Notes on the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), based on the work of Gerald Friedlander, and Matthew Chapter 23

By Dinah Bucholz, BSW

Matthew 5

Now we come to the Sermon on the Mount (in Luke the Sermon in the Plain). Christians are so very proud of this, because they think Jesus improved on the teachings of the Torah and the rabbis. The question is, are the teachings original? Is there anything of value for the Jew to learn from the Sermon on the Mount that he has not learned from his own tradition?

Let’s start with the Beatitudes. Based on Gerald Friedlander’s work.

5:3: Compare to Psalms 41:1: “Praiseworthy is he who contemplates the needy.”

This is obviously a superior teaching. Isn’t it better to worry about the needy than to actually be needy? What is the inherent virtue of poverty? Surely it is better to help the poor than to be poor. How does poverty contribute to happiness? For most poverty-stricken people it is a misery.

More parallels:

Isaiah 11:4; Isaiah 57:15; Psalms 34:18; Isaiah 66:2.

5:4: Compare to Isaiah 61:1-3; Isaiah 40:1; Isaiah 57:18; Isaiah 60:20.

Who has had greater cause to mourn than the Jewish people? Who is in greater need of comfort?

Psalms 126:5: Those who sow in tears will reap in joy.

The idea of comfort to mourners and cheer to the poor is very common in Tanach and I could go on and on with more parallels. Jesus is teaching nothing new here.

The Talmud calls the Messiah “Comforter.” (Sanhedrin 98b, Yerushalmi Berachos 2:4,5a).

It should be noted that in Isaiah the individual mourns the degradation of his people and he will be comforted when his people are exalted.

5:5: See Psalms 37:11: The meek shall inherit the earth. Plagiarism!

5:6: Compare to Psalms 42:3; Deuteronomy 16:20; Isaiah 32:17; Isaiah 51:1; Psalms 22:27; Proverbs 21:21; Proverbs 15:9.

5:7: Compare to Psalms 41:1; Proverbs 14:21.

The Talmud says: He who has mercy on his fellow-creatures obtains mercy from Heaven. (Shabbos 151b; Tosephta Bava Kama, 9, 30)

5:8: Compare to Psalms 73:1; Psalms 7:10; Psalms 11:7; Psalms 17:15; Psalms 97:2.

5:9: Compare to Isaiah 52:7; Zechariah 8:16, 17, 19; Psalms 34:15; Proverbs 12:20.

Hillel taught: Love peace and pursue peace (Avos 1:12). He preceded Jesus by about a century.

God creates peace (Isaiah 57:19) and therefore let man imitate the Heavenly Father, whose name is peace (Vayikra Rabba, 9:9).

5:10: Compare to Isaiah 50:6-7. Friedlander points out that this teaching was realized by Israel who suffered (at the hands of the Church, no less) for 2000 years for the sake of righteousness.

5:11: To suffer for Jesus’s sake is inferior to suffering for righteousness’ sake, or for God’s sake. Happily, there is no parallel to this inferior teaching in Judaism. Instead, we are taught to live and die “al Kiddush Hashem,” to sanctify the name of the Lord.

Now for the superior parallel: Isaiah 51:7-8.

5:12: Great is your reward in heaven: Christians mock the Jewish idea of being rewarded for good deeds, but even Jesus is not above handing out rewards. Just sayin’.

5:13: Here the disciples are compared to salt. Salt is the essential ingredient in sacrifices and gives food its savor. According to Friedlander, Jesus is telling his disciples, through the type of allegory very popular in that time period, to make themselves useful, to make themselves an indispensable element of society. There is nothing original in telling your followers to make themselves useful.

5:14-16: Parallels to “You are the light of the world”:

Compare to Isaiah 42:6; Isaiah 49:6; Isaiah 60:3.

How will this be accomplished, according to the different scriptures?

Matthew 5:16: In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Compare to:

Isaiah 42:7: [continuing the sentence from the previous verse, “for a light to the nations”] to open blind eyes; to remove a prisoner from confinement, dwellers in darkness from a dungeon.

Please note that Jesus emphasizes the importance of doing good works. Apparently, good motives are not enough even for him.

5:16: Praise [or glorify] your Father in heaven.

Compare to Isaiah 66:19.

Parallel to the parable of the city on the hill: Isaiah 2:2.

5:17-19: What’s this? Jesus is telling his followers to observe every last detail of the law? Why do Christians ignore this?

Where did Jesus get these important ideas from? He certainly didn’t make them up. See Deuteronomy 4:2; Isaiah 40:8 [Also cross-referenced by the NIV. Most convenient.]; Psalms 102: 25-29.

5:20: Well, now, isn’t that interesting! Jesus tells his disciples to observe the minutest details of the law, something he angrily accuses the Pharisees of doing. So what to do? Make the Pharisees’ righteousness bad. They’ll just never be good enough to get into heaven. But you, my disciples, you will exceed their righteousness (how is not spelled out), so you will go to heaven. Jesus says their righteousness is superior to that of the Pharisees’. Why? Because he says so!

Quoting from Friedlander:

But the New Testament has drawn a prejudiced, untrue and unfair picture of the Pharisees….The Pharisees of the first century produced Philo as well as Jesus; Hillel and his disciples were Pharisees, who led a life as pure and as simple as the disciples of Jesus. We ask, in no sarcastic spirit, where is the higher morality of the Gospels, and where can one trace its effect? The history of the Church is the only source at our disposal to which we can look for an answer to our question.

Failure is written across its pages. Bloodshed, wars, persecution, inquisition, crusades and hatred stare us in the face in every land, at one time or another in the course of the last nineteen hundred years. The reproach of the Gospels is the record of the long life of the Church….There is no sign in Christendom of the righteousness which is higher than that of the Scribes and Pharisees. If one dares to speak the truth, history proves that the Jews have done infinitely better than the Christians, in spite of the “lower” righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees. Better by far to belong to the persecuted Pharisees (for Jews are still Pharisees), than to the persecuting Church with its higher righteousness.

I think that sums it up nicely.

5:18: Compare to; Psalms 119:89 [Cross-referenced by the NIV.]

“Jot” refers to the Hebrew letter “yud” and “tittle” (in the NIV called the smallest letter and the smallest stroke of a pen, respectively) to the strokes added to certain letters. Compare to “If all men in the world were gathered together to destroy ‘yud,’ which is the smallest letter in the law, they would not succeed” (Canticles Rabba, 5:2).

5:21-22: Jesus is contrasting what the Torah says (You have heard that it was said…long ago) with his new teaching (But I tell you). But is Jesus teaching anything new? The same Torah that says “You shall not murder” also says Leviticus 19:17; Leviticus 19:18; Leviticus 19:33-34; Deuteronomy 23:8.

These last two teachings are superior because they are universal, whereas Jesus restricts his rules to your brother.

Okay, so Jesus is teaching nothing new, and in fact the old teachings are superior. But did Jesus practice what he preached? See Mark 3:31-35; Mark 3:5.

Jesus expresses anger and contempt many times; I have commented already on those instances.

5:22: This is a strange teaching. If you call someone “Raca” (empty-headed), you can be hauled in front of the Sanhedrin. Really? And what will they do to you? (The Sanhedrin never punished anyone for name-calling, as it happens.) But if you call someone a fool, beware! That is somehow much worse than calling someone “Raca,” and for that you go to hell. Why is it not okay to call someone empty-headed or a fool, but it’s okay to call him a viper, son of the devil, or hypocrite?

Compare this to the Jewish teachings on hurting people’s feelings: Leviticus 25:14; Leviticus 25:17; Avos 3:15.

The Talmud teaches that calling someone nicknames is a grave offense (Bava Metzia 58b). Moses, the most humble of all men, when sorely tried, called the Children of Israel “rebels.” For this God punished him and he was not allowed to enter the Holy Land (Numbers 20:10-12). Contrast this to the invective Jesus hurls at the Children of Israel.

5:22: But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.

Where does that put Jesus, who is so often angry at his brothers?

Parallels in Jewish teachings:

He who gives way to anger is considered to be a worshipper of idols (Sabbath 105b).

He who hates his fellow man is held to be a murderer (Derech Eretz 11; Sifre 186, 187 on Deuteronomy 19:11).

Psalms 15:2-5.

What a lofty and beautiful passage! And infinitely superior to the teachings in the Sermon. So far, the Jew has nothing new or valuable to learn from the Sermon.

5:23-24: Again, is Jesus teaching anything new?

Parallel teachings: In the Pharisaic tradition we are taught that we cannot seek forgiveness from God for sins we committed against our fellows before first making amends. Even the Day of Atonement doesn’t atone for sins committed against your fellow man if you haven’t reconciled yourself to him first (Yoma 85b). See Leviticus 5:20-25; Hosea 6:6.

5:25-26: Here the gospel seems to be teaching that you should become reconciled quickly so your adversary won’t get you thrown into prison. It’s an odd type of morality, to be sure. I think it would be more accurate to call it practical advice, and something that everyone’s experience would inform them—not exactly a brilliant and original teaching. Contrast this to the far superior teachings in Judaism:

They that are born are destined to die; and the dead to be brought to life again; and the living to be judged, to know and to be made conscious that He is God, He

is the Maker, Creator, Discerner, the Judge, the Witness as well as the Adversary (Avos 4:29). (In other words, there is a higher righteousness to becoming reconciled to your fellow.)

If you have done harm to anyone, be it ever so trivial, consider it as very serious…but if your neighbor has done you an injury, take care not to exaggerate it (Avos d’ Rabbi Nassan 41).

5:27-28: You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Again, Jesus contrasts the Torah teaching not to commit adultery with a supposedly new one: “But I tell you” and so on. It’s pretty amazing. Deuteronomy 5:17: You shall not commit adultery. A few verses later, Deuteronomy 5:18: You shall not covet your fellow’s wife. How did Jesus get away with this? Did he think his followers were so unlettered that they didn’t know what the Ten Commandments said?

Furthermore, we know that God punished King David severely for lusting after Uriah the Hittite’s wife, and for his subsequent actions. The Pharisees also preached against sinful thoughts:

Renunciation of worldly pleasures leads to purity; purity leads to holiness (Avoda Zara, 20b).

Immoral thoughts are worse than immoral deeds (Yoma 29a).

Do not think that he is an adulterer who, by his sinful act, has sinned; he also is an adulterer who lusts with his eyes (Job 24:15; Pesikta Rabbasi 124b).

He who excites evil thoughts cannot approach God (Nidda, 13b).

When a man has the intention to sin, it is as though he had already sinned against God (Numbers Rabba 8:5).

See also Job 31:1; Genesis 39:7-9; Numbers 15:39.

5:29-30: How do Christians explain this verse and apply it in a practical sense? According to Eusebius, the early Church Father Origen committed the horrible act of castration (categorically forbidden by the Torah) to fulfill this verse.

As for a figurative interpretation, this could be taken as support for extreme asceticism, something entirely alien to the Jewish tradition (though common to the Christian one). Jesus did not marry; neither did Paul. Both believed that celibacy was the way to go. Although you would think that the natural desire to be with the opposite sex would preclude the need for a biblical commandment, God saw fit to command man to leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife and become one flesh. This was so important that it is the first commandment in the Bible. Obviously, God sees marriage as a good thing, as part of the worship of God. It is stunningly arrogant for Jesus and Paul to set themselves above God by extolling the virtues of celibacy.

While this teaching is original, it is of no value to the Jew. (New does not necessarily mean better.)

5:31-32: This contradicts the earlier teaching of Mark, where no divorce is allowed in any circumstance. Women had no power to divorce their husbands. This teaching, if it had been followed by the Church, would have had terrible consequences. Women would be forever enslaved to their husbands no matter what their husbands did, but if divorced for the one exception of infidelity, they could never remarry.

This is just another example of Jesus’s lack of appreciation for human nature and for laying down laws that are impossible to keep. In practice, the Jewish laws on divorce are much more pragmatic. While Judaism allows for no-fault divorce, it gives women the power to sue for divorce or to refuse to consent to a divorce. Certainly, Judaism discouraged divorce in the strongest terms but recognized that there would be times when it would be necessary. The proof is in the pudding: historically, Jewish marriage has always been very strong and the family unit cohesive.

Examples of Jewish teachings against divorce:

Malachi 2:16

Derech Eretz 11: He who hates is wife is held to be a murderer.

Gittin 90b: He who divorces his first wife causes the altar to shed tears.

So, yes, divorce wasn’t taken lightly. Nevertheless, the Jew happily rejects Jesus’s oppressive ruling on divorce.

5:33-37: First of all, Jesus is adding on to the Law of Moses. Whereas God says not to swear falsely or take His name in vain, Jesus says “Do not swear at all.” Secondly, what is Jesus teaching that is new here? Take a look at Exodus 23:7; Leviticus 19:2; Psalms 15:1-2.

The righteousness of the heart is a theme that is echoed in traditional Jewish writings, from Scripture (as we saw above) to rabbinic literature:

Sanhedrin 106b: God requires the heart.

Numbers Rabba 22:1: It is unbecoming to substantiate the truth with an oath.

Pesachim 113b: God hates all who speak with their lips contrary to the truth of the heart.

Bava Metzia 49a: Let your yea be a truthful yea, and also let your nay be a truthful nay.

Mechilta Mishpatim 13, p.96a; Chulin 94a: He who deceived any of his fellow creatures is reckoned as the most sinful among deceivers.

38-42: Turning the other cheek.

This is a very confused teaching. Jesus seems to be mixing up the concepts of private retaliation and public justice. The rabbis taught that “an eye for an eye” referred to monetary compensation for injury as determined by a court of law, as we have today (a careful reading of the text will support this logical explanation). Jesus seems to be saying, no, if someone steals your tunic, give him your cloak also. This turns the concept of property rights on its head, and if followed, would create chaos in society. In practice, the Church has not been able to follow this

teaching. In fact, for many centuries thieves were punished most severely by the courts—too severely. If someone stole a loaf a bread, the baker didn’t also give him a pie. He pressed charges and the thief was hanged, more often than not.

The Torah is very clear on the sin of taking revenge. The teachings of traditional Judaism emphasize this. See Leviticus 19:18; Proverbs 20:22; Proverbs 24:29; Lamentations 3:30.

Also Avos 3:16: Rabbi Ishmael said, be pliant of disposition and yielding to impressment and receive every man with cheerfulness.

On the other hand, Judaism teaches that in public life justice must prevail and evil must be resisted. We reject the “superior” teaching to “resist not evil.”

5:42: Nothing new here. Compare to Deuteronomy 15:7-8; Leviticus 25:35-36.

5:43: Where does it say “hate your enemy?” The NIV in a desperate attempt to credit this to somewhere, cross references Deuteronomy 23:6 and Psalms 139:21-22. The referenced passage explains why an Ammonite or a Moabite may not convert to Judaism. The passage does not mention the word “enemy” despite their horrible treatment of the Israelites; nor does it enjoin the Israelites to hate them. In the passage in Psalms David says that he hates the enemies of God, not his own personal enemies.

What does the Torah say about your enemies? See Exodus 23:4-5; Proverbs 24:17-18.

5:44: As for praying for those who persecute you, compare to Jeremiah 29:7. In practice, Jews have traditionally prayed for the welfare of the state that persecuted them. The Russian Jews were famously known for praying for the czars who kept them as downtrodden as possible.

But did Jesus practice what he preached? We have already seen the vituperation he heaps upon his enemies, the Pharisees. Hypocrites, brood of vipers, hypocrites, children of the devil, and hypocrites are just some of his choice epitaphs. Does he pray for them? No. Rather, he condemns them to hell.

More parallels from traditional Jewish texts:

Avos d’ Rabbi Nassan 23: Who is strong? He who turns an enemy into a friend.

Proverbs 25:21; Job 31:29-30.

Berachos 17a: To those who curse me let my soul be silent, and let my soul be as dust to all.

All of God’s creations deserve respect and love. Deuteronomy Rabba 6:9: If you will use your tongue to speak evil of your brother who does not belong to your race, then you will also bring shame on the son of your mother.

Friedlander notes that we have learned the lesson that “it is better to be cursed than to curse” (Sanhedrin, 48b). We have repaid good for evil in the countries where we were persecuted. Jesus is not only not teaching anything new when he says ““Love your enemies and pray for them who persecute you,” but it was his enemies the Pharisees who actually practiced what he preached.

Does Jesus contradict himself when he then says things like the following?

Luke 19:27; Matthew 10:34-36; Luke 27:3; Matthew 18:17.

So love your enemies doesn’t apply to someone who doesn’t repent or listen. Apparently, love your enemies applies only to those who believe in Jesus. It doesn’t apply to Gentiles (whom he calls dogs) and it certainly doesn’t apply to the scribes and Pharisees.

5:45: The concept of God being our Father is a traditional one in Judaism and superior to the Christian idea. In the Christian conception, the Father is remote and therefore man needs a mediator (Jesus) to reach him. The Father who is the Maker of us all is close to those who fear him and is accessible to any who reach out to him. The word “father” connotes love and closeness, not distance and remoteness. See Psalms 103:13; Psalms 145:18.

Thus, all who fear God are His sons; one need not (and should not) be a follower of Jesus to earn that title.

Parallels to the second part of the verse:

Mishna Avoda Zarah 4:7: Why does God not destroy the various objects of heathen worship, such as the sun? Because the sun is beneficial to humanity and must not be destroyed because some men are sinful and foolish.

Taanis 7a: The rain is a blessing for the righteous and the wicked.

46-47 I discussed above how the Torah explains the law of love outlined in Leviticus 19. I have shown that the Torah tells us to help our enemies and forbids the exercise of revenge. While this Christian teaching is very nice, it adds nothing to the laws already stated in the Torah and the teachings of the rabbis.

5:48: Doesn’t Christianity teach that humans can’t be perfect? That we’re all filthy, miserable sinners damned to hell unless we accept Jesus? What’s Jesus saying here?

Where did Jesus get this idea from? Like all of his good ones, from the Torah! See Deuteronomy 18:13; Leviticus 19:2.

To conclude this section of the sermon, it’s fair to say that Leviticus 19 offers a superior moral teaching—and a more comprehensive one—than the Sermon on the Mount. In this chapter, after saying “You shall be holy for I…am holy,” God lays out what it means to be holy:

Honor your parents, observe the Sabbath, gifts to the poor, honest dealings with others, justice in legal dealings, the law of love, sexual morality, respect for your elders, love of the stranger, honesty in business dealings, among others.

And that settles it.

Matthew 6

6:1: Jesus is saying here that his disciples should do this for a reward. The rabbis spoke about a heavenly reward, but they also stressed doing righteousness for righteousness’ sake (lishma). The idea of righteousness is a major scriptural theme in Tanach; the root of this word appears 520 times.

6:2: I do not understand how Christians miss the Jew hatred in these type of statements. The Pharisees stressed secret giving so as not to embarrass the poor, and the laws of gifts to the poor as outlined in Leviticus 19 and in Maimonides’ Code are collectively known as Kevod Ani’im (honor due to the poor). Judaism is the only religion that has detailed laws about the privileges and charity due to the poor and about the careful consideration these laws give to their feelings.

I have not yet seen any recorded instances of Jesus and his disciples distributing alms. How could they, when they had renounced all their possessions?

About the trumpet thing. Matthew is confusing two customs. Charity was collected on Friday. Also, a trumpet was sounded on Friday to announce the approach of the Sabbath. (This custom is still followed today in Israel and in major Jewish communities such as those in New York; a siren goes off to alert the residents that it’s nearly time for candle lighting.) It’s hard to take Matthew seriously when he loses credibility over things like this.

There is no evidence anywhere in Jewish writings, history, or the Talmud that a trumpet was sounded to draw the beggars.

In practice, the Church has not followed this teaching and has in fact encouraged public alms-giving.

Parallels to this teaching in Jewish tradition:

Bava Basra 9b: Almsgiving should be done in secret and not before men, because he who gives before men is a sinner.

Siphre 117:98b: Let not your eye be against your poor brother…you shall surely give him (Deuteronomy 15:9-10) implies that you shall surely give him—to him directly and secretly—and let no one stand between him and you.

Mishna Shekalim 5:6: The Temple had a Silent Chamber so that the donor and recipient would not be seen.

Tosefta Shekalim 2:16: Such a secret treasury existed in every town so that the poor could receive charity privately and keep their pride.

Berachos 17a: If a man does these good deeds for his own advantage it would have been better for him if he had never been born.

Chagiga 5a: Do not put the poor man to shame by giving him your gift in public.

This is how Pharisees (i.e. Orthodox Jews) practice charity today. When I was in high school, I volunteered for an organization called Tomchei Shabbos. My friends and I knocked on doors and asked people to donate non-perishable foodstuffs like pasta and canned goods. Every Thursday we delivered the food to someone’s house, where a warehouse had been set up. Volunteers sorted the food and packaged them. We never came in contact with nor were given information about the recipients. In the dead of night, one designated driver delivered the boxes to the back entrances of a list of addresses. The recipients never saw the donors and the donors never saw the recipients and the public never saw any deliveries.

So there, Jesus!

6:4: Twice in the same passage, Jesus emphasized performing a good deed in order to obtain a reward. I point this out because Christians insist that nothing you can do, no action you take, can save you except for faith in Jesus. In these verses Jesus contradicts this doctrine.

6:5: This charge is vicious and disgusting. Christians cannot explain these verses away. They should be ashamed of revering such an explicitly anti-Jewish literature.

Did Jesus practice what he preached?

NUMBER ONE: He frequented the synagogues. See Mark 2:1, 3:1, 6:2, etc.

NUMBER TWO: He cared to be publicly seen and he cared what the multitudes thought of him. See Mark: Who do the multitude say that I am; Matthew: Who do the multitude say that I am; Luke 9:18.

Jewish prayer service then as today consisted of instruction, praise, and supplication. The first part, reading the Law, had to be done in a public setting. The second, praise, also required a public setting. Due to the lack of prayer books (the printing press hadn’t been invented yet), this element of worship was conducted in such a way that the people could answer and follow the leader of the service (cantor). The final element, supplication, was whispered quietly. Jesus did not invent private prayer.

From Friedlander:

Jesus, by his own practice, illustrates these three aspects of Pharisaic worship. He can also be described as loving to stand and take part in public worship in the synagogues, and on a hill, or at the side of a lake, where men could see him. Otherwise, why would he inquire, “Who do the multitudes say that I am?” (Luke 9:18).

6:6: First, Jesus says to pray to your Father, not to himself. Christians address Jesus when they pray. Second, I just want to point out again, that Jesus tells his disciples to do this so they will be rewarded.

I don’t know where Matthew got the idea that they prayed in the streets.

Now for traditional Jewish teachings on prayer:

Rosh Hashana 3:8: A little prayer with much devotion is much better than many prayers without devotion.

Mechilta Beshalach 53b: The prayer of the righteous is short.

Sota 32b: Prayer must be silent, lest the transgressors be put to shame [by hearing their sins mentioned in the prayer].

Yoma 19b: Any artifice used for attracting attention deprives prayer of all its value.

6:7: And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.

Parallel teachings:

Ecclesiastes 5:1.

Berachos 34a; Sifre 105:28 on Numbers 12:13: The rabbis point to the example of Moses’s brief prayer for Miriam’s recovery—“Lord, please heal her now”—as the model to follow.

Berachos 32b: If one prays with persistence, thinking that therefore God must hear his prayer, he hopes in vain, as it is said “wearisome prayer [literally hope] makes the heart sick” (Proverbs 13:12).

Berachos 5b: Whether one indulges in prolonged prayer or recites a few words, it matters very little, if only the heart be turned heavenward.

How did Jesus pray?

1. In Luke 6:12, he engaged in prayer all night.2. He repeated himself many times in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:44; Mark 14:39).3. He contradictorily taught that one should to be persistent in prayer (Luke 11:9-10; Luke

18:1-8).

So is Jesus teaching anything new here? Nope. Not only is he not teaching anything new, but he also contradicts himself and fails to practice what he preaches. Who’s the hypocrite now, Jesus?

6:9-15: The Lord’s Prayer

6:9: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.

“Our Father who is in heaven” is a classic form of address we use in our own liturgy. The source for the Fatherhood of God is Exodus 4:22.

Thrice daily we recite the Shemoneh Esrei, the Eighteen Benedictions, which was formulated during Jesus’s lifetime. Two phrases in this prayer address God as Father: “Bring us back, our Father, to your Torah” and “Forgive us, our Father, for we have sinned.”

Avinu Malkenu, Our Father our King, is a well-known prayer recited on fast days.

Further parallels: Isaiah 63:16, 64:7; Jeremiah 3:4, 3:19, 31:8; Malachi 1:6:, 2:10;.

Yoma 8:9: Rabbi Akiva said, happy are you, O Israel; think before whom you are purified and who purifies you! Your Father in Heaven.

Sotah 94a,b: Since the destruction of the Temple…on whom should we rely? On our Father in Heaven.

6:9: Hallowed be Your name.

Where did this expression come from? The famous Kaddish prayer, which opens with the words, “Magnified and hallowed be His name that is great.” The source of this phrase appears in Ezekiel 38:23. Another parallel: Psalms 111:9.

As I have mentioned elsewhere, the Jew lives and dies “al Kiddush Hashem,” to sanctify the name of the Lord. See Isaiah 29:23.

6:10: Your kingdom come.

Parallels:

Parallel in the Kaddish: May He establish his kingdom.

Parallel in the Shemoneh Esrei: And reign over us speedily, you, O Lord, alone.

Berachos 40b: Every benediction, to be valid, must contain not only the name of God, but must also refer to God’s kingdom.

Every blessing generally begins with these words: Blessed are You, O Lord, Our God, King of the universe.

Both Jews and Christians look forward to a time when God’s Kingdom will be realized on earth. The difference between the two conceptions could be the subject of a long essay, but I will briefly note that it is chiefly this:

Jews anticipate a time when the knowledge of God will fill the world and all peoples will worship him while living at peace with each other. The Jew sees a universalistic vision. See Zechariah 14:9.

Christians await a time when Jesus will arrive on a cloud of glory, lift up those who believed in him, and kill everyone else (God’s chosen people along with them). The Christian sees a particularistic vision.

6:10: Compare to Psalms 40:9, 115:3, 135:6, 143:10.

Avos 2:4: Rabban Gamliel used to say, “Do God’s will as if it were your will that he may do your will as if it were His will.

Ibid. 5:23: Judah ben Teima said, “Be strong as a leopard, light as an eagle, swift as a deer, and mighty as a lion to do the will of your Father who is in heaven.

Berachos 29b; Tosefta Berachos 3:7: What is a short prayer? Rabbi Eliezer said: Do Your will in Heaven above, and give satisfaction to those who fear you on the earth beneath, and do what is good in Your eyes.

Berachos 17a: Sovereign of all the worlds! It is revealed and known before You that our will is to do Your will.

6:11: Compare to Proverbs 30:8, Isaiah 33:16; Psalms 145:15-16.

Sota 48b: The man who has bread in his basket [for today] and asks, what shall I do for tomorrow’s bread, belongs to the people of little faith.

Mechilta Beshalach 56b: God who makes the day provides also its sustenance.

From the Grace after Meals: You nourish and sustain us constantly, in every day, and in every time, and in every hour.

6:12: Parallels:

Shemoneh Esrei: Forgive us, our Father, for we have sinned; pardon us, our King, for we have rebelled.

Shekalim 3:2: It is just as necessary for a man to meet his obligations between man and man as it is to discharge his debts to God.

Yoma 23a: All who are forbearing and forgiving and do not insist on their rights will be forgiven their sins.

6:13: Parallel in Jewish morning prayer: Do not bring us…into the influence of temptation…and let not the inclination for evil dominate over us.

An important difference between the two prayers is the Christian belief in “the evil one,” Satan, the devil. He actively opposes God and leads people into sin. Jews believe that the temptation to sin comes from the inclination to evil that is inherent to the human condition, but that we can triumph over it through the exercise of free will. (See Genesis 4:6-7).

The teaching that Satan is a power for evil that acts independently of God is a teaching that the Jew roundly rejects.

6:14-15: I already gave parallels to this teaching when I discussed Matthew 5:23-24.

6:16-18: Fasting.

Jesus already abolished fasting in Mark 2:18-22. That’s point number one. Point number two is you must not do anything like the hated Scribes and Pharisees. This venom is venomous, what can I say.

Jesus tell his disciples to put oil on their heads and wash their faces so it will be obvious they aren’t fasting. The only fast, in Jesus’s day, during which this was not done, was Yom Kippur. Everyone knew everyone was fasting on Yom Kippur! So there would have been no need to hide it. As for all other fast days and private fast days, anointing with oils and washing of faces were permitted. This instruction is therefore superfluous.

Final point about this passage: Jesus tells his disciples to wash their faces but not their hands (Mark 7:5-15). What’s up with that?

6:19-22: Money is evil.

Judaism teaches that money is neither good nor evil. It is to be used in God’s service. A parallel to this passage in the Jerusalem Talmud (Peah 1:1;15b), Bava Basra 11a; Tosefta Peah 4:18; Pesikta Rabbasi, 25) relates the following story:

In a time of dire distress due to famine, Monobazus [convert to Judaism] distributed all his wealth to the poor. He was reproached by his relatives, who said: Your fathers gathered treasures, but you have squandered them. He replied: My fathers laid up treasures on earth, but I lay up treasures in heaven…My fathers gathered them in a place over which the hand of man has power; I have laid them in a place over which the hand of man has no power. My fathers gathered that which bears no fruit; I have gathered that which yields fruit. My fathers gathered Mammon [wealth]; I have gathered souls. My fathers gathered for this world; I have gathered for the World-to-Come.

The Torah teaches that we should use our wealth in God’s service, not renounce it because it is evil: Deuteronomy 6:5: You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and will all your resources. [Traditional understanding of last phrase: even if you lose all your money.] See also Proverbs 3:9.

Nevertheless, the rabbis taught us to resist the seductive power of money (Berachos 61b).

6:24: You cannot serve both God and Money.

Right. If you make money your master. But you can use your money in the service of your Master. How can you feed the poor and clothe the naked and care for the widow and orphan if you don’t have any money?

Asceticism is antithetical to Judaism but is to be found within Christianity. Yet even this negative teaching which Judaism rejects is not original to Jesus. He was quite likely influenced by a Jewish sect of his time called the Essenes. The Essenes were a monastic sect who practiced asceticism and celibacy (naturally, they didn’t survive very long), and they lived communally, sharing all their things.

For more Jewish teachings on wealth, see Jeremiah 9:22-23; the whole Psalm 49, but especially verses 17-18; Proverbs 14:24, 22:1-2, 23:4-5.

6:21: Parallels and other Jewish teachings on wealth: Psalms 62:11, Job 31:24, Haggai 2:8.

Avos 4:1: Who is rich? He who is content with his lot.

From Friedlander:

The pursuit of wisdom, truth, and righteousness were more esteemed than the pursuit of Mammon. Nevertheless, there was no genuine desire to renounce money, or to refuse to utilize it in a good and proper manner. Herein Judaism rejects the Gospel teaching. Christianity regards a great many sins as deadly—the sin of wealth is one of the number. This has no parallel in Judaism. Christianity is not of the world—Judaism is of the world. “Prepare thyself in the ante-chamber (this world) before thou goest into the Audience Hall” (the future world) is the quaint dictum of the Rabbis (Aboth iv. 21) [sic]. The abiding worth of Judaism is its teaching that man should live naturally the best life, which is the holy life, the unselfish life, the full life for God and humanity. Judaism is not “a religion,” it is life.

Well said!

6:22-23: In Jewish tradition, a good eye and an evil eye represent the traits of generosity and envy. Following are parallels from the Talmud and Tanach:

Jerusalem Talmud Bava Basra 4:2:14d; Babylonian Talmud Sabbath 74a: He that gives a gift should give with a beautiful eye.

Avos 5:16: There are four dispositions in almsgivers. He who desires to give but that others should not give, his eye is evil toward the things of others; he who desires that others should give, but will not give himself, his eye is evil toward his own.

Avos 2: 13-14: Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai said: Go forth and see which is the good way to which a man should cleave?...A good eye…Which is the evil way which a man should avoid?...An evil eye.

Proverbs 22:9, 23:6-7, 20:27; Job 18:5-6.

6:25-34: Have no care.

Depending on God to provide for all our needs without putting in any effort on our part is not a Jewish teaching. See Genesis 2:15 and 3:19.

Friedlander points out that even the birds have to collect their food so as not to starve, and if we would be like lilies of the field we would go naked, as lilies don’t wear clothes.

In practice, Christians and all humans cannot follow this teaching unless they enter a covenant or monastery. In fact, only monks and nuns have followed this teaching; the vast majority of Christians did not.

Judaism teaches that while we must invest effort into acquiring our livelihood, we must trust in God and understand that He controls the results. The effort is up to us; the outcome is not. See Isaiah 26:3; Exodus 20:9; Psalms 145:15-16.

Babylonian Talmud Kiddushin 82b; Jerusalem Talmud Kiddushin 4:2:66d; Tosefta Kiddushin 5:15: Rabbi Simon the son of Elazar said: Never have I seen a gazelle spreading out figs to dry, or a lion carrying a burden, or a fox that had a workshop. Yet they are nourished without anxiety or trouble. They were only created to serve me, but I was created to serve my Creator. If then these creatures receive their proper nourishment without anxiety or trouble, should I not, with much greater reason, expect to receive my daily bread without anxious care or hard toil, since I have been created to serve my Creator? This would have been the case, had I not polluted my works and impaired my rights to be sustained by God.

Jerusalem Talmud Berachos 9:3:13c: Elijah asked Rabbi Nehorai, why had God created in this world tiny insects and worms? He replied, when humans sin, He looks on the lower forms of creation and says: If I sustain these tiny useless creatures, how much more must I preserve human beings who are useful.

Psalms 103:13-14; Nahum 1:7; Psalms 55:23.

These passages teach several things:

1. God sustains those who trust Him.2. If God cares for the lower forms of creation, surely He cares for humans.3. We should not have anxious care or hard toil; not that we should have no care and no

toil.

I already discussed, parallel to verse 34, the traditional Jewish teachings about worrying only for today’s bread and not tomorrow’s (Sota 48b: The man who has bread in his basket [for today] and asks, what shall I do for tomorrow’s bread, belongs to the people of little faith).

Before finishing this chapter, it’s worth taking a closer look at verse 27. If we are careless about our health we can shorten our lives; it therefore follows that if we are careful we can lengthen it. Modern medicine supports this: people’s lifespans are increasing thanks to better nutrition and medicine.

Teachings about guarding your health:

Deuteronomy 4:9: Only beware for yourself and greatly beware for your soul, lest you forget the things your eyes have beheld and lest you remove them from your heart etc.

Ibid. 4:15: But you shall greatly beware for your souls, for you did not see any likeness on the day the Lord spoke to you at Horeb etc. [Jews traditionally understand these verses to also refer to the importance of guarding your health.]

Proverbs 4:23: More than you guard anything, safeguard your heart, for from it are the sources of life.

Matthew 7

7:1: There is no qualification. Do not judge, ever? Don’t have courts of law? Don’t condemn evil actions? The Jewish teaching is far superior:

Judge all men in the scale of merit (Avos 1:6).

This is not only a positive, universal teaching versus the negative, particular one of Jesus, but “it is based on the ultimate principle of human love” (Friedlander). It also takes this teaching further: since it’s impossible for humans not to pass judgment on each other, let them do it in the scale of merit (i.e., by giving each other the benefit of the doubt).

Jesus frequently judges and condemns the Pharisees, so he once again doesn’t practice what he preaches.

Also see Leviticus 19:15.

7:1-2: Compare to:

(Sabbath 127b): He who judges his neighbor in the scale of merit will himself be judged in the scale of merit.

Avos 2:5: Hillel says: Do not judge your fellow until you come into his place.

Kiddushin 70a: He who condemns others, sees in them his own faults. (Take heed, Jesus!)

Sifre Deuteronomy 96, 93b; Sabbath 151b: To the degree that a man has compassion on his fellows, to the same degree the Lord has compassion also on him.

Mishna Sota 1:7; Sota 8b: With the measure with which a man measures, so will it be measured to him. [Emphasis to show the wording is almost identical.]

Bava Metzia 59b: Do not reproach your fellow with your own blemish.

Nothing new here.

7:4-5: A popular saying, that’s all.

For example:

Erachin 16b: Rabbi Tarfon said: I wonder if there is a man in this generation who will allow himself to be reproved. If someone says to his fellow, cast out the mote out of your eye, he will retort, cast out the beam out of your own eye. [See also Bava Basra 15b for the same adage.]

7:6: Who are the dogs? Christian scripture refers to gentiles and Jews as dogs: see Matthew 15:26; Mark 7:27; Revelation 22:15; Philippians 3:2.

Wherever there is an original teaching in Christian scripture, the Jew recoils. Thank God there is no parallel in Hebrew scripture or the Talmud for calling any of God’s children such vicious epithets as “dogs” or “swine.” Horribly, Jesus is also teaching his disciples not to give anything sacred (his own teachings, of course) to the dogs, the gentiles. His kingdom is to be exclusive; only his inner circle is invited; everyone else is condemned to hell. What a nice guy!

7:7-11. Ask, seek, knock: Jesus emphasizes the importance of persistence in prayer, contradicting his earlier teaching not to be persistent in prayer (Matthew 6:7-8).

This teaching just can’t beat the comfort and assurance Isaiah provides in the following passage:

Zion said: “The Lord has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.” Can a woman forget her baby, or not feel compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, but I would not forget you.

Parallels:

Berachos 60b: Whatever God does is entirely good.

Avoda Zara 3a: God never deals harshly with his creatures [Jew and gentile].

Psalms 103:13; Psalms 2:8; Proverbs 8:17; Isaiah 55:6; 1 Chronicles 28:9; 2 Chronicles 15:2; Song of Songs 5:2.

7:12: The Golden Rule. “This sums up the law and the prophets.” I quite agree, Matthew or whoever wrote this. Thank you for giving credit where credit is due.

Now see:

Leviticus 19:18.

Sabbath 31a: Hillel said [explaining the verse above]: What is hateful to you do not do to your fellow.

Source: Rabbi Akiva said: Love your fellow as yourself: This is the fundamental law in the Torah.

Avos 2:15: Let your friend’s honor be as dear to you as your own.

Avos d’Rabbi Nassan 16:62: Just as a man looks upon his own home so let him look upon the home of his neighbor.

The Golden Rule is doubtless a great teaching of infinite value. But as the wisest of men said, there is nothing new under the sun.

7:13-14: The concept of two ways appears in Hebrew scripture as well, but with a different meaning. Where the Jewish tradition refers to a choice, to free will, the Christian tradition veers off into predestination. While only a few will make it in Christianity, the gate being narrow, in Judaism the gate is open wide to all who seek it. Being born Jewish or gentile guarantees nothing and will not necessarily secure a place beyond the gate. All men of all races and creeds are judged by one standard and one standard only: their conduct.

Here are the relevant Jewish teachings (later I will bring parallels to the Two-Ways analogy):

Sifra Acharei Mos 13:13: Righteousness, holiness, and goodness are some of the sources of eternal life and are at the disposal of all the children of men.

Tosefta Sanhedrin 13:2; Sanhedrin 105a: The pious of all people will enjoy the bliss of the world to come.

Tana devei Eliyahu 48: I call heaven and earth to witness, whether one is a Gentile or an Israelite, a man or a woman, a slave (male or female)—that it is only according to the deeds of his or her life that the Holy Spirit rests on him or her.

From Tanach, that seeking God is universal:

Micah 6:8; Psalms 118:20.

Now for parallels for the Two Ways:

Deuteronomy 30:15-16, 19-20; Jeremiah 21:8; Psalms 1:6, 16:11; Proverbs: 6:23.

Talmud Bavli Berachos 28:b: When Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai was on his deathbed he began to weep. When his disciples asked him why, he said, “Two ways lie before me, one leading to Paradise and the other leading to Gehenna.”

The term “gates” (to life or death, or good or evil) is also borrowed from Hebrew Scripture:

Genesis 4:7: Sin rests at the door.

Job 38:17: Were the gates of death revealed to you? Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?

Hosea 2:17: Portal of hope.

Psalms 118:19: Gates of righteousness.

Hebrew scripture thoroughly rejects the notion that, as Luke would have it, many “shall seek to enter and shall not be able to enter” (Luke 13:24). Free will, not predestination, rules the day. Not just a select few will get to enter. Just wanting to enter can be enough. See Malachi 3:7; Ezekiel 18:21.

From Friedlander:

The Gospel says, even if you return and seek admission it will be vain. The Gospels and the other New Testament writings have not only enlarged the domain of evil and sin, by making every man a sinner at his birth; but they have also rendered the possibility of obtaining the Grace of God more difficult than under the Old Dispensation, by making it entirely dependent on belief in Jesus as the only son of God. [Emphasis in the original.]

…[From where did] Jesus take this painful doctrine? I unhesitatingly assert that it is only in the New Testament where the doctrine is accepted without protest.

7:15: Compare to Deuteronomy 18:22.

Stating the obvious, this verse teaches that if a prophecy doesn’t come to pass, the prophet is a false prophet. According to this criteria, Jesus prophesied falsely, telling his disciples that all these things would come to pass in their lifetimes. Christians are still waiting.

Parallels to warnings of false prophets in Hebrew scripture:

Jeremiah 14:14; Ezekiel 22:27; Zechariah 13:4.

7:16-20: Basically, what this is saying is that you recognize a good man by his conduct. The rabbis taught the same thing:

Genesis Rabba 16:3: Our fruits testify against us.

Genesis Rabba 30:6: The fruit of a righteous man is his good conduct.

7:22-23: False prophets. Compare to Jeremiah 14:14.

7:24-27: The parable of the wise and foolish builders. The lesson: actions are more important than words.

Parallels in Tanach and Jewish teachings:

Ezekiel 13: 10-14; Proverbs 10:25, 1:26-34; 12:7; 14:11.

Avos d’ Rabbi Nassan 24: A man who does good deeds and diligently studies the law, to whom is he like? He is like a man building a house with a stone foundation and with tiles (on the roof), and when a flood arises and breaks against the walls, that house cannot be moved from its place. But the man who lives an evil life, in spite of having deeply studied the law, to whom is he like? He is like a man building a house with tiles for a foundation and with heavy stones (on the roof), and when a little rain comes, straight away that house falls.

Ibid.: A man who lives righteously and studies the law is to be compared to cement spread over (large) stones, so that when a flood comes the cement will still remain. But a man who lives an evil life, in spite of having studied the law, is to be compared to

cement spread over tiles, so that even if a little rain should fall the cement would be immediately dissolved.

Avos 1:17: Shimon (the son of Rabban Gamliel) says: Not learning but doing is the foundation.

See also Avos 3:12 and 3:22.

Conclusion: the Jew can turn to his own tradition for this important lesson. He has nothing new to learn from this passage.

7:28-29: The people are amazed at Jesus’s authority.

So he’s charismatic; so what? Charisma is not interchangeable with truth. Compare the good and righteous but uncharismatic Mitt Romney who lost the presidential election to the self-righteous and arrogant but charismatic Barack Obama.

Also, how were the crowds amazed at his teaching? I thought he was addressing only his disciples?

I find Friedlander worth reading if only for his classic British understatement, and his use of irony is the best. Here’s a good example:

We do not deny that there are a few original sayings. Thus Matt. v. 22 [sic], makes a man liable to the Gehenna of fire if he call his brother a fool. Is it permitted then to call one’s brother a hypocrite, or the child of the devil, or one of the brood of vipers? Vituperation seems to be a marked characteristic of the Gospel teaching. Quite strange and un-Jewish is the use of “dog and swine” as terms of reproach applied to the heathens (vii. 6). The acceptance of the doctrine of the “narrow gate” is also original (vii. 13, 14). [Emphasis in the original.]

Quite contrary to the spirit of Judaism is the principle of non-resistance, inculcated by the Sermon (v. 39). Equally un-Jewish is the asceticism demand by Jesus (v. 29, 30). The principle of having no care for worldly things (vi. 25-34) is also original. In all these cases Judaism prefers to adhere to her old paths, and for this reason the Sermon on the Mount cannot be regarded as the ideal meeting-ground and bond of union between Jew and Christian.

Matthew 23

This whole chapter made me sick. It’s one long diatribe against the Pharisees, full of vicious lies without a shred of evidence to back them up. Anyone who wants to understand the history of Christian anti-Semitism need only read this chapter. How are Christians not ashamed of this? If I were a Christian, I would try to hide the Christian scriptures from Jewish eyes, so mortified would I be of the blatant Jew-hatred in this chapter.

The defense that Jesus was a Jew and he said this doesn’t wash with me. I don’t believe he ever said these words. But if he did, all that would prove in my eyes is that he was a wicked

Jew who hated his own brethren. If he were truly a prophet, he surely would have understood the effect these words would have had on his gentile audience.

The defense that the prophets of old castigated their own brethren also doesn’t work. That was a private communication from God to his firstborn son, Israel, whom He yet loves (Deuteronomy 8:5). The prophets rebuked the Children of Israel and exhorted them to turn back to God and to the observance of his laws, statutes, commandments, and ordinances. They never pointed to themselves and said, “Serve me! Do this, that, or the other thing in my name!”

The prophets of old, after their searing words of rebuke, always encouraged their brethren to return to God, and he would take them back. Jesus, on the other hand, held out no hope of forgiveness for the Pharisees. They were going to go to hell no matter what.

Imagine if your father scolded you for stealing money from his wallet. “I’m so disappointed in you,” he says. “How can I ever trust you again?” The neighborhood kids happen to be playing right outside the window and overhear the conversation. Their conclusion? You’re a thief and a liar and not to ever be trusted. So they ostracize you and bully you and make your life miserable.

That’s exactly what Christians do when they read the prophets and conclude that the Jews are horrible hypocrites undeserving of their election as God’s chosen.

I’m paraphrasing Rabbi Blumenthal’s powerful statement that the Christians revere a book that slanders their theological enemies, while the Jews revere a book that highlights their own faults.

There is not much more to be said about a chapter that is simply full of lies. If you want to understand the true nature of the Pharisees, you need look no further than their beautiful writings, which do not contain any vitriol toward Christians. Isn’t that interesting? Now who has taken the moral high road, I ask?

Nevertheless, I will highlight just a few verses.

23:2: Jesus tells his disciples that although the Pharisees are hypocrites, they should still obey them and follow their teachings. The Pharisees believed in and taught the oral Torah, so what this tells me is that Jesus believed in it as well and encouraged his followers to observe it. I wonder how Christians understand this verse.

23:8-10: Is this to be taken literally? Does Jesus really think people will stop referring to their parents as such, because they have one Parent in heaven, stop calling their teachers by their title because they have one Teacher, and stop using titles to refer to clergy? Who is he kidding?

23:33: How will you escape being condemned to hell?

I’m highlighting this to emphasize the point I made above that there is no hope for the Pharisees, in stark contrast to the hope, assurance, and comfort that the prophets consistently offered the sinners.

23:34: Some of them you will kill and crucify.

If the Pharisees followed the letter of the law, they would never have crucified anyone. Death by crucifixion is forbidden in Jewish law. Besides, so loathe were the Pharisees to apply

the death penalty because of the possibility of putting an innocent man to death that they devised a set of rules that made it nearly impossible to do so. The impulsive and mob-like behavior of the Pharisees so often depicted in Christian scripture can claim no support from the historical record.

23:35: This is wildly unfair. Why should the Jews be responsible for all murders ever committed? Abel wasn’t even a Jew! As for Zechariah the son of Berachiah, I could not find the reference to his murder. Is Matthew making this up? How many mistakes must Matthew make before he loses credibility in the eyes of Christians?

23:39: Aha! So that’s why Christians are so desperate to convert the Jews. They believe that Jesus won’t come again until the Jews say, “Blessed are you etc.”

This is the ugliest chapter I’ve read so far.