Jews for Judaism (Page 13)

The Strongest Man Is Not From Nazareth

The Strongest Man Is Not From Nazareth As children, we heard bible stories that described Samson as the “strongest man who ever lived.” Movies like Cecil B. DeMille’s 1949 classic, Samson and Delilah, captured the imagination of millions and glorified Samson’s long hair as the secret of his superhuman strength. However, the book of Judges reveals that there is more to Samson’s strength than the movie depicts. Samson was dedicated from birth to be a Nazirite [נזיר–nazir] as it says, “the boy is

Torah portion Naso Nazir

Zalman Kravitz

Jun 4, 2025 — 3 min read

There is No Such Thing as an “Unforgivable Sin”

There is No Such Thing as an “Unforgivable Sin” One winter day, I received a call from Robert, a Jewish man who had accepted Christianity. He asked if we could meet for lunch and discuss the Jewish perspective of numerous bible passages, which he believed proved that Jesus was the messiah and his “personal savior.” For several hours we carefully examined these passages. I pointed out that they were either mistranslated or read out of context. At the same time, we also explored the Jewish under

Zalman Kravitz

Jun 4, 2025 — 3 min read

The Crowd Cheered When I Refuted the Missionary

The Crowd Cheered When I Refuted the Missionary On a warm summer day, I stood in front of the Jews for Judaism booth at a Jewish community’s Celebrate Israel Festival. As I answered people’s questions, I was interrupted by two missionaries who had crashed the event. They challenged my beliefs and said I was going to hell unless I accept Jesus as my savior. “No, thank you,” I told them, “I pray directly to God and don’t need an intermediary.” Their response did not surprise me. They repeated t

Torah portion Shelach Leviticus 17:11

Zalman Kravitz

Jun 4, 2025 — 3 min read

Pouring Ice Water on a False Prophet

Pouring Ice Water on a False Prophet While visiting a park with my children, a middle-aged man approached me and asked if I was a rabbi. He assumed that only rabbis cover their heads with a kippah or yarmulke. I answered yes, and explained that although I am a rabbi, many Jews cover their heads in reverence to God. This reverence is alluded to in the word yarmulke, which, according to some scholars, is a compound word derived from the Aramaic expression [ירא מלכא–yerei malka], which means “aw

Torah portion of Korach miracles

Zalman Kravitz

Jun 4, 2025 — 3 min read

Why the King Destroyed a Copper Snake

Why The King Destroyed a Copper Snake Growing up on the East Coast, I was never afraid of garden snakes, which I occasionally discovered in my backyard. When I moved to California and started hiking in the mountains, I encountered my first rattlesnake. Although I did not panic, I developed healthy respect for these poisonous reptiles. Snakes play a pivotal role in this week’s Torah portion, Chukas(Deuteronomy 19:1-22:1). While in the Sinai Desert, God provided for the needs of the Jewish peop

Torah portion Chukas snakes

Zalman Kravitz

Jun 4, 2025 — 3 min read

Do Jews Believe In The Devil?

Do Jews Believe In The Devil? When I was seven years old, our family gathered around our black and white TV to watch the first episode of “Mr. Ed,” the talking horse. We always wondered how they got the horse to move its lips. That was make-believe. However, in this week’s Torah portion, Balak (Numbers 22:2–25:9), God miraculously caused a donkey to speak, and it happened like this: Balak, the king of Moab, summons the pagan prophet Bilaam to curse the people of Israel. On the way, Bilaam’s d

Torah portion Balak satan

Zalman Kravitz

Jun 4, 2025 — 3 min read

Five Sisters Refute Missionaries

Five Sisters Refute Missionaries This week’s Torah portion, Pinchas (Numbers 25:10-30:1), provides a fascinating insight into women’s rights and a powerful rebuttal to missionaries. Before entering into the Land of Israel, God instructed Moses, “Take a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel… by their fathers’ households” (Numbers 26:2). After the census, the Land of Israel was allotted to “the males as an inheritance” (Numbers 27:53). Upon hearing that inheritance would be passe

Torah portion Pinchas daughters of Tzelafchad

Zalman Kravitz

Jun 4, 2025 — 3 min read

The Rise and Fall of Anti-Semitism

The Rise and Fall of Anti-Semitism Jews worldwide are experiencing a rise in anti-Semitism. Whether physical or verbal, the threats are dangerous and distressing. One painful anti-Semitic trope against Jews is that we are hypocrites. Historians point out that this stereotype gained credibility because it is repeated numerous times in the Christian New Testament. For example, in Matthew 23, the apostle Matthew presents a sweeping attack on the rabbinic religious authorities, branding the entir

Torah portion Matot-Massei Hypocrisy

Zalman Kravitz

Jun 4, 2025 — 3 min read