The Mitzvot of Love

The Mitzvot or commandments of God are eternal.  They are a bridge between the Divine essence and man.  The Torah which contains the mitzvot speaks of the encounter that God had with man.  God reached out to man.  It is this that man must accept.  It is the realizing that God is reaching down to reach us and we must lift our arms up to Him.  Once that connection is made, God can communicate His Torah to you as an individual.

This Torah is the same one that Avraham followed.  It is the same one given corporately at Sinai.  It is the same one put inside of you and written on your heart.  There are many in this world that believe that the Messiah, who came and pay the debt for our sins for those who turn to God, did away with the commandments.  There are some who think Paul removed the burden of the commandments.  This is despite there not being one prophecy about the Torah being annulled or fulfilled in the sense that God’s people do not follow God’s eternal Torah.

In the Bible, the Messiah tells us that those who love Him, will keep His commands (John 14:15).  The Messiah is speaking about action.  If you truly love Him, you will keep the commandments.  The big question is which commandments?  Christians in general will say the Ten Commandments.  Others may say love God and your neighbor.  How do you define love then?  We know these are the two greatest commandments, to love God and your neighbor.  Therefore, defining love is really important.  Defining which commandments is also really important.  The premise here is to show that loving God has not changed.  God revealed to us, through His Torah, how to love Him.  The Prophets brought the same message.  The Messiah, Yeshua, brought the exact same message.  John brings the same message.  While, Paul and his writings, are not the subject of this writing, he spoke the same message.

So let’s start off with defining love.  Not the love that dominates our society today.  Love of self, but the Biblical definition.  John gives this definition in his second epistle 1:6a:

And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands.

That is Biblical definition of love, walking in obedience to God’s commandments.  Pretty simple right.  Some would say not so fast.  Obedience to which commandments?

Today, what commandments does God want us to follow.  Some say it is the moral commandments from those given at Sinai.  Others say just to love.  Love everyone.  Have shalom.  If you think about it, we can’t offer sacrifices at the Temple today, so those must be abolished, right?  If not having the Temple means certain commandments are abolished, then think about after the destruction of the first Temple.  Do you think sacrifices were abolished then as well?  During the second Temple, sacrifices were being offered and did the Messiah ever condemn anyone for offering a sacrifice?    No, He didn’t.  In fact, Yeshua upheld all the commandments and said not one letter will pass away before heaven and earth pass away.

Therefore, I wanted to take a look at the verses each time we are told to love God in the Torah.  If the definition of love to John is obedience to the commandments and Yeshua said if you love me, you will obey My commandments, then this should be the same message we received in the Torah.  This being based on the premise that God’s will doesn’t change for those who trust in Him.

The first instance of loving God appears in the giving of the Ten Words or commonly called the Ten Commandments.  Exodus 20:3-6:

“You shall have no other gods before Me. Do not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or on the earth below or in the water under the earth. Do not bow down to them, do not let anyone make you serve them. For I, Adonai your God, am a jealous God, bringing the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to the thousands of generations of those who love Me and keep My mitzvot (commandments).”

The very first time loving God is mentioned it is tied to keeping the commandments.  God said He will show lovingkindness to those who love Him and keep His commandments.  You might be saying, this doesn’t say loving God is keeping the commandments.  I would have to say you are correct, but what it shows is loving God is connected to doing the commandments.  Let’s see if this connection continues.

The next time the Bible says to love God is Deuteronomy 5:9-10

“Do not bow down to them or worship them. For I, Adonai your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and on the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My mitzvot.”

Deuteronomy 5 is repeating the Ten Words again.  It does repeat the connection of love God and the commandments.  One thing I do want to point out is this time, is the word keep.  The Hebrew word used is shamar.  This word is also translated as guard to protect.  The word keep doesn’t give the full meaning.  The word insinuates that one should not just keep the commandments, but guard them.  Don’t let anyone keep you from doing them and don’t let anyone change them.  Guard them, protect them.   It gives a whole different sense then just keep them.

This next passage tells us that you should keep the commandments so that we might fear God!  Pretty important I think.  This fear is a reverent fear, not a I am afraid fear.  It also contains the Shema.  A foundation in Judaism.  Every observant Jew says this at least two times a day.  The Messiah Himself stated the Shema when asked what was the greatest commandment.  The word shema is translated as hear, but the word actually means more than just hear.  It is like when a parent tells a child to listen.  A parent just doesn’t want their child to hear what they have to say, but to also obey them.   This is what shema means.  Listen and obey.  Listen and obey Israel.  Love God with all that you are and allow these words, these commandments, to be on your heart.  God wants the commandments to always be on your heart.  Whether you are with children, in your home, out and about, when you lie down and when you go to sleep.  Setup reminders on your head and hand, your doorways and gates.  Always be thinking about His commandments. Deuteronomy 6:1-9:

“Now this is the commandment, the statutes and ordinances that Adonai your God commanded to teach you to do in the land you are crossing over to possess— so that you might fear Adonai your God, to keep all His statutes and mitzvot that I am commanding you and your son and your son’s son all the days of your life, and so that you may prolong your days. Hear, therefore, O Israel, and take care to do this, so that it may go well with you and you may increase mightily, as Adonai the God of your fathers has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.  “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These words, which I am commanding you today, are to be on your heart. You are to teach them diligently to your children, and speak of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up. Bind them as a sign on your hand, they are to be as frontlets between your eyes, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

This next passage is very similar to the two instances of the Ten Words.  Yet again, we see love and keeping or guarding the mitzvot are tied together.  Deuteronomy 7:9-11:

“Know therefore that Adonai your God, He is God—the faithful God who keeps covenant kindness for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His mitzvot, but repays those who hate Him to their face, to annihilate them. He will not hesitate with him who hates Him; He will repay him to his face.  Therefore you are to keep the commandment—both the statutes and the ordinances—that I am commanding you today, to do them.

If there is any question as to what God wanted from you in His covenant with you, this next passage makes it pretty clear.  Deuteronomy 10:12-13:

 “So now, O Israel, what does Adonai your God require of you, but to fear Adonai your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul, to keep the mitzvot of Adonai and His statutes that I am commanding you today, for your own good?

Did you catch that last phrase?  Keeping the commandments is for our own good.  These are for you.   These are for you to love God, which the next verse points out – Deuteronomy 11:1:

“Therefore you are to love Adonai your God and keep His charge, His statutes, His ordinances and His mitzvot at all times.”

When?  At all times.  This is basically summarizing what was said in Deuteronomy 6.  At all times.  Loving God and serving Him with all of your heart and soul is tied to being obedient to the commandments just like several verses later in Deuteronomy 11:13:

“Now if you listen obediently to My mitzvot that I am commanding you today—to love Adonai your God and to serve Him with all your heart and soul—“

This is telling us that if you are obedient to the commandments of God, you are loving Him and serving Him with all of your heart and soul.  Do you see that nothing has changed from these words given by God to Israel and Yeshua’s message to Israel.  If you love me, obey my commandments.  John repeats this again in John 14:21a:

“He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me.”

Yeshua shortly after says:

“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words. And the word you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.  John 14:23b-24

Anyone who keeps My word loves me and God will love Him.  My word is the commandments.  Some like to think that Yeshua’s word is what should be kept.  A new set of commandments per se, but He makes it clear.  It is the word of God that we should be keeping.  This word is the Torah.  It is the commandments of God that He just spoke about in verse 21 quoted above.

The words “word” and “Torah” are used interchangeably.  That is not to say that every time word is used in the Bible it means Torah.  You have to look at the context.  King David exchanges the two words throughout Psalm 119, which is all about the Torah.  There is only one word spoken of that will be put inside people and that is the Torah per Jeremiah 31:32b:

“I will put My Torah within them.  Yes, I will write it on their heart.  I will be their God and they will be My people.”

John says this in 1 John 1:10:
 If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

Again, this is the only word put inside of us.  It is the same word made flesh.  The Torah is also the truth per Psalm 119 verses 142, 151, 160.  The Torah / commandments are important.  They are the will of God.  Don’t be deceived, following the commandment is worshiping God.  When you don’t follow the commandments, you are being deceived and serving other gods.  Deuteronomy 11:16 -17:

“Watch yourselves, so your heart is not deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them. Then the anger of Adonai will be kindled against you, so He will shut up the sky so that there will be no rain and the soil will not yield its produce. Then you will perish quickly from the good land Adonai is giving you.”

”You must not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams—for Adonai your God is testing you, to find out whether you love Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul.  Adonai your God you will follow and Him you will fear. His mitzvot you will keep, to His voice you will listen, Him you will serve and to Him you will cling.”  Deuteronomy 13:4-5

God wants you to follow the commandments and then He will bless you.  When I say follow the commandments, one must follow them in faith.  Following the commandments without God is burdensome.  If you follow them through Him, then He lifts the burden just like He did with the Ark.  The Ark was heavy and in a midrash it speaks about God actually lifting the Ark and carrying the men holding on.  When we follow Him faithfully, then He blesses us.

“For if you will diligently keep all this mitzvah that I am commanding you to do—to love Adonai your God, to walk in all His ways and to cling to Him— then Adonai will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourselves.  Deuteronomy 11:22-23

There are three more instances of loving God in the Torah.  All three of them speak of love and commandments.  The two are tied together.  Here is Deuteronomy 19:8-9:

“Suppose Adonai your God enlarges your territory, as He has sworn to your fathers, and He gives you all the land that He promised to give to your fathers— when you take care to do all this mitzvah that I am commanding you today, to love Adonai your God and to always walk in His ways.

Walking in His ways is another way to speak of Torah.  This phrased is used several times and each time it means to follow Torah.  Yeshua said I am the way, the truth, and the life.  All three are other ways to say Torah.

This next verse speaks of when the Israelites will have received the blessing and the curses based on their ways.  God tells us, that when we return to God and listen to all the commandments with all of your heart and soul, then He will end the exile.  Do you want to the Messiah to return?  Start following Torah.  It is then, that He will gather us.  It is then that God will circumcise the hearts, when you listen to the voice of God and keep his mitzvoth!  Deuteronomy 30:1-10:

“Now when all these things come upon you—the blessing and the curse that I have set before you—and you take them to heart in all the nations where Adonai your God has banished you, and you return to Adonai your God and listen to His voice according to all that I am commanding you today—you and your children—with all your heart and with all your soul, then Adonai your God will bring you back from captivity and have compassion on you, and He will return and gather you from all the peoples where Adonai your God has scattered you. Even if your outcasts are at the ends of the heavens, from there Adonai your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you. Adonai your God will bring you into the land that your fathers possessed, and you will possess it; and He will do you good and multiply you more than your fathers. Also Adonai your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants—to love Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul, in order that you may live.  “Adonai your God will put all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you. Then you—you will return and listen to the voice of Adonai and do all His mitzvot that I am commanding you today. Adonai your God will make you prosper in all the work of your hand—in the fruit of your womb, and the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your soil—for good. For Adonai will again rejoice over you for good, as He rejoiced over your fathers— when you listen to the voice of Adonai your God, to keep His mitzvot and His statutes that are written in this scroll of the Torah, when you turn to Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

God has set before you life and death, good and evil.  He commands His people to love Him, to walk in His ways, to keep His mitzvoth, statutes, and ordinances.  Not some made up list.  Not just commandments repeated in the Gospels and Epistles.  All of them.  I can tell you that it is a joy to do so, when done in the right spirit.  Deuteronomy 30:15-16:

“See, I have set before you today life and good, and death and evil.  What I am commanding you today is to love Adonai your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His mitzvot, statutes and ordinances.”

When the Jews entered into the Promise Land, the Torah didn’t end.  God expected His people to follow Torah.  This is what is said in Joshua 22:5:

“Only be very careful to observe the mitzvah and the Torah which Moses the servant of Adonai commanded you, to love Adonai your God and walk in all His ways, and to keep His mitzvot, cling to Him and worship Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

In the next chapter, the point is even stronger.  You are to always stay on the path of Torah.  Don’t turn to the left or the right.  Don’t assimilate with the nations.  Don’t do what they do.  Be mindful!  Love God and follow His Torah.  Joshua 23:6-11

“Be very resolute to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the Torah of Moses, so that you may not turn aside from it to the right or to the left, ⁷ and not intermingle with these nations who are still remaining among you. Do not mention the names of their gods or swear by them or worship them or bow down to them. ⁸ But cling to Adonai your God, as you have done to this day. ⁹ For Adonai has driven out from before you great and mighty nations. As for you, no one remained standing before you to this day. ¹⁰ One of you can put a thousand to flight, for Adonai your God, He Himself is fighting for you, just as He said to you. ¹¹ For your own sake, therefore, be most mindful to love Adonai your God.”

You may be thinking, well this is all fine and good for Jews, but I am not a Jew.  I am of the new covenant, therefore, I only trust in Jesus.  The Messiah did a wonderful thing for the world.  He paid the price for your sin.  He did not, I repeat, He did not change the definition of sin.  He paid your debt and now He expects you to stop sinning.  The so-called “New Covenant” does not change the rules.  Jeremiah 31:32 was quoted for you earlier, which speaks of the “New Covenant”.  It says the Torah is going to be placed in you and written on your heart.  This “New Covenant” is for the House of Israel and the House of Judah – Jeremiah 31:30:

Behold, days are coming”—it is a declaration of Adonai—“when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—

Gentiles are part of it, they are grafted in.  This has always been the process since the creation of the first born, Israel.  Foreigners can join themselves to God – Isaiah 56:6-8:

Also the foreigners who join themselves to Adonai, to minister to Him,
and to love the Name of Adonai, and to be His servants— all who keep from profaning Shabbat,
and hold fast to My covenant—these I will bring to My holy mountain, and let them rejoice in My House of Prayer.  Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar.  For My House will be called a House of Prayer for all nations.”  Adonai Elohim, who gathers the dispersed of Israel, declares,
“I will gather still others to him, to those already gathered.”

John in his first epistle tell us that this is how you know you have come to know Him-if we keep His commandments.  If you don’t keep His commandments, then you are a liar, and the truth (Torah) is not in you.  But whoever keeps His word (see the exchange of word and commandments) in him the love of God is truly made perfect.  We must walk just as He did….following Torah.  For that is love.  That is the will of God as it says later in 1 John 2.

This call is for everyone, everyone who wants to join themselves to God.  When you accept the covenants of God, they require you to be obedient.  To be faithful in all that you do.  Don’t let the church tell you that you have the liberty to not follow.  That is hogwash and goes against the very words of the Messiah.  Loving God and following all the commandments has been a consistent message.  Yeshua paying the price for your sins, did not change what is a sin.  He frees you from your debt, you now are released from being slave to death and now serve another master…God.  This release from your debt is only good for if you refrain from sinning.  I am not saying you can never sin again, but when you do you must repent.  That means stop whatever the sin is that you are committing.  Make a commitment not to do it again.

I hope you will turn to God and love Him how He said to love Him.  Follow Him and His ways.  Follow the Torah.  You may not know how just yet, but that is okay.  Start asking Him to show you.  I will help you, so contact me.  Your significant other or spouse may not be on board yet.  That is ok.  Pray.

What Is Sin?

There is much debate on whether one should follow the full Torah, the Ten Commandments, or just to love others. Each side puts up verses that supposedly contradicts the other. I say supposedly, because I believe the Bible does not contradict itself nor does it correct itself. One topic that I rarely see discussed is what is sin. Maybe through defining what sin is we can see what we shouldn’t do and therefore see what we should be doing.

The Hebrew word for sin is chet and means to miss the mark. The Greek word for sin is hamartia and also means to miss the mark or to fail in hitting the mark. Whether one looks at either the Tanach or the Gospels/Epistles, sin is missing the target that one is shooting towards. Whether in archery or in life, missing the mark is not good.

The disciple John wrote about sin as well and said “Everyone who sins breaks the Torah; in fact, sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). John understood the mark, the target, was Torah. Some people will state what is sin has changed and it no longer means breaking the Torah, but just the Ten Commandments or some other list of commandments.

Before we continue looking at 1 John 2, let’s dig a little deeper into what is lawlessness from verse 4. The Greek word for lawlessness is anomia and means without law either due to ignorance or violating it. The root of the word anomia is anomos and means destitute of the mosaic law. This is the same word Yeshua (Jesus) used in Luke 13:27 and Matthew 7:23 – “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ “ Those who may call on Yeshua’s name and do things His name, but practice rebellion against the Torah, God does not know you. Is this harsh? We might think so, but they are His words. Nonetheless, sin is destitue of the Torah.

As we continue looking at 1 John 2, I think it will become more apparent what the target is in regards to verse 4.

V5 - You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. 

I am pretty confident in saying that just about every believer agrees that Yeshua was sinless. Hopefully, everyone agrees the target for Yeshua was the Torah. The same Torah God gave to Moses and His people at Mt Sinai. Yeshua did not come to take away the Torah, but to take away our sins. From here it is pretty clear the definition of sin is what we looked at previously, transgressing the Torah is sinning.

Narrow Is The Path

Many, if not all, of us have heard the verse about entering the narrow gate, but how much thought have you put into it? Many Christians automatically think the narrow gate is accepting Yeshua (Jesus) as the savior. While Yeshua (G-d) is the savior is that what He meant? Let’s dive in and go a little deeper and see if we can determine what He meant by the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life.

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. Matthew 7:13-14

Again, many of us have heard this passage spoken many of times. Have you ever looked into “the way is narrow that leads to life”? What is the way since so few find it? I think it is of the utmost importance to answer this question. Before we get to those questions let’s look at a few more words that Yeshua spoke.

“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits. Matthew 7:15-20

Yeshua says we will know people by their fruit. Good people bear good fruit and bad people bear bad fruit. Jeremiah speaks of one who trusts in the L-rd “for he will be like a tree planted by the water…”.

Psalms 1 speaks of those who yield are like a tree and bear fruit:

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the Torah of the L-rd and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the L-rd knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. Psalm 1

It is not the wicked who bear the fruit G-d desires, but those who delight in the Torah of the L-rd. Those who delight in the Torah and meditate on it will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water and yields it fruit. G-d knows the way of the righteous, but the wicked, those producing bad fruit will perish. The way. G-d knows the way of the righteous. Those bearing good fruit. Those who bear good fruit are delighting in the Torah and meditating on it. This is the one who prospers.

Just let that sink in for a moment. Stop reading! Let it sink in…think about it. Okay, you might be thinking well Yeshua came and changed that. If that is your thought, then I have a few questions for you. Can G-d’s word come back void or empty (Isaiah 55:11)? Does G-d change his ways (Numbers 23:19 or Malachi 3:6)? One last question before we move on, but picture yourself as a Jew during the 1st century. G-d came and presented the Torah to the Israelites and told them to be a light unto the nations. The Torah is a lamp and the commandments a light (Psalm 119:105). He told them the Torah was forever. There is no indication in the Torah or in the Prophets nor in the writings that G-d was going to put an end to the Torah. You know this because you have studied the Tanakh (Genesis – Malachi) all your life. Then G-d sends Yeshua and ends following of Torah. Wait a minute. All your life, your father’s life, his father’s life, and on and on you were told and you could read that the Torah was forever. Then Yeshua comes and changes everything. How could you place any faith in G-d? How could you place faith in a G-d who said something was forever, but now it is not? How do you know He won’t come again and do the same thing? Now it is no longer placing your faith in Yeshua, but some other way for salvation.

Turning to G-d has always been the way to salvation (Isaiah 45:22). He is the only savior (Isaiah 43:11). Nothing changed in that regard for Yeshua is G-d. Yeshua was very present throughout the Torah and the Prophets (Luke 24:27). Yeshua Himself says that He did not come to abolish the Torah and the Prophets. He continued in Matthew 5 by saying that until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter shall ever pass away from the Torah. As far as I know, I still live on earth, therefore one must conclude the Torah is still valid.

We know from Psalm 1 the wicked do not delight in the Torah and meditate on it. They therefore are full of iniquity. They will perish. Matthew says the same thing in chapter 7: Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. The savior, Yeshua, continued in Matthew 7 saying this:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘L-rd, L-rd!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘L-rd, L-rd, didn’t we prophesy in Your name, and drive out demons in Your name, and perform many miracles in Your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Get away from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’” Matthew 7:21-23

Doing work in the L-rd’s name does not mean you have entered into His salvation. He tells these people who are supposedly doing G-d’s work that He never knew you and to get away. You are a worker of lawlessness. Yeshua is quoting Psalm 6:9 when He said get away from me you workers of lawlessness. In other words, their fruit was like the wolves. They may have looked like one who truly trusted in G-d, but they weren’t. Please, let this be clear to you, doing things in G-d’s name is not necessarily bearing good fruit. Bearing good fruit is about following Torah. This is how you know the fruit is good. The Holy Spirit’s purpose is to cause whomever it has entered to follow Torah (Ezekiel 11:19-20 and 36:26-27). Following Torah is about love. This is why John speaks so much about love and following the commandments. The root word of commandment in Hebrew means to connect. The commandments connect us to G-d and to people. They show us how to have a relationship with G-d and with people. The ultimate goal of this connection is about love.

Proverbs 3 tells us the Torah is the Tree of Life.

My son, do not forget my Torah, but let your heart keep my commandments. For length of days and years of life, and shalom they will add to you. Proverbs 3:1

Let kindness and truth never leave you—bind them around your neck, Proverbs 3:3

She is a tree of life to those who embrace her, and blessed will be all who hold firmly to her. Proverbs 3:18

This proverb is about seeking and never letting go Torah. The Torah is a feminine word, it is a she. The Torah is a Tree of life. The Torah is truth (Psalm 119:142, 151, 160). G-d is telling us to don’t let go of the Torah for that is the Tree of Life. When Yeshua said I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, He was saying I am the Torah, the Torah, and the Torah. Only after you have turned to Him can you receive salvation and then those who truly have turned to Yeshua must start walking out Torah. Don’t think you have to be able to walk out Torah fully immediately. It is not a sprint, but a marathon. It is taking one step and then another.

The way to life is bearing fruit and bearing fruit is following the Torah. This is why the way is so narrow. Few people will enter the gate. Scripture is quite clear on the matter. It is man that has twisted Paul’s letters into saying the Torah does not need to be followed. I am glad you have read to this point. I hope and pray that you ask G-d to show you the truth. Don’t take my word for it, search and ask. If you have any questions please let me know. You can ask in a comment below, or you can PM me. You can call me or send me an email. However you can contact me, please do.

Until next time….kadosh, kadosh, kadosh is Hashem!

Bearing Fruit

It is clear throughout the Gospels and the Epistles that believers should bear fruit. I do not think anyone would disagree with this notion. By in-large, I think most people would agree on loving your neighbor would be bearing fruit. Most people are aware of the fruits of the spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. So what is the source of the fruit? That is the question I would like to delve into today.

The Messiah, Yeshua, spoke many times on the issue to bear fruit. So did His precursor John. In Matthew 3:8 John said to bear fruit in keeping with repentance. John is telling us we must repent from our sins and we would bear fruit. John could only be speaking about repenting from our sins based on Torah. When we turn from sin and towards G-d and His ways, which is Torah, we bear fruit. If you don’t bear good fruit then you will be cut down and thrown into the fire (v10). Can John come as the precursor to Christ and speak a different way? Absolutely not.

In Matthew 7:15-20 below, Yeshua discusses good fruit and bad fruit. He says “every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits.” Matthew 7:15-20

Then Yeshua continues and makes a profound statement:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘L-rd, L-rd,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘L-rd, L-rd, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ Matthew 7:21-23

As Yeshua finished saying every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire ( I believe a refining fire, but that is another discussion), He states that not everyone will enter the kingdom of heaven even if they did miraculous things in His name. Yeshua then says to them “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” Wow. That is quite a statement to make. Yeshua makes it perfectly clear that those who do not practice Torah will not enter the kingdom of heaven. There is only one Torah. The root of the word used for lawlessness per Strong’s dictionary means destitute of (the Mosaic) law.

You might be saying to yourself that all I have to do is believe….have faith in Yeshua. Really? How did Yeshua answer the question of “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” in Luke 10:25? Yeshua answered “What is written in the Torah? How does it read to you?” The man answered “You shall love the L-rd your G-d with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” Yeshua’s response – “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.”

Notice that Yeshua did not say believe in me. Believing that G-d is G-d is a prerequisite to following Torah. This man, was already in the covenant, he was a Jew. Therefore, Yeshua’s response was the same over and over again. As Yeshua states it in John 14:15 – “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. Loving G-d and keeping His commandments are throughout the Torah (Ex 20:6, Deut 5:10, 6:5, 7:9, 7:13, 10:12, 11:1, 11:13, 22, 19:9, 30:6, & 16.

Please understand the meaning of following those two commandments. All of the Torah and the Prophets hang on those two commandments (Matt. 22:40). In other words, all the commandments are summarized in those two. The Torah is all about love, it is a covenant of love. Through this love we will be fruit.

But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, wanting to be teachers of the Torah, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions. But we know that the Torah is good, if one uses it lawfully… 1 Timothy 1:5-8

Paul taught Torah and told Timothy that the instruction of Torah is love with the purest of heart. Some were wanting to be teachers of the Torah, but they do not understand. Just like many people today. They do not understand Torah. They see it as a bunch of rules that were nailed to the cross, yet Scripture never says this. Paul tells Timothy that the Torah is good, but only IF it is used lawfully. In other words, being legalistic with the Torah, teaching that the Torah is what saves is not lawfully sound.

If you are of the flesh, you carry out the desires of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh so Paul tells us in Galatians 5. We are led by the Spirit and what does the Spirit do?

Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. Ezekiel 36:26-27

So G-d is going to give us a new heart and put a spirit within you. He will remove the stony heart and give you a heart of flesh. How does one get a stony heart?

But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear. Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the Torah, and the words which the L-rd of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the L-rd of hosts. Zechariah 7:11-12

If you do not remember anything else from this article, please remember this. You get a stony heart by not listening to Torah.

So G-d will remove that heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. He is also going to put His spirit within you and cause you to walk in His statutes and ordinances. On this new heart, G-d is going to write His Torah on your heart (Jer. 31:33). That is the change in the “New Covenant”. G-d is going to write His Torah on your heart, not get rid of it. We are told in Proverbs 11:30 that the fruit of a righteous person is a tree of life. The fruit of one walking in the Spirit, in Torah, bears fruit.

Can G-d’s word return to Him void? No. Then how can the Torah be done away with or fulfilled? Psalm 1 sums it up really nicely for us:

Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the Torah of the L-rd, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

For the L-rd knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

If G-d’s word cannot return void then we must still delight in the Torah. We should meditate on it day and night. This picture created here in Psalms is similar to the Revelation 22:1-2:

Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of G-d and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month;

The water of life is Torah. Isaiah 2 and Micah 4 both state the Torah will flow from Zion, from Jerusalem in the Millennial Kingdom. With the Torah flowing the fruit will blossom. The tree of life from the Garden of Eden is there. Adam and Eve chose the tree that bore sin instead of choosing the tree of life. If you have not figured out yet what this source of the fruit is please go back and reread the article. The source is Torah. Plain and simple!

Until next time…kadosh, kadosh, kadosh is Hashem!

The Truth In Love

Peter in his 2 epistle stated Paul is difficult to understand. Peter continues saying regarding Paul’s epistles, the untaught and unstable distort, as they do the rest of Scripture, to their own destruction. Many disagree with Peter and state Paul is easy to understand and that he is delivering a message from G-d telling everyone that Yeshua (Jesus) free us from the Torah. A question to keep in mind while reading this is: if keeping Torah is truth would you do it? Would you believe it? If you are unwilling to follow the truth, even if it is confirmed to you to be the truth, then the issue is more about what you want and less about loving G-d. Let’s look into what Peter was saying about those distorting Paul’s epistles and dig into the truth.

just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of the wicked and fall from your own steadfastness 2 Peter 3:15b-17

Peter is very clear that Paul is difficult to understand, but who are they who distort them as they do the rest of Scripture? The untaught and unstable. The Greek word used for untaught is only used this one time in Scripture. It means unlearned, ignorant. That is easy to understand. Someone who is untaught in a subject is ignorant of the subject. The word used for unstable is used only one other time and is also within Peter’s epistle. It means…..unstable.

having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children; 2 Peter 2:14

In this section of Peter’s epistle he is talking about those who are teaching falsely. They are never ceasing from sin. It is critical than to determine what is sin. Sin can be easily defined as going against G-d’s word. Some today think that means only the commandments restated in the Gospels or only the epistles. Some think it is only the ten commandments. The problem with those two understandings of sin is it is the teaching of men. No where in Scripture is sin redefined. G-d’s Torah is the foundation and never changed. In fact, John in his epistle defined sin:

Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 1 John 3:4

Anomia is the Greek word translated as lawlessness. Nomia translated as law or the Torah and anomia as without the Torah. One who practices sin is Torahlessness. They are with sin.

Peter warns us in the Scripture above to be on guard so that we are not carried away by the error of the wicked. The wicked are those who break through the restraint of the law and gratifies his lusts. That is the definition of the Greek word translated as wicked. The NIV translates verse 17 like this:

Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. 2 Peter 3:17

Be on guard that you are not carried away by the error of the lawless. Those who are without the Torah or those who believe they are under grace and therefore continue sinning. Peter is warning all those who teach something other than the truth. The truth is important. You may think you know the truth, but do you? How does Scripture define truth?

Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your law is truth. Psalm 119:142

You are near, O L-rd, And all Your commandments are truth. Psalm 119:151

The sum of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting. Psalm 119:160

The Torah, the commandments, the sum of His word is truth. King David could only be referring to the Torah when he stated the sum of Your word is truth. It is critical that one allows Scripture to define Scripture. We cannot bring our own thoughts and philosophies into Scripture and define truth. With this knowledge of what is truth, let’s look at a few verses:

Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. 2 Thessalonians 2:8-10

Here Paul is telling the Thessalonians that the lawless one will with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish because they did not receive the love of the truth. They did not receive the Torah. You have heard it said that the Torah can be summed up in one commandment, to love. The Torah is love. It expresses love. Following the commandments show love:

And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it. 2 John 1:6

If you say you love G-d but don’t follow the commandments, then you are a liar. Please know these are not my words but John’s:

By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 1 John 2:3-4

The lawless one will come deceiving. The lawless one does not want you to follow the commandments. The Torah gives us a formula to use to determine whether someone is from G-d or not. It is a pretty simple formula that all can follow, if you know the truth:

Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it. “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you to find out if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. Deuteronomy 12:32 – 13:4

The formula is if anyone comes claiming to be from G-d and they tell you to not follow G-d and His ways (Torah) then you are not to listen. So, when the lawless deceiver comes, it will be easy for those who know Torah to not be deceived. The truth sanctifies you…it sets you apart, makes you holy.

because G-d has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. 2 Thessalonians 2:13b

Paul makes it clear in Romans 2:8 about obeying the truth:

but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.

Paul says the truth of Christ is in him in 2 Corinthians 11. Jeremiah speaks of the truth being put in your inward parts and written on your heart:

But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the L-rd, “I will put My Torah within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their G-d, and they shall be My people. Jeremiah 31:33

This is why John said for those who do not keep the commandments, the truth is not in him. The truth is Torah. The role of the Spirit? Bear fruits of righteousness, which is following Torah. Ezekiel talks about the role of the Spirit:

Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. Ezekiel 36:26-27

This is G-d’s plan. To give you a new heart, a heart of flesh. He will put the Torah in your inward parts and write it on your heart. The Spirit will then cause you to walk in G-d’s statutes and ordinances. Those are G-d’s commandments.

If you have read this you know the truth. You see what G-d considers truth. Are you willing to start following the truth, Torah? It is not expected of you that you start following ALL the commandments immediately. That would be too overwhelming. Just start walking in them. Start reading the Torah. Start attending a Torah observant synagogue who is centered on Yeshua like Sar Shalom Synagogue. Don’t allow yourself to be deceived. The deception is great and so is the prize. Don’t allow yourself to be swayed by the error of the lawless. Love G-d!

Baruch Hashem…until next time…kadosh, kadosh, kadosh is Hashem!

Believe

Millions of people have ministered to others trying to get them to accept Jesus. To accept John 3:16, that G-d sent His own Son to die for your sins and if you believe in Him you will not perish. Just accept this notion, say a prayer, and you will receive eternal salvation. Some may think this is too good to be true. It sounds very simplistic. Why didn’t G-d think of this before? Millions of people lived on the Earth before Yeshua was revealed and one would think that they would have wanted to know about this. Maybe believing in Him means something different than we think. Salvation is an important topic, so let’s spend some time looking into what is meant by believe in Him.

John 3:16 says:

“For G-d so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life”

Believing in Him seems to be the most important thing one could do. For believing in the Son will cause one to have eternal life. The Greek word used in this verse is pisteuō and means to place confidence in or to trust. John is expressing that we must place our trust, our confidence in the Messiah. What does this trust look like? It is not just believing something to be true, for we are told in James 2:19 (real name Jacob or Ya’acov) that even the demons believe that G-d is one. So, there has to be more to the word believe in Him than just belief. Does that make sense?

Within Judaism, the notion that one needs to believe in a Messiah who will save you from all your sins based on belief does not exist. Now, I understand the difference between Judaism and Christianity, so here me out. Practicing Jews know their Bible really well, far better than even the most knowledgeable Christians. This is not a knock on Christians by any means. In general, Jews have the upperhand with history, knowledge of the Hebrew language, etc. The Jews belief is based on Deuteronomy 30. Deuteronomy 30 explains the terms of their return to the Promise Land. Verses 2 and 3 are the key verses:

and you return to the L-rd your G-d and obey Him with all your heart and soul according to all that I command you today, you and your sons, then the L-rd your G-d will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the L-rd your G-d has scattered you. Deuteronomy 30:2-3

Deuteronomy is Moses last time he address’ the Israelites. He tells them they are going to leave G-d and stop following His commandments. He also tells them how to be restored from their scattering as well. The first thing Moses tells them is to return to G-d. The Hebrew word for return is shuv. Is simply means to return, turn back. Moses is telling the Israelites how G-d is going to bring them back. They must first turn towards G-d. What does this exactly mean? Does it mean believe again? The English word for repentance is teshuva. Do you see the shuva in teshuva? Teshuva is turning from your current ways of sinning and return to G-d. It is a very important aspect of believing in G-d. If you don’t turn from your ways then what you are stating is my ways are more important than your ways. Therefore you have not turned towards G-d.

What is one turning from though? Your sins. John in his first epistle tells us what sin is:

Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 1 John 3:4

The word translated as lawlessness is anomia and means devoid of the Mosaic Law. Yeshua actually used anomia in Matthew 7:23:

‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

Notice, just before this verse this was said to those who thought they were doing things in Yeshua’s name. Yeshua said only those who do the will of My Father. His Father gave us His will back in the Torah. His will is for us to do the commandments!

The second item expressed in Deuteronomy 30:2 is “and obey Him with all of your heart and soul according to all that I command you today.” Moses is quoting an earlier part of his speech to the Israelites. He is quoting a portion of the Shema. The Shema is the most important prayer in Judaism. With this prayer you are declaring the L-rd as your G-d. The Shema is actually quoting Deuteronomy 6:4-9 plus some other verses, but we are going to focus on the beginning two verses:

“Hear, O Israel! The L-rd is our G-d, the L-rd is one! You shall love the L-rd your G-d with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might”

The Hebrew word for hear is Shema and means more than just hear. It means to hear and obey. Literally, the verse is saying hear and obey Israel…. Then Moses says to love the L-rd your G-d with all that you got. Don’t hold back. These words should be on their hearts. Everything Moses commanded the Israelites to do was from the mouth of G-d. They were G-d’s commandments, G-d’s instructions. They are the words of G-d. We are also told that Yeshua was the word made flesh in John 1:14. The word here in John 1:14 is the Torah. I believe this for three reasons:

1. The Torah was the actual spoken words to Moses and G-d met Moses and spoke to him unlike anyone else. The prophets Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah for example all saw dreams and visions. They never met with G-d.
2. King David wrote of the word often and it always pointed back to Torah.
3. When this Gospel was written the Gospels and Epistles would not be canonized into a what exists today as the Bible for a couple hundred years afterwards. Therefore at most, word could be pointing back to the whole Tanakh (Genesis – Malachi) not the “New Testament”

Yeshua also quoted a portion of the Shema when He was asked how to obtain eternal life:

And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And He said to him, “What is written in the Law (Torah)? How does it read to you?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” Luke 10:25-28

You might be surprised that Yeshua did not state the lawyer should believe in Him. Instead, Yeshua asked him what is written in the Torah. The lawyer then quotes a portion of the Shema and Leviticus 19:18. Yeshua told him do these things and you will live. Every Jew knew exactly what the Shema means. They understand it means to love G-d and they understand how to love G-d. John in his second epistle told us how to love G-d:

And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.  2 John 1:6

John has many quotes about loving G-d and following G-d’s commandments. This is G-d’s will for us. This is His plans for us. I know what you are thinking, Yeshua nailed the Torah to the execution stake. But He didn’t. There is not one verse in all of the Scripture that says He nailed the Torah to the execution stake. There is one verse that states He nailed our debt of sinning to the stake. That is a big difference.

Believing Yeshua is the Messiah is very important. Please do not misunderstand this message. Believing entails a lot more than just thinking something is true. The notion that one can just say a prayer and everything is hunky dory is just false. We must turn to G-d (which means you place your faith in Him), repent, and accept His ways to have eternal life. Yeshua said so Himself! Any other way is idolatry!

Baruch Hashem….until next time…kadosh, kadosh, kadosh is Hashem!

The Sabbath Day

Throughout the Torah, G-d’s people are told to stop there weekly mundane tasks and rest on the Sabbath day. We are also told to gather to worship G-d and Isaiah says to stop from seeking our own delights on the Sabbath day. Hasatan, cursed be his name, wants to do everything in his power to influence everyone to stop following the true Sabbath. Most would agree that he has done a marvelous job of fooling the masses. One way this was and is accomplished is by translations of the Bible. This is not the first time I have discussed this topic, but I felt prompted to write about it again.

The Bible was not fully translated into English until the early 1500’s. Certainly, there were certain sections of the Bible translated into was is called Old English, but not the entire Bible. Shortly, after the Bible was translated into English, the printing press was invented and the rest is history.

What was going on during the periods just before and during this English translation? The inquisitions! Do you think this anti-semetic time period had anything to do with the way Jews and what was considered there ways were looked upon? Absolutely they did. Anything associated with Judaism was looked at with disdain and disgust. So, portraying the Sabbath as something that was still the norm could not happen. Don’t hear what I am not saying. I understand that many of the so-called church fathers started this trend of not following the Sabbath. This idea did not spring during the 1500’s, but the translations into English was just one more cog in the wheel of believers removing themselves from God’s instructions.

The Sabbath from the beginning of time was set to be what is considered today as Saturday, the 7th day of the week. Technically, the Sabbath starts at sundown on Friday and ends at sundown on Saturday. Many within the believing community think the Sabbath was moved to Sunday contrary to Scripture. There are certain verses used to help support this viewpoint, but do they truly say what people think these verses say. That is the crux of this article.

And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. Acts 20:7

Acts 20:7 is used by many people to state their case that the new Sabbath was moved to Sunday. They say “see, the disciples starting meeting on Sunday, the Lord’s day.” You can’t blame people too much, this is just what they were taught by their teachers. So let’s take a look at the verse and you can make your own decision. The first thing to take notice of is the word day. Notice that it is in italics, which means it is not in the original Greek. The translators added it to help you understand the verse better. I would contend that if the verse said “and upon the first of the week” that most people (practically all) would understand what that means. Yet, the translators felt it was necessary to make sure you knew that this was the first day of the week.

The next word we are going to focus upon is first or in the Greek, mia. The word is used 79 times in the Gospels and Epistles. The KJV translates mia as one 62 times or nearly 80% of the time. The other 20% is split up with four other translations. Mia means one or a certain first. There is one other word translated as first, proton. Proton actually means first in time or place and is translated as first or a derivative of first 56 of 61 times. If first really what was meant then the author would have used proton not mia. Mia is better translated as one.

The word translated as of the week is Sabbaton. This word is used 68 times in the Gospels and Epistles and means Sabbath. It is translated as Sabbath 59 times and as week 9 times as it was in this verse. If you have a Christian viewpoint then you will are already biased in the translation of this word. You don’t want to show the disciples gathering together on the Sabbath because that goes against your theology. Yet, I contend Sabbaton is better translated as Sabbath as it was done some many times throughout the Gospels and Epistles. I looked at over 20 translations and all of them except one translated Sabbaton as of the week. The Jubliee Bible 2000 translated Acts 20:7 like this:

And the first of the Sabbaths, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart the next day, and continued his word until midnight.

I contend the verse should be translated as (note this is my translation):

And upon the one of the Sabbaths, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.

The above translation is translating mia sabbaton as the two words are normally translated. Now we can view the verse in the context of the time period and the people involved. The time period is approx. 20-25 years after the resurrection of Yeshua. The people involved were all Jewish or at the very least a majority of them were Jewish. If you do not know anything about Judaism and the Sabbath, then you may not know that Jews bookend the beginning and the end of the Sabbath with blessings, songs, Torah talk, and food. The end of Shabbat is marked by a Havdalah Service. There is a lot of joy and a little sadness as the Shabbat comes to an end. The service is held after one can see 3 stars in the sky or approx. 45 minutes after sundown. Many of your family and friends are around to mark the end of Shabbat and when people gather, food (breaking bread) is usually involved. Havdalah is more than likely what was going on here in Acts 20.

One could say they never mention having havdalah, but one must look at the proper context. We cannot interject our context of today’s living by non-Jews into the picture. The disciples and Paul were all Jews who lived during the 1st Century. They all followed Torah long after Yeshua was resurrected based on the evidence in Acts and the Epistles. They did not stop being Jewish by any means and therefore you must understand what it means to be Jewish. Looking at all Scripture and specifically Acts 20:7 with this in mind will help one see Scripture in the proper context.

Until next time…kadosh, kadosh, kadosh is Hashem!

G-d Knows My Heart?

Rabbi was speaking about G-d knows my heart in Parashat Shemini and spoke about Aaron sons who were burnt up for either bringing strange fire or being drunk in the Tabernacle or both. Who really knows, but the fact was they loved G-d and yet they did something they were not supposed to do.

So when someone says to us, “G-d knows my heart” what that person is really saying is, I have an excuse for disobedience. However, what they may not know, is that G-d addressed this issues in His word:

“The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds. Jeremiah 17:9-10

The Torah was never meant for salvation. It was given so that those who follow it can be closer to G-d. Be more like Him. It is said that David was a man like G-d’s own heart. Why? He loved the Torah, see Psalm 119 which is the longest chapter in the entire Bible.

Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the L-rd your G-d, which He commanded you, for now the L-rd would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not endure. The L-rd has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the L-rd has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the L-rd commanded you.” 1 Samuel 13:14

You see G-d wanted a leader who would lead His people into following Torah. Saul wasn’t leading people into following Torah therefore he was removed. This is the verse Acts 13:22 was referring to when it says David was a man after G-d’s own heart. G-d wants people obedient to Him. Man’s ways only lead to death.

Proverbs 14:12 – There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

Proverbs 16:25 – There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

We are to love G-d right? What is loving G-d? Scripture defines loving G-d like this:

And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it. 2 John 1:6

You might be thinking this means the 10 commandments, but I ask you, where does Scripture state it is only the 10 commandments we are to follow? Who violated Torah and subtracted from the commandments? What did Christ follow?

You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the L-rd your G-d which I command you. Deut 4:2

There was no “New Testament” during the 1st Century. That is when the Gospels and all the Epistles were written. It did not exist as a canonized book until a couple hundred years later. You might say well I love others as G-d said for me to and the Law is summed up in that one commandment. Loving others is following Torah:

By this we know that we love the children of G-d, when we love G-d and observe His commandments. For this is the love of G-d, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. 1 John 5:2-3

Those who are continuing to justify not following Torah right now, but say you know G-d, John has something to say to you:

By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. 1 John 2:3-6

The truth is Torah. When John says the truth is not in him, I think John is saying the Torah is not put in your heart yet. This is the “new” covenant per Jeremiah 31:33. It says G-d will put My Torah in your inward parts and write it in your hearts. Psalms 119:142, 151, and 160 tells us the Torah is truth. So, if you say you know Him and don’t keep the commandments, the Torah, then you are called a liar and the truth is not in you. We are to walk as Yeshua walked. We are to imitate Paul, who imitated Yeshua. They both followed Torah.

Friends, this may be hard to accept. I understand. It is a lot to think through, but please think long and hard about this. Love G-d above all else. Seek Him with all of your heart, soul, and strength. Nothing else matters!

Shalom and until next time…kadosh, kadosh, kadosh is Hashem!

The Word, The Light, The Torah

Many believe the Torah first was introduced at Mt Sinai to the Israelites, but is this true? Many believe the Torah was added due to sin, but is this true? Bizrat HaShem, let’s take a look into Scripture and see if there is a different perspective that can be presented.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with G-d, and the Word was G-d. He was in the beginning with G-d.  All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.  In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.  The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. John 1:1-5

That is a lot to digest! There is so much depth to what John is telling us in this passage, so let’s start in the beginning – In the beginning was the Word. Generally speaking, most know John is speaking about our salvation – Yeshua. John 1:14 – And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us…. Revelation 19:13 says His name (speaking of the Messiah) is called The Word of G-d. I think it is important then to determine what John means when he uses word in this way.

David spoke of the word many times throughout Psalms. Specifically, Psalm 119 speaks of the word.

Psalm 119:9 – How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word.

Verse 11 – Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.

Verse 16 – I shall delight in Your statutes; I shall not forget Your word.

Verse 17 – Deal bountifully with Your servant, That I may live and keep Your word.

Verse 43 – And do not take the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, For I wait for Your ordinances.

Verse 67 – Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your word.

Verse 89 – Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven.

Verse 101 – I have restrained my feet from every evil way, That I may keep Your word.

Verse 105 – Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

Verse 130 – The unfolding of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.

Verse 133 – Establish my footsteps in Your word, And do not let any iniquity have dominion over me.

Verse 139 – My zeal has consumed me, Because my adversaries have forgotten Your words.

Verse 148 – My eyes anticipate the night watches, That I may meditate on Your word.

Verse 160 – The sum of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting.

Verse 172 – Let my tongue sing of Your word, For all Your commandments are righteousness.

A few of the above verses I want to highlight. Verses 9-11 state this – How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. With all my heart I have sought You; Do not let me wander from Your commandments. Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You. Verses 16-17 are about delighting in His statutes so that he will not forget and keep His word. David says not to take the word out of his mouth and that he went astray, but not he keeps His word. Forever you word is settled in heaven. I could go on and on. Clearly David is using word synonymously with Torah. We also know from David that the Torah and the commandments are truth (v142, 151). Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:8 that the law is good. Paul also calls the law holy, righteous, and good in Romans. We also know from Proverbs 6:23 that the commandment is a lamp, the Torah is a light, and reproofs for discipline are the way of life. We also saw in Psalm 119:105 that the word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. So word=light=Torah.

Now, Genesis 1:3-5 says this: Then G-d said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.  G-d saw that the light was good; and G-d separated the light from the darkness.  G-d called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

What is the light that G-d created for it is not the sun, moon and stars which are created on day four? It is the Torah. The Torah is the light. The light was good…just like Paul said the Torah was good. He separated the light from darkness. Why? John tells us the Light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it in John 1:5. Isaiah 8:20 says To the Torah and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. Thus why in Revelation 12:17 it says And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. In 3:19 John says the Light came into the world and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. So those who practice the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in G-d (v21).   What is truth? As I already mentioned the Torah is truth. So those who practice Torah come to the Torah because they are not of darkness but of Light.   Their deeds are not evil, because they practice Torah.

Genesis 1:4 says G-d saw that the light was good. In the English you cannot see this next point, but in Hebrew you can. Typically, the word את (Aleph Tav reading right to left) is not translated from Hebrew to English. That is right, the translators just skip it. Each time the Aleph Tav is mentioned in Scripture it is speaking about Yeshua and His work. The Aleph Tav are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In Greek it is the Alpha and Omega, but in Hebrew it is the Aleph and Tav…the first and the last. In this verse it actually says את-האןר. That is Aleph Tav – heh aleph vav resh. The word for light is aleph vav resh or in Hebrew OR. I say all this to get to the gemetria of this light. If you don’t know about Hebrew Gemetria it is very powerful and has lots of uses. Each letter is assigned a numerical value. When you add the numerical value of this combination it will amaze you. Aleph = 1, Tav = 400, Heh = 5, Aleph = 1, Vav = 6, and the Resh = 200. Go ahead, add it up. What do you get? I hope you got 613! For there are 613 commandments! When G-d said the light was good, he was talking about the Torah. The Torah is the light! Without the Torah you do not have light, but darkness.

Hopefully, you followed along to this point. We know the Word is equal to Torah and equal to Light. We also know from John 1:14 that the Word become flesh and was full of grace and truth. In other words, the Torah became flesh. So Yeshua is the walking Torah. John later says in 14:6 that I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the father, but by me. In other words, you cannot go to the father except through the Torah!

Was the Torah given to anyone prior to Mt. Sinai? This I cannot prove emphatically. I have shown how the Torah definitely existed prior the foundations of the world though. We do know that Cain and Abel were bringing sacrifices to G-d. We do know there was a distinction between clean and unclean animals. We do know that Avraham was obedient to G-d’s commandments, statutes, and laws. We know Avraham made sacrifices and paid a tithe. All of this prior to the giving of the Torah at Mt Sinai.

The questions posed at the beginning were was the Torah introduced at Mt Sinai and was the Torah a result of sin. Based on the evidence presented here I do not believe one can conclude the answer to be yes. It has to be no. For Yeshua, the Messiah, existed from the beginning, for He is G-d. G-d is our salvation.

Baruch HaShem! I hope this has brought some understanding and clarity for you. At the very least has made you rethink your perspective.

Until next time…kadosh, kadosh, kadosh is HaShem!

Why The Law Then

Law, law, law! I am so confused. What is Paul saying in Galatians 3? You could read it and assume every time Paul says law he is speaking of the Torah, the commandments. Unfortunately, that can’t be correct! If you believe that you are wrong! Yes, I am saying that emphatically! How can I be so sure? Let’s take a look at v19 – Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made.

If the law came as a result of transgressions (i.e. sins) then it is not possible to sin. You cannot sin if the law did not exist prior to the giving of the law at Mount Sinai by G-d to Israel. Sin is transgression of the law (1 John 4:3), therefore the law (Torah) could not have been added due to transgressions because the Torah needs to exist prior to the sin to sin. You might need to read that a couple times, but one needs to understand the Torah (law) is eternal. It is forever. The law spoken of in v19 cannot be the original commandments given by G-d otherwise there would be no sin before that time period.

Confused? Great. Let’s try and find out what law was added that Paul is referring to in this verse. Initially, all of the sons of Israel were to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:5-6). Something happened though that caused this to change, the golden calf. The golden calf incident changed history forever. No longer were all the tribes going to serve as priests. Now, only the Levites. Prior to the incident HaShem already gave His instructions to the Israelites. Due to the incident new instructions came. The Levitical Priesthood would serve and teach the others. This is the law that was added because of transgressions. This is what Paul is referring to in v19.

Now that the Levitical Priests were setup to lead, for how long were they to lead? What does Paul mean until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made. The promise was to Avraham. Not sure of anyone who would disagree with that. So what does “until the seed would come” mean. Yeshua is the seed. Until Yeshua would come the Levitical Priesthood would serve and teach others. We know from Hebrews 7 that the Levitical priesthood was not perfect. We know they did not fulfill their mission of teaching Israel. When Yeshua came (possibly when He comes again) the priesthood changed. No longer were the Levitical priests going to be the teachers of the people. Who is going to be the teacher?

Jeremiah 31:33 says HaShem will put His Torah within them and write it on the hearts of Israel and Judah. They will no longer be teaching, because all will know Him. Ezekiel 36:26-27 says “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.”

HaShem is going to be the teacher. His Spirit is going to cause you to walk in His statutes and observe His ordinances. The Levites will still have their place in the Temple. In the Millennial they will be serving up sacrifices, including sin sacrifices. The Levites role of teachers ended though with the coming of the MaShiach.

Does Galatians 3:19 make a little more sense now?   There is some detail still to be written, but for the sake of time that will come later.

Until next time…kadosh, kadosh, kadosh is HaShem