The words in Torah which are vastly known and most precious to us are those concerning the unity of the Most High: Shema. The text consists of three biblical paragraphs: Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 11:13-21 and Numbers 15:37-41, starting with the declaration of the unity of the Most High: Hear o Israel, the Lord is our G-d, the Lord is one. Through the ages our fathers and mothers spoke this text while standing upon a stake to be burnt, or eye to eye with wild animals , or at the moment their skin was being stripped from their bodies, or being tortured, or standing in front of their grave they had to dig themselves, or simply after getting up in the morning. But also in the most beautiful synagogues we said these words, as well as in the safety of our homes or at the moment of going to bed or getting up. It is the text Israel spoke while the rest of the world was occupied with serving idols. The time will come when the whole world will know that the Most High is one.
At all possible moments in history Jews have been forced to be baptized. While at the same time circumcision was forbidden, as well as Shabbat celebration, kosher food and shechita, slaughter in a Jewish ritual way. We were driven to the closest church building on farmer carts in order to be made wet in the name of the Jesus the church members believed in. As if that could change our impressions of the drivers of these carts, who were blood thirsty murderers who forced their will upon their innocent victims. In the time of the crusaders Jewish men were killed for being Jewish and their clothes were removed from their bodies, because those could be sold. The women and children were raped and then sold as slaves. In the time of the inquisition also Jewish women were murdered by being burnt, because death by the sword was not permitted biblically, nebbish.
These kinds of Christian lynch parties caused the very much respected Rashi (Rabbi Solomon Ben Isaac, 1040-1105) to recognize the people of Israel in the words of our prophet Isaiah in chapter 53 concerning the beaten one. The one receiving the stripes, the one being blamed was Israel. Because the Jesus of the murdering church members, motivated by their fiery preachers, was not recognizable of course in the words by Isaiah. The church had made a self-made image of a human being, Jesus, into G-d. That is blasphemy, because G-d is one. No other being can participate in that unity with the Most High. G-d is one, therefore there is no Trinity or something like it. In whatever name of whatever god people judged and judge, executed and execute, murdered and murder, our G-d is one and He is different from theirs. Our G-d saved and saves us, at those moments or afterwards.
The Messiah of Tanach is completely different. He leaves no room for people to force Him to be someone else than He is or to do things in His name. He is G-d, as Tanach shows in our prophet Ezekiel chapter 34, where it says that G-d Himself will come to us in order to feed His sheep. He is G-d as our prophet Zachariah states in chapter 12 verse 10, where it is G-d Himself who speaks there and who is pierced as a human being. It is G-d in the form of a man who speaks with our father Avraham, read Genesis 18. He is called YHVH. And it is that same man who spoke with Avraham who rains fire and brimstone from YHVH in the heavens in chapter 19 verse 24 of Genesis. The man who is G-d in Tanach and G-d who manifests Himself as man from time to time in Tanach are one and the same. Yeshua is not a man-made image which can be used to enlighten the murder parties performed on G-d’s people. G-d manifested Himself as Yeshua. Yeshua is not a different being. It was Him who took the collective guilt of Israel upon Himself. It is He who brings and will bring healing.
Lion S. Erwteman
