HEBRAIC

INSIGHTS

Messages Exploring

the Hebrew Roots of Christian Faith

Joe Brusherd, a.k.a. Yosef

iUniverse, Inc.

Bloomington

HEBRAIC INSIGHTS

MESSAGES EXPLORING THE HEBREW ROOTS OF CHRISTIAN FAITH

Copyright © 2011 by Joe Brusherd, a.k.a. Yosef.

Author’s Web-site - www.InsightsByYosef.com

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ISBN: 978-1-4620-3866-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4620-3865-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4620-4034-6 (ebk)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011912854

Printed in the United States of America

iUniverse rev. date: 08/16/2011

By Joe Brusherd, a.k.a. Yosef

April 2011

Originally written as weekly e-mails to selected friends; suggested and encouraged by my friend Kurt Johnson

who publishes Greek Insights.

I am grateful to all the formal and informal teachers I have encountered in my life who have taught me and encouraged me to learn about biblical customs and times. And I am especially grateful to my wife of over fifty years and her Messianic heart. She taught me Romans 10:12-13: There is no difference between Jew and Gentile—ADONAI is the same for everyone, rich toward everyone who calls on him, since everyone who calls on the name of ADONAI will be delivered (CJB). The Lord also blessed me with Godly children, and they taught me more than I taught them.

Yosef

Testimonial from Rabbi Rod Meyers

Joe Brusherd’s Hebraic Insights truly are an amazing compilation of Torah, Christian teaching, and careful thought. Joe has a gift for making Messianic teaching real, applicable and in bite-sized pieces that everyone can enjoy! “Taste and see that the Lord is good” and that Hebraic Insights are good for your spiritual health and well-being!

CONTENTS

Foreword

Introduction

Scripture as Heard by the Chosen People

And Some Treasures Lost in Translation

1. Tree of Life (Arbole de Vida)

2. MEM —Truth Comes in Forties

3. LeV—Hebrew for “Heart”

4. Are There Treasures in Hebrew Letters?

5. Learning Biblical Hebrew Is Fun!

6. Should We Have Faith or Faithfulness?

7. Did the Jews Hear “Born Again”?

8. Do You Know Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah?

9. Why Did Jesus Fold the Napkin?

10. Three Persons, Baptisms, Crossings

11. Amen and Amen

12. Amen and Amen in Psalms

13. Where Is, What Is Zion?

14. How Important Are Two Witnesses?

15. In the Beginning and in the End

16. Is the Book of Joshua an End-Time Preview?

17. What’s in a Name?

Laws, Commandments, and Mitzvot

From a Loving God, and for Our Benefit

18. The Law, Word, Scripture, Torah, or TaNaK

19. Yeshua, the Living Torah

20. Ha Shem (the Name) Yeshua

21. What Is Your Halakhah?

22. What Are the 613 Mitzvot?

23. What Are Fence Laws?

24. “None of These Diseases . . .”

25. What Is Kosher All About?

26. Do You Want to Be Healthy?

27. Do the Righteous Ever Beg for Bread?

28. His Prosperity Message—Ki Tavo

29. Which Ten Commandments?

30. What Is a Covenant of Salt?

31. Was Yeshua Torah Observant?

32. Are We Torah Observant?

33. Why Should We Be a Separate People?

34. What Was Expected of Gentile Believers?

Hebraic Customs of Biblical Times

Encouraging Us to Honor God Continuously

35. Why Are They Always Thinking about God?

36. Sabbath Celebration at the Brusherd’s

37. Rites of Passage, Boys Becoming Men

38. Why Did God Bless Our Father Abraham?

39. Shema—Hear, Listen, or Accept?

40. Catholic Mezuzah!

41. Have You Studied Fiddler on the Roof?

42. If You Were Rich, Then What?

43. Take My Yoke Upon You

44. Why Might We Wear a Tallit?

45. Shofar and Ram’s Horn

46. What Is a Lasting Ordinance?

47. What Were They Devoted To?—Learning

48. What Are Some Traditional Hebrew Prayers?

49. What Will You See Inside a Synagogue?

50. What Is in a Hebrew Prayer Book?

51. Why Do We Stand for the Lord’s Prayer?

52. What Is the TaNaK?

53. Why Do We Say Grace Before Eating?

54. What Did Christianity Inherit from Judaism?

55. What Is Judaizing?

Holidays and Everlasting Feast Days

So God Can Draw Closer to Us

56. A Holiday Parable

57. Man’s Wisdom versus God’s Wisdom

58. Significance of His Spring Feast Days

59. Significance of His Fall Feast Days

60. Pesach (Passover) Special—What Caught the Thief’s Attention?

61. Passover and the Fate of the Lamb

62. Is Matzah Important?

63. How Does Matzah Relate to Communion?

64. Holy Week, or Mark’s Wartime Gospel

65. Three Days in the Grave?

66. Shavuot, One of God’s Feast Days

67. Shavuot, and Three Thousand Saved

68. Ready to Meet with Yahweh in Fall?

69. Do You Blow a Shofar in September?

70. What Is Yom Kippur About?

71. Jonah, Gentiles, Sin, and Destiny!

72. Why Tabernacle in a Booth for Eight Days and Nights?

73. When Did Jesus Come to Dwell with Us?

Marriage, God’s Plan from the Beginning

For Us and For His Son

74. Man and Woman; God and Fire

75. How Does God View Marriage?

76. Is Sex Good or Bad?

77. Marriage Supper of the Lamb

78. Biblical Courtship and Wedding Customs

Churches, Sins, and Salvation Topics

79. What If You Had Only One Book to Read?

80. Do We Matter to God?

81. How to Bring Salvation Down to Earth

82. Idolatry from the Hebraic Perspective

83. Why Is Christianity a Gentile Church?

84. More on the Role of Gentiles

85. How Far Is West from East?

86. Differing Views—What Is Sin?

87. Psychologists’ versus Torah’s View of Sin

Deceptions and Trojan Horses

And How to Avoid Being Deceived

88. The Greeks’ Trojan Horse to Christianity

89. Another Trojan Horse: “Do Not Enjoy!”

90. Trojan Horse—“To Marry or Not to Marry”

91. Yeshua Saves Both Body and Soul!

92. Could You Be Deceived?

93. Give and Take—What’s the Difference?

94. The Curse of Getting What We Want

95. How Much Will God Tolerate?

EPILOGUE

READERS’ COMMENTS

BIBLIOGRAPHY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

FOREWORD

This series encourages the Christian community to understand the richness of the Old Testament, the Torah, and the culture and customs of the people of God. Instead of calling myself a Christian, I like to refer to myself as a Torah Respecting Gentile Believer. That opens doors with curious believers who are concerned that their teachings have been artificially limited and that they are missing something in the layers of translation between the Hebrew and modern English translations of the Bible.

My best friend is a Jew. His mother called him Yeshua, and I grew up calling Him Jesus. Before I developed a personal relationship with Him, my wife, Peggy, and daughter, Susan, not only went to church regularly, but also had a strange affinity for attending Messianic fellowships (Jews who accept Jesus as the Messiah, or Christ). Eventually this affinity grew on all of us. My leadership role with a Messianic fellowship resulted in finding ourselves in a bridge position in our faith walk. Jews traditionally have difficulty with Christians, and sometimes even more so with Messianics. Many traditional Christian fellowships are not comfortable with Jewish teachings and especially their emphasis on the Old Testament. Some Christians even think that the Old Testament no longer applies. So we find ourselves on the bridge between the two. Frankly, I encourage both Jews and Christians to join us on the bridge.

How did Hebraic Insights start? Kurt Johnson, a colleague from the international consulting community, accepted Jesus, went to Fuller Seminary, and now conducts a few ministries, including the weekly publication of Greek Insights.[1] Two years ago in a Torah study in our home, the Holy Spirit provided me with an insight into the Hebraic significance of Ezekiel’s reference to the “Tree of Life”. My son and his family are missionaries in Honduras under the banner of Arbole de Vida (Spanish for “Tree of Life”). The very next day, Kurt called and suggested I publish Hebraic Insights as a series of weekly e-mail messages. That was a God-incidence. Hebraic Insight #1 tells the rest of the story.

I thank my wife, Peggy, for her Jewish heart and my daughter, Susan, who accepted Jesus at seven years of age and prayed patiently for our whole family. Barney Kasdan’s father, Shelly Kasdan, was a Messianic Jew in our chapter of the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International. Peggy, Susan, and I attended Rabbi Barney’s Messianic fellowship, Kehilat Ariel, in San Diego, and those events always piqued my interest. When we moved to Arkansas in 2003, we found Rabbi Rod Meyers. We joined and became intensely involved in Messianic fellowship and befriended the Russell and Faith Ashley family. The Ashleys, to this day, exemplify a Christian family diligently striving to respect the Torah, thereby observing Father God’s advice for holy, healthy, peaceful, and prosperous living. They are a continuing inspiration to us. And finally, I thank Kurt Johnson for introducing me to his friends who continuously encouraged publication of these Hebraic Insights.

Never in this search for all that Father God has in mind for me, His chosen child, have I ever forgotten what my best friend, Yeshua Ha Mashiach, did on the cross for me.

Simchat! (Enjoy!)

Joe Brusherd, a.k.a. Yosef

Rogers, Arkansas

May 2011

Introduction

The Holy Spirit (Ruach HaChodesh) provided weekly insights into God’s Word and the customs developed by a “Chosen People” striving to abide by the guidance of a loving God. Here are some principles, focuses, and chains of thought that evolved. So let us explore some aspects of these Hebraic roots of our Christian faith.

Scripture as heard by the “Chosen People”: Yeshua did not come to abolish Old Testament Scripture, as too many Christians believe. Enjoy a sampling of the treasures that have been lost in the translations, and the insights to be gained when we understand the customs of the times. Let us learn and use some biblical Hebrew along the way.

Laws, commandments, and mitzvot are explored. As we learn to appreciate their guidance for our lives, we will grow to appreciate their purpose. And we will find that we are expected to obey. Our loving Father has given us 613 of these instructions in the Old Testament alone because He cares about our health, about how we live, and about our relationship with Him.

Hebraic customs provide insight into ways to honor God more continuously. We will learn some of the customs that have kept the Chosen People as an identifiable people group for thousands of years. Let us find out how they have kept their relationship with Almighty God despite the world around them.

Holidays and Everlasting Feast Days were ordained by God so He could stay close to us. What happened? How can we get back to the relationship-building sessions and lessons that God invited us to attend? Our loving Father asked us to celebrate His Feast Days everlastingly for a reason, and to not adopt the world’s distractions.

A theme of obedience runs throughout all the insights. He is the one who said “obedience is better than sacrifice.”

Marriage is my favorite topic; so we will look at God’s view of marriage, at whether sex is good or bad, and at the wedding supper of the Lamb.

Sacrifices and the systems, purposes, and symbolism of each will help us understand how His blood covers sin, but also understand our obligations regarding sins against others.

The final section deals with Deceptions and Trojan Horses and with how to avoid being deceived. This can be more fully appreciated after we have explored our Hebraic roots and culture.

It is my mission that we would all grow in understanding what God intended for His children, “Jew and Gentile, One in Messiah”.

Chaver Shelach (Your friend)

Yosef

Scripture asHeard by the Chosen People

And Some Treasures Lost in Translation

1. Tree of Life (Arbole de Vida)

Both Ezekiel 47:12 and Revelation 22:1-2 have interesting and allegorical significance that requires some Hebrew insights to fully appreciate:

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations (NIV).

I have been viewing that last sentence in isolation. It simply mentions a tree in heaven that had leaves with healing power. I assumed that the Tree Of Life Missions team adopted that reference because their vision and purpose is to elevate and heal the nation of Honduras. Thus the school they operate is called Plan Escalon.

How can a tree be on “each side of the river”? Applying Hebraic thought and imagery to the combined verses in Revelation, we have a picture of a Torah scroll, which every Jew in Jesus’s time would recognize.

The two fancy dowels, one on each side of the Torah scroll, are called Eitz Chayim (Trees of Life). Opening the scroll reveals the pages of parchment (the pages are referred to as leaves) between the trees upon which the Torah (or Pentateuch in Greek) is written. God’s written word on those pages is truth, which in Hebrew is symbolized by water. The Hebrew letter MEM[2] is a symbol of water and represents truth.

God teaches truths to His people, and those truths are words of life. And if those words are accepted, applied, and written on people’s hearts, then a nation will be healed—Israel or Honduras or your nation.

You may want to read Revelation 22:1-2 again in light of this Hebraic Insight.

Simchat Torah! (Joy of the Torah!)

Yosef

Point to Ponder

Can we fully appreciate the New Testament

without knowing Hebraic symbolism?

2. MEM—Truth Comes in Forties

By now you have noticed many references in your Bible to forty days and forty years. The word “forty” is mentioned 157 times in the NIV. Why is “forty” so prevalent and mentioned so often?

Truth in Hebrew is symbolized by water—cleansing, flowing, clean, pure, and so forth. And truth is revealed as we go through periods of trial, probation, and testing. The Hebrew letter MEM is a symbol of water and therefore represents or symbolizes truth. Actually, the Hebrew letter MEM has two forms. The normal MEM is written , which is open at the bottom and therefore represents truth revealed. Its numerical value is forty. In Hebrew each letter has a numerical value, and letters also serve as numbers by which one counts and numbers things, like sections in Psalm 119, which are an acrostic of the Hebrew Aleph-Bet.

Where is “forty” mentioned in the NIV Bible, and how does each use of “forty” represent truth revealed by trials, probations, and testings?

The first mention appears in Genesis 7:1-3: The Lord then said . . . I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights . . . Thus the first cleansing was dramatically revealed, using water.

Do you see the revealing of truth through trials, probation, and testing in these passages?

Isaac was forty years old . . . (Ge 25:20). When Esau was forty years old . . . (Ge 26:34).

I [Caleb] was forty years old when Moses . . . sent me . . . to explore the land . . . (Jos 14:7).

The Israelites ate manna forty years . . . (Ex 16:35).

Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—(receiving) . . . the Ten Commandments (Ex 34:28).

At the end of forty days they [twelve spies or explorers] returned from exploring the land (Nu 13:25).

A concordance search will find even more references to “forty,” each with a revelation, for example in the stories of Moses, Goliath, Elijah, and Ezekiel. In the Renewed Covenant, we find the following references:

After fasting forty days and forty nights, he [Jesus] was hungry (Mt 4:2).

He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God (Ac 1:3).

Shalom,

Yosef

Point to Ponder

May we never read or hear the word “forty” again

without reflecting on the meaning of

MEM—water bringing cleansing,

trials, and tests to reveal truth.

3. LeV—Hebrew for “Heart”

Part 1: If LeV is Hebrew for the word “heart,” what more is there to say?

Lev is spelled (right to left)—Lamed ; Veth b in Hebrew. Since Hebrew is a symbolic language, here is the message:

-   Lamed l symbolizes an ox goad or shepherd’s staff used to prod or teach.

-   Veth b symbolizes a tent, house, or home.

-   So LeV bl could symbolize the prodding of your personal home.

More significantly, in the Torah (or Pentateuch in Greek), originally written in Hebrew

—the first word is Beresheet which means “In the beginning,”

so the first letter is Beth/Veth .

—the last word in the Torah is Yisrael,

so last letter in Torah is Lamed .

So in the Torah scroll, the last letter is Lamed and the first letter is Veth (right to left). If you unroll the scroll, wrap it around so the last letter joins the first letter, you will have spelled LeV.

Could the Torah represent “The Heart of God”?

Part 2: Does this explain why the word “heart” appears 489 times in the Old Testament and only 81 times in the New Testament?

The LORD will again delight in you and make you prosperous . . . if you obey the LORD your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law [Torah] and turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul (Dt 30:9b-10 NIV).

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Lk 12:34 NIV).

I have found David . . . a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do (Ac 13:22). As a king, David apparently obeyed God’s command to incoming kings: The king, moreover . . . is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law [Torah] . . . and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees (Dt. 17:16-20 NIV). Scholars believe David wrote the Psalms while rewriting his personal copy of the Torah.

For the word of God (which for them was the TaNaK, Hebrew acrostic for “Torah, Prophets, Writings”) is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Heb 4:12 NIV).

Thus the Renewed Covenant (New Testament) promotes the understanding of the Old Testament.

Part 3: I have often told people that they can have anything they want, which is seemingly preposterous. How?—By having the mind of Christ, for example the Torah written on their heart; then we ought to have the mind and heart of Christ. He’s the author of the Torah! The Word [Torah] became flesh and made his dwelling among us (Jn 1:14 NIV).

Simchat Torah! (Joy of the Torah!)

Yosef

Point to Ponder

How can we know the ‘heart of God’

unless we study the Torah?

4. Are There Treasures in Hebrew Letters?

The entire Hebrew Aleph-Bet is explained in chart form on pages following. You will find yourself referencing this chart in the future. Copy it for future use.

The Hebrew aleph-beit is composed of letters/characters like our English alphabet; but unlike ours, each Hebrew letter (1) has a numerical value, (2) is derived from a picture, and (3) symbolizes a meaningful definition derived from the picture. Here are a few select examples to start with:

#     Name       Hebrew          Picture              Meaning or Symbolism

1     Aleph                         Head of an ox     Strong leader Father God’s nature

2     Beit/Veth               Tent’s floorplan    House or home Yeshua housed in flesh

3     Gimel                         Camel (foot)       Carry, lift up Benefactor/helper Holy Spirit

(Do you see the Trinity in the first three Hebrew letters?)

4     Hei                           Window (open)    Reveal Breath of God, truth revealed, indwelling Holy Spirit

6      Vav                           Tent peg             Nail, hook, secures

40    Mem                         Water Truth,      cleansing Blood

(Remember the insight regarding significance of truth and forty years?)

200  Resh                          Head of man      First, top, highest

300  Shin                          Two front teeth  Consume, destroy

Protector, peace

400  Tav                            Crossed sticks     Cross, sign, seal, Covenant, mark

How do the individual characters in Hebrew words define the meaning(s) of words? Let us look at a few common Hebrew words.

English word          Hebrew word     Hebrew[3]          Symbol/definition

Father                    Ab (or Av)      (or )      Aleph Bet(Veth)

Leader of house

Daddy    Abba                                             Aleph Bet Aleph

Leader of home with God’s nature

(There is a difference between a father and a daddy)

Pentateuch or Law     Torah                         Tav Vav Resh Hei

Covenant, securing, highest, breath of God

Isn’t ‘Torah’ a better definition than Law?

Sabbath               Shabbat                              Shin Beit Tav

Peace (protected), home, sealed

Bethlehem          Beit Lechem            BeitYodTav, LamedChetMem

literally “house of bread” (Yeshua’s birthplace)

You are learning a new language! This could become a new series of Insights “Treasures in the language of the Torah and Yeshua’s time.”

Now you too can appreciate the Rabbinic quote “To read the Torah in a translation is like kissing a pretty woman through a veil.”

Suggested homework? Can you parse the words Abram and Abraham? Hint: use the charts on the following pages. The first one who answers me by e-mail with the symbolic definitions and reason for differences wins one thousand points.

Simchat! (Enjoy!)

Yosef

Want more of the Hebrew Aleph-Bet?

You are welcome to copy the next four pages.

Numerical

Value

Symbol

Sound

Q

W

E

R

T

Y

Hebrew

Word

Picture

Symbolism;

Meaning; Best

Word(s)

1

& 1000

(silent)

a

Aleph

Ox Head;

Bull

Strong;

Leader;

FATHER

God’s Nature

2

B

(w/Dot)

Bed

-

V

Very

B

-

b

Beit or

Bet

-

Veth

Tent;

Floor-

plan of

House

HOUSE;

Family; SON-

YESHUA-

Housed in

Flesh

3

G

go

-

GH GHana

G

-

g

Gimel

-

Ghimel

Foot; Camel

HELPER; Lift

Up; Carry;

Holy Spirit;

Benefactor;

Pride

4

D

Dog

-

TH

THis

D

-

d

Dalet

-

Daleth

Tent

Door

DOOR;

Pathway;

Enter; Hang

5

H

Hat

h

Hei

He

Heh

Win-dow

BREATH of

GOD; Look;

Reveal;

Indwelling

Holy Spirit;

(as prefix-

“The”;

as suffix-

“Feminine”)

6

W

Wind

-

v

Very

w

Vav

or Waw

Tent

Peg;

Nail;

MAN

SECURE;

Hook; And;

Add;

Numerical

Value

Symbol

Sound

Q

W

E

R

T

Y

Hebrew

Word

Picture

Symbolism;

Meaning; Best

Word(s)

7

Z

Zeal

z

Zayin

Weapon;

Sword;

Mattock;

Complete

CUT;

Completion;

Food;

Nourish;

Weapon

8

CH baCH

j

Chet

CHeth

Fence;

Tent Wall;

New Beginning

LIFE; Wall;

Private;

Outside;

Divide;

Separate

9

T

Ten

f

Tet Teth

Snake

(Head

& tail);

Twist

GOOD or

EVIL; DEATH;

Surround;

Contain

10

Y

Yet

y

Yod

Yodh

Yud

Closed

Hand;

Arm;

LAW

The HAND

of GOD;

Work; Make;

Worship;

HOLY SPIRIT

20

K

King

-

CH LoCH

K

-

k

KAF

-

Khaph

Open

PALM of

Hand

Open Hand;

Palm; Cover;

Bend; Open;

Allow; Tame

500

K

King

-

CH LoCH

I

-

i

KAF

Khaph

(Ending)

Open

PALM of

Hand

Open Hand;

Palm; Cover;

Bend; Open;

Allow; Tame

30

L

Long

l

Lamed Lamedh

Ox-goad;

Shepherd’s

Staff

Prod; Teach;

Encourage;

Yoke; Bind

Numerical

Value

Symbol

Sound

Q

W

E

R

T

Y

Hebrew

Word

Picture

Symbolism;

Meaning; Best

Word(s)

40

M

Men

m

Mem

(open)

Water

(Turth)

Living Truth

REVEALED;

Flow; Blood

600

M

Men

<

Mem

(Ending)

Closed

Water

(Truth)

Living Truth

CONCEALED

FLow;

Mighty; Blood

50

N

New

n

Nun

Fish;

Seed

LIFE; Heir;

Son; Activity;

Continue

700

N

New

/

Nun

(Ending)

Fish;

Seed

LIFE; Heir;

Son; Activity;

Continue

60

S

Sign

s

SameCH

SameK

Prop;

Thorn

Support or

Protect; Grab;

Hate; Turn

70

(silent)

u

Ayin

Eye

See & Know;

Shade;

Experience

80

P

Pond

-

PH

Fish

P

-

p

Pe

w/Dot

-

Phe

Mouth

SPEAK; Open

Mouth; Blow;

Word; Scatter

800

P

Pond

-

PH

Fish

(?)

-

[

Pe

w/Dot

-

Phe

(Ending)

Mouth

SPEAK; Open Mouth; Blow;

Word; Scatter

90

TZ

caTS

x

Tsaddi

Fish-

hook;

Man

Kneeling

RIGHTEOUS;

Catch; Chase;

Wait; Snare;

Hunt; Desire;

Need

Numerical

Value

Symbol

Sound

Q

W

E

R

T

Y

Hebrew

Word

Picture

Symbolism;

Meaning; Best

Word(s)

900

TZ caTS

J

Tzaddi (Ending)

Fish-

hook;

Man

Kneeling

RIGHTEOUS;

Catch; Chase;

Wait; Snare;

Hunt; Desire;

Need

100

K or Q

uniQue

or C

Candle

q

KOF KUF Qoph

BACK of

HEAD;

Sun on Horizon

HOLINESS or

HOLY;

Behind;

Least; Last;

Circle; Time

200

R

Run

r

Resh

Head of

man

HEAD;

HIGHTEST;

First; Top;

Beginning

300

S

So

-

SH

Ship

c

-

v

Sin

-

Shin

Two

Front

TEETH

PEACE;

Consume;

Sharp; Press;

Destroy,

Protector

400

T

Toe

-

TH

PaTH

T

-

t

Tav

Taw

(w/Dot)

-

Thav Thaw

Crossed

Sticks

COVENANT;

Sign; Mark;

Seal

5. Learning Biblical Hebrew Is Fun!

We all know what WWJD[4] means. Yeshua studied and knew Hebrew. Actually you already know more Hebrew than you realize!

•     Hallelujah    Hallel = praise; Jah = short name for God

•     Adonai         Lord

•     Messiah       Christ (Greek) or “the Anointed One”

•     Jehovah        God (the highest and most revered name of God)

•     Elohim         Names of God—a lesson of its own

•     Sabbath        Seventh day of the week, commanded to rest with Him

•     Abba            Affectionate title for “father”, more like “daddy”

•     Amein          Amen

•     Shalom         Peace (traditional Israeli greeting)

Frequently used words to help your ear for Hebrew:

•     Barukh         Blessed, as in Barukh atah Adonai

•     Melech         King

•     Eloheynu     Elohim, Our God

•     Olam            Forever or everything

And now you understand Barukh Atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech Ha-Olam, the start of many prayers in Hebrew. In English: “Blessed are You, Lord, Our God, King of the Universe.”

Let’s work in reverse. The most favorite prayer of the Jews is the Shema from Deuteronomy 6:4: Hear, Isra’el! ADONAI our God, ADONAI is one (CJB).This is typically recited at least three times a day and is supposed to be in the mezuzah on your doorpost.[5] Identifying Jewish children in orphanages after World War II was easy. They simply recited Sh’ma Y’srael, Adonai Eloheynu, Adonai Echad. The children who remembered their mother’s prayers would cry. They were thus identified as Jewish.

Now let’s learn just two more words and see if you can recite a powerful prayer that set the Israelites apart from the nations surrounding them, and is traditionally in a mezuzah on your doorpost!

•     Sh’ma or Shema      Hear; actively listen, believe, and do

•     Y’srael                      Israel

•     Echad                      One; not only the number one, but unity of oneness

Now we can recite and appreciate the Shema prayer in Hebrew.

Hebrew: Sh’ma Yis-ra-el, Ado-nai E-lo-hey-nu, Ado-nai E-chad

English: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one” (Dt 6:4).

Here are a few more words you have probably heard before:

•     Bar or Bat     Son or daughter

•     Mitzvah         Deed, act of devotion, or covenant as in bar mitzvah (son of covenant), mitzvot (plural)

•     Bethlehem    House of Bread; Beth, house; Lechem, bread; birthplace of the Bread of Life

•     Tzedakah      Righteousness; the name of the offering for the needy

•     Siddur           Prayer book

•     Talmidim      Students; what you have just become

•     Chaver           Friend

Chaver Shelach, (Your friend,)

Yosef

Point to Ponder

We are just beginning to uncover Hebrew treasures!

6. Should We Have Faith or Faithfulness?

Inspiration for this insight came from one of Kurt Johnson’s Greek Insights.

The most controversial book in the New Testament was the book of James. Why? Some perceived a conflict between faith and works for salvation. Is the controversy more over the difference between faith and faithfulness? Let’s look at the underlying Greek:

•     Matthew 24:45: (referring to a wise servant) “faithful” pistos (pis-tos’); trustworthy or trustful.

•     Matthew 17:20: (chastising disciples for lack of faith) “faith” pistis (pis’-tis); persuasion, credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation.

Note that a faithful servant earned the title by a history of trustworthiness proven by actions, works, and performance. Faith of the disciples in chapter 17 refers to a mere mental assent to a belief.

While the words “faith” and “faithful” appear to be related, faith is that which a person believes. But the appropriate definition of the word “faithful” includes the concept of allegiance or loyalty demonstrated by actions or works rather than simply faith or belief. Here is a way to understand the difference between the use of two words as applied in the Renewed Covenant:

•     John the Baptist preached repentance for sins and faith in the One who was to come after him.

•     Jesus preached forgiveness of sins and faithfulness (or obedience) to the covenant.

In other words, John preached faith or belief and Jesus preached faithfulness or fidelity.

Jesus calls for us to go beyond John’s message by including not only faith but also faithfulness, fidelity, obedience, loyalty, righteous behavior, and so forth. Jesus knew it wasn’t easy for people to turn away from their old ways overnight. He knew it is not logical or feasible to expect an instantaneous switch from a sinful lifestyle to righteous living in a world filled with temptation. He ‘walked in our moccasins’ for thirty-three years. Jesus knew that faithfulness would be a struggle and that lasting conversion would be a gradual, daily choice. In other words, he knew that people who strive to be faithful can also be in need of forgiveness. Even the most faith-filled people can be lured by enticement, fall back into sin, and need absolution.

This reminds me of a business and life principle I learned early in life: Try not to judge a person on the first meeting or observation. Take snapshot observations over time to judge the rate of change, if any.

Todah Rabbah Yeshua Ha Mashiach

Thank you, Jesus the Messiah

. . . for showing us how to live in the here and now.

Yosef

Points to Ponder

Do we need to further disciple those who

claim to believe in, have faith in, Jesus Christ

but are not striving to live righteous lives?

Question—Are they saved?

Is faithfulness a completed state

that we can expect to someday achieve?

Or are we on a quest striving to achieve it?

7. Did the Jews Hear “Born Again”?

My friend Kurt Johnson published a Greek Insight that I think is really a Hebraic Insight. You decide.

When Nicodemus came to Jesus and asked how a man can be born again, Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (Jn 3:5-6 KJV).

Many Christians interpret this as meaning that water represents natural birth and the Spirit represents spiritual birth. This interpretation is encouraged in verse 3 (not shown above), where Jesus refers to being born again. Thus, the interpretation is that we are first born in flesh and then (believers) are born in spirit. The interpretation is further encouraged in verse 6 (flesh is born of flesh, Spirit is born of spirit).

The Greek text does not necessarily carry this interpretation. First of all, consider “born again.” The word translated “again,” anwqen (anowthen), also means “from above” or “from the beginning.”[6] Bauer-Danker indicates that the closer meaning is “from above” and suggests that there may be some wordplay in Jesus’s explanation.[7]

Second, the Greek grammar indicates that water and Spirit are thought of as one item, not two, in the sense that they always go together.[8] It’s true that they can be parsed separately, but they go together in the same way that ham and eggs go together, or cats and dogs go together. It’s almost like an idiom. On that basis Jesus is not describing two separate events, but one event represented by cleansing and spiritual renewal. There is an allusion to Ezekiel 36:25-27 in Jesus’s reply.

Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your uncleanness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit inside you; I will take the stony heart out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit inside you and cause you to live by my laws, respect my rulings and obey them (CJB).

Nicodemus, a Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin, would have been a scholar in regard to the Old Testament (Scripture) and would have been quite familiar with Ezekiel. What Jesus is saying is that one must receive the cleansing and spiritual renewal that come from God if one is to enter the Kingdom of God.

Third, yet another interpretation connects water with baptism, as water indicates the outward part of baptism and the Spirit is the inward part. Walter C. Kaiser writes (paraphrased):

In those days, if one wanted to become a Christian, one was not instructed to say a sinner’s prayer or sign a decision card, but to be baptized. It was in baptism that one took the vow to turn from sin and follow Jesus. It was also likely that during baptism the newly baptized person was prayed for to receive the Spirit. At the least, baptism signified a new life, a life from above, and thus a new birth.

We should not discount this interpretation; nevertheless, it is not central to the thrust of Jesus’s explanation in the particular instance of his discussion with Nicodemus. To enter God’s house, we need to be cleaned up in a way we can’t do for ourselves.

Another nugget: What is born from the flesh is flesh, and what is born from the Spirit is spirit (Jn 3:6 CJB). We are born of flesh to come into this world. Jesus Christ was simultaneously born of flesh and Spirit to come into this world, and invites us to be (re)born of Spirit. Verse 6 is one of the passages revealing that He is fully man and fully God.

Blessings, Kurt Johnson

Point to Ponder

What do you think? Is this a Greek or a Hebraic Insight?

8. Do You Know Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah?

Daniel had three young, loyal, faithful Hebrew friends when he went into exile in Babylon; but the Babylonian king changed the names of Daniel and his three friends.[9] These fine, upstanding Hebrew boys had been given very fitting and awesome Hebrew names:

Daniel            “God is my Judge” or “Judge of God”

Hananiah      “Jehovah is Grace”

Mishael         “Who is what God is”

Azariah         “The Lord helps”

But the king had names for them that were better suited for their intended role in Babylon:

Daniel        became Belteshazzar      “Prince of Bel” or “Bel protect the king”

Hananiah  became Shadrach            “Inspiration of Rach”

Mishael     became Meshach            “Who is what Shach is”

Azariah      became Abednego         “Servant of Nebo”

Why do we drill our young, and old, Bible learners into learning and singing about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, using Babylonian names? After all, the beauty and message of the biblical account is their refusal to accept pagan practices of Babylon and their hold to their Hebrew faith.

So, can we agree to refer to the three as “Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah”?

It is also interesting to note that in the remainder of the book of Daniel, Daniel’s name, “God is my Judge,” did not change.

Here’s a personal testimony. My wife, Peggy, has an ingrained habit in church services that, whenever she hears Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego recited, she retorts in a whisper loud enough for the whole church to hear: “Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah!”

Years ago, our friend, Bill Gardner, had a cross section of an oak tree trunk of about two feet in diameter. To honor Peggy’s custom and show his approval, Bill carved into the cross section Speak Hebrew, Not Babylonian. Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. Then he proudly varnished it and set it out to cure. It cracked, and Bill was really disappointed, until he realized the crack went right through the word “Babylonian.” Bill Gardner, Peggy, God, and I all had a good laugh.

That huge memento is proudly displayed over the fireplace in our home. Speak Hebrew, not Babylonian. Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.

Shalom,

Yosef

Point to Ponder

Can you start speaking in Hebrew, not Babylonian,

by memorizing “Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah”?

9. Why Did Jesus Fold the Napkin?

Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection? He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen (Jn 20:6-7 NIV). The gospel of John tells us that the napkin, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes. The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded. Was that important? Absolutely! Is it really significant? Yes!

I have learned that the Bible is very well written and that every word or point is there for a reason. John documented an observation when he outran Peter and looked into the tomb. Upon first reading John’s account, I initially thought of this as evidence that Jesus could not have somehow survived and struggled to get out of the tomb in which case He would not have spent time and energy to neatly fold the cloth.

When you finish a meal at a restaurant, you typically scrunch up the napkin and leave it casually on the table. I learned of an Eastern custom since biblical times. When you really enjoyed the meal, it is customary to neatly fold the napkin and place it on the table to say, “I enjoyed the meal,” and therefore, “I will return.”

Recently we heard a similar explanation, more to do with the origin of the custom of the folded napkin and understanding the Eastern tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the master and servant. Every Jewish boy knew this tradition. When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it. The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight until the master had finished eating. The servant would not dare touch that table until the master was finished.

If the master finished eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his mouth and fingers, clean his beard, and wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, “I’m finished.”

But if the master got up from the table, folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because the folded napkin meant, “I’m coming back.”

All three explanations preach.

Even seemingly insignificant mentions in the Bible are there for a reason.

Simchat! (Enjoy!)

Yosef

Point to Ponder

Does this make you want to read your Bible more slowly?

10. Three Persons, Baptisms, Crossings

The Jews who have not accepted Yeshua as Ha Mashiach have difficulty with the theology of the Trinity to which we make frequent casual reference. In fact, Jews are raised from childhood reciting the Shema (Dt 6:4):

Hebrew—Sh’ma Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad.

English—“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.”

Furthermore, the concept of God being one, Echad, is what distinguished the Israelites from the other nations. The Israelites were and still are monotheists instead of polytheists; and their tradition stresses that point daily. Thus our reference to God as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit grates against their understanding.

However, we baptize “in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Is this representative of one or three baptisms?

I myself can testify to three steps, phases, realizations, or milestones in my walk with Adonai, and I clearly relate each of them to acknowledging first the Father, then the Son, and finally, my baptism in the Holy Spirit. Each occurred at separate, distinct, memorable times and places, and each with different, ascending levels of appreciation of the God of my salvation.

We have frequently symbolized the crossing of the Red Sea and the crossing the Jordan River as representative or symbolic of our salvation experience. Maybe God’s Word has three symbolic crossings:

1.  First, in Genesis we learn that the father of faith, Abraham, was called by God, left his father behind in Haran and had to cross the Euphrates River to answer the Lord’s call. Could this be the first step in recognizing and obeying the call of Father God?

2.  Then His chosen sons, the Israelites, were freed from bondage by crossing the Red Sea and saw God’s loving, caring, saving power in their lives. They were set free and transformed, but clearly unable to live it out in the flesh.

3.  So, alas, the Israelites needed forty years in the desert in order to receive discipline, training, rules, laws, and so forth, so they could live according to the Lord’s plan for their lives. Finally, crossing the Jordan River, Joshua demonstrated and provided boldness and power to God’s children to go forth and conquer, taking their rightful possessions. It is the power of the Holy Spirit that gives us that boldness we need to conquer.

Maybe there are three baptism, three persons, three memorable, purposeful crossings in our coming to our fullness of Christ?

Chesed (Covenant Love or Kindness)

Yosef

Point to Ponder

Have you thought about your three-step growth process?

11. Amen and Amen

How often we hear “amen” used as an affirmation of a point made, or simply as encouragement, almost like, “Preach it, Brother,” or “That was good.” A study of the use of the word “amen” in the Torah and in original Hebrew texts reveals the original definition in context as a futuristic statement.

The first mention, and only mention in the first four books of the Torah, is in Numbers 5:22, where a mixture is prepared to test a wife for alleged unfaithfulness. The priest describes the curse she will incur if she has been unfaithful; and her response is, “Amen, Amen,” or “Amen. So be it.” In other words, “Let it be so,” or “I will live with that.” We should see this as a futuristic prediction or a “Yes, I accept that on myself.”

Then in similar manner, the word “amen” appears as the exclamation by the people after each of the predicted curses in the litany of curses in Deuteronomy 28. The Israelites were accepting the future consequences of disobedience by responding “Amen.”

Do a concordance search of the word “amen,” and you will find the following in each version:

NIV      57 times    Torah Nu 5:22 and Dt 28, Psalms 7 times,

Gospels none, Epistles 30 times

RSV      57 times    Torah Nu 5:22 and Dt 28, Psalms 7 times,

Gospels 1 time, Epistles 30 times

ASV      60 times    Torah Nu 5:22 and Dt 28, Psalms 7 times,

Gospels 1 time, Epistles 31 times

KJV      78 times    Torah Nu 5:22 and Dt 28, Psalms 7 times,

Gospels 5 times, Epistles 44 times

NKJV    77 time    Torah Nu 5:22 and Dt 28, Psalms 7 times,

Gospels 5 times, Epistles 44 times

Observations:

1. First mention of the word in the Torah, Numbers 5:22, is a double “amen” and also defines the word as a future event—“So let it be as you have said.”

2. Psalms has a very consistent use of the prophetic word “amen.” (More on that in the next Insight.)

3. Some versions and translations have inserted the word “amen” as a convenient default.

4. KJV and subsequently the NKJV have added “amen” in the Gospels, even though the word is not in most of the original texts, just as we say “amen” to affirm a good word, whereas the original meaning was more “let it be so” futuristically.

5. In Hebrew the root word for “amen” is faith, also a futuristic concept.

6. And a double “amen” is considered to be an oath, clearly futuristic in nature.

7. As you read your Bible from now on, note that where “amen” appears, there should be a futuristic prophetic message involved.

Now, if you are like me, whenever I am tempted to shout “amen” during the preacher’s message, I find myself asking myself, Am I just agreeing with a good point? Or is this something I agree to as a future prophetic event that I have to live with?

Selah,

Yosef

12. Amen and Amen in Psalms

In the last Insight,[10] we discovered the futuristic characteristic of the word “amen” as used in Scripture. Let us now further explore some of the uses of (1) “amen” as futuristic affirmatives and (2) double “amen” as prophetic wherever found in Scripture.

Classic example: in Psalms there are exactly seven strategically placed “amens,” and this is consistent in all reliable Bible translations. What could this mean?

Many theologians have figured out that the book of Psalms parallels the messages in each of the books of the Torah. Here is the breakdown of Torah themes and related psalms:

•    Genesi               the book of life and election             Pss 1-41

•    Exodus             the book of redemption                     Pss 42-72

•    Leviticus          the book of sanctification                 Pss 73-89

•    Numbers         the book of testing and experience Pss 90-106

•    Deuteronomy the book of divine government      Pss 107-150

Consider that David, as the accredited author of most of the psalms, is held in high esteem among the Hebrews and the early church. In fact, David is esteemed along with Moses, as each gave the Israelites five books by which to live. The linkage between the themes of these two sets of books is astounding as well as prophetic.

Here are just a few of the themes to look for as you read Psalms. If we consider the futuristic declarative nature of the word “amen” and the prophetic implications of a double “amen,” consider this:

Ps 41 ends with “Amen, Amen,” and

Ps 72 ends with “Amen, Amen,” and

Ps 89 ends with “Amen, Amen,” but

Ps 106 ends with a single “Amen” followed by “Hallelujah” (or “Praise ye the Lord”), and

Ps 150 does not end with “Amen.” Why?

The double “amens” clearly represent future prophetic predictions. Could these be prophetic words for our present times?

•     The Genesis message prophetically predicts the preparation of Palestine to become Israel.

•     The Exodus period represents the aliyah, or returning of Jews to Israel.

•     The lessons in Leviticus deal with the restoration of temple worship (which some say is in work today).

•     The Numbers period depicts a world suffering unprecedented tribulation, so Ps 106 ends with an “Amen,” but followed by “Hallelujah” because, finally . . .

•     Deuteronomy represents the messianic establishment of a kingdom in heaven, thus Psalm 150 does need to end with “amen.” Instead, it ends with a very appropriate “Hallelujah”!

Shalom,

Yosef

Point to Ponder

Amen is often used as an encouraging and affirmative word;

but should we be more careful how and when

we say “Amen”?

And especially “Amen, amen”?

13. Where Is, What Is Zion?

No doubt about it, Zion is Jerusalem, the religious capital of the people of God: David captured the stronghold of Tziyon, also known [now] as the City of David (2Sa 5:7 CJB).

What does it mean when songs, especially in red hymnals refer to

“Zion”? The term “Zion” is sometimes misinterpreted unintentionally because it has not been researched.

Where is Zion? Strong’s Concordance: “OT:6726 ! Tsiyown (tsee-yone’); the same (regularly) as OT:6725; Tsijon (as a permanent capital), a mountain of Jerusalem.” (A very specific word, therefore a clear, direct translation in our various Old and New Testament versions)

What is Zion? Strong’s Concordance: “OT:6725 ! Tsiyuwn (tsee-yoon’); in the sense of conspicuousness; a monumental or guiding pillar: KJV—sign, title, waymark.”

What is the symbolism of each Hebrew character in the word “Zion”?

Tzaddi               Need, kneeling, righteousness

Yod                    Closed hand, working, worshipping

Vav                     Hook, securing

Mem (final)     Fish, seed, life

So symbolically, “Zion” could mean Righteous Worshipping Secures Life.

Zion is where the king has been installed: I myself have installed my king on Tziyon, my holy mountain (Ps 2:6 CJB).

What is a Zionist? A radical? Now we know that a Zionist is simply someone who wants Jerusalem, God’s capital, reinstated, more broadly, someone who wants the land of Israel reinstated to its rightful owner.

Zion is a place to praise and rejoice . . . so that I can proclaim all your praises at the gates of the daughter of Tziyon and rejoice in this deliverance of yours (Ps 9:14 CJB). The daughter may reference Moriah, which is in the heart of Jerusalem.

How awesome is His city? Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King (the home of the King of Kings; Ps 48:2 KJV).

Where does God shine forth? The Mighty One, God, ADONAI, is speaking, summoning the world from east to west. 2 Out of Tziyon, the perfection of beauty, God is shining forth (Ps 50:1-2 CJB).

Where should we be born (again)?

His foundation is in the holy mountains. The LORD loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah . . . And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her. The LORD shall count, when he writeth up the people, that this man was born there. Selah (Ps 87:1-6 KJV).

From Zion He judges: Zion heard, and was glad; and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of thy judgments, O LORD (Ps 97:8 KJV).

From where will/did Yeshua Ha Mashiach come? The New Testament mentions five times that Zion is the place from which He will come. Here is a typical defining usage: You have come to Mount Tziyon, that is, the city of the living God, heavenly Yerushalayim . . . (Heb 12:22 CJB).

Who is the Cornerstone of Zion? 1 Peter 2:6 quotes Isaiah 28:16: Look, I am laying in Tziyon a tested stone, a costly cornerstone, a firm foundation-stone; he who trusts will not rush here and there (CJB).

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Yosef

Point to Ponder

How should we ‘pray for the peace of Jerusalem’?

14. How Important Are Two Witnesses?

Two witnesses are required to convict one of any crime. The first mention of this law was applicable to capital punishment, a matter of respect for life. Anyone who kills a person is to be put to death as a murderer only on the testimony of witnesses. But no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness (Nu 35:30 NIV). One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses (Dt 19:15 NIV).

And Yeshua confirmed: But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses’ (Mt 18:16 NIV). And the classic New Testament example is in Revelation 11:3: And I will give power to my two witnesses . . . (NIV).

How often are the two witnesses, heaven and earth, referred to as God’s witnesses of our transgression(s)? Here is what God told His people in Deuteronomy 4:25-26 as Moses prepared to repeat the Ten Commandments: If you then become corrupt and make any kind of idol, doing evil in the eyes of the LORD your God and provoking him to anger, I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you this day that you will quickly perish from the land . . . (NIV). How does one sin and avoid heaven and earth witnessing the act, especially as we recognize heaven as the ethereal spirit world around us, not simply the place of our ultimate retirement home?

And in Deuteronomy 30:19, before sending His people into the Promised Land, God says to them, This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses (NIV). God’s two witnesses have been around for quite a while, since Genesis 1:1: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (CJB).

Mitzvot, the commandments, are stated in two ways. The rabbis are quick to point out that God has given us 613 mitzvot in the Torah. Remember that the root definition of mitzvot is “doing a good deed.” These Rabbis conclude that in order for a violation of Torah law to result in punishment, the rule, command, or mitzvah must be stated twice, once in its positive form (you shall do X) and once in its negative (you shall not do the opposite of X). Thus the law itself is presented in two forms, or two witnesses, mandated in the imperative, and its opposite should be explicitly prohibited. Watch for examples like these as you read the Torah:

Positive                    Opposite

Eat clean food.        Do not eat unclean food.

Respect life.              Do not murder.

Or the best example is in Psalm 37:27: Turn from evil and do good . . . Now that you are aware, you will find many more examples!

Proverbs often make the point two ways, or both ways. Example: He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want (Pr 22:16 KJV).

Punishment is carried out first by witnesses. The hands of the witnesses must be the first in putting him to death, and then the hands of all the people. You must purge the evil from among you (Dt 17:7).

In the end, we hear the tribulation starting in Revelation 8:7: The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth (NIV). And then, from the seventh angel, we hear, Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible (Rev 16:20-21 NIV).

Heaven and earth were created in the beginning, and they get to throw the first and last stones.

I love God’s Word.

Yosef

Points to Ponder

What can we do that will not be witnessed by both heaven and earth? Is that good news or bad news?

15. In the Beginning and in the End

Call this overview Creation and Decreation or The Relationship between Genesis and Revelation. This explanation will become another example of why we cannot fully understand the New Testament unless we understand it as fulfillment of the Old Testament. What God creates in Genesis, the beginning of time, He wraps up in Revelation, the end of time. Here are some examples:[11]

Genesis 1:1                    In the beginning God created . . .

Revelation 22:13           I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

Genesis 1:3                    God said “Let there be light” . . .

Revelation 21:23           The city does not need the sun . . . glory of God gives it light . . .

Genesis 1:6                    God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.”

Revelation 8:10-11          The third angel sounded his trumpet, and . . . A third of the waters turned bitter . . .

Genesis 1:8                    God called the expanse “sky.”

Revelation 20:11           Then . . . Earth and sky fled from his presence . . . no place for them.

Genesis 1:11                 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees . . .”

Revelation 8:7               The first angel . . . earth was burned up, a third of the trees . . . all the green grass . . .

Genesis 1:14                 God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night . . .”

Revelation8:12               The fourth angel . . . a third of the sun . . . of the moon . . . of the stars . . . turned dark.

Genesis 1:20                  God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth . . .”

Revelation 8:8-9            The second angel sounded . . . and . . . a third of the living creatures in the sea died . . .

Genesis 1:26                   God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness . . .”

Revelation 9:15              And the four angels . . . ready . . . were released to kill a third of mankind.

Genesis 1:27                  God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him . . .

Revelation 21:3              Now the dwelling of God is with men . . . and God himself will be with them and be their God.

Genesis 2:1-2               Thus the heavens and the earth were completed . . . God had finished . . . he rested . . .

Revelation 21:5-6          He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” . . . “It is done.”

Have you got the idea? Everything that God started in Genesis, He tied off or finished in the book of Revelation:

a) Sin is introduced in Genesis 3.

Sin is done away with in Revelation 20:3: He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations . . .

b) The curse is pronounced in Genesis 3.

The curse is destroyed in Revelation 21.

c) Death enters in Genesis 3.

There is no more death after Revelation 21.

d) Man is banished from Eden in Genesis 3.

Man’s presence in the Garden of Eden is welcomed in Revelation 22.

e) The Tree of Life is guarded in Genesis 3.

The right to the Tree of Life is available in Revelation 22.

f) Sorrow and suffering are introduced in Genesis 3.

There is no more sorrow or suffering after Revelation 22.

g) Nimrod founds Babylon in Genesis 10.

Babylon finally falls in Revelation 18:21: Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: “With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.”

h) God uses a flood to destroy sinful men in Genesis 6-9.

Satan tries to destroy the elect in Revelation 12.

i) God signs His covenant with a rainbow in Genesis 9.

Then He seals it in Revelation 10:1: Then I saw another mighty angel . . . robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun . . .

j) Sodom and Egypt are introduced as signs of evil and corruption in Genesis 13.

Sodom and Egypt become the two witnesses in Jerusalem in Revelation 11:8: Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.

k) A bride is chosen for Abraham’s son in Genesis 24.

Abraham’s seed becomes the bride in Revelation 19 and 21.

l) The marriage of the first Adam takes place in Genesis 2.

The marriage of the last Adam takes place in Revelation 19.

m) Satan’s dominion is established in Genesis.

Christ’s dominion is established in Revelation.

What God created in Genesis, at the beginning of time, He will wrap up in Revelation, at the end of time.

Point to Ponder

Can you really understand and fully appreciate

the New Testament

without studying the Old Testament,

especially the Torah?

16. Is the Book of Joshua an End-Time Preview?

When our Tuesday Torah study group completed the last round of parashot (a year’s worth of weekly studies of the Torah), we decided to just continue on with the next book, Joshua, and experience how the rest of the Bible ties the Torah and the New Testament together.

What can we learn from Joshua about the book of Revelation? Surprisingly, we discovered the book of Joshua is an anticipatory outline of the book of Revelation, an enlightening preview of the biblical timeline. The parallels of these books are striking and instructive:[12]

a)    Joshua is a military warrior who dispossesses the land of the usurpers. In Revelation Jesus is the military warrior dispossessing the usurpers of planet earth.

b)    In Revelation, as in Joshua, there is a seven-year campaign against seven of an original ten enemies.

c)    Two witnesses or spies are sent into the country in advance in the book of Joshua. In Revelation two witnesses are sent in advance of the end times.

d)    In Joshua 10:3, the bad guys align themselves with Adoni-Zedek (the lord of righteousness) who gathers up the opposition using deception. In Revelation it’s the Antichrist (Rev 13) who is the deceiver.

e)    The army allied with Adoni-Zedek is defeated, and they hide in a cave and receive wrath (Jos 10:16-18). Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!” (Rev 6:15-16).

f)    In Jericho we have a trumpet series of seven and then silence and then blowing. The same sound occurs in Revelation 7-8. When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets (Rev 8:1-2).

g)    The walls of Jericho fall. In Revelation the whole earth is crushed.

Interesting note: It would seem that the Israelites had to set aside some Torah rules in order take Jericho. They were marching, blowing, fighting on the Sabbath and committing genocide. Also, the Levites involved in warfare. Or were they? After all, whose battle was it? So who really fought the battle of Jericho, despite the song we teach our children? “Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho. Joshua fought . . .”

Interestingly, Christianity has attributed to Joshua a role that Judaism has not. The similarity of the name Yehoshua (Joshua) to Yeshua (Jesus’s Hebrew name) led Christian theologians to view Joshua as a precursor of Jesus. Thus, Joshua’s crossing of the Jordan is mirrored by Jesus’s baptism in it; Joshua’s military campaigns foreshadow Jesus’s battles with Satan; and Joshua’s hands-on leadership came after Moishe had given us the Hebrew Torah, which is like Jesus’s hands-on teaching on how to apply the Mosaic law.

Simchat Chaveri. (Enjoy, my friend.)

Yosef

Point to Ponder

How can we truly understand the New Testament unless we’ve studied the Old Testament,

especially the Torah?

Whoops, I asked that question last Insight with regard to Genesis and Revelation.

So let’s ponder it again.

17. What’s in a Name?

The name above all names is Yeshua, or Jesus.

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Php 2:9-11 NIV).

As a group of us were launching a fledgling fellowship, we recognized the power of a name. Now we are searching for the right name by which to be called. And we want our name to mean something when we are asked the inevitable question, “Where do you attend?” Rather than attempting to state the mission or vision of the fellowship, let’s understand the names that have been suggested and digest the meaning of key words:

1.    Beth Shalom: Literally, “House of Peace.”

2.    Olive Tree: Symbolic of the land Israel.

3.    Beth El Family Fellowship or Beth El Fellowship: Literally, “House of God Fellowship”

4.    Emanuel Fellowship: “God with Us Fellowship”

5.    Northwest Arkansas Messianic Fellowship

or Northwest Arkansas Hebraic Fellowship:

Messianic is the recognized name for Jews who recognize Jesus Christ as the Messiah or as Yeshua Ha Mashiach. But it also stirs up unhealthy attitudes by some Jews about “Christ-followers” and among some non-Jews mistakenly thinking of Jews as “Christ-killers.”

Hebraic would be generally understood or explained as those Christians seeking to understand the customs, culture, and language of biblical times and to interpret the intended meanings in a Bible written in that language, culture, and times. The term is especially related to those giving full appreciation to the Original Covenant. We are not denying Yeshua as our Savior but looking to understand Him more fully. The Renewed Covenant is the Original Covenant revealed; and the Original Covenant is the Renewed Covenant concealed. Actually we find the New Testament is not too well concealed as we shed more light through study and understanding of the Old Testament.

1.    The Bridge with a logo like this:

The classic messianic symbol is a menorah linked to the Star of David (Magen David, Shield of David) linked to the classic Christian fish symbol. This name would depict the mission of the fellowship to bridge the gulfs created by anti-Semitism as well as denominations.

2.    First Assembly of the Kosher Christians: A recent suggestion made somewhat in jest that has the decided advantage of causing the other party to say “What?” thus starting a meaningful discussion. The word kosher[13] is recognized as Jewish, but we would be compelled to expound with a lesson on the logical dietary commandments provided to us by a loving Father. And these dietary commandments were complicated and exaggerated by early Jewish rabbis. They published Midrash, or rules and writings, which have taken the role of additional laws that might be more stringent than what God had intended. Thus the explanations would roll on and on.

Having heard the alternatives, what name would you suggest we use? Winner gets a life-time membership in the “Hebraic Insights Club”![14]

Yosef or

Point to Ponder

Is “Hebraic Insights Club” another name suggestion?

Laws, Commandments, and Mitzvot

From a Loving God, and for Our Benefit

18. The Law, Word, Scripture, Torah, or TaNaK

A concordance search on “word,” “‘Scripture(s),” and “law” in the New Testament reveals many references to the Torah or TaNaK. The TaNaK is the Bible used in Judaism. TaNaK is a Hebrew acronym from the initial Hebrew letters of the three traditional subdivisions: Torah (Teaching, a.k.a. the five books of Moses or the Pentateuch), Nevi’im (Prophets) and Ketuvim (Writings). Hence it is called the TaNaK. The TaNaK is incorporated in various forms into our Bibles as the Old Testament.

By the way, “law” appears 282 times in the New Testament NIV; “word” appears 155 times; “Scripture” or “Scriptures” appear 53 times. However, since the New Testament, as we know it, had not yet been written nor canonized, to what writings were the New Testament authors referring?

Here are just a few examples from the New Testament examples we will readily recognize:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2Ti 3:1-17 NIV). This could read, “The TaNaK is God-breathed . . .” A more direct Greek translation could read “All God-breathed and helpful writings are for teaching . . .”[15]

Jesus said, You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me (Jn 5:39-40 NIV). This could be read “You study the Torah and the TaNaK . . .” Jesus was obviously embracing the entire TaNaK and other similar apocryphal writings available in those days that testify about Himself.

Paul advises Timothy, Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2Ti 2:15 KJV). What is Timothy to study besides the Torah or TaNaK?

Here is an interesting Greek Insight: “Word of truth” is an exact translation from the Greek. The word “writing” does not occur in this verse. Orthotomayow is the word translated as “rightly dividing.” The verb means “to cut straight.” Since Paul did not specifically use the word “writing” here, and we know that he does in other passages, it can be inferred that he may be guiding Timothy to embrace the truth of God’s Word in light of the risen Christ. We find a similar principle to Acts 18:24-26, where Apollo is guided by Priscilla and Aquila to find Christ in the “Scriptures,” the TaNaK.

Thus, we are obeying the New Testament when we study the Old Testament.

I have a serious concern with the Torah or even the Old Testament being referred to as ‘Law.’ Brad H. Young states

Almost all English translations of the Bible translate the Hebrew word “Torah” as “law.” As a result, modern Christians have received a distorted perspective of Torah from uninformed preaching and Sunday school teachings. It is indeed a legal code with strict requirements, and in its most narrow sense, sometimes Torah can mean law. But “law” can also be a very misleading translation. To understand Torah strictly as law would be like translating the word “parent” as “disciplinarian.”[16]

Boker Tov, (Good day,)

Yosef

Point to Ponder

Wouldn’t it be a shame to think of your loving parent

only as a disciplinarian? God is love!

19. Yeshua, the Living Torah

I have referred to the Torah so often, one might think I am Jewish; but, alas, I am Jewish only by grafting or adoption. I am a firm believer in the atoning sacrifice of my personal Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, or Yeshua Ha Mashiach in Hebrew (lit. “Savior, the Messiah”).

I have been using the expression Jesus is the living Torah frequently, so let me support that theological expression with examples from NIV Scripture references. And I feel this is an important perspective, because this is the perspective required of the Jews in Israel when this man claimed to be the Word becoming Flesh, Messiah, Son of God, Great I Am, Alpha and Omega, and so forth.

Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—it is written about me in the scroll” (Ps 40:7).

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning (Jn 1:1-2). Classic Sunday school question: What was Jesus’s name before He was born? A.—Remember the Insight on law, word, Scripture, TaNaK?

He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God (or the Torah; Rev 19:13).

In Matthew 5:17-20 Jesus supported the entire Torah when He said “Do not think (Don’t even think about it!) that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. (Do not stop here, continue in context.) 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter (the Yod), not the least stroke of a pen, (the tittle marks on some letters) will by any means disappear from the Law (Torah) until everything is accomplished. 19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

All too often I have heard verse 17 recited as justification to ignore the Old Testament. But verses 18-19 clearly say just the opposite.

So by grace are we saved; by obedience to the Torah law we are blessed, now as well as then.

I love learning!

Simchat Torah. (Joy of the Torah.)

Yosef

Point to Ponder

Should we obey the Ten Commandments and other rules

in order to be saved?

Or do we obey them to be blessed?

20. Ha Shem (the Name) Yeshua

Or

Why is His name to be lifted up? On the cross?

For those readers concerned that I have focused on the Original Testament, at the expense of the Renewed Testament, here is the link:

The special name of God is to be revered and is thus unpronounceable:

Yod Hei Vav Hei or

The transliteration is frequenltly Yahweh or Jehovah. The powerful symbolism says God’s hand, God’s breath, secured by, God’s breath. This name of God is so sacred that Jews refuse to pronounce it for fear of violating the third commandment. But then:

God gave Abram part of His name, an H, to become Abraham.

(minus) Hei (breath of God)—

He gave Saria part of His name, the other H, to become Sarah.

(minus) Hei (breath of God)—

That left God with Yod ___ Vav ___ or _ _ .

But man needed to have the original sin dealt with. The original sin was seeing and consuming from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. So God took man’s sin into His name by replacing the missing letters with letters that represent the original sin.

•    Seeing the fruit with knowledge of good and evil.

•    So He added to His name Ayin (eye, see, know)—

•    Consuming from the tree of good and evil.

•    (plus) Shin (teeth, consume)—

Thus God’s name became Yeshua

Yod Shin Vav Ayin or

which means salvation (in Greek “Jesus”).

Yod Shin Vav Ayin or the name Yeshua (Jesus) symbolically means God’s hand, consuming teeth, securing nail, seeing knowledge.

Is this what it means to “pray in His name”?

Just a thought, a ponderer: Is this possibly what Yeshua meant when He said in Matt. 5:38 “You have heard that it was said,

“Eye for an eye, (Ayin (eye, see, know) ) and a

tooth for a tooth (Shin (teeth, consume) )” ?

Wow!

Yosef

Points to Ponder

Consider the covenantal significance of

giving someone a part of your name?

Are you called a “Christ”ian?

21. What Is Your Halakhah?

(Your Way of Walking)

When someone says to a devout Jew “I am a Jew,” the devout Jew will directly or indirectly respond with the question “How is your Halakhah?” or “How is your way of walking?” The criteria—Are you obeying the Shabbat, the feasts, and the Torah? Are you reciting the prayers? How is your synagogue attendance? If the answers are an admission that these commandments are not being honored, the devout Jew will say, “You are not a Jew.”

Judaism is not just a set of beliefs about God, man, and the universe. Judaism is a comprehensive way of life filled with rules and practices that affect every aspect of life: what you do when you wake up in the morning, what you can and cannot eat, what you can and cannot wear, how to groom yourself, how to conduct business, whom you can marry, how to observe God’s feasts and Shabbat, and perhaps most importantly, how to treat God, other people, and animals. This set of rules and practices is known as Halakhah.

The word Halakhah is usually translated as Jewish law. However, the more literal and more appropriate translation might be the path that one walks.

Some non-Jews and nonobservant Jews criticize this legalistic aspect of traditional Judaism, saying that it reduces the religion to a set of rituals devoid of spirituality. While there are certainly some Jews, and probably some Christians, who perceive Halakhah and rules in this way, that is not the intention.

On the contrary, when properly observed, Halakhah increases the spirituality in a person’s life, because it turns the most trivial, mundane acts, such as eating and getting dressed, into acts of religious significance. If people want to increase the influence of their religion in their lives, the only answer is to observe more Halakhah. Keep kosher or light Shabbat candles, pray after meals, recite prayers and the Shema[17] throughout the day, kiss the mezuzah on your doorframes, and wear your tallit or fringes. When you do these things, you are constantly reminded of your relationship with the Divine as an integral part of your entire existence.

Are these laws sometimes inconvenient? Yes, of course. But if someone you care about—your parent, your child, your spouse—asked you to do something inconvenient or unpleasant, something you didn’t feel like doing, you would do it, wouldn’t you? It is a very shallow and meaningless kind of love if you aren’t willing to do something inconvenient for someone. How much more should we be willing to perform some occasionally inconvenient tasks that were set before us by our Creator, who assigned those tasks to us for our own good? Abba Father is a good, caring, and loving parent.

The three sources of Halakhah are (1) mitzvot from the Torah, (2) laws instituted by the rabbis, and (3) long-standing customs. All of these have the status of Jewish law and are binding; though there are many variations in the way they are applied.

At the heart of Halakhah are the unchangeable 613 mitzvot that God has given to the Jewish people in the Torah. The word mitzvah (plural: mitzvot) means “commandment” or “good deed.”

In the next Insight, we will develop a better understanding of the nature of the 613 mitzvot and provide guidelines as to which ones have applicability today.

Shalom,

Yosef

Point to Ponder

How is your Halakhah?

Your way of walking?

22. What Are the 613 Mitzvot?

Our Loving Father has given us in the Torah?

Mitzvot, commandments from the Torah, are at the heart of Halakhah. These are the unchangeable 613 mitzvot that our loving God has given to us in the Torah. The word mitzvah (plural: mitzvot) means “commandment and/or good deed.” Is there a difference?

In its strictest sense, mitzvot refers only to commandments instituted in the Torah; however, the word is commonly used in a more generic sense to include all of the laws, practices, and customs of Halakhah, and is often used in an even more loose way to refer to any good deed. Because of this looser usage, sophisticated halakhic discussions need to be careful to make a distinction between mitzvot from the Torah and mitzvot from the rabbis.

Some of the mitzvot from the Torah are clear, such as the Ten Commandments and, for example, “you shall write words of the Torah on the doorposts of your house.” Others are more implicit, such as reciting grace after meals. And some can only be ascertained by deductive reasoning, for example that a man shall not commit incest. Some mitzvot overlap; for instance it is a positive commandment to rest on Shabbat and a negative commandment not to do work on Shabbat.

By the way, if 613 commandments in the Torah seem like a lot, there are 1,050 commandments in the New Testament. So much for the Old Testament being about law and New Testament being about grace. God does not change and has not needed to change.

Please note that we are not dealing with a salvation issue. We want to understand how our Father would like us to live, for our own benefit. When God or our parents give us a command or ask us to do something, it is for our own good. No exceptions! He still wants us to listen and enjoy His living Torah, or else: These curses will be on you . . . Because you didn’t serve ADONAI your God with joy and gladness in your heart when you had such an abundance . . . (Dt. 28:46-47).

Which mitvot apply today? Directly? Practically? Symbolically? There are certain types of mitzvot that cannot be fulfilled today:

1. Mitzvot involving the temple, which was demolished in AD 70.

2. Mitzvot requiring animal sacrifices, which are outlawed and require a temple and/or priesthood.

3. Mitzvot involving the roles of Levitical priests and the priesthood. The lineage records were destroyed in the temple.

4. Mitzvot referring to the sixty-six “cut-off” laws, which Yeshua came to fulfill with atonement.

Let’s make an attempt here to apply or classify the 613 mitzvot to the perspectives above.

By categorizing the 613 mitzvot we can gain an understanding of which ones were fulfilled by Jesus and/or circumstances so they can no longer be obeyed and which ones are worthy of our attention. Here is a categorization to help us better understand the nature of the 613 mitzvot.[18] And my thoughts with regard to applicability are added for your consideration:

Types of applications for the laws

a. Temple: Not applicable; there is no temple. But are the principles applicable?

b. Moral universal: Applicable today; universal.

c. Universal but expounded in the New Testament: Applicable today; universal as expounded.

d. Ancient: Let’s seek applicability or lessons to learn.

e. Unclear: Let’s seek applicability or lessons to learn.

f. Combination: Let’s seek applicability or lessons to learn.

g. No Application

Mandatory commandments concerning

a. God: For example Deuteronomy 6:4; applicable today; universal

b. Torah: Applicable today, except with regard to those requiring the temple, priests, or sacrifices.

c. Temple and priests: Cannot apply; no temple. But we are priests.

d. Sacrifices: Cannot apply, except with regard to “forgiveness to fellow man.” Guilt or trespass offerings for deliberate or intentional sin against fellow man which requires restitution plus twenty percent to the offended party. (No blood sacrifice is mandated for this sin; thus raising a question as to whether Christ’s blood atones for all our sins. Interesting issue because if we do not forgive others, how can He forgive us.[19])

e. Ritual purity: Applicable in principle. Keep clean/holy!

f. Donations to the temple: Applicable in principle; with regard to tithes and offerings.

g. The sabbatical year: Should we be keeping God’s calendar or Rome’s pagan calendar? Has the church been duped into some “detestable” practices?

h. Animals for consumption: Applicable as a health advisory.[20] What is mother’s reason for saying “Johnny, eat your peas before you get desert”?

i. Festivals: Applicable; representing His teaching times and prescribed times of special symbolic fellowship. The church has been duped into alternative practices, not what God commanded as “everlasting feasts.”

j. Community: Applicable today; universal.

k. Idolatry: Applicable in principle. Keep clean/holy!

l. War: Applicable today; universal.

m. Social: Applicable today; universal.

n. Family: Applicable today; universal.

o. Judicial: Flogging and so forth; applicable in principle.

p. Slaves: Applicable in principle.

q. Torts: Applicable in principle.

Prohibitions regarding

r. Idolatry and related practices: Applicable in principle. Keep clean/holy!

s. Resulting from historical events: Applicable in principle, assuming we all have a history or an Egypt.

t. Blasphemy: Applicable today; universal; generally related to the use of God’s holy name.

u. Temple: How to enter and making of oil; cannot apply. But are there principles to consider?

v. Sacrifices: Cannot apply, except with regard to “forgiveness to fellow man.”

w. Priests: Cannot apply. But are there principles to consider, especially since Peter called us a holy priesthood.

x. Dietary: Applicable as a health advisory.[21]

y. Nazirites: Applicable in principle.

z. Agriculture: Applicable today; universal; a sabbatical rest for fields. Farmers have learned the benefits of crop rotation.

aa.  Loans, business, treatment of slaves: Applicable today; universal.

bb.  Justice: Applicable today; universal.

cc.  Incest and forbidden relationships: Applicable today; universal.

dd.  The monarchy: Applicable in principle. Do government leaders understand the source of authority?

Point to Ponder

Are there some mitzvot to which we should pay attention?

23. What Are Fence Laws?

“Praise G-d.” Note that I just obeyed Halakhah by hyphenating the name of G-d. In order not to violate G-d’s commandment to not take the L-rd’s name in vain, the Jewish custom is to build a fence law, that is to create self-made or rabbinical rules so strict as to protect one from violating G-d’s commandment. Better to be extra safe than to be sorry by offending Almighty G-d. And I do not want to offend a Jewish reader who has been raised to obey this particular mitzvah.

There is good reason for fence laws, and the intentions are admirable. The classic example is, rather than trusting a sign at the edge of a cliff, to build a fence twenty feet back to eliminate any chance that someone might get hurt. Thus, fences were created by rabbinic decrees designed to distance one from the risk of transgressing Torah law.

However, the rabbinic fences have grown so high and so firm in their dogma that many people feel blocked out and, therefore, have lost all desire to find the grandeur contained within the Torah. There have been so many don’ts written about observing Shabbat that some have lost the joy of just being human, relishing in the delights of a day, and resting with the L-rd. Some develop a fear of doing the wrong thing because of all the many rules and regulations (fences) contained in the Shulhan Aruch, Code of Jewish Law. Could the same be said of some of the rules and don’ts in the traditional Christian teachings? The fear of not doing something the right way often discourages people from trying. This was clearly not the intention of our biblical ancestors.

Most would say the sages constructed the rabbinic fences to protect us from inadvertent transgressions of Torah law, thereby creating an attitude of awesome fear or reverence of G-d.

•   But some might believe that the fence is to lock us within its confines to the exclusion of the wisdom of the rest of the world.

•   Others wonder whether the fence is to keep everyone else out of that inner circle and thus prevents them from gaining our wisdom.

•   For some Jews, Judaism is a set of behaviors. What matters most to them is that the required ritual is performed in the proper manner.

•   Then there is the group of Jews who see Judaism exclusively as a form of social action. They march against injustice, sign petitions, and write letters to newspapers and congress.

Neither of these concepts can stand alone. Ritual should be understood and accepted as a way of practicing righteous living, or Halakhah. These rules need to be appreciated and obeyed as a way of disciplining us and teaching us restraint, balance, and compassion, and to shift the focus from our perspective to G-d’s perspective.

However, one must be careful to obey a mitzvah from Deuteronomy 4:1-2:

Hear now, O Israel, the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession . . . Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands . . . that I give you (NIV).

One rabbi’s commentary explains this passage from Deuteronomy very well. The call to obedience: It is forbidden to add to or beautify the commandments of the Torah (or even to add fences [gezeirot] to the Torah). Adding commandments to the Torah will inevitably lead to a distortion of their original intent and therefore to eventual disobedience to G-d’s clear instructions. (Isn’t this the matter that Jesus had to explain to the people of His day?) The keeping and doing of the commandments will impart wisdom and understanding to the people, which will glorify the L-RD before all the nations.

May we all be blessed to see the holiness within ourselves, within each other, and in all of G-d’s creation, and to appreciate why our loving G-d has given us so many commandments or mitzvot.

Yosef

Point to Ponder

How have we created fence laws?

And thus missed G-d?

24. “None of These Diseases . . .”

God has given us the Torah, (in Greek: Pentateuch), a teaching on how to live, and in it he said to us

If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His eyes, if you pay attention to His commands and keep all His decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you (Ex 15:26 NIV).

The Hebrew nation, Israelites and/or Jews, adopted many of the commands of God and were, and still are, blessed and healthy. Why?

•    Lepers were quarantined, as we are instructed in Leviticus13:46. The unclean had to dwell outside the camp. But it was only recently that the world accepted the concept of quarantine to control the spread of disease.

•    Washing hands to avoid passing deadly germs was not practiced by our medical profession until the mid-1800s. God told the priests in Numbers 19 how to cleanse themselves from the unclean after handling dead beings.

•    God instituted circumcision among His men. While there are many spiritual reasons being taught, it is a fact that in Israel cervical cancer among women is very rare.

•    God required circumcision to be performed on the eighth day. It seems that God, our Creator, also knew that is the day the clotting capability of a boy’s blood is at its best. Science only discovered that recently. But our omniscient God knew!

•    God has often been accused of not being with the time in regard to sexual freedom. He had strict rules regarding virginity and selection of marriage partners. He already knew the harm to befall us by exercising sexual freedom. We are learning this in the rampant rise of STDs and AIDS in our increasingly promiscuous society; and we are losing the sanctity of the marriage bed.

•    How many times did God say “But do not eat the fat”? God already understood arterial sclerosis!

•    God told us to avoid pork and other of the world’s unclean scavengers. These critters have now been recognized as the prime cause for many of today’s ills, such as diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, heart disease, and food poisoning. The Jews and followers of the Torah are known for their kosher diet as well as for their health. This warrants more discussion, in the next Insight.

•    “God loves a cheerful giver.” Did you know that a highly nervous, fearful person’s blood is five times as likely to clot as that of a cheerful, happy person? Blood clots are the cause of coronary thrombosis, the most common cause for heart attack.

•    Causes of psychosomatic illnesses, like anger, stress, hate, grudges, and so forth, are scourges that God’s children should not have to deal with.

Deuteronomy 28:1 says, if you obey the Lord, you will be blessed; and verse 15 says, if you disobey, you will be cursed. Maybe we have uncovered just a few examples of why our lifestyles are blessed or cursed in very natural ways when we take or ignore God’s advice. As a loving parent, He gave us good advice or commands. So whether commanded or advised, let’s pay attention to all of His Word.

Shalom,

Yosef

Note: These topics and more are described in great detail in McMillen, None of These Diseases. I highly recommend this book to appreciate how our loving Creator tried to keep His Hebrew children healthy, like a good parent should. Since Jew and Gentile are one in the Messiah, we Gentile Christians have access to all of God’s parental advice in His Torah.

25. What Is Kosher All About?

You may find it hard to believe that I live in Arkansas, a state with a Razorback as mascot; and the news media is having a pandemic fit about swine flu. Yet, kosher eating rules are clearly identified with Jewish or Hebraic lifestyles and ignored with disdain by many Gentiles. By now I trust we recognize that most of these rules originated from our loving parent, Father God, giving them to His beloved children through His word in the Torah. One of the most distinctive rules attributed to Jews is the concept of kosher, or kashrut. This set of rules needs to be viewed with both a spiritual as well as a dietary understanding.

Spiritual: The bulk of the kashrut rules come from the book of Leviticus in which God tells His priesthood how to live. Peter called all of us believers a chosen people, a royal priesthood (1Pe 2:9). God wanted his priesthood to be clean, untainted by the unclean; thus the word unclean appears 157 times in the Torah, of which 124 are in the book of Leviticus. Note that Jewish children learn to read the book of Leviticus first because it teaches them to distinguish the clean from the unclean. Then they are allowed to read the rest of the Torah. Now let us look at the physical or practical aspects of dietary rules laid out in His Word and sometimes embellished by Midrash, the rabbinical interpretation and fence laws.

Dietary: Probably the most common recognized kosher law is God’s condemnation of pork and other scavengers as unclean. These are not even to be considered as food and not even to be touched. The health issues regarding pork, lobster, crab, shrimp, and other scavengers have been documented as the prime cause for many of today’s ills, such as diabetes, cholesterol, obesity, and heart disease. The Jews and other followers of the kosher laws are known for their overall health. We touched on this fact in the previous Insight, “None of These Diseases,” which builds on Exodus 15:26:

If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you (NIV).

This statement may also apply to all His chosen children, even today. In fact, His promise is even more salient when Moses repeats it in Deuteronomy 7:15: The LORD will keep you free from every disease. He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but he will inflict them on all who hate you (NIV). And those who hate God’s chosen people would be those who have disdained God’s advice to eat kosher. Are these commands ignored because they are considered to be Jewish?

Here are some basic kosher rules and clarifications:

1. Certain creatures are not to be eaten, not even the smallest parts of them, including their eggs if they are a fowl. Basically, these creatures are the scavengers of the earth and sea. Have you noticed that people who get food poisoning typically get it from scavenger-type seafoods? And certain parts of creatures may not be eaten. Again, God is teaching us to distinguish between the clean and the unclean.

2. The creatures that are okay to be eaten must be killed according to the law as it is stated in the Torah. Contrary to popular conceptions, rabbis do not bless meat or food to make it kosher. The slaughter and processing techniques are according to God’s instructions and performed only by rabbis and shochets.[22] It is a very merciful and pain-free killing, which happens to leave the meat free of glandular emissions caused by the animal being frightened as it is killed. The kosher kill is extremely humane and merciful, out of respect for the life being taken. Rabbis have been known to cry as they recognize that a life is being given so we may eat and have life.

3. No blood from any creature may be drunk; it must be drained completely from the body or broiled away. How often does the Torah say “the life is in the blood”? The blood contains the life force of all creatures of flesh. Science is still discovering the awesome attributes of blood.

4. Meat cannot be consumed with dairy, and neither is permitted to come into contact with one another, and the utensils that are used to prepare and eat them shall not come into contact with one another. This rabbinic Midrash comes from a statement nestled in a series of commands regarding sacrifices in Exodus 34:26: Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk. I have heard three different interpretations of this verse:

•    First, it was against a pagan custom to sacrifice a kid goat in its mother’s milk.

•    Second, the act of doing this is clearly cruel, unmercifully denying respect for life of an animal.

•    Third, this command has been obeyed as a set of kosher laws requiring two separate kitchens and extra cookware and dishware. Some claim this is rabbinic Midrash, building a fence law against offending God by taking His Word very literally to avoid any risk of violation at all costs.

5. No nonkosher produce may be eaten and fruits and vegetables need a proper inspection for bugs. That sure sounds like healthy, sound advice to me. Also, there are some concerns with regard to crossbreeding or hybrids, probably because hybrids are not made by God, but by man trying to improve on God’s creation.

This is not by any means an exhaustive study of the topic of kashrut or kosher but should provide an overall perspective on the background. Hopefully non-Jews will recognize some principles to observe in order to live healthy lives, spiritually as well as physically.

The short answer as to why Jews observe these laws is “Because the Torah says so,” like we tell our children, “Because I said so.” Maybe chosen Gentiles should also listen to and respect the advice of our loving Father.

Chaver, (Friend,)

Yosef

Point to Ponder

Why are Jews on a kosher diet so much healthier

than the rest of the world that ignores God’s dietary plan?

26. Do You Want to Be Healthy?

Three insights converged within one week:

1.    My son, Joel, asked for my advice on how to preach a message on Old Testament laws relating to health.

2.    My response caused me to capture and express my perspectives on health as God intended for us from the beginning, at least as far back as Father God’s advice to Moses.

3.    Our church’s “Forty Days of Purpose” study stressed that God is most interested in our character, which is developed by how we trust God to get us through our trouble and to avoid trouble. And there is an underlying false thinking that God gives us troubles to test us. Ha! The world’s temptations and Satan and our own actions provide all the tests we need!

Here is the e-mail from my son: “I am doing a study on the topic of health (and God’s game plan therein) . . . and I was wondering if you had any materials on that topic? Old Testament laws related to it, etc.?”

That triggered a response to Joel that may be perceived as preachy but does underscore a key difference between Hebraic thinking and our Christian church views in all churches (except yours!). Here was my response:

Question, which is more important—Health or Healing? Which works best, the Torah’s recommendation or the Charismatic’s remedy? Why do Christians eat and do whatever feels or tastes good and then have to beg and pray to God for a healing. Why don’t they just do what our loving Father instructed us to do in the first place and have “health”—the ultimate healing? In fact isn’t the word “health” derived from “healeth” like what the Lord provides? There are two Hebraic Insights that deal perfectly with these topics, and they are attached.[23] Enjoy. Much of the lessons are from a book, None of These Diseases by McMillan, in which he deals with foods, circumcision, hand washing, latrines outside the camp, sexual purity, quarantining, etc. You now have enough to make a plea to study AND OBEY Father God’s advice for healthy living. Love you Joel.

Signed, Dad

Jehovah Rapha, “the God who healeth thee”, provided healing in two ways.

First, He gave us an awesome body that biologically is designed to heal itself! But that should be the backup plan.

Second, because “Father knows best,” He has given us rules and guidelines regarding health, cleansing, eating, and so forth throughout His Torah. But His people perish for lack of knowledge and disobedience by ignoring His advice or rules. And He has given us advice for both physical as well as spiritual health.

I can anticipate an argument by someone reciting the “parenthetical comment” in Mark 7:19: “For it doesn’t go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods “clean.”) (NIV) That parenthetical statement is used by many to justify ignoring the dietary commandments. I personally prefer the NIV version, but the NIV and all other versions include this parenthetical comment except two:

1. The beloved and older KJV and

2. The original Greek.

Has anti-Semitism crept in? Also note that Mark, being a good Jewish young man, knows that pork is not food. All food is clean, depending on your definition of food.

Shalom Aleichem,

Yosef

Point to Ponder

Would we be healthier if we ate according to

our Father’s guidelines and instructions?

27. Do the Righteous Ever Beg for Bread?

How many times have you heard the second half of Psalm 37:25 quoted, yet not once have I seen the righteous abandoned or his descendants begging for bread (CJB)? These consoling words are doled out to the afflicted to give them hope and faith that God will take care of them. The implication is that classic prosperity doctrine is relying on our inherited righteousness from Yeshua’s sacrificial death to justify our right or entitlement to prosperity, or relief from troubles, without regard to the context of the Scripture. Let’s put this Scripture in context.

No Jew would feel entitled to unearned righteousness entitling him to a gift from God. The work ethic inherent in Hebrew culture has a different view of the full meaning of righteous, and it implies righteous activity or behaviors or Halakhah or works. (Uh-oh, now I’ll be accused of professing salvation by works.)

Are we deemed righteous because of our salvation doctrine only? Or because of our Halakhah? Look back at the Insight “What is Your Halakhah?”

What was the intent of David, the psalmist, in BC times, when Psalm 37 was written? And what is the intent as revealed in context? Taken in context, this psalm gives us a different picture. (Remember the Hebrew concept of Halakhah, way of walking.)

Here’s the whole context in Psalm 37:21-28:

21 The wicked borrows and doesn’t repay,

but the righteous is generous and gives.

22 For those blessed by [ADONAI] will inherit the land,

but those cursed by him will be cut off.

23 ADONAI directs a person’s steps,

and he delights in his way.

24 He may stumble, but he won’t fall headlong,

for ADONAI holds him by the hand.

25 I have been young; now I am old;

yet not once have I seen the righteous abandoned

or his descendants begging for bread.

Why?

26 All day long he is generous and lends,

and his descendants are blessed.

Conditions?

27 If you turn from evil and do good,

you will live safely forever.

What else is required?

28 For ADONAI loves justice

and will not abandon his faithful;

Oh! Faithfulness, not simply faith!

they are preserved forever.

But the descendants of the wicked will be cut off (CJB).

We hear in context in David’s psalm that there is a contrasting picture of the consequences of walking wickedly and the awesome prosperity benefits of walking righteously.

Ahavah Olam, (With love everlasting,)

Yosef

Point to Ponder

How is your Halakhah?

Don’t answer me . . .

I am not the judge!

28. His Prosperity Message—Ki Tavo

Are we entitled to prosperity just because we are Christians? The Torah portion Deuteronomy 26:1—29:9 is called Ki Tavo or “when you come.” God instructs His people that, when they receive the promise He has given them, they should not forget from where it came. That is preachable, since we have received phase one of His promise, salvation. In Deuteronomy 26-27, He sets some requirements on His people regarding firstfruit offerings, care of the Kohen, Levites, and so forth.

Note the “if-then” conditions in chapter 28. All too often, quotes of phrases or sentences from this passage are taken out of context. Rarely do I hear mention of the “if-then” conditions on the blessings or “if-then” consequences or curses resulting from not obeying. Chapter 28 needs to be understood in its entirety. Try reading it without picking and choosing:

1 If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock . . . 5 Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands . . . 11 The LORD will grant you abundant prosperity . . . 12 The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands . . .

Wow! Let’s seek those blessings. But let’s keep reading . . .

15 However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you . . . (NIV).

There were thirteen verses of blessings promised, while the next forty-four verses, verses 15-68, spell out the curses.

Too often preachers promise blessings available to their flock based on phrases in the first fourteen verses. Words such as “You shall be the head and not the tail,” or “Blessed shall you be as you go in and bless shall you be as you go out,” are readily applied to our friends and prayer partners. But, unless we walk in obedience to God’s instruction, to His Torah, God has not promised those blessings.

God asks us to bring the firstfruits of your produce to Him, and in addition we are to feed those “baby Christians” and those who are still growing in their walk with Him. Feeding means more than just paying your tithe and giving an offering; it means giving your life in the work of raising up believers, so that all may become strong enough to feed others. What discipleship message did Yeshua give to Peter?—“Feed my lambs.” “Take care of my sheep.” “Feed my sheep.”

Since this was spoken to His chosen people, it would also apply to grafted-in Gentile believers. His atoning sacrifice was not to relieve us from requirements of obedience. If anything, we should be more desirous of obedient living because of what He did for us. The final words of Moses to Israel are recorded in the final words of the Ki Tavo parashah portion. Moses’s words to them are the best advice for you and me today. He closed his instruction by saying, Therefore, observe the words of this covenant and obey them; so that you can make everything you do prosper (Dt 29:9 CJB).

Yosef

Points to Ponder

Should we expect prosperity if we are not fully obeying?

Furthermore, who of us is fully obeying?

29. Which Ten Commandments?

We want the Ten Commandments to be put back in our public schools. Here is an interesting question: Which Ten Commandments should we put up—Jewish, Catholic, or Protestant?

Let’s explore the evolution. We need to keep in mind that these were not products of the same time period. The Jewish Ten Commandments were in place many centuries before the Roman Catholic Church came into being in the late fourth century. In Christianity the Roman Catholic version was the only version for well over 1,000 years. Remember, it wasn’t until the sixteenth century that the first Protestant churches were established. And there are word and translation differentiations in the various Bible translations (some of which are denominationally driven). And, of course, each of the different religious authorities tells its followers that their version is God’s Word and God’s will. So, whose version should be displayed?

Examine the three different versions of the Ten Commandments and answer the following questions:

1)   What are the differences between them?

2)   What changes did the Catholic Church make to the Jewish version? And why was it changed?

3)   What changes to the Catholic version did the Protestants make? And why was it changed?

4)   Is the Protestant version more similar to the Catholic or the Jewish version?

5)   Which version would Jesus have known?

6)   Could it be that the words of the Bible have been manipulated by theologians?

7)   How many manipulations, inconsistencies, or misinterpretations can you find?

I don’t have all the answers. So send your answers to me by e-mail.[24]

Jewish

Catholic

Protestant

I am the Lord your G-d who has taken you out of the land of Egypt.

I, the Lord, am your God. You shall not have other gods besides me.

You shall have no other gods but me.

You shall have no other gods but me.

You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain.

You shall not make unto you any graven images.

You shall not take the name of the Lord your G-d in vain.

Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day.

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

You shall remember the Sabbath and keep it Holy.

Honor your father and your mother.

You shall remember the Sabbath and keep it Holy.

Honor your mother and father.

You shall not kill.

Honor your mother and father.

You shall not murder.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not murder.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not bear false witness.

You shall not steal.

You shall not bear false witness.

You shall not covet your neighbors wife.

You shall not bear false witness.

You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.

You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.

Yosef

Point to Ponder

This would make an interesting discussion group topic!

30. What Is a Covenant of Salt?

We have heard many messages about SALT having four qualities or purposes:

S—Seasoning

A—Cleansing

L—Lasting Preservative

T—Trading

In biblical times, a covenant of salt had very powerful and everlasting qualities. The phrase is mentioned three times in the Scriptures. That’s a trinity. God is in it somehow and there is an everlasting picture here. The exchange of salt was the custom, and everyone carried salt out of necessity because in the desert it was hot, dry, and sweaty. For survival’s sake you had to be ready to covenant honesty, loyalty, friendship, and support to one another. Each person carried their salt in a pouch on their belt in Yeshua’s time. To establish a covenant of salt with me, all you need to do is put a pinch of your salt into my salt pouch. Now I can no longer remove your salt from my salt; thus we have entered into an everlasting covenant of salt.

In 2 Chronicles 13:5 we read, Don’t you know that ADONAI, the God of Isra’el, gave rulership over Isra’el to David forever, to him and his descendants, by a covenant of salt [which is unbreakable] (CJB)? We have a salt covenant with Adonai from Leviticus 2:13: You are to season every grain offering of yours with salt—do not omit from your grain offering the salt of the covenant with your God, but offer salt with all your offerings (CJB). And in Numbers 18:19 we have the following covenant: All the contributions of holy things which the people of Isra’el offer to ADONAI I have given to you . . . this is a perpetual law, an eternal covenant of salt before ADONAI for you and your descendants with you (CJB).

Notice that offerings must be seasoned with salt, thus creating a covenant. And notice the everlasting quality of the covenant—Adonai is with us, Yeshua is with us, and we are with one another. This covenant of friendship is commanded by Jesus: This is my command: that you keep on loving each other just as I have loved you . . . (Jn. 15:12 CJB).

What is a covenant? By definition it is a mutual consent or agreement of two or more persons to do or to forbear some act or thing; a contract; a stipulation. Covenant means without compromise, a permanent relationship without conditions. We read of covenants in Scripture. Establishing a covenant requires (1) words—promises, terms, vow, agreement; (2) sacrifices—consideration; cost; value like salt, blood, wine; (3) seal—signature, tangible witness, trinket, ring, circumcision.

When we accept Christ as our Savior, we make a covenant with Him. We become salt for Him. Remember that blood is mostly salt. And what did He give for us? When we accepted Christ, we accepted one another through His blood covenant. We are blood brothers with Christ’s blood in our body. In communion we drink His blood. If we do not eat and drink with Him, we cannot be friends.

You are salt for the Land. But if salt becomes tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except being thrown out for people to trample on (Mt 5:13 CJB). We are the expression of His covenant to the world. Yeshua demonstrated covenant by giving up His salty blood. If we break covenant, we lose flavor and become worthless to the world, since we become a mere religious club without power or purpose.

Let’s get personal. Sharing salt is sharing life. Mine is your, yours is mine, and I’ll defend your life to my death. There will be no offenses, no animosity nor any future offenses. The covenant cannot be broken. It is as serious as matrimonial vows. In fact, the exchange of salt among the bridegroom, bride, and families was a customary part of a marriage ceremony. It is a promise of being there to help one another in need.

When British use the expression bloody, do they know it comes from “by the blood of our Lord”?

Yosef

Point to Ponder

As I sweat salty perspiration over these Hebraic Insights, I find myself in a covenant of salt with each of you.

31. Was Yeshua Torah Observant?

Yeshua’s teaching style was distinctly Hebrew and rabbinic-Jewish. Consider His style of correcting misunderstandings. Yeshua exuded unique authority in the wording, “You have heard it said that . . . but I say to you . . .” Yeshua did not resort to the traditional rabbinic style of providing optional interpretations: You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, “Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.” But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother . . . (Mt 5:21-22 NIV). But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies . . . (Lk 6:27 NIV).

In Yeshua’s time, what was referred to as Holy Scriptures was only the Torah and the Prophets. The Writings were included in the TaNaK at a later date; however, they did exist in Yeshua’s time. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken (Jn 2:22 NIV). All Scripture is G-d-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2Ti 3:16 NIV). To which books of the Bible was Paul referring?

Do you want or need more examples of proof that Yeshua observed the Torah? Yeshua

1.    Was born into the tribe of Judah. His birth was documented with a wordplay on David in Matthew 1:1 documenting the genealogy of Jesus Christ as the son of David, the son of Abraham: David = or Dalet, Vav, Daleth; numerically: 4 + 6 + 4 = 14; 14 generations from Abraham to David; 14 from Solomon to the exile; 14 postexile to Yeshua.

2.    Was circumcised on the eighth day and dedicated to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the temple.

3.    Went to the synagogue by custom on Shabbat (Lk 4:16).

4.    Observed the feasts.

5.    Read the Jewish Scriptures and spoke Hebrew (Lk 4:16-21).

6.    Wore Jewish clothes (Mt 9:20; Lk 8:44, “hem of garment”), wore tzitzit on the corners of his garment.

7.    Ate kosher as an orthodox rabbi.

8.    Obeyed the law, the Torah (Heb 4:15, “was without sin”).

9.    Paid the temple tax (Mt 17:24-27).

10.   Ministered as an itinerant rabbi to the poor and needy (Isa 61:1-2; Lk 4:16-21).

11.   Prayed traditional prayers (Mt 6:9-13); the Lord’s Prayer is a short version of the Amidah, a long, popular benediction.

12.   Taught in traditional rabbinic in form, style, content, and tradition with the addition of His claim to be the Messiah.

13.   Had His own disciples, from 12 to 200,000 followers.

14.   Spoke to crowds on hillsides around Israel, as did other rabbis.

15.   Was rejected as Messiah by a small group of powerful, disobedient Sadducean priests (Mt 27:1, 20; Lk 2:22), but the masses (of Jews) gladly followed Him (Jn 11:47-50, 53).

16.   Based His ministry in Galilee, like Shammai, a famous rabbi, and Judah the Zealot; sages from Galilee were known as healers and charismatic, Spirit-filled teachers.

17.   Honored the Torah; He did not come to abolish the Torah but to fill it up, give it full understanding, or fulfill it; not to ‘abolish’ it. Read all of Mt 5:17-19 “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled (Mt 5:17-18 KJV).

18.   Was baptized (mikvah) by John the Baptist (Yochanan the Immerser) as was common in His time. That was probably His consecration as a rabbi, having completed rabbinical study at the typical age of thirty. Is His mikvah in the Jordan (Mt 3) a description of His ordination?

19.   Taught with authority: And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught. And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes (Mk 1:21-22 KJV).

20.   Was followed by devoted Jews who worshipped on Sabbath, kept feasts, acknowledged Him as the Jewish King and Messiah, wrote the Jewish New Testament, and lived a Torah-observant lifestyle. In fact, their Torah observance raised questions of requirements for Gentile believers, another insight.

Here are the two best proofs that Yeshua was Torah observant:

1.  Yeshua lived and taught entirely within the Hebraic framework. Although He was corporately rejected by the corrupt leadership of Israel, He was not rejected for introducing foreign ideas or a new religion into Israel. It is clearly against Torah to start a new religion. Yeshua certainly would have been condemned by all the rabbinic authorities and the devout Jews had he done so.

2.  Who wrote the Torah in the first place? What was Yeshua’s name before He was born? In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning (Jn 1:1-2). He was simply being true to His own Word.

Be holy because He is holy.

Shalom,

Yosef

Point to Ponder

Are we Torah observant?

Let us discuss that next.

32. Are We Torah Observant?

We just studied and determined the obvious—Yeshua was Torah observant. Are we? Here are some related questions to process:

•    What is dualism versus harmony?

•    What is the difference between sacred and secular?

•    What are the borders of the kingdom of God?

•    Is religion a private, personal matter?

Duality thinking recognizes a sacred versus a secular world. This may be a very customary way to categorize things in today’s world. However, sacred and secular are two words found neither in the Bible nor in Hebraic thinking. Why not? Our secular thinking comes from the influence of Greco-Roman philosophy. How did Yeshua think?

And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these (Mk 12:29-31 KJV).

He is referring to the Shema, a Scripture prayed by Jews a minimum of three times a day:

“Sh’ma, Yisra’el! ADONAI Eloheinu, ADONAI echad [Hear, Isra’el! ADONAI our God, ADONAI is one]; and you are to love ADONAI your God with all your heart, all your being and all your resources. These words, which I am ordering you today, are to be on your heart; and you are to teach them carefully to your children. You are to talk about them when you sit at home, when you are traveling on the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them on your hand as a sign, put them at the front of a headband around your forehead, and write them on the door-frames of your house and on your gates” (Dt 6:4-9 CJB).

He could have simply said, “Think about my commandments all the time. There is no separate, secular life.”

Dualism is dangerously influencing today’s customs and thinking. Here is a contrast: Socrates teaches us to know thyself. Hebraic thinking and teaching is to know God. What a difference! What do today’s popular self-help books teach?

Where is secular thinking in the Bible? What are the borders of the kingdom of God? The earth is ADONAI’s, with all that is in it, the world and those who live there (Ps 24:1 CJB).

All too often we hear that religion is a private matter. I cannot help but see God’s hand in every area of life—economics, law, sociology, physics, medicine, astronomy, psychology, and so forth.

Where is Judeo-Christianity in today’s thinking? How far have we strayed in naming days and months? Holidays were originally mandated by God as feast days, and we once called them ‘Holy Days’; Lord’s Day versus week days. And consider the onslaught against holy living thrust upon us by entertainment media and advertising. Look around. Listen.

We have gone so far from our Judeo-Christian roots. Here are some tough questions: Where do we go from here? Do you know of any culture that has made the turn?—No. But what about Nehemiah and Ezra? Their turning back to God had to be preceded by seventy years of captivity in Babylon. The question is, will America’s turnaround happen before greater judgment or after it?

We previously defined and discussed Halakhah as our way of walking. The best evangelistic promotion of all times was the WWJD[25] thinking? Think about the contrast between the challenge of WWJD and what we encounter in our daily lives.

How can we be more Torah observant?

Point to Ponder

If we always considered WWJD,

would we become more Torah observant?

33. Why Should We Be a Separate People?

I have always been impressed with the way Jews I have known have an air of confidence, independence, and integrity and, mostly, an adherence to their faith, whether they be Orthodox Jews, Reformed Jews, or even nonpracticing Jews. Their survival as a people group for almost four millennia testifies to their being a people set apart. Much is said in the Bible and in preaching about being separate from the world like “being in, but not of the world.” How can today’s church be seeker-friendly without allowing evils of the world to infiltrate our lives? How does God’s Word call us to come out and be separate.

Israel’s separation from foreigners was commanded in the New Testament as confirmation of many admonitions in the Old Testament: Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord (2Co 6:17 NIV). You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own (Lev 20:26 NIV).

Even Balaam saw something unique in the Israelites when he said, I see a people who live apart and do not consider themselves one of the nations (Nu 23:9 NIV). Does the world see Christians as a people living under a different standard? Probably not.

God instructed Joshua: Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left. Do not associate with these nations that remain among you . . . But you are to hold fast to the LORD your God, as you have until now (Jos 23:6-8 NIV). Others were also instructed: Now make confession to the LORD . . . and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples around you . . . (Ezr 10:11 NIV). Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners (Ne 9:2 NIV).

God told Jeremiah how to avoid being like the world. Does this apply to us? If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman. Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them (Jer 15:19 NIV). The psalmist was even more forceful: Away from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commands of my God! (Ps 119:115IV).

Isaiah referred to us as redeemed: Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing! Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the vessels of the LORD (Isa 52:11 NIV).

Why is this a difficult teaching to follow? We all want to be loved. To where do we gravitate in search of love?—To the world. Thus John quotes Yeshua in 15:19: If you belonged to the world, the world would have loved its own. But because you do not belong to the world—on the contrary, I have picked you out of the world—therefore the world hates you (CJB).

Let us face the real challenge. Our Lord commanded us, As you go throughout the world, proclaim the Good News to all creation (Mk 16:15 CJB). How are we expected to be in the world, but not of the world, and still be able to associate with, reach, teach and evangelize the lost? Gentiles will evangelize the Israelites: I will make them envious by those who are not a people . . . (Dt 32:21 NIV). Similarly, we, the redeemed, should be making the unsaved in the world envious. How many of us were saved because we wanted what a Christian friend had?

It’s one thing to be seeker-friendly, but it’s a problem when we become so seeker-tolerant that we, the church, lose our cleanliness and the holiness that distinguishes us from the world.

Yeshua promised that there will be an ultimate separation: So it will be at the close of the age—the angels will go forth and separate the evil people from among the righteous (Mt 13:49 CJB).

How do we apply all this? Now we know why we need His Holy Spirit to guide us. This is why our Halakhah, way of walking, is so important. Reread the Insight “What is Your Halakhah?”

Yosef

Point to Ponder

How many of us were drawn to Yeshua

because we wanted what a Christian friend had?

34. What Was Expected of Gentile Believers?

Acts 21:25 is frequently misinterpreted. As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication (KJV). Many people assume this was and still is the only requirement for Gentile believers to observe. We miss the fact that it was also assumed and expected that the Gentiles would be attending the synagogue, fellowshipping with the Jewish believers, being disciple, and becoming Torah observant. Cornelius was an example of a classic Gentile follower: They answered, “Cornelius. He’s a Roman army officer, an upright man and a God-fearer, a man highly regarded by the whole Jewish nation . . .” (Ac 10:22 CJB). They were referring to his Torah observance and his Halakhah.

Here is a modern-day parallel example: A scroungy-looking man saunters into our church, smelling of . . . using language . . . wearing satanic symbols . . . Ideally, the church should be more concerned with the salvation of his soul than with his clothes, smell, or language. However, we would immediately point out that the satanic symbols are an affront to almighty God whom we have decided to make Lord in our lives. So the satanic symbols have to go. Meanwhile we patiently let the Holy Spirit of God deal with him on the other issues we might find socially offensive. So while we start the discipling process. We might at some point also suggest he stop using the Lord’s name in vain. We as a congregation minister to him, love on him, teach him God’s Word, introduce him to the Holy Spirit, and trust the Holy Spirit to take over the job of cleaning up the man and getting the man to adapt to the particular church’s customs, liturgy, language, celebrations, and so forth.

Following that ideal ministry example, let’s read the source of Acts 21:25 above. It comes from the Jerusalem Council’s decision spelled out in Acts 15:19-21:

Therefore, my opinion is that we should not put obstacles in the way of the Goyim who are turning to God. Instead, we should write them a letter telling them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from fornication, from what is strangled and from blood. 21 For from the earliest times, Moshe has had in every city those who proclaim him, with his words being read in the synagogues every Shabbat” (CJB).

Observe that the abstinences they required were referring to idolatrous practices, comparable to Satan worship, and verse 21 assumes continued grow and discipleship in the Word. This was a deliberately minimal requirement imposed on the new believer to deal with blatant idolatry.

Most people have not given thought to the structure, customs, and format of the early church. The Gentile church, started as Greeks, goy, ger, aliens, or Gentiles (depending on what you want to call them), decided to join fellowship with the Jews. Their Jewish, Hebraic, friends had something they wanted, namely faith in the Creator God, a righteous lifestyle, and forgiveness of sins. Thus they wanted to worship alongside their Jewish friends. Take a step back. Initially, all of Yeshua’s followers were Jewish. They worshipped on the Sabbath, kept feasts, acknowledged Him as the Jewish King and Messiah, started writing the Jewish New Testament, and lived a Torah-observant lifestyle. At this stage, Christianity was a Jewish religion, confirmed by the fact that it featured a Torah-observant lifestyle that raised questions of requirements for Gentile believers.

In like manner, the Gentile believers in the early church learned to study the Torah (the New Testament was not written yet), worship in the messianic synagogue, celebrate the feasts, and live a Torah-observant life-style.

Points to Ponder

Note that the Jewish believers were evangelizing

Jew and Gentile alike by using the Old Testament only.

Could you do that?

Did you realize that all New Testament references to Scripture are referring to the Old Testament, or TaNaK?

Hebraic Customs of Biblical Times

Encouraging Us to Honor God Continuously

35. Why Are They Always Thinking about God?

The Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings (the TaNaK) have a consistent message: the world and everything in it revolves around God, and not around us.[26] Reflect on the hard times in the background of Fiddler on the Roof. In the whole movie, village life was all built around and about God. People were constantly searching for answers from God for everything in their lives.

The Torah has an incessant number of reminders built into the daily fabric of life. No wonder a Torah-abiding Jew or even a half-abider is constantly reminded of his dependence on God. For example,

•    God mandated feast days: Three mandatory pilgrimage feasts each year, plus five others, all of which were built around harvest times and relationship purposes. Each feast represents a foreshadowing of future events.

•    Numerous feasts were added, such as Hanukkah, Purim, and rabbinically ordained celebrations of special events in history, reminiscent of God’s provision, atonement, mercy, and grace.

•    Dietary laws become reminders at least three times a day and again on some mandatory fast days.

•    Prayers are provided for every occasion. We need to study a Hebrew siddur (prayer book)? Hmmm, future Insight topic.

•    Some physical customs are always present, such as phylacteries, hats, kippot, distinctive hair styles, fringes, or tallith with tzitzit tapping against one’s thighs throughout the day, and so forth.

•    The Hebrew calendar is lunar-based with a celebration every twenty-eight days called Rosh Chodesh, New Month, or Moon. This was in contrast to the sun-worshipping pagans around them.

•    The Sabbath is honored as the pivotal climax of the week’s activity.

•    Mezuzahs are on all the doorposts of the house, except the bathroom. How many times a day would you be recognizing God’s commandments or the Shema?

Other Insights explain most of the above-mentioned customs.

All these laws, rules, and customs seem overly constrictive to our Western, liberated mind-set, yet the Jews do not appear to be “kicking against the goads.” Even though some of the rules seem somewhat arbitrary, they obey almost unquestioningly. In fact, our Western mind-set finds some of the fence laws to be humorous. Consider that the Jews were so respectful of God’s commandments that they set up safeguards so as not to run even the risk of offending God. What a contrast to the Western mind-set that seems to want to tempt God by seeing how close we can come to the edge without actually breaking the commandment.

This reminds me of the best reason I know for obeying the commands set out in the Torah. I obey because “Daddy said so.” Maybe the reason the Jews are so willing to obey these laws is because their God has defined a relationship with them. So “I will do whatever Father says to do.”

Remember that as Jew and Gentile, we are one with the Messiah.

Yosef

Points to Ponder

Where is that respect and obedience today?

In what ways has our devotion to God

been watered down since Hebraic biblical days?

Would we walk closer to Him if we were obedient

to all of Father God’s Word, the entire Bible?

36. Sabbath Celebration at the Brusherd’s

Honoring the start of the Sabbath each Friday evening at sunset in a messianic format has been a joy for Peggy and me. Do we do this every Sabbath? Unfortunately not, but we wish we could. This is a format we adopted. You can consider doing all of this, some of it, or more than this. We like to do at least some of it and sometimes in a rather casual, but very respectful, way. Simchat! Enjoy!

Preparation: Tzedakah box, candles, tablecloth, Kiddush cups, wine, challah loaf, plate, cover and knife, salt; hand-washing basin and towel, siddur or song book, Havdalah candle, besamim (spice box).

[27]

•    Donning the tallit: Blessing for the atarah (crown); Numbers 15:38

Barukh Atah Adonoi Eloheinu, Melech Ha-Olam, Asher Kideshanu B’mitsvotav Ve-tsevanu Leyitatef B’tzitzit.

“Blessed art Thou, LORD our God, King of the universe,

Who has Sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to wrap ourselves in the tzitzit. (Amen.)”

•    Remembering the Sabbath: Exodus 20:8

Za-khor (Sha-mor) et-yom ha-shab-bat le-ka-de-sho.

“Remember (Keep) the day of the Sabbath to keep it holy.”

•    Giving Tzedakah: “All responsible for one another”; a blessing for money put in the Tzedakah box to be given to the needy.

Barukh Atah Adonoi Eloheinu, Melech Ha-Olam,

Asher Kideshanu B’mitsvotav V’tsivanu al Ha-Tsedakah. (Amein.)

“Blessed art Thou, LORD our God, King of the universe,

Who has Sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us about Tzedakah. Amen.”

•    Lighting Sabbath candles (mother):

Barukh Atah Adonoi Eloheinu, Melech Ha-Olam,

Asher Kideshanu B’mitsvotav V’tsivanu lehiyot or le-goyim v’natan-lanu et Yeshua Meshicheinu or ha-olam.

“Blessed art Thou, LORD our God, King of the universe,

Who has Sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to be a light to the nations and Who gave to us Jesus, our Messiah, the Light of the world. Amen.”

•    Mother’s prayer: Psalm 91:1-16 or similar prayer for family.

•    Husband blesses wife (Under his tallit): Proverbs 31:10-31.

•    Wife blesses husband (Under his tallit): Psalm 112:1-10

•    Father blesses children and family: (Under his tallit)

To boys: “May God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh”

To girls: “May God make you like Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, & Leah”

To the family, the Aaronic Benediction from Numbers 6:24-26

Yevarekhekha Adonai veyish-merekha.

Ya’er Adonai panav eleykha vichun-neka.

Yisa Adonai panav eleykha veyaseim lekha shalom. Amein.

“May the LORD bless you and protect you.

May the LORD shine his face to you and be gracious to you.

May the LORD turn his face to you and give to you peace. Amen”

•    Husband’s kiddush over the wine: Reciting Genesis 1:31-2:3

Barukh Atah Adonoi Eloheinu, Melech Ha-Olam, bo-re pe-re haggafen. (Amein.)

“Blessed art Thou, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who creates fruit of the vine. Amen.”

•    Children’s washing of the hands (netilat yadayim): While washing each persons’ hands—Blessed is he who has clean hands and a pure heart. Amein. (silence until eating the challah)

•    Husband recites the HaMotzi: Starts cutting the challah, lifts two loaves and recites,

Barukh Atah Adonoi Eloheinu, Melech Ha-Olam, Hamotzi lechem min ha’aretz.

“Blessed art Thou, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth. Amen.”

He salts, breaks off a piece, and passes the loaves around the table.

•    Everyone Sings Shabbat Shalom, eats and shares God’s Word.

Shabbat Shalom to your home!

Yosef

37. Rites of Passage, Boys Becoming Men

We’ve all heard of the bar mitzvah, literally “son of the covenant.” bar is “son”; bat is “daughter.” Mitzvah is “covenant,” “commandment,” or “deed,” as we have already studied. Today the term bar mitzvah is typically used to refer to the ceremony.

What does it mean to become a bar mitzvah? Under Jewish law, children are not obligated to observe the commandments, although they are encouraged to do so to learn the obligations they will have as adults. At the age of about thirteen for boys, and twelve for girls, children become obligated to observe the commandments. The formal public ceremony marks the assumption of that obligation, along with the corresponding right and responsibility to take part in services and to be counted in a minyan, the minimum number men, ten, in order to have a service. Thus a child becomes an adult; a boy becomes a man. And there is a huge amount of biblical study and preparation involved.

Someone gave me a book that claimed Jews were the only people that held a rite of passage, or coming of age ceremony. I could not agree with that premise, because I, for one, was confirmed at the age of thirteen in my Catholic church, and other liturgical churches do likewise. There was serious preparation time, and it meant a lot to me.

I am sure you have heard of various other tribal customs. For instance, the father gives the son a spear and tells him, “Go into jungle and kill a lion. Then you will be a man.” There are some common principles in these rites:

•    A father’s role is to declare his boy a man.

•    The father trained and prepared the boy before sending him off.

•    There are mementos of the occasion, such as tokens, medals, gifts, scars, spears, staffs, tallitot, and so forth.

•    There are witnesses and communal celebrations.

The key point is that there is no teenager[28] period with excused rebellion and irresponsibility. Neither the word nor the concept of teenager is in the Bible. The Bible refers to boys and to men; nothing in between.

In various men’s groups, I have heard men describe other events in their lives as their way or time of passing into manhood. Those events were not necessarily father-centered or God-centered. Some referred to events like leaving home (properly or improperly), marriage (without preparation or counsel), entering the military, dealing incorrectly with their newfound bodies of a man, and so forth.

I have heard men who were raised without an effective father testify that an older brother, uncle, neighbor, teacher, pastor, or coach was the father figure in their life. Those were the persons they respected, and in turn those father figures showed them respect. How often are we in the role of ministering to a boy wanting and needing to become a man?

Why do we need this study? What can we learn from the Jewish, liturgical, and Indian traditions?

•    Some boys do not have a father in their life, so we need to fill that role. Some of their fathers may still be boys. I am sure you have met grown boys that need fathering.

•    We need to support the efforts of other fathers who have boys going through their rite of passage. It is a community effort to help a boy become a man.

•    Men of all ages need to recognize the necessity to treat young men as men. How? Engage them in discussion, respect them as men, involve them in men’s activities, give them responsibility, and (the big one) hold them accountable. Keep the communication line open. Listen to them. Maybe you can still learn something.

Let’s all do our part to be like the Jews, liturgicals, and Indians to bring boys into manhood, whether or not they are our own sons or members of our community. Prepare them by teaching, communicating, befriending, participating, and giving responsibility and accountability.

C’mon man! Somebody did it for you!

Point to Ponder

A Cherokee Legend[29]—next page

Cherokee Legend—Rite of Passage

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth’s rite of passage?

His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him, and leaves him alone.

He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it.

He cannot cry out for help to anyone. Once he survives the night, he is a man.

He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own.

The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him. Maybe even some human might do him harm.

The wind blew the grass and earth and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man!

Finally, after a horrific night, the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold.

It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him.

He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.

We, too, are never alone. Even when we don’t know it, our Heavenly Father is watching over us, sitting on the stump beside us. When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him.

If you liked this story, pass it on.

If not, you took off your blindfold before dawn . . .

38. Why Did God Bless Our Father Abraham?

When God blesses Abraham He gives His reasoning by using four key words. My daughter, Susan, in Torah study, just had to know why God used four different words.

God covenants with Isaac in Genesis 26:3-4:

I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” (KJV).

Why grant Abraham these covenanted and many-faceted blessings? God answers as He continues in Genesis 26:5: Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws (KJV). For us to also receive blessings, maybe we should study and understand these four words and their Hebraic background.

Charges, requirements: Mishmartiy—Strong’s Concordance: “#4931—watch, sentry, post; preservation, safe; observance, duty . . .”

Commands: Mitzvot—Strong’s Concordance: “#4687 a command, human or divine (collectively, the Law). Earlier Insights regarding mitzvot used a broader, rabbinical definition.”

Decrees, statutes: Chuqowtay—Strong’s Concordance: “#2708 & 2706 an enactment; an appointment of time, space, quantity, labor or usage.” (God used the expression “lasting ordinance” about twenty-four times in the Torah to specify set times, feasts, actions, and sacrifices we are to honor.)

Laws: Towrotaay—Strong’s Concordance: “#8451—OT:8451 a precept or statute, especially the . . . Pentateuch. But the Root word is OT:3384 “yarah” to flow as water; to lay or throw (i.e. to shoot); figuratively, to point out (as if by aiming the finger), to teach.”

Another related word: when God speaks to Moishe in Exodus 21:1, He says, These are the rulings you are to present to them (CJB). The translation could also be Judgments: MishpaaTiym—Strong’s Concordance: “#4941—(mish-pawt’); a verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree (human or [participant’s] divine law, individual or collective), including the act, the place, the suit, the crime, and the penalty; abstractly, justice, including a participant’s right or privilege (statutory or customary), or even a style.” The NIV translates MishpaaTiym in Exodus 21:1 as “law” instead of “judgments,” which misses the full meaning. Maybe this is why a rabbi once said, “Reading a translation of the Torah is like kissing a pretty woman through a veil.”

Here is another translation clarification: According to Deuteronomy 6:6, in the NIV this is what Moishe told the people: These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. However, the KJV and the CJB use the word words instead of the word commandments. In Hebrew it is HaDav’rim, which we recognize as the Hebrew title for the book we call Deuteronomy; and the direct translation is “the words.” When we read that “commandments are to be on our hearts,” that is far less significant than to understand that our loving God wants all His Word(s) to be on the hearts of His children.

Almost too much to think or ponder about!

Yosef

Point to Ponder

Are we blessed to know a little Hebrew

in order to better understand God’s Word?

39. Shema—Hear, Listen, or Accept?

The best known Hebrew prayer, prayed at minimum three times a day is Deuteronomy 6:4: Sh’ma Ysra’el! ADONAI Eloheinu, ADONAI echad, or Hear, Isra’el! ADONAI our God, ADONAI is one. A little further on, in Dt 7:12, the Lord tells us through Moishe, Because you are listening to these rulings, keeping and obeying them, ADONAI your God will keep with you the covenant and mercy that he swore to your ancestors. In Hebrew this verse starts with similar words as the Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4—shama (shaw-mah); to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell . . .). Various translations use “hearken” or “pay attention and carefully follow” or “listening” or “heed” or “acceptance.”

Hebrew thinking gets much more focused on the need to accept the yoke of His kingdom. The distinction between hearing and listening is made clear by God in Genesis 3:17.

The Targum (an early authoritative Torah translation) consistently translates hear as “accept.” For example, Adam was not punished for hearing the words of Eve; he was punished for listening. The Targum repeatedly translates listened as “accepted her words.” To Adam he said, “Because you listened to what your wife said and ate from the tree about which I gave you the order, ‘You are not to eat from it,’ the ground is cursed on your account; you will work hard to eat from it as long as you live” (Ge 3:17 CJB).

A student assured his rabbi that he recited the Shema three times a day. The rabbi replied disappointedly, “You mean you only accept the yoke of His kingdom three times a day?!”

When the commandments are to be accepted, what is needed is not merely passive hearing or even more active listening. We are to forge a powerful, reciprocal, eternal relationship, not a relationship that we become accustomed to, by accepting God as King and accepting our own roles as His servants.

The type of listening called for here invites us to be sensitive to even the “minor” commandments, as servants of the King. This type of rapt attention to His mitzvot transforms actions that we might well have performed without conviction, zeal, or full attention. Now they are transformed into powerful religious experiences. It is this type of listening that is our acknowledgement of our relationship with God, and it is this attentiveness that creates a continual meeting point for our rendezvous with God, Creator and Sustainer of the universe. This attentiveness infuses every act, no matter how small and routine, with supreme significance, for we are in the service of the King. Every commandment becomes

•    a privilege, a sign of the trust the King has in each of his faithful servants, and

•    an opportunity to repay that trust, deepen that trust, and become worthy of that relationship.

That is why we are instructed to hear and listen specifically to the “small,” “mundane” mitzvot. When we hear in this way we allow ourselves to concentrate on the significance of each mitzvah with which we have been entrusted, and we remind ourselves that these are opportunities to reach out to God who has spoken to us. Then no commandment will ever seem small. For example, take this commandment to remember His words: And write them on the door-frames of your house and on your gates (a mezuzah; Dt 6:9 CJB).

Now I understand why my relatively new obedience to the Lord in affixing a mezuzah on the front and side doors of our home has done a transformation in me. Umpteen times a day I

•    kiss my fingers and touch the mezuzah,

•    recite a prayer, “Thank you Lord for your commandments,” and

•    take a few moments to ponder the blessings I’ve received because of following His commands.

This has truly transformed my life in the last few years.

Yosef

Point to Ponder

Maybe I should close by selling mezuzahs.

40. Catholic Mezuzah!

Some responses to the e-mailed Insights just have to be shared. Here is the insightful response I received from Father Joachim of Maple Park, Illinois.

Many years have passed since I first saw the musical Fiddler on the Roof. It is a wonderful show filled with happy and sad tales in the life of a Jewish family. The story ends tragically with the family being forced to leave their home and small Russian village of Anatevka to go into exile. This summer I was fortunate enough to see a live performance of the musical featuring the well-known actor Chaim Topol in the lead role of Tevye. It was truly a beautiful performance. As with any Broadway show, the music, acting, and set design were stunning. But what struck me most was the attention to detail, in particular the attention to a certain Jewish custom of using a mezuzah.

The mezuzah is a small cylindrical container with a hole in the center affixed at an angle to the doorpost of a traditional (and sometimes not so traditional) Jewish home. It is derived from Deut. 6:4-9, in which God commands us to keep his words constantly in our minds and in our hearts by (among other things) writing them on the doorposts of our house.

To do so, the words of this and another Scripture passage are written on a small piece of parchment. The name of God is then written on the back of this paper and rolled tightly to create a scroll. The scroll is placed into the container so that the name of God is visible through the hole. The mezuzah is then attached to the doorpost. Each time a devout Jew enters or leaves the house, he touches the mezuzah and kisses his fingers. Through this simple gesture, he remembers God.

A mezuzah hung on Tevye’s house in the set of Fiddler on the Roof. I noticed that the characters followed the tradition throughout the entire play. Such a seemingly small act, but it represented so much of the beauty and meaning of the Jewish faith.

This got me thinking about a small but important act that we as Catholics perform each time we enter and leave our churches. We, too, have a small container hanging just inside the door of God’s house. We dip our fingers and gather a small bit of water which we then use to mark ourselves with the Sign of the Cross.

Why do we perform this simple gesture? A Jewish person touches the mezuzah to remember God. We make the Sign of the Cross to remember our Baptism into the Church and remind ourselves of our Christian identity. By doing so, we too remember God. The Sign of the Cross is our way of “putting on Christ.” It is our reminder of who we are, where we come from, and what we are to do in the world.

In the past, many Catholic homes hung a small container of holy water inside their doors. People signed themselves upon entering and leaving, just as we do at Church. Perhaps it is time to bring back this tradition. Maybe we should once again surround ourselves with the simple details that will revive in us the beauty and meaning of our faith.

I would like to encourage you to return to this noble and important Catholic tradition. Let us all make an effort to mark ourselves with the Sign of the Cross leaving our homes, knowing that by doing so, we are remembering God.

Since I, Yosef, was born again and baptized in the Holy Spirit while in the Catholic Church, I share the above with due respect for the unique customs of each of the various religions and denominations that accept Yeshua as their Savior.

Point to Ponder

What is your reminder of who you are in the Lord?

Let’s be reminded as often as you enter or leave your house?

41. Have You Studied Fiddler on the Roof?

Fiddler on the Roof is one of my absolute favorite movies, plays, and songs. It portrays an amazing amount of Hebraic-Jewish culture. And there are imbedded lessons which are very useful in our daily lives and Christian walk. Trying to maintain a Jewish (biblical) tradition, the main character, Tevye, finds it to be a losing battle as each of four daughters marries. Here is a recap of key lines that portray the Jewish customs and thought processes:[30]

Importance of tradition: “Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as . . . a fiddler on the roof!” Tevye’s description of life.

Importance of prayer: Tevye retains his sanity through regular talks with God.

Love after marriage: Tevye: “It’s a new world . . . Love . . . [After twenty-five years of marriage,] do you love me?” Start of a love song.

Tevye: “First time I met you was on our wedding day . . .”

Golde: “I was shy.” Tevye: “I was nervous.” Golde: “So was I.”

Tevye: “But my father and my mother said we’d learn to love each other . . .” Love is not portrayed Hollywood style!

Respect for manual labor: The Talmud says, “He who does not teach his son a trade is considered as having taught him thievery.” This was portrayed by song: “At three I started Hebrew school; at ten I learned a trade.” Meet the tailor, butcher, hatter, and so forth. It has been said that rabbinic law prohibits anyone from earning a living through religion: “Do not make the Torah a spade to dig with.” Even the apostle Paul worked and earned his way. From the time of creation, a dignity to manual labor remains. Meanwhile, our Western world has gone cerebral.

Sabbath observance: Stability of the miqdash ne’at (little sanctuary or home) is seen in the Sabbath observance. Experience the joyous anticipation, dramatic symbol of community, and separation from many of the routine and mundane affairs of life. Note the singing of the Sabbath prayer. Ponder the Jewish saying, “It is not that the Jews kept the Sabbath, but that the Sabbath kept the Jews.”

Parental respect: Yente, the Shadchan (matchmaker): “Ah, children, they are your blessing in your old age.”

Sam Levinson paraphrased:

It used to be that honor was brought to parents by their children, the accepted standard for measuring success. Our personal success was to a great extent predicated upon the happiness we could bring to our parents. It would not be long before this idea would be completely reversed. To make our children happy was to become the summum bonum (the highest or chief good) of family life.

I just checked my Bible. My version does not say, “Parents, obey your children.”

Tevye’s dilemma, and ours too: At first, he knows his role: “Who has the right as master of the house to have the final word at home? The papa! The papa! Tradition!” But as daughters leave the tradition “to marry whomever Papa picks” has been set aside. And Tevye sings, “One little time, you pull out the prop, and where does it stop? Where does it stop? . . . Pull out the thread, and where has it led? Where has it led?” Finally, Tevye says, “Chava is dead to us! We will forget her.”

Do we do things because “we have always done them that way,” or do we do them because they are right to do and in accord with the pattern of eternal truth?

If you have never seen the movie, go get the DVD. If you already have, watch it again, observing the above Hebraic Insights and more.

Yosef

Point to Ponder

And so . . . are we all Tevyes?

42. If You Were Rich, Then What?

A Lighter Insight for a Change!

Two previous Insights dealt with prosperity message topics: “Do the Righteous Ever Beg for Bread” and “His Prosperity Message—Ki Tavo.” The last Insight dealt with our friend Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof. I just remembered that, a few years ago, I opened our holiday newsletter with an excerpt from Tevye’s song, “If I were a Rich Man.” I felt I could relate to Tevye’s conclusion regarding prosperity:

If I were rich, I’d have the time that I lack

To sit in the synagogue and pray.

And maybe have a seat by the Eastern wall.

And I’d discuss the holy books with the learned men,

several hours every day.

That would be the sweetest thing of all. If I were a rich man . . .

Here is an outline of Tevye’s song dealing with the classic prosperity goal of humanity:

Dear God, you made many, many poor people.

I realize, of course, that it’s no shame to be poor.

But it’s no great honor either!

So, what would have been so terrible if I had a small fortune?

Chorus:

If I were a rich man, . . .

All day long I’d biddy biddy bum.

If I were a wealthy man.

I wouldn’t have to work hard . . . .

If I were a biddy biddy rich . . . man.

I’d build a big tall house with rooms by the dozen,

Right in the middle of the town.

A fine tin roof with real wooden floors below.

There would be one long staircase just going up,

And one even longer coming down,

And one more leading nowhere, just for show.

I’d fill my yard with chicks and turkeys and geese and ducks

For the town to see and hear.

Squawking just as noisily as they can.

With each loud “cheep” “swaqwk” “honk” “quack”

Would land like a trumpet on the ear,

As if to say “Here lives a wealthy man.”

I see my wife, my Golde, looking like a rich man’s wife

With a proper double-chin.

Supervising meals to her heart’s delight.

I see her putting on airs and strutting like a peacock.

Oy, what a happy mood she’s in.

Screaming at the servants, day and night.

The most important men in town would come to fawn on me!

They would ask me to advise them,

Like a Solomon the Wise.

“If you please, Reb Tevye . . .” “Pardon me, Reb Tevye . . .”

Posing problems that would cross a rabbi’s eyes!

And it won’t make one bit of difference if I answer right or wrong.

When you’re rich, they think you really know!

If I were rich, I’d have the time that I lack

To sit in the synagogue and pray.

And maybe have a seat by the Eastern wall.

And I’d discuss the holy books with the learned men, seven hours every day.

That would be the sweetest thing of all.

Lord who made the lion and the lamb,

You decreed I should be what I am.

Would it spoil some vast eternal plan?

If I were a wealthy man.

Tevye finally came to the conclusion that the best way to spend time is in the holy books—the Torah, the Holy Bible—several hours every day. But that was before television and malls.

Most people think that learning is preparation for life. Tevye is illustrating that learning is life. Notice in the movie how much time is spent just talking to God. When Adonai told us to “fear Adonai,” did He set a time limit? Are children the only ones who need to learn to feed themselves spiritually to know, love, and cherish a relationship with God?

Point to Ponder

What really is the prosperity we so desperately chase?

43. Take My Yoke Upon You

The tallit is a symbol of the yoke of the Torah. A Jew wears his first tallit as a young man, at age thirteen, and it is given to him on his bar mitzvah. From that rite of passage on, he is considered to be Torah observant and personally accountable to God. Various forms of donning the tallit have always been a part of the male Jewish customs. Before entering into worship, the young men recite the tallit prayer, kiss both ends of the prayer embroidered in the crown or neckband, and place it over their shoulders. This procedure is called donning. Gentiles who understand that donning of the tallit was commanded by God also submit to the yoke of the Torah by following suit.

Donning of the tallit prayer: Barukh ata Adonai Elohaynu, Melech ha’olam asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav ve-tsevanu leyitatef ba’tzitzit.—“Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His mitzvot and commanded us to wrap ourselves in the tzitzit [fringes].”

God’s command and His reasons are found in Numbers 15:37-40:

ADONAI said to Moshe, “Speak to the people of Isra’el, instructing them to make, through all their generations, tzitziyot on the corners of their garments, and to put with the tzitzit on each corner a blue thread. It is to be a tzitzit for you to look at and thereby remember all of ADONAI’s mitzvot and obey them, so that you won’t go around wherever your own heart and eyes lead you to prostitute yourselves; but it will help you remember and obey all my mitzvot and be holy for your God” (CJB).

Note the time frame, “through all their generations.” And why?—To look at and thereby remember to obey all His commands and therefore be consecrated to God.

Some will counter this by saying that it is putting oneself “under the authority of the law.” Let us look at four key types of authority:

1.  Absolute authority—the absolute, uppermost, sovereign authority of our Sovereign God.

2.  Dictatorial authority—such as the authority of a tyrant or of our civil government or of the police, which is granted to the latter two and which we are required to obey for our society to function. Christ is the grantor: And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power (Col 2:10 KJV).

3.  Consultative authority—we ourselves recognize someone to be worthy of consultation.

4.  Voluntary, participative, charismatic authority—which is the authority a wife grants to her husband, a congregant to a pastor (especially a charismatic one), and an employee to a supervisor.

The voluntary authority describes how we have voluntarily submitted to the authority of Yeshua, our King of Kings, as a servant in his kingdom. We can ignore Him; He has given us the power to choose. Instead, we have chosen Him and His Word, the Torah, as our authority. I like to say, “To know Him is to love Him; to love Him is to serve Him. If we are not serving Him, it’s because we don’t love Him; if we don’t love Him, it’s because we don’t know Him.”

I ask, why do we resist taking on the yoke of the Torah? After all, Yeshua Ha Maschiach said, Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Mt 11:29-30 KJV).

Enjoy the yoke of the Torah, and don your tallit obediently.

Yosef

Point to Ponder

Which authorities are we submitting to and why?

44. Why Might We Wear a Tallit?

Many Hebraic Insights have mentioned the tallit, but this is viewed as a distinctly Jewish custom. Again, the tallit is based on an everlasting command from God. The scriptural basis starts in Number 15:38-40:[31]

Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels [tzitzit] on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the LORD, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by going after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God.

God, like a good father, tells us what to do and why to do it.

The tallit has become a four cornered garment or wrap that comes in many sizes, shapes, colors and materials. But the key characteristic is the tassels, or tzitzit (tseat-tseat), attached to the corners made of braided material and typically with a blue thread woven in.

A tallit is frequently awarded to the boy at his bar mitzvah; given to the groom by the bride at their wedding; used as a canopy (chuppah) over the bride and groom during the ceremony; worn in various forms by men, either all the time or on special occasions; required to be worn by men; and sometimes worn by women as a prayer shawl.

The tallit is not directly mentioned in the Bible, but it is frequently inferred. Here are a few examples you may not have recognized:

•    God’s tallit is referenced in Psalm 104:1-2: O LORD my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. He wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent. Tallitot (plural) are often referred to as spiritual tents.

•    David cut off a tzitzit from Saul’s cloak: Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe (1Sa 24:4). Saul knew the significance and said, I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands.

•    The priestly material used in tallitot has priestly significance. That could explain Peter’s comment in 1 Peter 2:9: But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

•    Was Elijah’s cloak possibly a tallith? Elijah went up to him [Elisha] and threw his cloak around him (1Ki 19:19) and thus declared him to be a successor. Elisha understood the importance of Elijah’s tallith. Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left . . . (2Ki 2:8). Elisha . . . took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart. He picked up the cloak . . . and . . . struck the water with it (2Ki 2:12-14). Guess what happened.

•    A prophetic message with regard to tallitot: In those days ten men from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, “Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you” (Zec 8:23). Thus the messianic movement of today.

•    Jesus’ tallit is alluded to in the healing of the woman with the issue of blood: She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped (Lk 8:44).

•    Malachi knew of the healing in the “wings” (tzitzit): The sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings (Mal 4:2).

•    What was Yeshua’s seamless garment that the soldiers decided not to divide? Incidentally, it is customary to bury a man in his tallit, without the tzitzit. See John 19:23-24.

The blessing often embroidered on the atarah (head or neck band) translated into English reads “Blessed are You, Lord Our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and has commanded us to wrap (ourselves) with the tzitzit.”

Yosef

Point to Ponder

Back to the opening verse above,

why did God command us to wear tzitzit?

45. Shofar and Ram’s Horn

Part 1: The shofar itself

The shofar is one of the earliest musical instruments known to humanity. It was developed by the early Hebrews and is made from the horn of an animal, usually a ram but sometimes a sheep, goat, mountain goat, antelope, or gazelle. While there are many traditions, customs, opinions, and stories about shofars, here are some basic background perspectives.

The shofar is blown on many different occasions: for the Jubilee year, on Rosh Hashanah or New Year or Yom Teruah (the day of blowing), in religious rites, or as a call to war. The shofar is frequently referred to as a trumpet in our Bibles but should be distinguished from the silver trumpets used by the priests for other occasions.

Part 2: The shofar sounds and the themes attributed to each sound

Tekiah: The “blast,” a one long blast with a clear tone, is the sound of the King’s coronation. The shofar proclaims to ourselves and to the world: God is our King. We set our values straight and return to the reality of God as the One who runs the world, guiding history, moving mountains, and caring for each and every human being individually and personally. Thus, just as when a King enters a room, it is tradition for the Tekiah to be sounded on the shofar to open a service and for the audience to rise and applaud, welcoming the king or King’s presence.

Shevarim: A “broken,” sighing sound of three short calls—three medium, wailing blasts—is the sobbing cry of a Jewish heart yearning to connect, to grow, and to achieve.

Teruah: The “alarm,” a rapid series of nine or more very short notes, quick blasts in short succession, resembles an alarm clock arousing us from our spiritual slumber. The shofar brings clarity, alertness, and focus.

Tekiah Gedolah: The “great Tekiah,” a single unbroken blast, held as long as possible, is combination of Tekiah, Shevarim, Teruah, ending with a Tekiah Gedolah, a single unbroken blast, held as long as possible.[32]

Yosef

Point to Ponder

Have you ever experienced the sound of a shofar?

Shofar & Ram’s Horn

(continued)

Part 3: Why is the shofar so important to the Jewish people and to Gentile believers?

The command to blow the shofar is given in the Torah without explanation, but Rabbis have provided many interpretations and traditions. The Jewish philosopher Maimonides writes,

Awake, sleepers from your sleep! Arise, slumberers, from your slumber! Scrutinize your deeds and return to repentance and remember your creator! Those forgetters of the truth in the vanities of time and those who stray all their year in vanity and emptiness which can neither help nor save. Look to your souls, better your ways and deeds. Let each one of you abandon your evil way and your thoughts which are not good.

The shofar symbolizes the major theme of the days of repentance, during which we commemorate the beginning of the world. We try to make a new start within ourselves and to return to the beginning of the cycle. The shofar, with its powerful and profound calls, removes the obstacles before us and helps us reach this new start.

Part 4: An interesting tradition

One interesting oral tradition holds that the Lord preserved the two horns from the sacrificial ram substituted for Isaac on Moriah (Ge 22:13). The Lord sounded one horn at Mount Sinai when giving the Ten Commandments: On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast (Ex 19:16 NIV). He will sound the other horn when the Messiah comes at the end of the age to redeem His people. Even in the New Testament, written mostly by Jews, the coming of the Messiah is said to be accompanied by the blowing of the heavenly shofar. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God (1Th 4:16 NIV). The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever” (Rev 11:15 NIV).

Summary: The blowing of the shofar is designed to call sinners to repent; to awaken thoughts of God’s sovereignty, power, and redeeming grace; and to express the hope in the heart of every Jew, and believing Gentile, that before long God will sound the great shofar that will usher in the reign of the Messiah.

If you want to learn a little Hebrew, you might enjoy reciting this Jewish prayer: (You should start recognizing the underlined words.)

Blessing for the Blowing of the Shofar

Bah-ruch ah-ta Adonai, Eh-lo-hay-nu meh-lech ha-o-lam,

Asher kid-sha-nu beh-mitz-vo-tav

vitz-ih-vanu lesh-mo-ah kol sho-far.

Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe,

who has sanctified us by Your commandments and

calls us to hear the voice of the shofar.

Shalom Aleichem,

Point to Ponder

Do we live in anticipation of the shofar call promised in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 and Revelation 11:15?

46. What Is a Lasting Ordinance?

Part 1: To whom do the ‘lasting ordinances’ apply?

Twenty-three lasting ordinances appear in Torah, mostly in Leviticus, a book of instructions for priests. Remember that Peter called us priests: But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people (1Pe 2:9 KJV). He was talking about us.

The lasting ordinance was an authoritative command or order from God Himself since He said it in His Word. The Jewish Study Bible translates it, “It is a law for all time.” The key question is, did it go away in the New Testament? Consider that other Bible versions translated this in terms like a perpetual statute, memorial, always. A concern is that some of the more modern versions downplay the perpetuity nature of the ordinances.

The first mention of a lasting ordinance refers to the Pesach feast (Passover): And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever (Ex 12:14 KJV).

Did the lasting ordinances end, expire, or become passé after Yeshua’s atoning sacrifice? If so, why did He say, For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled (Mt 5:18 KJV)? Yes, I have heard it said that His death on the cross abolished the law, or words to that effect. But I do not believe that the Ten Commandments were done away with by His death. Nor did God do away with all the advice for good, prosperous, blessed, righteous living. Therefore, the lasting ordinances must also still be in effect.

In the Insight on the 613 mitzvot in the Torah, we recognized there are some mitzvot that are no longer feasible or necessary or that cannot be fulfilled today; like those involving the temple, animal sacrifices, Levitical priesthood, and cut-off laws. But clearly, not all were negated!

There is but one law for both Jew and Gentile:

And if a stranger sojourn with you, or whosoever be among you in your generations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD; as ye do, so he shall do. One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an ordinance for ever in your generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the LORD. 16 One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you (Nu15:14-16 KJV).

How many times does Adonai have to tell us? Yes, we Gentile believers are also God’s chosen people! And therefore Adonai wants Gentile believers to also enjoy the liberty of living by the rules and boundaries He set up as a loving Father. His ordinances and His love are everlasting.

Selah. (Think about it.)

Part 2: What Are Some Lasting Ordinances?

Never forget that everything God commands us to do is for our own good.

Let’s review just a few of the ordinances He called lasting. How can they and how should they be honored today?

1. Keep the olive oil lamp burning: You are to order the people of Isra’el to bring you pure oil of pounded olives for the light, and to keep a lamp burning continually . . . and keep it burning from evening until morning before ADONAI. This is to be a permanent regulation through all the generations of the people of Isra’el (Ex 27:20-21 CJB). And there is similar wording in Leviticus 24:1-4. Remember the wise and the foolish virgins and the lesson to keep our lamps burning with sufficient oil, symbolic of the presence of the Holy Spirit.

2. Cleanliness for us, the priests: Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting [prayer closet], they shall wash with water so that they will not die. Also, when they approach the altar to minister . . . they shall wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This is to be a lasting ordinance for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come (Ex 30:20-21 NIV). We as priests are commanded to lead holy lives, to be clean in His presence. And He is omnipresent.

3. Passover (Pesach): This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD—a lasting ordinance . . . Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come (Ex 12:14-17 NIV). Where does our custom of communion come from?—The Passover feast. Have you ever been to a Passover seder (meal)? It is a lasting ordinance for us to remember the day we were set free from Egypt or the world.

4. Feast of weeks (Shavuot or in Greek: Pentecost): From the day after the Sabbath . . . count off seven full weeks. Count off fifty days . . . and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD [firstfruits of new harvest] . . . On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly and do no regular work. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live (Lev 23:15-21 NIV). What else happened to the messianic Torah followers on the day described in Acts 2:4? The church was born with the commandments on their hearts, instead of in stone.

5. Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur): The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present an offering . . . Do no work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the LORD your God. Anyone who does not deny himself on that day must be cut off from his people . . . You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. It is a sabbath of rest for you, and you must deny yourselves (a complete Fast; Lev 23:27-32 NIV; cf. Lev 16:29-34). Since we’ve been forgiven, doesn’t it make sense to set aside at least one day a year for fasting, reflecting, confessing, and repenting and for praying and thanking Him for the forgiven sins of the past year? By the way, do you want to buy a Yom Kippur cookbook? The pages are blank.

6. Feast of Booths or Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot, a remembrance of time in the desert and of new beginnings): So beginning with the fifteenth day [under a full moon] of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, [around our Thanksgiving time] celebrate the festival to the LORD for seven days; the first day is a day of rest, and the eighth day also is a day of rest. (How to make a booth:) On the first day you are to take choice fruit from the trees, and palm fronds, leafy branches and poplars, and rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. Celebrate this as a festival to the LORD for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come . . . Live in booths for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in booths so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God (Lev 23:33-44 NIV).

Did you live in humble surroundings before you entered the Promised Land? Might there be value in stopping the world for a few days to reflect on our redemption?

Rabbis teach that this is time the Lord wants to spend fellowshipping with us.

Some think our Thanksgiving Day has origins in the Feast of Booths.

And many scholars figure Jesus was born at that time.

However, I am puzzled as to how to obey His command to travel to Jerusalem for each of the three mandatory pilgrimage feasts. I have only been there twice but would enjoy going more often.

Conclusion: I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but I do enjoy studying the program that our Lord laid out for us. These are His invitations to each of us, so we would know Him more intimately. Maybe He intends for us to celebrate these feasts as special Sabbaths, so we may enjoy some intimate times with Him. And our pilgrimage to the New Jerusalem is coming later.

To each of you with everlasting chesed, (covenant love or kindness)

Yosef

Points to Ponder

How long is everlasting?

Do we really understand why

He declared the ordinances everlasting?

47. What Were They Devoted To?—Learning

How many times do you hear someone wanting to know, or go back to, what the early church did to be so successful? We find ourselves envious of their explosive growth. The book of Acts provides a succinct answer: They continued faithfully in the teaching of the emissaries, in fellowship, in breaking bread and in the prayers (Ac 2:42 CJB). Is there a reason that teaching is named first?

Growing as they did required a lot of equipping of the saints (Eph 4:11-12). Small living room fellowships did not have a paid, professional leader; instead everyone participated, learned, took turns teaching, and eventually started another group in another home. How did these Hebrew believers become so learned? Three keys:

1. It started in childhood. Children at about the age of five would start to learn and memorize the Torah, starting with Leviticus in order to learn what is righteous and holy, before learning anything else. And honey was fed in the initial reading session so the word became as sweet as honey (Ps119:103). By the time the boy was twelve, he was trying to memorize major portions of the Torah. Then at age thirteen, the boy would celebrate his bar mitzvah and be accepted as a man in the community. Incidentally, it is not surprising that Jesus was teaching at the temple at the age of twelve. Was that part of His bar mitzvah service in which the young man preaches to the community? Decision time would come at about age fifteen, when they young man is either chosen to learn a trade or accepted to continue studying and memorizing the rest of the TaNaK. The age of thirty was the typical rabbinical ordination. Remember that Jesus was ordained, commissioned, by baptism (or mikvah) in the Jordan at about that age. But the learning culture continued for all men till their dying day.

2. Teaching was and still is the father’s responsibility. Mother helped, but there was no public school. And a child that did not learn the law and also a trade was a disgrace to the father (and to his Heavenly Father). The center of education was the home. They used text-people, not textbooks. As the father and mother worked around the house, the children would be taught object lessons. Deuteronomy 6:6-9 prescribes the curriculum:

These words, which I am ordering you today, are to be on your heart; and you are to teach them carefully to your children. You are to talk about them when you sit at home, when you are traveling on the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them on your hand as a sign, put them at the front of a headband around your forehead, and write them on the door-frames of your house and on your gates (CJB).

Homeschooling is not new; and observing diligent homeschooling parent-child interaction awakens one to the advantages of learning to capture teaching moments in daily life.

3. Education was supplemented by priests, prophets, and wise men. Priests were the custodians and expounders of the law (Dt 31:9-13). Prophets championed moral righteousness and social justice. Wise men were respected for the Hebrew wisdom.

Conclusion: The superior education process, customs, and culture have produced an abundance of Nobel Prize winners, doctors, lawyers, and business owners. One of many examples is the Rothschild family.

So why the explosive growth of the early church? The typical Jew in Bible times studied, learned, and knew God’s Word thoroughly; thus many were able to grasp the message of the Messiah, Yeshua Ha Mashiach. Leading a newly spun-off Bible study or living room fellowship was second nature to the typical Hebrew family. Thus the church had plenty of God-fearing, learned Bible scholars ready to lead new groups. And evangelism was second nature too. Would a more thorough reverence of God and learning of His Word provide the desire and ability for today’s church to explode? Let’s know God for who He is; rather than for “what He can do for me.”

Selah. (Think about it.)

Points to Ponder

Why are Sunday schools so poorly attended?

What happens if God is left out of learning?

48. What Are Some Traditional Hebrew Prayers?

Most prayers in Hebrew generally start with a powerful statement:

Barukh atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech ha-Olam.

“Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe.”

From this opening line we can start some basic translating and start learning Hebrew, the language in which Yeshua spoke and taught.

Barukh blessed

Adonai Lord

Eloheinu our God

Melech King

ha-Olam forever

Let’s look for these words in a few traditional prayers recited in Jewish and messianic homes, Sabbath meals, and synagogues.

1. Blessing before partaking of the kiddush cup, the cup of wine.

Barukh atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech ha-Olam,

bo-re pe-re haggafen. Amein.

“Blessed art Thou, Lord our God, King of the universe,

Who creates fruit of the vine. Amen.”

2. Blessing before eating the challah, the bread.

(At the Sabbath meal it is referred to as HaMotzi.)

Barukh atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech ha-Olam,

Hamotzi lechem min ha’aretz. Amein.

“Blessed art Thou, Lord our God, King of the universe,

Who brings forth bread from the earth. Amen.”

3. Kiryat HaTorah (blessing prior to Torah reading).

Barukh atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech ha-Olam,

a-sher bachar ba-noo mee-kol ha-ameem,

Ve-na-tan la-nu et To-ra-to.

Ba-ruch a-ta Adonai, no-tain ha-Torah. Amein.

“Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe,

Who has chosen us from all peoples,

by giving us His Torah.

Blessed are You, O Lord, the Giver of the Torah. Amen.”

4. Kiryat HaTorah (blessing after Torah reading):

Barukh atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech ha-Olam,

a-sher na-tan la-un Torat e-met,

Ve-cha-yei o-lam na-ta be-to-chei-nu.

Ba-ruch a-ta Adonai, no-tain ha-Torah.

“Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe,

who has given us a Torah of truth,

implanting within us eternal life.

Blessed are You, O Lord, the Giver of the Torah.”

5. Aaronic benediction:

ADONAI said to Moshe, “Speak to Aharon and his sons, and tell them that this is how you are to bless the people of Isra’el: you are to say to them, ‘Y’varekh’kha ADONAI v’yishmerekha.

Ya’er ADONAI panav eleikha vichuneikka.

Yissa ADONAI panav eleikha v’yasem l’kha shalom.’

(optional) B’shem Yeshua HaMashiach, Sar Shalom

“‘May ADONAI bless you and keep you.

May ADONAI make His face shine on you and show you His favor.

May ADONAI lift up His face toward you and give you peace.’”

(optional) “In the Name of Yeshua the Messiah, the Prince of Peace”

(Nu 6:22-27 CJB).

Conclusion: By reciting these prayers, you will begin to recognize and adopt Hebrew words. For example, when the congregation sings, “Holy, Holy, Holy, O Lord, My God, Lord of Hosts,” I find myself singing, Ka-dosh, Ka-dosh, Ka-dosh, Adonai, Elohenu, Sa-va-ot.

The voice we hear on the day when the final trumpet sounds will proclaim in Hebrew Barukh haba b’shem Adonai,

“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Hallelujah! (Hallel = Praise; Jah = God)

Yosef

49. What Will You See Inside a Synagogue?

Synagogues are open to all people by tradition, but not in all cases. Jews recognize that every person is made in God’s image. Three Hebrew names describe the purpose and events in a synagogue:

Beit Tefilah “House of Prayer”

Beit Midrash “House of Study”

Beit Kenesset “House of Gathering”

Upon entering, you’ll be greeted with Shabbat Shalom, “Peaceful Sabbath,” or Chag Sameach (KHAHG sah-MEHY-ahkh), “Happy holiday,” or the traditional anytime or anywhere greeting Shalom Aleichem, “Peace to you.” Your response can be Aleichem Shalom, “And to you peace.”

On the right-hand side of the doorpost, as you enter, expect to see a mezuzah. Touch it and then kiss that finger, or vice versa, as a sign of respect for God, and thank Him for the commandments.

Men will be wearing a small head covering or cap, called a kippah, a custom acknowledging that God is above; and be wrapped in a tallith, a prayer shawl, with blue-white fringes, called tzitzit, reminders to us of God’s commandments as He specified in Numbers 15:38.

You will be given a prayer book, called a siddur, literally, “order.”

The sanctuary contains a number of items of symbolic and recognizable significance. Centered of the front wall of the sanctuary (looking east, toward Jerusalem) is the Aron HaChodesh, “closet holy,” containing the Torah scroll, the Word of God. This is the holiest place in the synagogue. In like manner in a Catholic church, there is the tabernacle centered behind the altar in which dwells the Eucharist, or consecrated bread, believed to be the body of Jesus Christ. Remember John 1:1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (CJB). Both customs center the focus on Yeshua: the Bread of Life and the Word of God.

How many churches today focus on

a projection screen or drum set?

During the service you will celebrate Simchat Torah, the “Joy of the Torah,” when the Torah scroll is removed from the Aron HaChodesh and joyfully carried around while the congregation takes turns kissing it to show their love for God’s Word, the Torah.

In front of the ark is the bimah, a raised lectern where leaders of prayer and readings will stand. Speakers are called to aliyah, literally “going up,” to the bimah. The same word, aliyah, describes the act of a Jew returning home to Jerusalem, where one “goes up.”

Also in the sanctuary above the ark is a ner tamid, “eternal light,” to symbolize God’s presence. Once again we see a similarity to the red light always found in the sanctuary of Catholic churches.

Other symbols or objects you see will include a menorah, a candelabra with seven lights, like the one God prescribed in Exodus 25:31. If there are nine candles, then it is a chanukiyah, used during the eight-day Chanukah season in December with a candle lit for each day, plus the Shemash, servant candle, in the middle. Who is our best example of the perfect servant?

A Rabbi, ‘teacher’, and a Chazam, ‘cantor’, will lead the service with recitations from the Siddur. You will be lead through a rather long prayer called the Amidah, ‘The Standing Prayer’. When the Apostles asked Yeshua ‘how to pray’ he gave them “The Lord’s Prayer”—which is a very short summary of the Amidah.

Just like in the traditional Christian church, after the Sabbath service, there will be an “eating meeting” called Oneg Shabbat, literally “enjoying sabbath.” You will enjoy the kiddush, an ornamental cup, and challah, a delicious bread, and recite the traditional prayer over each the same prayer in Hebrew that Yeshua recited every Shabbat.[33] Then you will enjoy a delicious array of desserts.

I hope you enjoyed the synagogue visit, albeit not as fascinating as attending a real Shabbat in a real Synagogue, orthodox or messianic.

Try it. You’ll like it.

Yosef

50. What Is in a Hebrew Prayer Book?

Is it the many traditional prayers of the Jews that keep them in close relationship with Adonai? Here are a few of their prayers and some comments. Read them. Or better yet, try praying them.

The Sh’ma is the Jewish pledge of allegiance from Deuteronomy 6:4. It is recited at least three times a day, if not more.

Sh’ma Yisra’el! ADONAI Eloheinu, ADONAI echad.

Barukh shem kevod malchuto, l’olam va’ed

“Hear Israel, ADONAI our God, ADONAI is one.

Blessed is the name of His glorious kingdom, forever and ever.”

The Amidah is the central prayer of morning, afternoon, evening, and also the Sabbath services. The word Amidah literally means “standing,” because it is recited while standing. It is long and has eighteen or nineteen long verses to be recited three times a day. Our Lord’s Prayer is Yeshua’s shortened version. See more in the next Insight, “Why Do We Stand for the Lord’s Prayer?”

The Aaronic benediction is taken from Numbers 6:22-26: ADONAI said to Moshe, “Speak to Aharon and his sons, and tell them that this is how you are to bless the people of Isra’el: you are to say to them, ‘Y’varekh’kha ADONAI v’yishmerekha . . . ‘“

The Bar’chu is a blessing:

Bar’chu et Adonai Ham’vorach.

Ba’ruch Adonai Ham’vorach l’olam va’ed.

“Blessed be Adonai who is blessed.

Blessed be Adonai who is blessed forever and ever.”[34]

Kiryat HaTorah is the blessing after Torah reading:

Barukh Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha’olam

asher natan lanu Torah emet v’cha’yei olam nata b’tochenu.

Barukh Atah Adonai noteyn ha Torah. Amein.

“Blessed are You, O Adonai our God, King of the universe.

Who has given us the Torah of truth

and planted eternal life in our midst.

Blessed are You O Adonai who gives us the Torah. Amen.”

Donning the tallit is done with a prayer that is also written in Hebrew on the Atarah (Crown) of my Tallit:

Barukh atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech ha-Olam,

Asher Kidshanu B’mitsvatav Ve-tsevanu Leyitatef b’tzitzit.

“Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe,

Who as sanctified us with His commandments

and commanded us to wrap ourselves in the tzitzit”

Asher yatzar epitomizes the claim that Jews have a prayer for everything. In case you still wonder if the Hebrew siddur has official prayers for everything, here is the prayer to recite when relieving oneself:

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, King of the universe, who formed man with wisdom, and created within him many openings and passageways, as well as hollows and cavities. It is revealed and known before Your throne of glory that, if one of these hollows were ruptured, or one of these passageways were obstructed, it would be impossible to exist or to stand before You for even a single moment. Blessed are You, Adonai, healer of all flesh and worker of wonders!

Now do you believe Jews have a prayer for everything? Should Christians?

Barukh HaShem. (Bless His name.)

Yosef

Points to Ponder

Paul said, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing.”

How can we pray without ceasing?

51. Why Do We Stand for the Lord’s Prayer?

The Amidah is called “standing prayer” and is part of the in the liturgy of a synagogue service. It is a long prayer with eighteen or nineteen parts. It is also known as the Shemoneh Esrei (literally “eighteen” in Hebrew). In the Middle Ages, there was a prayer added to it, but the name didn’t change. So it is understandable that Yeshua’s disciples asked for a shorter version, thus we read,

And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray . . .

This, then, is how you should pray:

“Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.

(some late manuscripts add)

for yours is the kingdom and the power

and the glory forever. Amen” (Mt 6:5-13 NIV).

Yeshua’s Lord’s Prayer is actually a shortened version of eighteen—or nineteen long verses, called the Amidah. This traditional prayer appears to have been around since before the time of Yeshua. And every paragraph of the traditional Amidah contains value and insight to help guide our own prayer. There are nineteen blessings. The Amidah is divided into three sections. The first three praise God. The middle thirteen pertain to our needs—spiritual, physical, emotional, material—and to the Jewish people and their society. And the last three thank God.

Here is an outline of the Amidah:

Part I: Blessings of Praise

1.    Blessing One: Avot (fathers) Exodus 32:13; identifying our lineage, heritage.

2.    Birkat Two: Gevurot (God’s might) Psalm 29:1; He sustains us.

3.    Blessing Three: Kedushat HaShem (holiness of God’s name).

Part II: Blessings of Petition

4. Birkat Four: Da’at (knowledge) direct everyday activities to higher spiritual purpose.

5. Blessing Five: Teshuvah (repentance) return to God and observance of His Torah.

6. Birkat Six: Selichah (forgiveness) For he will freely pardon (Isa 55:7 NIV). Without limit!

7. Blessing Seven: Geulah (redemption) physical, emotional, and material needs.

8. Birkat Eight: Refuah (health and healing).

9. Blessing Nine: Birkat Hashanim (year of prosperity).

10. Birkat Ten: Kibbutz Galuyot (ingathering of exiles) freedom is desired.

11. Blessing Eleven: Birkat HaDin (restoration of justice) not only for Jews, but all humankind.

12. Birkat Twelve: Bikat HaMinim (against heretics).

13. Blessing Thirteen : Tsaddikim (righteous ones) sensitivity to true proselytes who cast lots with the Jewish people.

14. Birkat Fourteen: Binyan Yerushalayim (rebuilding of Jerusalem) Isaiah 2:3: Many peoples will go and say, “Come, let’s go up to the mountain of ADONAI, to the house of the God of Ya’akov! He will teach us about his ways, and we will walk in his paths” (Isa 2:3 CJB).

15. Blessing Fifteen: Malkhut beit David (kingdom of David) conviction of the coming Messiah.

16. Birkat Sixteen: Tefillah (hear our prayer) summary of previous twelve blessings.

Part III: Blessings of Gratitude

17. Blessing Seventeen: Avodah (worship) “Be favorable, HaShem our Lord, toward your people Israel and their prayer. And restore the service to the Holy of Holies of Your temple.”

18. Birkat Eighteen: Hoda’ah (thanksgiving) Always be grateful for our lives and all the wonders. Say thank you.

19. Blessing Nineteen: Sim Shalom (grant peace) “Blessed are you, HaShem, who blesses His nation with peace.”

Yosef

Point to Ponder

Can you relate each of the verses of the Lord’s Prayer to the outline of the Amidah above?

52. What Is the TaNaK?

It is the Hebrew Bible, which Christians refer to as the Old Testament. I exaggerated the spelling of TaNaK by emphasizing three key letters, because the Hebrew Bible represents three groupings of the Old Testament books. TaNaK is an acronym that stands for Torah (Books of Moses), N’vi-im (Prophets), K’tuvim (Writings). The pages following will list all the books and their groupings in TaNaK order and their titles in Hebrew.

Unfortunately, the New Testament refers to the Old Testament as the law, and our modern picture for the word law does not leave room for a foundation of love. Actually, the use of the word law in the New Testament, if used at all, should only reference the Mosaic Torah, which we have learned is really an instruction book on how to live life.

A problem is, when reading some of the prophets and writings (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, etc.), we read things that do not sound like God’s instructions to His people. Indeed, sometimes the writers are saying things that seem contrary to God’s instructions or intentions:

•    What a heavy burden God has laid on men! (Ecc 1:13).[35]

•    Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun (Ecc 2:11).

•    My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent (Ps 22:1-2).

•    How long, O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? (Hab 1:2)

•    Malachi and Jeremiah and the other prophets’ complaining, groaning, and crying out of torment.

•    By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept . . . “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget [its skill]. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you . . .” (Ps 137:1-6) They were asking, “Do we matter to God?”

•    The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away . . . (Job 1:21)[36].

So how are we to understand the Prophets and the Writings?

The Prophets had tough duty. The Lord had them in a dangerous role as spokespersons delivering heavy messages. Like us, they occasionally cowered under those loads, had thoughts and said things like we do when under pressure and in anguish, concerned to get it right. I liken reading their books to reading their diary. It contains their good, bad, and ugly, but honest, thoughts as they delivered God’s messages of tough love.

The Writings are generally like listening or eavesdropping on prayers of righteous men of God whose relationship with Adonai was so good that they could be totally honest, candid, and frank with their good friend, the Lord. When our relationships with someone are solid, we can be open and honest and express our full range of emotions. These men occasionally found themselves expressing frustration to their best friend, God. The writers were prayer warriors just being honest. So always remember we are eavesdropping on someone’s conversation with their Lord when we are reading the Writings.

Thanks for listening,

Yosef

Point to Ponder

Are our prayers sometimes overly polite,

instead of honest and forthright?

The next two pages provide details of the content of the TaNaK.

A listing of the books and their order in the TaNaK:

The five books of Moses (Torah) are: [37]

•    Genesis        Beresheet    “beginning”

In the beginning God . . . (Ge 1:1).

•    Exodus               (Shemot) “names”

Names of the sons . . . (Ex 1:1).

•    Leviticus        (Vayikra)    “and He called”

ADONAI called to Moshe . . . (Lev 1:1).

•    Numbers       (Ba-Midbar)    “in the Desert”

To Moshes . . . in the Sinai Desert (Nu 1:1).

•    Deuteronomy   (Devarim)    “words”

The words Moshe spoke to Isra’el (Dt 1:1).

Prophets (N’vi-im) were written as direct prophecies or recordings of what God said to the prophets. They are (in order):

•    Joshua                 (Y’hoshua)

•    Judges                (Shoftim)

•    Samuel (1&2)     (Sh’mu’el)

•    Kings (1&2)       (Melakhim)

•    Isaiah                 (Yeshu’yahu)

•    Jeremiah            (Yirm’yahu)

•    Ezekiel              (Yechezk’el)

•    Hosea                 (Hoshea)

•    Joel                     (Yo’el)

•    Amos                  (Amos)

•    Obadiah              (Ovadyah)

•    Jonah                   (Yonah)

•    Micah                  (Mikhah)

•    Nahum                (Nachum)

•    Habakkuk            (Havakuk)

•    Zephaniah           (Tz’fanyah)

•    Haggai                (Hagai)

•    Zechariah            (Z’kharyah)

•    Malachi               (Mal’akhi)

Writings (K’tuvim) are the books written by men with the guidance of God. They are:

•    Psalms                                  (Tehillim)

•    Proverbs                               (Mishlei)

•    Job                                        (Iyob)

•    Song of Songs, Solomon       (Shir haShirim)

•    Ruth                                      (Rut)

•    Lamentations                        (Eikhah)

•    Ecclesiastes                           (Kohelet)

•    Esther                                   (Esteir or Lots) re casting of Lots

•    Daniel                                  (Dani’el)

•    Ezra                                     (Ezra)

•    Nehemiah                            (Nechemyah)

•    Chronicles (1&2)                  (Dibre haYamim)

Points to Ponder

Are you starting to recognize some Hebrew words?

53. Why Do We Say Grace Before Eating?

We encountered an interesting difference between Hebraic and Christian customs when we dined with our group in a Tel Aviv hotel. The maître d’ pointed out he knew we were Christians. “How did you know that?” we asked. He pointed out that Christians pray before their meal; Jews pray after the meal. I was wondering why, that is until studying the Christian mind-set the last few weeks. Notice that Christian thinking feels a need to bless the food because it is physical matter and therefore providing physical pleasure and satisfaction. So we must pray over it to make it okay to eat. Hebrew thinking accepts that everything God created is for our pleasure. It would therefore be an insult to pray before eating in order to sanctify the food. It is already blessed by the Creator by virtue of the fact He gave it to us. However, the Jewish-Hebrew mind-set wants to be thankful for the bounty, thus offering a prayer of thanksgiving after the meal.

I had a similar discussion with a colleague, Hugo, who is a French Jew and owner of a company in California. He detested the way Americans say “God bless America.” There are possibly two reasons he felt that way. First, he said it is selfish to want God to bless America and not the French and all the other peoples of the earth. Second, although he did not come right out and say it, I sensed from his Jewish background that our request for God to bless America is a request for personal, selfish blessings instead of concern for a corporate blessing.

Our two daughters have similar concerns regarding our frequent request “God bless America.” They have gone so far as to make big signs in red, white, and blue for the front of our homes that read “America Bless God.” Our daughters feel that until America blesses God, why should we expect God to bless America? They frequently refer to 2 Chronicles 7:14: If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray . . . (KJV).

Similar thinking applies to our tendency to want to bless things and places like water, crosses, idols, ground, buildings, food, oil, and so forth to make them holy. God already made them holy when He created them. What was the first thing God blessed?—Not things. God first blessed time: God blessed the seventh day and separated it as holy . . . (Ge 2:3 CJB).

Thus our first obligation to God is to recognize His gift to us of His presence, time, and involvement in our daily lives. And He also blesses people(s). You will find a concordance search on blessed to be very enlightening.

Todah Rabbah Yeshua Ha Mashiach.

(Thank you very much, Jesus the Messiah.)

Yosef

Point to Ponder

How can we sanctify the precious moments in our lives?

And the people in our lives?

54. What Did Christianity Inherit from Judaism?

The church as we know it started as a sect within Judaism; the church was born in Jerusalem; our Lord Jesus was born a Jew and was obviously rather orthodox; and His followers and disciples were Jewish. Yet in modern times we have seen Christians distancing themselves from God’s chosen people. Replacement theology[38] teachings have forgotten Paul’s admonition after describing our Gentile role in the image of the olive tree.

For if you were cut out of what is by nature a wild olive tree and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree! . . . It is that stoniness, to a degree, has come upon Isra’el, until the Gentile world enters in its fullness; and that it is in this way that all Isra’el will be saved (Ro 11:24-26 CJB).

With all the ways we have differentiated Christianity from Judaism, and with all the anti-Semitic issues we have witnessed, I wonder if we have overlooked what real and practical everyday things we have received or inherited or soaked up from our Hebraic roots. One could look upon Judaism as our parent, the source of our spiritual sap or the olive tree we were grafted into. Consider the following:

1.   The canon, or Bible as we know it, is the foundation for the belief system of the church. We are indebted to the synagogue for the idea of a canon, a sacred and authoritative Scripture used to rule and guide all areas of our lives. There are the five ways the Scripture was used in the synagogue. Notice the parallels to its use in the traditional Christian church.

a.  Read: the Torah and haftarah scrolls were and are treasured and revered front and center in the Aaron HaKodesh (holy closet).

b.  Preached: similar homilies are found in the Midrashim.[39]

c.  Translated: paraphrased so as to be understood in Targums.[40]

d.  Prayed: as found in many passages in the siddur, prayer book.

e.  Sung: as hymns using Scripture for lyrics.

2.   Form and order of worship are surprisingly similar between synagogue and church liturgies

3.   The altar and its central focus comes to us directly out of the original covenant, especially the Torah’s picture of the tabernacle and temple configuration.

4.   The pulpit is the focal point for preaching the Word.

5.   Titles of church offices, such as elder, teacher, shepherd.

6.   Vocabulary like amen and hallelujah come straight from Hebrew and yet are shouted with enthusiasm in Christian churches.

7.   Baptism comes to us from the Jewish mikvah used for ceremonial cleansing of the total body in preparation for special occasions.

8.   The Lord’s Supper, communion, or eucharistic offering comes from the Passover seder commemorating our redemption. While the church has differing timing customs for ministering communion, Yeshua is quoted in 1 Corinthians 11:26 as saying, As often as you eat this bread and drink the cup . . . (CJB). I wonder if He was referring to the annual Passover seder, thus teaching His apostles that Passover was a foreshadowing of His atoning sacrificial death.

Based on our customs, practices, and vocabulary it is hard to deny the Hebraic roots of our modern-day Christian church, which is too often erroneously thought of as the antithesis of Judaism.

Shalom

Yosef

Point to Ponder

We cannot deny the Hebraic roots of Christianity!

55. What Is Judaizing?

We are familiar with Paul’s messages, as in Galatians 5:1: What the Messiah has freed us for is freedom! Therefore, stand firm, and don’t let yourselves be tied up again to a yoke of slavery (CJB). This is a case of Paul expressing concern for attempts by some believing Jews of the day trying to convert Gentile believers into Jews by requiring them to immediately take on all the Jewish customs, laws, and so forth.

In current times, my friends in messianic circles have been accused of having been Judaized or they have been accused of Judaizing others. So let’s clarify definitions and understandings. What is Judaizing, and what is not Judaizing?

Here are two relevant quotes:[41]

•  “Some Christians protest when any call is made for non-Jewish believers to return to the Jewish roots of early Christianity, for such a return seems like Judaizing, which Paul battled.”

•  “Following a meaningful biblical custom is far different from being bound by a required practice.” Selah! Think about it.

Question, would you call any of these Judaizing?

•  To reconstruct and reinstitute certain aspects of the first-century Jewish believers’ understanding of the New Testament and their understanding of church as a congregation of believers.

•  To investigate the life and teachings of Jesus through Jewish eyes.

•  To find personal fulfillment by adopting a perspective on God and an understanding of one’s neighbor derived from Hebraic teachings of the Hebrew prophets and teachings.

•  To enjoy and relate positively to a Jewish pattern of worship, music, and celebration of special events in life, including the feast days that a loving Father God prescribed for His people.

•  To find that one cares deeply for Israel, for its people, and for the historic land. And one finds it to be a veritable laboratory filled with spiritual and historical meaning?

To each of the above questions I would answer an emphatic “No, those examples are not Judaizing.” And I think you would agree.

With the coming of Jesus of Nazareth and the covenant set in motion by His death and the elimination of the temple, some aspects of the ritual and ceremonial aspects of Mosaic law were no longer technically binding or feasible or meaningful. Yet these aspects and their lessons could have been and still are of important spiritual value for Gentile believers. They may not be mandatory for a right relationship with God, but they could have and still do help us Gentile believers to understand our faith properly and much more deeply.

Let’s be clear, Paul did not view Christianity as a religion distinct from Judaism. Rather he understood it as a form of his ancestral religion being fulfilled into the next logical stage of development. The more one studies the TaNaK, acronym for Torah (Books of Moses), N’vi-im (Prophets), K’tuvim (Writings), the more one realizes there is not much ‘new’ in Paul’s teachings. Paul upheld and used the law and Torah to support his preaching; and the only times he sounded negative to the law was when he was pointing out that the problem was with the people, not the law. In fact, Paul and the apostles evangelized using only the TaNaK, the Old Testament. Interesting!

Too many Christians feel the olive tree died about two thousand years ago and that the root has no life. God’s gifts and call are irrevocable. We Gentiles are grafted in and receive our Gentile sap from the Hebraic roots of the olive tree. The Christian community could be accused of grossly ignoring Paul’s admonition in Romans 11:18 to not boast as if you were better than the branches! (CJB). Paul saw anti-Semitism coming. Try reading Romans 11 in light of this Insight.

Lord, please forgive any and all anti-Semitic thoughts

or actions we may have committed.

Yosef

Holidays and Everlasting Feast Days

So God Can Draw Closer to Us

56. A Holiday Parable

This little parable brings out the importance of obeying God’s mandated feast days![42] They are called Jewish holidays, but should be called God’s holidays. The word holiday originated from holy day.

Once upon a time there was a wonderful King that ruled a Kingdom. The King was always doing fine and wonderful things for His people. The people desired in their hearts to worship and glorify the King and His wonderful deeds. So the King planned appointed times each year, special times for celebrations to tell other stories of His deeds to the people’s children and to glorify the King. The King wrote the instructions of how to observe the celebration in a book called the Book of Wisdom. For many years the people enjoyed these celebrations. Each year they would learn more about their King and feel closer to Him. They realized the King’s celebrations were not only to tell stories of the things the King had done for His people in the past, but also foreshadows of more fine things the King was planning to do for them in the future.

There was another kingdom that did not worship the King. They worshiped objects such as statues, animals, trees, and the sun. In this other kingdom, the people practiced several different annual parties that glorified the people and the objects instead of the King. Each party had a different theme. In some they dressed up like animals and other beings. In some they decorated their homes and gave gifts to each other.

Then a man from this other kingdom visited the King’s kingdom and told the people the annual parties were much more fun than the King’s celebrations. Some of the people wanted to continue celebrating the ceremonies that worshipped the King. Other people wanted to replace the special celebrations with the new celebrations. Through the years people started to combine both sets of celebrations. They would practice the annual parties, meant to worship objects such as statues, animals, trees, and the sun, but they would say that they were worshipping the King, not the object, so everyone would be happy. They changed the appointed time of the King’s celebration to new times that coincided with the annual parties. The people of both kingdoms were combining so many traditions that no one could tell that there were two kingdoms. The kingdoms blended into each other. This continued for many years until the most recent generations forgot the celebration that the King planned that glorified the King and His wonderful deeds for the people.

One day a man was reading the Book of Wisdom. He came across a little known chapter that told about the King’s appointed times each year: special times for celebrations to tell the stories of His deeds to the people’s children and to glorify the King. He was so excited! He went to tell the people about the wonderful celebrations. This made the people very angry. They felt that the man was condemning them for traditions that they had innocently done all their lives. They did not understand.

The man was sad, but he decided to keep the King’s celebration in his own family. The man’s family learned much about the King. In fact, each year the man and his family grew closer and closer to the King because of the wonderful stories they learned about during celebrations. The man and his family learned that the King had special secrets that revealed foreshadowings of more fine things the King was planning to do for them. That man wanted so much to share these stories with others. Even though the man was continually rejected, he continued to tell about the King’s celebrations. After a while, a few other families (who had always felt uncomfortable about the annual parties they kept) listened to the man. They read the chapter in the Book of Wisdom and also got excited. Soon many people returned to celebrating the King’s appointed times, worshipping and telling stories about the King. This made the King very happy!

Points to Ponder

Which feasts have we been ignoring?

And what blessings are we foregoing?

57. Man’s Wisdom versus God’s Wisdom

While we are still reflecting on our recognition of holidays and our failures to obey God, let’s consider another parable called “Don’t Add or Take Away”[43]

A king calls in his trusted minister and says: “I have an important mission for you to perform. Go to the neighboring kingdom and meet their leaders. But remember one thing—under no circumstances must you remove your shirt during this meeting. Now go and do as I say.”

The minister sets off on his merry way and soon arrives at the neighboring kingdom. There he heads straight for the palace where he meets with the king. In the midst of their discussion, he sees some of the king’s officers pointing and laughing at him.

“Why are you laughing?” asks the visiting minister.

“Because we’ve never seen someone with such a pronounced hunchback,” they say.

“What are you talking about? I’m not a hunchback!”

“Of course you are!”

“No, I’m not!”

“We’ll bet you one million dollars that you are!”

“Fine, I’ll gladly take your bet.”

“Okay, so take off your shirt and prove it.”

At which point the minister remembers the parting words of the king, “Under no circumstances must you remove your shirt during the meeting.” Yet, the minister reasons, a million dollars would certainly bring added wealth to the king’s coffers. I know I’m not a hunchback, so I’ll surely win the bet. Of course, under these circumstances the king would approve.

The minister removes his shirt and proudly displays his perfect posture. With pride in his achievement, he holds out his hand, into which is placed a check for one million dollars.

The minister can barely contain his excitement. He quickly ends the meeting and runs back to give the wonderful news to his king. “I earned you a million dollars!” exclaims the minister. “It was easy. I only had to remove my shirt to prove that I wasn’t a hunchback.”

“You did what?!” shouts the king. “But I told you specifically not to remove your shirt. I trusted that you’d follow instructions, and I bet the other king ten million dollars that he couldn’t get you to remove your shirt!”

Well, how many times and in how many ways do we consider our plans to be better than His plan(s)?

And when it comes to God’s feast days, sometimes referred to Jewish holy days, let us look for the significance from His perspective. After all, like a good parent, our Heavenly Father always has our best interest in mind when He gives us instructions. That’s a fact!

The next Insights will discuss the significance of His feast days.

Question: if your parents asked you to celebrate their wedding anniversary as their special day in the year, how would they feel if you celebrated their birthdays instead? Yes, they would still love you, but they would mutter to themselves, “My children are missing something. I have a reason for asking them to celebrate our wedding anniversary.”

By the way, the Bible makes no mentions of birthdays, maybe because birth really begins at conception. In fact, maybe we should celebrate our ‘rebirth’ day instead.

Yosef

Point to Ponder

How many times and in how many ways do we consider

our plans to be better than His plan(s)?

58. Significance of His Spring Feast Days

The spring feasts commemorate the beginning of our relationship with Almighty God:

Pesach , Passover, is celebrated on the fourteenth day of Nisan (around April), commemorating the Israelites’ deliverance from slavery in Egypt. Each of us was delivered from slavery one day. Is that an event worth commemorating? It represents our deliverance from slavery through Jesus’s death as the sacrificial lamb. Remember, this was the day Yeshua was sacrificed to free us from slavery. Another Insight will be discussing “Three Days in the Grave.”

Hag HaMatzoh , Feast of Unleavened Bread, is celebrated from the fifteenth to the twenty-first days of Nisan, during which time we are to eat only unleavened bread, bread without yeast (sin). On this day in history, Yeshua was buried and is likened to matzot, bread without leaven or sin. Do we preach sin and obedience often enough? This day devoted to cleansing from sin was so important to Yahweh that He declared it to be one of the pilgrimage feasts in Deuteronomy 16:16.

Yom HaBikkurim , or Shirat HaOmer, Day of the Firstfruits, starts on the sixteenth day of Nisan, when we are to remember that God gave us the land and dedicating the first harvest, barley, to Him. He calls for a three-day feast. Is this a picture of Yeshua’s resurrection? Yeshua arose on the third day of Passover season. Paul wrote, But the fact is that the Messiah has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have died . . . For just as in connection with Adam all die, so in connection with the Messiah all will be made alive . . . the Messiah is the firstfruits . . . (1Co 15:20-23 CJB). This is a picture of resurrection day, the day we are living as the new man, replacing the old man (Eph 4:20-24).

Shavuot , Pentecost (Greek), is celebrated fifty days after Yom HaBikkurim. Remember that God wants to put His commandments on our hearts:

“The time is coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts . . .” (Jer 31:31-33 NIV).

Following Insights will discuss God’s feast days in more detail.

Shalom Aleichem,

Yosef

Point to Ponder

What are we missing by not knowing,

understanding, and celebrating God’s feast days?

59. Significance of His Fall Feast Days

The fall feasts start a foretelling of our walk and future events during Yeshua’s second coming:

Rosh HaShanah , or Yom Teruah, is the start of the High Holy Days or Days of Awe and God’s wake-up call with trumpets, shofars, recognizing that judgment day is near! We can see this as the day the church will be regathered and doing good deeds to get our name written in the Book of Life. (The best deed obviously is to recognize Yeshua as the Messiah.) The day starts with the shofar blown 100 times to start a serious New Year’s holiday.[44]

Yom Kippur , Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the year. This is the day the high priest enters the Holiest of Holies to make atonement for all the people, and the scapegoat is released to carry sins away. Yeshua entered the Holy of Holies (heaven itself) once for all, not by blood sacrifices of animals, and the veil tore. Yom Kippur represents the final day of judgment when God judges his people. Many Jews attend Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur services even if they have not attended services the rest of the year. A total fast is commanded, and time is spent reflecting on and confessing sins. Since the Jews can no longer offer blood sacrifices because the temple was torn down in AD 70, they now substitute prayer and good works.

Sukkot , Feast of Booths or Feast of Tabernacles, is celebrated for seven days by living in booths for eight days. God requested they stay an extra day for fellowship with Him. It reminds the Israelites of the forty years living in the desert. We Christians could use this time to reflect on our time in the desert before we entered the Promised Land. Many believe that Jesus was born this day and tabernacled with us and that He may return during this feast. This represents the final harvest, when all believers will celebrate this feast. It is believed that the Pilgrims studied the Hebrew Torah and celebrated “Tabernacles” and that history has altered the time and name to “Thanksgiving.”

Simchat Torah , or the eighth day of Sukkot, celebrates the “Joy of the Torah.” This day was appointed by God as a sacred assembly:

At the end of every seven years, in the year for canceling debts, during the Feast of Tabernacles, when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose, you shall read this law before them in their hearing. Assemble the people—men, women and children, and the aliens living in your towns—so they can listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and follow carefully all the words of this law. Their children, who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the LORD your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess (Dt 31:10-13 NIV).

I believe the Lord wants us to read the Torah carefully, to listen to Him, to learn to fear Him, and follow carefully all the words. And this applies to all His children, of whom I am one and you are too.

We believers are to be rejoicing with the Living Torah, Yeshua Ha Mashiach.

To summarize the significances of the Feasts in chronological order:

•    Remember our salvation and our deliverance from slavery.

•    Learn to live without sin.

•    Know the Bread of Life arose so we can have everlasting life.

•    Remember His commandments are written on our hearts for our own good.

•    Recognize and acknowledge preparation for a judgment day

•    Remember there will be a final harvest.

•    Read, listen, fear, share, and enjoy the living Torah.

Following Insights will discuss God’s feast days in more detail.

Yosef

Point to Ponder

What are we missing by not knowing,

understanding, and celebrating God’s feast days?

60. Pesach (Passover) Special—What Caught the Thief’s Attention?

This special Insight was published just before Pesach to help us appreciate and prepare for honoring one of God’s mandated feast days.

On Palm Sunday, I heard a brilliant message about the smart robber on the cross with Jesus. This thief was one of the first people to be saved by faith in Yeshua Ha Mashiach. The thief’s testimony was recorded in Luke 23:40-43:

But the other one spoke up and rebuked the first, saying, “Have you no fear of God? You’re getting the same punishment as he is. Ours is only fair; we’re getting what we deserve for what we did. But this man did nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Yeshua, remember me when you come as King.” Yeshua said to him, “Yes! I promise that you will be with me today in Gan-`Eden.” (CJB).

What did the robber observe that caused him to recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah or Savior?

Let us look at the sign affixed to the top of the cross: Above his head they placed the written notice stating the charge against him, THIS IS YESHUA THE KING OF THE JEWS (Mt 27:37 CJB). While this was intended to ridicule Jesus by placing above his head an inscription that stated who He claimed He was, the words would appear somewhat like this in Hebrew transliterated:

Jeshua Hanozri Wumelech Haiehudim

Jeshua Hanozri Jesus of Nazareth;

Wumelech King;

Haiehudim of the Jews

The robber was probably a Jew and, like a good Jewish boy, had been educated in the Torah. So he would quickly recognize the most holy name of God, a name that the Jews are afraid to pronounce. That is why it is translated to HaShem or Adonai. This most holy name was nailed on the rugged cross as an acronym, spelling , or in English JHWH. With vowels we translate it Yahweh or Jehovah.

And since this robber would have been familiar with the feast activities and significance of Passover (Pesach), he would also recognize the sound of bleating of the innocent lambs being slain for the Pesach meal at the very time they were on the cross. This was the day of preparation before Pesach.

The robber was smart enough to put two and two together and realized this is Yeshua Ha Mashiach, our Savior the Messiah, or Jesus the Christ to the Greeks.

Hag Sameach, (Happy Holiday,)

Yosef

Point to Ponder

Did you ever wonder what else we could learn if we better understood and honored God’s feast days?

61. Passover and the Fate of the Lamb

The story of the Passover is not complete without reading Exodus 12 and understanding the fate of the lamb.

The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, “This month is to be for you . . . the first month of your year. Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household (Ex 12:1-3 NIV).

The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect . . . Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs (Ex 12:5-7 NIV).

Imagine searching carefully for a perfect lamb with no blemish or defect. Imagine carrying the sweet, innocent lamb into your home for four days, caring for it, and then on the fourth day slaughtering it in front of the family and splashing its blood upon the doorposts of your home. An innocent life is given to save the family. The lamb is sacrificed, its blood identifying the household as one that is under God’s protection. Next its body is roasted and eaten in its entirety by the members of the household. The sacrifice isn’t complete until the body is totally consumed.

That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. Do not eat the meat raw or cooked in water, but roast it over the fire—head, legs and inner parts. Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover (Ex 12:8-11 NIV).

Did you know that Yeshua’s entry into Jerusalem was the same day the Passover lambs were being selected? It is no coincidence that, like the Passover lambs, He was examined and questioned for four days and at every examination He was found to be innocent.

The night He was betrayed, Yeshua shared a Passover meal that was both ancient and new. While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then He took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Mt 26:26-28 NIV).

Yeshua’s words were very controversial and confusing at first. It is here in what is now called Communion that He reveals exactly who He is and ratifies the New Covenant or testament prophesied in Jeremiah 31:31-34.

What Yeshua was saying on the night of His Last Supper was not only that He was the Lamb of God. He was that Lamb from Exodus 12, and it was that Lamb that must be eaten in order for the sacrifice to become personal. It was that Lamb whose shed blood sealed us. Yeshua was not only the Passover Lamb whose life was given to redeem us from slavery but also the Lamb of God who came to deliver us from the slavery of sin.

Yeshua fulfilled the Passover meal. Now all believers, not just Jewish followers, have a sensory representation of His fulfillment as the Lamb of God.

We were passed over by the destroyer of our souls because of the blood of the Lamb of God on the doorpost of our hearts, and each time we partake of the matzah, unleavened bread, and wine we are reminded of Yeshua’s ultimate sacrifice for us.

Take and eat. Take and drink. Taste and see that the LORD is good (Ps. 34:8a).

Yosef

Point to Ponder

Imagine having to kill the innocent pet lamb in your home because of your sins.

. . . in front of your children.

62. Is Matzah Important?

or

Why Recognize the Feast of Unleavened Bread?

Exodus 12:15-20 tells us that the feast of matzah is to last for seven full days in which the sons of Israel are not to eat any bread with yeast, and they must eat matzah, unleavened bread. Every homemaker knows that yeast makes the dough rise. It was seen then, as it is in our day now, that a man full of pride is said to be puffed up. In this feast, leaven is the picture of sin. At the Passover meal, matzah is eaten on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This is why it is so biblically and symbolically absurd, or missing the point, to have any kind of bread with yeast in it for Communion.

What Yahweh is demanding from His people Israel, is that they are to be especially conscious of their calling to walk in holiness. It was not enough that God would free Israel from Egyptian slavery. They had to follow His ways and be a holy people unto their God. What this meant for them was that their hearts would have to be totally dedicated to Yahweh, something that we can identify with today. What the Passover Feast of Unleavened Bread pictures is Israel free of sin. This picture is very timely, and therefore, the Feast of Unleavened Bread should not be done away with or ignored.

For seven days you are to eat matzah—on the first day remove the leaven from your houses. For whoever eats hametz [leavened bread] from the first to the seventh day is to be cut off from Isra’el. (Ex 12:15 CJB)

Verse 15 explains that for seven days there must not be any leaven in the house. If anyone would eat regular bread, that person would be cut off from Israel. We can see that this is a very serious offense to Yahweh. Why so many churches today conduct communion with leavened bread, in violation of the Word of God, is because they don’t understand their ancient heritage and a feast commanded by God.

What does God tell us to do in Exodus 12:17? You are to observe the festival of matzah, for on this very day I brought your divisions out of the land of Egypt. Therefore, you are to observe this day from generation to generation by a perpetual regulation (CJB).

Verse 17 speaks of Israel being brought out of Egypt, on the first day of matzo, the fifteenth day of Aviv (Nu 33:1-3), and that it must be observed for all the generations of Israel, again, as a remembrance of what Yahweh has done for Israel. On this day, the first day of matzo, Yeshua dies at three o’clock in the afternoon. At His death, we are freed from sin and death. This is what He meant when He said, “It is finished!”—the redemption of Israel.

If a house can be a picture of a human being, for we have seen this on cartoons, we have an idea of what God is doing here. The door of the house becomes a mouth, and the windows become eyes. Leaven is a picture of sin, and seven is symbolic of fullness (the days of the week of Creation, etc.) and holiness. What we see here is Yahweh calling Israel to a life of holiness, free of sin.

It also pictured the Israelites’ total freedom from sin and suffering, by the blood of the Lamb. In essence, there being no leaven in all the land of Israel would signify that there wasn’t any sin in Israel, a picture that Yahweh will transform into reality one day.

I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. [26] And so all Israel will be saved, . . . (Ro 11:25-26 NIV).

Yosef

Point to Ponder

How many of God’s instructions

are we not fulfilling in our services?

And what teaching opportunities are we missing?

63. How Does Matzah Relate to Communion?

Eating matzah for the seven days and drinking wine would be a picture of communion every day during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The only way we can walk with Yeshua is to partake of His body (matzah) and blood (wine) for our needs—cleansing from sin, forgiveness, His life in us, and so forth. God has provided spiritual food for us through the Messiah, His Son, to sustain us in this wilderness until we get home to the New Jerusalem. And even then our God will be all the food or nourishment we need.

The matzah, the bread of affliction, is a picture of Yeshua pierced, crushed, and crucified, as we saw in the Passover matzah as we reflect on the similarity of the pictures in Isaiah 53:5: But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed (KJV).

In 1 Corinthians 5:6-8, Paul makes mentions of this Feast of Unleavened Bread and its symbolic meaning for our lives:

Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth (KJV).

Paul begins by stating something universal that anyone would know: “a little leaven leavens the whole lump” of dough. Then he tells the Corinthians to get rid of the old leaven (sin), to clean it out of their lives, that they might truly be what they are meant to be—unleavened. Only a people that knew the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread could fully understand what Paul was talking about. He has gone from the universal to the particular. And he is speaking to Gentiles. He continues by saying that the Messiah had been sacrificed, reflecting that Yeshua was sacrificed more than twenty years earlier.

With verse 8 Paul encourages the Gentile believers in the present tense, to celebrate the feast of matzah (‘Therefore let us keep the Feast . . . ‘). This reference to ‘the Feast’ can only mean the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, as these are the only celebrations in the history of the world that deal with unleavened bread. In fact, we know from various Church history sources, that both Gentile and Jewish believers celebrated the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread for many centuries after the Resurrection.

It would be on this day that Yeshua dies, the 15th of Aviv, the first day of matzah, and is placed within the ground. John reminds us that Yeshua said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit (Jn 12:24 KJV).

It would be the late afternoon of the fifteenth day of Aviv, the end of the first day of matzah, about six o’clock in the evening, when they would place Him in the tomb, after the sacrifice of the lambs on that day. On the day after the Passover, there would be lambs offered as special sacrificial offering to the Lord, but not the Passover lamb.

May the sacrament of Communion never be the same for us as we reflect on its Hebraic roots.

Yosef

Point to Ponder

Do we fully understand the Feast of Unleavened Bread?

64. Holy Week, or Mark’s Wartime Gospel

During Holy Week, from Palm Sunday to Passover and Resurrection Day, Mark’s gospel documents Jesus’s daily and hourly events with military precision. Mark’s gospel is a wartime gospel in context of the times, the culture, and most important, the political and spiritual condition of Jerusalem and the temple practices. Jesus’s symbolic actions and parables are generally interpreted individually, but taken as a whole, His actions and words proclaim the already the present kingdom of God pitted against the kingdom of Rome.[45] The Jewish high priests were in collaboration with the Roman domination of Jewish Israel. For a clear example of Rome’s dominion, consider that Rome changed the high priests many times, whereas God appoints the great high priest for a lifetime. The appointments were corruptly acquired, and the people knew it! Consider these events in light of the corruption:

•    Mark 11:1—Sunday: When they were approaching Jerusalem . . . Jesus enters on a donkey with the people cheering him wildly. Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, the Roman governor Pontius Pilate was entering in a regal procession in order to be present and quell any uprising that may occur during this major Jewish feast of Passover. Palm Sunday starts with a declaration of war by God’s kingdom against Rome’s dominion by mocking the governor with Jesus’s parade. Incidentally, His cousin John was already baptizing for the forgiveness of sins, which was supposed to be a temple duty. The friction between righteous people and Rome’s priestly appointees was already building.

•    Mark 11:12—Monday: On the following day, Jesus says to a fig tree, may no one ever eat fruit from you again. Thus He cursed the symbol of Israel and Jerusalem by pointing out the lack of fruit. Why? The high priesthood was controlled by Rome; the sacrificial system was corrupted; the temple was built by Rome; and God was no longer in charge. Then He symbolically desecrates the temple by turning over money changers’ tables. He calls the Temple a den of robbers. A den is what robbers call home and where they hide out and feel safe. The authorities were using the temple as a hiding place for their misappropriation of authority. In Mark 11:19, He and His entourage have to get out of Jerusalem.

•    Mark 11:20—Tuesday: In the morning . . . The fig tree has withered. Jesus talks to His disciples of throwing a mountain into the sea. Could this be reference to Mount Zion, Jerusalem, which needs to be moved through serious prayer? The corrupt leaders challenge His authority, and He in turn rightly challenges theirs for good, godly reason. In Mark 12:1-12, He indicts the temple leadership with a parable of the wicked tenants. Read it in this light. It is frequently preached as a foretelling of the beloved Son’s coming; but that message misses Jesus’s indictment of the tenants, stewards, and authorities in the temple, who were greedily using their positions for their own aggrandizement. In Mark 12:13-17, the ruling party tries to trap Him on the issue of paying taxes. He responds in verse 17 Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s. The people were forgetting to distinguish between, or choose sides between, God and Caesar. Then in Mark 12:18, He starts to attack the Sadducees who did not believe in the resurrection. (That is why they are “sad, you see.” [pun]) In chapter 13, He says, Not one stone will be left on another. He said it prophetically forty years before Jerusalem was utterly destroyed. Then he gives a discourse on the end of the age.

•    Mark 14:1—Wednesday: It was two days before Passover, and the chief priests and scribes were out to get Him.

•    Mark 14:12—Thursday: On the first day of Unleavened Bread when they slaughtered the lamb for Pesach . . . over their seder (feast meal), He says His good-byes, shares the cup, prays, and gets arrested by the corrupt Sanhedrin, members of the leadership body.

•    Mark 15:1—Friday, 6 a.m.: As soon as it was morning . . . some of the Sanhedrin reached a decision . . .

•    Mark 15:25—Friday, 9 a.m.: It was the third hour when they crucified him. The worst possible curse for an Israelite: to be nailed and hung on a stake.

•    Mark15:33—Friday, noon: At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. I wonder what the corrupt leaders were thinking then.

•    Mark 15:34—Friday, 3 p.m.: At the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice . . . And in verse 38, the curtain of the temple was rent from top to bottom. Could that be the Father tearing His garment in mourning for His Son? In verse 39, a Roman centurion became a believer.

•    Mark15:42—Friday, 6 p.m.: It was Preparation day, the day before a Sabbath . . . And Joseph of Arimathea, one of the righteous leaders who had become a disciple, claimed Jesus’s body and buried Him before sundown, which began the Sabbath.

•    Mark16:1-2-Sunday, “early”: When the Sabbath was over . . . very early in the morning they were on their way to the tomb . . . A good Jew would not walk that far or go to a tomb on the Sabbath.

I hope and pray that we will all read Mark’s gospel during Holy Week, with fresh perspective, and be inspired to identify the dominions that we are called to protest in today’s world.

The dates used in this Insight are somewhat traditionally understood. The next Insight, “Three Days in the Grave?” will spell out an alternative and more logical sequence.

Shalom,

Yosef

Points to Ponder

Is He the same yesterday, today, and forever?

What dominions are we called to protest in today’s world?

65. Three Days in the Grave?

The previous Insight, “Holy Week, or Mark’s Wartime Gospel,” used traditional names of the days of the week to mark time as we studied the “war.” Have you ever wondered how Jesus could be crucified on Friday, be resurrected on Sunday, and still be in the ground three days? It does not compute.

We just had a year that was unique because Passover, on the fifteenth day of Nisan, started on Wednesday evening and continued through daytime Thursday. Likewise in AD 31, when Jesus was crucified, Passover also started on Wednesday evening. This coincidence explains what Matthew tells us in Matthew 12:40: For just as Yonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea-monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the depths of the earth (CJB). This provides an explanation that only makes sense if we take into account the timing of God’s feast days. Unfortunately, the world refers to these as “Jewish” feast days or “Jewish” holy days, while they are really God’s feast days.

First, remember that God’s and Jewish days start at sunset, which is defined as three stars visible in the sky, and end at sunset the next day.

Second, there is more than one Sabbath to consider. In addition to weekly Sabbaths on Saturday, the Jewish calendar has seven annual Sabbaths or High Days, which can fall on any day of the week.

Third, Passover in the year AD 31 started on Wednesday evening.

Now let’s try to count the days God’s way and better understand the daily calendar of Holy Week.

Once we recognize that Passover occurred on Wednesday, we recognize the Passover seder would have been on Tuesday evening. Some figure that, as rabbis and members of the priestly family, they may have had to celebrate their Passover seder on the prior evening, Tuesday evening, so they could do the ministry of sacrificing lambs on the Passover Sabbath. This meant Tuesday night was the Last Supper.

Here is an explanation from Rabbi Ron Smith, Bella Vista, AR:

Yosef, it is easy for me to let my knowledge of Passover AD 31 being on Wednesday, April 25, that I forget that seder night would have been Tuesday night, as the Passover day would begin the evening before. Yeshua was crucified Wednesday, April 25, AD 31, and gave up His spirit at 3 p.m., just as the temple Passover lamb gave up his breath as well. Yeshua was taken to the tomb that evening. He was in the grave from Wednesday night until Thursday night—one day. He was in the tomb Thursday night until Friday night—two days. On Saturday night, after the third day, He rose in His once cold body.

Scripture tells us that the ladies came to the tomb very early in the morning, in fact before it was daylight, and found the tomb empty. Yeshua rose from the dead hours before the Ishtar sunrise service. He rose from the dead on Yom HaBikkurim (the Day of Firstfruits), on the Havdalah or Motza’ei-Shabbat (departure of the Sabbath; cf. 1 Co 16 and Acts 20: 7 CJB). This is why for four centuries, Christians, Jewish, or otherwise came together on Shabbat in the local synagogue and particularly for the Havdalah afterward (before Constantine shut all that down).

This timing also explains why Joseph of Arimathea was anxious to bury Jesus before the Sabbath Passover began at sunset.

Hebraic Midrash claims that Jesus was able to see through the western gate of the temple and see the Passover lambs being slain while He was on the cross. True or not, it is an interesting picture.

This explanation of the three days is one of many examples of what we miss by not fully understanding the Hebraic basis of our Bible, the roots of our faith, and by not understanding biblical times. God specified feast days with great specificity and with very purposeful symbolic meaning. You will see that in more Insights to come.

Yosef

Point to Ponder

What else might we are missing about Pesach?

66. Shavuot, One of God’s Feast Days

One recent evening we celebrated one of my favorite feast days, Shavuot, or Pentecost. Why is this one of my favorites? I returned to church on May 29, 1976, and it happened to be Pentecost Sunday. That event marked the start of my walk back to Jesus Christ.

God speaking in Exod. 34:22 commanded His people to Celebrate the Feast of Weeks Shavuot) with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year (Ex 34:22 NIV) The feast is also referred to as Feast of Harvest (Ex 23:16) and day of the assembly (Dt 18:16) and is sometimes called Latter Firstfruits.

This is a major festival in God’s view, with both agricultural and historical significance.

Agriculturally, it marks the end of the barley harvest and the beginning of the wheat harvest. The date is determined as fifty days from Yom HaBikkurim, part of the Passover season.

Historically, it has both Hebraic and Messianic-Christian significance. To the Jews, this day represents the anniversary celebration of the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. It is a celebration to reawaken and strengthen personal relationships with God by rededication to the observance and study of the Torah, the most precious heritage. Remember how Yahweh revealed Himself to His people on Mount Sinai: with thunder, lightning, a cloud and a trumpet blast. And everyone trembled as they heard the voice of God. When Moses read the Book of the Covenant to the people, they responded, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.” The Ten Commandments were written on stone and spoken to His people, and they said they would obey.

This festival is so important to Yahweh that He had declared it to be one of the three pilgrimage festivals:

Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me. Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover season) . . . Celebrate the Feast of Harvest (Shavuot) with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field. Celebrate the Feast of Ingathering (tabernacles/booths) at the end of the year . . . Three times a year all the men are to appear before the Sovereign LORD (Ex 23:14-17 NIV; cf. Ex 34:23; Dt 16:16).

Why were so many people in Jerusalem for Shavuot, Pentecost? God had told them to all be there. God apparently had good reason to call His people to a meeting on those three mandatory pilgrimage days. Let’s continue trying to find more of His reasons.

Modern-day tradition is to celebrate Shavuot as a time of Thanksgiving, in homes or synagogues, by (1) staying up all night to study the Torah, (2) touching each book in the TaNaK, (3) touching the 613 commandments, (4) praying and preparing to experience the Sinai revelation at sunrise, and (5) eating milk and dairy products because sweet and nourishing milk and honey are symbolic of the Torah.

I love the Torah!

Simchat Torah, (Joy of the Torah,)

Yosef

Point to Ponder

Do you know why this is one of my favorites

of God’s feasts?

Q. What is the definition of Hebraic?

A. Hebraic is what Moses did with the Ten Commandments.

67. Shavuot, and Three Thousand Saved

We are very familiar with Acts 2:1-4:

When the day of Pentecost came . . . Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit . . . (NIV).

We know the commandments were written on their hearts that day, which finally fulfilled God’s original intent.

Then Peter preached, and those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day (Ac 2:41 NIV). Hallelujah!

Why 3,000? Are there coincidences or “God-incidents” to consider?

The giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai is said to have occurred on Shavuot (which some call Pentecost), according to Hebrew scholars and Hebraic oral tradition.

What happened on God’s first feast of Shavuot? Let’s go back in history to the book of Exodus.

On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled . . . Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him. (Ex 19:16-19 NIV).

And while God was giving Moses the Ten Commandments in stone, Aaron offended God with the golden calf incident, which resulted in the following: The Levites did [slew] as Moses commanded [in obedience to God], and that day about three thousand of the people died (Ex 32:28 NIV).

We are all very familiar with the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. People heard God’s voice in a new way amid wind, fire, clouds, and shaking ground while they were congregating. Yahweh’s original plan to write the Ten Commandments on the hearts of His people was finally fulfilled that day. And they finally found the desire and ability to obey.

After Moshe received the Ten Commandments, there was disobedience and that day about three thousand of the people died (Ex 32:28 NIV). But, when Peter preached on Pentecost, those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day (Ac 2:41). These were the consequences of disobedience and obedience. Was the loss of three thousand souls and then the gain of three thousand souls years later a coincidence or a “God-incidence”?

Recap of parallels or “God-incidents”:

•    Violent sounds, blowing, trumpet blasts.

•    (shofar sounded, a Hebraic Insights topic)

•    Tongues of fire.

•    Ten Commandments given in stone and then on hearts.

•    Three thousand died for disobedience; three thousand were saved from sin.

Thus the Hebraic nature of the Renewed Covenant written by Jews makes much more sense when we relate it to the Original Covenant given to Abraham’s children. The “God-incidence” was not lost on the initial three thousand, and then again on the additional five thousand saved Jews, who would have known the Torah well. And thus the number of believing Jews, messianic Jews, grew to the hundreds of thousands before the severe persecution drove them “home” or into hiding or Diaspora, a period of dispersion for the Jews.

Simchat Torah!

Yosef

Point to Ponder

What do we miss in the Renewed covenant if we have not read or studied the Original Covenant?

68. Ready to Meet with Yahweh in Fall?

We are called to three opportunities to fellowship with Adonai in the fall season:

1.  Rosh Hashanah in late September                            (Tishri 1)

2.  Yom Kippur ten days later                                       (Tishri 10)

3.  Feast of Tabernacles starting five days later             (Tishri 15-22)

Why should we care? These are meetings that God called us to, or invited us to. And He probably had His reasons.

When we hear of Jewish holidays or feast days, as Christians, we dismiss them since by cultural habit we don’t think they apply to us. We have forgotten or not realized that they are God’s feast days, not Jewish feasts. And Yahweh called them everlasting covenants. How long is everlasting?

Let us recap these “appointed” feasts. The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘These are my appointed feasts, the appointed feasts of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies’” (Lev 23:1-2 NIV). Note the key foreshadowings.

Spring (three feasts and Sabbaths):

1. Passover or Pesach              14th day, 1st month

Lev 23:5                       Sacrificial Lamb

2. Unleavened Bread               15th day, for 7 days

Lev 23:6                      Yeshua, the Bread of Life

3. Firstfruits First harvest

Lev 23:9, Rev 14:4       His followers are “firstfruits”

Summer:

4. Feast of Weeks, Shavuot,       Pentecost, Seven Sabbaths

Lev 23:15                       Commandments on hearts

Fall:

5. Teruah, Rosh Hashanah, Trumpets

Lev 23:23       New Year, then Ten Days of Awe

6. Yom Kippur, Atonement, (High Sabbath)

Lev 23:25       Day of Atonement

7. Tabernacles, Booths,              Sukkot Seven days

Lev 23:33          First and second coming of Yeshua

Simchat Torah, “Joy of the Torah”        Eighth day

Lev 23:36          Extra day to linger with Him

Seven feasts represent a picture of a menorah’s lights to the world.

3                      1 Shemosh or Sabbath                            3

3 Spring lights,

1 Servant candle, the shemosh, servant, the tall candle that

lights the other six could represent Sabbath or Yeshua?

3 Fall lights

In Deuteronomy He reminds us of three mandatory pilgrimage feasts:

Three times a year all your men are to appear in the presence of ADONAI your God in the place which he will choose—at the festival of matzah, at the festival of Shavu’ot and at the festival of Sukkot. [Note: Spring-Summer-Fall] They are not to show up before ADONAI empty-handed, but every man is to give what he can, in accordance with the blessing ADONAI your God has given you (Dt 16:16-17 CJB).

How much has the Lord blessed you?

Yosef

Points to Ponder

Can we give Yahweh the days

he has commanded us to give to Him?

Can we devote a few days appreciating and celebrating

the significance of who He is and what He plans for us?

69. Do You Blow a Shofar in September?

Rosh Hashanah starts at sunset, the first day of Tishri (late September). Should we care? This is a meeting that God called us to for good reason: to celebrate the New Year. Some believed it to be the day of creation and the day we received the Ten Commandments on the mountain.

Rosh Hashanah (a.k.a. Feast of Trumpets, Yom Teruah) was a day set aside by Yahweh. Would you call it commanded attendance or an invitation? On the first day of the seventh month hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. It is a day for you to sound the trumpets (Teruah; Nu 29:1)[46] What could blowing of trumpets signify? Trumpet calls announce danger or important information to proclaim or the king is coming to visit. Here are few examples in God’s Word:

1.   In the first mention, the purpose of trumpets is a call to action: The LORD said to Moses: “Make two trumpets of hammered silver, and use them for calling the community together and for having the camps set out” (Nu 10:1-2).

2.   Trumpets were used in preparation for battle: On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets (Jos 6:4).

3.   Priests blew trumpets to consecrate the tabernacle, ushering in God’s presence: They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets [quavering sound]. The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets [quavering sound], cymbals and other . . . Then the temple of the LORD was filled with a cloud, and . . . the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God (2 Ch 5:12-14).

4.   We sing about using trumpets to praise the Lord in Psalms, for example: Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets [quavering sound] and the blast of the ram’s horn [shofar]—shout for joy before the LORD, the King (Ps 98:4-6).

5.   Trumpets are heard when God calls His people to Jerusalem (the New Jerusalem?): And in that day a great trumpet [shofar] will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled in Egypt will come and worship the LORD on the holy mountain in Jerusalem (Isa 27:13).

6.   Angels will use trumpets announcing the end-times: Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets [quavering sound] prepared to sound them (Rev 8:6).

How should we celebrate this feast God commanded? (1) Don’t work; it is a Sabbath; (2) partake of a festive meal, including apple slices dipped in honey representing the hope of sweetness in the coming year; (3) be introspective with regard to mistakes of past year and commit to change in the coming year; (4) be joyful and confident that our God and Father has forgiven us and will not pass judgment on us; (5) start the ten Days of Awe leading to Yom Kippur; and (6) don’t forget to blow the shofar.

Traditionally, one hundred notes are sounded to stir the worshipper’s conscience and to remind us (1) of the destruction of the temple and (2) that the day is coming when Jew and Gentile believers will be called to the New Jerusalem and we will finally hear Barukh haba b’Shem Adonai, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Tune your ears to listen for this is what Yeshua said:

At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other (Mt 24:30-31).

La Shanah Tovah. (Have a good year)

Yosef

Can we blow our shofars in anticipation of hearing

Barukh haba b’Shem Adonai?

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord

70. What Is Yom Kippur About?

or

Should Christians Observe Yom Kippur?

On the tenth day of Tishri at sunset starts the highest holy day the Jews celebrate. Even the casual Jew will acknowledge Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) just like even a nominal Christians will celebrate Christmas or go to church on Easter. Why is Yom Kippur so important?

This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves [fast] and not do any work [Sabbath]—whether native-born or an alien living among you (That’s us!)—because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD, you will be clean from all your sins. It is a sabbath of rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance . . . This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites (Lev 16: 29-34 NIV).

While my stomach churns from the mandated twenty-four hour fast and other deprivations while praying and searching my soul, this is why and what I ponder:

1.  Why? Because Adonai said so. Or because Daddy said to do it.

2.  Symbolically, there will be no eating or drinking or sex or finery in death, and Yom Kippur is about sampling a form of death, the wages of sin, so that when we are allowed to live life again, it will taste even sweeter. One rabbi suggested there is something about the last meal before the Yom Kippur fast that is reminiscent of the prisoner’s final meal before the electric chair to clarify the mind. Fasting does produce a kind of mental clarity, despite the headache and rumblings in the stomach.

3.  Erev Yom Kippur, sunset the evening before, starts with a prayer of confession. Although Yeshua has atoned for my sins, there are some things for me to consider. This is akin to the confessions I did in my younger days on Saturday before receiving Jesus during Communion at Sunday Mass. I am sensing a need for more confession time and a renewal of something I once had in my younger days.

What kind of sins do the Jews confess in their Yom Kippur liturgy? They go through the same ones covered by the sacrificial offerings made for sin and guilt and trespass as prescribed in Leviticus 4-6:

1.  Sins against God—intentional and unintentional; guilt of the people; done private or communally. These were atoned by the slaughter of innocent, unblemished animals by the high priest.

2.  Thoughtless sins against fellow man or community—atoned by an affordable sacrifice of lamb and so forth.

3.  Unintentional violations or sins against God’s holy things—atoned by giving an animal of like value to the priest, plus making restitution, plus paying twenty percent.

4.  Unintentional violations or sins against God’s commands—even if I don’t know I am responsible. What transgressions are we responsible for?

5.  Intentional sins against others or the Lord’s holy tithe—atonement is in four steps: (1) confession; (2) restitution; (3) add one-fifth (a double tithe!); (4) give an animal or silver offering to the priest. Notice that there is no blood sacrifice required. Read Leviticus 5 and 6. Does Yeshua’s sacrificial death and blood atone for intentional sins for which restitution has not been made?

Jews and Christians are often thought to be on opposing sides of the question of grace and good works. At the end of Yom Kippur, having prayed for mercy and forgiveness, Jews finally throw themselves totally on the mercy of the Judge. Martin Luther ignited the Reformation movement with his sola gratia, by grace alone. In the end, Jews are trusting on that same hope.

Yosef

Point to Ponder

Do Christians tend to ignore the importance of good works, while Jews are not giving adequate recognition to

the amount of grace they are dependent upon?

71. Jonah, Gentiles, Sin, and Destiny!

I find something powerfully attractive in the Christian understanding of sin as a tragic flaw. Psychologists grapple, as we all do, with something about us that goes even deeper than questions about ethics and morality (sins). They are delving into a mystery that traces back to the classical Greek recognition of the inescapably tragic dimension in life and to the universal nature of human intuition. Although we know ourselves to be free in some sense, we also wrestle constantly with forces within us and around us that make living a moral life hazardous and challenging. For we are not struggling against human beings, but against the rulers, authorities and cosmic powers governing this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm (Eph 6:12-13 CJB). I don’t understand my own behavior—I don’t do what I want to do; instead, I do the very thing I hate! (Ro 7:15 CJB).

Here is a recap of an inspiration from Harvey Cox:[47]

Like a Shakespeare play, Yom Kippur also has its antic interval. During the afternoon service, the congregation listens to a reading of the biblical book of Jonah. I look forward to this part of the service. First of all, the confessing is now over, and like most people present, I think I have had enough. Also, I love the story of Jonah, the recalcitrant Jewish prophet who is sent to call the pagan peoples of Nineveh to repentance. He takes a ship in the opposite direction to escape God’s command, is thrown overboard during a storm, is swallowed by “a great fish,” and regurgitated at the very place he was trying to avoid. Still in a bad mood, Jonah reluctantly preaches to the people of Nineveh and—much to his chagrin—they repent and find God’s favor.

It is a charming story with all the elements of high camp. Its sheer tall-tale absurdity and blatant caricaturing appeal to our contemporary consciousness. In his pathetic ineptitude, Jonah is a kind of Mr. Magoo or one of the clueless characters Woody Allen plays in his early films. Still, its farcical quality drives home the lesson of Jonah.

First of all, it is radically opposed to narrow ethnic particularism. It says that gentiles, even from a nation the Jews hated at the time, are fully capable of living righteously and basking in God’s blessedness. This is a nice touch when one hears it, as I do, with the ears of a believing gentile.

It is also about the paradoxical tension between human freedom and divine providence. Wiggle as you may, it warns, you we will not ultimately escape our destiny, even if it requires being ingested by a carnivorous sea creature. Destiny is not fate. Destiny is the framework within which we exercise our freedom and without which freedom would be meaningless. I was born a white male in America in the 20th century, with a certain body type and brain capacity. That is my destiny. I cannot change it. What I do with it is my freedom.

We have all found ourselves identifying with our own group, race, religion, nation, etc. without regard for the universal whole. Thus I have to examine myself during Yom Kippur, and always, to identify the Jonah in me. How about you?

Chazak, chazak, v’nit’chazek.

(Be strong, be strong, and may we be strengthened.)

Yosef

Point to Ponder

What is God’s destiny for you?

What has He called you to do?

72. Why Tabernacle in a Booth for Eight Days and Nights?

The Feast of Tabernacles, or Booths or Sukkot or Ingathering, is an eight-day feast, starting on the fifteenth day of Tishriand ending with Simchat Torah on the twentieth day of Tishri (typically in October). The custom is to live for eight days in booths, shelters made of boughs. Why? The usual answer: Daddy said so.

ADONAI said to Moshe, “Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the feast of Sukkot [booths] for seven days to ADONAI. On the first day there is to be a holy convocation; do not do any kind of ordinary work. For seven days you are to bring an offering made by fire to ADONAI; on the eighth day you are to have a holy convocation and bring an offering made by fire to ADONAI ; it is a day of public assembly; do not do any kind of ordinary work . . . But on the fifteenth day of the seventh month . . . you are to observe the festival of ADONAI seven days; the first day is to be a complete rest and the eighth day is to be a complete rest. [Sabbaths] . . . and celebrate in the presence of ADONAI your God for seven days. You are to observe it as a feast to ADONAI seven days in the year; it is a permanent regulation, generation after generation; keep it in the seventh month. You are to live in sukkot for seven days; every citizen of Isra’el is to live in a sukkah [booth], so that generation after generation of you will know that I made the people of Isra’el live in sukkot when I brought them out of the land of Egypt; I am ADONAI your God’” (Lev 23:33-43 CJB).

Symbolically, we have all been brought out of Egypt and into a Land of Promise. Is this deliverance worth an eight-day celebration? Dwelling in the booths is to remind us of our life in the wilderness from which we have been set free.

The rest of the customs for observing this feast come from Nehemiah 8:9-18:

For all the people had been weeping when they heard the words of the Torah . . . They found written in the Torah that ADONAI had ordered . . . the people of Isra’el were to live in sukkot during the feast . . . and pass the word . . . “Go out to the mountains, and collect branches of olives, wild olives, myrtles, palms, and other leafy trees to make sukkot, as prescribed.” So the people went out . . . made sukkot and lived in the sukkot, for the people of Isra’el had not done this since the days of Yeshua [Joshua] the son of Nun. So there was very great joy. Also they read every day, from the first day until the last day, in the scroll of the Torah of God. They kept the feast for seven days; then on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the rule (CJB).

Can you imagine the joy of studying the Bible or Torah for eight days straight? Thus it says Simchat Torah, “Joy of the Torah.”

The eight days of sacrifices prescribed in Numbers 29:12-39 have an interesting progression

First day: present a burnt offering of 13 bulls, 2 rams, 14 male lambs in their first year (without defect), with specific grain and drink offerings.

Second day: present 12 young bulls, 2 rams, 14 lambs . . . one male goat . . . grain and drink offerings . . .

Third day: 11 bulls . . . etc.

Fourth day: 10 bulls . . . etc.

Fifth day: 9 bulls . . . etc.

Sixth day: 8 bulls . . . etc.

Seventh day: 7 bulls . . . etc.

However, on the eighth day you are to have a festive assembly: you . . . are to present a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, giving a fragrant aroma to ADONAI—one bull . . . Rabbinical interpretation says that God had such a good time with his people for seven days that He just wanted an excuse to hang around one more day. And that is why the last day, the eighth day, is called Simchat Torah, “Joy of the Torah.”

Also, note that many believe, and for good reason, that Yeshua was born during Sukkot, in a sukkah, and that our American Thanksgiving tradition comes from the Pilgrims celebrating Sukkot.

Simchat Torah.

Yosef

Point to Ponder

Are we thankful enough to have

an eight-day Thanksgiving celebration?

Chazak, chazak, v’nit’chazek.

(Be strong, be strong, and may we be strengthened.)

73. When Did Jesus Come to Dwell with Us?

It is believed that the first American Thanksgiving was the Pilgrims’ way of celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles. The Puritans were committed followers of Hebrew Scripture, with the Torah as their guide to living. The Feast of Tabernacles described in Leviticus and Deuteronomy was a feast held after the fall harvest to remind the Israelites of the exodus from Egypt. It also showed their thankfulness for their harvest and all that God had done for them. The Puritans sought religious freedom in America and identified with the Israelites, since they were wandering from the barren spiritual deserts of Europe to a kind of Promised Land, free of persecution. Scripture encouraged them to give thanks for their deliverance by celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles which is a seven-day autumn harvest festival.

Jesus came to dwell with us during the Feast of Tabernacles. How do we know?

1.   The shepherds were watching their flocks in the fields when Jesus was born. The flocks around Bethlehem were normally brought into a sheepfold during the cold winter months of November through February. If it had been winter, the shepherds would not have been out in the fields. The flocks were in the fields because it was still fall season, about the time of the Feast of Tabernacles.

2.   Scholars calculate from schedule of priests serving in the temple that John the Baptist was likely born on the feast of Passover. John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah, was on temple duty when the angel appeared prophesying John’s birth. Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth, was six months pregnant when the angel appeared to Mary to tell her that she was pregnant with Jesus (Lk 1:26-31). So Jesus was born six months after John the Baptist, which would be during Tishri, the month of the Feast of Tabernacles.

3.   There was no room for them in the inn when Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem. The fall Feast of Tabernacles was one of three feasts requiring men of Israel to appear before the Lord (Dt 16:16). Luke 2:3 speaks of a tax by Caesar Augustus: All went to be taxed, every one into his own city (KJV). Roman authorities would logically conduct a census and taxation when inhabitants of Judea were already traveling for the Feast of Tabernacles; so the surrounding area would likely be very crowded. Bethlehem is only three to four miles from Jerusalem, thus no room.

4.   As Constantine unified the Roman Empire and converted it to Christianity, dates of Christian feast days were changed to accommodate holidays already celebrated by the Roman pagans. Their supreme god was the Sun and they celebrated the birthday of the Sun on December 25, their great winter festival. Instead of celebrating Jesus’s birth when the Jewish believers knew it occurred, the Feast of Tabernacles, in AD 440 the Roman church decreed His birth to be on a festival that was already celebrated by the Roman pagans, December 25. This was one of many not so subtle anti-Semitic changes.

What did Jesus say on His real birthday? A custom on the Feast of Tabernacles during the time of Jesus was a ceremony of pouring water on the last day of the feast. A priest would fill a water pitcher from the Pool of Siloam and carry it back to the temple, followed by a procession of the people dancing, singing, and chanting psalms. The procession circled the altar, and the priest poured the water at the temple altar while the people rejoiced. It was at this time that Jesus made the declaration found in John 7:37-38:

Now on the last day of the festival, Hoshana Rabbah, [Sukkot] Yeshua stood and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him keep coming to me and drinking! Whoever puts his trust in me, as the Scripture says, rivers of living water will flow from his inmost being!” (CJB).

Jesus thus declared to the people that He is the fulfillment of the pattern of the temple ceremony and that the feast was a foreshadowing of things to come.

Hag Samach.

(lit. Feast Merry; Joyous Festival, Happy Thanksgiving)

Points to Ponder during Thanksgiving

How appropriate is it that Immanuel, God with us, should come to dwell with us during the Feast of Tabernacles, which means dwelling place?

When will He return to dwell with us again?

Marriage, God’s Plan from the Beginning

For Us

and For His Son

74. Man and Woman; God and Fire

Part 1: Here is a treasure nestled in the original Hebrew language:

Husband y Iysh (Hebrew is read right to left.)

Aleph, Yod, Shin or “strength, hand of God, peace”

Wife h Ishshah

Aleph, Shin, Hei or “strength, peace, God’s breath”

So when husband and wife come together, the husband has God’s hand and the wife has His breath to make the marriage work. A successful marriage requires God to be working in the two of them.

But if the husband and wife do not accept God’s hand and breath, then we take out the Yod hand of God from “husband,”

leaving Aleph Shin ,

and take out the Hei God’s breath from “wife,”

leaving Aleph Shin .

That leaves us with aysh. Aleph Shin is Hebrew for “fire.” In Israel you quickly recognize above all the fire extinguishers!

Moral of this treasure: A husband without God’s hand, or a wife without the breath of God, is “fire,” destructive. So a marriage without God, without His hand and breath, is “fire.”

Did Jesus foresee all this when he wrote the Word, the Torah? Incredible! Does it preach?

Part 2: But for Adam there was not found an help meet for him (Ge 2:20 KJV). The Hebrew word used in Genesis 2:20 to describe “help meet” is neged , which implies “opposing.”[48]

Here is the symbolic definition of the Hebrew characters:

Nun symbolically a seed/fish, life

Gimel symbolically a camel, uplifter, helper

Dalet symbolically a door

So, the rough symbolic translation of neged is “the door to helper providing life.” Men, does that describe your wife?

The opposing aspect seems contrary to the harmonious relationships being advertised for today’s Internet couplings. But consider what the Irish singer Bono said: “I would be terrified to be on my own as a solo singer. I surround myself with . . . a band, a family of very spunky kids, and a wife who’s smarter than anyone . . . you’re only as good as the argument you get.” And Proverbs 27:17 says, As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another (NIV).

When we studied this in a recent bible study and viewed our four families around the table, we were impressed with the contrasting characters of our respective spouses that God gave us. Now we know why he chose us for each other!

Part 3: Clarifying Adam, man, and husband in Genesis 2:24-25: Therefore a man [should be translated “husband”] shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And they were both naked, the man [should be translated “Adam”] and his wife, and were not ashamed. (NKJV):

Does this make you want to know more Hebrew, the original language of God’s Word?

Simchat, (Enjoy)

Yosef

Point to Ponder

Why is it said that, if two people agree, one is not necessary?

75. How Does God View Marriage?

Marriage is a key theme throughout the Bible. God’s instruction focuses on developing a righteous bride for His Son. As believers we are betrothed, committed to marry Him at the Wedding Supper of the Lamb. It started when He invited us to be His bride and we accepted His invitation. In John 14:3, He tells us He has gone ahead to prepare a place for us. How does God view this covenant relationship, which will ultimately unite us with His Son?

Let us look at two examples of principles, rules, or practices in life that mirror God’s view of marriage.

1. When one purchases a new car from a dealership and drives it off the lot, the car is automatically termed a used car. It cannot be resold as a new car. The initial transfer becomes an immediate matter of record; all subsequent transfers are as a used car.

2. Similarly, the grocer owns everything in the grocery store. It all belongs to the grocer until sold to a customer. When the customer purchases an item, the customer can legally break the seal on the package. However, if a customer breaks the seal on a package before buying an item, that customer is obligated to purchase the item. The item is not to be resold as a wholly new item. All other customers view it as defiled; the seal has been broken.

The family under God, the biblical view: The father, as head of household, owns his wife and children. They are his property or responsibility. Sons can never be sold. A son remains in his father’s family and carry on the family name. Daughters, however, may be given away, sold, or otherwise transferred to a husband. Therefore, a daughter leaves her parents’ family to become a part and property of her husband’s family. She becomes her husband’s property, his betrothed (conditional) wife. Betrothal is a temporary condition until the marriage is consummated, or made permanent. Aside from consummating the marriage, the husband has only two other options. First, he can divorce his temporary wife, without reason, by giving her a writ of divorce. Two, the husband can give the betrothed wife to his son, not to anyone else.

Now, under God, each maiden has a very valuable seal, her virginity, that must not be broken until the father transfers his daughter to her new husband. The only one authorized to break that seal is her husband, an act which changes the betrothal/engagement to a permanent marriage (for eternity if she is among the righteous). Therefore, when that seal is broken, it is a sign that the woman is married and that her marriage is permanent under God.

If a maiden gives her virginity to another without her father’s permission or blessing, the father may withhold his daughter from that man. The father then becomes liable for his daughter’s whoredom if she pursues such a life with another man or men. The man who broke that seal purchased himself a wife under God, whether he likes it or not.

The importance of that seal, the maiden’s virginity, is such that the Scriptures declare that it is worthy of death to a man, other than her husband, to take a betrothed woman and also for the betrothed maiden who cooperates. Similarly, when a marriage is made permanent, the same conditions apply. And a wife who lies with someone other than her true husband is unclean unto her husband thereafter. So, the only time a wife may remarry is as a concubine, a pseudo wife, if her husband should die. All else is whoredom.

A man may enter several virgins and, thus, have several wives. But the woman has only one virginity and, thus, has but one true husband. It’s a microcosm of the marriage of the firstfruits unto the Messiah. We, the redeemed, will each have one husband, our Messiah, while the Messiah will have many, many thousands of “wives.”

As committed believers in Yeshua Ha Mashiach, we are forgiven of past transgressions, but now we ought to behave as one betrothed to the best fiancée possible. Will our fiancé be a good provider? He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. Does He come from a good family? He is King of Kings, Lord of Lords.

Yosef

Point to Ponder

How does it feel to be engaged?

Did you say yes to Him?

Marriage? Response to Responses

The last Insight, “How Does God View Marriage?,” drew two appreciative responses and three responses with concerns worthy of explanation. The message was rather pointed in defining a godly goal while today’s culture is losing the battle. There are two key points to address.

First, the last paragraph expressed what I intend to be an overall important message to all of us and something we should all be striving to achieve. It is important to recognize our relationship with Yeshua and be a loyal fiancée.

Second, the purpose is to learn to respect God’s view of the importance of virginity. One response simply repeated the commandment Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Here are the key concerns expressed with clarifications:

Concern: “Reconciliation is the main theme of the Bible, not marriage.” I could not agree more, because marriage is the ultimate reconciliation process. Living a married life involves constant reconciliation, as does our daily walk with Yeshua.

Concern: “Biblical culture is not biblical standard.” Agreed, but I am not trying to preach living the culture of Bible days, but rather to find the principle that God was intending: virginity, or for the virgin to save herself for her husband. We should remain chaste for our fiancé, both men and women.

Concern: “Men should not commit adultery either.” Could not agree more. For virgins to remain virgin, men needed to behave also. That is clearly the responsibility of men and an appropriate teaching for young men, and older ones too.

Concern: “I didn’t see in the Bible where the husband owns the wife.” Excellent observation. In fact, Yeshua was a women’s liberator. Let’s consider that even under the customs then and now, a man would definitely want to protect and care for his property. Consider Ephesians 5:23: For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body (Eph 5:23 KJV). Whether she is legally classified as property or not, the husband clearly has responsibility to care for her. Similarly, young men should be taught to have a responsibility to care for and protect young women.

Concern: “I’m of the firm conviction that multiple wives was never God’s intention.” (And they will become one flesh [Ge 2:24]). Agreed. The Insight was not intended to justify polygamy, but to focus on the responsibility of the virgin to save her virginity for the wedding day. To this day, the Jewish custom is for families to promise virginity in the ketubah, marriage contract, and for the couple to come forth with the evidence. This is admittedly more difficult in practice and in our current culture, but what we are seeking is to understand how we should follow the ideal that God Himself specified and Yeshua supported. It is sad to say, but our current Christian culture does practice polygamy, in series instead of in parallel.

Concern: “If a new believer or a nonbeliever reads this, they may not understand that this is simply a description of an inappropriate (I’m being nice—actually sinful) cultural practice and not to be endorsed.” First, these Hebraic Insights are addressed to believers with a desire to learn what God is teaching His people. Second, I am trying to portray the ideal that God has set before us. We had to have the New Testament because we do not always live by the lessons for life that God had given to us in the Torah, but that is not an excuse for deliberate violation of Father God’s directives.

I sincerely wish I knew of a way to convince all the young women as well as the young men of the importance of waiting until their wedding day. I am trusting that by casting this vision, the word will get out.

Thanks for the comments and spreading the word.

Yosef

76. Is Sex Good or Bad?

We have been raised with a puritanical attitude toward the topic of, or anything to do with, sex. Within Christianity, the holiness movement has been so protective of dress codes that might stir the imagination that sex has been driven out of our education system and out of church teaching. So when the schools or the guys at the firehouse teach sex, it is in a red-faced and embarrassing mode. Maybe I am overstating the situation somewhat, but on the other hand, when we treat the topic as forbidden or bad or something you should not do or even think about, we are causing curiosity, experimentation and boundary challenging.

A thirteen-year-old young lady in our Torah study shared an experience she had had while visiting with cousins who were being raised in a big city in a very Christian community. She and her cousins were arguing as to whether the horse in a picture was male or female. Out of frustration and to clearly settle the argument, she pointed to the external organ and said, “See, it’s a male”. The cousins snickered; and the cousins’ parents were all red, embarrassed and upset at this blatant pointing out of the genitals of the animal.

Question: How else do you determine the sex of an animal, like a dog, but to tip it upside down and look at the organs? Okay, you don’t have to tip horses.

In our study, we proceeded to recognize that the Israelites were agrarians and raised animals. The family would naturally discuss procreation of the herd, flock, and so forth. Even Jacob’s genetic engineering was disclosed in Genesis 30 and 31. It would be a dinner-time topic as needed.

The Bible clearly distinguishes male and female in many ways and for many purposes. God created sex, so it must be good. We would not be here if it were not for sex. God’s first commandment was in Genesis 1:27-28: Male and female he created them. God blessed them: God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it” (CJB).

Let’s answer the key question, is sex good or bad? In the Torah study group I answered the question with a question: “Is the fire in the fireplace good?” Naturally the answer was yes. Next question: “When there is a fire outside of the fireplace, is that good or bad?” Everyone cringed as we each visualized the damage and devastation caused by fire out of control and in the wrong or unintended place. It is the same with sex. When it is where it belongs and for the right purpose, it is great and we can thank God for giving us this gift. However, when sex is not where God intended it to be, it wreaks havoc. We can all visualize the damage we have seen, heard, or experienced, caused by infidelity, fornication, premarital sex, and adultery and the resultant desolation of marriages, families, and relationships. These damaged relationships are top priorities to God.

Let us get back to the issues in the first paragraph. Why can’t sex education be taught in homes by parents or in churches with goodness and godly principles stressed? As an aid, there is a book written by Kenneth N. Taylor (author of The Living Bible) entitled Almost 12: The Story of Sex. It is a short book; you can read it in about twenty minutes. But as you read aloud, shoulder to shoulder, to a ten-, eleven-, or twelve-year-old, it can seem like two hours, and even more so, if you need to read it in remedial mode to a thirteen—to eighteen-year-old. But when the parent reads it this way, the child or young adult recognizes not only that this is the view of God, our Creator, but also that this is his or her parent’s view. I’ve bought, read, given away many copies and only have one on my shelf.

Yosef

Point to Ponder

If you feel lead to buy the book, get more than one copy.

You will think of friends who also need a copy.

77. Marriage Supper of the Lamb

“Here comes the Bride . . .”

Satan is defeated; the wedding supper begins; and we worship only God:

“Let us rejoice and be glad! Let us give him the glory! For the time has come for the wedding of the Lamb, and his Bride has prepared herself—fine linen, bright and clean has been given her to wear.” (“Fine linen” means the righteous deeds of God’s people.) The angel said to me, “Write: ‘How blessed are those who have been invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb!’” Then he added, “These are God’s very words” (Rev 19:7-9 CJB).

Who is the groom? Who is the bride? Who sits at the head table? What are wedding traditions? What happens during courtship? What happens at a wedding? Let’s look at just a few of the biblical wedding traditions:

•   Jesus’s first miracle was performed where?—John 1:32. Did He feel weddings were to be enjoyed?—150 gallons of wine!

•   The groom goes to bride’s house. Jesus came to earth to extend an invitation to us.

•   Only after first seeing, meeting, dating, and courting does one say “Yes.” How did you get to know Yeshua?

•   Courtship, engaged, betrothed (set apart, consecrated, designated; no thought of unfaithfulness).

•   The Proposal: the groom asks for her hand in marriage. The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come!” Let anyone who hears say, “Come!” And let anyone who is thirsty come—let anyone who wishes, take the water of life free of charge (Rev 22:17 CJB).

•   The groom builds a house for His bride. In my Father’s house are many places to live. If there weren’t, I would have told you; because I am going there to prepare a place for you (Jn 14:2 CJB).

•   And the groom carries the bride over the threshold. Since I am going and preparing a place for you, I will return to take you with me; so that where I am, you may be also (John 14:3 CJB).

•  The color of the bride’s wedding gown: For the time has come for the wedding of the Lamb, and his Bride has prepared herself—fine linen, bright and clean has been given her to wear” (Rev 19:7-8 CJB).

•  Vows are for life: our life with our new groom will be forever. But whoever does God’s will remains forever (1Jn 2:17 CJB).

•  The ring: But his father said . . . ‘Quick, bring out a robe, the best one, and put it on him; and put a ring on his finger . . .” (Lk 15:22 CJB). The signet ring gives one all the authority of the Father.

•  Honeymoon: ultimate intimacy, beyond touching, but to be at one with Him. I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved (SS 5:1 KJV).

•  Invitations and reception: family, friends, guests, witnesses, angels (fellow warriors), animals, a new heaven, a new earth. Our ever-present two witnesses, heaven and earth, will be there.

•  The proposal: Who proposed to you? Keep silent before Adonai ELOHIM, for the Day of ADONAI is near. ADONAI has prepared a sacrifice; he has set apart those he invited (Zep 1:7 CJB). Here, I’m standing at the door, knocking. If someone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he will eat with me (Rev 3:20 CJB).

•  Reception toast: Also he took a cup of wine, made the b’rakhah, and gave it to them, saying, “All of you, drink from it! For this is my blood, which ratifies the New Covenant, my blood shed on behalf of many, so that they may have their sins forgiven. I tell you, I will not drink this ‘fruit of the vine’ again until the day I drink new wine with you in my Father’s Kingdom” (Mt 26:27-29 CJB).

Point to Ponder—for Men

How does it feel to be a bride? A Wife?

Next we will explore a classic biblical example of these customs.

78. Biblical Courtship and Wedding Customs

How many customs were described in the courting and marriage story of Isaac and Rebekah in Genesis 24?

The groom goes to the bride’s house:

Abraham . . . said to the chief servant in his household [Holy Spirit?], “I want you to swear by the LORD . . . that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living [don’t be unequally yoked], but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac” [an arranged marriage] . . .

The selection criteria:

Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and left, taking with him all kinds of good things from his master [gifts for her]. He set out for . . . the town of Nahor. He had the camels kneel down near the well outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water [courting at the watering hole; sounds familiar]. Then he prayed, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a girl, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master” [attitude and character test criteria].

The answer to prayer:

Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. The girl was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever lain with her [a critical criteria in Hebrew culture]. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again. The servant hurried to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.” “Drink, my lord,” she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink. After she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking” [answered prayer and confirmation]. So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels [she’s hospitable and a good, strong worker too!] . . .

Propose because she’s the one:

When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels [engagement or friendship ring]. Then he asked, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?” [they have to ask her dad]. She answered him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor.” . . . Then the man . . . worshiped the LORD, saying, “The Lord . . . has led me . . . to the house of my master’s relatives” (NIV).

She passes the “good family test” and the family approves:

“Now if you will show kindness and faithfulness to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so I may know which way to turn”

Asking permission from bride’s father/family:

Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the LORD; we can say nothing to you one way or the other. Here is Rebekah; take her and go [giving away the bride], and let her become the wife of your master’s son, as the LORD has directed” [God is the arranger]. When Abraham’s servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before the LORD [thankfulness].

The engagement ring or symbol:

Then the servant brought out gold and silver jewelry and articles of clothing and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave costly gifts to her brother and to her mother [dowry?].

An engagement party:

Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night there . . .

The bride still has to say “Yes” to the proposal:

Then they said, “Let’s call the girl and ask her about it.” . . . “Will you go with this man?” “I will go,” she said [bride has to say yes]. So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way [to the groom’s family] . . .

A blessing from the family:

And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “Our sister, may you increase to thousands upon thousands; may your offspring possess the gates of their enemies” [family said good-bye and blessed her, prophetically!] . . . So the servant took Rebekah and left.

The bride goes [up the aisle] to the waiting groom:

Now Isaac . . . went out to the field . . . as he looked up, he saw camels approaching. Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She . . . asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?” “He is my master,” the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself [not to see each other until the wedding day]. Then the servant told Isaac all he had done.

The wedding:

Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah [simply by consummating the marriage and living together in the Father’s house]. So she became his wife, and he loved her . . . (NIV).

How many customs did you identify?

Yosef

Point to Ponder

Why do we cry at weddings?

Churches, Sins, and Salvation Topics

79. What If You Had Only One Book to Read?

If you only had one book to read would you choose a mystery novel, war story, love story, history reference, self-help guide, medical reference, psychology text, child-rearing guide, ancestral history study, spiritual warfare, futuristic and visionary, legal library, comedy, gore, trickery, or . . . ? May I suggest the obvious? Let’s read and study the Bible, God’s Word, which has all of the above and more! Our Hebraic roots are based on the lives of a people that lived, studied, and died by the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings—the TaNaK. Their books included the following . . .

War stories: When you go out to fight your enemies and see horses, chariots and a force larger than yours (Dt 20:1) . . . build siege-works against the town making war with you, until it falls (Dt 20:20 CJB).

Love stories: My lover is to me a sachet of myrrh resting between my breasts. My lover is to me a . . . (SS 1:13-14 NIV). Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love (1 Jn 4:8 NIV).

Mystery novels: He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men . . . (Da 2:18 NIV).

History reference: It was found that this city has a long history of revolt against kings and has been a place of rebellion and sedition. Jerusalem has had powerful kings ruling over the whole of Trans-Euphrates, and taxes, tribute and duty were paid to them (Ezr 4:19-20 NIV).

Self-help guide: The proverbs of Solomon . . . for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life . . . (Pr 1:1-3 NIV).

Medical reference: He must wash his clothes and bathe himself with fresh water . . . (Lev 15:13 NIV). The man who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water (Lev 16:28 NIV). Designate a place outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself (Dt 23:12 NIV). On the eighth day the boy is to be circumcised (when clotting is at maximum level; Lev 12:3-4 NIV).

Psychology lessons: For this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who . . . and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people” (Dt 4:6 NIV).

Trickery: “This bread of ours was warm when we packed it at home on the day we left to come to you. But now see how dry and moldy it is. And these wineskins that we filled were new, but see how cracked . . . clothes and sandals are worn out by the very long journey.” The men of Israel sampled . . . but did not inquire of the LORD (Jos 9:12-14 NIV).

Gore and comedy: Even the handle sank in after the blade, which came out his back. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it . . . After he had gone, the servants came and found the doors of the upper room locked. They said, “He must be relieving himself in the inner room of the house” (Jdg 3:22-24 NIV).

Sarcasm: Woe to you, teachers of the law . . . you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones . . . (Mt 23:27 NIV).

Humorous exaggerations: If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off . . . if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off . . . if your eye . . . pluck it out (Mk 9:43-47 NIV). Or the camel through the eye of a needle.

Futuristic visions: The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true . . .” (Dan. 2:45 NIV).

Legal library: Hear, O Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today (Ten Commandments; Dt 5:1 NIV). Remember there are 613 mitzvot (good deeds) in the Old Testament and as many as 1,050 have been identified in the New Testament?

Child-rearing guide: Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die. Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death (Pr 23:13-14 NIV).

Ancestral history: Learn all the lineages and “begats”?

Spiritual warfare: For our struggle is . . . against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph 6:12 NIV).

Point to Ponder

Do we need sections other than for Bibles in our Christian bookstores? Or in any bookstore?

80. Do We Matter to God?

If you have ever asked that question, you are not alone. Jews and Christians going through anti-Semitic persecution are asking that question even today. Famous, renowned men of God have found themselves asking that same question. For example:[49]

•   Habakkuk 1:2: How long, O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save?

•   Solomon, a notably wise man, in Ecclesiastes 1:13: What a heavy burden God has laid on men! And in 2:11: Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.

•   Jeremiah cries out in 4:19: Oh, my anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain. Oh, the agony of my heart! My heart pounds within me, I cannot keep silent. And he has to appeal to the Lord in 14:8-9: O Hope of Israel, its Savior in times of distress, why are you like a stranger in the land, like a traveler who stays only a night? Why are you like a man taken by surprise, like a warrior powerless to save? You are among us, O LORD, and we bear your name; do not forsake us!

•   People today are asking how God could care in view of the extermination of millions of Jews in the holocaust, of the growing abortion issue, of euthanasia becoming acceptable, and of women and children being abused domestically and in war.

•   Jesus himself called out Psalm 22:1-2 in His hour of desperation: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent.

Isaiah found out that God does care:

Listen to me . . . Before I was born the LORD called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow . . . He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor . . . “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth” (Isa 49:1-6).

Notice the promise to make the Israelites a light for the Gentiles. I wonder how that sounded to the ears of the Israelites back in those days. Is that alone enough reason to study the Hebraic roots of our Christian faith?

The argument with God continues in Isaiah 49:14: But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.” The Lord replies, Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! (Isa 49:15).

Ultimately, God spoke a promise through Isaiah that showed how much God cared for His children:

Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (Isaiah 7:13-14).

That was BC! In AD John quotes Jesus’s perspective on how much we matter to God: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (Jn 3:16).

Yosef

Point to Ponder

The Lord cares for us.

Should we pay more attention to His loving advice?

81. How to Bring Salvation Down to Earth

Is salvation a means of escape from this old wicked world? Or is salvation an empowerment to deal with the here and now?

The Hebrew Bible does not use the word “save,” or yasha in Hebrew, to mean escape and go to heaven. A careful study of its occurrences reveals a concept like to liberate, to deliver from evil, or to free from oppression. Both the Original Testament and the Renewed Testament provide numerous examples of His people being saved from evils and oppression, including real-time deliverance from slavery in Egypt, to name just one example. Note that yasha is the root for Yeshua’s name.

In fact, the biggest issue Yeshua’s followers and wannabe followers had with Him was that He did not save them from the oppression of Roman dominion as his name would indicate. They expected Him to deliver, free, liberate the Jews from Roman dominion. Yeshua stated His mission in Luke 4:18-19 (from Isa 61):

The Spirit of ADONAI is upon me; therefore he has anointed me to announce Good News to the poor; he has sent me to proclaim freedom for the imprisoned and renewed sight for the blind, to release those who have been crushed, to proclaim a year of the favor of ADONAI (CJB).

Note that His mission statement has to do primarily with here-and-now issues, not with making a place in heaven for our perpetual retirement.

And He assigned us a mission, the Great Commission: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you (Mt 28:19-20 KJV). So we are challenged by Yeshua to do as He did, to live a life of righteousness and faithfulness in this world. And for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, it is to be done in the here and now. He taught His disciples to be involved here on earth. And they did just that as they went out to spread the gospel, even to the point of sacrificing their lives.

Shalom now,

Yosef

Point to Ponder

Are you ready to work with Him

to set captives free here on earth?

Here and Now?

82. Idolatry from the Hebraic Perspective

A central focus of the Torah portion V’etchanan (Dt 3:23-7:11) is the ban on idolatry. The Israelites are absolutely forbidden from worshiping or even making graven images. They should not intermarry with the surrounding nations lest they be drawn after their idolatrous ways. Israelites were not only forbidden from making likenesses of other gods, but they were not even to make an image which could symbolically represent God Himself. This stricture is so great that a Jew should rather die than participate in pagan worship.

This abstinence from making graven images becomes part of the theme of a popular Gospel portrayal. In Mark 12:13-17, the leaders were trying to trap Jesus:

They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?” But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” (NIV).

Background: Jewish coins did not have images on them; and still to this day Israel’s coins do not have images of living beings.[50] Roman coins had the graven image of Caesar, their god. So when Jesus asked for a coin, the corrupt leaders obviously handed him the Roman coin to create the challenge. But Jesus could clearly demonstrate that the Roman coin was of pagan origin, worldly and belonging to the Roman kingdom. Obviously it did not belonging to God’s kingdom.

So why is idolatry such a severe transgression in God’s perspective?

1.   Some commentators and the most common teaching views the Torah’s stricture against making a graven image as a fence law, to avoid the possibility that people will mistakenly come to worship this image as God Himself.

2.   Our relationship with the Almighty is direct and therefore without any intermediaries. The use of an image, even as a mere symbol to represent the Divine, would constitute an intermediary and is thus forbidden.

3.   Commentators give yet another reason for the biblical disdain of idolatry. It is perversion of the metaphysical order. Judaism teaches that we must subordinate our will to the Almighty’s will. The nature of pagan worship is just the opposite. It is an attempt to influence and ultimately control spiritual forces. Jewish tradition says our purpose in this world is to achieve moral growth by emulating the Almighty’s behavior, not to influence spiritual forces into helping meet our own egotistical, selfish desires. Some teachings and practices in Christendom encourage the followers to influence God and tell Him what to do and how to do it, even going so far as expecting Him to obey us! Isn’t that backward? It is definitely in contrast with Hebraic thinking.

4.   And finally, idolatry is wrong because it is false. A graven image is an inanimate object incapable of accomplishing anything. There is nothing real behind the wood and stone. God is real and He is truth and He is alive.

The basis for Hebraic thinking about the Creator of the universe is that we must strive not to fashion God in our own image, but rather to fashion ourselves in the image of God. It is no wonder that a devout Jew would have difficulty in a traditional Christian environment with the plethora of “symbols” we have in use.

Yosef

Point to Ponder

Where has idolatry crept into our lives?

Do we try to fashion God into our image?

Or should we be fashioning ourselves into

the image of God?

83. Why Is Christianity a Gentile Church?

Could this have been God’s plan? But for only a season.

We have all recognized by now that Jesus was a Jew, with a Hebrew name, Yeshua Ha Mashiach, or Jesus Christ in Greek. We also now recognize that the early church was made up primarily of Jews for about two hundred years. It was a messianic church. It was called a Jewish sect, sometimes referred to as “The Way.”

Then history tells us that the Roman government adopted Christianity, blended it with its pagan belief system, and forced the Jews to convert to Roman Christianity.[51] Ever since then, Christianity has flourished around the globe reaching out to all people, just as our loving God had planned and desired.

Meanwhile, most Jews have distanced themselves from Christianity over the years, largely because of atrocities conducted in the name of Christ. Yet, the Bible, the Word of God, has not changed the fact that the Israelites are God’s chosen people, and end-time eschatology is centered on the Jews and the nation of Israel. Some Christians misunderstand or choose to set aside God’s Word and preach that the Jews ignored God and therefore are lost and forgotten. They think the Gentile church has replaced the Jews in God’s plan. This is referred to as ‘replacement theology’. This could cause one to think that God’s plan went astray. This is hard for me to believe!

In recent years, we have a resurgence of the messianic movement. Jews are coming to know and accept Yeshua as Ha Mashiach. At the same time, we have more Christians searching for and researching the Hebraic roots of their Christian faith. This movement is a rapidly growing phenomenon, which includes many more messianic believers in Israel, and the rest of the world, than traditional Judaism will publicly admit. It has been reported that there are a surprising number of rabbis in Israel who are closet believers.

Could it be that this was God’s plan? Let’s consider the following:

If Yeshua’s messiahship was to be recognized by only Jews, would “The Way” have been shunned by the Gentile world as a Jewish religion? Probably.

But since the Gentiles, through Roman dominion, took over Christianity and made it a Gentile religion, the gospel has spread around the world. Could this be what God intended, commanded, and commissioned.

In recent times, we have seen Jews returning to their Hebraic roots, accepting Yeshua as Messiah, some calling themselves Completed Jews and joining Christians in their shared belief in Yeshua. Thus God’s promise to the Israelites is fulfilled. The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged (Dt 31:8 NIV). This is just one of many times He made this promise.

And many traditional Christians like you and I are seeking and appreciating the Hebraic roots of our faith. Did Paul foresee this search and appreciation when he penned Romans 1:16? I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile (NIV). My favorite song says, “Jew and Gentile—one in Yeshua, one in our Father’s love.”

God is still the Master Planner.

More on the role of the Gentiles in the following Insight.

Yosef

84. More on the Role of Gentiles

It is hard to believe that Paul actually made some statements to the Gentiles and the Romans. Some listeners must surely have said, “He is out of his mind!”

Paul says, I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile (Romans 1:16-17 NIV).

The Jews in Rome were obviously having some difficulty accepting that the Roman Gentiles could be believers. How could the Gentiles possibly understand Hebraic history, God’s Word, and the cultural background replete with remembrances? And here Paul is accepting them into the church, or synagogue, as fellow believers. Even when the Holy Spirit was being poured out in Jerusalem, we have heard of the classic Jews’ response which depicts the culture of that day: The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles (Ac 10:45-46 NIV).

If that was not difficult enough to swallow, Paul really became controversial when he said to the culture of the times, There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal 3:28 NIV). How could a learned rabbinical Hebrew of Hebrews like Paul possibly make such statements? In the culture of the day, how could one

(a) equate a Jew and a Gentile? The Gentiles were the unclean goyim, frequently spoken of disparagingly. Clearly they were two different people groups. And then Paul went on to say

(b) that slave and free men were on the same level. How ridiculous that must have been to the ears of a people caught up in a class structure like we Americans have never experienced.

(c) And Paul tops it off with another incredulous reference to man and woman being equal. In biblical times, or until biblical times, and still in Eastern culture today, the man or husband owned the woman, wife, or daughter. For example, (1) the crime of adultery was treated as an offence by the man because he had taken the property of another man when he violated the wife or daughter. (2) Even today, in the wedding ceremony, the father of the bride gives her away, thus she then belongs to her husband, the groom. Does this make Yeshua and Paul the first liberators of women, or equal rights advocates? I think so.

Yeshua Himself mentioned the role of the Gentiles (goyim) and the Gentile Church when He was teaching about the end times. He said,

However, when you see Yerushalayim surrounded by armies, then you are to understand that she is about to be destroyed. Those in Y’hudah must escape to the hills, . . . For these are the days of vengeance, when everything that has been written in the Tanakh will come true. What a terrible time it will be . . . ! For there will be great distress in the Land and judgment on the people. Some will fall by the edge of the sword, others will be carried into all the countries of the Goyim, and Yerushalayim will be trampled down by the Goyim until the age of the Goyim has run its course (Luke 21:20-24 CJB). [Sounds too much like today’s newspapers!]

Paul sums up Yeshua’s words and debunks replacement theology with this prophetic interpretation:

Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins” (Ro 11:25-27 NIV).

There are many more references to Gentiles in our Bible and not enough space to compile a full study of the role of the Gentile church. I trust that this instills in all of us a desire to reflect afresh when we study God’s Word and that we will appreciate His loving plan for all His people, Jew and Gentile, one in the Messiah.

Yosef

Point to Ponder

Would the church have grown to be available

to all the peoples on earth,

fulfilling the Great Commission,

if it had remained a Jewish church?

85. How Far Is West from East?

or

Our Western Thinking versus

Biblical Eastern Thinking?

Did you hear about the Western culture Christian guy who wanted to meet a one-handed Rabbi? Why? He did not want to hear the rabbi say “on the other hand.”

I was studying the style difference between Eastern (Hebraic/Jewish) and Western (Greek/Hellenistic) culture. We have grown up in a Western culture which uses stepwise logic. We inherited it from Greek philosophers who were Hellenistic thinkers. We seek out the logical steps that lead to a definite conclusion. And we get frustrated if we cannot track to a definitive conclusion. Thus the Hellenistic westernization of our Christian church has resulted in numerous different denominations, each having come to its own “right conclusion,” and each has to have a conclusion. Eastern logic focuses on practice, while Western logic prides itself on theory.

On the other hand, Eastern culture and the Bible itself are full of life and action, and therefore, the Bible uses verbs to start sentences. They don’t focus on stated or defined theology. As a result, Eastern culture accepts the inconsistencies of our daily life experiences. This thinking has been termed block logic. In life, a block of things, thoughts, or experiences does not necessarily have a definite conclusion. Thus, biblically, there are inconsistencies that Jews can live with, like a loving God allowing and causing eradication of people groups, like the Canaanites. Or in New Testament times, Jesus tells us to love our neighbor, but on the other hand He also tells us to love Him and hate the family. Eastern block logic can handle “on the other hand,” reminiscent of Tevye’s lyrics in Fiddler on the Roof. Maybe this is why our Hebraic/messianic fellowships have Torah studies in which we come to differing conclusions and yet are still okay and remain friends. If you have six Jews in the room, you have at least twelve opinions. Typical church Bible studies drive to a theologically correct answer, and thus denominations are born.

Block logic helps understand the Jewish love of a life of action. We Western Christians say theologically God is Love.” Eastern Jewish culture is focused on an action-filled life, so they say “loving God” (verb first) and Hear, O Israel . . . Note the frequency of verb-first sentences, even after filtering through Western language translations.

Another example is found in the word faith, as a noun, in our Bible translations. Hebrew Bibles and translations refer to faithfulness, which implies actions accompanying and providing a basis for trust. The book of James is challenging to teach and difficult for Christians to understand. Faith without action is dead. And James, Jesus’s half-brother, was obviously Jewish and in charge of “The Way,” the first messianic church in Jerusalem. James teaches that Faith is more than thinking or mental ascent as Westerners translate it. Faithfulness implies obedience and doing the work called for in the Word of God.

Also, the church struggles with predestination or election versus free will and human freedom. The Hebrew mind can handle this dynamic tension being confident that there is wisdom in learning to trust in matters that they cannot fully understand. The book of Ecclesiastes demonstrates a whole series of inconsistencies, summarized in Ecclesiastes12:12-13:

Take heed: one can write many books—there’s no end to it; and one can study so much that it wearies the flesh. Here is the final conclusion, now that you have heard everything: fear God, and keep his mitzvot; this is what being human is all about (CJB).

The church’s propensity to categorize or methodologically organize great theological systems of thought is risky business at best. Jews are more interested in discovering what God wants man to do, while we busy ourselves trying to describe God. Remember Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof describing life and people in Anatevka: “Every man knows what God expects of him.”

I bid you Shalom, but according to Matthew 10:34, Yeshua said, Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

I bid you Shalom anyway!

Yosef

86. Differing Views—What Is Sin?

In recent years, some thoughtful Christians have asked whether the term sin is still useful when this word is used as a lure to market sexy perfume and rich chocolate. Some theologians have come up with complex definitions of sin. Let us look at some of these definitions.

One interprets original sin as a metaphor for our flawed and precarious human condition. Another view is to see sin not as the opposite of virtue, but as the opposite of faith and as an expression of the distressing mixture of freedom and fate that keeps prompting us to do things that in our better moments we know are wrong. In fact, Yeshua typically referenced sin (singular) as lack of faith, whereas sins (plural) represents thoughts, acts, and deeds offensive to God.

A classic example of the singular form is found in John 5:2-14:

Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath. The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.” He answered them, “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’” . . . Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you” (NKJV).

I don’t believe Jesus was concerned about his life of thoughts, acts, and deeds at that moment. This gospel picture is all about the lack of faithfulness to God by a Jew with more than a physical infirmity. He was

1)  Working on the Sabbath,

2)  At a pagan pool, while a mikvah, baptismal, was only fifty yards away,

3)  Trusting an angel for his healing,

4)  Belief in stirred water to bring healing,

5)  Doing this for thirty-eight years,

6)  Seemingly not wanting to get well, possibly for fear of having to change his life style,

7)  Carrying his bed on the Sabbath.

Clearly this was a non-Torah observant Jew. In effect, Yeshua is saying, “Stop putting your trust in the world system; grow up and be a good, believing Jew.”

How many things do we do that might cause Jesus to pay us a visit and then say to us, “Stop putting your trust in the world system; grow up and be a good Christian?

And we all know that the most serious sin (singular) of all is to not be faithful to Yeshua Ha Mashiach.

With chesed (love) from Yeshua,

Yosef

Point to Ponder

How often do we put our trust in the world’s system

or in religious practices,

instead of putting our trust in God’s Word

and faithful Torah observance?

87. Psychologists’ versus Torah’s View of Sin

Jews have never attached much credence to what Christian theology calls original sin, which plays an important role in Christianity. Understandably they question how we can all be implicated by Adam’s fatal bite into a piece of forbidden fruit. The difference in interpretation depends on whether one is a literalist or one accepts a metaphorical view. Literalists believe Adam was a real historical figure, so it is little wonder that our being cursed for his disobedience should be a curse on us. But some, especially Jewish thinkers, tend to interpret the language of the Torah such that the names Adam and Eve mean mankind and life or are metaphorical representations of all humankind. For them the story in Genesis is not about primeval ancestors but about us. Thus, psychologists have had a field day in trying to understand sin.

Christians have said that the story of the fall of man is about the first man’s transgression, seeking to escape our finitude and our mortality (to be as gods). Remember Satan’s enticement? The serpent said to the woman, “It is not true that you will surely die; because God knows that on the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Ge 3:4-5 CJB). Thus, we find ourselves expelled from Eden and barred from returning by an angel with a fiery sword (a favorite theme in Christian art).

Some Christian theologians think of sin more as a kind of congenital disability, with specific failings as its symptoms. No one is perfect! Getting psychological, have you ever noticed the sense of vertigo and anxiety that arises when we become aware of our finitude, of our errors and of how expert we are at deceiving ourselves about it. One psychologist, Tillich, being more philosophically inclined, saw original sin as a result of our existential predicament and our haunting sense of estrangement from our self, from each other, and from the mysterious source of our being. Interesting concept to process!

For each of these influential thinkers, the story of Adam and Eve is not about something that happened in a garden long ago but a powerful symbol of the human situation we confront every day. Whether or not we call it original sin, it remains a stubborn fact of the human condition.

But how do differing concepts of sin found in Judaism and Christianity generate different understandings of God’s forgiveness?

For Christians sin is more a condition than an act, more an inner flaw than an infraction. So God’s grace must penetrate to the core of our being. We must be inwardly transformed, thus we sing, “I’m a new creation, I’m a brand new man. Old things are passed away. I’ve been born again.”

Jewish tradition, exemplified in the Yom Kippur observance, teaches that, if we are appropriately penitent, God will forgive the transgression we have committed against him, but that even God does not forgive the misdeed we perpetrate against our fellow human beings. In the book of Leviticus, atonement can be made for each of the various sins against God. But for atonement to be made for deliberate sins against our neighbor, one is required to (1) confess, (2) make restitution, (3) pay a one-fifth (double tithe) in addition to restitution, and (4) give God a specified guilt offering. See Lev 6:1-7.

I think we are on thin ice to assume that Yeshua’s blood covers a sin against a neighbor if we have not tried to make restitution. For these sins we must seek their forgiveness. I think Christians have much to learn from this. Too often Christians profess that once they have confessed to God, they do not need to reconcile themselves to the other party. But this makes it too easy. Jesus told his followers that, if on the way to the temple to offer a sacrifice, they remember something that has undermined their relationship with a neighbor, they should first go and make peace with the neighbor and only then go and offer the sacrifice. Jesus was never more rabbinical than at this moment.

Chazak, chazak, v’nit’chazek.

(Be strong, be strong, and let us be strengthened.)

Yosef

We Have a Lot to Ponder!

Deceptionsand Trojan Horses

And How to Avoid Being Deceived

88. The Greeks’ Trojan Horse to Christianity

Plato and the Greek philosophical thinking held that there are two worlds—the physical, tangible, material world and the invisible, ethereal, spiritual world. In addition, Greek thinking and teaching held that the material world is inferior and the source of evil, whereas the soul or spiritual side of us comes from the heavenly realm and therefore is good. Application of this philosophy deems the body to be an evil, fleshly prison for the soul. Thus the soul only finds its freedom at the time of death.

Similarly, we need to recognize a similar misconception by differentiating biblical thinking from yin and yang and from traditional thinking. Yin and yang teaches that there are two forces opposing each other, good and evil.

The Bible teaches that God’s creation is good. Evil or bad comes from lack of good. There is no evil, but rather a lack of good, like there is no dark, but a lack of light. Or there is no cold, but lack of heat.

Hebrew and biblical teaching views the world as good, created by God, and he called it good ten times in Genesis 1-2. And God created it all with our human interests at heart. We should live our lives in full enjoyment of the creation He provided for us.

To the Hebraic mind-set, we humans are a specially chosen unification of body and soul, physical and spiritual, dynamically working together to serve our Creator with our whole being. Furthermore, our focus should be on how we live, body and soul, in today’s everyday world. Maybe that is why the Bible is such a worldly book. This statement may shock some people that have been taught to avoid worldliness, but the Bible is all about how to live in this world. Remember the Insight that featured the Bible as the one book to read. The bible tells and teaches us of wars, love, mystery, history, self-help, medicine, diet, psychology, trickery, comedy, gore, legal, child-rearing, and so forth. Sounds like everyday worldly stuff we face as we live out the life He gave us. And it is our Creator’s operating manual on how to live the life He gave us.

If this is the case, why are so many of our teachings, songs, and objectives in our traditional Christian churches focused on escape from this world, instead of involvement in this world? I cannot believe our early messianic Hebraic biblical churches would have sung songs like “This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through . . .” or “Some glad morning, when this life is o’er, I’ll fly away . . .” or, my least favorite, “I’ve got a mansion, just over the hill-top . . . and some day yonder, I’ll never more wander, but walk on streets that are purest gold.” Are we telling our Creator that we do not appreciate the world He created for us? Read Genesis 1 again. He made it for us!

To what extent are church teachings devoted to escaping or opting out of our responsibilities to change the world we live in? Instead, has our focus shifted toward seeking out the future, selfish, personal reward of the spiritual world to come? Are we loving our neighbors if we leave them behind?

No wonder Jews think Christians are selfish and focused on their personal salvation and future rather than concerned about the corporate family, community, country, world, and so forth.

Did the Greeks give us a Trojan horse by teaching us to distinguish flesh as bad, and spirit as good?

Enjoy life!

Yosef

Point to Ponder

Has this helped you to see all God’s creation as good?

89. Another Trojan Horse: “Do Not Enjoy!”

Since Ascetics and Gnostics view our bodies as part of the evil material world we have been taught in subtle ways to abstain from pleasure. I have even seen a very devout Christian in a men’s fellowship meeting stand up, chastise us, and walk out because the group thought it was okay for us Christians to have fun. Not all Christians feel that strongly, but there is an underlying tainting of our thinking that honors debasement of our bodies and denying or giving up things. Let me state right up front that my favorite sarcastic song goes like this: “They will know that we are Christians by [start sarcastic font] the things that we don’t do.”

Paul had to preach against teachings of the Gnostics in particular, who wanted to avoid evil by escaping or denying the body and instead indulge in accumulating knowledge (gnosis in Greek). Paul spoke against this concept of the don’ts:

Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence (Col 2:20-23 NIV).

Do we see Gnosticism in our Church thinking today? Marvin Wilson[52] summarized this exceptionally well when he said, “Often when Christians become too focused on enjoying the never-ending pleasures of the spiritual world to come, they also minimize the importance of the present, short-lived opportunity to glorify God in their bodies right now.” You were bought at a price. So use your bodies to glorify God (1Co 6:20 CJB).

Our goal in life should definitely not be to strive for physical pleasure as the highest objective. Rather, we should receive and acknowledge these simple pleasures of life as gracious gifts from our Creator alone.

The biblical stories and the lifestyle of the Jewish people describe men of God as enjoying life’s pleasures of eating, drinking, dancing, singing and men finding satisfaction their work. For the ideal woman’s life, see Proverbs 31. Jesus hung around with earthy people and chose them as apostles and disciples with only gentle admonition for them to change their lifestyles. However, I must note that their lifestyles were already rather Torah observant. Remember the Insights regarding Halakhah, or “the way of walking.” Paul summarized how to live a fulfilled life: Well, whatever you do, whether it’s eating or drinking or anything else, do it all so as to bring glory to God (1Co 10:31 CJB).

How often should we say “Todah Rabbah, Yeshua”?

(Thank you, Jesus.)

Yosef

Point to Ponder

Do we thank God often enough for all the pleasures we enjoy here on earth?

90. Trojan Horse—“To Marry or Not to Marry”

What was God’s first commandment? This is a trick Sunday School question. Answer—So God created humankind in his own image; in the image of God he created him: male and female he created them. God blessed them: God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it (Ge 1:27-28 CJB).

Thus we have the Hebraic heritage of marriage and family. We covered a section about God’s view of marriage demonstrating that marriage and family are core themes of the Bible and of the Hebraic way of life. Priests were married. Planning to remain single was unheard of.

Through the duality of Greek thought, the physical body being deemed evil and the need for it to be conquered while the spiritual being is good, we have distorted the Hebraic heritage of marriage, sex, and procreation. Marriage became demoted from one of God’s beautiful gifts to a questionable relationship involving the evils of sexual pleasure. In the Insight “Is Sex Good or Bad?,” we equated sex to fire. Fire in the fireplace is good, and fire not in its proper place causes all kinds of havoc and damage.

The life-style of monks represents a classic example of how this view of sex being evil has permeated our belief system. Since monks accept the vow of celibacy, they are thought to be closer to God because they are overcoming the fleshly and material temptations of the world. Such logic demeans the role of the husband and father gainfully employed in the world in order to be a good provider and example for his family. This same logic applies to a wife; the current view of honoring celibacy does not fit the familiar biblical teaching of the noble character’s wife in Proverbs 31 who is honored for caring for her family.

A classic example of the attempt to demean sexuality occurs in the Gentile-oriented Catholic Church teachings regarding the perpetual virginity of the Virgin Mary. The Catholic Church works hard at justifying their concept of her perpetual virginity. Underlying this interpretation has to be the influence of Greek philosophy of the Gentile Christians from Rome to view of flesh and sex as evil. Instead, the messianic Hebraic Christians view marriage, family, and procreation as a gift from our Creator God. Thus our Western culture has condoned singleness and even honored celibacy, a thought totally foreign to our Hebraic ancestors.

Singleness or celibacy is often justified by a biblical quote that is taken out of context: Now to deal with the questions you wrote about: “Is it good for a man to keep away from women?” (1Co 7:1 CJB). Let us put this quote in context, first by correctly translating the phrase keep away from women. This phrase might better be translated not to have sexual relations with women. Second, let us continue to read verses 2-3 to identify context: Well, because of the danger of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give his wife what she is entitled to . . . (CJB). Paul is stressing (1) the goal of a one-man-and-one-woman marriage, (2) the sinfulness of adultery and fornication, and (3) that each man should have a wife.

The Hebrews did not treat the human body and its functions as evil, shameful, or indecent. The book Song of Songs demonstrates this fact very clearly. How did the church go astray in these teachings? The church left itself open to these strange teachings once it denied the Jewish roots on which it was founded and supported and into which it was grafted for truth and nourishment.

Shalom Aleichem,

Yosef

Point to Ponder

Would any of us be here

if our ancestors had decided to draw closer to God

by abstaining from sex?

Subject: Monastery Life

Widely circulated e-mail distribution

A young monk arrives at the monastery. He is assigned to helping the other monks in copying the old canons and laws of the church by hand.

He notices, however, that all of the monks are copying from copies, not from the original manuscript. So the new monk goes to the abbot to question this, pointing out that, if someone made even a small error in the first copy, it would never be picked up. In fact, that error would be continued in all of the subsequent copies.

The abbot says, “We have been copying from the copies for centuries, but you make a good point, my son.” He goes down into the dark caves underneath the monastery where the original manuscripts are held as archives in a locked vault that hasn’t been opened for hundreds of years.

Hours go by, and nobody sees the old abbot.

So, the young monk gets worried and goes down to look for him. He finds him banging his head against the wall and wailing, “We missed the R! We missed the R! We missed the R!”

His forehead is all bloody and bruised, and he is crying uncontrollably.

The young monk asks the old abbot, “What’s wrong, Father?”

With A choking voice, the old abbot replies, “The word was . . .

CELEBRATE!”

91. Yeshua Saves Both Body and Soul!

Paul knew that the Greek philosophical teaching embedded in Gentile thinking held that the psyche, soul, or spirit represent the nonphysical and immortal part of a person. But Paul was quickly clarifying that the body and soul were not separable. Romans 8:21-23[53] should to be studied carefully.

Maybe we need to adopt the view of man living as a soul, instead of our current view that man has a soul. The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being (Ge 2:7 NIV). God breathed into him nefesh chaya, which can be translated “soul or spirit of life.” The soul or spirit of life is who man is, and who you are.

So do we have to go to the other, outer, world to find God, or is He in us? Body and soul are both alive and exist to bless Him. “In Him we live and move and have our being.” And yet, we have been indoctrinated with the mind-set that body is evil and spirit is good. So we focus on getting our soul to heaven, thankful to leave our body behind.

And I have heard some very astute depictions of the body, soul and spirit as segments of our person in an effort to define who we are. To what extent are we trying to use our imperfect wisdom to define something as complex as God’s favorite creation? In the Insight “How Far Is West from East,” we explored the danger of coming up with theological models as our way of defining the box we put God in. We summarized the issue with this statement:

The church’s propensity to categorize or methodologically organize great theological systems of thought is risky business at best. Jews are more interested in discovering what God wants man to do, while we Christians are trying to describe God. Remember Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof describing life and people in Anatevka: “Every man knows what God expects of him.”

Trying to define a Trinitarian God has always been a problem. Do we try to define man a Trinitarian also? Can we just be a whole person working together?

Why are we so concerned about getting a new body in heaven? And is a glorified body necessarily a new body? Could it be that our quest for a new body is somewhat prideful and vain? I do not expect to find these attributes in heaven. Why are we so often dissatisfied with God’s creation?

Yosef

Point to Ponder

Maybe we should be careful of our bodies

as well as our souls.

After all, the greatest risk to a Christian’s health

is the potlucks.

Forgive me, friends.

92. Could You Be Deceived?

The word deceived and its variants appear about seventy times in our Bible. Jesus himself expressed concern and frequently warned us not to be deceived. Matthew 24 contains the Olivet discourse in which Jesus deals with eschatology and delivers His final and desperate message to His beloved disciples. Note Yeshua’s expressions of concern regarding deception:

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many . . . All these are the beginning of birth pains. “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted . . . At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people . . . At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time. “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is,’ . . . do not believe it” (Mt 24:3-26 NIV).

Here are three more familiar examples:

1.    Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor. Do not be deceived . . . (Gal 6:6-7 NIV).

2.    Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers (Jas 1:16 NIV).

3.    Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived . . . (1Co 6:9 NIV).

Lest you think deception is in the New Testament only, consider a very early event for mankind: Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (Ge 3:13 NIV).

The Bible is the manufacturer’s operating manual. Any other source of information could lead to deception. Other sources, while valuable, should not be allowed to take precedence over the Holy Scripture itself. But we need to study the Bible ourselves. A minister recently told me of a lady who thanked him for sharing an insightful teaching from the Bible because that way she did not have to read the Bible herself. What do you suppose went through the minister’s mind?

Personally, I try not to read more than one book by any one author or avoid focusing on one preacher, evangelist, televangelist, or commentary for fear of picking up and mentally rehearsing the error that any one man may introduce. After my salvation experience, I became an avid reader of Christian books. After one year, the Lord asked me, “Are you going to read books about Me, or are you going to read My Book?” For the next five years, I read the Bible only.

I am reminded of a saying about the degeneration of Christianity that I heard not too long ago:

Christianity was a faith within Judaism in Jerusalem,

and became a religion in Rome,

and became a culture in Europe,

and became a business in America.

Yosef

Points to Ponder

1)  Are you satisfied with the amount of time you avoid deception by being in God’s Word, instead of digesting someone else’s interpretation?

2)  Who are the saints who will be deceived?

3)  In what ways are we being deceived today?

93. Give and Take—What’s the Difference?

My favorite tithing sermonette is about proverbial George who complained vehemently to his pastor, “All you ever talk about is giving, offerings, tithing—give, give, give. That’s all you ever talk about.” The pastor was bothered and pondered George’s concern. A week later the pastor met George and said, “George, I want to thank you for giving me the best way to describe a Christian’s life. It’s give, give, give.”

Offerings are given voluntarily (by definition) and are often referred to as freewill offerings. God’s training of His people in the Torah and TaNaK had a lot to do with freewill giving. He wanted His people to have a giving heart. Two quick examples:

•   God taught the farmers to leave gleanings as a way of providing for the needs of the poor and alien:

When you harvest the ripe crops produced in your land, don’t harvest all the way to corners of your field, and don’t gather the ears of grain left by the harvesters. Likewise, don’t gather the grapes left on the vine or fallen on the ground after harvest; leave them for the poor and the foreigner . . . (Lev 19:9-10 CJB).

•   James was the half-brother of Jesus, head of the messianic church in Jerusalem and author of the epistle James. He defined true religion: The religious observance that God the Father considers pure and faultless is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress . . . (Jas 1:27 CJB). It is a personal, voluntary responsibility to care for the less fortunate.

Some Christians support the concept of government taxing or taking from the rich to give to the poor. Yet neither the TaNaK nor Yeshua ever suggested taking in order to care for the less fortunate. God loves to see his people giving. He loves a cheerful giver. What do we teach our children at an early age?—Sharing. And we reprimand them for taking from another child.

Our government funds many initiatives that are actually the responsibility of the church. Will continued taking, by taxing, to support welfare programs continue to discourage the Americans’ spirit of giving? And discourage mission efforts? How can anyone explain our unexplainably strange giving custom we have called tipping?

While living in Europe and working in small churches, my wife and I found the concept of voluntary tithes and offerings to be a difficult concept to instill in Europeans. Christians were already taxed in order to belong to either of the two main denominations. I asked, “Why do you elect to be taxed like that?” Answer: “How else can you get baptized, married and buried?” Taking via taxation discouraged the spirit of giving.

Our weekly Torah/Bible group is studying the book of Judges in which God is asking His people to be governed by a theocracy in which He is the King (of all Kings). The problem with our separation-of-church-and-state thinking is that it is definitely not Hebraic thinking at all.

Hebraic thinking does not distinguish between sacred and secular. We cannot carve God out of our lives at certain times, circumstances, issues, decisions, and so forth. He is Lord of it all. But again, this generation is falling away from obedience to the Lord, just as the Israelites did again and again during the period of the judges. And what price did they pay?

Let’s be healthy and be cheerful givers

Yosef

Points to Ponder

Can a democracy survive if more than fifty percent of the people can vote themselves money, pay, jobs, and welfare

by taking from the rich in order to give to the poor?

How does the Bible describe rich and poor?

94. The Curse of Getting What We Want

A puzzling New Testament verse: And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose (Ro 8:28 NKJV). But how can anti-Semitic pressure, the holocaust, the persecution, the pogroms, the Crusades, and so forth possibly be for good?

Who of the following is more likely to call out to God?

•    The young man with growing income, growing family, loving wife, cute kids . . . ?

•    The teenager being ridiculed for . . . and finding himself resorting to drug addiction?

•    The healthy, acclaimed rising star athlete?

•    The cancer patient?

•    The executive with his BMW and golden parachute clause in place?

•    The unemployed, homeless alcoholic?

Consider the contrast between the books of Ecclesiastes and Job. Solomon had everything, and yet nothing mattered—“It’s all vanity!” Job had nothing, yet everything including God mattered.

Moses warned the Israelites of the dangers inherent in prosperity:

When you have eaten and are satisfied . . . Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands . . . Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied . . . and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God . . . You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth . . . (Dt 8:10-18 NIV).

Moses knew before it happened that impending prosperity would be their undoing! He did not say, “you might forget,” but, “you will forget.”

Philip Yancey[54] makes reference to “secular Europe where people drive BMWs and Volvos, eat in gourmet restaurants, visit sex shops, and pursue the good life. Having abandoned colonial ambitions, they even respond with tempered compassion to the latest international crisis of flood or famine . . . Such people outraged Job.” This attitude is anticipated by Job in 21:13-15: They spend their years in prosperity and go down to the grave in peace. Yet they say to God, “Leave us alone! We have no desire to know your ways. Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him? What would we gain by praying to him?” (NIV). We lived in Europe for three years and tried to witness in that materialistic, prosperous culture. We found ourselves struggling to evangelize ears that did not want to hear.

So why have the Jews defied all odds of remaining a people while other people groups have disintegrated or lost their identity every one to three hundred years or so? Could it be that they never had the shalom (peace) that they desperately sought? And even now, while the Israeli Jews are living in their homeland, the political and terroristic issues preclude peace, except on a personal level.

How might this apply to our modern churches in prosperous America? Is there a tendency for the large churches to be seeker-friendly with milk-and-toast messages? On the other hand, have you encountered small groups struggling with the challenge of unearthing truths in God’s Word that conflict with the mainstream teachings? Which of the two types of church groups is being cursed because they get what they want? Conversely, which set of believers is growing and maturing in faith and Christian character because they are struggling against the mainstream?

Yosef

Points to Ponder

What does this mean for America’s future?

How can I, in love, wish you a prosperous New Year?

95. How Much Will God Tolerate?

Heard recently: If you want to get a liberal mad, tell him the truth. And if you want to get a conservative mad, tell him a lie.[55] That sounds rather harsh, but two days later I heard a person I highly respect say, “Today we have become more concerned about tolerance than we are concerned with the truth.”

Reflecting on this and referencing God’s Torah and the practices in Old Testament times and in Yeshua’s days, I realized how far we have slid and are still sliding. Here are some classic examples of “slippery slopes”[56] being considered in our civilized world today:

Abortion was unheard of in the Bible. Murder was dealt with like for like. But now choice is the expression used to acknowledge tolerance. And people are claiming their rights, instead of concern for their responsibilities. To call abortion sin or murder might hurt someone’s feelings and hurt the business of the abortionist. Bigger issues of world hunger, overpopulation, and global warming prevail. How does God view it?

Homosexuality was supposed to get you rocked to sleep and with no lullaby in the background. When I grew up, those individuals were called queer. And no one expected the beautiful symbol of a rainbow and purple, the symbol of royalty, to become the symbols for those practicing that sin. Today if you try to speak the truth you will be harassed, sued, and subjected to sensitivity training (brain-washing).

Euthanasia was unheard of and unthinkable. Elders were respected and revered, but now we have some nations practicing it. The appointment of a “care decision center” in Washington is purported to be included in ObamaCare. Have we decided we cannot afford to care for the elderly? Where is our respect for life?

Marriage is under attack. A recent Time magazine had the headline “Who Needs Marriage.” The church wrestles with the related issues of rampant divorce rates, sexual freedom, and an increase in living together situations. This is not surprising because prostitution is being legalized in various places and the definition of marriage by the state is now ignoring God’s definition and mandate. What the state puts together, the state can now take apart.

Drug use is increasing with legalization of marijuana, leading to acceptance of other drugs and mind-altering means.

Embryonic stem cell research is expected to lead to infanticide and euthanasia, so that we can use their body parts for research or cures.

Government programs to feed and educate school children as a solution for obesity and malnutrition. The state already controls the curriculum. These programs parallel the take-overs of the children and youth in Nazi pre-World War II programs as children became wards of the state. God holds the parents responsible for their children.

Where does it stop? Remember how Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof reacted as his daughters were breaking tradition “to marry whomever Papa picks.” Tevye sings “One little time, you pull out the prop, and where does it stop? Where does it stop? . . . Pull out the thread, and where has it led? Where has it led?”

How far has our civilization and our nation gone in ignoring God’s Word.

Barukh haba b’Shem Adonai

(Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.)

Yosef

Points to Ponder

When will God apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah?

How much will God Tolerate?

Since God has been known to tolerate much,

how much dare we expect Him to tolerate?

Key: What should we do when we recognize

we are tolerating instead of telling God’s truth?

Definition of the “slippery slope” argument

Definition of the “slippery slope” argument is essentially that, if you make any exceptions to a rule, or if you make rules that depend on fine distinctions, pretty soon people will be ignoring the original rule entirely.

If you allow exceptions to a rule, it creates a slope away from the absoluteness of the rule which people will slide further and further until they will not obey the rule at all.

Have you heard the following statements?

•    If you give people an inch, they will take a mile.

•    If you let your camel put its nose into your tent, pretty soon the whole camel will be in the tent.

A study of “slippery slope” logic points out that, when making laws that are exceptions to the rule, one needs to remain aware of the underlying absolute rule. Failure to do so will make the slope slippery.

Point to Ponder

Question: Where are the absolutes?

Answer: In God’s Torah, which is not well taught in most of our traditional Christian churches today.

And Torah teaching is definitely not found in our public school curriculum.

EPILOGUE

Every week for last two years the Ruach HaChodesh (Holy Spirit) provided insights into God’s Word and into the customs developed by the chosen people striving to abide by the guidance of a loving God. Here are some highlights of principles, focuses, and chains of thought that evolved as we have now explored the Hebraic roots of our Christian faith:

•    Scripture as understood by the chosen people: We looked at Scripture that Yeshua did not come to abolish, as too many mature Christians have come to believe. Whenever the word Scripture is mentioned in the New Testament, it refers to the Old Testament, because the New Testament was not yet written. The opening section of Insights provided deeper and richer understanding of Scripture.

•   Language of Scripture: I have enjoyed teasing you with the language of Scripture and a sampling of the treasures in the Hebrew language by using bits of Hebrew throughout.

•   Laws, commandments, and mitzvoth provide guidance for our lives, and we have grown to appreciate their purpose. We’ve also learned that we are expected to obey. Our loving Abba gifted us with 613 instructions because He loves us and cares about our health and how we are to live.

•   Hebraic customs provide insight into ways to honor God more continuously. Do you remember why we should pay attention to Shema, rebirth, mezuzahs, feast celebrations, prayers, and so forth?

•   Fiddler on the Roof portrays picturesquely the Jewish customs and lifestyles and challenges to tradition. The lyrics are among my favorites because we can now recognize the cultural lessons.

•   Devotion and lasting ordinances to be observed became the next theme. Learning is a lifelong activity involving wisdom, prayers, salt covenants and worship in a synagogue.

•   Obedience was a major theme throughout. We recognize that there are always two witnesses to everything we do. Much was said regarding Torah observance. Incorporating rites of passage into our church programs just might create men, instead of boys.

•   Marriage: We looked at God’s view of marriage, at the question of whether sex is good or bad, and at our invitation to the wedding supper of the Lamb. Most of those points came from my book draft “Biblical Marriage.”

•   The holiday parable makes us think that God may have a better plan for developing a relationship with Him. Our loving Father asked for us to celebrate His feast days everlastingly for a reason, and to not adopt the world’s distractions.

•   Sacrifices and the systems, symbolism, and purposes of each help us understand how His blood covers sin but also our obligation with regard to sins against others.

•   Deceptions and Trojan horses became the finale because avoidance of deception relies on our appreciation of our roots. We need to know how to avoid being deceived. And then “How Much Will God Tolerate?” is a question for all of us to consider as we look at the future of life here on earth. Where are we on the “slippery slope”?

It is my mission that we would all grow in understanding what God intends for His children, Jew and Gentile, one in Messiah.”

Your comments, reactions, concerns regarding any of the Hebraic Insights are always more than appreciated. Contact information is in the front pages.

Shalom and La Shanah Tovah Chaveri.

By now you should know that means.

(Peace and have a Happy New Year, my friends.)

Yosef

Points to Ponder

Using these Insights,

can you remind traditional Christians . . .

that Jesus was a Jew?

that Christianity has Hebraic roots?

that the original church was messianic?

READERS’ COMMENTS

A few of the interesting responses to weekly e-mailed Hebraic Insights

General

It’s unfortunate that so much contemporary study is focused on the New Testament. Being saved as an adult, most of my study has been New Testament. It’s only been in the last few years that I have “stumbled across” the Old Testament and studies of it. Let me tell you . . . Having a foundation of the Old Testament definitely helps one understand the New Testament! Our Women’s Bible Study right now is on Revelation. There is a lot of scripture digging in Ezekiel, Isaiah and Daniel. Don’t you just love scripture digging? All those lineages that I thought would be boring and cumbersome are actually quite remarkable! It shows how everyone is linked to everyone else. It also shows how God rewards obedient servants for generations and generations and generations . . . . All Hebraic Insights are most gratefully received.

Marci Vaughn, Rogers, AR

First comment: I did not know my brother was so versed in biblical history or could manage to get it all on a printed page with the insight and language skills that have become apparent.

Second comment: You have kept this up for 96 weeks without repeating a single topic. Several topics have segued between the subjects to offer additional depth and detail.

Third comment: My Roman Catholic experiences have taken on new meanings with the added historical detail of your missives regarding the Old Testament facts and practices.

Fourth comment: I am an avowed “word freak.” Breaking down words to their roots is like chocolate to me. Many of the words used in my religion now make sense after the root and subroots are exposed. Makes reading the Bible a lot more fun for this language aficionado. (It has also cleared up a couple of mysteries for me.)

Delores Likeum, Sugar Grove, IL—Retired nurse

The Greeks’ Trojan Horse to Christianity

Wow, very interesting thoughts, I liked that very much, I guess I didn’t notice those songs you spoke of and which I have sung most my life are about escaping this world, interesting though the Holy Spirit has been working on me to have a much greater compassion on people in this world and how I need to be the Lamp on the hill and the salt of this earth, not just be thinking of what can God do for me.

James Crowne, Springdale, AR—Precision Automotive (Business owner who shares the Lord with his customers)

Excellent treatment of the constant challenge of dividing the “total man.” As you know this focus on dualism rose early in Church history in the rise of Gnosticism.

Dick Milham, Orlando, FL—Motivational speaker and minister

Another Trojan Horse: “Do not enjoy!”

I just wanted to let you know that your insight goes exactly with a discussion that we’ve been having in our congregation over the past few days. In a nutshell, a double-negative does not equal a positive. Like Rav Shaul said in 2 Corinthians—avoiding things meant to perish does not serve the same purpose as embracing the Kingdom here on Earth.

Brian Holder, Anderson, MO—Messianic Jew

Do we see “Gnosticism” in our Church thinking today? The other side of the coin, that 1 John speaks to, are those gnostics who indulged in the sensual (mainly sexual) pleasures. This was justified based on the gnostic teaching that spirit (good) and flesh (bad) were so different that one didn’t affect the other. In other words, a gnostic could sleep with prostitutes and defile his body, and it had no impact on his spirit. This part of gnosticism is more of what I see in the church thinking today.

Joel Brusherd, Richmond, VA—Pastor

Thank you for this Trojan Horse, but we did enjoy it as it defused some of the myths of present-day Christianity! I think you call for balance in our appreciation of what God has given us here to enjoy with what is coming in the spiritual world to come. I also think you have chosen appropriate scriptures to illustrate your point, bravo my Brother! We have been enjoying both your Hebraic Insights and Brother Kurt’s Greek Insights . . .

Larry Richie, Zionsville, PA—Book publisher representative

Yeshua Saves Both Body and Soul!

English-speaking Christians have difficulty with language because they don’t really like to study subtleness. Watchman Nee, a Chinese, in “The Spiritual Man,” goes to great lengths to suggest the same idea you’re stating here, that a person is a complete unit made up of three basic components, body, soul, and spirit. When the components get more attention than the whole package, we’re missing the really important stuff. I remember when I was forced, against my will, to study Latin . . . Now I know it was a great requirement since I actually had to understand how communication can actually convey real meaning and exchange information. Greek is the science, and Latin is the engineering of meaning exchange. English is the language of business and commerce in the world because its purpose is to hide meaning and leave opportunities for wiggle. It carries over into theology for the same reason; it allows sloppy thinking and ease of “living” rather than obedience to real “life.” I concur with your thesis; it’s the wholeness of life in Christ that is at the heart of the word from God to us. Thanks for the reminder.

Dick Swaney, Springdale, PA—Advanced Science teacher in Christian school, retired metallurgical engineer

Give and Take—What’s the Difference?

Regarding giving to missions, my denomination doesn’t see their pressures, pains, and poverty of which they speak and endure. Further, we “know” that a portion of our tithe automatically goes to fund missions. Can this contribution be likened to the mandatory taxes of the state church in Europe? I wonder how many people contribute to missions above and beyond the tithe? I wonder to what extent this manner of mandatory contributions discouraged the spirit of giving to missions, either local or abroad?

Anonymous

Agreed. Better yet, make people pay taxes in cash! Really enjoyed this. It always amazes me of how much we get used to and lose sight of what God’s intentions are. If more folks actually wrote a check to the IRS rather than having it conveniently removed from their payroll check . . . it would get pretty interesting.

Jesse Roberson, Bentonville, AR—Landscape business owner and children’s education coordinator

BIBLIOGRAPHY

CJB     Complete Jewish Bible

Translated by David H. Stern, Clarksville, MD: Messianic Jewish Publishers, 2007.

KJV    King James Version

Holy Bible, King James Version, Cambridge, 1769.

NIV    New International Version

Colorado Springs: International Bible Society, 1984.

NKJV  New King James Version

Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Brusherd, Joe. “Aleph-Tav Summary.” (matrix)*

Brusherd, Joe. “Feasts.” (matrix analysis)*[57]*

Brusherd, Joe. “Offerings.” (matrix analysis)*

Brusherd, Joe. “Twelve Tribes.” (matrix analysis)*

Brusherd, Joe, and Faith Ashley. Our Hebraic Roots: A Twelve-Week Yeshiva, 2007.

Church, J. R. Hidden Prophecies in the Psalms. Oklahoma City: Prophecy Publications, 1986.

Cox, Harvey. “A Christian Observes Yom Kippur.” Accessed June 10, 2011. http://www.religiononline.org/showarticle.asp?title=2110.

Crow, Gigi. Alef Bet Treasures: The Picturesque Meanings of the Hebrew Alphabet. Kingwood, TX: Shalom Hebrew School, 2003.

Dobson, John H. Learn Biblical Hebrew. 2nd rev. ed. Carlisle, UK: Piquant Editions, 2005.

Friedman, David, They Loved the Torah: What Yeshua’s First Followers Really Thought about the Law. Clarksville, MD: Messianic Jewish Publishers, 2001.

Garr, John D. The Hem of His Garment: Touching the Power in God’s Word. Atlanta: Golden Key, 2007.

Johnson, Kurt. “Greek Insights.” (weekly e-mails) 2009-10.

Kasden, Barney. God’s Appointed Times: A Practical Guide for Understanding and Celebrating the Biblical Holidays. Clarksville, MD: Messianic Jewish Publishers, 1993.

Koch, Robert, and Remy Koch. Christianity: New Religion or Sect of Biblical Judaism? Palm Beach Gardens, FL: Messenger Media, 1999.

Luton, Grant L. In His Own Words: Messianic Insights Into the Hebrew Alphabet. Akron, OH: Beth Tikkun, 1999.

McMillen, S. I., and David E. Stern. None of These Diseases: The Bible’s Health Secrets for the 21st Century. Grand Rapids: Revell, 2000.

Overman, Christian. Assumptions That Affect Our Lives: How Worldviews Determine Values that Influence Behavior and Shape Culture. 5th ed. Bellevue, WA: Ablaze Publishing, 2006.

Rosen, Ceil and Moishe Rosen. Christ in the Passover: Why is This Night Different? Chicago: Moody Press, 1978.

Rosen, Moishe. Y’shua: The Jewish Way to say Jesus. Chicago: Moody Press, 1982.

Sampson, Robin, and Linda Pierce. A Family Guide to the Biblical Holidays. Woodbridge, VA: Heart of Wisdom, 2001.

Sheldon, Charles Monroe. In His Steps. Grand Rapids: Chosen Books, 1984.

Taylor, Kenneth N. Almost 12:The Story of Sex. 3rd ed. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1995.

Wilson, Marvin R. Our Father Abraham: Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans 1989.

Yancey, Philip. The Bible Jesus Read. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999.

Young, Brad H. Meet the Rabbis: Rabbinic Thought and the Teachings of Jesus. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2007.

Note: This list of source materials and credits is admittedly not complete because Insights came from many sources, and there was no plan to publish them with documentation at the time of writing.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Contact Information

Joe “Yosef” Brusherd

710 Summit Loop

Rogers, AR 72756

Yosef1@cox.net

Author’s Web-site - www.InsightsByYosef.com

Joe Brusherd’s career included roles as CPA, international consultant, and vice-president in multiple companies. But one day in 1977, Joe Brusherd fell to his knees and said “Jesus Christ, you are real! I need to learn more about you.” That was, is, and always will be his goal in life.

Since then he attended every Bible study possible, studied in several Bible colleges, and taught Sunday school classes in all churches of which he was a member. Joe led numerous men’s ministries and Bible studies and developed (1) an in-depth survey of the Old Testament (his favorite topic), (2) outlines of parashot (weekly Torah studies), and (3) a course curriculum called “Our Hebraic Roots,” which became the introductory course in the yeshiva (school) in the messianic fellowship.

Although Joe was born again and baptized in the Holy Spirit in the Catholic Church, he has ministered in many distinctly different denominations: Assemblies of God, Assemblies of the First Born (as a licensed minister), Baptist, Filipino, FourSquare, and more recently, in messianic fellowships. He started and led men’s ministries in three distinctly different denominations: Assemblies of God, Filipino Assemblies of the First Born, and a messianic fellowship. A multidenominational background provides Joe with unique perspectives and insights.

Joe started his career as a CPA and MBA. He traveled worldwide as an international consultant. Before retiring, Joe served as vice president of operations and chief financial officer in a variety of industries. He encourages everyone he meets to grow professionally, personally, and most of all, spiritually. He’s a missionary and evangelist at heart.

As president of Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International in California and Belgium, Joe lead large monthly dinner meetings and a continuous schedule of weekly breakfast or lunch meetings worldwide. He has listened to hundreds of brothers from California Belgium, Honduras, and the Philippines share their testimonies.

His first book, Biblical Marriage, includes observations, testimonies, and teachings gleaned from personal experiences. Initial inspiration came from a teaching on the wedding supper of the Lamb. Initial distribution of the marriage book has been to family and friends thus far. However, family and friends comprise a large group since Joe and Peggy recently celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary, with six children, five of their spouses, and fourteen grandchildren, all of whom know, love, and serve the Lord.

Joe faithfully published a weekly series of e-mail messages entitled “Hebraic Insights” with inspiration and guidance from the Holy Spirit. In the last two years, the distribution has grown to over one hundred recipients, and these “Insights” are now the content of this book. He has since started another e-mail series referred to as “Hebraic Musings” which he makes available on request—Yosef1@cox.net.

Joe is the first to admit that the best preparation for teaching comes from listening attentively to an assortment of Bible college classes, preparing Bible study and Sunday school lessons, and hearing three messages in a typical week, of a variety of denominations over the last thirty-two years. And frequently he listens to himself prepare and deliver the message of the week.

Endnotes

1    We both remember the time thirty years ago when we were flying together. I was reading “Christ and the Passover” when my friend Kurt asked me if we could have dinner some night that week. Shortly after that, Kurt made the decision to follow Jesus.

2     This Insight came in a Torah study while I was wearing my Honduras missionary shirt emblazoned with “Tree of Life Ministries” and with “Rev. 22:2” on the collar. The shirt was from a missions work in Honduras called Arbole de Vida, where my son is ministering at a school called Plan Escalon (plan to escalate or elevate the students and thereby change the nation of Honduras). Special thanks to Pastor Guy Henry in Honduras, who gave me the shirt, and to my son Joseph.

1     The letter MEM will be explained in greater detail in the next Insight.

3      Remember that Hebrew reads right-left.

4     “What Would Jesus Do” from Charles Monroe Sheldon, In His Steps (Grand Rapids: Chosen Books, 1984).

5     The Mezuzah is explained in greater detail in the “Customs” section.

6     Some translations footnote these variations.

7     Based on similar contextual word usage in secular documents, also Nicodemus clearly assumed “again” for physical birth, and just as clearly, he was wrong because Jesus guided him to a different perspective—to a Spiritual birth.

8     The lack of the article “the” in the Greek text further supports this notion.

9     Among these [Israelites from the royal family] were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego (Da. 1:6-7 NIV).

10     Inspiration for these two Insights on “amen” came from J. R. Church, Hidden Prophecies in the Psalms (Oklahoma City: Prophecy Publications, 1986).

11     All Bible references are from NIV.

12     All Bible references are from NIV.

13    The concept of kosher laws will be discussed later in the “Customs” section.

14     The e-mail address is Yosef1@cox.net.

15    Thanks to one of Kurt Johnson’s Greek Insights.

16    Brad H. Young, Meet the Rabbis: Rabbinic Thought and the Teachings of Jesus (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2007), 39.

17    Shema, from Dt 6:4: Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

18    For more detail, read Dan Juster, Jewish Roots: A Foundation of Biblical Theology (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image 1995), 259-288.

19    This forgiveness and atonement issue is explained in more detail in Insight #70—What is Yom Kippur about?

20    For more details see S. I. McMillen and David E. Stern, None of These Diseases: The Bible’s Health Secrets for the 21st Century (Grand Rapids: Revell, 2000).

21    See McMillen, None of These Diseases.

22    Butchers trained in kosher slaughter rules

23    The two previous Insights.

24    Yosef1@cox.net.

25     WWJD: “What Would Jesus Do?” Have you read the best seller In His Steps by Charles Monroe Sheldon that started WWJD? It is a must read for all Christians.

26    Inspiration from Philip Yancey, The Bible Jesus Read (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999).

27    See “Celebrating Shabbat,” Hebrew for Christians, accessed June 10, 2011, http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Shabbat/shabbat.html.

28      The word teenager came about in 1941 in Reader’s Digest; see http://www.answers.com/topic/teenager.

29    Inspirational message received by mass e-mail.

30    These are just a few of the lessons in Marvin R. Wilson, Our Father Abraham: Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eedrmans, 1989).

31    All Bible references are from NIV.

32    For examples of these sounds log on to http://www.biblicalgallery.com/ShofarSounds.HTM

33    See previous Insight.

34    Note that the focus is on blessing the Lord, not on blessing us or our things or on what He can do for us.

35    All Bible references are from NIV.

36      This has become a popular song, yet theologically, in Job’s time Satan and his role were not understood by man and Job erroneously attributed Satan’s “taking” to the Lord. Adonai gives; He does not take away. Taking is the role of Satan, of the world, and of our own misguided actions.

37      All Bible references are from CJB.

38      Replacement theology holds that the church is under a new covenant that has replaced the old covenant because “the Jews rejected Jesus.” Thus it is not about Israel or the Jews anymore. This ignores the fact that both covenants are valid today.

39    Midrashim: a collection of rabbinic interpretations or commentaries.

40    Targum: an expanded paraphrase of various books or sections of the Old Testament.

41    Inspirations from Marvin R. Wilson, Our Father Abraham: Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eedrmans, 1989) 24.

42    Robin Sampson and Linda Pierce A Family Guide to the Biblical Holidays (Woodbridge, VA: Heart of Wisdom, 2001), 33-34.

43    From an e-mail distribution; author unknown.

44    Read Lev 23:23-25 and Nu 29:1-6 for the biblical reference.

45    For more insights into Jesus’s final days in Jerusalem read Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan, The Last Week: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus’ Final Days in Jerusalem (New York: HarperCollins, 2006).

46    All Bible references are from NIV.

47    Harvey Cox, “A Christian Observes Yom Kippur,” accessed June 10, 2011. Excerpt from http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=2110.

48    OT:5046—properly, to front, i.e. stand boldly out opposite; by implication (causatively), to manifest; figuratively, to announce (always by word of mouth to one present); specifically, to expose, predict, explain, praise.

49    All Bible references are from NIV.

50    See Ex 20:4; Dt.4:16, 23, 25; 5:8.

51    Historical research documents that for the Jews to be Christians and be in the Christian church, they were required by the Roman dominion to renounce their Jewish faith, customs, kosher laws, and worship, or they would suffer persecution or even death. Calendars and day names changed to Roman/pagan names, and the day of rest changed. The Sabbath was never changed to Sunday in the Bible. And Yeshua never told us to celebrate His birthday.

52    Marvin R. Wilson, Our Father Abraham: Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans 1989), 171.

53    Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body ( Ro 8:21-23 KJV).

54      Philip Yancey, The Bible Jesus Read (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999), 150.

55      I am first to recognize that labels are not all inclusive but merely tendencies within the group. Thus the label does not apply to all individuals in the group.

56      Definition of the “slippery slope” argument format is on a following page.

57* Available on request—Yosef1@cox.net

Table of Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Scripture as Heard by the Chosen People

1. Tree of Life (Arbole de Vida)

2. MEM

3. LeV—Hebrew for “Heart”

4. Are There Treasures in Hebrew Letters?

5. Learning Biblical Hebrew Is Fun!

6. Should We Have Faith or Faithfulness?

7. Did the Jews Hear “Born Again”?

8. Do You Know Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah?

9. Why Did Jesus Fold the Napkin?

10. Three Persons, Baptisms, Crossings

11. Amen and Amen

12. Amen and Amen in Psalms

13. Where Is, What Is Zion?

14. How Important Are Two Witnesses?

15. In the Beginning and in the End

16. Is the Book of Joshua an End-Time Preview?

17. What’s in a Name?

Laws, Commandments, and Mitzvot

18. The Law, Word, Scripture, Torah, or TaNaK

19. Yeshua, the Living Torah

20. Ha Shem (the Name) Yeshua

21. What Is Your Halakhah?

22. What Are the 613 Mitzvot?

23. What Are Fence Laws?

24. “None of These Diseases . . .”

25. What Is Kosher All About?

26. Do You Want to Be Healthy?

27. Do the Righteous Ever Beg for Bread?

28. His Prosperity Message—Ki Tavo

29. Which Ten Commandments?

30. What Is a Covenant of Salt?

31. Was Yeshua Torah Observant?

32. Are We Torah Observant?

33. Why Should We Be a Separate People?

34. What Was Expected of Gentile Believers?

Hebraic Customs of Biblical Times

35. Why Are They Always Thinking about God?

36. Sabbath Celebration at the Brusherd’s

37. Rites of Passage, Boys Becoming Men

38. Why Did God Bless Our Father Abraham?

39. Shema—Hear, Listen, or Accept?

40. Catholic Mezuzah!

41. Have You Studied Fiddler on the Roof?

42. If You Were Rich, Then What?

43. Take My Yoke Upon You

44. Why Might We Wear a Tallit?

45. Shofar and Ram’s Horn