Additional Observations Regarding Aish.com's Article

Many of the questions we receive come from the Aish.com article entitled Why Jews Don't Believe in Jesus.

We have a few additional observations about the article.

Adoption

This appeared in the "footnotes" section of the Aish.com page:

There is no Biblical basis for the idea of a father passing on his tribal line by adoption. A priest who adopts a son from another tribe cannot make him a priest by adoption;

 

This is not true.  Scripture actually provides an example of this:

Eli the priest adopts Samuel the Ephraimite (1 Samuel 1).  Later, Samuel ministers to G-d (1 Sam 3:1) and then hears from the LORD while sleeping in "the temple of the LORD when the ark of G-d was". (1 Samuel 3:3)

Clearly, Samuel the Ephraimite was serving and living in places reserved only for the Levites.

 

The Cursed King

This also appeared in the "footnotes" section of the Aish.com page:

Joseph could never pass on by adoption that which he doesn't have. Because Joseph descended from Jeconiah (Matthew 1:11) he fell under the curse of that king that none of his descendants could ever sit as king upon the throne of David. (Jeremiah 22:30; 36:30)

 

Jeconiah (also called Coniah and Jehoiachin) was the next to the last king of Judah who reigned before Zedekiah.  He reigned for three months and did evil in the sight of the LORD.  In Jeremiah 22:24-30 the LORD pronounces a curse on Jeconiah and his descendants, declaring them ineligible to sit upon the throne of David as the king of Israel.

Some Christian scholars have pointed to this curse as originating the necessity of virgin birth.  King David's lineage through Jeconiah is completely cut off from the Davidic promises.  If Joseph was the father of Jesus then the G-d's curse on Jeconiah would have been passed along to Him and He would not have been qualified to be King.

Yes, the curse declares that Jeconiah would never prosper.  The prophet Jeremiah records this:

Now it came about in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, showed favor to Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. Then he spoke kindly to him and set his throne above the thrones of the kings who were with him in Babylon. So Jehoiachin changed his prison clothes, and had his meals in the king's presence regularly all the days of his life. For his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king of Babylon, a daily portion all the days of his life until the day of his death. (Jeremiah 52:31-34)

 

Note that the curse declares "no man of his descendants will prosper sitting on the throne of David or ruling again in Judah."   Within two generations, however, a descendant of Jehoiachin is ruling over Judah:

Then the word of the LORD came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying, "Speak to Zerubbabel governor of Judah, saying, 'I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations; and I will overthrow the chariots and their riders, and the horses and their riders will go down, everyone by the sword of another. On that day,' declares the LORD of hosts, 'I will take you, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, My servant,' declares the LORD, 'and I will make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you,'" declares the LORD of hosts. (Haggai 2:20-23)

Zerubbabel is the grandson of Jeconiah (1 Chronicles 3:17-19, Matthew 1:12) and yet he is ruling over Judah.  Although Jeremiah declared that Jeconiah was the signet ring G-d would remove (Jeremiah 22:24) his grandson, Zerubbabel is described as the signet ring G-d would put on (Haggai 2:23)!

Based upon these passages of Scripture even the Talmudic Sages of Judaism unanimously agreed that Jeconiah was forgiven for his transgressions by the end of his life.

 

<><

View other objections and answers

Torah Portion

unknown

 

 

or view this week's triennial cycle reading.

Today is

Yom Chamishi, 18 Adar II, 5784

Thursday, March 28, 2024

 

Learn more about this date in history.