Following is a post from guest blogger, Rabbi Jason Miller. Visit his blog at http://blog.rabbijason.com. 

Tonight begins the festival of Shavuot, the holiday in which the Jewish people celebrate the revelation of the Torah at Mt. Sinai. Perhaps, the questions about the revelation of the Torah (when, what, how, if, and to whom) are the questions that divide the Jewish people today more than any other questions. The divisions among the modern denominations of Judaism all stem from the question of how the Torah was revealed to the Jewish people. The way in which individuals in the Jewish community consider the event that occurred at Mt. Sinai several millennia ago has vast implications for their approach to the Jewish faith. The sheer magnitude of that event, however, should force us all to transcend denominational differences and feel the power of community – whichever community we choose.

Never has the spiritual force of revelation affected me more than it did on the early morning of May 31, 1998. I had recently graduated college and was spending Shavuot at a local synagogue, where I served as the youth director. The assistant rabbi decided that the congregation would offer an all-night Tikkun Leil Shavuot (study session) and then a dawn service just before 5:00 in the morning.

It was a memorable night with many opportunities for Torah study with several wonderful teachers including three eighth-grade day school students. With delicious snacks and caffeinated beverages, about thirty of us managed to stay up the entire night. We decided to hold the minyan outdoors in the courtyard so we could enjoy the sunrise while we prayed.

The Torah service that morning took on new meaning for me. The Torah was paraded around and I had the sense that we really were at Sinai claiming what God had lovingly gifted to us. As I stood at the Torah for my aliyah, the sky began to get dark again. The Torah reader pronounced, “On the third day, as morning dawned, there was thunder, and lightning…” As the words “thunder” and “lightning” were uttered, a huge thunderstorm ensued. The Torah reader managed to get out a few more words, chanting “…and a dense cloud upon the mountain, and a very loud blast of the horn; and all the people who were in the camp trembled. Moses led the people out of the camp toward God, and they took their places at the foot of the mountain.”

At that point, the sky opened up and the heavy rains began. We grabbed the Torah and ran inside where the Torah reading was completed. As I wiped the raindrops from my glasses, I remember thinking that this must be divine revelation. This was the epitome of holiness. This existential experience was full of awe and majesty, thunderclaps, and lightning bolts. Best of all, it was shared with community.

This was a liminal moment in my life. That experience has had a lasting effect on my life in the decade since. Being shaken by the thunder, seeing the lightning, and hearing the words of our Torah convinced me that I really did stand at Sinai. We were all there together. As a community.

That was my revelation. What was revealed to me? The power of community. Was I really at Mt. Sinai several thousand years ago? Maybe not physically there, but with this community, during that early morning storm it was as if I were there. And that is the message of Sinai. A community gathered to receive a gift from God. How that gift is interpreted thousands of years later should not take away from the magic of that moment.

At a time when some segments of the global Jewish community do not recognize other segments as Jewish, let us put aside our denominational differences and hearken back to Sinai. One Torah was given to the entire community. Let us stand again at Sinai with our brothers and sisters, and feel the power of community.

Rabbi Jason Miller was ordained as a Conservative rabbi by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2004 where he was the first Gladstein Rabbinic Fellow and also received a Master’s Degree from the William Davidson School of Jewish Education. He is currently the Rabbi of Tamarack Camps, a Jewish camping agency. Additionally, he serves as the director of ATID (Alliance for Teens in Detroit), a Conservative Jewish high school program for teenagers in Metro Detroit, and leads Congregation T’chiyah. He serves on several committees of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit and is a board member of JARC, a community-based Jewish residential services agency for individuals with developmental disabilities. He is an alumni of the STAR Foundation’s PEER (Professional Education for Excellence in Rabbis) program, which focuses on spiritual leadership, communication and practical skills for non-profit management. He is also a fellow in CLAL’s Rabbis without Borders fellowship. Rabbi Miller writes and lectures about modern technology’s effect on Jewish life, particularly the impact of the Internet on the global Jewish community. His blog is at http://blog.rabbijason.com; follow him on Twitter.com: @rabbijason.

Copyright 2009, Religion Transcends

Filed under: GUEST POSTS, Holidays, Judaism, Rabbi Jason Miller | 1 Comment »

Filed under: Dr. Hesham Hassaballa, GUEST POSTS, Islam, Religion and Politics | No Comments »

Tomorrow, August 15, Roman Catholics will celebrate the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Read my guest post about the Assumption of Mary on Sister Julie’s blog, A Nun’s Life.

On the same day as the Assumption, Orthodox Christians remember the Dormition of the Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary – in other words, they remember Mary’s death.

Who is Mary?

Mary was the mother of Jesus. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Mary is a young virgin. The angel Gabriel came to her and told her she would bear a son by the Holy Spirit. See Matthew 1-3 or Luke 1-2 for more about Mary and the birth of Jesus. 

It is a common myth that Catholics worship Mary. They do not. Rather, they honor her for her purity (many believe she never sinned), her motherhood, and her closeness to Jesus Christ. Catholics may ask Mary to pray with them or for them, as she is thought to be closer to God and may plead with those in need.

What happened at her death?

Several oral and written documents were combined into the Church History of Nicephorus Callistus in the 14th century. These documents tell the story of Mary’s death.

Though Mary lived the latter part of her life in Ephesus, it is said that she left for Jerusalem toward the end of her life. While in Jerusalem, the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her she would be leaving her life behind and heading into eternal life. She then prayed that Jesus’s disciple John would be able to come to her. Shortly thereafter, all the disciples except Thomas appeared before her. She blessed them, and they sat with her at her deathbed.

On the morning she was to die (the Dormition), a light descended from Heaven and it is said that Mary could see Jesus, angels, and prophets. She bowed to her son, then fell asleep (thus passing away).

After her death, the disciples buried her in Israel, near the Garden of Gethsemane. They sat by her tomb for three days. Then on the third day, Thomas (the missing disciple) arrived. Having missed her death and burial, he asked if they would open the tomb and allow him to get one last glimpse of Mary. They complied.

When they opened the tomb, they found her burial shroud and nothing more. Her body was gone. Read more about Mary’s death at OCA.org.

Where did her body go?

According to Roman Catholic doctrine, Mary was taken up (assumed) into Heaven. Read about the Assumption of Mary on Anunslife.org. 

What is the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos?

The Feast of the Dormition is a celebration and a solemn remembrance of Mary’s death. It is celebrated by Orthodox Christians. Read more about Orthodox Christians at OCA.org.

Filed under: Catholicism, Christianity, GUEST POSTS, Protestantism, Sister Julie | 2 Comments »

Following is a post from guest blogger, Rabbi Derek Leman. Visit his blog at http://derek4messiah.wordpress.com. And check out a recent post on his blog from Religion Transcends writer Jackie Walker.

Starting at sundown on August 9 and lasting until sundown on Sunday, August 10, observant Jews will be keeping the ancient fast of Tisha B’Av. This is the second most important day of fasting in the year, with Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) being the greatest fast day.

Messianic Jews, that is Jews who believe in Yeshua (Jesus) the Jewish Messiah, will be observing this day along with all our Jewish brothers and sisters. (For more on Messianic Judaism, scroll to the end of this article.)

Why are Jewish people fasting on this day?

This day commemorates the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem not once, but twice in history. The Romans destroyed the Temple and the city of Jerusalem on the 9th of Av on the Jewish calendar in the year 70 C.E. According to Jewish writings, it was on the exact same date that the Babylonians had destroyed the Temple and the city 600 years earlier in 586 B.C.E. The 9th of Av has become a day of sadness for Jews worldwide. Other tragic events of Jewish history are therefore remembered on Tisha B’Av, including the expulsion of the Jewish people from Spain in 1492.

Why is the Temple so important to Judaism?

Since Judaism has lived without a Temple for nearly 2,000 years, it might seem unimportant. But the Jewish prophets and the Jewish prayer book foretell the rebuilding of the Temple. The Book of Isaiah says, “It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it” (Isa. 2:2). The house of the Lord is the Temple. Likewise, in the daily prayers, Jews pray for the rebuilding of Jerusalem, the Temple, and the restoration of the fire offerings of Israel. Interestingly, the Christian New Testament agrees that there will be a Temple in Jerusalem at the end of the age (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8).

Why fasting?

From ancient times fasting has been considered the way to show sadness, repentance, and a desire for God to heal and help. Not only Hebrews, but other ancient peoples fasted in times of distress. For example, when the prophet Jonah told the Assyrian city of Nineveh that God would destroy them for their sins, the Book of Jonah says, “And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them” (Jonah 3:5). In his instructions for Yom Kippur, God commanded us Jews to deny ourselves (Lev. 23:27). The rabbis interpret this to mean fasting.

What are the practices of Tisha B’Av?

In addition to fasting, there are other restrictions for this day of sad remembrance. Observant Jews do not bathe for luxury (though necessary bathing is allowed) or wear perfumes or cosmetics. Leather shoes are avoided as a sign of luxury and wealth. Abstinence from sexual relations is considered essential. Many people sit on low stools as though mourning in the traditional Jewish way for a deceased loved one (this practice dates back to Job, who sat on an ash heap to mourn his family’s passing). Those who are unable need not fast, but should eat a plain diet.

Tisha B’Av reminds Jews that history has been full of tragedy. Although we prefer to dwell on the happy things of life, the wise also remember tragedy and consider the meaning of suffering and death. It is not morbid to reflect on sorrow and mortality. The book of Ecclesiastes says only a fool avoids learning these lessons (Eccles. 7:4). If more people would consider the certainty of death and the meaning of tragedy, more people would be drawn to God.

In Judaism there are a few days for fasting and mourning. Besides Tisha B’Av there is Yom Kippur, mourning our own sinfulness and hoping for God’s mercy. On Yom HaShoah, the remembrance of the Holocaust, we mourn the 6 million Jewish lives as well as the other lives lost in that terrible time in history.

But though there are days of mourning, there are many more days of feasting in Judaism. The weekly Sabbath, for example, is a day of feasting. There is a saying, “There are fifty-two days of feasting and only a few days of fasting; this is to show that God’s mercy outweighs his judgment.”

Derek Leman is a Messianic Jewish rabbi in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the author of many books including Feast and The World to Come. You can find Derek’s synagogue at hopeofdavid.com and his blog at derek4messiah.wordpress.com

Messianic Judaism is a modern movement of Jewish believers in Yeshua (Jesus) reclaiming the once lost idea of Jews being faithful to Torah and tradition as well as to faith in Yeshua. Messianic Jews see themselves as part of Judaism and at the same time related by faith with Christianity.

Filed under: GUEST POSTS, Holidays, Judaism, Rabbi Derek Leman | 6 Comments »

Religion Transcends writer Jackie Walker has contributed a guest blog post to Messianic Jewish Musings, a blog run by Rabbi Derek Leman of Atlanta, Georgia.

Read “Kosher Meals Denied to Messianic Prisoners” here.

Visit Messianic Jewish Musings here.

And watch for a guest posting from Rabbi Derek Leman on Religion Transcends this August.

Filed under: GUEST POSTS, Judaism, Rabbi Derek Leman | No Comments »