"Did The Jews Kill Christ or was Jesus a Victim of Identity Theft?"

Consider the facts: 

* The Jews did not kill Christ because the Jews could not kill Christ. They did not have legal authority in matters of capital crimes under Roman law at that time. 

* The Jews were a diverse group of 4,500,000 people spread out over many nations of the world. They could not collectively make a single matzah ball or take any solitary decisive action for which all could take credit or all share blame. 

* The Jews did not have power over God. The death of Christ was according to God's sovereign will according to the Scriptures. 

*The Jews did not have control over a decision that belonged to Jesus. Jesus laid His life down. Nobody took it from Him. It would be wrong to depreciate His love by suggesting that the Jewish people, or other groups of people were responsible for our eternal salvation. After all, that is what Christ purchased through His death. 

Bridging Heaven and Earth

"On the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel." —Leviticus 9:1

The Torah portion for this week, Shemini, is from Leviticus 9:1–11:47 and the Haftorah from 2 Samuel 6:1–19.

At first glance, it seems that the beginning of this week's Torah reading should have been included in the previous portion,Tzav. In that portion, we read about the first seven days of the inauguration of the Tabernacle. But just as we are about to get to the eighth day, that portion abruptly stops, and this week's portion begins with the eighth day. This is the source of the portion's name – Shemini, meaning "eighth."

The Sages wonder why the eighth day wasn't connected to the first seven, and they conclude that there is something unique about the eighth day of the inauguration. The rabbis wanted to stress the qualitative difference between the seven days and the eighth one, so they completely separated the readings.

For seven days, the representatives of Israel served in the Tabernacle, but on the eighth day, the priests began their service. This is the practical difference between the days, but there is a spiritual differentiation as well.

The Overflowing Cup

Dear Reader: Happy Passover! For the next eight days, we celebrate Pesach (Passover), offering you devotional reflection tied to this very special observance as well as Torah readings for each day. Since no work is done on the holiest of these days, these devotions were prepared in advance for you.

"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery." —Exodus 20:2

Today is Day 4 of the eight-day Passover celebration. The Torah reading for today is from Exodus 22:24–23:19.

Are you a pessimist or an optimist? Believe it or not, one day, according to Jewish tradition, God will want to know.

The Sages teach that there are a series of questions each person is asked when his or her time on Earth has come to an end. Among those questions are "were you an honest person?" and "did you make time to study God’s Word?" One of them is also "did you anticipate salvation?" In other words, were you an optimist? Did you anticipate that things could get better and that God would help you?

Buried Treasure

"The LORD said to Moses, 'Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.'" — Exodus 34:1
The Torah portion for this week, Ki Tisa, is from Exodus 30:11–34:35 and 1 Kings 18:1–39.

There is an old Hasidic tale about a poor God-fearing Jew who lived in the city of Prague. One night, the man had a dream that he traveled to Vienna, and there, at the base of a bridge leading to the king's palace, he found a buried treasure. At first the man dismissed the dream as nonsense, but as the dream persisted, the man began to believe that perhaps its message was true.

Eventually, the man set out for Vienna and found the bridge that led to the king's palace. The problem was that the bridge was heavily guarded by armed men. The man paced back and forth near the bridge for days not knowing what to do. Finally, one of the guards demanded to know what he was up to. The poor man was frightened and told the guard all about his dream and his buried treasure.

What Is a Tallit?

The tallit, a Jewish prayer shawl, is a four-cornered garment that is usually white and made either of wool, cotton, or silk. Knotted tassels, or fringes, are attached to the four corners in fulfillment of the biblical command from the book of Numbers to envelop the wearer in God’s word.

Jewish men wear the tallit during morning prayers. Some also wear a garment called thetzitzit or tallit katan (small tallit) under their shirt all day as a reminder to observe all the commandments of the Torah.

Often, the portion of the tallit around the neck and on the shoulders features a special piece of cloth woven with silver threads, called the atara, or “diadem.”