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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I LOVE books like this one for bringing much closer understanding of Jesus and His thoughts and ideas, February 6, 2012
This review is from: Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewish Words of Jesus Can Change Your Life (Hardcover)
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Lois Tverberg does us a great service here with this book. How wonderful and different to hear what Jesus was saying, teaching, and thinking, when we understand his Jewish nature and how the language in his time worked and what things meant AS they were spoken in His native vocabulary, not how they have been translated, perhaps even transliterated and then translated, substituted for newer interpretations and meanings, etc., down through the ages. I long have avoided regular attendance at church services, and frankly often look at the Bible and scratch my head. I have always been comfortable when I have attended Synagogue with Jewish friends. Not knowing completely why, I would have to say "that it is because it is closer to the way things were", and to me that is deeply relevant. As an adult I have continually sought out any and all information that I can find that takes me back to the way that things really were and to become more enlightened in all things resulting from Jesus and His direct followers and those who witnessed events directly related to Him and His thoughts and ideas, teachings, sayings, etc. So, for me, this book is a wonderful and closer look at, and also a welcome breath of truth (fresh air so to speak) Jesus the Man and his teachings. You will find much here that will surely please you to know and come to understand that has seemed "murky" or "unclear" and that enlightens one in ways not seen before. Once you understand what the words Jesus used really meant (in His time), as spoken by Him, everything makes such common clear sense. Like I said above, it's like "fresh air" and it's truly wonderful to have new insight and knowledge into His expressions and sayings AS He presented them to His friends and acquaintances. After finishing this text, I ordered Tverberg's previous book (with Ann Spangler) and am eagerly awaiting its arrival. "Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus" Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewishness of Jesus Can Transform Your Faith promises to be another great and enlightening peek at Jesus and His times, something that I greatly wish to know and get closer to things as they were "in person", not "as presented today" after unknown numbers of changed interpretations because of translations, etc. over and over. It is wonderful to be able to more clearly understand through this author's (and others, also) presentation through Jesus' Jewishness and ways. Books like this do us all a really great favor by teaching us and showing us more accurate and truthful representations of how things were in the days of Jesus and His followers etc. I urge you to read this book and delight in the understanding you will come to see that you may not have seen before. ~operabruin
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Learned so much from Rabbi Jesus., February 14, 2012
This review is from: Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewish Words of Jesus Can Change Your Life (Hardcover)
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While reading this book I almost feel like Christians get cheated in our Sunday School class as children. I so wish I had grown up with the understanding I am getting as an adult. I have long had a love of the Jewish faith and God's chosen people always wanting to learn more as I know Jesus was in fact Jewish. He didn't just start a new church he was preaching in the temple at 12 years of age and keeping all the Jewish traditions and Holy Days. In this book Lois Tverberg digs so deep into the Hebrew meanings of the words Jesus spoke and taught us with. Hebrew has only 8,000 words and English 400,000 I never knew that. Thus the words are deep and full of meaning, often mean different things. She teaches us how in the context of the time and whom he was speaking to what the words most likely stood for. It is eye opening and very humbling. I have highlights on most every page and plan to re read it as it is so rich you have to take time and think and pray about what you have learned. I have often wondered just what the Talmud was it is a huge set of books that are commentary on the Mishnah which simply put is the oral teachings of the time 200 AD and the previous 200 years. The teachers of the time including Jesus taught much more than what is recorded in our Bible. This Mishnah puts into print this oral history. I plan on looking into this soon. Included in the back are her vast resources and a glossary of terms we may not be familiar with. I found this very helpful event though I have read much about Jewish teachings. I have never read anything like this. This is a life changing book to read. To know the deeper meanings of what Jesus was telling us, how to live and how to treat others what he expects. Shema- Hear and Obey. Ouch, we are not just to hear the word but obey the word.It calls us to worship one God alone, the creator of the universe. Ahavah-the Hebrew word for love goes beyond emotions. An example given asks us about when we go to worship and we get the "feeling " of God being present and our emotions are high, we want more. Would we continue if we never had the feeling again? That is Ahavah love that goes on without end. The love God has for us. How He wants us to love him. Going further Hesed- long lasting love that goes on to eternity. I loved the teaching about having a Good eye or a bad eye. People with a good eye do acts of loving kindness to others. This is above the 10% tithe that God asks to be returned to Him. I thought it also interesting that Jewish teachings states to not give over 20% as a tithe, you need that extra money to help others. To have a good eye is to see a need and take action. I quote from the book this statement. "If we cannot be compassionate to others who have made unwise choices, why should we expect God to help us when we make mistakes ourselves?" Also it speaks of it is better to give a little many times than to give a lot just once, each time we give we become better people. I really could go on and on the book builds one word upon another and by the time you reach the end you have a desire to live much more in tune with God in what is Most probably the ways he intended. Learning in the context of the time and understanding the language is huge. I challenge you Christian, unbelievers, Jewish, whatever to give this book a chance. Commit to read the first 20 pages and you will be changed you will not be able to stop because you are learning from Rabbi Jesus. There are books I love that are great entertainment or accounts of history, this is so much more, this is life changing. Excellent work Lois Tverberg, I thank you for getting this book to us so that we may understand Jesus on a whole new level.
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Okay, so I was skeptical, January 28, 2012
This review is from: Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewish Words of Jesus Can Change Your Life (Hardcover)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
When I read the back of this book, checked the En-Gedi Resource Center website and read the "About Lois Tverberg" on her website, I was skeptical. There are enough religious authors who set up their own foundation to promote their cockamamie ideas I wasn't interested in finding another such author. I didn't. Lois Tverberg clearly knows her stuff. She presents her material in a friendly, conversational style that is welcoming to any Bible study - group or individual. The "lessons" are peppered with her personal experience and retellings of Bible narrative with cultural information gently slid in. It makes reading the book much more of a spiritual companion experience than a spiritual teacher. I mean that as a high compliment. But the greatest accomplishment of the text is that Tverberg succeeds in making the Gospel story fresh while remaining faithful to the story. Give this book a thumbs up.
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