The Torah & America's Justice System

Q. What contribution has the Torah made to the Criminal Justice system in America?

A. In the book of Deuteronomy it says, "Justice, Justice you shall pursue..." This has served as a motto for many Jews and non-Jews serving in the Criminal Justice system. This has guided their outlook on U.S. law and how it should be interpreted. What we have in America is the Department of Justice not a "ministry of laws" like in other countries.. By this, the United States shows that it understands the concept of justice as outlined in the scriptures. We do not "pursue laws", but justice , which is the union of strict law and compassion.

Q.Most of Israel is secular, what does this mean?

A. It means that Israel is made up of people who are just like everyone else. We have this concept that Jews automatically are believers in G-d and know the scriptures, when the fact is they are just like anyone else. The United States is secular. True, there are prophecies that state that Israel will not be that way, and the Torah commandments will go forth from Jerusalem into the whole world, but that time has not yet come. So, as prophesied in Ezekiel 37, Israel has been resurrected from the "graves"(nations), the bones have come together but there is no life yet, and they have returned back to the land in unbelief, but the Spirit will come and bring like to them very soon.

Q.Was every writer of the Bible Jewish?

A.Yes, but there are those who think that Luke may have been Gentile, but not probable. If he was Gentile at birth, he had converted to Judaism and was a proselyte Jew, but most likely he was Jewish with a Greek name which was not uncommon.

Q.Explain what the word "Tanach " means.

A.Tanach is a better way of saying "old"testament. You see, there is no such thing as the "old" testament scriptures. This term was invented by Christians to imply that the scriptures there did not appy anymore, they have been replaced by the "new" testament. The most useless page in a Bible is the one that comes after Malachi and before Matthew that says "new ' testament scriptures on it. It just isn't true. Tanach, or Tanak, is an acrnym of three words that make up the scriptures from Genesis to Malchi. "TNK" stands for Torah, the first five books, Nevi'im, the prophets, and Ketuvim, meaning the writings which includes everything else not in the first two categories. So, putting the three first letters of Torah, Nevi'im and Ketuvim together you have "Tanak".



Q.What does the word "Talmud" mean and what is it's importance?

A. Talmud means "to study" and it contains the oral traditions of the Jewish people. It contains the Mishnah and Gemara, arguments and doctrine, medicine and numerous other things. Some think of it as a Holy Book equal to the Bible, but it is not an inspired work of G-d. It contains much information, some of it good and some bad, but should never be placed ahead of the written word of G-d.

Just a quick note, for those who submit questions to the paper, please type or print them legibly I want to answer them correctly and every one is important, so I want to be able to read it and get the meaning. Some questions have been submitted but the handwriting was not legible, so the question never got answered and that is always a shame, so take your time and make sure we can read it. Now, go and study!