"For Instruction shall come forth from Zion, The word of the L-rd from Jerusalem." -- Isaiah 2:3

Jerusalem

Torah Verses

Excerpt Sources

Complete List of Source Books

Navigate the Excerpts Browser

Before accessing the excerpts, please review a word about copyright.

Are you more of an "I'll dive right in and figure it out" person, or a "Show Me How This Thing Works" person?  If the former, go right ahead and try the excerpts browers on the right side of this page and/or scroll through the excerpts that start below the following information -- although we still suggest reading the information first.  If you are the latter, click here for a video demonstrating the Excerpts Browser. Either way (or both), enjoy! 

This page is recommended for searches limited to specific Torah books, weekly portions (parshiot), chapters, verses, and/or sources (authors). For keyword and/or for exact phrase (including verse and source) searches of the entire excerpts database, we recommend using the Search Engine page.  For broadest results, use both pages and alternative search strategies. 

This page displays the full text of all or "sorted" (filtered) excerpts in the database.  Use the "Torah Verses" and/or "Excerpt Sources" browsers at the right to locate the excerpts associated with your desired Torah book, portion, chapter. verse, or author.  Or, simply scroll through the excerpts, using the "boxes" at the bottom of any page displaying excerpts to "jump" ahead or back. 

Also note that immediately below the chapter, verse, and keyword of each excerpt is a highlighted line comprised of multiple links.  Clicking on any of the links will limit (filter) the excerpts display to the selected category.  

Transcription of excerpts is incomplete.  For current status, please see "Transcribed Sources" on the Search Engine page.  To assist with completion, please see "Contributors" page. 

137

DEUTERONOMY | 30:2 return — DEUT1584 Judaism believes that man starts out wit...

DEUT1584 Judaism believes that man starts out with a "clean slate" and that he can achieve good in the world by following the precepts of the Torah. Christianity believes that man is basically evil, starting out with original sin. This prevents him from achieving greatness, and thus he must turn to Jesus as a savior to pray on his behalf. Although it is true that the Torah does say that man's heart is evil from his youth (Genesis 8:21) and that, left unchecked, can lead to a path of evil, nevertheless Judaism believes that the path of the Torah is achievable without great difficult. The phrase "It is not in heaven...but it is in your mouth and in your hands to do" [Deuteronomy 30:12-14] is generally interpreted that God did not make the mitzvot too difficult for the average man to accomplish. In addition, one of [the Jewish] daily prayers says that each day a person starts out fresh, with "a pure soul" (The "Elokei Neshamah" prayer at the beginning of the morning service states that each day God returns the soles of the "dead" (sleep is one sixtieth of death). This does not mean that the Jew is automatically forgiven for all past misdeeds. But the Jew has the potential each day to reverse previous actions and begin again. The entire Teshuvah (Repentance) process that is highlighted in the forty-day period culminating with Yom Kippur shows Judaism's belief in the basic goodness in man and in his potential for change. Thus, it is a positive commandment to return to God after sinning [this verse]. In his laws on repentance, Maimonides stresses that basic to being human is the ability to change for good, no matter what one's past (Maimonides, Hilchot Teshuvah, chap.5). This seems to disagree with a Christian philosophy about the nature of man.

Share

Print
Source KeyAMEMEI
Verse30:2
Keyword(s)return
Source Page(s)41-2

Comment

Collapse Expand Comments (0)

You are replaying to

Your comment was added, but it must be approved first.

Please enter your name
Please enter your email adressPlease enter valid email adress
Please enter a comment
Please solve Captcha.
Add Comment
Back To Top