A MORE COMPLETE EXPLANATION...


The Christian idea of the messiah is that Jesus was the blood sacrifice that saves everyone from his or her sin. But who, exactly, died on that cross? If it was Jesus-the-Gd, then how can Gd die? If it was only Jesus-the-human, then all Christians have in the death of Jesus is a human sacrifice. What, exactly, does Gd say about human sacrifice in the TaNaCH?


In Deuteronomy, Gd calls Human sacrifice something that He hates, and an abomination to Him!


Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto the Eternal thy Gd: for every abomination to the Eternal, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.         [Deuteronomy 12:30-31]


In Jeremiah, Gd tells us that Human sacrifice is so horrible a concept to Him, that it did not even come into His mind!


Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents; They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind: Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Eternal, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor The Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but The Valley of Slaughter. [Jeremiah 19:4-6]


We see the same thing in Psalm 106 and in Ezekiel 16:


Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood. And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood. [Psalm 106:37-38]


Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter? [Ezekiel 16:20]


And yet we are to then turn around and believe that Gd changed His mind, and required human sacrifice, and then it was the sacrifice of His own human son that Gd wanted? After telling the Jews to stay away from pagan practices, and pagan beliefs, Gd then changes His mind and says, "Okay, now go ahead and believe in a human sacrifice, just as these very pagans believe?"


The Christian definition of the term, ‘messiah,’ is closer to the pagan notion of a dying/saving man/god or hero than to the Jewish understanding of Messiah. The ancient world is filled with examples. Mithra, Adonis, Dionysis, Attis, Ra, and many others were born in the Winter, died in the Spring, and came back to life. Along with this, they believed that their followers would not die, but have immortal life, since the death of the man/god acted as their sacrifice for their sins. The pagan world was filled with gods who were the product of a human mother and a god for the father. Even Hercules had Zeus for a father, and a human mother named Alcmene. Dionysus’s human mother was named Semele, and his father was Zeus. Furthermore, Dionysus was known as a savior god.


When the earliest Christians would come into the synagogues and missionize, they would get kicked out. They were not allowed to stay and preach, they were rejected, because their message was pagan, was recognized as such by the Jews, and they were removed and separated from the Jewish people as a result. This shows the real reason why Judaism and Christianity separated from each other. It also shows that one cannot be a Jew and a Christian at the same time. See the essay on this website regarding the idea that one cannot be a Jew and a Christian at the same time.


Christians might point out that Gd seemed to want human sacrifices, because Gd appeared to demand one from Abraham, when He commanded the sacrifice of Isaac. This is a misreading of the Biblical text in Genesis. When one reads the text carefully, one sees that, first Gd never demanded that Abraham kill Isaac, on that he raise up Isaac AS a sacrifice. Second, one will see that according to the Biblical account, Abraham flunked Gd’s test!


First of all, please notice that the Biblical text tells us that Gd told Abraham to offer him AS a sacrifice, He never told Abraham to kill him, just to offer him. This is how it is stated in most translations:


And it came to pass after these things, that Gd did test Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. [Genesis 22:1-2]


The text reads that Abraham should “offer him there for a burnt offering.” It never reads that Gd told Abraham to kill him as a burnt offering.


The original Hebrew is actually more clear on this issue. The Hebrew reads, “v’ha-ah-lay-hu sham l’o-lah.” It actually translates as, “Raise him up there FOR a sacrifice.” The text does not say that Gd demanded Isaac to BE a sacrifice, but rather only that he should be raised up for one.


Furthermore, a close reading of the text tells us that Abraham actually flunked this test. What is the test to which Abraham is being put? The test is that Gd wants Abraham to tell Gd, "NO! I WON’T DO IT!" Abraham had just defended people he didnt know in Sodom and Gemorrah. So Gd's test of Abraham is whether or not he would defend his own family as deeply as he had defended strangers. Like many of us, he did not. He Flunked! Many of us, for example, will talk sweetly to a voice on the phone, get off the phone, and then speak disrespectfully to our kids or even our spouse, treating others, even strangers, better than we treat those we love.

Note also that before Abraham actually takes the knife and is just about to kill his own son, Gd is speaking to Abraham directly.


And it came to pass after these things, that Gd did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And He said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. [Genesis 22:1-2]


It is Gd, speaking directly to Abraham, and not an angel of Gd who was talking to Abraham.


However after Abraham is about to kill Isaac, it is only an Angel of Gd who speaks to Abraham!


And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the Angel of the Etrnl called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. [Genesis 22:10-11]


And then later it is still only an Angel of Gd who speaks to Abraham:


And the Angel of the Etrnl called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time… [Genesis 22:15]


As a matter of fact, Gd never spoke directly to Abraham again. From the moment that Abraham was going to actually kill his son, Gd never again spoke directly to Abraham


Note also that the promise of the Angel of Gd to Abraham are nothing new, they are only reiterating what Gd, directly, had already promised to him. It is as if Gd was saying to the Angel, "I am through with him, pat him on the head because he thinks he did right, remind him of his reward for his previous faith, but I am done with him!"

You see, Gd had already told Abraham His covenant would go through Isaac. Gd wanted Abraham to say, 'Wait a minute, You, Gd, are now going against Your own word!' Gd knows that we are always closer to those we will argue with, than with those we will not.

If you see someone doing something wrong, who are you more likely to say something to about what they are doing wrong, someone you know, or someone you do not know?

Gd wants us to be that close to Gd. Gd want us to be like Abraham who was willing to argue with Gd regarding those who were strangers to Abraham in Sodom and Gemorrah. Gd wants us to be as close to Gd as Moses was, indicated by the fact that he argued with Gd on behalf of the People of Israel. Gd wants us to be like Job, who felt so close to Gd that he could argue with Gd for justice. We can argue with Gd like True Close Friends can argue with each other, because Gd is truly, our Closest Friend. Abraham flunked Gd's test, and so Gd never spoke to Abraham directly again.


Note also the true meaning of the word, ‘Israel,’ which is 'Those who wrestle with Gd.' We are not to be blind followers (the word ‘Christian’ means ‘follower of the Christ’), and we are not to merely submit to Gd (which is the meaning of ‘Muslim’). We Jews are to be wrestlers with Gd, like True Friends can do with each other. THAT is how close Gd wants us (meaning the Jews, the People of Israel) to be with Him.