The Politics In Religion; Power Play Plays A Big Part

 Nadene Goldfoot                                              

Following the Torah:  (The Written Law)also known as the Pentateuch, given to Moses on Mt. Sinai together with a detailed oral exposition on the torah and its commandments.  Not to be forgotten is also the entire talmudic literature and commentaries of highly respected rabbis.  Judaism is complete Monotheism and loyalty to G-d, the Creator and Father of all.  Israel is meant to be a holy nation and a model to the other people on earth;  a hard role to be in.  

How many of us are aware of the Old Testament laying down rules of behavior for people?  This is what the Orthodox Jews of today still try to maintain.  Our book is called the Tanakh, and refers to what Christians and many Jews call "the Old Testament," because it was written so long ago by Moses, as it is believed, who lived from 1391 BCE to 1271 BCE.  Moses led us out of Egypt at age 80 where we had lived for 400 years, mostly as slaves, to arrive in our birth home of Canaan 40 years later at age 120.  That was 3,296 years ago.

The Christians follow the rules set up by Jesus, which is a Greek name, the equivalent of Joshua;, who died at age 29 CE.  We have no Jewish writings about him, and discover his story through the 4 New Testament's gospel writers. Gentiles (non-Jews) also have a genealogy tree from man's beginning, using the Jewish tree, but have declare an additional amount not on the Jewish tree to show Jesus's connection to King David, which cannot be verified with any writings.  They need such a connection to show that Jesus was the one, the only, redeemer, and there's no way that it is true.  The Gospel writer Matthew wrote about 60 years after Jesus' death; and the others wrote much later than that, so none had first-hand experience with Jesus.   The :New Testament does not explicitly state the date of Jesus's birth. However, most scholars believe he was born between 6 and 4 BC. This estimation is based on accounts in the Gospels related to King Herod's reign and the approximate age of Jesus when he began his ministry. 

In the Gospels, Jesus is referred to as "Rabbi" in several instances, including by Judas, his disciples (Peter, Nathaniel), and even some would-be disciples like Nicodemus. John the Baptist's followers also called him "Rabbi" according to some online sources. The term "Rabbi" translates to "my master" or "my teacher," and it was used as a form of address for learned Jewish teachers or sages in Jesus's time. 

The basic form of the rabbi developed in the Pharisaic (167 BCE–73 CE) and Talmudic (70–640 CE) eras that came about after Jerusalem was burned down by the Romans and the Temple was destroyed by fire; when learned teachers assembled to codify Judaism's written and oral laws. The title "rabbi" was first used in the first century CE.

Matthew wrote his gospel about 60 years later saying  that Jesus was teaching Judaism in that he said, " in the Gospel of Matthew, specifically Matthew 5:17: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them".    However, Jesus was altering the standard lessons to suit himself.  He was brought up in Bethlehem and then Nazareth, never studying with the renowned teachers in Jerusalem.  Hehad much background to learn that was missing, but also addedhis understanding of G-d's lessons through Moses. 

Today we might see him as a Reform Jew or one of the newstrains of Judaism hat has evolved.   The organization, J Street,has   elements of the power play as well between groups of Jews. Several newer Jewish religious groups have emerged in recent times, including Jewish Renewal, Reconstructionist Judaism, and Humanistic Judaism. These groups represent diverse approaches to Jewish practice and belief, often emphasizing different aspects of Jewish tradition and experience.  One group trying to pass itself off as Jewish that is not is "Jews For Jesus."  The very name tells us it is not Jewish for we do not believe a man is also a god.  The Greeks did that already, and Romans may have, also.  

The bad part is that he became anti-Semitic about his ownreligion in pushing it over the normal lessons.  It became a political battle, competition of two ways of following the pathof Moses.  For this reason, there was no way that the two couldunite, especially when people thought of him as another GreekGod. 

 It was respectful and admirable that his followers thoughtthey were following his laws, which were the Laws of Moses (613.  To copy another is flattering, but declaring the wrongperson to be the author is not okay.  What he did was re-word much, which even I often do, too, when I write.  

That additional part ended Christianity and Judaism's connectionYou can look at the 10 commandments and see that Jews feelothers could follow 7 of them.  

Christians generally consider themselves bound by all ten of the Ten Commandments, though they often emphasize a subset related to ethical conduct and relationships with others. These include: 1,"You shall not murder," 2."You shall not commit adultery," "3.You shall not steal," 4."You shall not bear false witness," and 5."You shall not covet". Additionally, Christians often incorporate the commandments related to God: 6."You shall have no other gods before me," 7."You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain," and 8."Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy". While not always explicitly listed as a separate commandment, the idea of loving one's neighbor as oneself is also a central Christian teaching derived from the Ten Commandments. 

Take the Golden Rule, for instance.  We Jews say it in a negativeform:  Don't do to people what you wouldn't want done to you. 

It was formulated from knowing the laws by Hillel, a very famourabbi, just before Jesus' day.  

Others say:  Do unto others as they would do unto you.  

The Golden Rule is a principle of ethical conduct that essentially means "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". It's a universal guideline for how to treat others, advocating for fairness, respect, and kindness. In essence, it suggests that if you want to be treated a certain way, you should treat others in the same way. 

Moses and Aaron with the Ten Commandments (painting c. 1675 by Aron de Chavez)

The Ten Commandments are found in two different sections of the Bible: Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. Both chapters contain the same basic set of rules, though there are some minor wording differences. 

Here's a breakdown of the Ten Commandments in Jewish tradition:

1. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 
2. You shall have no other gods before Me. 
3. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. 
4. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. 
5. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 
6. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. 
7. You shall not murder. 
8. You shall not commit adultery. 
9. You shall not steal. 
10. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 
11. You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's. 

The Ten Commandments are as famous as they are powerful: Catholic Listing

1. I am the LORD your God; you shall not have strange gods before me.
2. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
3. Remember to keep holy the LORD’s Day.
4. Honor your father and mother.
5. You shall not kill.
6. You shall not commit adultery.
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
9. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods. (via Catechism of the Catholic Church)

During the Middle ages in Germany, rabbis got together and discussed such things as the 10 Commandments, etc.  

There's no use talking about the rest of the 613 since the first 10 are found to be the greatest challenge, even for people living in 2025.  Of course, some laws are much harder to follow than others for each person.  It was Jesus who started the discarding of certain ones, I believe.  Adultery and coveting seems to be the hardest ones.  Killing is becoming too common a way to solve one's problems.  I bet you know certain people who have already broken many of these laws.  

Update: 6/18/25 6:00am

Resource:

https://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-era-of-sanhedrin-and-its-rabbis-in.html  about Hillel and Golden Rule