I think you teach ancient wisdom for Jews
Question of the week:
Hello, I was wondering why you call your teachings Ancient Jewish Wisdom when it’s really God’s Wisdom for the Jews.
Thank you,
Racquel
Dear Racquel,
Sewing enthusiasts frequently hear the advice, “Measure twice and cut once.” Those wise words resonate with anyone who has had to abandon her original plans and repurpose a piece of fabric because of careless measuring.
However, even those of us who never touch a needle and thread can benefit from that advice. Variations on it might include thinking twice before speaking, since words once uttered cannot be recalled. Reviewing your budget twice before making a purchase might stop you from finding yourself with a week left to the month and no money.
Similarly, God provided all of humanity, all His children, with a great deal of wisdom. His conduit for this wisdom, the Torah, was given to Moses on Mt. Sinai and the Hebrews were tasked with disseminating that information. Included in that transmission were both specific directives valuable for and incumbent only on Jews and general directives valuable for and incumbent on all. For example, murder is forbidden to all human beings while the instruction to eat a special food called matzah on Passover is limited to Jews.
Even many of those instructions that only pertain to Jews include ideas that have value for everyone. For example, this week we are celebrating the holiday of Chanukah. While faithful Jews say additional prayers and light flames each evening with blessings and accompanying actions, our audio CD, Festival of Lights: Transform Your 24/7 Existence into a 25/8 Life teaches messages from the holiday about time, aging, and abundance that can enhance everyone’s lives.
If you read the hundreds of Thought Tools we have put out over the years or watch our Ancient Jewish Wisdom TV show, you will see that we aim to bring God’s wisdom to everyone. As a matter of fact, our audience comprises far more Christians than it does Jews.
For these reasons, we disagree with your premise that we are teaching God’s wisdom for the Jews. Instead, we extract those messages that are valuable for all of mankind and do our best to bring Jews, Christians and all whom we are privileged to encounter, closer to God and to God’s vision for mankind.
Hope this clears up any confusion,
Rabbi Daniel and Susan Lapin
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Announcing the Release of Unit 2!
Our journey continues as Rabbi Daniel Lapin provides access to God’s deeper meaning in the Bible by exploring the letters and words of the Lord’s Language.
Join Rabbi Daniel Lapin as he guides you through your inspiring adventure in Genesis 2:4-24, decoding the original Hebrew text, verse-by-verse, through the scintillating lens of ancient Jewish wisdom.
Unit 2 of Scrolling through Scripture focuses on what appears to be a repetition of the Creation tale. It includes the following:
- Why there seem to be two accounts of Creation.
- How spelling “mistakes” in the Bible reveal coded material.
- Why dismissing duplicate language like “eat, you shall eat” as poetic, misses the point.
- The spiritual source of many of our physical problems.
Festival of Lights – On Sale this week $7.00
Available as CD or Instant Download
Despite all our labor-saving devices, we never seem to have enough time. Rabbi Daniel Lapin reveals how the holiday of Chanuka illuminates two competing visions of time – that of ancient Greece and that of ancient Israel. Thousands of years later, how we choose between those two ways of thinking impacts every facet of our lives.
