ed note–we’ll forego the usual extended commentary in lieu of what has been a mainstay on this humble little informational endeavor now for many years–
There is nothing ‘simpatico’ between the followers of Moses and the followers of Jesus. The two have been at war with each other from the very beginning, the former engaged in a 2000 years-long seek-and-destroy mission against the latter despite what APPEARED to be periods of calm. Everything the world is witnessing at the moment where the Jewish state plays a dominating force in geo-politics is a manifestation of this seek-and-destroy mission, despite the fact that the followers of Jesus for the most part fail to recognize this fact.
Tzvi Fishman for Israel National News
In most places in Israel you do not notice Easter, although there are usually many Christian tourists and a procession to the Mount of Olives. Just like with Christmas, if you don’t visit the Old City, Bethlehem, or neighborhoods in Haifa with non-Jewish Russian immigrants, the holiday doesn’t exist. Nevertheless, it is a fitting time to review how Jewish Law views Christianity and its holidays and customs.
First we will mention a few general concepts, then cite some specific laws, and then take a look at what Rabbi Kook, Israel’s first chief rabbi, has to say on the subject.
As far as truth is concerned, is the ‘New Testament’ or the ‘Gospels’ as fictitious as Greek and Roman mythology, or is it tales woven around actual historical events?
Did Jesus exist? The Talmud mentions a talented student of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Prachiya of that name who was expelled from his yeshiva for remarking on the appearance of a woman (Sanhedrin 107B). Many Talmudic commentators maintain that this refers to the person who was later dubbed Jesus in Christian texts.
If Jesus did exist, did the Jews really kill him as Christian children have been taught since time immemorial?
The best answer is that the Jews never used crucifixion as a means of carrying out a death penalty. Whether Jesus existed or not, because of the great falsehood surrounding the origins of Christianity, and because of its classification as idol worship, Jewish Law decrees that if a copy of the New Testament comes into the hands of a Jew it must be destroyed – even if it is attached to the Five Books of Moses.
Let’s explore why:
The Torah states that we are not to go astray after our hearts and our eyes (Numbers, 15:39). Our Sages teach that this includes the prohibition of reading books rooted in idol worship. Our Sages warn that the acquaintance with idol worship can lead to its practice and further lead to the prohibition ‘not to make molten gods’.
The Rambam writes: ‘The worshipers of false gods have composed many texts concerning their service, describing what is the essence of their service, what practices are involved, and what are its statutes. The Holy One, blessed be He, has commanded us not to read those books at all, nor to think about them or any matters involved with them.
Regarding Christianity he writes–
Know that this Christian nation, who are making the claim of a messiah, with all their many different sects, are all idol worshippers and all their holidays are forbidden, and we deal with them regarding religious issues as we would pagans.
In addition, he states–
Can there be a greater stumbling block (for Jews) than Christianity? All the prophets spoke of Moshiach as the redeemer of Israel and their savior who would gather those dispersed and strengthen their observance of the Torah’s commandments. In contrast, the Christian messiah caused the Jews to be slain by the sword, their remnants to be scattered and humbled, the Torah to be altered, and the majority of the world to err and serve a god other than the Lord of Israel’ (Laws of Kings and Their Wars, 11:4)
In his writings, Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook, Israel’s first Chief Rabbi and founder of Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva, generally terms Christianity as ‘Minut.’ He views its teachings and its influence on mankind in a very negative light. For instance, in his book ‘Orot’ he describes how the doctrines of Christianity led to the terrible slaughter and destruction of World War One.
The moral repression found in the profane Christian culture which exerted vast dominion over the nations, brought oppression to their hearts, and caused evil traits, diseases, and anger to multiply and be pent up in the depths of their souls. And now these are erupting their fetters through the horrendously bloody and awesomely cruel battles which are more in keeping with their still unrefined natures…
Rabbi Kook sought to explain how an enlightened, industrialized, and cultured Europe could unleash such destructive barbaric forces that brought the world to a cataclysmic and death-filled war. Some 20,000,000 people were killed and another 21,000,000 wounded. What went wrong?
Rabbi Kook explains that the ‘profane culture’ which grew to dominate Western civilization is the outgrowth of Christianity whose doctrines of repression burst through Christianity’s outer guise of gentility and brotherhood into a monstrous storm of violence and hatred. Rabbi Kook postulates that in denying the Torah and its commandments, Christianity separated mankind from Hashem. Unlike the constant self-correction and moral improvement demanded by the Torah, through the diligent work of perfecting character traits, like in the present period of Sefirat HaOmer, Christianity’s false show of morals proved impotent in uplifting man’s baser traits.
Only the Torah, Rabbi Kook explains, has the unique power to refine man’s nature. All other disciplines, whether religious, secular, philosophical, or scientific, can add to man’s quantitative knowledge, but they cannot effect any lasting inner change. According to Rabbi Kook’s Torah worldview, Christianity left man simmering in secular and pseudo-religious darkness in a cauldron of unrefined passions and lusts which finally exploded in the devastating world war.