What is Halakhah?
Judaism is not just a set of beliefs about G-d, man and the universe. Judaism is a comprehensive way of life, filled with rules and practices that affect every aspect of life: what you do when you wake up in the morning, what you can and cannot eat, what you can and cannot wear, how to groom yourself, how to conduct business, who you can marry, how to observe the holidays and Shabbat, and perhaps most important, how to treat G-d, other people, and animals. This set of rules and practices is known as halakhah.
Intro
I chose as the first topic The Jewish Law because there is so much more than a purely spiritual story here, there is also a historical, political and legal one as well. I believe that The Law is one of the least understood aspects of Christian tradition and parallels powerfully many of the political debates that are at the core of American and global culture today.
This can very easily be classified as a multi tiered subject that leads directly to Jesus and the time in which he lived. With this comes subjects like colonialism, grace and it's relationship to freedom, the importance of moral accountability and whether we wish to be governed or self governed. In the end the most important question might be, can we be immoral and still be free or to put it another way, is it possible to be good without God!
In my understanding to that of Halakhah; These laws depending on what Rabbi you follow have variables;For it mixes Religious laws and ostensibly non-religious life, Is this what God wanted?
ReplyDeleteIn not singling out Jews, the same applies to that with Christian religious churches (groups). Some believe in the ways of the Old Testament; living their lives in not allowing make-up on the females, their primitive cover-up wearing in style of clothing, head-dress, no electricity, living on certain foods, etc..
So depending on what church a Christian follows determines on what he/she is allowed to do and/or not.
As in all things when in dealing with laws, they are always changing to fit the time, which I have no problem with, as long as they follow the main laws; The Ten Commandments...
If you follow the Ten, you should not be in any harms way in Gods eyes.
We find all these other laws to be at times confusing and one side towards whichever particular church you follow. Most if not all are their ways controlling their flock (followers). i.e. Catholics, Quakers, etc.
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You want to follow them, and you feel closer to God, then so be it, just as long as you follow the main Ten... Because as I said, you cant go wrong and/or stray from where you need to be with God, as Sin is the problem, following the Ten Commandments, will guide you in the right path with or without the other laws attached....
That's my believe.... Sergio D.
What is the Jewish Law and is it valid for Christians today?
ReplyDeleteMark (and everybody else),
I've divided this into two parts because my response was exceeding the character limits of the blog. Here's part one:
I don't think my opinion on these two questions is of any importance at all. Rather, I think we would do best to look at what the Bible says on the subject, and the Bible is quite clear, I believe, as to the answer to both questions.
1. What is the Jewish Law? The Law was given to mankind by God while the Israelites were wandering in the desert prior to entering the promised land. The Ten Commandments are the core of the Law, but they are certainly not all of the Law. The books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy report both the context in which the Law was given and the actual dictates of the Law. There is enough Law given to ensure that everyone will fail at something!
In fact, the Law is so vast, and it's requirements so great, that Jewish teachers over the centuries have spent great effort on trying to understand when, exactly, a law is satisfied or broken. There is for example, the requirement that the Sabbath be a day of rest and kept holy. This raises the question, what constitutes work on the day of rest? Teachers labored over that question and, at least one reference that I read, determined that walking more than a quarter mile while carrying more than the weight of a dried fig was work on the Sabbath!
What this example shows is the need on man's part to turn the Law into a set of specific requirements rather than an attitude of the heart. Jesus, making this point, declared that the religious leaders of His day "...are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition." Mark 7:9.
In a similar fashion, Jesus demonstrated that the Law was given to man as an act of love from God, not as merely a set of impossible requirements. In Mark 2:23-28, Jesus responds to the Pharisees who questioned why His disciples were plucking grain (while walking through grainfields) on the Sabbath. The Pharisees saw this action as disrespectful of the commandment to keep the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Jesus, however, noted that the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. In other words, what God meant as an opportunity and gift for mankind, the religious leaders had turned into an obligation and chore for mankind.
2. Is the Law valid for Christians today? Of course, the obvious and easy answer is "Yes." In Matthew 5:17-20 Jesus discusses the Law and declares "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill."
ReplyDeleteClearly, Jesus respected His Father's Law, even though he justified His disciples breaking it! (At least as far as the Jewish leaders were concerned.) In the passage that follows (Matthew 5:21-7:12), Jesus expands on His understanding of the Law and, in fact, ups the ante. Where Jewish leaders of His time sought to carefully abide by the letter of the Law, Jesus explains that it is the attitude of the heart that determines whether the Law is kept appropriately.
Paul wrestled with the question of how the Law relates to Christians in Romans and again in Ephesians and Galatians. In Romans 3:20, Paul declares the purpose of the Law, "...because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin." So, the Law serves its purpose when it exposes us to the knowledge of sin, and in that knowledge we realize that we are lost. When we become conscious of our sinful state and receive Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we confirm the Law's intent. (See Romans 3:31)
If, then, we have confirmed the Law when we repent and accept Jesus' gift of salvation, do we no longer need the Law? In Romans 8, Paul declares that, "...the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."
Hallelujah! We are free!
In Romans 9:30-33, Paul contrasts the salvation granted to the Gentiles, obtained through faith, with the failure of the Jews, who sought to obtain salvation through slavish devotion to a "law of righteousness" defined by works of the flesh.
Okay, this blog is driving me crazy! I had to break out another section, so there will be a third comment following.
Part Three:
ReplyDeleteBut still, the question remains, "What about the Law and Christians?" Paul answers this question in Galatians 5:13-15 where he declares that we Christians were called to freedom, but also counsels us to, "...not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." Further, he notes that, "...the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, you shall love your neighbor as yourself."
In Galatians 5:18, Paul notes that, "...if you are led of the Spirit, you are not under the Law."
With these observations, Paul gives us a roadmap for our lives. That is, we aren't to deny the Law, God gave it to man so that he might know his fallen state and come to Jesus. However, we are to walk in the Spirit, which is to say, that we are to be so in love with God that the Law becomes of no effect because we aren't desirous of breaking it. Augustine recognized this same principle and described it as grace--not just "unmerited favor" as we often hear grace defined today--but sovereign joy given to us by our Heavenly Father that is greater than the joy of sin. If we had to somehow conjure this joy on our own, we would be truly lost. However, in God's wonderful grace and mercy, we are empowered by His Spirit to receive and walk in this "sovereign joy" and so, put down the fleshly nature and its desires.
Oh, Hallelujah! To know this grace is to know that there is nothing, nothing that can keep us from our loving and merciful God. Why He would ever care for you or me, is beyond my reckoning, but He has, "...blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world..." Ephesians 1:3-4. Before the foundation of the world, God already had determined to love and save you and me! Praise His name forever!
May we walk in the grace and freedom he predestined for us, always recognizing that it was His actions, not our own, that called us out of darkness and made us free.
Tom Hall
Thank you for your wonderful commentary my friends. If you have more to say please feel free to do so. This blog is intended to compel us to consider what we believe and why we believe it, giving us an opportunity to hone our spiritual chops and challenge our faith to grow.
ReplyDeleteBut in your hearts set Christ apart as holy [and acknowledge Him] as Lord. Always be ready to give a logical defense to anyone who asks you to account for the hope that is in you, but do it courteously and respectfully- Source: I Peter 3:15
Mark
This my take on the question posed above:
ReplyDeleteWhat is the Law and is it relevant for Christians today?
The first five books of the Bible are known as the law because they contain the laws and
instructions given by God through Moses.
Moses used these laws to construct a nation and bring order to the people of Israel. It is
also said that these books lay the foundation for the coming of Christ in that here God
chooses and brings into being the nation of Israel. Israel became the custodians of the
Old Testament and the receivers of the convenants of promise.
Why do we need the law today?
Laws are necessary for the common good of people and still apply today. It is necessary
to make known what is right and wrong and what works best for a group of people in
order of have order and harmony, but we are not to think that the law makes us righteous and
in right standing with God. For salvation did not come from the law, but from the direct
relationship we have with God known through the example of Jesus and his teachings.
Conclusion:
The law is instruction to our lives but our relationship with God is what gives our life meaning and purpose.
Precise, thoughtful and to the point. There is a lot percolating beneath the surface of your few short paragraphs.
ReplyDeleteMark
Mark,
ReplyDeleteCindy touched on something important, but not necessarily Christian. That is, the fact that the Law is the basis for our common understanding of morality and the social order that is derived from that understanding. Western Civilization is civilized because of the general consensus that the Law provides concerning our treatment of one another. Yet another example of God's gracious intervention on our behalf. If you don't think so, consider the other civilizations in the world and the moral code under which they live. We are blessed, indeed!
Tom, I only answered the first part of the question because I had written a paper last week for the bible study that included this comment about morality and the subject of good. I was approaching the subject not only from a Christian view but also of a non-believer. Here is what I wrote:
ReplyDeleteThe question of morallity and can a non-believer be and/or do "good" things: How this came about:
1. Trial and Error - consequence of ones actions.
2. The greater good produces laws to govern.
3. God instills in each person the knowledge of morallity.
“And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7). God is within every man. Man has a choice to hear or not hear the voice of God.
So can man be good in the absence of God?
The answer is yes, but only by the the world's standards. But God's ways are not our ways.....
Luke 18:19 "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone.
So isn't the question really - What is considered "Good" in God's eyes?
If Jesus is not to be our example of "good" and our only understanding of God is through Jesus, I would say it is imposible to be "good" in God's eyes(as his ways are not our ways). We can be seen as good only through our realtionship with God and through the scarifice of Jesus laying down his life to bring us into a "right" realtionship with God.
As the primary author of The declaration of independence Thomas Jefferson wrote. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Jefferson was a deist not a Christian, so by what moral authority did he speak.
ReplyDeleteFrom what moral authority did Thomas Jefferson speak?
ReplyDeleteThomas Jefferson was said to be a deist. The definition of a Deist is: "One who believes in God but denies supernatural revelation." There is no question Jefferson rejected the Bible as divine revelation and rejected the divinity of Jesus. In the Declaration of Independence Jefferson's appeal was to the God of the Deist, "Nature's God," not specifically to the God of Christianity.
So true in some the remarks made here in concerning the laws, but lets not venture to much away from the actual Q. What is the Jewish Law and is it valid for Christians today?: Does anyone know how many there are? 613! Yes, there are 613 Commandments in the Torah; There are 248 positive Commandments and 365 negative Commandments given in the Torah..
ReplyDeleteSo not to sound as a non believer but, when was the last time we all followed them? or better yet, how many of us actually know two thirds of them?
It is hard enough just trying to keep up with the Ten..
This is why to me it seems more logical to follow the Ten and not worry about the others, for the Ten override all else..
Laws are laws, how good they really are? depends on who follows them, as they, the rest (638)are designed by man in order to complicate God's Ten, and benefit their well being in attaining some control. I'm not saying they are not important, but the Ten were in some ways, forerunner to that of all else. I don't think any "Burning Bush" appeared to the rest of the scribes who have written the other(s). So again to me the Ten are sufficient,in fact at times they can be overwhelming walking on this earth. Hey to put a comical spin on this; If the world would just follow just the Ten, I think Jesus would go on vacation.. Do I hear an Amen!
Highway 61 Revisited
ReplyDeleteOh God said to Abraham, “Kill me a son”
Abe says, “Man, you must be puttin’ me on”
God say, “No.” Abe say, “What?”
God say, “You can do what you want Abe, but
The next time you see me comin’ you better run”
Well Abe says, “Where do you want this killin’ done?”
God says, “Out on Highway 61” Bob Dylan
Leviticus 1: The LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting. He said, "Speak to the Israelites and say to them:
This begins according to scripture the process by which God directly dictates to Moses most of the 613 laws.
In the book of Leviticus Moses begins to layout the contract (including many of the Laws and Priestly rituals including circumcision) between Israel and God.
“At a lodging place on the way, the LORD met Moses and was about to kill him. But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son's foreskin and touched Moses' feet with it. "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me," she said. So the LORD let him alone. (At that time she said "bridegroom of blood," referring to circumcision.)”
If we can disregard the 613 laws (which includes circumcision) and obey only the 10 why was God restrained by Zipporah’s sacrifice?
If a law is only as good as the one who obeys it, then there can be no justice since the Law itself is subject to our own personal standard of righteousness. Not an objective standard of truth (God).
If you read my introduction you will see that I view this discussion as much more than a religious or spiritual issue, but a political and historical one as well. The question of what was the Law for the ancient Hebrews is at least in part no different than the discussion of law in any culture. The first question should be what is law and why do human beings feels a need for it. The answer may appear to be obvious since a need to direct and modify our worst instincts would seem to be logical. What keeps it from becoming tyranny and how do we balance the need for law with the desire to be free. Since the desire to be free must be at least as compelling as the need for the order that law imposes.
ReplyDeleteTo assume the bible doesn’t attempt to address these issues and simply offers a spiritual perspective is to misunderstand the real world circumstance of Moses and the Hebrew people. How is it different when Moses says: (thus says the lord) and Jefferson states: (all men were created with unalienable rights bestowed by the creator)? Both appear to speak for God, Jefferson as an expression of what he called natural law and for Moses, God inspired revelation.
Mark
Greetings brothers and sisters, peace be unto you....I always wanted to say that
ReplyDeleteThe importance of the law for Christians is not keeping (obeying) the tangible law written on stone, but rather interpreting (tuning) the intangible law written on the heart of man. To further elaborate for example do we as Christians tithe, go to church, read our bibles, etc. for the sake of being identified by religion or to be known in relation. Keeping (obeying) the law is not the same as interpreting (tuning) the law. Obeying the law is of physical preference to one's own desire, but being in tuned to the law is of spiritual inspiration by the will of God for his glory and not your own.
-Jonathan
This question is almost too deep for me to think about without diving too deeply down into all sorts of philosophies and histories.
ReplyDeleteThe only things I can add to what is already written above is that as I understand it, Jesus fulfilled the Law and because He was greater than the Law, whatever he commands or instructs or says supercedes the Law.
That being said, I believe that whatever Jesus says, whether it countermands the Law or reinforces the Law, becomes the new Law that I should obey. If you believe that every word of the Bible was inspired by the Word of God, then the New Testament offers a the latest version of the laws God wants us to obey as written through the Apostles, which doesn't mean the laws of the Old Testament are irrelevant or null and void. If the New Testament says you should follow certain items of the old Law, then you should do that, it it says you don't necessarily have to follow certain items in the old Law, then you don't.
God, as the Supreme and Divine Ruler and Creator of All things, is absolute. He is omnipotent, omnipresent, infallible, and timeless. So whatever He tells me is what I should do. Where human beings get into trouble and controversy is where they have different interpretations of what God says or what His laws mean, just as much as completely disregarding such laws. My philosophy I try to follow is if in doubt, see what the Bible says about it. If still in doubt see what the most godly and righteous men you know about say about it, because God can still speak to us through such human instruments.
That's the way I see it, anyway.
First let me say its good to have a new voice added to the mix, welcome and please if you know anyone else who might be interested in joining the discussion feel free to invite them. I thought your response to the question was compelling and well thought out. I’m inclined to believe you will get few arguments from most Christians.
ReplyDeleteHowever, let me try….from the Hebrew perspective the Law was given by God to Moses and carved in stone as a symbol of it’s permanence, indicating his law like his word would never pass away. It was a moral code that revealed Gods true nature and his expectations of what a righteous life both for the individual and the nation of Israel would look like.
Jesus who was born about 1200 years after Moses began violating parts of the Law at the earliest stages of his ministry by associating with whores and tax collectors who were considered unclean according to the Law. In the case of the tax collector who was a Jew and collecting taxes for Rome he was rightly determined to be a traitor to Israel.
When Moses said “thus says the Lord” did he really speak for God, if he did then Jesus claims as Messiah would have to be judged in light of the Word.
This is really the tip of the iceberg when considering Jesus actions in light of the Jewish understanding of the Law. He healed on the Sabbath, a day when even God according to Genesis rested. Jesus compassion for the blind man whom he healed was challenged by the Jewish authorities, after all a man born blind having lived his whole life that way could have waited one more day. By violating the Sabbath he threatened to undermine the basis of his peoples identity and their contract with God made by Abraham 1800 years before Jesus.
This question is no less relevant for today regarding our own Constitution and the desire for some to call it a living document subject to a modern or liberal understanding. If the Constitution in part can be disregarded because it’s deemed to inflexible then what is the foundation of any law.
This was the problem Jesus represented to his people, a people living in a land occupied by an enemy (Rome) who’s culture and army threatened the survival of Israel. A problem that would become a reality forty years after his death when Rome would destroy the Temple of Solomon, the center of all Jewish worship and then drive the Jews from Palestine for the next 2,000 years.
Mark Magula
Galatians 2:21 / "I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, the Christ died for nothing"....
ReplyDelete