Two Messianic Jews

Does Acts 21 confirm that Paul taught against Torah-observance for Jews?  According to Rabbi Michael Skobac of Jews for Judaism, Acts 21 shows  Paul's "real position" was that Jews should stop obeying the Torah. I  walk through the whole account of Acts 21.17-26 to demonstrate that it  says the exact opposite! Acts 21 shows that Paul was a Torah-observant  Jew himself and taught other Jewish followers of Jesus to do the same.   

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00:00 - Introduction 

1:26 - Rabbi Michael Skobac's Objection in Acts 21 

2:38 - Responding to Rabbi Michael Skobac's Objection in Acts 21 

12:05 - Was Paul just 'becoming a Jew to the Jews'? (1 Corinthians 9) 

16:54 - Deeper Analysis of Acts 21.17-26                          

19:54 - What does 'zealous for the Law' mean?                           

23:20 - What is a Nazirite vow?                           

26:48 - How did the rumor about Paul in Acts 21 start? 

32:10 - Summary and Conclusion    

Covenantal responsibility is as Rabbi Russ Resnik says, “to live as  members of a people chosen by God and given in Scripture a unique set of instructions and obligations; to live in a way that contributes to the  survival and destiny of the Jewish people.”   

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________________________________   

Full video where I get the clip of Rabbi Michael Skobac   

Dr. David Rudolph's website and book on 1 Corinthians 9   

Dr. Mark Nanos's website 

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Rabbi Tovia Singer argues that in Matthew 5:27-28, Jesus claims that if one is even tempted to commit adultery, then they have already committed the sin. Jesus's point, therefore, is that the Torah is impossible to follow. In this video, we respond to this argument and show why Rabbi Singer is misunderstanding Jesus.   

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Note: The argument made in this video is that the Torah is possible to keep, and Jesus expects his Jewish followers to observe it. There are other questions that are certainly worth addressing. Which commandments are exclusively for Jews? Which commandments are possible to observe today? If Gentiles are required to follow the commandments not to covet or commit adultery, why are they not obligated to keep the Sabbath? These and many more questions will be discussed in future videos!      

0:00 – Intro 

0:48 – Rabbi Tovia Singer’s Argument 

3:08 – Reading in context – Matthew 5:17-20  

4:06 – What does “abolish” mean? 

5:05 – What does “fulfill” mean?  

7:37 – What is the purpose of Matthew 5:17-20? 

8:15 – Is Jesus contradicting the Torah? 

11:04 – Presentation of Dr. Jason Staples’s reading of Matthew 5:27-28      

     11:15 – Jesus is pointing back to the tenth commandment.      

     12:54 – What did "lust" mean in the first century?      

     13:45 – A better translation of Matthew 5:28  

16:12 – What is Jesus saying? 

17:11 - Conclusion  

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Rabbi Tovia Singer's video, "Did Jesus in Fact Come to Destroy the Law? Listen to Rabbi Tovia Singer’s Surprising Response!" -  

Dr. Jason Staples's blog article - "'Whoever Looks at a Woman With Lust': Misinterpreted Bible Passages #1" 

 The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary by Dr. Craig Keener 

Sermon on the Mount: A Beginner's Guide to the Kingdom of Heaven by Dr. Amy-Jill Levine

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Did Jesus in Fact Come to Destroy the Law? - A Response to Rabbi Tovia Singer

Rabbi Michael Skobac claims Paul did not mention "literally anything whatsoever" about the life and teachings of Jesus. If true, this casts doubt on whether Paul knew anything about Jesus's life and teachings.  For some (not Rabbi Skobac), they make this claim to support an argument that Jesus did not exist! We explore Paul's letters to show that Paul does mention Jesus's life and frequently echoes, alludes to, and even quotes Jesus's teachings.  

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00:00 - Introduction
00:59 - Rabbi Skobac's Objection
5:00 - Where Rabbi Skobac was right
5:36 - Why doesn't Paul tell us more about Jesus?
7:36 - What does Paul tell us about Jesus's life?
12:54 - Why doesn't Paul quote Jesus more?
17:02 - Does Paul mention the Sermon on the Mount?
19:25 - Does Paul mention Jesus's parables?
21:44 - Does Paul ever quote Jesus?   
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Some other echoes and allusions to Jesus's teachings in Paul:  
1 Corinthians 7:10-11 cf. Mark 10:9-12; Matt. 5:32
1 Corinthians 9:14 cf. Luke 10:7; Matt. 10:10
1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 cf. Matt. 24:30-31  
Some resources saying Paul talked about Jesus:  
James Dunn, "Jesus Tradition in Paul," in Studying the Historical Jesus:  Evaluations of the State of Current Research, ed. Bruce Chilton and  Craig Evans.  
Paul Eddy and Gregory Boyd, "The 'Silence' of Paul," in The Jesus  Legend.  
Seyoon Kim, "Jesus, Sayings of," in Dictionary of Paul and His Letters.   
Some resources saying Paul did not talk about Jesus:  

E. Doherty, The Jesus Puzzle: Did Christianity Begin with a Mythical Christ?   
G. A. Wells, The Historical Evidence for Jesus.   
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We are thrilled to reach 200 YouTube subscribers! Thank you to those who have subscribed! This channel started during  the summer and it is amazing to see the impact that it is having. Check out the video to hear some exciting updates!

To support our work in strengthening the faith and identityof Jewish followers of Messiah, you can visit https://www.twomessianicjews.com/donate 

0:00 –  Thank you! 

0:39 - Feedback we have received 

1:46 – How you can support us 

2:19 – Plans for the future 

4:05 – Who can benefit from this channel? 

5:09 – We want to hear your feedback! 

7:02 - Conclusion   

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Did Jesus rise from the dead? Rabbi Tovia Singer says "absolutely not." He argues that there is no evidence this event took place. In this video, w ask question - how would an Orthodox Jewish scholar who affirms that Jesus rose from the dead respond to Rabbi Singer? He presents the arguments from the late Dr. Pinchas Lapide and puts them up against Rabbi Singer's! 

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Rabbi Tovia Singer and Reverend Jim Cantelon Debate clip - 1:04:32  

0:00 - Introduction 

0:34 - Rabbi Tovia Singer’s objection  

4:46 – Problems with Rabbi Singer's approach to the New Testament  

5:22 – Jewish scholarship on the New Testament  (Dr. Amy-Jill Levine, Dr. Marc Brettler, Dr. Pamela Eisenbaum, and Dr. Daniel Boyarin)  

8:29 – Dr. Pinchas Lapide’s perspective on the resurrection of Jesus        

9:32 – Evidence for the empty tomb      

15:49 – Evidence for the disciples’ experiences of seeing the risen Jesus      

19:06 – Were the disciples experiencing hallucinations?       

20:19 – Dr. Lapide’s conclusion  

20:44 – Conclusion
Document with the quotations and citations
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Did Jesus Rise from the Dead? | Rabbi Tovia Singer vs. Orthodox Jewish scholar

Jews do not all speak with one voice on their views of Messianic Jews. Some view Messianic Jews as Christians masquerading as Jews, trying to convert Jews to Christianity. There are perceptions that are neutral, positive, and everything in between. While some view Messianic Jews as members of the Jewish community, others do not. In this video, we go over these perceptions and conclude by offering some takeaway messages for what the Messianic community should react to them.

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0:00 - Introduction  
3:32 - Negative Perceptions       
3:32 - Deceptive       
7:25 - Not Jews       
12:15 - Un-Jewish Beliefs
15:46 - Experiences of Messianic Jews
19:37 - Highly Negative Perceptions    
23:04 - Violence
26:28 - Neutral Perceptions
29:52 - Positive Perceptions 
40:32 - Thoughts on the negative
48:11 - Thoughts on the positive

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Resources from the Episode:
Document with the quotations

The footage of Dr. Amy-Jill Levine's comments come from the following video - Chosen People Ministries. "Topic 9: A Response To 'A Messianic Jewish Perspective on Luke-Acts' AJ Levine, Q&A with Mark Kinzer," Youtube.com, February 18, 2020

YouTube Video: "Israelis: What do you think of Messianic Jews?"

YouTube Video: "12 Guidelines for Tough Conversations"

Can an Orthodox Jew believe that Jesus rose from the dead? Even if this event happened, does Deuteronomy 13 show that this would just be God testing Israel? Do miracles prove anything? These are the kinds of questions addressed in this video. We present Jewish responses to Jesus's resurrection from Orthodox rabbis, counter-missionaries, and even Ben Shapiro. We give our own Jewish response to this epic event.  

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The argument for his response comes from his article "The Resurrection of Jesus: A Jewish Perspective." This will be published in the upcoming summer/fall issue of Kesher: A Journal of Messianic Judaism.  

0:13 - Objection: Jews don't believe that Jesus rose from the dead

1:04 - Objection: God raised Jesus from the dead, but that does not mean he is the Messiah

7:26 - God raised Jesus from the dead to show Israel that Jesus is the Messiah

29:26 - Objection: Even if God resurrected Jesus, it would just be to test Israel 

33:47 - Objection: A Messiah who frees Israel from the responsibility to follow the Torah is not the Messiah 

37:08 - Objection: Jesus is not the Messiah because he did not fulfill all the messianic prophecies when he arrived

39:04 - Conclusion

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Link to subscribe to Kesher: A Journal of Messianic Judaism: https://www.kesherjournal.com
Primary sources referenced in the video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1J8GFF2RaOcMI1P_6Zqe8kAfajOv6wQiu/view?usp=sharing  
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Does the Resurrection Prove Jesus is the Messiah? A Jewish Response to a Jewish Objection

This is the abridged version of our 12 guidelines for tough conversations we presented live at Sha'arei Shalom on July 4, 2020.  

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Here is the list:  

1. Pursuing truth is a greater goal than merely proving your point. 

2. “Assume that the person you are listening to knows something you don't." - Dr. Jordan Peterson 

3. Seek to understand before being understood.  

4. Understand that feeling uncomfortable is often a good sign.  

5. Know that you can passionately hold to an opinion while still listening,  understanding, and being open to the contrary. 

6. Do not assume anything about your conversation partner’s moral character or intellectual position based on hearsay or stereotypes. Listen to the individual, it's nearly guaranteed they do not fully live up to their stereotype. 

7. Recognize that everyone has biases and pointing out their bias does not make them wrong. 

8. Remember that talking is thinking. 

9. Understand how easy it is to be wrong. 

10. Know that admitting you are wrong is not a display of weakness, but of courage. 

11. State what you believe as precisely as possible. 

12. Communicate what you believe to be true in love.  

Original video - 12 Guidelines for Tough Conversations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJU2s... 

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12 Guidelines for Tough Conversations: Abridged

At the Young Messianic Jewish Alliance (YMJA) Virtual Messiah Conference 2020, we presented a case for Messianic Judaism! This involved sharing evidence for what we consider to be its three central claims:  

3:24 - Yeshua (Jesus) is the Jewish Messiah

31:22 - Jewish followers of Yeshua have a covenantal responsibility to live as Jews (i.e. observe Torah) to preserve Israel’s distinct identity among the nations 

47:27 - Participating in Jewish worship and ways of life is a legitimate option for Gentile followers of Yeshua

(This event was recorded live on July 2, 2020)  

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Resources:

Here is the link to subscribe to Kesher: A Journal of Messianic Judaism - https://www.kesherjournal.com/   

Article, “The Resurrection of Jesus: Another Jewish Perspective” will be published in the upcoming issue.   

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A Case for Messianic Judaism | A Case for Messianic Judaism

The foundational principle of our podcast is "pursuing truth is more important than merely proving your point." This is a recording of the d'rash we gave at Sha'arei Shalom on June 27, 2020. We explore how the rabbis saw this foundational Jewish principle in Parsha: Korach: "an argument for the sake of heaven" as opposed to "an argument not for the sake of heaven." We also share stories from our own lives on the effectiveness and beauty of putting this principle is in action.

To support our work in strengthening the faith and identityof Jewish followers of Messiah, you can visit https://www.twomessianicjews.com/donate
You can also listen on our YouTube channel 

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