The Religions of Wood and Stone - Interesting Article

[kyel]

http://israelinprophecy.wordpress.com/2011/05/12/the-religions-of-wood-and-stone/

The Religions of Wood and Stone
 MAY 12, 2011 BY HEALTHZOMBIE
In the Book of Devarim (Dueteronomy 4), as the children of Israel were about to enter the Promised Land, Hashem tells them of a time in the far future when they would be exiled among the nations for sins against HaShem and the breaking of the covenant.  During there long exiles they would abandon faith in the God of Israel and would be disobedient to the Torah that they received on Mount Sinai.  HaShem said that they would serve the gods of wood and stone. (vs 4:28)

“HaShem will scatter you among the people’s, and you will be left few in number among the nations where HaShem will lead you.  There you will serve gods, the handiwork of men, of wood and stone, which do not see, and do not, and do not hear, and do not eat and do not smell.” (Devarim 4:27-28)

If one looks closely at this text in the original Hebrew language, some startling things can be seen in verse 28:

כח  וַעֲבַדְתֶּם-שָׁם אֱלֹהִים, מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵי אָדָם:  עֵץ

וָאֶבֶן–אֲשֶׁר לֹא-יִרְאוּן וְלֹא יִשְׁמְעוּן, וְלֹא יֹאכְלוּן וְלֹא יְרִיחֻן.

The Hebrew text in red is the phrase that is translated as ‘handiwork of men’ which is a valid translation but often is seen simply as referring to the making of idols – of wood and stone.  But the text says far more than that.  The Hebrew phrase – ma’aseh y’dai adom - is conveying more than simple idol making but is referring to the works (ma’aseh) of the arm (y’dai) of men (adom).  Often in the biblical narrative the arm refers to power or strength.  This phrase has an extended meaning  of the “religion of men.”  The religions of wood and stone are no mere generic references to false religion but identify the two major gentile religions:  Christianity, symbolized by the wooden cross that Jesus died on, and Islam, who worships a black Religion of the Stonestone housed at the Kaaba in Mecca

The Religion of the Stone

The Black Stone (called الحجر الأسود al-Hajar-ul-Aswad in Arabic) is a Muslim object of reverence, said by some to date back to the time of Adam and Eve. It is the eastern cornerstone of the Ka’bah (the “cube”), the ancient building towards which all Muslims pray, in the center of Masjid al-Haram, the Grand Mosque  in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The Stone is roughly 30 cm (12 in.) in diameter, and 1.5 meters above the ground. Many Muslims believe that the Stone fell from Heaven during the time of Adam and Eve, and that it was once pure and dazzling white, but has turned black because of the sins it has absorbed over the years. Some say that the Stone was found by Abraham (Ibrahim) and his son Ishmael (Ismail) when they were searching for stones with which to build the Ka’bah, around 1700-2000 B.C.E. They recognized its worth and made it one of the building’s cornerstones. It was also said that the stone was given to (Ibrahim) Abraham by the Archangel Gabriel. Non-Islamic historians point to the history of baetylus, or meteorite worship, in pre-Islamic Arabia, and say it is likely that the Stone is a meteorite.  There are an estimated 1.5 billion Muslims in the world.

Religion of the WoodThe Religion of the Wood

Christianity claims that jesus is the Jewish Messiah who came to pay for the sins of Israel and the world.  He was executed on a wooden cross and since that time Pauline Christianity has used the wooden cross as a symbol of Jesus and his mission.  Most Christian churches are adorned with crosses in remembrance of him.  The wooden cross of course come from a tree and there are even references in the New Testament that state that Jesus was hung on a tree.  Deuteronomy 4:28 actually states that the religion of wood is a religion of the tree:

כח  וַעֲבַדְתֶּם-שָׁם אֱלֹהִים, מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵי אָדָם:  עֵץ

וָאֶבֶן–אֲשֶׁר לֹא-יִרְאוּן וְלֹא יִשְׁמְעוּן, וְלֹא יֹאכְלוּן וְלֹא יְרִיחֻן.

Throughout the Tanakh, HaShem condemned other religions of the wood as idolatrous – such as the pagan religions that worshipped the Asherah pole which was really just a tree that was stripped of it’s branches and decorated.  Additionally, our Torah specifically states that all who hang on a tree are cursed:

 And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he is to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day (for he that is hanged is accursed of God), that thy land be not defiled which the HaShem thy God giveth thee for an inheritance. (Deuteronomy 21:22-23)

Though Christianity believes the man Jesus was the Messiah, I ask you,would God make a man He Himself has cursed the deliverer of Israel?  Hardly.

If we again return to the Hebrew text of Deuteronomy 4:27-28 we find Torah codes that also connect Christianity and Islam to this verse about the false religions of wood and stone.  A EDL (Equal Distance Lettering) count of 50 letters within these passages identifies both religions.  The green letters reveal the name Yeshu, a specific reference to Jesus.  The EDL count of the orange letters reveals the word Mecca in reverse.  The Hebrew verse numbers (in purple) are not counted as they are not part of the original Hebrew text of the Torah.

כז  וְהֵפִיץ יְהוָה אֶתְכֶם, בָּעַמִּים; וְנִשְׁאַרְתֶּם, מְתֵי מִסְפָּר,

בַּגּוֹיִם, אֲשֶׁר יְנַהֵג יְהוָה אֶתְכֶם שָׁמָּה.

כח  וַעֲבַדְתֶּם-שָׁם אֱלֹהִים, מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵי אָדָם:  עֵץ

וָאֶבֶן–אֲשֶׁר לֹא-יִרְאוּן וְלֹא יִשְׁמְעוּן, וְלֹא יֹאכְלוּן וְלֹא יְרִיחֻן.

Literally centuries before Christianity (1300 years) and Islam (2000 years) were ever conceived, HaShem warned us of them and identified them specifically within the text of our Torah.   Judaism, the One True Faith in the Creator differs from all the other religions in many different ways but only one difference is needed to point out the special character of Judaism from all the rest.  All the many thousands of the worlds gentile religions base their faith in the revelation of one person.  Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity. Hare Krishna, Islam and all the others are founded upon the teachings of one person who received revelation from god.  Judaism, however, is not based on the revelation of one person.  The Children of Israel journeyed to Mount Sinai and received a national revelation.  Millions of Israelites heard the words of God.  Not a single person but an entire nation.

Any gentile religion, well meaning as they may be, does not represent the true and actual words and teaching of HaShem.  Only Judaism stands alone, separate and heads above the rest of the faiths of the world.  Israel is a chosen people and their faith is undeniably the Truth.

[Ephraim Ben Noach]

Do you know who wrote this?

[kyel]

I don't know it was an Idea I only heard from Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi previously.

[Ephraim Ben Noach]

I find it hard to believe that some sand rats are Israelites... Wouldn't their inner voice be telling them they are wrong for what they are doing? And they don't even look like Jews.

[edu]

At least one of the rishonim, (Rashbatz) says that the religion of wood is christianity and the religion of stone is Islam (who have stone throwing rituals in the city of Mecca). Rashbatz also claims this was written in another one of the books of the rishonim, The Kuzari.
Our version of the Kuzari, that has made it down to our days is censored, with this passage being removed from the book.

[edu]

quote from
 אפרים בן נח

I find it hard to believe that some sand rats are Israelites... Wouldn't their inner voice be telling them they are wrong for what they are doing? And they don't even look like Jews.

Unfortunately, in certain countries, Israelites were faced with the option of "convert or die" and many chose to convert.
There were also some that converted because of economic penalties imposed by the Moslems for remaining non-Moslem.
In our times, even without major penalties from the Gentiles for being Jewish we see, a large percentage of the Jewish population, giving up their identity in favor of the religion of the culture they find themselves in.

[edu]

Concerning the comment made:

I find it hard to believe that some sand rats are Israelites ... Wouldn't their inner voice be telling them they are wrong for what they are doing? And they don't even look like Jews.

At the time of the writing of the Mishna, the skin color of the average Israelite was darker than the skin color of a German but lighter than the skin color of an Ethiopian
Mishna - Mas. Nega'im Chapter 2 (Soncino translation)
MISHNAH 1. THE BRIGHT SPOT IN A GERMAN1 APPEARS AS DULL WHITE,2 AND THE
DULL WHITE ONE IN AN ETHIOPIAN3 APPEARS AS BRIGHT WHITE.4 R. ISHMAEL5
STATED: THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL6 (MAY I BE AN ATONEMENT FOR THEM!)7 ARE
LIKE BOXWOOD, NEITHER BLACK NOR WHITE BUT OF AN INTERMEDIATE SHADE’.8
footnotes
(1) Whose skin is bright white.
(2) Hence it must be pronounced clean.
(3) Who is dark.
(4) And must be shut up; each case being determined according to the individual concerned.
(5) Differing from the ruling just enunciated.
(6) With whose leprosy signs the law is concerned.
(7) An expression of love and homage. ‘May I be the victim making atonement for any punishment that may have to
come upon them’.
(8] A leprosy sign is, therefore, to be determined by its appearance on such an intermediate shade.
On the other hand from tractate Sota, it is implied that it was considered a blessing if one had lighter skin. Although white like an Albino is already considered to be a defect (Mume in hebrew).

[Israel Chai]

I find it hard to believe that some sand rats are Israelites... Wouldn't their inner voice be telling them they are wrong for what they are doing? And they don't even look like Jews.

They have intermarried by now. A complete lack of education makes understanding anything tough, too, as well as a horribly hard life, fear for your life, and a system that offers every carnal pleasure.