Yeshu ben Pantera or Yeshua ben Yosef ? Updated.

Many people believe that the Yeshu ha Notzri mentioned in the Talmud is not the Yeshua ha Notzri (Jesus the Nazarene) of the New Testament ....

Yeshua ben Pandera (mentioned in Sanhedrin 67a of the Talmud)
1. came to Israel from Egypt
2. mother was Miriam, father was Pandera (Term meaning Betrayer )
3. studied under Rabbi Yehoshua ben Perachia , practiced and taught Magic, Sorcery and Blasphemy. (Saying that he was YHVH)
4. had 5 disciples (puns)
5. belonged to a movement called the Notzrim (Nazarene)
6. was tied to the government (Royalty) under protection of certain people
7. executed (stoned and hanged from a Tree) by Order of the Jewish Court
8. was executed on the Eve of  Passover
9. was called "Yeshu" by the Talmudic Rabbis

Yeshua ben Yosef of Nazareth (of the New Testament)

1. born in Bethlehem, moved to Egypt and lived in Galilee
2. lived approximately in 4 BCE
3. mother was Miriam (Mary), father was Yosef,
4. studied, practiced and taught a Radical form of Judaism
5. Similar teaching to Hillel & Shamai - Hasidic movement in Galilee and the Essenes
6. had 12 disciples
7. started the Netzarim (Nazarene) movement, (Notzrim in Israel)
8. had no apparent ties to the government, but was from the Royal line of David
9. executed by the Roman Courts (Rome had imperial rule over Israel, Jewish court had no authority to order or carry out an execution)
10. was executed (scourged - crucified) the day of preparation for Passover (Eve of Passover)

Is the Talmud referring to a totally different person ?  There were other Yeshuas who were in the likes of Yeshua ben Pandera; there was Yeshua ben Stada, and others. There were over 24 Yeshu's from different time periods recorded in the Talmud.

These people were called "YESHU." But, the Talmud refers to Manasseh the king of Judah as "YESHU." (Talmud Bavli Sanhedrin 103a & Berakhot 17b). The Talmud also calls an individual "YESHU," who lived during the Hashmonean Era (Talmud Yerushalmi Chagigah 2:2). Also in Gittin 56b and 57a, there other people who were called "YESHU," but these people are military enemies of Israel.

Is the acronym "YESHU" (Yud Shin Vav) related to the name "Yeshua." ??

 The acronym YESHU is used in Rabbinic material to identify any Rasha (wicked person) or a Tzadik (righteous person). "YESHU" is an acronym that stands for two things, "Yimmach Shemo Vezikhro", meaning "May his name and memory be blotted out." And its other meaning is "Yishtabach Shemo Vezikhro" meaning "May his name and memory be praised."

Is there a Talmudic Sage called Yeshu, the same as the Yeshua of the New Testament  ? "YESHU." ?

Yes.

This title was later applied to Yeshua by Jews, due to the corresponding anger towards Christianity's continuous onslaught. The title stuck.

The Yeshua being spoken of in Talmud Sanhedrin 43A  is also called Yeshu ben Pandera, Pandera means "Betrayer" ....  he is the supposed student of Rabbi Yehoshua Perachiyah and was executed (hanged) by the Jewish court the day before  Passover for repeated incidents of performing and teaching magic and sorcery. Healing the Sick and Raising the dead. Feeding the multitudes ....

So is Yeshu ha Notzri, ben Pandera (Betrayer) mentioned in Talmud Sanghedrin 43a the same as Jesus the Nazarene of the New Testament ??

Absolutely, Without a shred of Doubt - Yes he is  !

Learn more about Yeshu ha Notzri here :  http://www.YeshuHaNotztri.blogspot.com

Jewish Meditation: A Practical Guide by Aryeh Kaplan

Students of mediation are usually surprised to discover that a Jewish mediation tradition exists and that it was an authentic and integral part of mainstream Judaism until the eighteenth century.
 
Jewish Meditation is a step-by-step introduction to meditation and the Jewish practice of meditation in particular. This practical guide covers such topics as mantra meditation, contemplation, and visualization within a Jewish context. It shows us how to use meditative techniques to enhance prayer using the traditional liturgy—the Amidah and the Shema. Through simple exercises and clear explanations of theory, Rabbi Kaplan gives us the tools to develop our spiritual potential through an authentically Jewish meditative practice.

Aryeh Kaplan, Orthodox rabbi and author of Meditation and the Bible (Weiser, 1978) and Meditation and Kabbalah (Weiser, 1981), shows that meditation is consistent with traditional Jewish thought and practice. He then presents a guide to a variety of meditative techniques: mantra meditation (with suggested phrases and Bible verses to use as mantras); contemplation; visualization; experiencing nothingness (which he does not recommend for beginners); conversing with God; and prayer. His instructions are clear and explicit, and his advice is informed and sound, advocating that a simple 20-minute-a-day program can indeed help make the practitioner a better person and a better Jew, and develop a closer relationship to God and things spiritual. 

Reviews

“The classic text for Jews who want to experience the meditative methods of their own spiritual tradition.”
—Daniel Goleman, author of The Meditative Mind
 
“[This is] the first book to read on the subject. It is a gentle, clear introduction and provides exercises and practices that can be used right away by any Jew who wants a deeper prayer experience.”
—Rodger Kamenetz, author of The Jew in the Lotus
 
“New and old davveners can learn from this sainted teacher how to deepen their holy processes . . . One can, with the help of God and the aid of this manual, tap into the Cosmic.”
—Zalman M. Schachter-Shalomi

“A guide to Jewish prayer and meditation that is both grounded in the tradition and genuinely mind-expanding. For anyone seeking to connect with the spiritual side of Judaism, this book is essential.”
—William Novak

“At a time when Jews are rediscovering their hunger for spirituality, Kaplan’s clear and comprehensive book could well be one of the most important Jewish books of our time.
—Harold S. Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People

Lecha Dodi, Come my Beloved. O Bride, Shabbat Queen, now come !

Lcha Dodi (Hebrew: לכה דודי‎; also transliterated as Lecha Dodi, L'chah Dodi, Lekah Dodi, Lechah Dodi; Ashkenazic pronunciation: Lecho Dodi, Biblical: Lekhah Dhodhiy) is a Hebrew-language Jewish liturgical song recited Friday at dusk, usually atsundown, in synagogue to welcome Shabbat prior to the Maariv (evening services). It is part of the Kabbalat Shabbat ("acceptance of Sabbath").

Lekhah Dodi means "come my beloved," and is a request of a mysterious "beloved" that could mean either God or one's friend(s) to join together in welcoming Shabbat that is referred to as the "bride": likrat kallah ("to greet the [Shabbat] bride"). During the singing of the last verse, the entire congregation rises and turns to the open door, to greet "Queen Shabbat" as she arrives.

Come out my Beloved, the Bride to meet;
The inner light of Shabbat,  let us greet.

Come out my Beloved, the Bride to meet;
The inner light of Shabbat, let us greet.

"Observe" and "Remember" in a single word,
He caused us to hear, the One and Only Lord.
G-d is One and His Name is One,
For renown, for glory and in song.

Come out my Beloved, the Bride to meet;
The inner light of Shabbat, let us greet.

To welcome the Shabbat, let us progress,
For that is the source, from which to bless.
From the beginning, chosen before time,
Last in deed, but in thought - prime.

Come out my Beloved, the Bride to meet;
The inner light of Shabbat, let us greet.

Sanctuary of the King, city royal,
Arise, go out from amidst the turmoil.
In the vale of tears too long you have dwelt,
He will show you the compassion He has felt.

Come out my Beloved, the Bride to meet;
The inner light of Shabbat, let us greet.

Arise, now, shake off the dust,

Dress in your garments of splendor, my people,

By the hand of Jesse’s son of Bethlehem,

Redemption draws near to my soul.

Come out my Beloved, the Bride to meet;
The inner light of Shabbat, let us greet.

Wake up, wake up,
Your light has come, rise and shine.
Awaken, awaken; sing a melody,
The glory of G-d to be revealed upon thee.

Come out my Beloved, the Bride to meet;
The inner light of Shabbat, let us greet.

Be not ashamed, nor confounded,
Why are you downcast, why astounded?
In you, refuge for My poor people will be found,
The city will be rebuilt on its former mound.

Come out my Beloved, the Bride to meet;
The inner light of Shabbat, let us greet.

May your plunderers be treated the same way,
And all who would devour you be kept at bay.
Over you Your G-d will rejoice,
As a groom exults in his bride of choice.

Come out my Beloved, the Bride to meet;
The inner light of Shabbat, let us greet.

To right and left you'll spread abroad,
And the Eternal One you shall laud.
Through the man from Peretz's family,
We shall rejoice and sing happily.

Come out my Beloved, the Bride to meet;
The inner light of Shabbat, let us greet.

Come in peace, her Husband's crown of pride,
With song (on Festivals: rejoicing) and good cheer.
Among the faithful of the people so dear
Enter O Bride, enter O Bride;

O Bride, Shabbat Queen, now come here!

Come out my Beloved, the Bride to meet;
The inner light of Shabbat, let us greet.

"We come spinning out of nothingness, scattering stars like dust..." - Rumi

Repainting the Last Supper from the Borghese Gallery in Rome, For the Jewish Jesus Exhibit, NY, NY

Study from Jacopo Bassono's The Last Supper (1542) Galleria Borghese, Rome / 1st Century Judean Context re-Painting  2013 for Jewish Jesus Exhibit in New York. Available Prints on Canvas 

Tikkun Zyor / תיקון ציור Painting Repair - Jewish Jesus Exhibit, NY

Painting Repair ... Tikkun Zyor / תיקון ציור http://ktzat-ivrit.ulpan.com/2012/02/how-to-say-painting-and-drawing-in.html

Christ and the Doctors, or Yeshua with the Teachers in Judea, 8 AD

Repainting : A quick study from Albrecht Durer's "Christ among the Doctors"dating to 1506, now in the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid, Spain. Based on Luke 2: 46-50 ..... "After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”
49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them."   For the Jewish Jesus Exhibit in New York

Artist Call : re-Painting a Jewish Jesus, Re-imagining Iconic Christian Renaissance and Medieval paintings in their 1st Century Judean and Galilean Context

Artist Call: Re-Painting a Jewish Jesus. (New York Gallery Exhibit, 2014-15) The idea is to take a Renaissance or Medieval painting of Jesus ie: Birth, Baptism, Last Supper, etc and repaint it in the Artists' own style but re-setting in its proper Judean/Galilean/Netzarim context. As examples.... I painted the following this morning from 1655 The Baptism of Christ by Bartolome Esteban Murillo  ie: painting Jesus as a Torah observant Jewish Rabbi. The idea for this exhibit comes from Bernard Starr, Author and Journalist in NY City, he is working on the venue and other details. 

Left: "The Baptism of Christ " Bartolome Esteban Murillo, 1655

Right: Yeshua after Ritual Immersion in the Jordan, R Borghese, 2013

Left: Oldest surviving panel icon of "Christ Pantocrator", encaustic on panel, c. 6th century.

Right: Yeshua haNeTzr, the Nazarene
wearing tallit and holding a Torah scroll, RBorghese 2013

Especially if your Philosophy is "Loving Kindness" ....

The Resurrection of Jesus: A Jewish Perspective

Pinchas Lapide wrote,

"When this scared, frightened band of the apostles which was just about to throw away everything in order to flee in despair to Galilee; when these peasants, shepherds, and fisherman, who betrayed and denied their master and then failed him miserably, suddenly could be changed overnight into a confident mission society, convinced of salvation and able to work with much more success after Easter than before Easter, then no vision or hallucination is sufficient to explain such a revolutionary transformation.

For a sect or school or an order, perhaps a single vision would have been sufficient – but not for a world religion which was able to conquer the Occident thanks to the Easter faith." (p 125) - Pinchas Lapide, 

Available here :  The Resurrection of Jesus, A Jewish Perspective

The Kabbalistic Words of Jesus found in the Gospel of Thomas : Recovering the Inner Circle Teachings of Yeshua - Dr Lewis Keizer, Kindle

1st Century Qimah from the Apocalypse of Baruch....

The Kabbalistic Words of Jesus found in the Gospel of Thomas : Recovering the Inner Circle Teachings of Yeshua - Dr Lewis Keizer, Kindle Book



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From:   The Kabbalistic Words of Jesus found in the Gospel of Thomas : Recovering the Inner Circle Teachings of Yeshua - Dr Lewis Keizer, Kindle Book

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From:   The Kabbalistic Words of Jesus found in the Gospel of Thomas : Recovering the Inner Circle Teachings of Yeshua - Dr Lewis Keizer, Kindle Book