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Jewish View of Moses |
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Christian View of Moses |
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Historical Moses |
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Islamic View of Moses |
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The Jewish View of Moses |
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Many of the Jewish prophets are also recognized in the Christian religion. One of the most popular prophets is Moses. He is seen as the prophet who provided the laws for everyone to live by. This is mainly where most Jews refuse to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ because Jesus' teachings seem not necessarily to contrast the Laws of Moses, but to modify them. The Jews believe that the Laws of Moses should not be modified, because they are the exact words of God, so they should be followed accordingly. |
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In the Jewish faith, Moses is the greatest of all the prophets that ever lived. In fact, it is one Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon's 13 principles of faith to believe that Moses is the greatest prophet and that all of his principles are true. This is partly because Moses is believed to be the only human whoever knew God face-to-face and mouth-to-mouth. The Jews believe that God spoke to Moses directly, in plain language, without the disguise of dreams and visions. |
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Jews also believe that Moses was chosen to deliver the people of Isreal from the torment of pharaoh and the Egyptians because, like God, Moses cared for everyone in the group not just the group as a whole. When Moses was leading the Israelites through the wilderness, they camped at the base of Mount Sinai while Moses went up the mountain and returned with tablets that contained the commandments. This is now celebrated in the Jewish religion as the Shavout holiday. Moses is referred to in Judaism as "Moshe Rabbeinu," meaning "Moses our Teacher/Rabbi." |
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Moses is also believed to be the writer of the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew bible. There have been disputes about who wrote the last few verses of Deuteronomy; some say that Moses wrote it from his visions of the future, while others believe that it was written by Joshua. However, most Jews believe that the exact writer of these verses is insignificant because the person must have been instructed by God, so they are not man's writings but God's words. |
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While Moses might have been the greatest prophet, Jews do not however claim that Moses was a perfect person. They recognize that Moses had flaws, and that as a matter of fact, Moses was unable to enter the promise land because of his transgression. When God asked him to call water from the rock for the thirsty Israelites, Moses, in anger repeatedly struck the rock, and demonstrated a lack of faith in God. As a result, Moses died at the age of 120 without entering the Promise Land. This age is considered ideal in the Jewish faith. |
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Caption: Traditional Tomb of Moses: Scene During a Pilgrimage. |
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Source: (From a photograph by the American Colony, Jerusalem.) picture from http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=830&letter=M#2846 |
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