Staying "Put" in the Garden of Eden: The Deeper Meaning of Shabbat According to Genesis Rabbah

This past week I saw something that encouraged me and something that discouraged me--both in regard to Gentiles observing Shabbat.  The encouraging thing was to read a friend's Facebook post about his Shabbat preparations--in particular that he had a crockpot full of venison.  Now that's a good way to delight in Shabbat!

But then I read James Pyles' post entitled "Noahides, Talmidei Yeshua, And Shabbos Observance Revisited" which was about how Gentiles shouldn't keep Shabbat and I found it to be very discouraging. 

So to encourage myself I reflected on what the Torah has to say about the universal appeal of Shabbat.  To that end, let's look at a midrash that discusses how Adam experienced the rest of Shabbat while in the Garden of Eden.  The passage addressed by the midrash is as follows:

“The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it,” Genesis 2:15

The midrash focuses on the language of "put him in the Garden":

“ A. ‘And he put him’ (Gen. 2:15) means that he gave him [Adam] the religious duty of observing the Sabbath [linking ‘put’ to the meaning of ‘rest,’ which the same root yields].  B.  This is in line with the following verse of Scripture:  ‘And he rested on the Seventh day’ (Gen. 20:10).  C. ‘To till it’ (Gen. 2:15).  ‘Six days shall you till’ (Ex. 20:9).  D.  ‘And to keep it’ (Gen. 2:15). ‘Keep the Sabbath day’ (Deut. 5:12),” Genesis Rabbah as quoted in Neusner’s “A Theological Commentary to the Midrash

Here we see for the first time in Torah that it is not enough for man to have a time of rest but man also needs a place of rest--needs, in fact, the Garden of Eden--the place where G-d rests and dwells.  But now that the Garden of Eden is lost, how is man to find the dwelling place and resting place of G-d?  Torah provides a clue:

“We will go into his dwelling place: we will worship at his footstool.  Arise, O LORD, into thy resting place; thou, and the ark of thy strength.  Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy. For thy servant David's sake turn not away the face of thine anointed.  The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.  If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore.  For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation.  This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it,” Psalm 132:7-14

“This is what the Lord says:  ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.  Where is the house you will build for me?  Where will my resting place be?  Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?’ declares the Lord,” Isaiah 66:1-2

"The LORD replied, 'My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest,'" Exodus 33:14

So the Temple of Israel becomes the new Eden.  There's all the main elements of Eden found in the Temple--the Tree of Life (Menorah), the river of life (Ezekiel 47:1), the Cherubim, etc.  But until such time as we have the House of the L-rd in Israel, we have something almost as good:  we can turn our homes into Eden:

“…one [finds] the definition of forbidden labor [on Shabbat] in those activities required for the construction and maintenance of the tabernacle, which is to say, God’s residence on earth.  The best statement, predictably, is the Talmud of Babylonia Shabbat 39a:
‘People are liable only for classifications of labor the like of which was done in the tabernacle.  They sowed, so you are not to sow.  They harvested, so you are not to harvest.  They lifted up the boards from the ground to the wagon, so you are not to lift them in from public to private domain.  They lowered boards from the wagon to the ground, so you must not carry anything from private to public domain.   They transported boards from wagon to wagon, so you must not carry from one private domain to another.’
….Hence to act like God on the Sabbath, the Israelite rests; he does not do what God did in Creation…
…What then takes place inside the walls of the Israelite household when time takes over space and revises the conduct of ordinary affairs?  Israel goes home to Eden.  How best to make the statement that the Land is Israel’s Eden, that Israel imitates God by keeping the Sabbath—meaning, not doing the things that God did in creating the world but the things God ceased to do on the Sabbath—and that to restore its Eden, Israel must sustain its life—nourish itself—where it belongs?...Israel’s Eden takes place in the household open to others, on the Sabbath, in acts that maintain life, share wealth, and desist from Creation,” Jacob Neusner, Judaism When Christianity Began

May G-d bless all of you, my brothers and sisters, with a miniature Eden next Shabbat!  May you all experience His perfect peace, rest, and joy!

Shalom,

Peter

Eden as Tabernacle of Israel, Adam as Priestly King of Israel

UMJC Leadership Wants Israel to Surrender Its Land as Part of a Two State "Solution"

Most Israelis understand that the so-called Two State Solution [delusion] involves Israel signing its own death warrant:

Link to Jersualem Post Article

However, Jamie Cowen, former UMJC president and current member of the MJRC, leadership training arm of the UMJC, says that Israel should pursue the so-called Two State Solution (i.e. revert to pre-67 borders):

Link to Article by Jamie Cowen

This is absolutely shocking coming from a Believer!

Why should Israel surrender G-d-given land to arabs who reject Israel's right to exist and who have stated in their national charters their primary purpose is to destroy Israel, that they love death more than Jews love life?

Bridges to Ba'al [Part 2]

Bridges to Ba'al: How Satan Uses the Canaanite Influenced Christmas and Easter to Ensnare the Children of the Houeshold

Different Manifestations, Same G-d: How the Rabbinic Midrash Resolves the Different Incarnations of HaShem

Israeli Boy Returns From Death On Night of Final Blood Moon With Message About the Messiah

Why were the Bnei Adam Numbered According to the Bnei Yisrael?

Trump Calls for Complete Ban on Muslims Entering the United States

Can Science Tell You the Purpose for Your Life? Responding to Sam Harris, Jewish Author of "The Moral Landscape"

"In a universe of electrons and selfish genes, blind physical forces and genetic replication, some people are going to get hurt, other people are going to get lucky, and you won't find any rhyme or reason in it, nor any justice.  The universe that we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but pitiless indifference...DNA neither knows nor cares.  DNA just is.  And we dance to its music," Richard Dawkins, River Out of Eden:  A Darwinian View of Life

"No one expects science to tell us how we ought to think and behave...I will argue...that questions about values--about meaning, morality, and life's larger purpose--are really questions about the well-being of conscious creatures," Sam Harris, The Moral Landscape:  How Science Can Determine Human Values, pg. 1

"So Yeshua said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you.The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.  While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.... I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness." John 12:35,36,46

"And Enoch [Chanokh] walked with God: and he was not; for God took him," Genesis 5:24

So the other evening, a Jewish neighbor came by who was feeling a little lost.  And, for the second time this week, I found myself in a discussion with a non-Believer about the purpose of life.

The first discussion was several days ago with my oldest friend who happens to be an agnostic.  We talked for half the night, starting off with some light-hearted conversation about the upcoming Star Wars movie (which looks very promising) but then, somehow, getting into a really deep conversation about the purpose of life.

He started talking about life's purpose being "the well-being of conscious creatures."  And the phrase clued me in to the fact that he had just been reading Sam Harris (one of the founders of the so-called "New Atheists").  In a nutshell, my friend asserted that you don't need G-d to tell you life's purpose, that science can actually give us objective moral values and tell us how we ought to live our lives.

My response:  science is about describing empirical reality; it cannot prescribe how we ought to act since "ought" is something that we cannot see--is not a scientific subject.  There's really only two options:  (1) purpose is a social construct and there is no meta-Law or meta-Law-giver and therefore objective moral value is impossible; (2) purpose comes from the Creator and there is a meta-Law and meta-Law-giver and therefore objective moral value has its foundation.  Sam Harris, in his book "The Moral Landscape" was claiming that science provides objective laws for how we ought to live (see note 1) but ultimately contradicted himself by saying that moral laws are a social construct (see note 2).  So I left my friend with the question, "What if there is a far grander purpose for you than the purpose you ascribe to yourself?"

And so back to our Jewish visitor.

My wife and I talked with her for a good while.  We talked about our background, the whole Messianic non-Jewish thing.  She talked about her background, being raised culturally Jewish but not involved in the religious aspects.  We all talked about things we've noticed that are wrong with American culture, how values have deteriorated, how this country keeps changing so quickly and not necessarily for the better.  And it was probably during that part of the conversation that I shared my belief that if there is a G-d then He has a purpose for us, a Way that He wants us to live--and that I believe that path is found in the Hebrew Scriptures.  And then my daughter brought in some musical instruments and we all spent the rest of the evening playing music.  It was a good time.  And we prayed for her that she'll find G-d's purpose for her life.

So now as I write this, we're getting ready for Hanukkah--a celebration which deals with purpose, specifically that G-d has a purpose for His People Israel and He shines His light upon (and through) Israel, giving His Torah as a Light for our path, showing us the way we ought to walk.  This is His love for us that He cares enough about us to tell us the way in which we ought to walk in order to have His idea of "well-being."  Sam Harris also spoke of well-being but he didn't know how to define it or how to get it:

"The concept of 'well-being,' like the concept of 'health,' is truly open for revision and discovery.  Just how fulfilled is it possible for us to be, personally and collectively?  What are the conditions--ranging from changes in the genome to changes in economic systems--that will produce such happiness?  We simply do not know," pg. 34 [emphasis added]

What if, on top of all those good things (e.g. money, health, loving relationships) G-d also wants us to have a relationship with Him and to learn about Him? 

We read about Enoch, whose name is related to Hanukkah:

"And Enoch [Chanokh] walked with God: and he was not; for God took him," Genesis 5:24

He showed His dedication to G-d by "walking" with G-d--i.e. Enoch lived a G-dly way of life.  And here's the amazing part:  G-d was so pleased with this that G-d simply had to take Enoch!

So tonight when my family celebrates Hanukkah, we're not going to just remember how G-d protects His People as He did in the days of the Maccabees, we're going to see the light of the chanukkiah and be reminded that in Yeshua, in the Torah of Moses, we see our purpose:  to love G-d, to walk in His Way, and to share this Light of Torah with others.

To my brothers and sisters out there, Happy Hanukkah and may you all find your purpose in Him!

NOTES:

Note 1:  "No one expects science to tell us how we ought to think and behave...I will argue...that questions about values--about meaning, morality, and life's larger purpose--are really questions about the well-being of conscious creatures," Sam Harris, The Moral Landscape:  How Science Can Determine Human Values, pg. 1

Note 2:  "The neuroscientist Michael Gazzaniga writes:  'Neuroscience will never find the brain correlate of responsibility, because that is something we ascribe to humans--to people--not to brains.  It is a moral value we demand of our fellow, rule-following human beings'....While it is true that responsibility is a social construct attributed to people and not to brains, it is a social construct that can make more or less sense given certain facts about a person's brain," Sam Harris, The Moral Landscape:  How Science Can Determine Human Values, pg. 217

"I think there is little doubt that most of what matters to the average person--like fairness, justice, compassion, and a general  awareness of terrestrial reality--will be integral to our creating a thriving global civilization and, therefore, to the greater well-being of humanity," Sam Harris, The Moral Landscape:  How Science Can Determine Human Values, pg. 33

CALIFORNIA TERRORIST LAUNCHED ATTACK BECAUSE HIS MESSIANIC JEWISH COWORKER DISAGREED WITH ISLAM

Here's the story from the UK's Daily Mail:  CLICK HERE FOR LINK

We are at war with Islam!  

Please do not be deceived by political correctness!  Allah is a demon and Muhammad was a bloodthirsty, demon-possessed warlord.  Islam is not a religion of peace!  It's the religion of tyranny, dividing humanity into either the House of Islam (those subject to Islam) and the House of War (those who must be subjugated to Islam).

As for me and my house we will speak out against Islam!  

Be ready to fight, people.  They're bringing the fight to us!

Gene Shlomovich v. Yeshua of Nazareth: Examining Gene's Charge That Yeshua Distorted the Torah

So I just glanced through Gene's latest post entitled "Jesus' Five Most Unbiblical Teachings" in which he tries to forestall the Jewish reclamation of Yeshua by bringing five charges against Yeshua.  I'd like to respond to the 5th charge that Yeshua distorted Torah commandments.

The 5th charge Gene bases on Mark 7:18 which reads:

"And he said to them, 'Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him'"

Gene interprets this as Yeshua attacking Leviticus 11, the food laws regarding foods which cause defilement.

But was Yeshua's statement in Mark 7:18 an attack on Leviticus 11?

Here's a little excerpt from Furstenburg's article entitled "Defilement Penetrating the Body":

"Interpreting Jesus' saying in light of first-century Halakhah-- and not as a reaction against the biblical laws of ritual purity--offers us a completely different point of view with a new set of considerations.  Kister has suggested that, in its first-century context, the first limb of the logion, 'there is nothing outside a person which by going into him can defile him', could not be related to the impure animals listed in Leviticus 11.  Their consumption was prohibited and thus they were not part of the normative diet.  Rather, Kister argues, this kind of statement might refer to foods which became contaminated by touching sources of impurity such as a corpse, swarming creatures or a menstruant.  Indeed, understood in this way, Jesus' statement lies on solid halakhic foundations.  Contaminated food does not cause the person eating it to become impure," Yair Furstenburg, Defilement Penetrating the Body:  A New Understanding of Contamination in Mark 7.15

In conclusion, Gene's 5th charge is rather frivolous as it deliberately avoids the first-century context and the rather obvious possibility that Yeshua, an Orthodox Jew accepted by large segments of the 1st Century Pharisees, was engaging in an intra-halachic dispute regarding two competing models of ritual purity during a time when halacha was less settled than it is today.

As for the other charges, Yeshua does claim to be Divine.  Indeed, His student John refers to Him as the Creator.  But this isn't a problem when once recognizes that the Torah says there would be a Divine Messiah who would die for the sins of Israel.

Shalom,

Peter

Unintentional Antisemitism: Why Christian Institutions and Ideologies are Antisemitic Despite the Philosemitism of Individual Christians

You'll hear many Christians offhandedly refer to Messianic Jews as converts to Christianity.  They're familiar with Christian missionary groups like Jews for Jesus and assume that's what Messianic Judaism is:  a Christian missionary movement that turns Jews into Christians.  They see nothing hostile in requiring Jews to subject themselves to Christian doctrine. On the contrary, their intentions are pure and they see the missionizing of Jews as the quintessential way to express their philosemitism (i.e. their love for the Jewish People).

What could be more loving than introducing Jews to Jesus, right?

Antisemitism has been narrowly defined as an anti-Jewish racism, a subjective feeling of hostility toward the Jewish race.  If that definition is accurate then most Christian don't have anything to worry about.  They can't be considered antisemitic because they don't feel antisemitic.

But what if antisemitism isn't just about personal, subjective feelings?  What if antisemitism includes the objective, net effect of certain ideologies? In other words, what if an ideology or institution could result in an unintentionally antisemitic effect (i.e. a result that hurts Jews)?

But who decides what constitutes "harm" to Jews?

Christians have made their decision:  it isn't harmful for Jews to renounce the Torah or to renounce the legal system of whichever Judaism defined their particular Jewishness.  "Reject the Law and be free!  Here, have a ham sandwich to celebrate your freedom."  They see their Christian ideology and their particular Christian institution as helpful rather than harmful to Jews. They don't even realize the potential threat of assimilation, the erosion of Jewish identity over several generations.

However, I would like to propose that ideological and institutional Christian antisemitism--even though it is usually unintentional--attacks Jews in at least 2 ways: 

(1) undermining halachic Jewishness and

(2) undermining halachic ideology.

What is halachic Jewishness and why is it valuable?  Halacha is Jewish law.  And halachic Jewishness is the way that the family of Jews have historically regulated familial membership in the tribe of Judah.  If you are halachically Jewish then you are accepted as a Jew under Jewish Law.  So what happens when a Jew abandons halachic institutions for Christian institutions?  Answer:  suddenly there is no way to protect Jewish identity from the inevitable forces of assimilation.

Next, when Jews abandon halachic ideology for the "Law Free" ideology of Christianity, they are no longer living out the life that they were called to live.  How is a Jewish person supposed to have a good relationship with G-d if he isn't living the way G-d wants him to live?  The adverse consequences from this would be incalculable.

In conclusion, to the Messianics out there, build bridges with Christians, fellowship with Christians, but also be aware that they belong to an institutional framework and ideology that has an antisemitic effect even though the individual Christians may have nothing but love for the Jewish People and modern state of Israel.  We need to dialogue with them and let them know that the whole Christian system needs to undergo a radical transformation.

Shalom,

Peter

You Can Do Something About the Crisis in Israel

Link to Post at "Jamie Cowan Ministries"

Did the Messiah Have to Die for the Sins of Israel?

"The answer to your question is simple. Jesus could not die for anyone’s sins, whether they were committed intentionally or accidentally. To begin with, the Jewish people were strictly prohibited from offering human sacrifices under any circumstances. There is not one place throughout the entire corpus of the Jewish Scriptures where human sacrifices are condoned. In fact, over and over again, the Bible warns the Jewish people that it is a grave sin to bring a human being as a sacrifice. In the Book of Leviticus, only distinct species of animals are permitted for use in blood sacrifices," Rabbi Tovia Singer, responding to the question "Could Jesus' Death Atone for Any Kind of Sin?", from:  http://outreachjudaism.org/jesus-death-atone-for-sin/

 In the excerpt above, Singer is making the argument that the Messiah did not need to die for the sins of Israel...which is odd given that both Scripture and, more interestingly, writings of Rabbinic Judaism attest that the Messiah had to die and be a sacrifice for the sins of Israel.

First, let's look at Scripture.  We see in Isaiah 53 and Zechariah 12:10 that the Messiah had to be like a lamb sacrifice:

"1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
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.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and theLord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors," Isaiah 53 

"And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn," Zechariah 12:10

Next, let's look at what the writings of Rabbinic Judaism have to say about the Messiah in the above passages.  

"The fifth house [in the heavenly Paradise] is built of onyx and jasper stones, and inlaid stones, and silver and gold, and good pure gold.  And round it are rivers of balsam, and before its door flows the River Gihon.  And [it has] a canopy of all trees of incense and good scent.  And [in it are] beds of gold and silver, and embroidered garments.  And there sit Messiah ben David and Elijah and Messiah ben Ephraim.  And there is a canopy of incense trees as in the Sanctuary which Moses made in the desert.  And all its vessels and pillars are of silver, its covering is gold, its seat is purple.  And in it is Messiah ben David who loves Jerusalem.  Elijah of blessed memory takes hold of his head, places it in his lap and holds it, and says to him:  'Endure the sufferings and the sentence of your Master who makes you suffer because of the sin of Israel.'  And thus it is written:  He was wounded because of our transgressions, he was crushed because of our iniquities (Isa. 53:5)--until the time when the end comes.
     And every Monday and Thursday, and every Sabbath and holiday, the Fathers of the World [i.e. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob] and Moses and Aaron, David and Solomon, and the prophets, and the pious come and visit him, and weep with him.  And he weeps with them.  And they give him thanks and say to him:  'Endure the sentence of your Master, for the end is near to come, and the chains which are on your neck will be broken, and you will go out into freedom,'
     And even Korah and all his company entreat him every Wednesday and say to him:  'How long until the miraculous end?  When will you bring us back to life and bring us up again from the depths of the earth (Ps. 71:20)?
     And he says to them:  'Go and ask the Fathers of the World.'  And they are ashamed and return to their place.' (Mid. Konen, BhM 2:29-30)" Raphael Patai, The Messiah Texts, pgs 114-115

The passage reiterates a common theme in Rabbinic writings, the belief that Messiah ben Yoseph had to die and "[e]ndure the sufferings...because of the sin of Israel."  And note that in this particular passage, the Rabbis identify Messiah ben Yoseph as the Messiah in the Isaiah 53 passage.

In another passage associating the Messiah ben Yoseph with Isaiah 53, the following passage from the Zohar explains that the Messiah died for the sins of Israel ("...because they neglected the Torah..") but also further explains that the Messiah takes over the role of the Temple sacrifices:

"The souls which are in the Garden of Eden of Below roam about on every New Moon and Sabbath, and go to that place which is called Walls of Jerusalem, where there are many officers and detachments which watch-over those walls....And they go to that place, but do not enter it until they are purified.  And there they prostrate themselves, and enjoy that radiance, and then return to the Garden.  [And again] they go forth from there and roam about in the world, and they see the bodies of the sinful suffering their punishment....And then they [continue to] roam and view those afflicted with sufferings and disease, and those who suffer for the Oneness of their Master, and then they return and tell [all this] to the Messiah.  In the hour in which they tell the Messiah about the sufferings of Israel in exile, and [about] the sinful among them who seek not the knowledge of their Master, the Messiah lifts up his voice and weeps over those sinful among them.  This is what is written:  He was wounded because of our transgressions, he was crushed because of our iniquities (Isa. 53:5).  Those souls then return to their places.  In the Garden of Eden there is a hall which is called the Hall of the Sons of Illness.  The Messiah enters that hall and summons all the diseases and all the pains and all the sufferings of Israel that they should come upon him, and all of them come upon him.  And would he not thus bring ease to Israel and take their sufferings upon himself, no man could endure the sufferings Israel has to undergo because they neglected the Tora...As long as Israel dwelt in the Holy Land, the rituals and the sacrifices they performed [in the Temple] removed all those diseases from the world, now the Messiah removes them from the children of the world....' (Zohar 2:212a)" Raphael Patai, The Messiah Texts, pgs 115-116

Again and again in Midrash we read that Messiah ben Yoseph died for the sins of Israel ("...their sins will in the future force you into an iron yoke..." Pes. Rab. & "...'Ephraim, our True Messiah!...Do you want that our children should enjoy the happiness that this happiness the Holy One, blessed be He, allotted to Israel, or perhaps, because of the great sufferings that have come upon you on their account, and because they imprisoned you in the jailhouse, your mind is not reconciled with them?'" Pes. Rab. ch 36).

And, lastly, we should note that the Rabbis believed that this Messiah ben Joseph, the Messiah who had to die for the sins of Israel, is the same Messiah depicted in Zechariah 12:10, the Messiah of whom G-d says, "they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son..." (see note below).

In conclusion, it seems that Singer is wrong to argue that the Messiah did not need to die for the sins of Israel.  Scripture tells us that the Messiah did indeed have to die for the sins of Israel.  Furthermore, we can see from the writings of Rabbinic Judaism that the Rabbis understood this as well.

Shalom,

Peter

NOTES SECTION:

"Talmud - Mas. Sukkah 52a And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart.1 Is it not, they said, an a fortiori argument? If in the future2 when they will be engaged in mourning and the Evil Inclination will have no power over them,3 the Torah4 nevertheless says, men separately and women separately, how much more so now5 when they are engaged in rejoicing and the Evil Inclination has sway over them.6 What is the cause of the mourning [mentioned in the last cited verse]?1 — R. Dosa and the Rabbis differ on the point. One explained, The cause is the slaying of Messiah the son of Joseph,7 and the other explained, The cause is the slaying of the Evil Inclination. It is well according to him who explains that the cause is the slaying of Messiah the son of Joseph, since that well agrees with the Scriptural verse, And they shall look upon me because they have thrust him through, and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son;8 but according to him who explains the cause to be the slaying of the Evil Inclination, is this [it may be objected] an occasion for mourning? Is it not rather an occasion for rejoicing? Why then should they weep? — [The explanation is] as R. Judah expounded: In the time to come9 the Holy One, blessed be He, will bring the Evil Inclination and slay it in the presence of the righteous and the wicked. To the righteous it will have the appearance of a towering hill, and to the wicked it will have the appearance of a hair thread. Both the former and the latter will weep; the righteous will weep saying, ‘How were we able to overcome such a towering hill!’ The wicked also will weep saying, ‘How is it that we were unable to conquer this hair thread!’ And the Holy One, blessed be He, will also marvel together with them, as it is said, Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days, it shall10 also be marvellous in My eyes.11 R. Assi stated, The Evil Inclination is at first like the thread of a spider, but ultimately12 becomes like cart ropes, as it is said, Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart-rope.13 Our Rabbis taught, The Holy One, blessed be He, will say to the Messiah, the son of David (May he reveal himself speedily in our days!), ‘Ask of me anything, and I will give it to thee’, as it is said, I will tell of the decree etc. this day have I begotten thee, ask of me and I will give the nations for thy inheritance.14 But when he will see that the Messiah the son of Joseph is slain, he will say to Him, ‘Lord of the Universe, I ask of Thee only the gift of life’.’As to life’, He would answer him, ‘Your father David has already prophesied this concerning you’, as it is said, He asked life of thee, thou gavest it him, [even length of days for ever and ever].15" from: http://halakhah.com/pdf/moed/Sukkah.pdf

Iran Preps to Retake the Temple Mount: Is Satan Getting Nervous?

So the Iranian Revolutionary Guard has been running a war game to simulate how they might recapture the Temple Mount from the Israelis:

You can read about it HERE.

The forces of evil are sure getting worked up.  I wonder what has them so riled up?  Could it be that Satan is getting nervous about something?

Responding to David Negley

When it comes to the Divinity of Yeshua, the stakes are really high.  The Scriptures affirm that not only was a perfect sacrifice needed to take away sin but also that this perfect Sacrifice had to be G-d Himself, the One who is able to withstand the power of death (otherwise the covenant with Israel would've been a failure, resulting in the destruction of one of the parties and the dissolution of the familial bond).  So if you deny the Divinity of Yeshua then you deny the power of His forgiveness and you deny HaShem Himself.  Furthermore, if you affirm Jewish Law (which rightly prohibits worship of created beings) and you affirm that Yeshua is not HaShem but merely a created being then this is what happens:  worship of Yeshua is outlawed!

So the stakes couldn't be higher for our existence as Messianics.

And yesterday David Negley attacked Messianic Judaism on an existential level--attacked the very heart of our faith--by claiming that believing in Yeshua as HaShem is a lie of Christianity.  So the following contains both David's assertion and my response.

David Negley to me:

It seems to me that deifying the Messiah is only a priority if one carries such a doctrine over from church theosophy. Judaism has always had room for a variety of expression regarding the nature and character of Mashiach. Christianity, on the other hand, has made trinitarian doctrine a watershed, a definition for whether one is inside or outside of "the camp".

I believe Tehillim/Psalms 89 contains the key to understanding the nature of Mashiach. Everything in that psalm applies equally to David, to Solomon, and also to Yeshua. Once we wrap our heads around that idea, we are on our way to a Biblical perspective.

------------------------------

Me to David Negley:

David,

First, you'll notice by surveying all the 1st Century Jewish literature that one thing was universal: Jews believed, based on Torah, that Creatorship was unique to HaShem (see notes below). Second, the Apostolic writers not only attributed Creatorship to Yeshua (see notes below) but they believed salvation was impossible unless G-d Himself was providing the atonement. Third, the Torah itself says that the Messiah is Divine and therefore to reject the nature of the Messiah is to reject HaShem (see notes below).

NOTES 1: CREATORSHIP UNIQUE TO HASHEM

G-d says He made all things in the universe alone–by Himself (“I am the Lord maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself” Isaiah 44:24).

The Apostolic Writings affirm that Yeshua made all things (“…there is one Lord, Yeshua HaMoshiach, through whom all things were created” 1 Corinthians 8:6 and “All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made,” John 1:3. Moreover, the text says that Yeshua is G-d ("...the Word was God," John 1:1).

Here's Bauckham on how strict monotheism of 1st Century Judaism was identifiable based on the criteria that HaShem was the sole Creator of all things:

"In my view high Christology was possible within a Jewish monotheistic context, not by applying to Jesus a Jewish category of semi-divine intermediary status, but by identifying Jesus directly with the one God of Israel, including Jesus in the unique identity of this one God. I use the term 'unique identity' as the best way of speaking of the uniqueness of God as generally conceived in early Judaism."

"The one God of Second Temple Jewish belief was identifiable as unique by two kinds of identifying features. The first concerns his covenant relationship with Israel. He is the God of Israel, known from the recital of his acts in Israel's history and from the revelation of his character to Israel (Exod 34:6). He has revealed to Israel his name [Adonai], which was of great importance to Jews of the Second Temple period because it names precisely the unique identity of their God."

"...this God was also characterized as unique by his relationships to the whole of reality: especially that he is the only Creator of all things and that he is the sole sovereign Ruler of all things. Such identifications of [Adonai] are extremely common in Second Temple Jewish literature. Such identifications of [Adonai] are extremely common in Second Temple Jewish literature. They were the simplest and clearest way of answering the question: What distinguishes [Adonai], the only true God, from all other reality? In what does his uniqueness consist? These characteristics make a clear and absolute distinction between the true God and all other reality. God alone created all things; all other things, including beings worshipped as gods by Gentiles, are created by him....However diverse Judaism may have been in many other respects, this was common: only the God of Israel is worthy of worship because he is the sole Creator of all things and sole Ruler of all things. Other beings who might otherwise be thought divine are by these criteria God's creatures and subjects. (Thus so-called intermediary figures either belong to the unique identity of God or else were created by and remain subject to the one God, as his worshippers and servants, however exalted.)"

And here Bauckham provides references from 1st Century Jewish literature that show this strict monotheism based on HaShem's unique Creatorship was the predominant belief:

“However diverse Judaism may have been in many other respects, this was common: only the God of Israel is worthy of worship because he is sole Creator of all things and sole Ruler of all things. Other beings who might otherwise be thought divine are by these criteria God’s creatures and subjects,” Bauckham, Jesus and the God of Israel, pg. 9. And he writes, “…again and again, in a wide variety of Second Temple Jewish literature, [it is written that Adonai] is sole Creator of all things…”

He’s talking not just about numerous passages in Torah but also extra-biblical Jewish sources such as 2 Macc. 1:24; Sir. 43:33; Bel 5; Jub. 12:3-5; sib. Or. 3:20-35; 8:375-76; Sib. Or. frg. 1:5-6; Sib. Or. frg. 3; Sib. Or. frg. 5; 2 En. 47:3-4; 66:4 Apoc. Ab. 7:10; Ps-Sophocles; Jos. Asen. 12:1-2; T. Job 2:4.

NOTES 2: THE APOSTOLIC WRITERS EQUATED YESHUA WITH HASHEM

Here are some places where Paul applies HaShem passages to Yeshua:

"(1) [Adonai] texts with Jesus Christ as referent:

(1a) Five quotations including kurio

Rom 10:13-----Joel 2:32

1 Cor 1:31------Jer 9:24

1 Cor 2:16------Isa 40:13

1 Cor 10:26----Ps 23(24):1

2 Cor 10:17----Jer 9:24

(1b) One quotation to which Paul adds legei kurio

Rom 14:11----Isa 45:23

(1c) One quotation not including kurio

Rom 9:33----Isa 8:14

(1d) Nine allusions including kurio

1 Cor 8:6----Deut 6:4

1 Cor 10:22----Deut 32:21

2 Cor 8:21----Prov 3:4

Phil 2:10-11----Isa 45:23

1 Thes 3:13----Zech 14:5

2 Thes 1:7----Isa 66:15

2 Thes 1:9----Isa 2:10, 19, 21

2 Thes 1:12----Isa 66:5

2 Thes 3:16----Num 6:26

(1e) Six stereotyped OT phrases including kurio

'to call on the name of the Lord'

1 Cor 1:2 (cf. Rom 10:13)----Joel 2:23; Zeph 3:9; Zech 13:9; Jer 10:25 etc.

'the day of the Lord'

1 Cor 1:8; 5:5; 2 Cor 1:14; 1 Thes 5:2; 2 Thes 2:2 Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; Amos 5:18; Isa 13:6, 9 etc.

'to serve the Lord' Rom 12:11; 16:18 1 Kdms 12:20; Pss 2:11; 99(100):2; 101(102):22 etc.

'the word of the Lord' 1 Thes 1:8; 2 Thes 3:1 Isa 2:3 etc.

'the Lord be with you' 2 Thes 3:16 Ruth 2:4; 1 Kdms 17:37; 20:13 etc.

'the fear of the Lord' 2 Cor 5:11 Isa 2:10, 19, 21 etc.

(2) YHWH texts with God as referent:

(2a) Nine quotations including kurio"

Rom 4:7-8----Ps 31(32):1-2

Rom 9:27-28----Hos 2:1 + Isa 10:22-2316

Rom 9:29----Isa 1:9 (kuvrio" sabawvq)

Rom 10:16----Isa 53:1 (kuvrio" in LXX, no equivalent in MT)17 Rom 11:3 3----Kdms 19:10 (kuvrio" not in LXX, no equivalent in MT)

Rom 11:34----Isa 40:13

Rom 15:11----Ps 116(117):1

1 Cor 3:20----Ps 93(94):11

2 Cor 6:18 2----Kdms 7:14, 8 (kuvrio" pantokravtwr)

(2b) Three quotations to which Paul adds legei kurio"

Rom 12:1919----Deut 32:35

1 Cor 14:21----Isa 28:11-12

2 Cor 6:17----Isa 52:11 + Ezek 20:34

(2c) Twelve quotations in which the speaker ('I') is identified as YHWH in the OT context

Rom 4:17----Gen 17:5

Rom 9:9----Gen 18:14

Rom 9:13----Mal 1:2-3

Rom 9:14----Exod 33:19

Rom 9:17-----Exod 9:16

Rom 9:25----Hos 2:25

Rom 9:33-----Isa 28:16

Rom 10:19-----Deut 32:2120

Rom 10:20-----Isa 65:1

Rom 10:21-----Isa 65:2

Rom 11:26-27----Isa 59:20-21

2 Cor 6:2----- Isa 49:8"

NOTES 3: THE TORAH SAYS THE MESSIAH IS DIVINE

"And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn," Zechariah 12:10

Non-Messianic Jews, when they read Zechariah 12:10, are faced with a problem: here is a passage where G-d is the speaker and He seems to be saying that He was rejected and pierced by His own People.

Zech. 12:10 says that they will look unto "me"---the one who was [previously, at some other time] slain. The passage literally says they will accept the Messiah that they had previously rejected! It's talking not about 2 different Messiahs but about a single Messiah!

By the way, the grammar in this passage is not contested by the Talmudic Rabbis nor is it contested by Jewish scholars:

"...the translation 'look to Me whom they have pierced' is correct. The relative clause 'whom they have pierced' in in apposition to 'Me,' the spokesman of the passage. 'Et, the Hebrew word introducing the clause marks it as the object of the verb 'look to'; the Hebrew word 'asher is always a relative pronoun in that context, and never the conjunction 'because.' It should also be noted that in the Hebrew clause 'they have pierced' lacks the pronominal suffix 'him,'" Gerald Sigal, Trinity Doctrine Error: A Jewish Analysis.

NOTES 4: YESHUA HIMSELF STATED THAT HE WAS HASHEM AND HIS FIRST-CENTURY JEWISH AUDIENCE UNDERSTOOD WHAT HE WAS SAYING

"56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” 57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”[d] 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple," John 8:56-59

Here we see Yeshua referring to Himself as HaShem in such a way that leaves no doubt. Even the Jews listening to Him say it perfectly understood that He was identifying as HaShem. And, not believing that He was HaShem, they picked up stones to stone Him for what they believed to be blasphemy. Here's a note about the unmistakable way Yeshua identified Himself:

"Jesus uses the ego eimi formula in three different ways in the Fourth Gospel: (1) With a predicate....(2) With an implied predicate....(3) As an absolute...certainly in 8:58: 'before Abraham was born, I am!' The last of these uses needs furhter comment, for in this case ego eimi represents the divine name. In Exodus 3:14 God says to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' The 'I AM WHO I AM' is translated as ego eimi ho on in the LXX. In Isaiah 43:25; 51:12 ego eimi on its own functions as the divine name. Thus when Jesus said to 'the Jews', 'before Abraham was born, I am', he was identifying himself with God. He was not only pronouncing the name of God...he was claiming to be God," Colin Kruse, The Gospel According to John, pg. 138

Meeting with My Brother (Part 2)

What a wonderful brother I have.  I really don't deserve him.  So I had emailed him my difficulties creating the multiple accounts with which to familiarize myself with how Facebook groups work.  He said to come over to his place after work.

So I showed up and he handed me about 10 sheets of paper:   he'd created accounts and written a neat set of instructions for how I could log in and experiment with the settings.

What a guy!

Yeshua blessed me with a friend who is willing to explain these things to me, who desires to see me succeed in establishing a local Messianic fellowship---and he made this friend my flesh-and-blood brother.  Baruch HaShem!

Meeting with My Brother (UPDATE)

A List of Several Orthodox Messianic Synagogues in the United States

Here are several congregations that appear to be Orthodox Messianic:

http://www.tzemakhdavid.com/
http://shorshay.com/
http://www.mysarshalom.com/

Links to Additional Torah Observant Organizations

Does anyone know anything about these organizations?  

Brit Avraham

Coalition of Torah Observant Messianic Congregations

I'm going to research them as I have time this week.  If anyone would like to provide a comparative analysis of these organizations (as they compare with other major Messianic organizations) it would certainly be appreciated.

Also, I desperately need to update my links section and also provide a new introduction section with a glossary.  If anyone has recommendations for links or terms/definitions or introductory items, please share in the comments section of this post.

My Journey to Now

"For This is All of a Man": The Mystical Reason Why Man Needs Torah

Question for the Experienced Messianics Out There: What's Your Best Advice for New Messianics?

In Return of the Jedi, the bad guy, Darth Vader, thought it'd be a good idea to threaten Luke's sister: "If you will not turn to the dark side...then perhaps she will."

And then Luke did what any of us would do in that situation. 

Luke put Vader on the ground like so:

In Messianic Judaism (yes, I'm now going to segue from Star Wars to Messianic Judaism), we Messianics feel protective of our brethren.  That's why we see so many Messianic ministries (e.g. Messianicapologetics.net and Torah Resource) whose mission is to empower their Messianic brothers and sisters.  

QUESTION:

And so my question today is for the folks who have been in the Messianic movement for a while:

What advice do you have for brothers and sisters in the Messianic movement?  Or, to borrow the Star Wars metaphor again, what do you see as the path to the dark side?  What do you see as the path to the light side? 

The Mathematical Torah vs. the Familial Torah: Or Why You Shouldn’t Punish an Electron

As a devout nerd, I used to wear a shirt that said, "GRAVITY:  It's Not Just a Good Idea, It's the Law."  Of course everyone realizes that there's a big difference between the laws of physics and the laws of mankind.

All things in nature must obey the laws of physics.  We don't have a choice.  The fabric of space-time, the elementary particles like electrons, they all have mathematical properties and are governed by mathematical laws--all of those fancy equations for the laws of motion, the laws of thermodynamics, etc.

Indeed, we see beautiful, reoccurring patterns in nature that showcase how these mathematical laws are influencing everything from a spiral galaxy...

down to a relatively tiny nautilus shell...

And we know that these laws governing the heavens were put in place by the Word of G-d:

"By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host," Psalms 33:6

Yet we see that His Word (Law) goes out to not only nature but also to us humans:

“He sends forth his commandment upon the earth: his word runs very swiftly. He gives snow like wool: he scatters the hoarfrost like ashes. He casts forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?  He sends out his word, and melts them: he causes his wind to blow, and the waters flow.  He shows his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel.  He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the Lord,” Psalm 147:15-20

And, while nature is very obedient, G-d's own family is not always obedient:

“Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the LORD,” Jeremiah 8:7

You could say that all laws are about governing relationships.  The laws of mathematics (physics) govern the relationships between various entities.  But the relationships between man and man and man and G-d are a very different type of relationship necessitating a very different type of law--the Revealed Law of Scripture.

But what's different about it?

The difference is this:  an intimate relationship requires a will.  So G-d gave a will to each human being.  You have this will because G-d wants an intimate relationship with you.  

And this intimate relationship is a family relationship.  

And so there are really 2 types of laws:  laws governing the mathematical, physical universe and laws governing the family of G-d.

The laws of G-d's family are only found in one place (or, rather, they're only found with one family):

"He shows his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel.  He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the Lord,” Psalm 147:15-20

He doesn't give His familial laws to anyone other than Israel because He doesn't want a relationship with anyone other than Israel.  And what is Israel?  Israel is the segment of humanity that desires to follow the will of G-d, the segment that hears His voice, hearkens to it, and returns to Him at the appointed times and observes His laws.  If you hear this voice then G-d has drawn you into His family--into Israel.

Thus, Jews and Gentiles form one single family--the Israel of G-d.  And there is one familial Law--the Torah of Moses.

Shalom,

Peter

Why Did the Pharisees Try to Save Yeshua's Life? A Question on Luke 13:31

"But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him," Matthew," 12:14

At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you," Luke 13:31

 I was wondering about Luke 13:31 this morning...  Why did the Pharisees, a group that previously had sought to destroy Yeshua (Matt. 12:14), try to save His life by warning Him that Herod was trying to kill Him?

Is it possible then that some Pharisees in Luke 13 were actually trying to save His life?  We know that some of them, after witnessing the signs He performed, were drawn to Him and acknowledged Him as a great teacher (John 3).

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

P.S.

Here's another passage indicating that there were divisions within the Pharisees regarding Yeshua:

"So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them," John 9:15-16 

Paul's Identity Construction Project for Gentiles

"[Y]ou are...built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Yeshua haMoshiach Himself as the chief cornerstone.  In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord," Ephesians 2:19-21

Did Paul want Gentiles to radically change their identities--to think of themselves as non-Jewish members of Israel? 

I'm going to discuss 2 ways in which Paul advocates for just such a change:

 PART 1

"If any of them should wish to pass over into the Jewish citizenship [politeian], [the Egyptians] must not be spurned with an unconditional refusal as children of enemies, but be so favoured that the third generation is invited to the congregation [ekklesian] and made partakers in the divine revelations..."  Philo, On Virtue 108, (note 1)

In a classical Greek context, "politeia" would refer to secular citizenship (note 2) and "ekklesia" would refer to a secular convocation of citizens political purposes.  However, we see in Philo's writings (and other ancient Jewish sources) that there is also a Jewish context for these terms--that first-century Jews appropriated politeia as referring to religious membership in Israel and ekklesia as referring to religious convocations of members of Israel. 

So if we see Paul referring to Gentiles as members in the Ekklesia (which is translated as "Church") and emphatically declaring that Gentiles are citizens in Israel ("Remember that [formerly] you were...excluded from citizenship (politeia) in Israel..." Eph 2:12), then based on first-century Jewish usage of these terms in a religious context, it must follow that Paul wanted to Gentiles to think of themselves as members of Israel and qualified to participate in the assembly of Israel.

Now let's look at another piece of evidence.

PART 2

"But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree," Romans 11:17

To understand what Paul is getting at here, we first need to review some Scripture:

"The LORD called you a thriving olive tree..." Jeremiah 11:16 (also see Hosea 14)

In Jeremiah 11:16 (and other passages), G-d is clearly referring to Israel as an olive tree.  So this at least allows for the possibility that in Romans 11 Paul is borrowing the metaphor in order to convey that Gentile Believers are grafted into Israel.  We can also see from later rabbinic writings that this language of "grafting" to the "root" refers to conversion that bestows membership in Israel:

"In truth, the converts could not decide to come to Israel if Israel had not already been first chosen by God.  Israel's election, to use a rabbinic term, is 'the root' (iqqar); the converts' conversion is 'grafted' (tafel) onto it," Novak, The Election of Israel, pg. 188

We're left with the very distinct impression that Paul wants Gentiles to think of themselves as members of Israel (politeia) who may participate in the assembly of Israel (ekklesia) based on the fact that they have been in-grafted (tafel) to the root (iqqar) of the Olive Tree (Israel).






NOTES SECTION:

Note 1:  The reference to the "third generation" comes from the prohibition in Deuteronomy 23:8 on allowing an Egyptian to enter the assembly (kahal) until the third generation. 

Note 2:  Politeia is a term that refers to citizenship in writings such as Plato's Republic, Aristotle's Politics, 2 Maccabees 8:17; 3 Maccabees 3:21,23, and Josephus' Antiquities of the Jews.  "The Greek word politeia means in the first instance 'citizenship,' the quality of being a citizen," (Cohen, The Beginnings of Jewishness).

Instructions Not Included: Why Many Gentiles Leave Messianic Judaism for Non-Messianic, Halachic Judaism [UPDATED]

[Please see "UPDATE" below]

"Res est misera ubi jus est vagam et invertum" ("It is a miserable state of things where the law is vague and uncertain")

Some of you probably remember the following lines from "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" by Beatrix Potter:

"'Now my dears,' said old Mrs. Rabbit one morning, 'you may go into the fields or down the lane, but don't go into Mr. McGregor's garden: your Father had an accident there; he was put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor."

This is what parents are constantly doing:  issuing specific instructions so that our children don't get hurt and/or die.

Don't play in the road.

Don't run with scissors.

And we also have to give specific instructions if we want our children to do something good for themselves and do it correctly.  Whether it's for the purpose of avoiding something harmful or directing towards something good, we try to give specific instructions because....why?

What happens when vague instructions are given?

Answer:  bad things will happen.

And a loving father doesn't want bad things to happen to his child.  He shows his love then through specificity.

But according to the UMJC, G-d doesn't have specific instructions for the Gentiles.  

A Gentile wonders "which commandments do I have to perform?" David Rudolph says "Well, you're exempt from the most distinctively Jewish requirements of the Torah" (note 1).  So which ones are those?  That's rather vague...  Mark Kinzer says "Well, you're only obligated to keep a limited number of commandments from the Torah" (note 2).  So which are those exactly?  That's extremely vague.  Dan Juster says "Well, you're just supposed to keep the morally good commandments" (note 3).  But if morality refers to G-d's value system then aren't all of the commandments moral?  So that hermeneutic isn't even workable.  Michael Rudolph says, "Well, you're only obligated to keep the commandments that apply to Gentiles as opposed to the commandments that apply to Israelites," (note 4).  Right...which ones are those again?

It's little wonder that I've seen so many Gentiles leave the UMJC for non-Messianic synagogues (which, sooner or later, also involves rejecting Yeshua).  But I can sympathize with them.  They want a Heavenly Father who loves them--loves them with specificity.  But all they're offered is a Heavenly Father who doesn't care what they do. 

To the Gentiles I'd just like to say:  G-d does love you with specificity.  He does want you to have clear and specific instructions for how you should live your life.  And if you want to know more about how Torah applies to you, please check out these ministries:

MESSIANIC APOLOGETICS

TORAH RESOURCE


UPDATE:

Shortly after publishing this post, a commenter named Yahnatan said I misrepresented these UMJC leaders and that they're actually providing clear instructions to Gentiles.  He cited vaguely to a book written by Michael Rudolph.

However, this book proves my point.  Compare the following 2 quotes and see for yourself if it sounds like the UMJC is presenting an unambiguous message to Gentiles:

"...Gentiles are not required to keep specific calendar days as Sabbaths (i.e. no work)..." Dan Juster, The Law of Messiah Compiled as Mitzvot, Introduction by Daniel C. Juster

"...we would teach that God wants [Gentiles] to keep the Shabbat (Isaiah 56:3-8)," Michael Rudolph & Ralph Finley, Messianic Judaism:  A Response to Mark Kinzer

Does that sound clear to everyone?  "Don't keep Shabbat....but remember that G-d wants you to keep the Shabbat."  Right...





NOTES SECTION:

Note 1:

“[In] the Acts 15 Jerusalem Council decision [James] exempted Jesus-believing Gentiles from most of the distinctively Jewish requirements of the Torah…” David Rudolph, A Jew to the Jews, pg. 56


“The Jerusalem Council decision in Acts 15 centered on the question of whether Jesus-believing Gentiles were exempt from Mosaic law…The apostolic decree was only addressed to ‘Gentile believers’ and clarified the ‘requirements’ (including certain minimal food restrictions) that were incumbent upon the ‘Gentile believers’ (Acts 15:19-20, 23),” David Rudolph, A Jew to the Jews, pg. 49.

Note 2:

“Jervell notices what most commentators miss.  James’s exegesis of Amos 9 leads to the immediate conclusion that ‘two groups exist within the church.’  The first group consists of the Jewish Yeshua-believers, who constitute Israel’s eschatological firstfruits.  As we showed in chapter 2, the controversy in Acts 15 makes sense only if all parties assumed that this Jewish group is obligated to live according to the Torah.  The second group consists of Gentile Yeshua-believers, the ‘people’ whom God took for himself from among the nations.  Amos 9 treats this as a distinct group, related to Israel but also distinct from it.  Therefore it cannot be presumed that the commandments incumbent on Israel are also incumbent on this group.  According to the implicit Torah exegesis of James [in his fourfold decree] based on Leviticus 17-18, this group associated with Israel is obligated to keep only a limited number of commandments from the Torah.  Thus James roots his halakhic decision in the bilateral ecclesiology he derives from Amos 9,” Mark Kinzer, Post-Missionary Messianic Judaism, pgs. 159-160.

Note 3:

“As for gentile believers, they are given the direction to ‘abstain from the pollutions of idols and from unchastity and from what is strangled and from blood’ (Acts 15:29).  We recognize here one of the historic Jewish positions:  A gentile who is to be accepted as righteous must follow the Noahic Covenant. …[James] affirmed the basic moral dimensions of the Law as universally applicable as well as the sanctity of blood…It is also of note that this is the minimum standard for Jews and gentiles to achieve table fellowship, that great symbol of spiritual unity…,” Dan Juster, Jewish Roots, pg. 83

Note 4:

"In this paper, I posit that the [Fourfold Decree of Acts 15] was intended only as a minimum requirement, and was neither meant to limit Gentiles' adherence to Torah, nor infer that Torah was not applicable to them.  I then proceed to suggest that, not only has Torah always been for Gentiles, but that Gentiles were its first recipients....Since we have shown that Torah predated Israel and the Mosaic Covenant, obedience to Torah cannot possibly be claimed by Judaism as a unique Jewish distinctive.  That notwithstanding, particular requirements of Torah and the manner in which they are obeyed may indeed be identity-dependent....In the same way, certain commandments apply only to Israeltites (Jews), certain ones only to Gentiles, and many to both....In the New Covenant, both Jews and Gentiles need to seek guidance from the Holy Spirit in order to know how to apply commandments that were given under the previous Covenant and many centuries ago...." Michael Rudolph, "Of Course Torah is for Gentiles!", 2005

Adulterous Teachers: Can Someone be Permanently Disqualified from Teaching?

Recently there was a teacher, well-known in the blogosphere, who posted a confession online that (1) confessed to the sin of adultery and (2) stated that the individual was in a new period of life that did not involve leading others.

But then the post mysteriously disappeared.  You couldn't even find a cached version of it.  The internet had been scrubbed clean (although I did manage to find a copy).

And now this person has, for all intents and purposes, resumed teaching online and is, within a few months of the confession, one of the most popular bloggers in the blogosphere, once again in a position to lead many people.

And so I have a few questions:

Can someone be disqualified from teaching--even on online?  Can someone be restored to a teaching position if they have confessed and repented?  How should that work exactly?

Plugged In: What it Really Means to be a G-d-Fearer

“The apostles in the Jerusalem Council decision left Gentiles] with an ambiguous and tenuous status among the people of God that can best be described as that of a God-fearer:  a monotheist non-Jew worshipping in a Jewish context,” Boaz Michael, D. Thomas Lancaster, “ ‘One Law’ and the Messianic Gentile”, Messiah Journal 101.

Some in the Messianic movement teach that Gentiles belong to a class called the G-d-fearer, that Gentiles are not to bother with anything in the Torah more than just being a good person. 

But is that what yirat HaShem really means in the Scripture?

First, let's observe that yirat is not about trembling in fear but rather:

“Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling,” Psalm 2:11

In this verse we see what looks to be a contradiction:  fearing and rejoicing at the same time.  But the contradiction is resolved once we understand that within the word yirat is the word ra'ah which means to see.  The idea being that once you see how awesome G-d is then your reaction is reverent awe and even an excited trembling with joy wherein your soul desires to return to its source.

It's like when we see the universe and immediately feel humbled by the power of the Creator:

"When I see your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained; What is man that you take thought of him, And the son of man that you care for him?" Psalm 8:3,4

But what causes our soul (nefesh) to rejoice when we see G-d's awesomeness?

Well, that's where the term for "returning" to the L-rd is enlightening:

“When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return [vshavta] to the LORD your God and obey him,” Deuteronomy 4:30

That term for return, shavta, has the same letters as Shabbat.  Why is that?  Because on Shabbat we realize that we are utterly dependent on G-d and we delight in drawing close to our Source! We literally return (shavta) to Him on Shabbat!

And this term shavta is related to meshivat which is translated in English as "restoring" or "converting":

"The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul [meshivat nefesh]: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple," Psalm 19:7

Why does Torah convert/restore the soul?  Because it is "perfect" which means it carries the fullness of everything your soul has been looking for.

So "fearing" G-d is really about "returning" to Him by keeping the commandments:

"The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man," Ecclesiastes 12:13

In conclusion, we should not listen to such men who say that fearing G-d results in an ambiguous status and a tenuous connection to His people.  Such men are effectively working to unplug us from our power source.  Heaven forbid!  Scripture says:

 “The secret of the LORD [is] with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant,” Psalms 25:14

"...keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me and take hold of my covenant....all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it...these I will bring to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my House of Prayer," Isaiah 56:4,6-7

Yirat HaShem means we are so excited that we tremble with joy as we return to G-d by hearkening to His Voice!  We are so awestruck by Him that no man can keep us from pursuing His Torah!  It is our power source!

Don't let any man discourage you from plugging into the joy that G-d intends for you and your family!

Shalom and Blessings to the True Brothers and Sisters,

Peter