Roots of Faith

Is Jesus really ‘kosher,’ or is it just ‘much ado’ about Rav Shmuley?
Hanoch Young, Adar 5772

I had several reactions when I heard that Rabbi Shmuley Boteach was publishing a book with the title, Kosher Jesus. The title, which is reminiscent of Rav Shmuley’s Kosher Sex grated on me, since it was clearly designed for marketing purposes. Although, I have to give him credit for the ‘Kosher Sex’ title – had he written a book entitled, “The traditional Jewish approach to marital intimacy and modesty” there is not likely a single person on earth that would have bought it.

But, I anxiously awaited publication of his Jesus book (although, I am more comfortable calling Jesus, ‘Yeshua’ – which is most likely what his mother called him, I will follow R’ Shmuley’s calling him ‘Jesus’), since I wanted to see what he would reveal after having researched Jesus for 20 years; particularly, from a Jewish perspective. Personally, having studied Jesus and the New Testament for large parts of the last two decades, I was looking forward to Jewish scholarship in this area.

The main premise of this book is that Jesus was not only a Jewish man throughout his life, but that he always remained faithful (‘Torah Observant’) and was a rebel who yearned to free his fellow Jews from the brutal yoke of the Roman Empire.

R’ Shmuley, who is noted for his ability to gain the public eye (not only with Kosher Sex, or his short-lived partnership with Michael Jackson and now, a run for the US Congress), credits Hyam Macoby for the foundation of his understanding of the true Jesus. The Jesus whose real mission was subsequently hidden during the creation and propagation of Christianity.

And frankly, this became a major issue for me as I read this book – not that I totally disagree with Macoby; over the years, I have come to actually agree with him, on a number of issues. However, the fact that R’ Shmuley didn’t utilize other sources (even those that agree with some of Macoby’s points) absolutely astounds me. Three excellent works, which I have found invaluable in my understanding the life of Jesus are: Wilson’s How Jesus Became Christian , Tabor’s The Jesus Dynasty and Levine’s The Misunderstood Jew .

Each of these works is far superior to Macoby’s, and each has numerous footnotes. R’ Shmuley’s total reliance on Macoby has resulted in a narrow view of Jesus that is not as convincing as it could, or should have been. Simply saying that “Macoby said so,” doesn’t exactly provide compelling evidence… Having said that, R’ Shmuley does a good job with the actual text of the Christian New Testament (‘NT’). This is probably the books strongest point – particularly for a Jewish audience, who are typically unfamiliar with what the NT actually says. Examples would be the alleged ‘violations’ of Halacha, Jewish Law that Jesus was believed to have committed.

But, to best understand this book, you have to look at what the author’s conclusions are. Part of R’ Shmuley’s hypothesis is that Jesus was actually a Rabbinic Sage, who should be ‘reclaimed’ by the Jewish people. Not in the Christological sense, as “savior,” but as a teacher and patriot of his people. The other half of his hypothesis is that Christians should readily acknowledge the Jewishness of Jesus and his message, and be prepared to share him (albeit, differently..) with the Jewish people.

R’ Shmuley does a good job of showing that Jesus’ approach, sayings and parables are rooted in mainstream Jewish thought. He even shows how these were already generally accepted principles by the time Jesus said them. So, on the one hand, he proves clearly that Jesus was firmly rooted in Jewish sources. However, it simultaneously shows that there was nothing unique, ‘revolutionary,’ or even unusual in the teachings of Jesus. If that’s the case, then why is it so important for Jews to ‘reclaim’ Jesus as one of the sages of Israel? Why would it matter so much, since his teachings were simply reflections of what was already being taught? These questions remain unanswered, throughout the book.

I am even more perplexed at the other part of his conclusion – that Christians acknowledge the ‘Jewish Jesus’ – that he lived a Jewish life, never repudiated Jewish Law and died as a Jewish rebel to the Roman occupation. Does he think that (the majority of) Christians will come to actually accept this? Seriously?

Okay, back to the text of the book – its strengths are his explanations of the supposed violations of Jewish Law, like picking the grain on Shabbat. Related to that is the background that he provides on Jewish Law, and its approaches. He also does a very good job of explaining why Jews cannot accept Jesus as their ‘savior.’ Where it wanders and loses energy, are parts like questioning if Judas actually existed, describing how the Catholic Church is our good friend, and Part V – ‘Restoring Judeo-Christian Values.’

Truly significant issues like who exactly were the “Lost sheep of the House of Israel” that Jesus was directing his mission toward, aren’t dealt with at all. And I think it would have been very helpful to have better explained when the Gospels were written, what the early ‘Church’ was like, etc. It wasn’t very clear how the religion OF Jesus suddenly became a religion ABOUT Jesus.
For a book that could have been truly GREAT, and helpful in understanding Jesus, he left an awful lot out. Of course, what is even larger than the issues the book covers (or doesn’t) are the reactions to the book in the Jewish community (communities would have been a more accurate word to use..). R’ Shmuley seems to have been ripped into in most Jewish media, particularly those from the Haredi (so called, “ultra-Orthodox”) world that he comes from.

Although certainly not his fault, this book seems to have become a lightning rod for every reactionary Jewish view of scholarship relating to Jesus. Although it certainly would be legitimate (and there is evidence to support it) to say that there is no reason to consider Jesus a Jewish Sage, to describe R’ Shmuley as aiding in assimilation and aiding the work of Christian missionaries is totally wrong and grossly unfair. There is even a so-called ‘anti-missionary’ who is trying to share the spotlight by attacking R’ Shmuley and this book. Trust me, no Jewish person’s faith will be weakened by reading it…

When we live in the world of the internet, to bury our heads in the sand, and ignore the issues associated with Jesus life and message(s) do not protect our children from the soul-stealing approach of missionaries. This book could have gone much further in having Jews understand the issues relating to Jesus, and the subsequent creation of a religion about him. It could have, but didn’t….

For those who wish to purchase Shmuley Boteach’s Kosher Jesus, here is the link:

I started a new category for my blog called Book Reviews. Under this heading I will provide book reviews on the books that I read.  Some of these will be in the form of written blogs, while I may post podcasts on some of the books that I read.

I am currently reading the book, The Misunderstood Jew – The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus by Amy-Jill Levine.  I should finish the book and post a review no later than the weekend if all goes according to plan.  Check back soon.