The monastery in Latrun (a place near the highway from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem) is surrounded by vineyards, trees, Kibbutzim, Moshavim and an Israeli military museum. Usually you don't here much about some monks running the monastery. Unfortunately, I have to say, many secular Israelis like to go there in order to by unkosher wine produced by the monks.
Last night, at least one person sprayed a few graffiti onto the walls of the monastery.
Yeshua Kof - J. is a monkey
The Israeli police has nothing better to do than accusing the apparently national religious TAG MECHIR (price tag). The members of Tag Mechir group are unknown but the police assume that fundamentalist settlers are involved. Lets say some followers of Baruch Marzel or, in other words, the "Hilltop Youth".
The question is whether the true Tag Mechir is really behind all the different graffitis being found all over the country. Mainly graffitis against Arabs. In the case of Latrun, the graffiti sprayer addressed the false Meshiach J. as YESHUA. Hardly any Jewish Israeli would refer to J. as Yeshua. In Israel J. is called Yeshu.
A religious Jew, however, would definitely not refer to J. as Yeshua but those who do name J. Yeshua are the so - called messianic
Why write "J." instead of Jesus? It's justa name right? I mean, from my point of view by consistently writing Jesus' name as J. one could argue (me) that you're holding some kind of special reverence or symbolism by having the name like that. Kind of like writing God as G-d.
ReplyDeleteSymbolism is there...
-Eric
B"H
ReplyDeleteAccording to Halacha, Jews are not allowed to do the following:
1. Spell or say the names of G - d in vain. I don't spell G - d and His further names in a proper way, as people may print out the article and later throw it away. There are very precise rules when we are allowed to say and spell different names of G - d.
2. Jews are not allowed to say out loud a name of an idol - worship false god. Here I do spell god in the right way because I am referring to idolatry.
Moreover, Jews are not even allowed to say out loud the holidays of idolaters such as xmas.
These are all Mishnayiot from the Talmud, among others, the Avodah Zarah (Idol - Worship) Tractate.
If that's the case, then one should never even say Baal, Mars, Jupiter, Isis, etc. Any name in relation to a god - with a little "g" - would be worshiping a false god then? How do you discuss planetary bodies and their names without invoking the name of some kind of "god". Just because the god may not be actively worshiped doesn't diminish your point, which is that it still referring to idol worship.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the cases where the a rabbinic ruling seems to be questionable/unrealistic. One could argue that "money" should never be said because people worship money (living for wealth/money).
How do I feel? If you say the name of a false god, it doesn't make it idol worship. The intent matters and the actions around it seem to hold more value. If you decide to write Jesus as "J." I will - or someone else - will argue that you are legitimizing that "J." is a god, although in your opinion a false god.
I avoid this by saying "Jesus", so when Christians say "Don't take God's name in vain." I usually say, "Not a god to me, so no name is taken in vain."
Interestingly enough, you said we can't stay the name's of other idolater holidays. If that's the case saying Ramadan, Chinese New Year, Tet, etc.
Even bringing up the "Mayan" calendar could be a problem, because they believe that their "god(s)" gave them their calendar. So to refer to their calendar would indirectly be blasphemy?
Mishna holds value, but the first statement of the Decalogue acknowledges there are other gods, and that OUR Great Maker DGAF about other "gods". Dagon in the Tanakh another good example of "gods" names being brought up. If they weren't supposed to be said, they never would have been mentioned.
- Eric :)
B"H
ReplyDelete1. It is not rabbinic law but a Mishna !!!
2. The planets themselves are no G - d's but just planets. In other words, we are allowed to say the names of the planets referring to the planets.
It is true that even the Torah admits that there are other Gods and there is a whole literature about it by Yehezkel Kaufman. However, there is only ONE TRUE G - d and the Torah is pointing that out very strongly. As a matter of fact, the warnings against idolatry are the most in Torah, as idolatry is an severe sin.
I don't understand your problem with this Halacha but I assume that you are not Jewish and thus want to justify your belief system.
Judaism considers the Mayan religion, Buddhists or Christians as idol - worshipping religions. Islam, on the other hand, is not seen as such, as Muslims believe in Monotheism.
no need to insult jesus,there's nothing wrong with jesus himself,we don't even know what he really said,that so called new testament was made up by romans for their idol worship
ReplyDelete