| Beth Jacob in Jacksonville, Florida is a Messianic Jewish congregation trying to attract more Jewish members to its community. However, you may be suprised to find out that there is nothing Jewish about Beth Jacob. Despite its name and pretenses, it is a Christian organization. This web-page will demonstrate the Christian nature of Beth Jacob, providing links to the evidence at their site and other Christian sites, so you can see on your own that they are a Christian organization. Violating The Ten Commandments
It is interesting that Beth Jacob presents itself as a Jewish organization, when it actively violates the Ten Commandments. How do they do this? If you look at Beth Jacob's weekly schedule, you will notice that they have Friday night "Weekly Shabbat School" for children and Shabbat School again on Saturday for the children. Now, for anyone who has ever attended a synagogue, you will notice that all synagogues have their schools on Sunday. The reason why they do this is because at school, you do work. Writing, projects, cutting, pasting....all of this is work, and work is forbidden on the Jewish Sabbath according to the Ten Commandments! No real Jewish group would ever hold Shabbat school! So, what religion holds its school and Sabbath on the same day....Christiniaty! Here is the link to the proof that they have school on the Sabbath, in violation of The Ten Commandments:
Click Here But, it gets worse. Beth Jacob has Hebrew classes on the Sabbath, too. According to their Hebrew language page, the class uses a book and a workbook. Learning Hebrew, especially practicing writing letters or words in a workbook, is a form of work! It is called a "workbook" and not a "rest-on-the-Sabbath-book" for a reason...you do WORK in it. Again, this is a clear violation of The Ten Commandments-something a real Jewish group would not do! Here is the link to the proof, the workbook is mentioned in the first paragraph:
Click Here Help From Christian Friends
If you were a webmaster for a Jewish congregation, where would you ask for help? Well, from other Jewish webmasters, of course. If you are Beth Jacob, where do you ask others to critique your webpage? Why, the Christian Webmasters Forums. Here is the link to the proof-a real Jewish group would never ask them for help:
Click Here This would also explain why Beth Jacob, along with a huge number of other Messianic congregations, are listed in the Christian Directory at Christian.biz. Here is the link to the evidence, they are the 6th congregation from the bottom:
Click Here Not surprisingly, Beth Jacob is listed with the other Churches of Florida. Would a real Jewish group be listed among churches? Never! Here is the link, they are under "Jacksonville", under the subheading "Various Other Denominations", about 3/4 down the page:
Click Here Biblical Lies and False Accusations
Beth Jacob makes a number of false claims regarding the Bible and the Rabbis, in an attempt to fool the reader into their beliefs. Isaiah 53 On its page regarding Isaiah 53, Beth Jacobs starts off by stating "The Forbidden Bible Passage?
The book of Isaiah, Chapter 53 is another passage that goes widely UNREAD in orthodox synagogues today. In fact, the rabbis of old did not select Isaiah 52:13-53:12 to be a haftarah reading! The portions before and after are read, but this one is skipped year after year. One has to wonder if it is because this passage most clearly prophesies Yeshua as the Messiah.
So, according to Beth Jacob, the Rabbis are skipping Isaiah 53 as a Haftarah, accusing them of doing this because it prophesizes for Jesus. If you know the history of how Haftarahs began, you know that it is a silly claim. The history of Haftarahs are as follows: Under many empires, the Jews were forbidden to read the Torah, the first five books of the Bible. In fact, you could be killed for reading it. So, what were the Rabbis to do? The Rabbis chose readings from the books of Prophets and Writings, the two other parts of the Jewish Bible, to read, which we now call "The Haftarah." The particular portion was chosen based on its similarity to the normal Torah reading of that week. The portions for the Haftarah were chosen LONG BEFORE JESUS WAS EVEN BORN! Thus, the thought that Isaiah 53 was "forbidden because of Jesus" is absolutely absurd. Isaiah 53 is a popular chapter for Messianic Jews and other Christians to use to try to convert Jews. They horribly misinterpret the actual meaning of the chapter and take it out of context. Here are links to essays and answers on the topic. It is pretty obvious from other chapters of the Book of Isaiah that the "suffering servant" is Israel. If you have any further questions, you can always e-mail me personally on the topic, my address is at the bottom of the page:
Answer from Messiah Truth
Answer from Jews for Judaism Here is the link proving that Beth Jacob made the false accusation at the Rabbis, the quote is from the first paragraph:
Click Here Beth Jacob makes many more errors regarding Judaism. On their page, "Who is Yeshua", every single section has major errors. In their section "Where Are the Sacrifices Today?" they say: "God provided atonement for sin through animal sacrifices in Leviticus. Sacrifices have not been performed for nearly 2,000 years because in 70 CE the Temple was destroyed. Also destroyed were the genealogies which identified the descendants of Aaron, the priests who sprinkle the blood of atonement for the Nation of Israel. With no Temple, no sacrifices, no High Priest, no annual atonement for the Nation of Israel, what is the fate of the Jewish person? Your hope is in your Messiah �in Messiah Yeshua!
There are two MAJOR errors here. First, the genealogies were never destroyed. If you go to any Orthodox synagogue and many Conservative synagogues, you will notice that when they call a person up for an Aliyah to the Torah, they call the Aliyot (plural of Aliyah) in the following order: Cohen, Levi, Israel. The Cohen is a person who is a direct descendant of Aaron, the Levi is a direct descendant of the Levites and the Israel is any other member of the Jewish people. This information has been passed orally through the generations for thousands of years. In fact, recent genetic testing of Kohahim has proven the vast majority of those claiming to have descended from Aaron the High Priest are from the same father (being a Kohen is traced through the father), providing evidence that they have accurately transmitted this information! Any real Jewish organization would know about this. Beth Jacob also implies that without a sacrifice, the Jewish people cannot get atonement. This claim is completely against the Bible. The Bible clearly says that atonement can be gained without sacrifice, and that these other means of atonement are better than sacrifice. For instance, Isaiah 1:11-18 says: " 11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto Me? saith the LORD; I am full of the burnt-offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he-goats. 12 When ye come to appear before Me, who hath required this at your hand, to trample My courts? 13 Bring no more vain oblations; it is an offering of abomination unto Me; new moon and sabbath, the holding of convocations--I cannot endure iniquity along with the solemn assembly. 14 Your new moons and your appointed seasons My soul hateth; they are a burden unto Me; I am weary to bear them. 15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide Mine eyes from you; yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear; your hands are full of blood. 16 Wash you, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before Mine eyes, cease to do evil; 17 Learn to do well; seek justice, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow 18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
In the above quote, the Bible pointedly states that doing justice and acts of lovingkindness brings atonement, and is better than sacrifice. Further, G-d tells us in Hosea 6:6: "For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt-offerings."
So we also learn that mercy and knowledge of G-d is better than sacrifice. Proverbs 16:6 also highlights alternatives to sacrifice, telling us: "By mercy and truth iniquity is atoned; and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.
There are just a few of the many ways that the Bible says the Jewish people can obtain atonement. Here is a link to a great article on the subject:
Click Here That then leads us to the next point implied by Beth Jacob, an issue that is a center-piece of the Messianic Jewish/Christian theology, namely whether Jesus could be a sacrifice. Again, the answer is no. The items that the Bible allows for sacrifice are sheep, bulls, goats, some types of birds and flour. That is it. Everything else is not acceptable as a sacrifice and is a waste of time. Now, you may have read about Messianic Jews and Christians claiming that Jesus was "the lamb of god." The problem is that the above animals are not metaphors; they are the only actual options for sacrifice. Humans are not on the list, and therefore, cannot be used as a sacrifice. Human sacrifice, on the other hand, was common in the surrounding pagan nations. For instance, we read in the Bible that the worshippers of the pagan god Molech would throw their children into a fire to sacrifice them. The Jews are told not to do this. Moreover, we have the issue as to how Jesus' "sacrifice" was given. A sacrifice must be given at the Holy Temple by the Kohanim. Jesus was killed by the Romans away from the Holy Temple. This is completely contrary to the Biblical commandments on sacrifice. Further, the animal sacrifice was highly ritualized, in how the animal was killed, the treatment of the blood, etc. None of the this was matched by Jesus and his death on the cross. So, basically we have the wrong item sacrificed by the wrong people, in the wrong place, in the wrong manner-clearly, this just does not work. Lastly, there is a claim that by accepting Jesus' "sacrifice" that one can now get atonement. Even if Jesus was a sacrifice (which as I demonstrated, he could not have been), he could not be used today as atonement. A sacrifice can only be used for sins committed prior to the sacrifice, not those committed after the sacrifice. Jesus was killed by the Romans 2000 years ago. Claiming Jesus today as a sacrifice for current sins violates the basic time-dimensions of sacrifice. So, on top of everything else being wrong, even the time frame is wrong. This is basic Judaism-a real Jewish group would not make these huge errors. Next, on the same page, in the section "God's Promise of a Savior", Beth Jacob continues in their error-filled ways. In the first paragraph on the section, they say: "God promised Abraham that all the families of the earth would be blessed by Abraham (Genesis 12:3). Since all people on earth are sinners (Psalm 14:2-3), all people deserve God�s curse, not God�s blessing. Only those who have been saved from their sins can be blessed of God. Thus the promise of blessing for the families of the earth must include salvation for the families of the earth and this salvation (Yeshua) would come through the seed of Abraham."
Beth Jacob does something here that is foreign to Judaism, namely, making a dichotomy between sinners and those deserving of blessing. In Judaism, you recieve punishments for that which you do improperly and rewards for what you do properly, whether the reward/punishment takes place in this life or the after-life. The only person that would not deserve any "blessing" would be a person whose every single action is one of improper behavior. Literally, you would have to do every single activity in a sinful manner for your entire life to never deserve a blessing. Also, the Messiah is not considered a "salvation" in Judaism. That is a Christian concept. The only one who can be a "salvation" to the Jewish people is G-d, not any man. At the end of the first paragraph and for the next three paragraphs they try to outline how the Messiah must come from Abraham, Jacob, Isaac and David. It is, ultimately, a very silly demonstration. The Bible is clear that the Messiah will be from the line of David. Since David descended from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, there is no need to prove that the Messiah will descend from the Three Patriarchs. Once you state that the Messiah will descend from David, you by definition are saying that the person will descend from the Patriarchs. It is a given. In the final line of the section, they state: "The Tanakh shows us that the Messiah must come from Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Jesse, and David! Yeshua came from this line!
Actually, this is not true. In Judaism, family lineage is traced only through the birth father. According to Messianic Jewish/Christian belief, Jesus' birth father was G-d. The Messiah's birth father will be from the line of King David. Jesus would have to have two birth fathers for Jesus to also be the Messiah. Is it possible for someone to have two birth fathers? No! Ultimately, if you look at Messianic Jewish prophecy, Jesus would need to have FIVE SEPARATE BIRTH FATHERS to accomplish all of the "prophecies." Here is a link to an essay I wrote that demonstrates this:
Jesus' Father Beth Jacob makes another mistake that a real Jewish group would not make in the next section on the same page Beth Jacob also spreads lies regarding the Bible regarding Isaiah chapter 7, in their section on "Born of a Virgin?". Beth Jacob claims: "God�s great sign or miracle would be that the Messiah must be born of a virgin: "Assuredly, my Lord will give you a sign of His own accord! Look, the virgin is with child and about to give birth to a son. Let her name him Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14). The Hebrew term "young woman" (almah) is used in the Torah of women who were certainly virgins (see Genesis 24:43 and Exodus 2:8)."
The Hebrew word "Almah" means "young woman". Though some young women are virgins, the Biblical word for "virgin" is "Betulah". This is basic Biblical Hebrew. In fact, if your read Isaiah 7:14 in context you see that the verse talks about G-d giving a sign to King Ahaz. The sign is that before his son can tell the difference between good and evil, the two kingdoms that are attacking him will no longer fight him. Beth Jacob's translation simply makes no sense. Here is a another great article that reviews the true meaning of this verse:
Click Here But, Beth Jacob makes further errors, claiming: "The Jewish translators of the Hebrew Scriptures into the Greek Septuagint in the third century BC used parthenos to translate the word almah, and the Greek term parthenos clearly denoted virginity."
To know the error here, you have to know the history of the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Bible. There is a story about the creation of the Septuagint, in which dozens of Rabbis were told to translate the Bible and all of them came out with identical translations, which became the Septuagint. There is one major catch. This story only applies to the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, and not books from the Prophets and Writings, such as Isaiah. The Septuagint sections of Prophets and Writings, including the Book of Isaiah, was translated by Christians. The idea that there is a virgin in the book is a Christian invention, and has no relationship to the Rabbis. But, Beth Jacob makes another error. They state: "The context of Isaiah 7:14 involves the LORD speaking to Ahaz about a great sign or miracle. For a young woman to become pregnant and give birth to a son is not a miracle. It happens all the time. But for a virgin to become pregnant and give birth to a son is a great miracle indeed!"
As I already reviewed, the miracle of Isaiah 7:14 is not in the birth of the son, but the end of the fighting prior to the son knowing the difference between good and evil. Also, notice their use of "bait and switch." The say that the verse is talking about a sign or miracle, then ignore the "sign" and go with the "miracle." However, the verse does not speak of a miracle at all. The word in Hebrew is "Ot", which is a sign. Is a virgin birth a sign? First, we have to ask what is a sign? A sign is something that the everyone can see, so that everyone will get the intended message. The Ten Plagues were a sign, all of the people could see it. The Parting of the Red See was a sign, it was obvious and could not be missed. What about virginity? Can it be a sign? Well, ask yourself, how do you tell who is a virgin? Do virgins wear a shirt that says "virgin" on it (if they did, would you believe it)? Frankly, there is no way for the people around a woman to know if she is a virgin or not. A sign is an obvious, easily-seen message. Virginity, unless you are a gynecologist, is not apparent. Therefore, virginity is not a sign. That being said, it does not even say "virgin" to begin with, so the argument is dead before it gets off the ground. Here is the link that shows Beth Jacob said all of the quoted statements:
Click Here
Hebrew Errors
In the aformentioned Beth Jacob web-page on the Hebrew language, Beth Jacob attempts to give multiple reasons why one should study Hebrew. However, they make a number of historical errors in their claims, errors that a real Jewish group would not make! I will list their claims, then present why their claim is false. Error #1: 5. Hebrew deepens understanding of the Christian's spiritual roots and identity
Christianity is Jewish! Yeshua was Jewish, all of His disciples were Jewish, and salvation is proclaimed to the Jew first, then the Gentile (Romans 1:16). Both the Tanakh and the Brit Chadasha are Jewish books written primarily to a Jewish, Hebrew-speaking audience. Indeed, Yeshua Himself said, "Salvation is from the Jews."
So, what is the problem? First, Christiniaty is far from being Jewish. Christiniaty originated from Judaism, and changed to a religion that is very different from Judaism. Judaism and Christianity have different concepts of G-d, the Messiah, the nature of humanity, the nature of salvation, the nature of sin....I could keep going, but I believe I have made my point. Almost as obvious, they claim that the "Brit Chadasha", their way of saying "The New Testament", was written for a Hebrew-speaking audience. That is rather fascinating, as the language that Jews primarily spoke during those times was Aramaic, not Hebrew. Hebrew had ceased being the everyday language of the Jews, so, if you wanted to speak to most of the population, you would speak in Aramaic. A real Jewish group would know these facts but obviously Beth Jacob does not!
Dance Lessons
Beth Jacob makes more false claims in their Davidic Dance page. They claim: "Davidic dance is a form of worship that the Lord's people have been performing for centuries! It's a physical expression of praise, thanksgiving, and pure joy to Elohim. It's usually danced in a circle, sometimes holding hands, sometimes not."
Davidic dance has been done for centuries? Nonsense. What is called "Davidic dance" is nothing more than Israeli folk-dancing. It has no relationship to King David. When we read about King David dancing in the Bible, it is not in a circle and does not appear to be like any current Jewish dancing. Basically, King David jumps and spins so much that his clothes rise up and he exposes himself! That is the Davidic dance described in the Bible (Check out the end of 2 Samuel Chapter 6 if you doubt that he exposed himself). To call anything that Beth Jacob is doing "Davidic" is absurd. Here is the link where they made these claims:
Click Here
Why Jews Don't Believe in Jesus There are many reasons why Jews do not accept Jesus, and the links below are some of the better explanations on this topic. Of course, if you have questions that are not covered on the links, you can always e-mail me with your questions. An Answer from Rabbi Stuart Federow Click Here
An Answer from Rabbi Shraga Simmons Click Here Ask the Rabbi from Ohr Somayach Click Here An Answer from Rabbi Tovia Singer Click Here Countermissionary Counseling
There are a number of groups that provide Countermissionary Counseling. Here are links to a few of them:
Jews for Judaism Alternatively, you can call them at 1-800-4PROOF1 with general questions about missionary claims.
Torah Atlanta
Outreach Judaism
Torah Life and Living Great Sites, Priceless Information
Here are a number of great sites that counter missionaries and explain the differences in belief between Judaism and Christianity, including addressing the Biblical verses that missionaries try to use against the Jews and explaining why the missionaries are incorrect. For the most in-depth analysis of verse by verse questions, go to Messiah Truth (sections on Counter-Missionary: Multi-media training [this can be read without being "multi-media"], Knowing Your Orchard and Judaism's Answer), Jews for Judaism (in their Reference Section (please not that the Isaiah topics tend to be under "Suffering Servant" part of the "Proof Text" section) and the Q & A section of Outreach Judaism. Messiah Page Messiah Truth Jews for Judaism Outreach Judaism Counter Missionary Reference Torah Atlanta Messianic Verses in Tanach Kosher Judaism Escape From Counterfeit Judaism Talking to Kids About Missionaries
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