Showing posts with label Apologetics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Apologetics. Show all posts

The Leper Scholar

Apr 8, 2011 at 2:41 PM | Posted by Rabbi Joshua

Parashat Metzora

Our Torah portion this week is a continuation on the theme of tzara’at. Last week I discussed how tzara’at is not what we often think it is. Although it is commonly to understand these passages as dealing with an actual skin disease, Jewish tradition teaches that tzara’at is not leprosy at all, but a serious spiritual caused by Sinat Chinam – hatred without a reason.

Interestingly, there is a wealth of Jewish tradition that makes a connection between tzara’at and the Messiah. After all, the rabbis teach us that everything in the Torah concerns Mashiach. Therefore, the rabbis recognized that even within the spiritual malady of tzara’at were hidden signs of Mashiach:

This tradition of connecting tzara’at and Mashiach begins with a particular verse from last week’s parasha, in Leviticus 13:12-13:

יב וְאִם-פָּרוֹחַ תִּפְרַח הַצָּרַעַת בָּעוֹר וְכִסְּתָה הַצָּרַעַת אֵת כָּל-עוֹר הַנֶּגַע מֵרֹאשׁוֹ וְעַד-רַגְלָיו--לְכָל-מַרְאֵה עֵינֵי הַכֹּהֵן.

12 If the tzara’at breaks out all over the skin, so that, as far as the cohen can see, the person with tzara’at has sores everywhere on his body, from his head to his feet;

יג וְרָאָה הַכֹּהֵן וְהִנֵּה כִסְּתָה הַצָּרַעַת אֶת-כָּל-בְּשָׂרוֹ--וְטִהַר אֶת-הַנָּגַע: כֻּלּוֹ הָפַךְ לָבָן טָהוֹר הוּא.

13 then the cohen is to examine him, and if he sees that the tzara’at has covered his entire body, he is to pronounce the person with the sores as ritually pure - it has all turned white and he is clean.

Referring particularly to verse 13, the Talmud States (b. Sanhedrin 97a):

“The Son of David (Mashiach) will only come when every government becomes heretical. Rabah said, ‘Where do we see this in Scripture? From the verse “He has turned completely white, he is ritually pure.’”

Rashi further expands on this verse and notes, “Just as when the affliction has spread throughout the entire skin and the person is ritually pure, so too, when all the governments have become heretical, the redemption will come.”

Recognizing that the Messiah must be afflicted, and familiar with suffering, the rabbis went even further - and one of the ways they identified Mashiach in the Talmud is with the title, The Leper Scholar:

“The Rabbanan (rabbis) say that Mashiach’s name is The Leper Scholar of the House of Rabbi, for it is written, ‘Surely he has borne our grief and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten and afflicted by G-d (b. Sanhedrin 98b).’”

The rabbis obviously recognized that this does not mean that Mashiach would literally be afflicted with tzara’at but that this was a memtaphor. This connection between tzara’at and Mashiach is not unique to rabbinic literature. Rather, Yeshua himself is described in the Besorah as having compassion for the metzora (the person with tzara’at), and healing them:

“And it happened when he was in a certain city, a man covered with tzara’at saw Yeshua, and he fell on his face and implored him, saying, ‘L-rd, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’ Then Yeshua put out his hand and touched him, saying, ‘I am willing, be healed.’ And he commanded him to tell no one, ‘But go to the cohen and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moshe commanded (Luke 5:12-14).”

Those with tzara’at were healed, and their healings were part of the sign of his being the Mashiach. Yeshua taught that we must forgive, and not let Sinat Chinam eat away within us:

"And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins" (Mark 11:25).

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven" (Luke 6:37).

According to the sages, tzara’at is the physical effect of sin. It is a spiritual disease that must be kept in check. To specifically avoid tzara’at, we must avoid slander and baseless hatred. All of us have spiritual sores and wounds, which if left untreated, can fester into something much worse. That is why we must learn to forgive and let go of any kind of judgment and hatred we might have against another person. Sinat Chinam – baseless hatred will destroy us, but forgiveness and healing can set us free!

We must learn how to go before our great great High Priest, Yeshua our Messiah (Hebrews 5), and let him inspect us. For through him, not only will we find healing and wholeness, but redemption as well.


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Revealing Mashiach

Dec 17, 2010 at 10:10 AM | Posted by Rabbi Joshua

Parashat Vayechi

It can be said that everything written in the Torah concerns Mashiach. As such, how does this week’s Torah portion, Vayechi, reveal Mashiach?

Continuing on the themes from last week's discussion, this week’s Torah portion reveals Mashiach in two primary ways – through our final glimpse of the life of Yosef, who the rabbis identify as a ‘type’ of Messiah (i.e. Mashiach ben Yosef – b. Sukkah 52b), and by tracing the lineage of Messiah through the tribe of Judah.

Yosef personifies Mashiach as one who was despised by his brothers, rejected, and left for dead. Yet despite his trials, was elevated to a position of authority and became the savior of a generation. When reconciled to his brothers, Yosef revealed himself to them, and in this week’s parasha states, “You meant to do me harm, but God meant it for good – so that it would come about, as it is today, with many people’s lives being saved (Gen. 50:20).”

Although Mashiach was despised by some around him, and treated with contempt and left for dead, his elevation through his resurrection has brought many people into ultimate redemption. And one day, Yeshua will reveal himself in all his glory to his people, and proclaim himself Mashiach.

The lineage of Mashiach

This week’s parasha also reveals Mashiach by tracing the Messianic lineage through the tribe of Judah:

"The scepter shall not pass from Yehudah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom obedience belongs; and it is he whom the peoples will obey (Gen. 49:10)."

The text can also be translated as “until Shiloh comes…” The term Shiloh has been understood within Jewish tradition as referring to Messiah. The Aramaic Targum Onkelos, followed by the famous commentator Rashi, render the text as “until the Messiah comes, to whom the kingdom belongs.” Likewise, another Aramaic Targum, Pseudo-Jonathan, paraphrases the verse as “until the time that King Messiah shall come.”

The Talmud also confirms that the term Shiloh refers to Mashiach:

"Rabbi Yochanan taught that the entire world was created for the sake of the Messiah. What is His name? The school of Shiloh taught that His name is Shiloh, as it is written, ‘Until Shiloh comes and it is He whom all the peoples will obey (b. Sanhedrin 98b)."

Yalkut Shemoni, a medieval anthology, on this verse states:

"He [the Messiah] is called by the name of Shiloh because all the nations are destined to bring gifts to Israel and to King Messiah, as it is written, ‘In that day shall the present be brought to the Lord of Hosts (Yalkut Shemoni 160).’"

The book of Hebrews reiterates, “Everyone knows that our Lord arose out of Yehudah … (Heb. 7:14).” We have the assurance that our hope in Messiah is based on solid understanding, embedded within a Jewish context. Our Messiah, who descended through Judah, will reveal himself once again, as Yosef did to his brothers, and declare himself Mashiach. And it is through him, that we all have assurance of ultimate redemption!


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Revealing Something Deeper

Dec 10, 2010 at 12:26 PM | Posted by Rabbi Joshua

Parashat Vayigash

Redemption, divine mediation, and messianic hope. These are just a few of the themes gleaned from this week’s Torah portion. However, there are two particularly profound incidents that are worth exploring in greater depth - the emotional telling of Judah’s willingness to substitute himself for his brother, and of Joseph’s later revelation of himself to his brothers.

The rabbis teach us that everything in the Torah reveals Mashiach. This week’s parasha reveals Mashiach in two primary ways: through the life of Yosef, who the rabbis identify as a ‘type’ of Messiah (i.e. Mashiach ben Yosef – b. Sukkah 52b) and through the actions of Judah (through whom we later learn that the lineage of Messiah is passed through his tribe –see Gen. 49:10).

Yosef personifies Mashiach as one who was despised by his brothers, rejected, and left for dead. Yet despite his trials, was elevated to a position of authority and became the savior of a generation. In revealing himself to his brothers, Joseph states in this week’s parasha:

“Don’t be sad that you sold me into slavery here or angry at yourselves, because it was G-d who sent me ahead of you to preserve life (Gen. 45:5).”

Like Joseph, Mashiach was also despised by those around him, treated with contempt and left for dead. Yet, his elevation through his resurrection has also brought many people into ultimate redemption. And one day, Yeshua will reveal himself in all his glory to his people, and proclaim himself Mashiach.

This week’s parasha also reveals Mashiach through the substitutionary actions of Judah. In our portion, Judah pleads with Joseph to take himself prisoner instead of Benjamin. It was originally Judah who sold Joseph into slavery. As such, Judah’s sincere willingness to give up his life for his brother Benjamin’s proved his change of heart and caused Joseph to no longer be able to hide who he truly was. Because of Judah’s sincere willingness to be a substitute for his brother, we learn that he merited inclusion in the lineage of Messiah.

The book of Hebrews reiterates, “Everyone knows that our Lord arose out of Judah … (Heb. 7:14).” We have the assurance that our hope in Messiah is based on solid understanding, embedded within a Jewish context.

Our Messiah, who descended through Judah, will reveal himself once again, as Joseph did to his brothers, and declare himself Mashiach. And it is through him that we all have assurance of our ultimate redemption!



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Wrestling with the Divine

Nov 19, 2010 at 12:37 PM | Posted by Rabbi Joshua

Parashat Vayishlach

This week’s parasha continues a theme we saw in last week’s parasha, Vayetze, which began and ended with the mentioning of angels. So too our parasha continues in the same venue. In ancient times, there were no chapter and verse breaks within the text. The previous parasha ends with Jacob being met by angels, leading him to call the place Machanayim – referring to the encampment of G-d. Immediately this week’s parasha begins with the next verse (Gen. 32:4), with the words vayishlach Ya'akov malachim ... and Ya’akov sent forth messengers ahead of him.

Since the word malachim can mean both human messengers and angles, the rabbis understand this verse to refer to the angels in the previous verse. Therefore, Ya’akov sends forth both physical and angelic messengers from the camp ahead of him to prepare for meeting his brother Esav. There is a spiritual and physical preparation.

However, in between these two events, a mysterious encounter occurs. In the middle of the night Jacob crosses the Yabok River, and is left alone. A mysterious being comes and wrestles with Ya’akov until day break, at which time this mysterious figure blesses Jacob and gives him the name Israel:

“For you have wrestled with G-d and man, and have prevailed (Gen. 32:29).”

In ancient Near Eastern understanding, the crossing of a river was a symbol of new beginnings, and a new start – a sort of rebirth. That is why there is a purposeful connection with the name of the river (Yabok), and the word vaye’avek – to wrestle/struggle. It was here, at the river of a new beginning in Jacob’s life that he also received a new name – and a new identity – Israel.

This was a test for Jacob, and a preparation for a new beginning in his life; to go from being Ya’akov to becoming Israel – the father of the twelve tribes and a great patriarch of the Jewish people. It was a physical and spiritual preparation.

Although Rashi and other sages identify this mysterious figure as the angel of Esav, there are also understandings of this figure being more than just an angel. A clue to this is in the Hebrew itself. Not only does it mention that he struggles “with G-d and with man,” but his name is changed to Israel. The definition of “Israel” is to wrestle/struggle with G-d. Although you can argue that it may just be figuratively, there are two more hints.

Ya’akov asks the being its name, and the response is interesting, “Why are you asking my name?" Alone it does not mean anything. However, when one understands that the sacred Name of G-d is often referred to “as the Name that no one knows,” and the reverence given to the Name of G-d in Jewish understanding, the reference should be obvious. And the last clue that this is more than just an angel is in the name Ya’akov gives to the place afterwards - P’ni El – the face of G-d:

“Because I have seen G-d face to face, yet my life is spared (Gen. 32:31).”

The idea of G-d taking on a physical form is not unheard of in the Torah, or in ancient Jewish understanding. Within this sort of incarnation is an obvious Messianic connection. It is not ridiculous to understand this mysterious encounter as a physical and spiritual struggle between Jacob and HaShem.

Parashat Vayishlach teaches us that through wrestling with G-d, and striving for G-d’s purpose for each one of us, we will enter into a new beginning for what lies ahead.


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Complexity in Early Jewish Messianism

Nov 2, 2010 at 10:54 AM | Posted by Rabbi Joshua

The Messiah is the fullness of the G-d of Israel manifested in a physical form. This concept is readily evident throughout the Biblical text and extra-biblical writings. In Hebrew, the word אחד echad helps to explain this oneness that exists between HaShem, the Messiah, and the Spirit as the word echad means one, but not always in the singular. Rather, it is better used to describe a “complex unity.”


There is a popular misconception that Judaism has never believed in a Divine Messiah. However, the concept of Messiah in Jewish thought was far more complex before the destruction of the Second Temple, in 70 C.E., than after. Dietmar Neufeld, of the University of British Columbia, confirms that, “a heavenly, transcendent Messiah was not a unique invention of the Christian community but the outgrowth of reflection that had its roots in Judaism."

This perspective that, somehow, the messiah would be more than human, goes back to the last centuries B.C.E., and continued through the first centuries C.E. Already by this time, Biblical passages were attributed with messianic significance. We see messianic commentaries that include sections from Daniel, Zechariah, and others.


The Dead Sea Scrolls reflect this development. Certain texts describe an exalted figure that would suffer, even die, only to be resurrected. This particular messianic understanding has been brought to the forefront of scholarly debate with the recently published inscription known as “Gabriel’s Revelation.” This apocalyptic inscription, written on stone, dates to the late first century B.C.E., or the early first century C.E. Although some of the text is badly worn and difficult to read, Israel Knohl, of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem contends the text refers to a suffering Messiah who is to be resurrected within three days. This idea seems quite different from commonly held assumptions.


According to Knohl, “The new inscription, ‘Gabriel’s Revelation,’ suggests that this different kind of Messiah was evolving at the turn of the era – different from the Messiah son of David. Instead of a militant Messiah, it envisions a Messiah who suffered, died, and rose.”


There are a number of additional allusions and similarities to phrases and concepts in the New Testament. According to Hershel Shanks, of the Biblical Archaeology Society:


"By Jesus’ time...the concept of the mashiach had developed beyond that of an earthly messiah who would restore the glory of the kingdom of David. It also came to mean a divinely sent figure who would return as G-d’s agent and usher in the world to come. The Dead Sea Scrolls reflect this development…thus…the messiah was already freighted with eschatological content."


Craig C. Broyles, of Trinity Western University, claims, “The messianism that is attested in the Dead Sea Scrolls did not arise in isolation from the Scriptures of Israel or from the larger context of Judaism in late antiquity.”


The soil for messianism and complex unity in relation to G-d were already firmly established within the Jewish world of the Second Temple period. The earliest Jewish followers of Yeshua were absolutely convinced that Yeshua was indeed a divinely incarnated Messiah, and their perspective was based on various Jewish understandings and interpretations of the time.



*This is an an excerpt of an article I wrote that recently appeared in Kesher Journal. You can read the entire article here.



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Creation and the Hidden Light

Oct 1, 2010 at 3:35 PM | Posted by Rabbi Joshua

Parashat Breishit

The Torah relates the story of the six days of creation in order to refute other theories that claim that the universe came into being through some cosmic accident or coincidence. As such, the story of creation speaks only in general terms to illustrate that nothing came into being except at G-d's command. The Hebrew word, bara, emphasizes this. The word bara, used here for “create,” grammatically can only be used in connection to G-d (never for humans), and alludes to the creation of something from nothing.

The Torah's narrative of creation is meant to directly establish G-d as the sovereign of the universe. Unlike other creation accounts circulating around the Ancient Near East, the Biblical account makes no attempt to explain the origins of G-d, or try to persuade the listener of G-d's existence. The existence of God is an axiomatic fact. Therefore it immediately jumps to the explanation of G-d's creation of heaven and earth.

In verse three, G-d says “'Let there be light': and there was light.” If the sun and moon were not created until the fourth day of creation (see 1:14-19), what is the “light” that is being spoken of here?

Interestingly there are two answers:

A medieval rabbinic anthology commenting on this verse states:

'And G-d saw the light, that it was good.' This is the light of the Messiah...to teach you that G-d saw the generation of Messiah and His works before He created the universe, and He hid the Messiah ...under His throne of glory. Satan asked G-d, Master of the Universe: “For whom is this Light under your Throne of Glory?' G-d answered him, 'It is for...[the Messiah] who is to turn you backward and in who will put you to scorn with shamefacedness (Yalkut Shimoni on Isaiah 60).'

The pre-existence of Messiah, and his presence at creation has been discussed widely among many Jewish writers throughout history. According to Midrash HaGadol, “The final goal of humanity is to attain the state of the days of Mashiach; therefore the name of Mashiach had to be formulated even before the world's inception (Midrash HaGadol, 1:1).”

According to the Talmud:

It was taught that seven things were created before the world was created; they are the Torah, repentance, the Garden of Eden, Gey-Hinnom, the Throne of Glory, the Temple, and the name of the Messiah...The name of the Messiah, as it is written: 'May his name [the name of the Messiah] endure forever, may his name produce issue prior to the sun (Pesachim 54a, Nedarim 39a, also Midrash on Ps. 93:3).'

The light, which the rabbis speak of as alluding to the Messiah, is also a representation of the “Ein Sof,” the hidden aspect of G-d. Midrashic legend teaches that this light is hidden until the time of the Messianic Age, after which it will be once more revealed. When this happens, it will be like in Revelation (Rev. 21:22-23, 22:5, etc.), where there will no longer be any need of the sun, for G-d's “Ein Sof,” His presence, will provide all needed light.

The entire New Testament echoes this thought as well. However, no where is the Messiah more clearly connected to the themes of light and creation than in the book of John:

“In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with G-d, and the Word was G-d.

He was with G-d in the beginning.

All things came to be through him,

and without him nothing made had being.

In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind.

The light shines in the darkness,

and the darkness has not suppressed it

…The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us,

and we saw his Sh’khinah,

the Sh’khinah of the father’s only Son,

full of grace and truth.”

John 1:1-5, 14

May our divine Messiah, Yeshua, who was present at creation, continue to work in each of our lives to dispel the darkness, and make each of us into a new creation!


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A Renaissance of a different kind

Jun 21, 2010 at 6:04 PM | Posted by Rabbi Joshua


Vine of David (a publishing arm of FFOZ) recently re-published a historic title, Love and the Messianic Age, by the great Jewish believer Paul Philip Levertoff.

This publication represents a renewed interest in the great works of Jewish believers from an age long forgotten. Although much lip service is often given to the birth of the Messianic Jewish congregational movement in the late 1960's and early 1970's; what most people overlook is Messianic Judaism's golden age in the 1800's.

During this golden age there were thousands of Jewish believers across Europe, and even a graduate school, the Institutum Judaicum in Germany, founded by the great Franz Delitzsch (best known for his translation of the New Testament into Hebrew which is still one of the most popularly used today).

Some of the greatest thinkers among Jewish believers lived and wrote during this academic period. This is the age of the Haskalah, the Enlightenment, and out of this same milieu in Germany arose the luminaries of Heschel, Buber, Rosenzweig, Soloveitchik, and others.

Among these luminaries were the likes of such great Jewish believers as Paul Philip Levertoff (mentioned above), Yechiel Tzvi Lichtenstein, Chaim Theophilus Lucky, Rabbi Isaac Lichtenstein, Joseph Rabinowitz, and former Chief Rabbi of Bulgaria, Daniel Zion (among others).

These were a different breed of Jewish believers. Steeped in the traditions of our ancestors, these great minds were raised in some of the greatest yeshivas of Europe, and went on to receive their graduate degrees and doctorates at prestigious Universities. However, their work has largely remained untapped as much of it was published in Hebrew, Yiddish, and German.

With all of the renewed interest in these figures and works in recent years, efforts are being made to make these texts and sources more readily available today. Efforts by those like Jorge Quiñónez, FFOZ, and others are bringing this golden age of Jewish believers back to life.

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Is Messiah Divine?

Jun 6, 2010 at 3:23 PM | Posted by Rabbi Joshua


Scholars Support Jewish Belief in a Divine Messiah

There is a popular assumption circulated by Jewish leaders and liberal scholars that Judaism has never believed in a divine Messiah. Some argue that Yeshua never claimed to be the Messiah and that his earliest followers never considered him to be G-d.

Context

Understanding the historical background and the role of messiah within Jewish thought, especially during the Second Temple period, is the key to combating this myth. The concept of messiah in Jewish thought was far more complex before the destruction of the Second Temple (70 CE) than after. Over time, the established Jewish leadership refrained from defining the messiah in exalted terms as this was seen as a cause of the Temple's destruction and Israel's dispersion.

The Second Temple Period

During the Second Temple period, however, Jews interpreted and interacted with their scriptures differently than today. The Jewish world maintained varying strains of Judaisms – including radical apocalypticism, messianism and monasticism.

Pluralism influenced the way each group identified with and interpreted their world. There was disagreement over everything – the calendar, lineage of the priesthood, sacrifices, canon, even the primary location of where the ritual observances should take place. This debate extended into concepts and roles of the Messiah.

According to Professor Kathryn Smith, of Azusa Pacific University, "It was extremely common (may I say extremely 'Jewish') during this time to write about an exalted agent of G-d with characteristics of the divine and still be a monotheist … Jews were comfortable with the notion of a single, exalted figure, who had all the characteristics of G-d and did all the things that G-d does, who was exalted above all others, present with G-d at creation, but … and this is the most important element … they in no sense thought this was betraying the classical confession, Hear O Israel, the L-rd is our G-d, the L-rd is one."

Complex Unity

This idea of a complex unity in relation to G-d allowed for openness in interpretation and understanding. Larry W. Hurtado of the University of Edinburgh says "all evidence indicates, however, that those Jewish [believers] who made such a step remained convinced that they were truly serving the G-d of the Old Testament."

Biblical Support

The idea that the Messiah would be more than a human figure goes back to the last centuries B.C.E. when Biblical passages were interpreted and attributed with messianic significance. We see commentaries, like the Aramaic Targums, that include sections from Daniel, Zechariah, Isaiah, and others. These authors absolutely believed in, and ascribed, an exalted status to the Messiah.

Scholars maintain that by the time of Yeshua, this concept was already firmly established. The Dead Sea Scrolls, one of the most important archaeological discoveries in regard to Biblical research, reflect this development. Those texts describe a highly exalted figure who would even suffer on behalf of the people. They also contain numerous allusions and similarities to phrases and concepts in the New Testament.

Early Understandings

­Yeshua understood himself to be G-d and this was clear to his disciples as well. Paul wrote in the early years after Yeshua: "It is through his Son that we have redemption, that is, our sins have been forgiven. He is the visible image of the invisible G-d. He is supreme over all creation, because in connection with him were created all things – in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible … He existed before all things, and he holds everything together (Col. 1:14-17)."

Conclusion

The earliest followers of Yeshua made their claims because there existed fertile soil in Jewish circles at the time for an elevated divine Messiah. Although this understanding within Judaism was often stifled following the destruction of the Second Temple, Yeshua's followers knew that belief in a divine Messiah was indeed Jewish.


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Remembering Rabbi Daniel Zion

Apr 10, 2010 at 11:53 PM | Posted by Rabbi Joshua

*Reposted for Yom HaShoah

Today, the 23rd of Cheshvan, marks the yahrzeit of one of our great rabbis and a Holocaust-era hero.

When HaRav Daniel Zion passed away in 1979 at the ripe old age of 96 years old, the Bulgarian Jewish community in Israel gave him a full burial with military and state honors. His bier stood in the center of Jaffa with a military guard, and at noon was carried by men all the way to the Holon cemetery on foot. He was buried as the Chief Rabbi of Bulgarian Jews who saved them from the Nazi Holocaust. Rabbi Daniel Zion also believed in Yeshua the Messiah.

Rabbi Daniel Zion is most honored and remembered for his tremendous accomplishment during World War II to save the Bulgarian Jewish Community.

According to Rabbi Daniel himself, a major change happened in his life one morning as he was praying, when looking at the sunrise; Yeshua appeared to him in a vision. Rabbi Daniel believed in Yeshua and remained faithful to the Torah, to Jewish life, and to the Jewish people.

Each Shabbat afternoon, Rabbi Daniel began studying the New Testament with a very select, small group of Jews in his home. Among these few were some of the leading members of the Jewish community in Sofia.

Rabbi Daniel's faith in Yeshua as the Messiah became a well know secret in the Jewish community of Bulgaria. However his position was so honored, and his personal services so highly esteemed, that no one could openly criticize him. And because he remained well within the framework of Orthodox Judaism and did not stop living as a Jew, there was little any of his opponents could point to as heresy.

When Nazi Germany occupied Bulgaria, Rabbi Daniel, as the Chief Rabbi and spiritual leader of Bulgaria’s Jewish community became the object of persecution and ridicule. On one particular occasion he was taken and publicly flogged in front of the Great Synagogue of Sofia.

Rabbi Daniel had built a strong friendship with Metropolitan Stephen, the head of the Church in Bulgaria. As a result of their relationship, Metropolitan Stephen remained a strong advocate of the Jewish community. When intense discussions arose about shipping Bulgaria’s Jews to Germany, Rabbi Daniel and his secretary, A. A. Anski, wrote a letter to the King of Bulgaria. In the letter, Rabbi Daniel begged the King not to allow Bulgaria’s Jews to be taken out of Bulgaria. Rabbi Daniel wrote in this letter that he had seen Yeshua in a vision, and Yeshua told him to warn the King from delivering the Jews to the Nazis.

The next day, the King went to Germany for a meeting with the Nazi Government and Hitler himself. King Boris of Bulgaria stood his ground and did not submit to Nazi pressure to deliver the Jews to the death camps of Poland and Germany.

Rabbi Daniel Zion was able to save many of Bulgaria’s Jews throughout the War. And although the government of Bulgaria fell to the Russians in September 1944, Rabbi Daniel Zion remained the leader and Chief Rabbi of Bulgaria until 1949, when he and most of the Bulgarian Jewish community immigrated to Israel.

In Israel, Rabbi Daniel continued to serve the Bulgarian Jews and became the Chief Rabbi of Jaffa. In 1954, Israel’s Chief Rabbi, Samuel Toledano, invited Rabbi Daniel to be a dayan, a judge on the Rabbinical Court of Jerusalem. However, when rumors started to fly that Rabbi Daniel believed in Yeshua, Rabbi Toledano confronted him in his office and asked him personally about the rumors.

Rabbi Daniel explained to Toledano his position. He explained that he accepted Yeshua as the Messiah but that he did not accept Christianity as the true expression of the teaching and person of Yeshua the Messiah. Rabbi Toledano said to him that he could live with this position as long as Rabbi Daniel kept it to himself. However, Rabbi Daniel refused, feeling that it could not be kept a secret, and Toledano was forced to bring Rabbi Daniel before the rabbinical court to allow the other rabbis to decide what should be done.

Evidence of Rabbi Daniel's faith in Yeshua was brought before the religious court in the form of four books he had written in Bulgarian. Although the Rabbinical Court stripped Rabbi Daniel of his rabbinic title, the Bulgarian Jewish community continued to honor Rabbi Daniel as their Rabbi.

Rabbi Daniel was even invited by Kol Israel, the official radio station of the State of Israel, to share his story and his faith in Yeshua:

“More than twenty years ago I had the first opportunity of reading the New Testament. It influenced me greatly. I began to speak about it in a small circle in Bulgaria. I always regretted that Yeshua the Messiah has been estranged from the community of Israel … I must confess that my position as a Rabbi did not allow me at once to come out openly before the world in order to declare this truth, until G-d, in His mercy, set me free from all fear … do not think that I have left my Judaism. On the contrary, I have remained Jewish, and have become more Jewish because Yeshua himself remained Jewish.”

Rabbi Daniel continued to serve as a rabbi in Jaffa, where he officiated in the synagogue until the 6th of October 1973. Rabbi Daniel did not often speak of Yeshua openly from the pulpit, but would often bring in stories and parables from the New Testament.

Each Shabbat afternoon, Rabbi Daniel would bring home a group of his fellow worshippers from the synagogue, and they would study about Yeshua from the New Testament until they had to return to the Synagogue for the evening prayers.

Many times Rabbi Daniel was offered large amounts of money for the use of his name and his story. However, in each case he rejected the offers. He did not want to destroy his reputation within the people of Israel for a handful of dollars. If anyone gave him free-will donations with no strings attached, he would accept it and pass it on to charitable organizations for the blind, or to orphans and widows. He himself lived in abject poverty.

*To learn more about Rabbi Daniel Zion, read Joseph Shulam's article or Tim's article on his blog, Emergent Observer.


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