MySpace.com - Yosef - 26 - Male - Jerusalem, IL

'Bout Me: By birth my name is Andrew Gallagher Bridges. In Israel my name is legally Yosef Mikhael Eliyah (Joseph Michael Elijah) - Grew up in Northern Louisiana (Monroe/Bastrop area). Lived in Philadelphia about 4 years ago in preparation for moving to Israel, where I've now lived for almost 5 years. How this leap occured is a story in itself.

[Check out my website for further understanding about the following information.]

In short, due to deep study of the Hebrew Bible ("old testament") and the Christian texts ("new test." and writings of the early "Church Fathers") I came to the conclusion that very little of Christianity as we know it today represents the original perspectives and practices of the first followers of the one called "Christ." [BOOKS 2 READ] This, together with a fairly thorough research of Middle Eastern History and seeking the most consistent implication of the evidence presented before me, I came to the conclusion that Christianity in general is idolatrous [promotes worshipping something other than the Absolute Creator], that Christianity has greatly gone astray from even its own "New Testa." scriptures, and that the Torah (the "Law" of Moses) is still valid and will never be abolished. Most of Christianity's success in spreading throughout the world is due to the world's general ignorance of the Biblical languages, Biblical idioms, Historical Biblical setting & culture, and an over-all lack of serious study of the Bible by practically all Christians. Even the most "devout" Christians usually study the Bible only a few hours a week. Devout Muslims and Jews both often spend several hours every day studying their scriptures -- instead of continuously wasting time on watching empty and often demoralizing T.V. shows, movies, etc.. Although as explained below, that no one needs to become a Jew, a large proportion of Christians who choose to become "orthodox" Jews were previously very devout Christians, of various denominations. They most always arrived at their conclusions without any ulterior motive or intent to become a Jew (and most certainly not because of Jewish missionaries, as Jews do not missionize) but only due to their own serious independent attempt to live according to the Bible. The same is true of myself.

The Torah instructs us in several places, among them Deuteronomy 17:8-13, that we are to heed and obey the instruction of the great court established under Moses. This court's teachings are preserved in the Talmudic texts. Among their instructions is that only the people of Israel, the Jewish people, are obligated in all of the laws contained in the Hebrew Bible ("Old" Testament) as a whole; indeed, this is apparent in the Biblical text itself upon careful reading. The rest of the nations of the world are strictly obligated only in the "Noahide Laws," which are essentially 7 catagorical laws together with their explanations. There is much more to this than one may assume. Upon arriving to this realization (learning should never conclude), I decided that although I only needed to keep the Noahide Laws, nonetheless I so love the people of Israel and the Almighty's Torah as a whole, that I wanted to submit to the fullness of His wonderous Instruction so far as is humanly possible - therefore I became an Israelite (a "Jew") in the manner clarified according to Jewish law. Every moment that passes as I'm here in this Holy Land among this Holy People is one of gratefulness and joy. Yeshtabahh Shmo, Hu sh'mitaleh me'al kol nesayoneinu. (Praised is His Name - He who transcends all our trails / challenges.)

I strongly encourage everyone to look into the "Noahide" Laws and begin keeping them. One need not belong to any particular religion or denomination in order to uphold the "Noahide" Laws. The "Noahide" Laws merely refer to those aspects of the Torah (Divine Instruction) which were originally given to the first of mankind, such as Adam [the first man] and Noah, long before Christianity, Islam, or even Judaism came on the scene.... (Although one need not belong to any particular religion in order to uphold the "Noahide" Laws, it must be pointed out that the historical faith of the people of Israel - "Judaism" - is the greatest advancement in devotion to the Creator that one can do, if one so chooses; and the practices of the faith of Israel are the ONLY valid alternative to upholding the "Noahide" Laws.) ....Of these Noahide laws, 7 are most critical and essential. These 7 laws, the "Seven Laws of Noah," were commanded to be the bedrock of government in all the nations, in contrast to the entire Torah (Law of Moses) which applies only to the people of Israel in particular. I've created a website to assist those who are interested. Anyone who will take a thorough look into what the Noahide Laws are will only be amazed and delighted at what he will find. Don't loose out on life just because it's easier to follow the crowd and 'go with the flow.' Dig deeply into those questions which always lurk in your mind but for which no one cares to pursue an answer. When the answers are received, you'll truely be blessed. Few have endeavored to realize the truth of the passage, "The Torah of the L-RD is whole, restoring the soul..." - Psalm 19:8

The more of His Will we learn and do, the more purposeful and joyful our lives become. His commandments are His Will. Each of His commandments that we do further developes our love for Him and His creation. Therefore, the more of His commandments we do, the more that love is strengthened. The more this love is strengthed, the more unshakable that joy and purpose of our lives become. As this increases, so also does our confidence in Him and personal awareness of His Greatness, which brings equally unshakable peace. So strive to know His commandments in order to do them, for without knowing His commandments experientially one can not "know" Him, nor truly love Him, nor realize the unfathomable magnitude of His Awesomeness and the immutable joy it brings.

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