SUBJECT: Effective Methods In Dealing With Missionaries
Fri, Dec 3, 1999, 3:08 PM

I was surfing the net and came upon your site.
I am Jewish and dont know how to express myself when I meet "Jews for Je$u$".
I know that they are wrong and a person is either Jewish or a goy.
My name is Harold S. and live in South Florida.
I can be reached at...

SUBJECT: Effective Methods In Dealing With Missionaries

Shalom Harold,

Thank you for writing. You are correct. If a person is not Jewish they are a non Jew, a Goy. However we do not use the word Goy any longer because unfortunately it is considered derogatory among non Jews.

We can certainly understand your frustration in dealing with Jews for Jesus. Obviously that is why we established the "sight" entitled "Response to Missionaries." We encouage you to visit this sight frequently as we update often. Also, Dr. Belk is writing a book, "Why Jews Don't Believe in Jesus."

There is a wonderful web site sponsored by Jews for Judaism; we encourage you to visit it at
http://www.jewsforjudaism.org/j4j-2000/index.html .

Effectively dealing with missionaries is best left to the experts. Here are a few guidelines that may help avoid future problems:

I. JewishPath defines a missionary as:
A. One who believes Jesus is the Jewish messiah
B. One who believes Jesus is G-d
C. One who believes Jesus died on a cross, was in the grave three days/nights and arose from death to sit at the right hand of G-d
D. One who believes salvation / repentance is only attainable through confessing Jesus as one's personal savior.

II. Missionaries are normally aggressive with one goal in mind, that being to convert Jews. One must understand no matter what angle a missionary approaches under, their only goal is conversion to believe in Jesus.

III. The average individual is not adequately prepared to deal with missionaries' aggressiveness, ignorance, and the deceptive way they present their beliefs. Many dress very authentically like Orthodox Jews (black hat, black jacket, long beard, tzitzis, etc.). Many observe Shabbos and the High Holidays. Their places of worship look very authentic. AS A RESULT, THESE PEOPLE ARE VERY DANGEROUS!

IV. JewishPath feels the best response to a missionary is as follows:
A. Be careful with unknown visitors to your home or office. It is best not to invite them in. This is your first line of defense. If by chance a missionary enters your home or office, G-d forbid, tell them to leave. If they hesitate, it may be necessary to call the police.
B. If a telephone conversation turns in the direction of Jesus, just hang up. Your soul is being troubled by these people. You are not required to listen or respond to them.
C. Mail from unknown purportedly Jewish organizations sometimes is Messianic. Throw it away. If the mail continues to come, your only response should be a request to be removed from the mailing list. Other than that, it is best not torespond.

V. It is best not to have a confrontation with these people. One should not be so naive as to believe that they are going to convince a missionary to return to Judaism (repent) or to stop their missionizing. These people strongly believe Jesus has commanded them to convert Jews.

VI. Avoid them!

VII. Support organizations like JewishPath and Jews for Judaism which confront
these groups.

Very few missionaries read or write Hebrew. They are only regurgitating what they have been taught. And most of them have been carefully schooled in Messianic doctrine. As a result, what may seem to be a friendly approach in a supermarket, department store or anywhere else should normally be considered a red flag. It's potentially dangerous. I cannot count the many times someone has tried to begin a conversation by asking a seemingly harmless question about Judaism. Normally I just tell them I don't have time to talk, I have an appointment, and they will just have to understand. One should not feel an obligation to talk to a complete stranger.

In conclusion, at JewishPath there is no way to express how strongly we object to missionary actions, yet being hostile only feeds the big black empty hole in their lives. They feed off of rejection, especially hostile rejection. Normally one can be firm and effective without hostility.

Wishing you the best,

Akiva

Subject: Messianics Mezuzah
Sat, Dec 4, 1999, 2:25 AM

To Akiva:

Please help. I am not of the Jewish faith but have great respect for it. I bought a home this past summer from a Jewish family and each door to the home has a Mezuzah. The home is a 100 year old farmhouse and Iwill be replacing the original doors very soon. The woman who had this home used it as a seasonal residence, it was her dream. She had passed away a few years ago leaving her husband very broken hearted. They were special people who were very much in love.

To help you answer my question, I will tell you that my faith is Christian, so we share some history in our faiths and believe in the one true G-d and His written word. I would like to put the Mezuzahs(plural?) back in place on my new doorways out of respect for her and her family as well as for the important meaning they have. Will I be being disrespectful to anyone, her or the Jewish way by doing this? Is there a law that says they cannot be reused? I have been looking for some time for information about these and just today learned what they are called. I had a very close childhood friend who was Jewish and remembered how important they are. I also read I believe on your site that they need to be inspected for validity and would this matter if it was from my heart.

I want to thank you in advance for your help and for your web site. It has offered me information and I really appreciate your response. It is important to me that I do not offend, yourself included so please if I have said anything here that could, forgive my naivete.

Thank you
Dawn D.

Shalom Dawn,

Your letter was very interesting and thoughtful. I appreciate your deep respect in this matter. First, it is important to understand that a Mezuzah is a HOLY PARCHMENT WRITTEN BY A SOFAR, {Jewish Scribe}. It is the written parchment found within a Mezuzah cover. G-d's Holy Name is written on the Mezuzah parchment. Quotations from the Torah are written on the Mezuzah parchment. Therefore one should be very careful with how they handle the Mezuzah parchment.

Jews normally are required to remove any Mezuzahs when they move unless they know for sure another Jew will be residing there. This does not always happen which brings us to your very interesting question, that being, How should a non Jew care for / honor the Mezuzah parchment?

Non Jews are only obligated to observe the Seven Noach Commandments also known as "the Seven Noach Laws." They are:

List Of Seven Naoch Laws

Commandment One:
Establish and Follow A System of Rulership / Justice

Commandment Two:
Do Not Blaspheme G-d's Holy Name

Commandment Three:
Only Worship the Creator. Idolatry Is Prohibited.

Commandment Four:
Do Not Steal

Commandment Five:
Do Not Take Another Man's Wife

Commandment Six:
Do Not Murder!

Commandment Seven:
Be Kind To Animals

The second command, Do Not Blaspheme G-d's Holy Name requires a non Jew to not speak G-d's Holy in vain. That would also include the prohibition against destroying anything with G-d's holy Name on it such as the Mezuzahs you made reference to. Even though non Jews are exempt from the commandment of placing a Mezuzah on their doorpost, non Jews are not exempt from being careful to honor G-d's holy name written within the Mezuzah parchment. This is the area that you are required to observe.

You stated, "I would like to put the Mezuzahs (plural?) back in place on my new doorways out of respect for her and her family as well as for the important meaning they have.' Then you asked, "Will I be being disrespectful to anyone, her or the Jewish way by doing this?

The answer to this question is yes!
First, Mezuzahs must be checked by an Orthodox Sofar twice every seven years.
Second, A special blessing is recited when a Jew attaches the Mezuzah to the doorpost.
Third, The Mezuzah parchment must be placed in a very specific way on one's doorpost. For example, if one does not read Hebrew and were to place the Mezuzah parchment upside down, G-d forbid, that would be very disrespectrful. If one were to place the Mezuzah on the wrong side of the door or at the wrong height or on a door where a Mezuzah is forbidden, this would be improper and disrespectful.
Fourth, you do not know what the Mezuzah says. This is quite significant since the first line of the Mezuzah says, "Hear O Israel, the L-rd our G-d, the L-rd is One." That being the case, it leaves no room to believe in the Christian doctrine of the trinity, that is, three in one. The Jewish declaration in the Mezuzah of G-d being One does not allow any room for the Christian interpretation of three in one. So by placing the Mezuzah on your door, you are making a Jewish declaration that G-d is One and only One. This means you cannot believe in the concept of the trinity. You should be aware of this.

If you were to put the Mezuzahs on the doors of your home, and if in fact these are kosher Mezuzahs, this would be a problem because you are a Christian. This would even be a greater problem if statues of Mary or statues of people called saints exist in your home.

Now for your sake, in all honesty I would contact an Orthodox Rabbi and make arrangements to give the Mezuzah parchments to him for proper handling. That is your obligationas a non Jew. When handling the Mezuzah parchments please be careful not to set anything on top of them nor to drop them, G-d forbid. That would be very disrespectful.

You commented and questioned, "I also read I believe on your site that they need to be inspected for validity and would this matter if it was from my heart."

The answer is yes it does matter. Jews and non Jews must becareful not to sin even if their sin results from good intentions.

Finally while I respect your request for this information and now that you know the truth regarding the Mezuzah you are required to follow the proper action. If you do not live near an Orthodox community then please carefully package and send the Mezuzahs to JewishPath, Inc. at Box 5 Morrison Colorado 80465. We will see that they are properly cared for.

As you now see, this is a rather technical matter, so if you want to persist in owning the Mezuzahs it is necessary to contact an Orthodox Rabbi near you and discuss this matter with him. If you choose this course of action, please take a copy of this E-Mail with you for the rabbi to read. Please do not paraphrase anything that I have said. If you discuss this matter with anyone, they first must agree to read this entire E-Mail so that what I have said is represented in complete accuracy.

Wishing you the best,
Akiva

Subject: Question of Charity?
Wed, Dec 22, 1999

I was told by someone to acquire 12 silver dollars and give them to the poorest jew i could find. the person who told me this would not tell me why he wanted me to do it. perhaps you can?

Shalom,
Michael

Subject: Question of Charity?
Shalom Michael

To understand the answer to your question you should ask the individual who instructed you to do this. Maybe another good place to start would be Talmud - Mas. Ta'anith 19b and 20a

Best regards,
R. Gold
Editor

Subject: Persecution Of The Hebrew Language
Tue, Dec 21, 1999

To Whom it may concern,
If I were to "Receive" a word in english, How do I apply the Hebrew Alefbet/Alphabet to the word?? The word I received was "Bella Lago" which translates to "Beautiful Lake". The interpretation I was given was Bet, eh, Lamed, lamed, Aleph (Bella), then Lamed, Aleph, Gimel, Hay (Lago). However, I do not find Bet or eh within your 22 letters. I have gained some understanding as a result of the operation or relation of the other letters within the Phrase, but, it is incomplete due to the Bet and eh. Thank you.

Greg J.

Shalom Greg J.

From the contents of your E-Mail the only thing clear is that you do not understand Hebrew like so many of our readers. For example, the letter B in English could be the letter Bais in Hebrew or the letter Vov in Hebrew. The letter V could be a Bais (pronounced with the V sound) or a Vov in Hebrew. The letter A in English could be the letter Aleph, the letter Ayin or neither. The letter A in English does not translate exactly into Hebrew. In fact, all 22 letters can be given the English A sound by simply adding
nekudos, vowels.

I want to make one point crystal clear. People like yourself have absolutely no place in attempting to translate English letters into Hebrew. This is pathetic. It is the root of many problems between Christians / Messianics and Jews. We receive E-Mails all the time from people who heard a sound in their ear or who saw a word in a dream and they write to us wanting to know what it means. In addition to this, people attempt as you
have done to invent their own translation method. When people who are not soundly educated in Hebrew make such presumptions, which we at JewishPath frequently receive, it's like a loud siren with flashing lights that says DISCONNECTED. TRANSLATION DOES NOT WORK LIKE THIS IN HEBREW!! This is a prime example of how Christians / Messianics have blatantly misunderstood and misrepresented the Hebrew language.

In the Jewish world, we are barraged with Christians / Messianics, missionizers and religious zealots who for centuries have assumed themselves to be authorities and have employed such pathetic pseudo translation
practices as this.

JewishPath is not a translation service. And we normally do not respond to requests like this except occasionally to make a point. Here, the point is: the word beautiful is not spelled Bet, eh, Lamed, lamed, Aleph in Hebrew. It is spelled Yud Fey Hey. Once before in our Readership Response I discussed this type of aberration. See "666" "The HEBREW LETTER Dalet" "Grasping For A Name"

For years I have listened to religious leaders with 4, 6, 8 year degrees in theology, religious studies, divinity, etc. who may or may not have 6 units of very basic Hebrew. Frequently these leaders butcher the Hebrew language with their lame, half baked usages. They attempt to come across as knowledgeable and authoritative, yet they possess level zero Hebrew skills. To unknowledgeable congregants, they appear to be authoritative.

Every time we receive a letter like this it is a persecution of the Hebrew language. Yet we at JewishPath know that most of our readers who inquire about that sound or that dream or that vision are very sincere and genuinely curious. JewishPath, however, is not the proper vehicle for solving these types of mysteries. A solid Hebrew education is a good start. A professional Hebrew translation service that costs real money is another excellent avenue.

Wishing you the best,

Akiva

Shalom Akiva,
I totally agree with you and the Jewishpath. I whole heartedly agree that messianics as well as so called "Christian Authorities" Truly DO NOT understand or have credentials to translate or make ASSUMPTIONS. I did NOT translate the English Word "Beautiful Lake" ...The translation was
given to me by someone whom I Thought New what they were talking about. Forgive me if I have insulted you, disrespected the Jewish Faith or practice in anyway. I did not intend to Disrupt or disturb you in anyway. I am learning the Hebrew AlefBeit...If this even correct. The 22 letters themselves. I intend to study HEBREW as much as possible to learn more about the ROOTS of the so called MESSIANIC MOVEMENT. If I am a graft within a TREE then I will Learn of the ROOT of that TREE!! Modern Day Christianity does not understand that we are to STUDY, APPLY and ADHERE to the CODES of The Judaic Priciples. I would like to be a solution to the problem..not another thorn in the flesh. The rift between the Jews And Christians is a VERY wide Gap that will have to be stitched for total healing. For starters the Christians need to Acknowledge that "Christmas" is a PAGAN HOLIDAY! Furthermore, that The G-d
of Israel said "Not to celebrate anything that he has NOT COMMANDED". I believe that Leviticus makes the mention of what is to be celebrated. Christmas is a Pagan celebration of the "Winter Solstice". Hellinistic
Christianity prompted or paved the way to cover this pagan ideology! As Christians they or we are supposed to be Living by every word that issues from the Mouth of The G-d of Abraham Jacob and Isaac!! Yahshua came to make these things clear but, the Christian faith has put asunder the TRUTH, THE WORD(TORAH) and is being MISINFORMED by the Laeity and all their HOLY SPLENDOR!! I will learn HEBREW!! I will learn what the original texts of the NEW TESTAMENT say for myself..Then I WILL CHALLENGE THE LAEITY!!! The Septuagint was the GREEK Translation of the HEBREW TEXT. The name Jesus was
not the Saviors name!! Jesus translates to Hail Zeus, which was the Pagan god of Greek Mythology!! Adonai translates to ADONIS, another Greek god!! PAGANISM!! SO what the laeity condemns everyone else of ..They themselves do!! I am tired of Religious Leaders Lying and Covering the TRUTH!! Forgive
me if I insulted you or your peoples' Faith. The rift between Jews and Christians will be CORRECTED or the Christians will suffer the Punishment or penalty of Idolatry!! This will occur in my Lifetime. Be Blessed in all your works.

Shalom,
Greg (Joshua)

THIRD E-MAIL FROM GREG...

Unknowledgeable congregants is Exactly correct!!! Unknowing and being led to a slaughter!! Thank You...I agree.

Shalom,
Greg(Joshua)

FOURTH E-MAIL FROM GREG.

Shalom Akiva,
If you notice within my e-mail I stated "I was given an interpretation. I have only started studying the 22 letters. I am trying to learn simply because the "Hebrew" Language is The "Root" of all languages. It is a SACRED language that I will learn at any cost. The interpretation was not mine because i can't translate. I thought the individual who gave me this info was genuine but, I appreciate the clarity of your response and genuine concern...:o) Thank You.

Shalom Greg,

You have much to learh. Stay on the Path... There are twenty-two Hebrew letters plus four final letters. It would be wise of you to visit our RESPONSE TO MISSIONARIES PAGE. Read the article by Dr. Belk entitled "Engrafted."

Best Regards,
Rachel Gold
Editor

Subject: Open Study Of The Bible
Sun, Dec 26, 1999

Thanks For opening your website to interested readers, I was raised Christian, and have included in my study all the books written in The Catholic, Protestant Old Testament. It is good your site is open to me. Although I live among many Temples and Synagogues is hard for me to get the Jewish Opinion. Rabbis are very busy.

Reader

Thank you for your comments.

Best regards,

Rachel Gold
Editor

Subject: The Appearance Of Hebrew Letters
Mon, Dec 27, 1999

Hi guys, hope you're all well, must say I really enjoyed your website and do appreciate it alot. I would like to consult you in regard to a certain phenomenon and hope you won't find it too weird. Since childhood and up until today when visualising the Alef- beit letters they would appear in different colours, each letter and its own unique colour with the exception of some letters that carry the same colour. I have never approached anyone about this matter and I wonder if there's anything you could tell me about it, thanks alot Nissim.

Subject: The Appearance Of Hebrew Letters
Shalom Nissim,

You appear to have a very special gift. It is difficult to say just what this gift is however. Dr. Belk recommends making a list of the colors you see and write the letters of the Alephbais next to the colors along with their Gematria. Next list, if known, the Hebrew name and Gematria of that color. Next make a Gematria comparison. That could be very revealing.

If you do not have the Hebrew skills, please send us the information you have. Possibly one of our staff members may review this. We would also appreciate knowing if you are above the age of 40.

Best regards,

Rachel Gold
Editor

Subject: Looking For Information
Fri, Dec 31, 1999

I am a high school student in Maine trying to reasearch the Jewish faith for a religion project. I am hoping that you might be able to supply me with some information of the Star of David. Any information that you could send me would be a great help.
Thank-you Tracy

Subject:Looking For Information

Shalom Tracy,

Your research should center on the MOGEN DAVID.

Best regards,

Rachel Gold
Editor

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