Who Wants to be a Pharisee?

by Janet Short

“Visiting Israel for the first time, I discovered modern-day Pharisees living there. Reflecting on all we saw and felt on our tour, I began to consider if we American Christians may also be living like Pharisees.

All around Israel, but especially in Jerusalem, one sees bearded men in long black coats and odd-looking hats. They wear their sideburns in long ringlets. The women, though they don’t stand out so much, always have their heads wrapped. They are Hassidic Jews.

Orthodox Judaism abounds in Israel and affects everyday life, even for a tourist. One of the most noticeable effects is the kosher foods served. Observing the laws of “clean meats,” it was a relief for me to not always be asking, suspiciously “What’s in it?” However, keeping a restaurant’s kosher license means much more, as we discovered.

Because of the scriptural admonition to “not seethe a kid in its mother’s milk,” no dairy products can be served at a meal where any meat might be served. Instead, we had margarine and soy milk and non-dairy frozen sorbets. Only at breakfast were we offered real milk, butter, and cheese along with smoked turkey, fish and eggs but no beef or lamb….”

(this article is an excerpt from the March–April 2014 edition of the Sabbath Sentinel)To read the rest of this article, which starts on page 12, click this link: https://biblesabbath.org/media/Tss_03-04-14_LoRes_566.pdf