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This Poem was Submitted By: Paul R Lindenmeyer On Date: 2004-04-03 21:58:19 . . . Click Here To Mail this Poem to a Friend!

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Can I Be Jewish Too?

Sh'ma "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One." Yes.. Shabbat keep holy the seventh day of the Lord. Yes.. Yeweh, the One Creator of all. Yes.. Must I deny the Sonship of the Christ? Yes.. And the Message of Salvation and Love? Yes.. And His Death and promised Resurection? Yes.. To deny thrice again I cannot.. Still, my Lord was Jewish too...

This Poem was Critiqued By: Lennard J. McIntosh On Date: 2004-05-07 15:17:47
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.36364
Hello Paul: What a remarkable poem. The content has one draw the conclusion that its writer is a spiritually inclined person. I have the task of assessing this interesting work, and it must be done on the basis of how I perceive it. Paul: "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One." Len: This is a well-known quote which along with other scriptural support, counters the Trinity doctrine. The publication, "The Doctrine of the Trinity, Christianity's Self-Inflicted Wound," by Anthony F. Buzzard and Charles F. Hunting, published by The International Scholar's Publications, presents an interesting slant on the long-debated subject and is based on both Hebrew and Greek text. [Buzzard was a theological professor at Atlanta Bible College, at the time of the book's publication.] I mention the foregoing making certain the writer is aware that a number of other's, Christian and non-Christian, believe that Yaweh is One God and Christ Jesus is not God but the son of God, and not equal to his father. Paul: "Still, my Lord was Jewish too... " Len: Apparently the writer has no problem identifying with "A Jew!" There is more evidence that a man named Jesus, a Jewish carpenter, walked this earth talking about his father's Kingdom and preforming extraordinary works, some two thousand years ago, than there is to support some historical, secular figures never doubted. My last critique was written by a writer of courage, also. The writer here speaks of his "Lord," who is not a popular subject in an increasingly secular society. I applaude and admire his mind set, for it does take backbone. The title injected a measure of humor to my perspective that had me immediately wanting to read more. The form selected did the job, well. A minor aside may be, the writer's use of the ellipsis. The Gregg Reference Manual, 274, along with other fine publication on writing style, may be helpful to review. I mention this minor point in a splendid work merely because poetry is more often read by academics [myself excluded] who are well up on the rules of grammar and style and expect to not be detracted by variations. You have a subject to entice this aging student of history, and it is well-done. Thank you. A fellow poet, Lennard McIntosh

This Poem was Critiqued By: Mark Andrew Hislop On Date: 2004-04-30 04:26:06
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.33333
Dear Paul I understand that for a goyim to choose to become Jewish is for that person to be considered MORE Jewish than one born to the faith. Does "jewishness" for you mean that you must deny Jesus three times? You say "deny thrice again" ... do you mean for Jesus to be denied again, or for you to deny again? I get the sense that it is the latter, so you would seem to answer your own question ... you cannot be jewish, too, if jewishness lies in these denials. And yet, as you say, you Lord was jewish too ... does that then mean all who do not deny are also jewish, by definition? What a complex ask you have presented. But it deals with the heart of the "disconnection" of judeo-christian religion. Why do christians still honour the old testament, while jews deny the new testament entirely? The problem of the "Messiah": if Jesus wasn't the Messiah, as jews say, then is the whole new testament just a lamentable appendage upon God's True Word? Perhaps we need to know what jewishness means to you before you can answer your question. And wasn't it a christian, Peter, who denied Christ three times? Peter, the rock on which the church was built? Complex, complex, complex. Thank you for getting me thinking. Warm regards, Mark.

This Poem was Critiqued By: G. Donald Cribbs On Date: 2004-04-15 20:56:07
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.76471
Paul, I liked the message of this poem, understanding a complexity that Paul often expounds upon in the New Testament, that Jesus is both Jewish (ethnically and spiritually) and brings in the new order of Christianity. So far, only Messianic Jewish believers fully grasp both the cultural and spiritual elements that are intended to be understood by us all. I have a Jewish New Testament, which includes things like the woman who grabs Jesus's robes and is bleeding badly, and his power goes out from him and she is healed. In the Jewish New Testament, she grabs onto his tzitzit, the four corners of his garments which have the special knots that spell out the name of the Lord in Hebrew. So, literally, she grabbed onto the name of the Lord. What a more vivid picture than what is seen in the whitewashed version of the New Testament that we have. All of those cultural elements are removed and renamed so we can "understand" it. I like how you laid this out with the short and long lines. It provides a nice tension felt through each short stanza. Including the correct terms allows the reader to feel the crisis as you feel it. That's very effective, well done. I love the reference to Peter who denied him three times. It makes me think of when he visits Peter in his resurrected state, and three times asks him to "feed his sheep," meaning the church. There's a strong message with this one. I can't recommend any changes for you. I think the point is made aptly, and it works well as you have it. Thanks for sharing this one with us. Warm regards, Don

This Poem was Critiqued By: arnie s WACHMAN On Date: 2004-04-09 21:14:12
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 1.00000
Paul...I'm afraid your mixing things up here. Like ... the Lord. Now is that God? or is that a man called Jesus? To deny thrice again...yes. The Messiah was supposed to come to save the world. Jesus didn't do that. In all, your poem is well constructed but the arguement is falacious. No, you can't be Jewish and accept Jesus. Sorry. (but then there will be others that say you can be).

This Poem was Critiqued By: Wayne R. Leach On Date: 2004-04-09 10:17:41
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.83333
I can't comment much regarding the content, being unfamiliar with the Jewish names, etc. I do like the tones, the form for this "informational" questionnaire. The staccato quality fits very well, as does the ellipsis at the close. I might use lower case a little more, but only a suggestion. Brief, but strong poem - a poem of quality. Thanks for submitting. Resurection? [sp. - "Resurrection']

This Poem was Critiqued By: Jennifer j Hill On Date: 2004-04-08 10:35:06
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 1.00000
Dear Paul, Love how your title is a question. That is intriguing to this reader, as is the idea of the poem. The open airy feeling from your spacing is great for encouraging thought and overall this is a tremendously thought provoking poem. What a great time of year to bring this up. I am enjoying this piece, as you have even made me delve into the word a bit. Here is what I came up with: "A man is not a jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God." Romans 2: 28-29 Abraham believed God and it was credited to Him as righteousness. The words "it was credited to him were written not for him alone, but also for us to whom God will credit righteousness. For us who blieve in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. Romans 4: 23-24 I would say we can't all be jews in the strict sense of the word, but we can all be saved and loved as God's chosen people. Amen? Thanks for making me ponder this. Blessings, Jennifer

This Poem was Critiqued By: Andrea M. Taylor On Date: 2004-04-06 22:51:31
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.33333
Paul, I enjoyed the fomat. Oh, those querries of faith. You have had a drink from the well, haven't you? This reminds me of a dear Jewish friend of mine who loved to use the expression, "Is the pope Catholic?". One time we were engaged in a light hearted debate about education and he used it on me. I responded, "Not the first one!". We had a good laugh! The paternity issue should not divide these two honorable faiths. Man's indiscretions does enough damage alone. I cannot think of a single suggestion. It provokes serious thought. Thanks. Andrea

This Poem was Critiqued By: Rachel F. Spinoza On Date: 2004-04-04 10:31:18
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 1.00000
Sh'ma "Hear O Israel, the Lord our [G-d,] the Lord is One." Yes.. Shabbat keep holy the seventh day of the Lord. Yes.. Yeweh, the One Creator of all. No Certainly not in that Christain usage and spelling Must I deny the Sonship of the Christ? Sonship? No. We are all G-ds' children. And the Message of Salvation and Love? No, not the message just divinity of the messenger. And His Death and promised Resurection? Yes.. To deny thrice again I cannot.. Fine. You belong to a fine religion. Why leave it? Still, my Lord was Jewish too... Yes. Try to remember that when people are attacking Jews.

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