Page 9 - Attractive Deception - The False Hope of the Hebrew Roots Movement

Between Two Thieves

If you are like many Christians, you likely do not know the difference between the Talmud and the
Torah. You may think that a Midrash is something you get from rubbing poison ivy on your stomach.
Many of the words associated with Jewish religion are unfamiliar to Gentile Christians. It can seem
daunting to get a firm grasp upon the terminology and concepts associated with Judaism, but there
can be great profit in putting forth the effort. The focus of this and the following chapter of Attractive
Deception is to make the identification of the Talmud and Midrash (and the Jewish people’s attitudes
towards them) readily comprehensible. This present chapter will focus upon the Talmud, with the
following examining the Midrash.

In popular culture, this chapter might be titled Talmud for Dummies, though I think the label would
be unfairly demeaning to the reader. Doing a quick search on Amazon, I did discover the following
book exists.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Talmud

Undoubtedly Rabbi Aaron Parry has a very different focus to his writing than I have in mind. In
order to bring to light the error of the Hebrew Roots Movement, it is necessary to demonstrate the
character of Hebrew religious life, both ancient and modern. Many of the traditions, doctrines, rites,
and observances which the Hebrew Roots Movement has embraced derive from an attempt to imitate
and incorporate elements of Hebrew religion and culture into the faith and practice of Christianity.
What many do not realize is that a great number of these traditions arise from apostate Judaism,