To any Rabbis
My name is Costas and I would like to ask some questions. Please be very blunt with me.
1)What is Ancient Judaism and what did they believe?
2)What is Rabbinic Judaism?
3)Why do Jews reject Jesus as the messiah and what is there reasons?
4)Is it true that Jews also reject Muhammad as a prophet, if true what are the reasons?
5)Has the Torah being changed or preserved?
6)What are the messianic prophecies?
7)Who is the first prophet in Judaism and the last prophet in Judaism?
8)What prophets do Jews do not consider prophets in the Torah?
9)How many male prophets and female prophet are there in the Torah?
10)Do Jews believe in heaven, hell and Satan?
11)What is Kosher?
12) What are the names of Heaven and hell in Judaism?
Please do reply
Yours Sincerely
Costas Sfikas
Answer:
This question touches many of the fundamentals of Judaism, and it is hard to address them in this forum.
I will answer only briefly, and recommend that you turn to books for further reading.
1. Ancient Judaism is generally thought of as a religion, but it is more a nation than a religion: The ancient Hebrews are the people who were redeemed by G-d from Egypt, to become the “ambassadors” of G-d in this world and to make His Name known to all nations. The Hebrews brought monotheism to the world, and later religions that espoused monotheism draw from the roots that the ancient Hebrews brought to the world. The plot of land given by G-d to the Hebrews, upon which their kingdom (which is essentially the kingdom of G-d) was established, is the area between the Mediterranean Sea and the River Jordan (Israel).
2. Rabbinic Judaism is the system of living that observes the law of the Torah — which is the set of laws given to the ancient Hebrews — according to its Rabbinic interpretation. The “Rabbis” refers to the Jewish Sages living slightly before the beginning of the Gregorian calendar count, and for a number of centuries after.
3. The Jews had certain criteria for identifying the Messiah, and Jesus did not fit the bill, which is why he was rejected by the Jews as the Messiah. The Messiah is set to bring all people to the service of G-d, to usher in a new era of peace, and to rebuild the Temple. Rather than the abolition of the Law, which is what Jesus’ disciples undertook, the King Messiah in the rabbinic tradition will bring people to uphold the Law.
4. Yes, the Jews never accepted Muhammad as a prophet, and they don’t write much about the justifications for this. A prophet must prove himself, and Muhammad was not seen as having done so.
5. According to the tradition the Torah has been preserved and cannot be transmuted. Evidence suggests that the essential text of the Torah has indeed not been changed, at least over the past thousand or so years.
6. These are detailed in the books of the Prophets, and particularly in Daniel, Zechariah, Isaiah, and others. The picture that Scripture paints of the Messianic times gives us some basic themes: A return of Jews to their ancestral homeland, a war among nations that will come upon Jerusalem, and some other points — but remains hazy. For details on this matter see a chapter in the forthcoming book, “Prophecies and Providence” by Yehoshua Pfeffer.
7. The first and greatest prophet was Moses (the Patriarchs can also be seen as prophets, but they did not transmit their prophecy to a people). There is no tradition about the “last prophet,” though the last prophecies committed to Scripture are those of Chagai, Zechariah, and Malachi.
8. Not sure who this might refer to.
9. The generally accepted number is 48 prophets and 7 prophetesses.
10. Yes. Although not generally mentioned in Scripture (at least heaven and hell), Orthodox Judaism believes in all of these concepts.
11. Kosher food is food that is prepared in accordance with Jewish dietary laws.
12. Heaven – She’ol or Gan Eden (the Garden of Eden); Hell – Gehenom.
Wishing you all the best.
