Katnut d'Katnut

The late Archbishop of Paris Cardinal Lustiger published a wonderful book called "The Promise". Here is an extract from it.

"The Church appears in Jerusalem, after Pentecost, as an "assembly"

kahal in Hebrew, ecclesia in Greek. It is unthinkable that she would

claim to replace Israel. She is not another Israel, but the very,

fulfillment, in Israel, of God's plan...The Church is then faced

with the question of the extent to which these pagans who share in

Israel's Election should be obliged to observe the laws which are

Israel's trust, responsibility, and privilege.

Here is a link to a wonderful new and developing website of Catholics For Israel. It is an orthodox Catholic group who believe in modern Israel as a sign of the times.

What does the term 'mitzvot mean? It includes the concepts of commandments and good deeds. In fact mitzvot are 'human acts' that become sanctified through being made in union with the Divine Will and Purpose of God. It is through making a blessing (b'racha) and performing these acts that these sanctified individual acts open a channel with the Divine.

Pope John Paul II in 'Orientale Lumen' expresses his passionate longing for a "full manifestation of the Church's catholicity to be restored to the world". He longed for the divided Eastern and Western Churches to reunite in full unity. Traditionally the West has stressed the crucifixion and the humanity of the Messiah, the East the Resurrection and the Divinity, in their respective approaches to spiritual life.

Some recent anti-Judaic Catholics have accused Hebrew Catholics of being involved in a Jewish conspiracy to make themselves the elect in the Church and to create a Jewish ghetto that practices Jewish customs in order to exclude Gentiles. Such thinking totally mispresents what Hebrew Catholics believe and do. Are Jews the Elect of God ? Are they the chosen people and do they have a vocation and role to play in the Church? The answer is Yes.

Rabbi Jacob Emden (1697-1776) son of Rabbi Tzvi Ashkenazi is an authority in Orthodox Judaism. He was a great opponent of Sabbateanism. At present there is a theological movement that is reevaluating St Paul and his writings from looking at his Jewish background. There are a number of new books seeing Paul in this new light as positive towards the Torah. Rabbi Emden was ahead of his time and really expresses his understanding well.

King Solomon and his Rod of Iron

The Hebrew word Barzel which means Iron is connected in some mysterious way with the Mystery of the Divine Heart. It is made up of the 4 Hebrew letters beit, resh, zayin and lamed. The mystics point out that the word Barzel can be read as 'Mystery of the Heart'. The middle two letters RZ is raz or raza which is mystery or secret in Aramaic and the remaining two letters LB make Leb or Lev which means Heart.

For those who feel called to live out their vocation as a Catholic Jew in the spirit of Khasidut here is a suggested day. A gentile Catholic may adapt this to his own customs but keep the basic framework.

1. In the morning awake with the thought that I will live this day not for the things of this world but for those of the next world as I pray the Modeh Ani prayer and wash my hands with the blessing.

The Jewish experience of God is 'devekut' which means 'cleaving to God'. This experience leads one to action - to a spiritual way of sanctity. This may lead one to the Jewish spiritual way of chasidut, 'the way of Mercifulness' - to become a Chasid 'a merciful one'.

This is the Sefirot array including the outer face of Keter which is Divine Knowledge (Daat).

Click the image below and see a diagram of the Kingdom of the Divine Will.