Thank you All-Stars for your support and your questions! If you want to become an All-Star and submit questions for the mailbag episodes, follow this link and subscribe at any tier for early access to content and the ability to ask questions for the mailbags!  For these mailbag episodes, we want to feel the freedom to give experimental answers and test out ideas that may become future "lecture-style" videos. Because of this, we would especially like to hear your feedback! If you disagree,...

Earlier this year, Reverend Brandan Robertson came out with a Tik Tok video claiming that Jesus was a racist. In a later YouTube video with Dr. Miguel De La Torre, he elaborates that Jesus inherited his racism from his Jewish community. De La Torre makes these same claims in this video and in his sermon, “Was Jesus a Racist?” Their teaching is not just historically and exegetically wrong; it fuels anti-Semitism, which is unfortunately on the rise today. This is my response. 0:00 –...

For centuries, scholars have argued that Paul thought the Church replaced Israel as God's chosen people and that Jewish identity is erased upon the acceptance of Jesus's Gospel message. Here, I argue that when you carefully read Paul's use of the Shema in Romans 3.27-31 and use the Tanakh, Josephus, and later rabbinic literature to expand your interpretative imagination, you find Paul understood God remained the God of Israel and that Jewish Jesus-followers were to maintain their Jewish...

Traditional Jewish scholar, Dr. Zev Garber and Messianic Jewish scholar, Dr. Mark Kinzer participate in a discussion on whether a divine Messiah fits within Judaism and how Messianic Judaism's view of Jesus's incarnation affects its relationship to the broader Jewish world. This discussion took place at the 2020 Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting to interact with the ideas presented in Dr. Kenneth Hanson’s and Dr. Zev Garber’s book, Judaism and Jesus, a book analyzing the...

Traditional Jewish scholar, Dr. Kenneth Hanson and Messianic Jewish scholar, Dr. David Rudolph participate in a discussion on whether Jesus claimed to be God and the impact these readings of the New Testament have on Messianic Judaism's relationship to the broader Jewish world. This discussion took place at the 2020 Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting to interact with the ideas presented in Dr. Kenneth Hanson’s and Dr. Zev Garber’s book, Judaism and Jesus, a book analyzing the...

One of the primary arguments a prominent Jewish counter-missionary gave us for why we should leave Messianic Judaism is that Jesus was a copy of pagan myths and never existed as a historical figure. In this final video of the three-part series, we show why this argument is historically implausible based on what our sources tell us about first-century Jewish views of paganism and the fact that the early Jesus movement was a sect within Judaism.   You can also listen on our YouTube...

One of the primary arguments a prominent Jewish counter-missionary gave us for why we should leave Messianic Judaism is that Jesus was a copy of pagan myths and never existed as a historical figure. In this second video of the three-part series, we go directly to the primary sources. Long story short, this counter-missionary is wrong about the parallels between Jesus and Osiris and Dionysus. You can also listen on our YouTube Channel Follow us on Social Media: Facebook Instagram Support...

One of the primary arguments a prominent Jewish counter-missionary gave us for why we should leave Messianic Judaism is that Jesus was a copy of pagan myths and never existed as a historical figure. In this episode, we show why his argument suffers from a logical fallacy, and even if this argument were true and sound, it would mean that one of Judaism’s greatest heroes never existed. It’s a weak argument, and we as Messianic Jews should not be bothered by it.    You can also listen on our...

Listen in as we share our story of how we navigated conversations with atheist professors, atheist and agnostic classmates, and Jewish counter-missionaries while in college! We hope you find encouragement, entertainment, and empowerment as we give you a sneak peek into parts of the journey that has led to us launching Two Messianic Jews! Enjoy! You can listen to more content on our YouTube channel Follow us on Social Media:     Facebook Instagram  Support links:    SubscribeStar PayPal Merch...

Does Acts 21 confirm that Paul taught against Torah-observance for Jews?  According to Rabbi Michael Skobac of Jews for Judaism, Acts 21 shows  Paul's "real position" was that Jews should stop obeying the Torah. I  walk through the whole account of Acts 21:17-26 to demonstrate that it  says the exact opposite! Acts 21 shows that Paul was a Torah-observant  Jew himself and taught other Jewish followers of Jesus to do the same.   00:00 - Introduction 1:26 - Rabbi Michael Skobac's Objection in...

Rabbi Tovia Singer argues that in Matthew 5:27-28, Jesus claims that if one is even tempted to commit adultery, then they have already committed the sin. Jesus's point, therefore, is that the Torah is impossible to follow. In this video, we respond to this argument and show why Rabbi Singer is misunderstanding Jesus.    Note: The argument made in this video is that the Torah is possible to keep, and Jesus expects his Jewish followers to observe it. There are other questions that are...

Rabbi Michael Skobac claims Paul did not mention "literally anything  whatsoever" about the life and teachings of Jesus. If true, this casts  doubt on whether Paul knew anything about Jesus's life and teachings.  For some (not Rabbi Skobac), they make this claim to support an argument  that Jesus did not exist! Erik explores Paul's letters to show that  Paul does mention Jesus's life and frequently echoes, alludes to, and  even quotes Jesus's teachings.   00:00 - Introduction 00:59 - Rabbi...

We are thrilled to reach 200 YouTube subscribers! Thank you to those who have subscribed! This channel started during  the summer and it is amazing to see the impact that it is having. Check out the video to hear some exciting updates!   0:00 –  Thank you! 0:39 - Feedback we have received 1:46 – How you can support us 2:19 – Plans for the future 4:05 – Who can benefit from this channel? 5:09 – We want to hear your feedback! 7:02 - Conclusion    You can also listen on our YouTube channel:...

Did Jesus rise from the dead? Rabbi Tovia Singer says "absolutely not." He argues that there is no evidence this event took place. In this video, Jonathan asks the question - how would an Orthodox Jewish scholar who affirms that Jesus rose from the dead respond to Rabbi Singer? He presents the arguments from the late Dr. Pinchas Lapide and puts them up against Rabbi Singer's!   Rabbi Tovia Singer and Reverend Jim Cantelon Debate clip - 1:04:32   Document with the quotations and citations...

Jews do not all speak with one voice on their views of Messianic Jews. Some view Messianic Jews as Christians masquerading as Jews, trying to convert Jews to Christianity. There are perceptions that are neutral, positive, and everything in between. While some view Messianic Jews as members of the Jewish community, others do not. In this video, Erik and Jonathan go over these perceptions and conclude by offering some takeaway messages for what the Messianic community should react to...

Can an Orthodox Jew believe that Jesus rose from the dead? Even if this event happened, does Deuteronomy 13 show that this would just be God testing Israel? Do miracles prove anything? These are the kinds of questions Jonathan addresses in this video. He presents Jewish responses to Jesus's resurrection from Orthodox rabbis, counter-missionaries, and even Ben Shapiro. Jonathan also provides his own Jewish response to this epic event.   The argument for his response comes from his article...

This is the abridged version of our 12 guidelines for tough conversations we presented live at Sha'arei Shalom on July 4, 2020.   Here is the list:   1. Pursuing truth is a greater goal than merely proving your point.  2. “Assume that the person you are listening to knows something you don't." - Dr. Jordan Peterson  3. Seek to understand before being understood.   4. Understand that feeling uncomfortable is often a good sign.   5. Know that you can passionately hold to an opinion while...

At the Young Messianic Jewish Alliance (YMJA) Virtual Messiah Conference 2020, we presented a case for Messianic Judaism! This involved sharing evidence for what we consider to be its three central claims:   1. Yeshua (Jesus) is the Jewish Messiah. - 3:24   2. Jewish followers of Yeshua have a covenantal responsibility to live as Jews (i.e. observe Torah) to preserve Israel’s distinct identity among the nations. - 31:22   3. Participating in Jewish worship and ways of life is a legitimate...

The foundational principle of our podcast is "pursuing truth is more important than merely proving your point." This is a recording of the d'rash we gave at Sha'arei Shalom on June 27, 2020. We explore how the rabbis saw this foundational Jewish principle in Parsha: Korach: "an argument for the sake of heaven" as opposed to "an argument not for the sake of heaven." We also share stories from our own lives on the effectiveness and beauty of putting this principle is in action. You can also...

Do you ever find it difficult to explain what Messianic Judaism is? Have you ever wondered about the history of modern Messianic Judaism? Are you frequently asked, “So aren’t you a Christian?” These are the crucial questions we discuss in this video!    A pdf of key quotations from the episode You can also listen on our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2MJyoutube  Follow us on Social Media:    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/2MessianicJews/   Instagram:...

The issues we tackle on this show are controversial and if there is one thing we hope to produce in ourselves and those who listen to us is the ability to have tough conversations with others. In this video, we discuss what we consider to be the top 12 guidelines for having tough conversations:  Foundational principle: (1) Pursuing truth is more important than proving our point. - 1:45  As we listen: (2) Seek to understand before being understood. - 4:39 (3) “Assume that the person you are...

Erik and Jonathan introduce themselves and the motivation behind Two Messianic Jews - to explore difficult questions Messianic Jews face and to help others understand us better. Please subscribe to receive new episodes! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel as well! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw6OzVbePfumOxiBUXcW4vQ?view_as=subscriber Instagram (@2MessianicJews) https://www.instagram.com/2messianicjews/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/2MessianicJews/?modal=admin_todo_tour