Jewish problem: belief if Kabbalah and Zohar, etc.
[ Bible Probe ]Posted by Bible Probe on August 10, 2006 at 13:43:37:
Shalom from Sefad, Israel! by Zev Isaacs
September 2005
Fall is coming, and there's an excitement in the air as we approach the Jewish Holidays. It would certainly be nice to be spending them with you as we celebrate Rosh HaShanna (the Jewish New Year) and remember Yeshua on Yom Kippur, as the final atonement for our sins.
In my last letter to you, I wrote about the 200,000 Lubavitchers (members of an ultra- Orthodox Jewish sect) of which many believe that their late Rabbi Schneerson is the Messiah of Israel. Instead of focusing on the Jewish Bible (Tanakh), Lubavitchers' base their theology and doctrine on a book called Tanya.
That's only 200,000 Jews, however millions of Jewish people believe in reincarnation, which is taught in Kabbalah based on a set of Jewish books called "the Zohar." All Chassidic Jews and the majority of Orthodox Jews believe that Kabbalah and the Zohar are valid Jewish teachings.
Kabbalah is a religious mystical system of Judaism claiming insight into the divine nature and secret knowledge of God, and the laws of nature and light in the universe.
Zohar is a Hebrew word that means "splendor" or "radiance." The Zohar is a mystical commentary on the Torah, originally written in Aramaic.
At one point the Zohar was only to be studied by Jews who were well-versed in the Talmud, but today all Jews are encouraged to read and study all 23 volumes of the mystical Zohar.
Organizations like the "The Kabbalah Learning Center" have outlets in cities throughout the world with many Jews and even non-Jews attending classes. Famous singer/actress Madonna has given millions of dollars to promote Kabbalah and the Zohar, which has peaked the interest of Jewish youth to the lies and deceptions of the Zohar.
The Zohar, and commentaries on the Zohar, have become very popular books in the last decade teaching on all types of Jewish subjects such as: healing, life after death, redemption, etc., which is leading our Jewish people further away from the truth of Biblical Judaism and their need for a Messiah to take away their sins.
"Of course I believe in reincarnation," Sarah said. "Zev, it's a Jewish concept, from the Kabbalah!" Sarah, whom I have known for the past year was raised in a traditional Jewish home, and is studying the Zohar and other aspects of Kabbalah.
"Okay Sarah, so tell me who you were in your past life?" I asked. Sarah shrugged her shoulders and replied, "I don't know!"
Like most Jews, Sarah does not read the Tanakh (Jewish Bible), but she is drawn to other Jewish books like the Zohar because of their mystical nature.
I then showed her in our Jewish Bible (2 Samuel 12:22-23), how reincarnation is not a Jewish concept. I had her read from the Prophet Samuel, where it says: After King David's first son died, David said: "Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me."
I also showed Sarah, (Job 7:9-10): "When a cloud vanishes, it is gone. So he who goes down to Sheol does not come up. He will not return again to his house, nor will his place know him anymore."
Sarah then said, "Okay, I guess our Jewish Bible does not believe in reincarnation. However Zev, Kabbalah and the Zohar are really, really interesting and through Kabbalah, I am able to reach my full potential as a Jew."
She is convinced that the Zohar is the most important Jewish book, that reincarnation is a Jewish concept, and that she has had past lives even though she doesn't remember anything about them.
Isn't it very sad that millions of Jewish people believe in reincarnation, and accept it as scriptural truth?
Sarah and I have discussed the Messianic prophecies several times, and in our last conversation she said to me, "Jesus even taught Kabbalah. That is how he was able to walk on water and do miracles."
I have not given up on Sarah, and she has not given up on listening to me when I talk to her about Biblical truths. She has told me that when our Messianic Prophecy Bible is completed she would be willing to go through it with me and her rabbi.
It's obvious that Jewish people believe in reincarnation because it solves the problem of everlasting life for them. There is no longer a need to acknowledge your sins and the need for atonement. Reincarnation is a "feel good concept" because it gives you immortality.
Last Wednesday, I again went to visit my cousin Svi on our family Moshav, in the northern Galilee region of Israel. As I was passing by the city of Sefad, I decided to park my car and take a stroll down the main street. A man was standing outside a Kaballistic Center and he invited me in. "Shalom, my name is Uri," he said. "I feel a very good 'aura' around you, I can tell that you have a good soul," he said to me. "Do you read the Zohar?" he asked. I replied, "No, I don't read the Zohar because I read the Tanakh and Brit Chadashah (the Jewish Bible and the New Testament)."
"That's great," Uri replied. "Yeshua was a good man and one of the greatest Kaballists who ever lived! He was a master of the Zohar and therefore you should want to read it too because it will open the "divine spark" hidden within you.
"What's your name?" he asked me. "Zev," I replied.
"Zev, the more you bring the Zohar into your life, the stronger your connection with the Light becomes. The Zohar is both practical and powerful and each week there is a special reading where you can tap into the Creator's Light," explained Uri.
Uri and I spoke for about 45 minutes, going over the Zohar and how it contradicts the Messianic Prophecies and the teachings of the Jewish Bible. I was surprised at how many Israelis and Jewish tourists walked into the store to buy the Zohar and other books, during the short time we spoke.
Uri, a master Kaballist, explained to me why I should believe in Kabbalah and I explained to him the sin in mankind and in his own life.
However, Uri's response was that 'his sin' is dealt with in each life. "In each life, the soul is prepared to be a better person in the next life, until hopefully one day there is no more sin. You see our 'Karma' has certain layers of negativity around it which stops us from 'connecting to The Light.' When a person removes all the layers, then they connect with The Light and they don't have to come back anymore. This happens to righteous people, and then they go to what we call heaven or paradise," explained Uri.
I then opened up my Bible and showed him the main Messianic Prophecies and how Yeshua fulfilled all of them proving that He is the Jewish Messiah, and the sin atonement that Uri needs in order to have everlasting life.
Wouldn't it have been wonderful if the Messianic Prophecy Bible was completed and I could have left one with Uri and given them out to the people who walked into the Kaballistic Center?
A few hours later, I went to a gym/health spa to exercise - and on a sign it said, "Our indoor and outdoor spa integrates healing Kaballistic secrets to offer you the fountain of youth."
Kaballah is pervasive in both Israeli society and Jewish communities around the world. You will see flyers posted in libraries, restaurants, public hallways, and just about everywhere advertising Kaballistic classes and books to read.
The following day I was back in Jerusalem and I walked passed a store called Olam Katan (in Hebrew means "small world") - Spiritual Books and World Music. I was greeted by the owner, Reuven, who invited me in and told me about classes he holds on various subjects of Kabbalah.
Many of the books in the store were on Kabbalah and the Zohar. There were even more books based on Hinduism, Buddhism, and all types of eastern religious philosophies which is the basis of the New Age Movement.
Right away I told the store owner that I was a believer in Yeshua. "Really, well we have books on Jesus too," Reuven said, as he led me to another section of the store while he kept talking . . . "You know, Jesus was a great spiritualist and miracle healer, so I have many books about Jesus."
I must say that I was appalled! One of the books was called, "Jesus the Magician," another was called, "Was Jesus influenced by Buddhism," another "The Imitation of Christ," and the list went on and on.
The reality is that Kabbalah, the Zohar, and all these books are based on eastern religions and not on Biblical Judaism.
In the Messianic Prophecy Bible we will address issues such as reincarnation and refute the doctrines of Kabbalah and New Age teaching, as we prove that Yeshua fulfilled the Messianic Prophecies, and that He takes away the sins of the world.
There is overwhelming proof that the Jewish people are open to "spiritual things" because millions of them believe in Kabbalah and other Jewish books and teachings. The problem is that they are not hearing the Gospel Message because Christians who know the truth, are not taking it to them.
The Apostle Paul says in Romans 11, it is the responsibility of the Gentile Christians to make the Jewish people envious of their salvation in Yeshua (Jesus):
Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!" Romans 11:11-12
I want you to know that many non-Jews who are also studying Kabbalah such as movie star Demi Moore and singers Mick Jagger, Britney Spears, and Madonna, are influencing Jewish people to study the Zohar. Madonna, who recently visited Israel to attend Kabbalah seminars, has already spent $6.5 million on a Kabbalah Center in London's Old Jewish area as well as $21.6 million on funding a Kabbalah Grammar School in New York. Madonna is influencing many Jewish people away from the truth of Messiah Yeshua.
However, with your financial support you can influence the Jewish people by spreading the truth through the Messianic Prophecy Bible and help bring Salvation (Yeshua) to the people of Israel. We simply need to get Messianic Prophecy Bibles printed and distributed to Jewish people throughout the world. Please make the best gift you can, and consider sponsoring a chapter of this urgently-needed Bible.
If you can help. Please give what you can to help Christian Bibles in Hebrew reach Israelis. Please make a gift that will last for eternity here: https://messianicbible.com/donate.asp
With all my brotherly love in Messiah Yeshua,
/s/ Zev Isaacs
Founder
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