?

Real Issue: Is it appropriate to suggest that the Sabbath has such powers? Did God intend for the Sabbath to watch over the nation of Israel? Can it really watch over Israel? It is commonly said that if all Jews would observe the Sabbath two consecutive times, Messiah will present himself. While this is clearly an unbiblical assertion, it is dramatically different than suggesting that the Sabbath has protective power.

Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the hills –
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the maker of Heaven and Earth.

He will not let your foot slip –
He who watches over you will not slumber;
Indeed, He who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD watches over you –
The LORD is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all harm –
He will watch over your life;
the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

If I’ve got a choice between trusting the Sabbath and trusting the LORD, I’m going with the LORD every time.

Filed Under: Judaica, Old Testament, Psalms, Social Commentary

Mine is Bigger Than Yours

November 10, 2006 by Leave a Comment

In an effort to be faithful to Deuteronomy 6:9 (“And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates.”*), Jews typically attach a “small” box, containing Bible texts from Deuteronomy**, to most door frames in their homes. (NOTE: Technically, the parchment paper with the Bible texts is the mezuzah, but it has become common practice to refer to the box containing the paper as the mezuzah as well.)

In Israel, it is unusual to find a home or building without a mezuzah, so it is quite easy to recognize that there is “freedom of expression” allowed in the design of a mezuzah; and that freedom extends to the color, size, symbols and type of material used. For example, some are fun like the 4.5 inch (11.43cm) ceramic Noah’s Ark mezuzah (at the right), which is available from The Mezuzah Store. Additionally, The Judaica Mall has a collection of over 250 to choose from. If you are interested in more details about the ins and outs of the mezuzah you can see their information page here.

I’ve heard it said, “There’s always room for a little healthy competition.” However, I never expected to find such competition in the world of the mezuzah. After all, isn’t it enough to “do the commandments” without rubbing your friends’ noses in it that you can do them bigger and better than they can? Well,…apparently not.

I recently came across the following advertisement (bold added for emphasis):

Adorn your mansion with a Mezzuzah Fit for a King.

We know that BIG is BEAUTIFUL.
A BIG lulav. A BIG succah. A BIG shul.

The standard size mezuzah is 12-15 cm. Twenty cm would be a big
mezuzah. Now you can get a HUGE Mezzuzah. Forty centimeters tall,hand-written on hand-crafted parchment.

Honor Hashem [G-d] in a scale that none of your friends or neighbors have yet achieved. Show your love for the Mitzvot by proudly displaying a mezuzah that can’t be missed.

Maybe, I’m missing something, but this advertiser seems to suggest that a major reason to purchase their particular mezuzah is to show off. Is that the purpose of the mezuzah?

“It hath been told thee, O man, what is good, and what HaShem doth require of thee: only to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy G-d.”***

Footnotes:
*The Holy Scriptures, Jewish Publication Society, © 1917, 1945, 1955.
**The passages contained in the mezzuzah are Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and Deuteronomy 11:13-21.
***Micah 6:8, JPS Electronic Edition ©1998 by Larry Nelson, emphasis added

Filed Under: Judaica, Social Commentary

I Wonder Why

April 22, 2006 by 6 Comments

UPDATE: Reader Doug Tygar has pointed out that the JPS translation that I provide below in my essay is from the 1917 edition [republished in 1955], and is different from the updated JPS (1985/1999), which reads, “For a child has been born to us, A son has been given us. And authority has settled on his shoulders. He has been named “The Mighty God is planning grace; The Eternal Father, a peaceable ruler.”

UPDATE #2: The Jerusalem Bible (Koren Publishers Jerusalem LTD., Jerusalem, Israel ©1992) [Hebrew/English version p. 487] maintains a transliteration policy similar to the JPS (©1917, 1945, 1955) at this particular passage.

UPDATE #3: In this essay, all references to the JPS Tanakh are specifically limited to the JPS Tanakh (©1917, 1945, 1955). I have not seen the JPS Tanakh (1985/1999) and, therefore, cannot comment on its contents.

“For a child is born unto us, A son is given unto us; And the government is upon his shoulder; And his name is called Pele-joez-el-gibbor-Abi-ad-sar-shalom;” (Isaiah 9:5, Jewish Publication Society)*

I recently pointed out in the comments section of a friend’s blog that the Jewish Publication Society (JPS) failed to translate a portion of Isaiah 9:6 (verse 5 in the JPS and the Hebrew)* in their English version of The Holy Scriptures (Old Testament). Rather, they chose to transliterate it. Having offered a rather minimal comment about this topic there, I thought it might be worth a slightly more detailed offering here at Pardon the Interruption.

This particular editorial decision is strange enough that it warrants the question of why it was made. Why did the editors decide to transliterate this particular verse, rather than translate it?

The words in the verse above that look strange to most of my readers are easily translated into English. For example, “Pele” is commonly translated as wonderful, while “joez” is most commonly translated as counselor. In fact, every other time “Pele” or “joez” occur in the Old Testament, the JPS chose translation over transliteration and translated the words as “wonderful” or “marvelous” (for example, Is. 25:1 and 29:14) and “counselor.” Why not translate the same words in Isaiah 9:6 (vs. 5 in JPS and in Hebrew)* rather than leave them in an undiscernible format for most English speakers? The objective, I thought, of an English translation is to put the Hebrew into understandable English. In this case, the JPS failed their readers, unless they felt obligated to confuse their readers.

What I think is even more striking is the fact that in chapter 9 the JPS chose not to translate “el-gibbor” (usually translated as “mighty God”), but did translate it in chapter 10. If you read Isaiah 10:21 in the JPS edition, you will read the following: “A remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto God the Mighty (emphasis added).” The exact same Hebrew words: transliterated in chapter 9; translated in chapter 10. Why?

Given the fact that the Hebrew of Isaiah 9:6 (vs. 5 JPS and in Hebrew)* is easily translated into English and the JPS chose to translate the same words booth in Isaiah and the rest of the Bible, I can only conclude that something deceptive is in the works? Some have asked me why I believe in such a conspiracy theory. “Surely, you don’t think the JPS would handle the Bible in a dishonest way,” they enquire. Well, actually, given the evidence cited here, I do think something dishonest is going on. And the reason is that Isaiah 9:6-7 is one of the most well-known Old Testament passages commonly suggested to reference Jesus:

And unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His Kingdom
To order it and establish it with judgment
and justice
From that time forward, even forever,
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

If there is no intentional effort by the JPS to hide this wonderful messianic passage from their Jewish readers, the irony is dramatic. I’m open to be persuaded otherwise, but until a convincing argument for the editorial decision to transliterate Isaiah 9:6 (vs. 5 in JPS and in Hebrew)* is presented, I will contend that the JPS has been dishonest with their offering.

* In most English translations of the Old Testament, Isaiah 9:6 corresponds to Isaiah 9:5 in the Hebrew chapter/verse designation. However, the JPS edition of The Holy Scriptures (Old Testament) follows the Hebrew chapter/verse designation. Therefore, what is rendered as Isaiah 9:5 in the JPS is generally 9:6 in most other English versions of the Old Testament.

Filed Under: Isaiah, Judaica, Old Testament
« Previous Page
Next Page »