Jesus

A relative underwent elective surgery earlier today at a Catholic hospital and is making a good recovery so far. He will spent the next 5-7 days there. The hospital has a crucifix hung on the wall in front of each patient’s bed. I asked one of the nurses who happens to be Jewish if I could remove it, but she said she was not in charge of that and could not give me an answer. She directed me to some other department I was unable to reach. This relative is not much into the Jewish religion and doesn’t care there is a crucifix there, but I have the strongest interest in Judaism of all our family and it makes me feel uncomfortable that he, a Jew, has to stare at it all day. The crucifix is the hospital’s property and I haven’t been able to talk to anyone there who could give me an answer. Do you think I can just remove it from the wall myself without asking for permission and place it down gently somewhere where it can be reattached after my relative leaves?

I am staying at a hotel right now. I just discovered that the hotel hosts church services in one of its meeting rooms every Sunday morning. What do I do about that?

Hi. My girlfriend identifies as Messianic Jewish. I am agnostic, but I was raised Jewish until about 11. I am firm that I don't believe in G-d, but she insists that I might understand her better if I got to "know Him." To me, this seems like proselytizing, and further research into Messianic Judaism suggests to me that she isn't actually Jewish, but a Protestant seeking to spread the word of Jesus, or "Yeshua" as she refers to Him. She only attends church services on Sundays and seems nervous about going to temple to worship. I suppose my question is whether or not Messianic Judaism is "real Judaism?" I didn't finish Hebrew school, but I have a large Jewish family on my father's side and I never recall them talking about Yeshua as G-d. I'm sorry if this is an offensive question, but I'm having a hard time finding a good answer to what Messianic Judaism is. Thank you for your time.

Shalom Aleichem, I am a believer in Yeshua and I am very interested in the Ancient Pharisees, Especially because it is said that He was a Pharisee. And I want to learn more about them and become one. Where can I read up on all of their ancient traditions and beliefs? I already know that they obviously kept Torah, They believed G-d is The One and Only G-d, And They kept the tradition of hand washing. All these things I believe in also. So where can I read more about them and become one?

The other night, I stayed for one night at a hotel that I found on a booking site. I checked in late at night when I was tired and just wanted to sleep and didn’t notice anything unusual. The next morning when I entered the office to check out, I noticed lots of missionary materials in the office placed in a manner as if they were screaming to be taken. As I was leaving the grounds, I noticed there was a church attached to the hotel that was physically part of the same building. I later looked at the hotel’s website and learned that the hotel operates as a way of raising money for the existence of this church. All profits from hotel stays instead of supporting an individual’s personal income go toward the church’s operating expenses. What am I supposed to do about this when I accidentally gave money to a missionizing church? Do you think I should confront them and ask for a refund because I don’t agree with their beliefs?

Dear Rabbi, In the Gospels it says that John was baptizing people and Jesus was one of those people who got baptized. I always thought that baptism was a Christian ritual not a Jewish one. What type of baptismal ritual could this have been? Would this be the equivalent of going into the mikveh? Thanks, Jim

I am a Gentile, a Christian (and not a very good one unfortunately), and so I'm not sure my question is appropriate. If it isn't, I apologize profusely! In the Bible, it says that Jesus was approached by the church officials, and they addressed him as "Rabbi" when they questioned him. If Jesus truly was a Rabbi, and was a practicing Jew, as a Rabbi, wouldn't he have to be married? I was under the impression that a Rabbi must be married, because among his expected duties, would be the counseling of female Jews? Is this true, or do I have it all wrong? Thank You in advance for taking the time to consider and respond to my stupid questions? May God be with you. Sincerely, Jason Hamlin...

If Jesus fulfilled the Messianic prophecies, why isn't he the Messiah?