I want you to understand that you do not need to stay stuck inside the idolatry of Christianity. You do not need to believe that you are a fallen person or a sinner or an evil person or someone born into ‘original sin.’ You do not need to believe that you are separated from God or that He has turned His back on you.
For I desire loving-kindness, and not sacrifices, and knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. Hosea 6:6
You no longer need to believe that you cannot follow Torah – even as a non-Jew. For this commandment which I command you this day, is not concealed from you, nor is it far away. It is not in heaven, that you should say, “Who will go up to heaven for us and fetch it for us, to tell [it] to us, so that we can fulfill it?” Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us and fetch it for us, to tell [it] to us, so that we can fulfill it?” Rather, [this] thing is very close to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can fulfill it. Deuteronomy 30:11-14
Derech HaTorah is a place where I offer information for those questioning Christianity or other faith systems as well as those who are Jewish but do not have a strong religious background. I write from a Rationalistic, Tanakh-Based Jewish perspective. This site is copyrighted. Everything on this site is free to use with written permission. If you wish to redistribute anything from this site please Contact me for permission.
This site is guided by three adages:
“Choice Through Knowledge”
“Search the Scripture well and do not rely on my opinion”
“Tradition has a vote but not a veto”
All of these adages is about making choices about Jewish ritual practice based on study of Torah and the understanding of the meanings of Jewish traditions.
Jewish apologetics attempts to defend Jews, our religion, and our culture from critics. The history of Jewish apologetics reflects a complicated relationship between Jews and Gentiles throughout the millennia. Jewish apologetics formed as a response to the challenges of pagans and – eventually – as a response to the challenges of Christianity.
Jewish apologetics are intended to defend the Jewish religion and the Jewish social and national life against the direct attacks from the world around the Jews. Jewish apologetics is also intended to attack the internal doubts that were rising up from comparing Jewish life and the life of the Gentiles surrounding the Jewish community. In addition, Jewish apologetic literature is also written “in the hope of proving to the Gentiles the virtues of the Jewish religion and thereby influencing their outlook on, and attitudes toward, Judaism.”
American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. “Apologetics.” Jewish Virtual Library, 2020. [https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/apologetics]
Judaism & Christianity: A Contrast
“Many people focus on the similarities between Judaism and Christianity, but the religions are quite different-and it’s not just because one accepts Jesus as the messiah and the other does not. … Develop a better understanding of the irreconcilable differences between Judaism and Christianity, and where the two faiths hold mutually exclusive beliefs.”
Let’s Get Biblical
“This new encyclopedic work by Rabbi Tovia Singer – more than 900 pages – is packed with new exciting chapters that reveal why Judaism doesn’t accept the Christian messiah!”
