Rabbi Joe Kagan had a beautiful tenor voice. At age 13 he sang at Carnegie Hall. He was very educated and became a rabbi. In addition to his career as a rabbi, he was a researcher for Ronald Reagan when Reagan was governor of California.
Artist Elfred Lee met Rabbi Kagan at Weimar Lifestyle Center in Weimar California. At that time Rabbi Kagan would never touch the New Testament. One of the horrid memories he had was hearing about his aunt being raped while a priest stood over her with a crucifix saying, “This is what you get for killing Christ.” As a result he had a very negative attitude toward Christianity. Rabbi Kagan came across a book called Patriarchs and Prophets by Ellen G. White. He read it with astonishment and asked Elfred which university the author attended and if he could meet her. Elfred replied that she only had a third grade education and that she had passed away in 1915. "Then where did she learn Hebrew?" was one of the most prolific female writers in history and that this was only one of her many books. Rabbi Kagan was amazed at her knowledge, saying that the information in Patriarchs and Prophets is Mishnaic. The Mishnah is part of Hebrew scholarship. He said that since she died before the Mishnah was translated into English,
She would have either have had to know Hebrew extremely well or was inspired by the same source that inspired the prophets and sages. He said you had to know Hebrew to be able to write like this because the rhythm, the meter, the arrangement of words and expressions are more like Hebrew than English. He said it was as if she wrote in Hebrew and it was translated into English.
In time Rabbi Kagan accepted Y’shua as his Messiah and was immersed in the Bear River above Sacramento on Saturday night December 22, by Pr. Bill Jamerson. As he came up out of the cold water with a shout praising God and singing to his new Messiah, he said,
"I am now a completed Jew. I have now accepted the entire Bible and the Messiah that all Jewish prophets told us about!" He was happy to be a member of a worldwide organization that is unified in its beliefs and is working to share the love of God around the world. In 2007 the denomination consisted of one hundred and twenty six thousand congregations meeting in over two hundred countries around the world with over sixteen million members and growing at a rate of over one million a year. In addition to the congregations there are more than seven thousands four hundred religious schools and more than to eight hundred and fifty hospitals, nursing homes, clinics and orphanages that operate throughout the world. While it might just sound like numbers, Rabbi Kagan realized that no one other organized Sabbath keeping group was making such a huge impact around the world. One of the things that Rabbi Kagan appreciated about being a part of a worldwide organization is that he sensed a family bond with people of all different backgrounds, cultures, languages, and races who all share the same common bond of the basic beliefs brought out in the Scriptures.
Many times Elfred saw Rabbi Kagan cry. One time Rabbi Kagan assisted Elfred with a painting, which among many other aspects depicted Y’shua eating Passover with His disciples. Rabbi Kagan helped Elfred make sure that the head coverings were correct and that the cups, the unleavened bread, and the bitter herbs were exactly as they would have been. Rabbi Kagan approved of the whole painting and sang at the unveiling ceremony. He wept as he sang in Hebrew the words of Psalm 22 by King David prophesying the death of Y’shua. Rabbi Kagan sang and sang and wept and wept; his whole body was shaking. His voice was so beautiful. It was such an emotional experience that there was not a dry eye in the whole congregation.
Rabbi Kagan has since passed on, but you too can know the most famous Jew as your personal Savior, Friend, and Lord. You too can unite with and be an important part of the work that God is doing through His followers. You too can join God’s family of believers who keep the commandments of God, who have faith in Y’shua, and are sharing His love around the world.
Originally from: Jewish Discoveries by Jeff Zaremsky, pages 323-325, which contains a total of 22 fascinating chapters of biblical history and lessons plus 25 rich Jewish tradition sections, and 27 powerful testimonies, with over 40 beautifully rendered professional works of art all on over 300 jam packed pages. You can own this treasure by visiting Jewish Discoveries.
