“If a man has committed a sin worthy of death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance” (Deut 21:22-23).

In an incredibly strange, if not sad sort of way, Yeshua’s memory has been “memorialized” within rabbinic Judaism’s most popular Aramaic translation of the Hebrew Bible: Targum Onkelos. Onkelos’ translation of this passage is as follows:

“And if a man should have a guilty verdict of execution and is executed, and you hang him on a cross, you shall not cause his corpse to remain all night on the cross, but you must bury him on that day, for he was hung because he committed sin before the Lord. So you shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance” (English translation, Accordance Bible Software).

The Elephant in the Rabbinic Judaism

While all the other Aramaic translations use the word “tree,” this translation specifically uses the word “cross.” It is practically impossible to read this translation and not think of Yeshua. The purpose of this translation is to identify Yeshua as the “stubborn and rebellious son” (God forbid) in the adjoining passage (Deut 21:18-21; see Rashi’s comments on Deut 21:22-23).

And this is not the only place within traditional Judaism where Yeshua is the elephant in the room. He also “appears,” or better stated, is strategically avoided in the weekly reading section from the prophets. All the key passages used by the New Testament to identify Yeshua as the promised Messiah (e.g., Micah 5:2 [1], Isaiah 53, and Isaiah 61:1-3) have been removed from the liturgical reading list. And Rashi, the most respected Jewish Bible commentator from the Medieval period, also devotes much of his commentary refuting Christian interpretations. As scholars have shown, Rashi’s so-called “peshat” interpretations of the Hebrew Bible are not intended to explain the literal meaning of the Hebrew Bible, but to refute the New Testament’s interpretation of the Hebrew Bible.

Ignored Messiah

For all of the above reasons (and many more may be added), we find a perfectly shaped vacuum within rabbinic Judaism that looks exactly like Yeshua. For Jewish people who take their sacred literature seriously, Yeshua is literally an unavoidable topic since he is not missing in action, but strategically ignored. And until traditional Judaism finds the only one who can fill this vacuum, our people will never know true peace, not as individuals, and not as a nation.

For Yeshua is the key which unlocks the meaning of our traditions, our interpretations, and the meaning of the Hebrew Bible itself.

By extension, every human being on this planet has a perfectly fitted vacuum in his/her heart that only Yeshua can fill. If we are seeking for meaning and significance apart from Yeshua, we will never find what we are looking for. For Yeshua, and Yeshua alone, is the only one who can cleanse, fill, and satisfy the yearnings of the human heart.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matt 11:28-30).