For dinner, we traveled to a part of Tel Aviv that is home to Orthodox Jews and we came to a school/synagogue where we met David, a 19 year old (he is the one on the left next to Richard Zales) who spoke to us at length about the life of an Orthodox Jewish person. Very interesting, from the time they are 13, all the men do is study the Old Testament scriptures, and the Jewish commentaries...some of the men do find other work which supports the community and some women work, but the whole purpose is to get married, have children and obey the 613 commandments in the scriptures.
He also explained who the community arranges marriages, with a 95% success rate...at least in the sense that the marriages don't end in divorce...
The food was good, bread to humus and vegetables, then roast beef and potatoes with rice and other grains...I noticed that David, although he had food in front of him the whole time we were eating, never ate...I'm guessing it's because it is forbidden for an Orthodox Jew to eat with Gentiles...
While I love the devotion to the scriptures, I can see what I think Jesus wrestled with when he spoke to the Pharisees, that there is a devotion to the letter of the law, but a real blindness to the Giver of the law...I so wanted to have a one to one conversation with David about the One of whom the law speaks...namely Jeshua Ha Messiah...Jesus the Messiah...but it was not possible in our time together...so I pray for him and his community.
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