Mark:

You stated:


You seem to feel secure in the knowledge that the prophets "provided guidance on how Judaism could survive without a Temple", but for the average person, it's just one of those don't-ask-don't-tell subjects.  They don't know or care what the issue or solution really s; they just know it doesn't involve Jesus.
This sounds like projection on your part.  You asked, we told, you didn't like the answer.  And for the record, why is this concept of G-d providing a means to relate to Him sans a Temple such a hard thing to grasp?  Jews for thousands of years have had a relationship with G-d that didn't involve blood or a Temple!!  G-d just didn't provide a means for "Judaism" to survive, but enabled the Jewish People  to survive.  This raises a fundamental premise:  If the Jewish People are the Eternal People, don't you think that G-d would also have provided a means for that Eternal People to survive?  No other people were given a Divine Promise of enduring eternally.  Not Edom, not Ishmael and certainly, not xianity (even with all their claims of eternal life, they weren't given a promise of existing as a People/Nation/Witnesses).  No other people have an Eternal Connection/Eternal Relationship with the Divine.    Everyone can have a relationship with G-d, but as a people, only Israel has that Divinely-initiated covenant with Him (a covenant that xianity keeps insisting was replaced or modified).  Also, that Book (the Tanakh) was never intended for the "average person".  

So it matters NOT what the "average person" thinks and it matters even less what xians think about our Book!   Also, the Tanakh is not an entire "Just say no to jeesus" polemic.  However, I'm thinking that's your projection:  If it doesn't involve Jeesus, you won't listen; you won't even consider the truth.    I mean, let's be adults here.. do you think we're not aware of what xians (and you) mean when they say "Modern" Judaism, "Rabbinic Judaism", "don't-ask-don't-tell" concepts?  You're saying we changed what Judaism was when the reality is that the fundamental concepts and elements of the Torah have not changed nor were they abandoned in the words of the Prophets.  If so, you would expect there to be thousands of "branches" of Judaism, but there isn't.  By contrast, look at xianity.  There are more than 30,000 variants of xianity.  So whose message changed over the centuries?  So really, isn't this all just projection on your part?  Exactly who are you trying to convince of this game of telephone?   And exactly whose history are you trying to revise?  And when will you stop going to both your NT and to other xians for an overview of what you think Judaism involves and what you think Jewish History is?

In addition:

But look - if I hear a report of a spectacular verifiable miracle - like Jesus coming with the clouds of heaven, as he said he would - I might come and find you.  You say it wouldn't convince you, because of all you know about Hebrew scripture, but I'd be interested in seeing your response just the same.

Oy!!  Do you ever actually READ what Sophiee posts?????  She reproduced ENTIRE passages from Deuteronomy wherein G-d (you know, the ONE Who actually spoke this?) stated that even if the miracle were to come about.. if that person tries to use the miracle/wonder to induce you to follow another god, we are not only to ignore his words (ignore any report), ignore the miracle (so what if it occurred?) but we are also commanded to KILL him!!  Does that give you a clue as to how serious G-d takes this and how serious we are, in turn, to take this?  Again, the G-d of the Hebrew Scriptures and the godling of the NT are not one in the same.  

And let's play a game of fantasy ala your remarks about Jeesus' return.  Even with this fantasy as a reality, I don't think you would like our response even IF (and that's a mighty big, "let's-play-with-fantasy-and-stretch-reality-and-probability" IF) your godling would 'return'... especially when there would be both a Temple and a standing Sanhedrin and the return of the offering system (after all, all these things are to be, according to YOUR xianity and its "end time prophets" and "prophecy conferences", precursors to your godling's return).  From a JEWISH perspective, since the reinstatement of those institutions can either come about because of the Messiah himself or will herald the Messiah--either way, it's G-d's will and therefore the level of holiness the Jewish people exhibit will preclude any idolatry-- so that will leave out your jeesus in any event!  And since we KNOW what our G-d said and what He said 3500 years ago is still the same as for today, you're pretty much having to review Deuteronomy yet again.  I'm not going to go into details about what that would mean for either you or your godling as it relates to Israel, the Jews, the Sanhedrin and well, the REAL Messiah (and it ain't jeesus) or what the results would be.   You can read the Prophet Ezekiel and Zechariah (and the entire books, not just snippets xians twisted) for more details. 

Which raises yet another point.  You seem to be under this silly notion that we only have a relationship with a Book and with "rabbis'"words... evidenced in your phraseology.  But it is not that we only "know about the Hebrew Scripture", it is also that we actually have a relationship with its G-d.  By contrast, you and most of your xian friends have a relationship a deity that has NO connection/relationship with either the Holy Scriptures or with the G-d of that Scripture which xianity desperately tries to sell as its foundation and link to the Jewish people.  If you did, there would be/could be no relationship with Jeesus. 

This is not just some insult to hurl.  This is factual.  To have a intimate relationship with G-d, you have to have an intimate and deep relationship with the Tanakh and all that G-d gave to the Jewish people both at Sinai and ongoing through the ages.  I'm convinced that xians think that only they (or to the point, their jeesus) possess the means to have a personal relationship with G-d.   As such, I think xianity blinds you to the reality that the Torah was/is the means of having a relationship with G-d.  So even when there would be no Temple, that does not mean that the Jews cannot or do not have a relationship with G-d.  They always had/have and will always have a relationship with G-d.  And to have a deep, personal, intimate relationship with G-d means there can be no other god, godling or even Jeesus, despite what xian theology says about jeesus being part of G-d.  So in essence, a Jew or a G-dfearer can't be for Jeesus (or for Allah or Mitras or any other god/godling, either). 


And the same G-d who uttered the words in Deuteronomy uttered the SAME words in the Prophets who stated that in the end, HE (you know, G-d Himself) will vindicate the Jewish people.  So even IF your godling came back (and that's a real big, mighty, "let's-stretch-reality-and-probability-to-the-end-of-the-cosmos-and-play-with-fantasy IF), we still wouldn't be moved.  It would not matter to Judaism, Jews and really Torah.  Why?  Because we know both what G-d said and what G-d did for us and we DO have a relationship with Him.  And we would resist your no-god just like we resisted the empires and their gods, goddesses, godlings and theologies over the centuries.  As they are remnants of history, so shall be every other idolatrous concept that came against the Jewish people.  And that's how we are more than confident in reducing your end time, second-coming myth to an impossibility as it relates to Judaism and to the G-d we serve.  Your fantasy has the Jews converting en masse to xianity.  Our scriptures tell us that shall never happen, that one way or another we shall be vindicated and G-d's Name shall be holy.  

So the REAL question you need to ask yourself is:  When G-d vindicates the Jewish People and His Name and all that was said by Him and observed by Jews throughout milenia is shown to be right, correct, holy, nobel, exalted, pure, everlasting and absolute, what will be YOUR response when the faith that held G-d's truth isn't xianity?  More pointedly:  What will be your response when the real messiah comes and ushers in the total return to the G-d of Israel and his name and identity is NOT Jeesus?