I want to know more about the jewish religion

[Leon]

Does chabadtalk have anything to say about Qabbalah? Really? In either case there's Qabbalah and then there's Qabbalah. For someone who is interested in the the currently vogue Qabbalah w/o Judaism I'm sure there are local resources that can you with that. On the other hand, Qabbalah, the real kind is a course of study that follows an intense path. It is recommended for Jews over the age of 40 who are already knowledgable and secure in their own Judaism. I would check out the Judaica section of your local B+N or Borders and see what they have. If you are Jewish and are affiliated with a shul then I would contact your Rabbi or shul education director. There are also resources online but they are hit or miss.

Not many people - even those who are refined and over 40 are capable of learning Kabbalah, Kabbalah.

But to get a real insight into it and its key concepts, one can learn Chassidus. Chassidus is open to anyone at any age and when it comes to chassidus - for a secular person Chabad is the best to approach and ask questions

[SteveK]

There is an Israeli Rabbi who lives in Kfar Chabad, and his books, also in English, are in all seriousness literally a God send. His teachings of Kabbalah are what should be such teachings of God, Torah and the Land of Israel.

Here is his website:

Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh
Gal Einai
Jerusalem

http://www.inner.org/

[Ya`akov]

To get a Torah perspective on Jesus,. please read Deuteronomy Chapter 13 verses 2 through 12

[Ephraim]

Excellent thread. I am going to try a lot of these URLs.

[Achihud]

And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.
This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin.
Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews.
Pilate answered, What I have written I have written. John (19:19-22)

Damn' those Romans, they never cooperate fully, do they?

[Faith]

The First Episode

Life is a Prison for the believer, but a Paradise for the non-Believer



“What are Life and Death? Are they among the creations of Allah?�



Just like everything else, death is one of Allah's creations. If we consider the verses in the Holy Qur’an, some words have profound meanings, and would definitely make us think. For example, the following verse: “Blessed be He in Whose Hand is the dominion; and He is Able to do all things. Who has created death and life that He may test you which of you is best in deed. And He is the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving� (67:1-2).



Allah wants to say ‘blessed be He’ who created ‘death and life’. The difference between a Muslim and a non-Muslim is that the former abides by the Qur’an, which Allah named ‘a spirit’, with which the Muslim should lead a life different from others. For example, ‘death’ in the Qur’an is the beginning of life for the Muslim; hence, such a description of death in the Qur’an makes the Muslim interact with it as if it were the beginning of a new life: the afterlife. Allah predestined death to all souls. He described worldly life as ‘the inferiority’ (the less significant) and described the afterlife as ‘the eternity’, which indicates that it is perpetual, eternal and contains no death thereafter. In other words, it can be described as the REAL life. The (faa'lan) style of the language indicates a satisfied life that is like no other. The adjective ‘Rahman’ (gracious), is restricted to Allah, unlike ‘Rahim’ (merciful), which can describe a human. Allah has called Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by this term in the Qur’an, “For the believers (he Muhammad is) full of pity, kind, and merciful.� (9:128) There is only one eternity, and that is the afterlife.



The Day of Resurrection, after which ensues permanent eternity, does not include Death. Allah will personify ‘Death’ on Al-Siraat (The Straight Path) and will ask the inhabitants of Heaven if they know it, to which they will answer yes. Allah will then ask the inhabitants of Hell if they know it, to which they will also answer yes. Death is then slain on Al-Siraat, and henceforth there is no more death; there is either eternal paradise (Al-Jannah) or eternal Hell. Death transfers the human being from the short-lasting, perishable life, to the everlasting eternal existence, and from the small, restricted world to the vast and everlasting one. The true Muslim should neither panic nor collapse for the death of an intimate relative, because if he has been reading and grasping the Qur’an he would have known that beyond this Muslim’s death there lies a happy comfortable life with eternal existence, as Allah promised those who are patient (As-sabireen). This promise is made in a narration of Hadith Qudsi. In the Hadith, Allah asks his angles, ‘Did you put my subject's (i.e. a worshipper of Allah) son to death?’, to which they answer, ‘Yes’. He then resumes, ‘What did my subject say?’, to which they answer, ‘He praised You and recovered’, so He says, ‘Build my subject a house in Heaven and call it the "House of Praise". In this Hadith it occurs that if the life of someone very close to the subject is taken and he is patient, he will have no reward but Heaven. The first shock of death is an affliction from Allah to the Muslim, where He tests if that person will be patient. If he has understood Allah’s sayings, he will thank Allah, and say, ‘We are all to Allah and to him we shall return’ (‘Inna Lilahi wa ‘inna ilayhi ragi’oon). Patience is the basis of all the pillars of Islam. We all know the pillars (praying, fasting, hajj (pilgrimage) etc); however we must understand that they all need patience as their support.



It is worth mentioning here that the Muslim often worries about the torture of the grave when in fact he/she should be more concerned about the judgment. This is suggesting that the Muslim is assuming the worst by fearing the torture of the grave. The Muslim who believes in the mercy, the justice and the kindness of Allah is very powerful. He is the one who is certain about what is mentioned in the Qur’an and Sunnah, and knows that in the grave there is judgment that is followed either by comfort or torture. It is regrettable to see that many religious preachers are terrifying people with the torture of the grave, often reciting weak Prophetic narrations to show how terrible it will be. They make it seem as if Allah will inflict this torture upon all his subjects, even though Allah has forbidden this from happening. He is the compassion, grace and mercy of the world and the afterlife. Thus the Muslim is bound to ask about the judgment of the grave.



Let us start with the stages of creation. The first thing Allah created was the pen, and He ordered it to write, hence it wrote the fates of creatures, fifty thousand years before the creation of the heavens and the earth. It is Allah's fate that life is succeeded by death, something that is expected by every creature of Allah. Philosophers have argued about many issues but they have all agreed on one thing: the only certainty in life is death. Moreover, since the creation of Adam, all creatures have been fated with death. He imposed eternal existence to His majestic and magnificent self. This is shown in the following verses: “Whatsoever is on it (the earth) will perish. And the Face of your Lord full of Majesty and Honour will remain forever.� (55:26-27)



Allah is the only Living that does not die. Even death itself will perish. All creatures pass away, die or perish in some way. The core essence of mankind's life is his spirit. Animals also have a spirit, and even solids (buildings, planets etc) have a finite lifetime. Thus, everything from humans to inanimate objects will perish. If we mix some cement with water, with which we build a wall, and then this wall were to fall down, we would not be able to rebuild it again as it was, because it has died.



Let us move now to another subject and its connotations in the Holy Qur’an so as to understand the meanings of spirit and death clearly. When we talk about death, we are explaining the antonym of life. Lexicologists have agreed that death is the opposite of life. Hence, if we analyse the process of life it looks as follows:



Water + Dust àFirm Mud àWhetted Sludge Clay àEarthenware àAllah infused Spirit



If we look at the process of death we find it opposite to that of life:



Spirit + Earthenware ÃÂWhetted Sludge Clay àFirm Mud àWater + Dust



The spirit is the last thing entering the body in the stage of creation and life, and it is the first thing that comes out of it in the stage of death or anti-life.

[KettleWhistle]

Please tell me you wrote all of that yourself... and then tell us what is the relevance of any of it to the topic at hand.

[Ray]

It is a confused mind that confused the thread.

Basic aim was to use the forum to propagate the " 'Real' Religion" as the heading of his post reads.

Good discourse by Faith. Sadly, not very impressed. Shan't convert. Faith restored!