Judaism: the role of Jesus for the Jews
Put simply, the Jewish view of Jesus of Nazareth is that he was a normal Jew and, most likely, a preacher who lived during the Roman occupation of Israel in the first century AD. The Romans killed him - and many other nationalist Jews and religious - for speaking out against the Roman authorities and their abuses.
Was Jesus the Messiah according to Jewish beliefs?
After the death of Jesus, his followers - at the time a small sect of former Jews known as the Nazarenes - claimed to be the Messiah (Mashiach or מָשִׁיחַ, which means anointed) prophesied in Hebrew texts and that he would soon return to fulfill the acts requested by the Messiah. Most contemporary Jews rejected this belief and Judaism as a whole continues to do so today. Eventually, Jesus became the focal point of a small Jewish religious movement that would quickly evolve into the Christian faith.
Jews do not believe that Jesus was divine or the "son of God", or the Messiah prophesied in the Hebrew scriptures. He is viewed as a "false messiah," which means someone who claimed (or whose followers claimed for him) the Messiah's cloak, but who ultimately did not meet the requirements established in Jewish belief.
What should the messianic era look like?
According to the Hebrew scriptures, before the arrival of the Messiah, there will be a war and great suffering (Ezekiel 38:16), after which the Messiah will bring a political and spiritual redemption by bringing all the Jews back to Israel and restoring Jerusalem (Isaiah 11 : 11-12, Jeremiah 23: 8 and 30: 3 and Hosea 3: 4-5). Hence, the Messiah will establish a Torah government in Israel that will act as the center of world government for all Jews and non-Jews (Isaiah 2: 2-4, 11:10 and 42: 1). The Holy Temple will be rebuilt and the service of the Temple will begin again (Jeremiah 33:18). Finally, Israel's judicial system will be rekindled and the Torah will be the only and last law in the country (Jeremiah 33:15).
Furthermore, the messianic age will be marked by the peaceful coexistence of all people without hatred, intolerance and war - Jewish or otherwise (Isaiah 2: 4). All people will recognize YHWH as the only true God and the Torah as the only true way of life, and jealousy, murder and robbery will disappear.
Similarly, according to Judaism, the true Messiah must
Be an observer Jew descended from King David
Be a normal human being (as opposed to God's lineage)
Furthermore, in Judaism, revelation occurs on a national scale, not on a personal scale as in the Christian narrative of Jesus. Christian attempts to use verses from the Torah to validate Jesus as Messiah are, without exception, the result of incorrect translations.
Since Jesus did not meet these requirements nor did the messianic era come, the Jewish opinion is that Jesus was simply a man, not the Messiah.
Other noteworthy messianic statements
Jesus of Nazareth was one of many Jews throughout history who have attempted to directly claim to be the messiah or whose followers have claimed their name. Given the difficult social climate under Roman occupation and persecution during the era in which Jesus lived, it is not difficult to understand why so many Jews wanted a moment of peace and freedom.
The most famous of the false Jewish messiahs in ancient times was Shimon bar Kochba, who led the initially successful but ultimately disastrous revolt against the Romans in 132 AD, which led to the near annihilation of Judaism in the Holy Land at the hands of the Romans. Bar Kochba claimed to be the Messiah and was even anointed by the eminent rabbi Akiva, but after the bar Kochba died during the uprising, the Jews of his time rejected him as another false messiah because he did not meet the requirements of the true Messiah.
The other great false messiah arose during more modern times during the 17th century. Shabbatai Tzvi was a kabbalist who claimed to be the long-awaited Messiah, but after being imprisoned, he converted to Islam and so did hundreds of his followers, nullifying any claim like the Messiah he had.