Yakov and Me — Answering Jewish Objections to the Christian Interpretation of Isaiah 53 and Other Topics

The purpose of this book is to answer objections commonly raised by Jewish outreach websites and YouTube debaters challenging Jesus' messiahship and the New Testament (Christian Scriptures). Most Christians, including pastors, would be at a loss to answer objections such as: · "In Isaiah 53:5, Christians translated the Hebrew word [??????????????] 'because of our sins,' as 'for our sins,' in order to make the passage fit their theology that Jesus died for people's sins." · "The prophecy in Isaiah 7:14 – 'Look, the young woman [not virgin] is with child and about to give birth to a son. Let her name him Immanuel' – has nothing at all to do with Jesus. Nevertheless, they apply it to him out of context and 700 years after the fact! As they do with many texts in the Old Testament (Tanakh)." · "Christians resort to mistranslations and distortions to support their beliefs." Jews are naturally inclined to share information they learn from Jewish outreach websites, such as the above, with Christian friends. Christians, hard pressed to give meaningful answers, might feel appalled, that their faith is exposed as false. Unfortunately, the amount of misleading information presented as fact by anti-missionary websites makes finding the truth challenging. The perpetrators feel they are on a holy mission to "protect" their brethren and so are justified to fudgethe truth (and many Christian outreach sites feel, and do, the same). The financial side to the question adds fuel to the fire. Big bucks are to be made because everything today can be, and generally is, monetized. Money rolls in and the attacks on both sides become more financially rewarding as they get more aggressive. It's as if they feel: "God is blessing us richly for protecting our brothers, so we're okay even if we cheat just a little." Monetizing distorts motivation and creates another layer complicating an already complicated question. As a Hebrew speaking Jew (American Israeli), the pursuit of Truth is my objective; the facts are of more concern to me than defending a religious position. Certainly, many Jews and Christians feel the same as I do. They love truth for its own sake. Many desire to pierce through false arguments so they can get to the bottom of the question of whether Jesus is the promised Messiah. Therefore, much effort has gone into formulating robust replies to the many questions and objections put forward against the Christian position regarding Jesus' Messiahship. A lot of biblical, Talmudic and historical information is presented as proof of statements made, but the Scriptures themselves form the major part of the discussion herein. A great deal of the information is a product of personal research and is unavailable elsewhere. This book is not just for Christians and Jews, but for everyone interested in the subject and values truth above other considerations. It is meant as a resource to uncover what the truth is regarding Jesus and the Christian Scriptures rather than as a debating tool. It is my sincere hope that truth seekers – regardless of religion or worldview - find the answers provided herein reasonable, coherent and, most importantly, faith strengthening. "If you seek it as you do silver And search for it as for treasures, 5 Then you will understand the fear of the Lord And attain knowledge of God."— Proverbs 2:4, 5 (Jewish Study Bible). NOTE: This book is offered free of charge to avoid any misconception regarding the author's motive for publishing it.