who answered Rabbi Cohn’s questions, we really have all the time in the world to speak with or write to anyone seeking the truth. There is no decision more important than trying to figure out if Jesus is the Messiah. May I tell you about a conversation I had a few years ago with a very kind-hearted Hasidic rabbi while I was talking to Jewish students about Yeshua at Brooklyn College? The rabbi and I were both on campus that day to speak with students about our respective faiths. He was trying to encourage Jewish students to follow Hasidic Judaism and I, of course, was trying to tell Jewish students that Jesus was the promised Messiah of Israel. Since our book tables were next to each other, we were able to strike up a conversation when students were not speaking to us. We talked about everything— our lives, our families, and our faiths. He was very friendly and the conversation flowed easily. He was not threatened by me, and I was not threatened by him. It was a very honest discussion: when either of us did not know the answer to a question we simply said, “I don’t know.” We went over many of the major Jewish objections most Jewish people have about believing in Yeshua— some of which are covered in this issue of our newsletter: How can you be Jewish and believe in Jesus? How can we believe in a man who claimed to be God? How can we become part of a movement that believes in three gods? Jewish people have died for the sake of the oneness of God! What about the Holocaust? Wasn’t it Christians who perpetrated this terrible tragedy? How can we believe in a Messiah who allowed so many Jewish people to be slaughtered? Fundamentally though, it all comes down to one big question. “How can you be Jewish and believe in Jesus?” This is still the question that cuts to the core of our entire life, community, and relationship with our families. For example, Christians worship on Sunday, but Jewish people go to synagogue on Saturday. If a Jewish person becomes a believer in Jesus and he or she does not become part of a Messianic congregation (which meets on Saturday), then they would likely attend church on Sunday. If they are in church on Sunday, then they are probably going to miss quite a few family dinners and gatherings because Sunday is the day when Jewish families get together. This may not sound like a big challenge, but it is—especially if you have a Jewish mother! There are many other major differences between Judaism and Christianity. For example, Jewish people do not believe in original sin. In other words, most Jewish people believe that man was born neutral and has a choice for both good and evil. Living a good life requires that a person makes the right choices and, in religious Jewish terms, obeys the Torah (God’s laws which were revealed to Moses). If a person follows his or her evil inclination, then that person will have a life filled with struggle. The rabbi and I spoke about these topics, and he was an excellent listener. We spoke about the lifestyle of a Messianic Jew and whether or not we abandoned our traditions. We also spoke about observing the holidays and how we view them as fulfilled in Jesus. I wish we had a chance to speak more about celebrating the Jewish holidays. This is a great challenge to Messianic Jews, since once we believe that Jesus is the Messiah, we become introduced to a whole new calendar! This is something I never thought of before I accepted Jesus. Not only is it the “Saturday versus Sunday” issue, but we are now faced with choosing between Christmas and Hanukkah, Passover and Easter, and whether or not we should continue to observe the fall holidays: the New Year (Rosh Hashanah), the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). It is important to understand that the Jewish holidays hold a great significance to the Jewish community that goes beyond religious observance. The holidays are important to Jewish identity. We do not believe the Jewish holidays need to be abandoned simply because they are fulfilled in Yeshua the Messiah. In fact, the Messiah adds to their beauty and importance. The holidays are a roadmap to redemption, and Jesus is the jewel who is made more stunning when placed in the setting of the Jewish holidays. In fact, most of the Jewish believers in Jesus I know, whether they attend a local church or Messianic congregation, celebrate the Jewish holidays. As a follower of Messiah Yeshua, I believe that Jesus is my atonement and so I do not fast and pray for the forgiveness of my sins on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). I fast and pray with thanksgiving because of what He’s done for me and intercede on behalf of my beloved family and friends, that they too might find Yeshua to be their atonement. The Jewish holidays, and even my personal sense of Jewish identity, became even more meaningful when I believed in Yeshua the Messiah. I am often asked by Jewish friends, “Do you celebrate the Christian holidays or the THERE IS NO DECISION MORE IMPORTANT THAN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF JESUS IS THE MESSIAH. SPECIAL EDITION | THE CHOSEN PEOPLE | 3
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