The Last Exile

I haven’t read Rabbi Tovia Singer’s new book Let’s Get Biblical and I probably won’t. Only because I already know why Jews have not and will not accept Jesus as the Messiah. Although I would highly recommend it to any curious Christians – or any one who had a Christian upbringing. Arutz Sheva, explains by illustrating a pet peeve of mine.

In contrast to most ecumenical Jewish-Christian literature published today, this book makes no attempt to reconcile the Synagogue and the Church. Quite the contrary, The Let’s Get Biblical Study Guide was written in direct response to the growing effort of numerous fundamentalist Christian organizations which aggressively target Jews for conversion.

The book methodically brings to light the fundamental reasons why Judaism does not accept the Christian messiah. It illustrates how the core teachings and doctrines of the Church are incompatible with the cornerstone principles declared by the Prophets of Israel, and are opposed by the most cherished tenets contained in the Jewish Scriptures.

The Let’s Get Biblical Study Guide further shows how, over the course of many centuries, the Church systematically and deliberately altered the Jewish Scriptures in its authorized translations of the Bible in order to persuade its adherents that Jesus is the promised Jewish messiah. To accomplish this task, Christian translators manipulated, misquoted, mistranslated and even fabricated verses in the Hebrew Scriptures so that these texts clearly appear to be speaking about Jesus.

I cannot count the times where someone quotes from the Christian Genesis or Isaiah, citing chapter and verse in a discussion. This always causes me to reach up to pull down my Tanakh only to discover the chapter and verse cited is not the same as mine or the context bares no resemblance to the issue under discussion.