Jesus

Jesus was a Jewish mystic and wisdom sage living in first–century Roman occupied Judea. Awake to YHVH in, with and as all reality, Jesus taught a Judaism of justice and compassion in line with his near contemporary Hillel the Elder (110 BCE-10 CE). Jesus was crucified by Rome to demonstrate that power trumps love. Sadly for them, his death didn’t take. Sadly for us neither did his message. The religion of Jesus is Judaism. The religion about Jesus is Christianity. I include questions about Jesus and Christianity here because so many people ask them of me.

Was Jesus a real historical person?

It doesn’t matter. 

I am less interested in the Jesus of Nazareth than I am in the Jesus of Narrative. 

I don’t care if the Jesus of the Gospels is historically true. It is his teachings that matter to me, and if you could prove that Jesus was a figment of Mark’s imagination, I would be no less moved by those teachings. 

The same is true for Moses, Muhammad, and Buddha: the teachings that come to us in their names matters more to me than the historical accuracy of their lives.

Why were the Pharisees, the rabbis in the New Testament, always testing Jesus?

Because this is what rabbis do, and Jesus was one of us. 

Pharisees were the early rabbis. Rabbis learn through argument. When the Pharisees questioned Jesus they weren’t attacking him but honoring him. 

The Talmud is filled with such challenges and queries. Arguing about Torah in Judaism is a sign of familiarity and respect, not animosity and distain.

Haven’t Christians replaced Jews as God’s Chosen People?

I hope so. 

Imagining you are God’s Chosen leads to religious and cultural narcissism, ethno–nationalist over-reach, and a level of tribal jingoism that is simply out of touch with today’s globalist and cosmopolitan reality. 

It also makes everyone who is not chosen hate you.

So, if the Christians can pull us Jews out from under this self-inflicted burden, I’m all for it. But why Christians would want to take it on themselves, I have no idea.

Was Jesus a real person?

It doesn’t matter. 

I am less interested in the Jesus of Nazareth than I am in the Jesus of Narrative. 

I don’t care if the Jesus of the Gospels is historically true. It is his teachings that matter to me, and if you could prove that Jesus was a figment of Mark’s imagination, I would be no less moved by those teachings. 

The same is true for Moses, Muhammad, and Buddha: the teachings that come to us in their names matters more to me than the historical accuracy of their lives.

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  • Elliot Pachter, president of the Michigan Board of Rabbis

    “Rami Shapiro ignited our colleagues from across the movements to engage in frank discussion about the meaning and message of their rabbinate.”

  • Dr. Gordon Peerman

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