The other thing to consider (from that which has already been mentioned in this thread) is the purpose of prayer. Many would argue the purpose of prayer is the development of the individual engaging in it. Thus, the answer to your question depends on the supplicant. If I have great focus but...
You also have to realize that the literal translation you encounter in English is quite different than what you literally encounter in Hebrew. In this regard study of a source like Rashi will prove enlightening as you learn the nuances of scripture in the original language. As an example, the...
It certainly changes the way you look at things. I'd have to do an in-depth stuff of it to really make a conclusion. Unfortunately, I'm not that interested in Christianity. But if you end up being able to reach some conclusive results (I'm assuming you haven't already studied this in depth, if...
I'm sorry, but modern Christianity and modern Judaism are very different from one another. Anyone who's done any kind of depthful study into both will tell you the same. While there are similarities in practice, there are major philosophical disagreements that are irreconcilable.
If we limit...
I agree on this, and yet still I don't think you've stated how a judge should determine the intention of the author.
Torah study could be described as the lifelong endeavor of determining the Author's intentions and seeking to implement its instructions in our daily lives. An endeavor in which...
And these intentions are readily apparent? The Torah is so simple that in every case G-d's intentions are clearly understood by all parties such that a court would only have to spend time resolving the dispute in question and not spend any time attempting to figure out the intention the author...
I don't see it as detailed. The Torah doesn't specifically lay out the exact method HaShem utilized in creating the world. It says He created certain things on certain days. The general understanding is that HaShem created the world. As far as chronology goes ( evolutionary theory tells us birds...
Whim was the wrong word to use. For that I apologize.
I don't purport myself to be so skilled in the methods of PaRDeS as to be able to expound these particular verses in a way that would be considered even remotely satisfactory. However, as I understand it the point of the creation narrative is...
And just a few verses later in Devarim 17:
"If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, even matters of controversy within thy gates; then shalt thou arise, and get thee up unto the place which the LORD...
Your posts in this thread remind me far more of fundamentalist Christian behavior than anyone else's. They have this sort of self-contradictory ignorance about them that suggests you either have no idea what you're talking about, or deliberately choose to spit on the Torah you claim to believe...
In answer to your original question, if, for some reason, there is a person who belongs to no other religion but does study the laws of Noah, a large amount of Noahides I've met will say that Judaism is their religion on paper. I have also met Noahdies who will say "Spiritual" or...
I don't think we're sidestepping the fact that the Torah got it wrong. As Levite put it "The Torah may present details which are literally incorrect..."
Pointing out that it is scientifically inaccurate is only useful if you're trying to make some conclusion about the reliability of the Torah...
I've found that such an approach generally starts from a point wherein one does not believe that the Torah is meant to be a book of history telling us factual things about the past, but that it is primarily a book of study to guide our understanding in how we conduct ourselves on a day to day...
I found it to be an interesting read (I did skim a lot of it). I cannot say that I agree 100% with the conclusions.
1. I think an argument can be made that the verses do not blanketly prohibit anal sex between men.
2. I also believe that there is away to justify treating a homosexual...
In my journey from Christianity to Judaism, and the myriad of discussions I've had by those Christians trying to win me back, I have really come to see this very clearly, and I can understand why it is the case. For the average professing Christian who was raised in the Christian faith the only...
I see Jesus as being irrelevant. He has no place in Judaism really.
I don't think one could argue that Jesus taught at the expense of the law. He never really stated that people should disobey it. In fact, he taught that his followers should do as the Rabbis say and not as they do.
If one is evading one's responsibilities and making oneself into a burden then it isn't rude to describe such a person as dead-weight, only accurate.
Levite typically makes his claims carefully and in a non-exclusive manner, suggesting that he doesn't have a personal stake in the matter.
It...