The Messianic Jewish Expositor Arthur P Wolinsky

Rabbi Isaac Lichtenstein
OCTOBER 4, 2012 BY HENRY EINSPRUCH D.D.
From Rabbis meet Jesus the Messiah – a collection of 24 biographies and testimonies of Rabbis encounters with Jesus the Messiah
© Messianic Good News.
He was not yet twenty when he became a Rabbi, and after officiating for several years in different communities in northern Hungary, Isaac Lichtenstein finally settled as District Rabbi in Tapio Szele, where he remained for nearly forty years, labouring ceaselessly and unselfishly for the good of his people.
Early in his ministry a Jewish teacher in the communal school of his district casually showed him a German Bible. Turning the leaves, his eye fell on the name “Jesu Christi.” He became furiously angry and sharply reproved the teacher for having such a thing in his possession. Taking the book, he flung it across the room in a rage; it fell behind others on a shelf where, dusty and forgotten, it lay some thirty odd years.
About that time a fierce wave of anti Semitism broke out in Hungary, culminating in the now historic “Tisza Eslar affair”. In that picturesque little Hungarian town, situated on the Theiss, 12 Jews and a Jewess were thrown into prison, accused of having killed a Christian girl in order to use her blood for ritual purposes the most tragic part of the case being that a little Jewish boy, who had been kept some time from his parents by the police commissary, was prevailed on by threats and cruelties to appear as the chief witness against his own father (the synagogue sexton) and recite a concocted circumstantial tale of the supposed murdered girl.
As in every other case in which this diabolical charge was ever brought against the Jews, the blood accusation in Tisza Eslar was ultimately demonstrated to be false and baseless. It remains to the glory of true religion that a number of prominent Christian men, notably Dr. Franz Delitzsch, of the Leipzig University, rose to the occasion not only to defend the Jews, but also to tear the mask from all who by their acts scandalized Christ in the eyes of Jewry.
The mental state of Rabbi Lichtenstein at this time is best revealed in his Judenspiegel (Jewish Mirror):
“Often have they oppressed me from my youth, may Israel say” (Psalm 129:1). No long explanation is needed to show that in these few words the Psalmist sums up the bitter experiences and sorrows which we, at least of the older generation, have suffered from our youth up at the hands of the Christian populations surrounding us.
“Mockery, scorn, blows, and all manner of humiliation, have been our portion even at the hands of Christian children. I remember still the stones which were thrown at us as we left the synagogue, and how, when bathing in the river, and powerless, we saw them cast our clothing, with laughter and insult, into the water.
“Once with sorrow and weeping,, I saw my father felled to the ground without the least hesitation by a nobleman, so called, because he had not quickly enough made room for him on a narrow path. But these sad experiences are known well enough to need no dwelling on; and would to God that such persecution of the Jews by the Christians were altogether a thing of the forgotten past!
“As impressions of early life take a deep hold, and as in my riper years I still had no cause to modify these impressions, it is no wonder that I came to think that Christ Himself was the plague and curse of the Jews the origin and promoter of our sorrows and persecutions.
“In this conviction I grew to years of manhood, and still cherishing it I became old. I knew no difference between true and merely nominal Christianity; of the fountainhead of Christianity itself I knew nothing. Strangely enough it was the horrible Tisza Eslar blood accusation which first drew me to read the New Testament. This trial brought from their lurking places all our enemies, and once again, as in olden times, the cry re echoed, ‘Death to the Jew!’ The frenzy was excessive, and

Rabbi Leopold Cohn, D.D. (1862 – 1937)
OCTOBER 4, 2012 BY H B CENTZ
From Rabbis meet Jesus the Messiah – a collection of 24 biographies and testimonies of Rabbis encounters with Jesus the Messiah
© Messianic Good News.
Life began for Leopold Cohn in the little town of Berezna, in the eastern part of Hungary. At the age of seven a great calamity befell the young lad; he lost both of his parents in the same year and was left to shift as well as he could for himself. In later years he often recalled how those days of terrible loneliness and bitter struggle for existence taught him to trust in God with all of his heart. It seems natural, then, to find young Cohn, after his confirmation at the age of thirteen, determined to enter upon a course of study with a view to becoming eventually a Rabbi and leader among his people. That he gave good account of himself as a student we conclude from the fact that at the age of eighteen, he graduated from the Talmudical academies with a record of high scholarship and with commendations as a worthy teacher of the Law.
Following the completion of his formal studies and the subsequent receipt of “smikha” or ordination, Rabbi Cohn contracted a very happy marriage and, in keeping with the custom of the time, became installed in his wife’s paternal home, there to devote himself to the further study of the sacred writings.
Through the years of almost ascetic religious study and devotion, the burning problems of his people, the problems of the exile and of the promised but long delayed redemption through the coming of the Messiah, had become deeply etched upon the Rabbi’s spirit, and now that he had obtained leisure and could follow the call of his heart, he gave himself to earnest prayer and research in the hope of finding their solution.
A part of his morning devotions was the repetition of the twelfth article of the Jewish creed, which declares, “I believe with a perfect faith in the coming of the Messiah, and though He tarry, yet will I wait daily for His coming.”
The regular use of this affirmation of faith fanned to a flame the desire of his heart for the fulfilment of God’s promises and the speedy restoration of scattered Israel, until no longer satisfied with the formal prayers, he began to rise up in the midnight watches and sit on the bare ground to mourn over the destruction of the temple and to implore God to hasten the coming of the Deliverer.
“Why does the Messiah tarry? When will He come?” These were questions which continually agitated the young Rabbi’s mind. One day, while poring over a volume of the Talmud, he came upon the following citation: “The world will stand six thousand years. There will be two thousand years of confusion, two thousand years under the law, and two thousand years of the time of the Messiah.” With quickened interest he turned for light on the passage to the writings of Rashi, the foremost Jewish commentator, but the explanation he found there seemed to him to be of little help. “After the second two thousand years,” it read, “the Messiah will come and the wicked kingdoms will be destroyed.” When he turned away from the ponderous volumes, the solution of his problem appeared to him to have become more difficult than ever. According to Talmudical reckoning the Messiah should long since have come; yet, there was the exile, still the bitterest fact of Jewish life, to be accounted for. “Can it be possible,” he asked himself, “that the time appointed by God for the coming of the Messiah has passed and the promise has not been fulfilled?” Sorely perplexed, Rabbi Cohn decided to begin a study of the original predictions of the Prophets, but the very contemplation of the act filled him with fear, for, according to the teaching of the Rabbis, “Cursed are the bones of him who calculates the time of the end.” And so it was that with trembling hands, expecting at any moment to be struck by a bolt from heaven, but with

Rabbi Daniel Zion
OCTOBER 4, 2012 BY DR JACOB GARTENHAUS
From Rabbis meet Jesus the Messiah – a collection of 24 biographies and testimonies of Rabbis encounters with Jesus the Messiah
© Messianic Good News.
Included by permission of IBJM from “A Former Chief Rabbi Finds Christ” by Dr. Jacob Gartenhaus.
One of the most remarkable conversions recorded in Jewish history since the conversion of that zealous Pharisee, Rabbi Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus Road, is that of Rabbi Daniel Zion, the former Chief Rabbi of Bulgaria and later the Chief Rabbi of Jaffa, Israel.
Perhaps no other conversion in modern times has rocked the Jewish world as has his. He has perhaps been the subject of more controversy in synagogues, temples and churches than any other personality. Scores of articles in both Jewish and Christian periodicals have been written about him. He has been cursed and blessed, denounced and praised. From as far as Australia, India and Africa have come inquiries concerning Rabbi Daniel Zion.
When he first openly declared that he was saved, through putting his total faith and trust only in the blood atonement of the True and Living, Almighty God, the Creator of the heavens and of the earth, the Lord Jesus Christ, the One and only True Messiah of Israel, he was immediately discharged from the responsibilities which he fulfilled, being the Chief Rabbi of Jaffa, Israel, and following this, came a siege of persecution.
TESTIMONY ON ISRAEL RADIOGod opened the door through “Kol Yisrael,” the official radio broadcasting station of Israel, for Rabbi Daniel Zion to preach the Good News of the Lord Jesus Christ, the One and only True Messiah of Israel, from the inspired, preserved, inerrant word of God. This was the first time that any person was given the privilege of preaching the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, the true Messiah, on “Kol Yisrael.”
“More than twenty years ago, I had the first opportunity of reading the New Testament. It influenced me greatly. I began to speak about it in a small circle in Bulgaria. I always regretted that Jesus the Messiah has been estranged from the community of Israel. Jesus the Messiah did nothing but good for the Jewish people. He called them to repentance, proclaimed the Kingdom of God and Divine Love, a love towards all men, even one’s enemies. To our great regret we have had to pay a heavy price for the sin of rejecting the true Messiah. But I must confess that my position as a Rabbi did not allow me at once to come out openly before the world in order to declare this truth, until God, in His great mercy, set me free from all fear. He brought me into this country of Israel, where at first I discharged my duties as a rabbi of Jaffa.”
“After I gave up my position (as Chief Rabbi of Jaffa, Israel,) I went to Jerusalem, where for a whole month I engaged in fasting, prayer and supplication. It was then that I asked God to show me the right way, and the eternal God heard my prayer. On the first of Shevat, 5710 (January / February, 1950), the Holy Spirit revealed to me that Jesus is indeed the true Messiah, who suffered for us and sacrificed Himself for our sin. A burning fire in my heart gave me no rest until I had publicly confessed my faith in the blood atonement of the True and living God, the Lord Jesus Christ, the one and only Messiah of Israel.”
“In spite of all the difficulties, suffering and persecutions, which I have endured incessantly, nothing could dissuade me from my faith. On the contrary, God to whom I had given my heart and to whom I turn in all my needs, has given me the strength and power to continue my witness. He spoke to me through a verse in (the word of God), Isaiah 41:10 – ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee, yea, I will keep thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’ By this I understood that a great and important task has been given to me by the Eter

Hebrews 1:7
Hi Folks.  We’re finally up to verse 7 of Hebrews, chapter one.  I’m going to read it in the NIV:
Hebrews 1:7 (NIV) In speaking of the angels he says, "He makes his angels spirits, and his servants flames of fire."
I’d like to ask you a question.  How can we explain this verse to someone?  How can we expound it or dig the meaning out of it?  I don’t think that is necessarily an easy thing to do.  But, based on our last session together, I think there is a way to do it.  And it’s a way that we can also apply to some other verses and passages that may not be clear.
In Hebrews 1:6, we saw that the phrase “Let all God’s angels worship Him” came from Psalm 97:7 in the Septuagint and we were able to understand what Hebrews 1:6 was talking about by looking at the message of Psalm 97 as a whole.  And doing that opened our understanding to let us see that Hebrews 1:6 was actually telling us about the second coming of Christ.  I think that the author of Hebrews expected us to see this and to get this additional understanding from Psalm 97:7 in the Septuagint.
This method, if we can call it that, was used by Jesus in responding to the Jewish leaders when they said certain things to Him.  Let’s look at an example of that:
Matthew 21:16 (NIV) "Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him. "Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read, "'From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise'?"
Now let’s look at that verse in context:
Matthew 21:13-16 (NIV) "It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it 'a den of robbers.'" [14] The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. [15] But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant. [16] "Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him. "Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read, "'From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise'?"
The chief priests and the teachers of the law were indignant when they saw the wonderful things that Yeshua did and when the children cried out Hosanna to the Son of David.  These children were praising Jesus and calling Him the Messiah!  They recognized who He was, and they exclaimed it, unlike these Jewish leaders.  I’m going to quote Jesus’ response from the King James Version:  Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?
Jesus was saying this to these leaders:  You’ve seen what I’ve done but you deny that I’m the Messiah.  Even these children know who I am.  And haven’t you read what the Tehillim (the Psalms) say about me?  Yeshua was quoting Psalm 8:2. Let’s look at that in context:
Psalms 8:1-9 (NKJV) O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens! [2] Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger. [3] When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, [4] What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? [5] For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. [6] You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, [7] All sheep and oxen—Even the beasts of the field, [8] The birds of the air, And the fish of the sea That pass through the paths of the seas. [9] O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth!
This method of quoting a verse which “hinted” at a passage of Scripture that would provide additional understanding was sometimes used by Rabbis with their students and it was given a name: remez,

Hi folks, we’re going to take a detailed look at Hebrews 1:6 today but, by way of review let’s read the first six verses of Hebrews, chapter one, in the NIV, first. 
Hebrews 1:1-6 (NIV) In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, [2] but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. [3] The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. [4] So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. [5] For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father"? Or again, "I will be his Father, and he will be my Son"? [6] And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him."
Now verse 6 in the NKJV is a little different.  Let’s read that:
Hebrews 1:6 (NKJV) But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: "LET ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM."
There are two differences in this verse between the NIV and the NKJV.  One difference is the placement of the word again, and we’ll discuss that shortly, and the other difference is that in the NKJV the phrase "LET ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM" is in all capital letters which means the translators are indicating that this phrase comes from the Old Testament.  The NASB does the same thing.  Personally, I find this helpful.
But where is this phrase "LET ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM" in the Old Testament?  Scholars say that it is from Psalm 97:7 in the Septuagint.  Two scholars in particular have helped me here.  I’m referring to a Puritan, John Owen and his seven volume Commentary on Hebrews, and to John MacArthur and his Commentary on Hebrews.  And if you wish to, you can verify this for yourself.  If you search the NKJV of the Bible, you will not find the phrase "LET ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM" anywhere in the Old Testament.  You won’t find it in the NIV either.  And that is because it is a quote from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, made by a group of about 70 rabbis, 270 years or so before Yeshua came into the world. Because the New Testament writers wrote in Greek, they often quoted Old Testament Scriptures from the Septuagint.  And if you search the English translation of the Septuagint electronically, yourself, in the widely available e-Sword program, you will find it in one place only, in Psalm 97:7.  The scholars of old had to really know their Bibles, including the Septuagint, in order to recognize that this phrase was quoted from Psalm 97:7 since these scholars didn’t have the benefit of electronic searching which we have today.
Modern translations such as the NIV translate Psalm 97:7 this way:
Psalms 97:7 (NIV) All who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols— worship him, all you gods!
But that’s not what Hebrews 1:6 says.  It says this, in the NIV:
Hebrews 1:6 (NIV) And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him."
The reason for the difference is that Hebrews 1:6 uses the Septuagint translation of the original Hebrew which reads like this:
Psalms 97:7 (Brenton) Let all that worship graven images be ashamed, who boast of their idols; worship him, all ye his angels.
Why the change from gods, meaning idols, in Psalm 97:7 in the Hebrew Bible to all God’s angels in Hebrews 1:6?  In the Hebrew, in Psalm 97:7, the word we are interested in is Elohim, a plural word that usually refers to God, who has a plural nature, but it can also refer to false gods or idols.  It doesn’t usually refer to angels.  The usual Hebrew word for angels is malachim.  In fact, in the Hebrew Bible, Eloh

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