Is there one God or two?

Posted on Feb 14, 2015 | 0 comments

Is there one God or two?

Question submitted to “Ask the Rabbi” by: Name: Thomas Reinhold City: WinterHaven, Florida Full Question: “I am seeking the original writing of the word of God. I believe there is one God – the God of Abraham, Jacob and Issaac, but  what most preachers teach is that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one. Help me to understand so I may be bold when I speak the word of God. Thank you.” Rabbi Tully Bryks responds: According to the most basic principles of Jewish faith, there is only one G-d. So when it comes to challenges like suffering, we cannot escape the question of “why do bad things happen to good people” by simply blaming it on nature or on the devil. That would imply that there is more than one power or deity competing for control. Judaism cannot accept a duality of powers or a trinity. And while we do acknowledge the existence of a devil (referred to as the Satan),  Kabbalisitc sources explain that the Satan is merely a servant of G-d, carrying out the bidding of the one and only, all-powerful, all-knowing and infinite G-d. For instance, in His infinite wisdom, G-d will sometimes see a need to send a challenge our way and He will sometimes appoint the Satan as His trusted emissary to carry out these types of missions. At the same time, understanding the “word of G-d” is not a simple task. In order to understand the written texts of the Torah, which contain the actual words of G-d, we need to access the elucidations, instructions and details that G-d provided. These essential components are contained in thousands of volumes of works. Like any other quest for knowledge, you may want to start at the beginning. One such option would be the Artscroll Stone Edition of the Chumash, which contains the original text of the Torah as given at Mount Sinai, a lucid translation plus a basic commentary to help bring the text to life. May you find the direction and the inspiration you are looking...

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Why is there no prophecy today?

Posted on Jan 12, 2015 | 1 comment

Why is there no prophecy today?

Question submitted to “Ask the Rabbi” by: Name: Leah Edelman School: University of Illinois Full Question: “Why is there no prophecy today? Why does G-d not speak to ppl today like He did back then? Rabbi Tully Bryks responds: The basic answer is that despite being imperfect, the people who obtained prophecy had a much deeper consciousness of G-d that we do. For us, any “open” Divine involvement in our lives would artificially stimulate our connection to spirituality. The same is true for miracles. We no longer have “open” miracles like we did prior to the Purim story. While miracles do still happen today, they require us to focus and take notice of them, as they can often be dismissed by skeptics as coincidence. An “open” miracle would artificially raise our faith, thereby taking away our free will. As we grow in our spirituality and consciousness of G-d, things like open miracles and prophecy will return, with the coming of the...

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Are the rabbis allowed to pick and choose which commandments are relevant today?

Posted on Jul 31, 2014 | 2 comments

Are the rabbis allowed to pick and choose which commandments are relevant today?

Question submitted to “Ask the Rabbi” by: Name: VM Full Question: Dear Rabbi, This is a loaded question! When it comes to.. personal issues .. whether:..Spiritual,.. Morals, .. Principles & Values … to governs one’s …numerous aspects of life, …would the Torah/Tanach .. be considered as ..Thee ..Final Authority (the True .. End-all ..&.. Be-all, ..biblical word as valid) …to structure one’s life around as their foundation of beliefs ..& follow-thru? And would they see the outcomes as indicated within the scriptures? Since the Tanach does Not ..defy the laws of the land .. but the Tanach is superior …as guidance to adhere to… especially for the practicing Jew, .. would it be safe to say .. that if one chooses to firmly plant their beliefs within the principles of the Tanach, … can they truly count on God’s Written Word of instructions .. as TRUTH …and take those Words.. to Heart via ..digest & make it a part of their being .. in reality, ..both, physically, & spiritually? Is the Tanach looked upon as .. Antiquated …even in the 21st Century?!? Or, do the Rabbis & leaders pick-n-choose ..what’s relevant for today .. and dismiss the rest? Shalom! Rabbi Tully Bryks responds: We look at the Torah as an eternal absolute guide for our lives. The morals and laws of the Torah apply in every generation.[1] As such, Rabbis do not have the right to pick and choose which Torah concepts they like and which they want to dismiss.[2] Rather, the laws and morals of the Torah are eternal. Once we give ourselves the right to pick and choose, we are in essence making ourselves G-d, as we now become the arbiters of right and wrong. Admittedly, this approach does require a great deal of humility. In addition, the subjective morals of a particular society in a particular generation will sometimes contradict those of the Torah. Our challenge is to stand up for what is right, even it may not be popular at a particular time. Time and time again, history and new scientific inventions seem to corroborate more and more of the Torah’s statements (See article on Torah and science). While trust and faith in G-d is still required, it would seem to require an even bigger leap of faith to reject the absolute value of the Torah and rely on the moral guidance of any given society, which tends to be replaced within a relatively short period of time. Ultimately, it bears keeping in mind that Torah does not contain 613 suggestions. Rather, these are 613 commandments! The good news is that they are for our benefit (see article on the Purpose of Life)!  [1] Rambam (Maimonides), Mishne Torah, Yesodei Torah (Principles of the Torah), 9:1 and numerous references throughout the Torah [2] Devarim (Deuteronomy)...

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Why all of that bloodshed with animal sacrifices in the Temple?

Posted on Jan 2, 2014 | 2 comments

Why all of that bloodshed with animal sacrifices in the Temple?

Question submitted to “Ask the Rabbi” by: Name: Silvian Guranda City: Cluj-Napoca, Romania Profession: Engineering Full Question: “We see from the Tanach that forgiveness can be obtained (and was given by G-d to the sinner) from repentance alone without a sacrifice (for instance, see the story of David and Natan the prophet – “G-d forgives you” – no sacrifice was involved; see also Psalm 32). So my first question is: then why blood at all at the Temple, why sacrifice was given in the Torah, if forgiveness from G-d can be obtained without a sacrifice? And the second: in the coming age of Mashiach, will sacrifice at the rebuilt Temple be needed anymore for obtaining forgiveness from HaShem? Waiting for your answer – I thank you!” Rabbi Tully Bryks responds: G-d is often compared to our Father. We have a direct link to Him and do not need any intermediaries. As such, you are correct that if someone does Teshuvah (repents), one can obtain forgiveness for even the most terrible of sins. Complete forgiveness generally requires three difficult steps[1] (more is required if one wronged another person): 1.       Admission of guilt – Not easy as even criminals often rationalize that they were justified in their actions 2.       Regret – Someone might be willing to admit that they cheated on a test in school, but regretting it is a whole other level. 3.       Resolve to Change – Even if someone admits and regrets their mistake, it is an extra challenge to stop repeating the sin. It is important to note that even when one offered an animal sacrifice, one would still not be forgiven unless they completed the Teshuvah process.[2] So this would seem to strengthen your question – Why all of the animal bloodshed? After all, one of the commandments that G-d gave us is to safeguard and preserve all of His creations, including animals![3] There is a concept in Judaism that the entire world was created for us (humans).[4] This includes the use of animals for human needs, such as food, clothing, spiritual needs and the like (abuse however is never permitted). Here’s one way to explain how it works: Everything in this world is divided into 4 categories: 1.       Domem – Inanimate objects, such as rocks or dirt 2.       Tzomeach – Vegetative life, such as plants or trees 3.       Chai – Living beings, such as animals, insects or fish 4.       Medaber – All human life, regardless of race, religion or nationality Only the 4th category has the capacity to connect to G-d on the spiritual level. As such, the ultimate goal for every category is to be elevated to the 4th category. When soil is used to nourish a plant, that soil is elevated from category 1 to category 2. When an animal consumes the plant, the plant is now elevated to category 3. When human consumes...

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