Thank you all for your warm welcoming messages
Carol Lowery said:
Welcome oy-vey in the name of Jesus to CF Ministries. I hope in Christ you enjoy your stay here, and I am also interested in the Torah, and wonder if the views on homosexuality are the same as in the Bible. [truthfully not being a smarty pants] Like you, a good opportunity to learn. Does the Torah have the 10 commandments, plus the two highest commandments....love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul and mind, and to love each other as HE has loved us. Does the Torah, and the Bible share any simular scriptures? Does it talk about the last days, like Revelation does in the Bible? Gosh I got so many questions, and I think it's great your here with us at CF.
Have you ever been to the Wailing Wall? OK, enough with the questions....sorry! I am excited that someone is here to answer my questions about the Torah. I've really want to know of the differences, and traditions. Like I've always wondered why the Jewish men have the curls on both sides of their head, and what it represents in their faith. OK some of you may think my questions are....well... stupid, but the only stupid question to me is the one not asked. Like what is the little box [what's it called?] on their foreheads represence as they pray. Why do they rock at the wailing wall as they pray, is it symbolic? Denominations are so confusing to me, I've just always looked at myself as a Child of God.
So oy-vey I hope in Christ your 19 year old self can teach this old 56 year old women something she's been wondering about. I do have my husband and my name in the wailing wall put there by a friend of mine friend who lives there. She sent me a piece of gravel from the wailing wall, and an olive leaf from there that I cherish...she also sent me a mini microTorah, but it's so small I can't read it, but never the less I appreciate her kind heart to send it to me. I have a little bottle of water from the River Jordan where Christ was baptized. And what's weird is that trhough the years of me having it is that there's a bright red setiment settling on the bottom that gets deeper each year. I have a stone from the wilderness, and a stone from Gethsemane where Christ prayed.
So I hope in Christ we can learn from each other.....
Hey Carol,
Well, basically, the Torah is the old Testament ascaromurp previously said but the thing is, Jews have another way of thinking, there's that whole jewish philosophy thing. And there are exactly 613 commandmants all pointed out in the Talmud. And wow that's a lot of questions in one go :D but I'll try to reply to most of them and if I forget something or if you have another question , you can go on
http://www.askmoses.com, it's a pretty good website I have myself consulted more than once.
So back to the Jewish way of thinking. We say you can find everything and it's opposite in the Torah, it might seem a little weird to you, but it's true :D So when it comes to homosexuality for example, when you read the Torah in Hebrew you can read it in multiple ways, I mean, you can understand it in multiple way and rabbis will always tell you to search all the meaning and not just stay to the facts. So when you read Berechit (the Genesis), you can read that Eve was created from Adam's rib or from one of his side. If you read it in this way, you get that every human being is symbolically one half and only gets entire when married to another half and no matter the sex of the opposite half. Now, I'am not saying it is how every Jew think, but it is one of the ways you can read it.
And also Leviticus 18:22 "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination" is often used to prove the Law against homosexuality but many say that that verse is only refering to, pardon my language, anal sex.
And I also know a lesbian rabbi and know that there are many gay rabbis around the world even in Israel. Now, many Jews do not recognise the lattest and I'm not saying I'm holding the truth here.
I have never been to Israel (yet!!) but I am planning to go there (and therefore to the Kotel- Wailing Wall) in April and May and do some voluntery work to there. And if you are interested in putting your prayers at the Kotel, I know of a very good service that will do it for you, no matter your faith orlocation, for free just click on the following link for more information:
http://www.tweetyourprayers.info/ you can follow them on twitter, their very reliable and provide a wonderful service
As for the side curls, the Torah says, "You shall not round off the peyos of your head" (Leviticus 19:27). The word peyos refers to sideburns -- i.e. the hair in front of the ears that extends to underneath the cheekbone which is level with the nose (Talmud - Makkot 20a). The Talmud explains that this law only applies to men, not to women. They're a sign of piety to G-d.
The tefilin (little black leather boxes) contain Bible verses. they're worn during prayer because they're one of the Mitzvot (commandmants). G-d commanded Jews to wear Tefillin: "And you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be an ornament for your head between your eyes." (Deuteronomy, 6:4-8)
So yeah, that's it, don't hesitate to ask your questions, I'll be glad to answer you if I can and otherwise, I can seek a rabbi's help or send you a link to a better explaination. there are a few good websites about Judaism such as: askmoses.com (where you can ask a rabbi online in live!), about.judaism.org (i think that's it), chabad.org.
I hope my reply answered your questions,
oy_vey_
