Yesterday I had an encounter with a young Portuguese soul on Twitter. She has left the religion of her youth which sounds like she never had much of an attachment to, and is in the process of converting to Orthodox Judaism. You can go to my Twitter page to see our encounter.
Dear Ana;
I hope that you’re doing well. Our conversation was a bit heated so I’d like to cool things off a little. We talked a lot about the Inquisition and other points of history but those events are secondary compared to the truth. Reading your Twitter and your blog, it seems that you are really seeking God and believe that Orthodox Judaism is the way to Him. I appreciate your zeal but I don’t think you’re following God’s call in the proper fashion.
Let me start off by sharing a verse from the Torah.
Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.
– Exodus 23:19
What does this mere verse have to do with the truth claims of Judaism or Christianity? Well, based off of this verse, the Rabbis say that you cannot eat meat and dairy together. We both know that this verse doesn’t justify that in the slightest. But oh well, maybe you’ll be unjustly deprived of a few cheeseburgers. It probably isn’t a big deal. I should probably lay off the cheeseburgers myself.
However, it’s the same Rabbis who say this that have changed every single holiday in the Torah. You’re familiar with Leviticus 16 aren’t you? It’s Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement; not a small holiday. Can you point me to any synagogue in the world that has a ceremony like that of Leviticus 16? You and I both know that there are none.
What about the other big holiday of Passover? Do you slaughter a passover lamb? There was actually a group of Jews who continued to do it after the Second Temple was destroyed but this movement eventually lost out. Why did it lose out? That’s what the Torah demands.
I encourage you to look at these holidays and others. They’ve all been changed by the Rabbis. When I read the Hebrew Bible, I see a Priesthood. I see a tabernacle then eventually a Temple. I see a Davidic monarchy whose line is well known and preserved. I see a theocratic tribal system and state. I see sacrifices brought by the priests.
There are also things that I don’t see. I don’t see an Oral Law. I don’t see a nation without Priests. I don’t see a mikvah. I don’t see a secular state of Israel which follows the unbiblical practice of democracy. I know that you don’t see these things in the Torah either.
Even if you could rebuild the Temple, who would be the Priests? Even if you somehow identify the line of Aaron, where is an ordination going to come from? There are no Priests to ordain future ones. Why wasn’t the Priesthood preserved even though the Temple was destroyed? The Priesthood didn’t cease in the Babylonian exile. Why in this one?
I truly believe that you’re searching hard for God. There is much information out there but I don’t believe that the Rabbis are the place to go. Their religion is not from the Old Testament as they claim. This isn’t the religion given to Moses at Sinai three millennia ago. It’s the religion developed by Jochanan ben Zakkai at Yavne a couple decades after the second Temple was destroyed.
I would invite you to look to the religion of your youth. The Messiah did come. His name is Jesus Christ and you always have an opportunity to return to Him.
May God guide the both of us in His love.
Sincerely,
Allan Ruhl
Could I see the tweet?