DOES THE MOSAIC TORAH ROAD
LEAD TO JEWISH BABYLON?
REVISED - NEW INFORMATION ADDED 7/10/05
BY REBBETZIN SHERRY A. HORD
SHABBAT KALLAH MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL
Since the 1990’s, many sincere believers
have heard Yehowah’s call to “COME
OUT OF BABYLON.” In personal response to
the Father’s call, these same
believers have come out of the churches, and
have willingly repented of the Babylonian
ways found in the Christian and
Catholic religions. Many have also come
out of Messianic Judaism that
continues to teach various aspects of
Christian theology that can be
considered Babylonian as well. But,
at the same time, have these same sincere
believers traded CHRISTIAN BABYLON
for JEWISH BABYLON?
This is not an easy question to present to
the Assembly of Mashiach (Messiah)
without stepping on someone’s toes, and
making them feel uncomfortable, especially
those in the Assembly that have come
from Traditional Judaism,
Messianic Judaism, or others who have a
propensity toward Judaism within the
Two House Restoration Movement.
However, regardless of one’s religious
background or personal persuasion, it is a
vital question that needs to be asked, and
objectively answered in the Assembly of
Mashiach. The question needs to be
asked, and therefore answered, because the
members of Yahushua’s Assembly must
see Yahushua clearly without
religious smokescreens that tend to hinder
people from seeing the Truth of the Word.
It is vital to the Assembly of Mashiach
to see Yahushua in absolute reality
of His Word as the Set Apart,
Living and Breathing Mosaic Torah of Yehowah
(Yehowah/Yehowah). The Assembly of
Mashiach should no longer languish in
the confused carnal state of mind that
religiously philosophizes Yahushua to
be the ideal representation of the perfect
“Jew,” or better said, the Messiah
of Judaism. The Assembly of Mashiach
should no longer justify any attempt to fit
the Head of the Assemby who is Yahushua
haMashiach into the framework of Oral
Torah/Oral Tradition of the rabbis,
simply because the rabbinical religion
of Judaism places the Written
Mosaic Torah Scroll in its midst.
It is then apparent that the time has come
for another wave of cleansing, and
purification by the Ruach haKodesh
(Yehowah’s Set Apart Spirit; Holy Spirit)
to be done upon the Assembly of
Mashiach; this time in the much needed
area of “Jewish Babylon.” For it is
absolutely relevant at this point in time,
for everyone in the Assembly of Mashiach
to fully understand that there is a “fine
line” between Yahushua, Who is the
Living Mosaic Torah, and the practice of
Oral Torah, the manmade traditions of
the rabbis found in the religion of
Judaism. It is time that an attempt to
distinguish that “fine line” be made. For if
the Assembly of Mashiach continues to
ignore this elemental Truth, and a “fine
line” is not properly established between
Yahushua and Judaism, the
Written Mosaic Torah and the Oral
Torah of the rabbis then we may
all be equally responsible before Yehowah,
our Father in Heaven, in allowing a
manmade religious misrepresentation of
Yahushua haMashiach, the Son of
Yehowah, to exist when it should not. So
then, it is only by establishing a “fine
line” that we can begin to understand that
the True Messiah of Yisrael should
not be wrapped in a shroud of religion
called Judaism, nor should we present
Yahushua haMashiach to the
world as such. Such a misrepresentation not
only dishonors the Son of Yehowah, but
also does not convey the absolute Truth
of the Written Word.
Therefore, in a earnest attempt to
distinguish the “fine line” that exists
between Yahushua haMashiach
and Judaism, the author has chosen to
interject the history of pertinent words
contained in this writing (Etymology),
and has provided word meanings
(Terminology) to facilitate the true
intent of this article. At the end of the
article, the reader will find some
“oddities” that are associated with
Judaism. They have been selected as
additional support to the author’s point
presented in this article, as well as an
excerpt regarding conversion to Judaism
that was taken from a Jewish Website. Some
readers may not be aware of the exact
process of conversion to Judaism, and
the limitations that it may have in doing so.
With heartfelt concern to everyone reading
this article, the author would like each
reader to know that the author’s intent to
write this article is not to condemn,
criticize, or create anti-Semetism (to be
against Jews) against our brothers
and sisters in Yahudah (Judah). Nor
is it the author’s intent to belittle,
diminish, or destroy the ever-present
structure of leadership within the
Assembly of Mashiach. The true intent is
simply to delineate the True Set
Apartness of Yahushua haMashiach from
the manmade religion of Judaism.
WAS YAHUSHUA
REFERRED TO AS A JEW IN HIS TIME?
Before one can fully determine the answer to
this question, two things must be brought to
light: The Etymology of the word
“Jew,” and the religious and secular use
of the word “Jew.”
ETYMOLOGY:
JEW
Jew
- Modern
English word derived from Middle English
(Middle Ages/Medieval) words “giw, gyu, iu
(w), ieu, ju,” which come from Old French
“giu, gyu,” and Earlier French word “ juiu.”
The Old French variations come from the
earlier Latin word “Iudaeus.” The later
“juiu” or what is called Earlier French that
was spoken during the Middle Ages came from
the Medieval Latin word “Judaeus.” The Latin
came from the Greek word “Ioudaios”
(Webster’s 7th New Collegiate
Dictionary; American Heritage Dictionary of
the English Language; The Free
Dictionary.com).
HISTORY OF
THE LETTER “J”
The interesting thing about the word
“Jew” is the dating of the existence of
the alphabet letter “J” in the Latin,
French, and English languages. The letter
“J” does not appear in the Aramaic or
Hebrew alphabets at all.
The fairly modern letter “J” made its
debut into the world in the Middle Ages or
Medieval times approximately 1550
C.E./A.D. The letter “J” came to
us from the Roman Catholic Church scribes
when they split their Roman “I” that
appeared in their alphabet to form two
separate letters, “I” and “J.”
By retaining their “I” in its
original form, they formed the “J” by
adding another “I” but with the
addition of a longer tail to the “I,”
and giving it a new phonetic sound to
become the letter “J.”
“The distinction between the two letters was
not fully established until the 17th
century, when the capital and small letter
took their modern forms The dot on the small
letter (j) was carried over from the letter
I (in its lower case)” (The American
Heritage Dictionary of the English
Language).
According to the University of Maryland’s “Evolution
of Latin Characters,” the Latin alphabet
that Rome instituted began around 500
B.C.E./B.C, and that which continued to the
1st century did not contain a
letter “J.” The “J” came into
use in the Middle Ages during the 9th
to the 15th centuries referred to
as “Medieval Latin.” In the “Humanist Latin”
period, from the 15th to the 17th
centuries, the “J” appeared in the
Latin alphabet to become established as a
usable letter in the Latin alphabet
thereafter.
TERMINOLOGY:
JEW
After consulting several Etymology sources
for the word “Jew,” it was found that
there are no given meanings or definitions
to the Modern or Middle English, French,
Latin or Greek words for “Jew.”
What did the word mean in each language?
No actual meaning can be found. All that is
provided to us in dictionaries,
encyclopedias, and historic research avenues
are modern day renderings in which it
is stated that the word “Jew” applies
to the people of the “Tribe of Judah,”
and its location in the Southern portion of
the Land of Israel known as “Judea,”
or one whose religion is “Judaism.”
Only the Aramaic word Yahuday, Yahudai,
and the Hebrew words Yehudhi, Yehudi,
Y‘hudhi, Yahudi give us a word related
definition of “a member of the Tribe of
Yahudah” (Judah), or “one from the
area of the Yahudim.” There are
no other words in any other language that
even remotely express the identity of
a person that has a lineage to the Tribe
of Yahudah, or who dwelt in the area of
the Yahudim (pl.). All other
languages have adopted the Hebrew meaning
for their individual words but in them have
no meaning. As to the matter of “one
whose religion is Judaism” will be
discussed under the topic Judaism.
Therefore, based on the information given,
the answer to the question, “Was Yahushua
referred to as a Jew in His time?” The
answer would have to be
NO!!!
Yahushua was a descendant of the
Tribe of Yahudah, born in the Southern
portion of the area of Yisra’el known
in its day and time as Yahudah.
During Yahushua’s time here on earth,
neither the letter “J” nor the word
“Jew” had yet come into existence.
His own countrymen would have referred
to Him as a
Yahudi
not a “Jew.” The Romans occupying the
Land of Yisra’el would have referred
to Him in Latin as an Iudaean
not a “Judaean.” Roman individuals
having been deployed to Yisra’el for
any length of time could have learned enough
Hebrew words that they could have very well
referred to Yahushua or all
Yahudim by the name of “Yahudi.”
It is very unfortunate that so many
believers in the Asssembly of Mashiach
today, persist in using the word “Jew”
in reference to the Son of Yehowah.
Many scholars believe that the word “Jew”
may be a derogatory application to the
people that dwelt in the Land of Yisra’el,
or came from the Land, and were seen
to be “different” in their culture, customs,
and worship that revolved around the
teachings of the rabbis called Oral
Torah/Oral Tradition, and its inclusion
of the Written Mosaic Torah Scroll.
The derogatory application of the earlier
forms of anti-Semitism, also found in later
writings, most likely came from the early
Roman Empire Church which became the
Catholic (Universal) Church during the 4th
century with the installation of Roman
Emperor Constantine as its first Pope. Early
Church writings echo quite vehemently the
anti-Semitic attitude toward the people of
Yahudah, and their observances of
Shabbat (Sabbath), Pesach (Passover),
and the Law (Mosaic Torah). The
anti-Semitic views of the early Church
Fathers are well documented and accessible
for research and study.
It should be obvious then that the word
“Jew” should be avoided, and deleted
from the lips of kodesh (Set Apart) people.
We should no longer refer to the Son of
Yehowah as a “Jew” but as a
“Yahudi” Today, as some people are
striving to correct error in
their personal language to speak “lashon
tov” (good tongue), they have done well to
remove Christian Babylonian words
from their vocabulary, now the other side of
the coin must be dealt with too.
An even greater detriment, the word “Jew”
is found throughout much of the writings of
historians and conveyed with the same
error. For example: “The word Jew
came into existence in the 5th
century BC to refer to the inhabitants of
the province of Judea (now part of
Israel)” (MSM Encarta: Judaism).
How could the word “Jew” come into
existence in the 5th century
B.C./B.C.E. when the “J” did not come
into existence until the Middle Ages (16th-17th
centuries)? How could a non-existent
word refer to the inhabitants of “Judea?”
Could there even have been a place known as
“Judea” during the 5th
century BC? Therefore, one must understand
that the generalization of the word “Jew”
is used liberally for the modern mind to
comprehend as to whom someone is referring
to; but it does not justify the usage of
such linguistic and
literary error.
But to even a greater extent and worst
error is the use of the word
“Jew” in Bible translations, and
religious materials. The continued use of
the word “Jew” in Catholic,
Christian, and Messianic Jewish Bibles is
appalling to say the least. It is no wonder
that hate groups have sprung up over the
centuries that have perpetuated
anti-Semitism toward the Yahudim. A
word that most likely started as a
derogatory term could only yield
division and hatred in its ongoing use. It
can not possibly bring forth the depths of
Truth that one must find to understand the
Scriptures properly, and implement in one’s
personal walk with the Greatest
Yahudi of all time, Yahushua
haMashiach, the Messiah of Yisra’el.
At the present time, there are two versions
of the Scriptures that do not employ the use
of the term “Jew.” Both editions use
the corrected words Yahudi/Yehudi
(singular) and Yahudim/Yehudim
(plural). The Scriptures,
originally translated in South Africa, and
first published in 1993, is distributed by
The Institute For Scripture Research and can
be obtained at
www.messianic.com . The newest
publication on the market that contains
corrected words is The Restoration
Scriptures, translated by Rabbi
Moshe Yoseph Koniuchowsky in 2004, second
edition in 2005, is distributed by Your Arms
To Israel at
www.yourarmstoisrael.org . Both
versions are also obtainable through other
individual ministry websites.
It is even on a sadder note that the
Yahudim (pl.) have seemingly come to
accept the term, and have come to use the
word “Jew” in reference to themselves
in a very liberal or tolerant manner. Again,
the realization of its accepted use is for
others to comprehend what is conveyed in the
message. The word can be found in
synagogues, literature, films, websites,
etc.
Aish.com, a highly praised Yahudi
website, uses the term consistently
throughout its Jewish Literacy Crash
Course In Jewish History, and likewise
the website, Judaism 101. The
Encyclopedia Judaica also conveys the
term “Jew” in its usage of the word.
Unfortunately it is everywhere, used for
good and bad, and has become an accepted
English word with little, if any, reference
to its probable initial existence as a
derogatory slur against the Yahudim.
At this point, it should become
understandable to the mind of the reader
that there was definitely a derogatory
and deceitful spirit of error
that adopted the Greek, Latin,
French, and English words for the Yahudim,
and their counterpart words in other spoken
languages of the modern world. This same
derogatory and deceitful spirit of error
has portrayed its fullest manifestation of
evil in the modern world through the English
and Germanic languages, largely based on the
error of Bible translators, to bring about
great tribulation and Holocaust to the
Yahudim. How much hatred has been given
to the Yahudim because the English
word “Jew” has been so frequently
used by anti-Semites pointing to the pages
of their Christian Bibles to yield support
to their anti-Semitic views. How many times
was the Germanic word of “Juden”
pronounced during the years of WWII, and the
devastating results that went along with its
use? It is very possible that
Bible translators are partially responsible
for the acts of perpetuating evil against
the Yahudim while they themselves
unknowingly labored under the
derogatory and deceitful spirit of error
in their consistent promotion of the letter
“J” in their Bible versions.
WAS YAHUSHUA
JEWISH?
This again is a question relative to the
same information given for the letter
“J,” and the word “Jew.” With
this information, one must come to the
conclusion that Yahushua was not
“Jewish” in the contextual sense of one
belonging to the religion of “Judaism,”
nor was He ever referred to as
being “Jewish” in His day and
time.
Again, it must be stated that Yahushua
was a legitimate member of the Tribe of
Yahudah. He lived most of His
life among the Galilean people of the
Northern area of Yisra‘el surrounding the
Sea of Galil (Galilee), and was
accepted by His fellow countrymen as
a Galilean Yahudi. He
practiced the cultural customs, and
traditions of the Galilean people
that did not transgress the Written
Mosaic Torah.
AUTHOR’S
NOTE: Most redeemed believer’s today are not
aware that there were major differences
between the Yahudi in the Southern portion
of Yisra’el, the “Yahudah Yahudim,” and the
“Galilean Yahudim” of the Northern area of
Yisra’el. The Yahudah Yahudim in the
Southern area spoke a different dialect of
the Aramaic language than the Galilean
Yahudim of the Northern area. The Yahudah
Yahudim took great pride in their
pronunciation of the language which they
considered to be a purer pronunciation than
the Galilean Yahudim. The Yahudah Yahudim
considered the Galilean Yahudim to have a
choppy and incorrect distortion of the
Aramaic language leaving out the “ah” at the
end of words, and speaking without guttural
emphasis. That is why the Galilean followers
of Yahushua were recognized on the night of
Yahushua’s capture as stated in
MattithYahu/Matthew 26:73, “And after a
while those who stood by came to him and
said to Kepha (Peter), ‘Truly you are one of
them too, for even your speech gives you
away.”
The Yahudah Yahudim looked down on the
Yahudim living in Galil to be common,
uneducated country folk, actually despising
them, calling them “Goyim/Gentiles.” This
was done because the Galilean Yahudim did
not “systematically” educate themselves in
Oral Torah/Oral Traditions of the Yahudah
rabbis. The Galilean Yahudim did not
adhere to Oral Torah but followed more
closely the Written Mosaic Torah. That is
why Yahushua and His Galilean followers
often clashed with the P’rushim (Pharisees)
on issues.
One issue was “Shabbat Shabbaton,” Yehowah’s
Seventh Day of Rest. The Yahudah Yahudim
“fenced off” the true meaning or
Ruach/Spirit of the Mosaic Torah by making
“Shabbat” observance tedious for the people.
Whereas, the Galilean Yahudim were less
restrictive regarding “Shabbat.” Yahushua
revealed the true Ruach of “Shabbat” in His
discourse with the Yahudah rabbis
(Pharisees) regarding a donkey or ox fallen
into a pit on “Shabbat” in Luke 14:5. This
discourse was interjected into Yahushua’s
conversation with the P’rushim to make the
point “hit home” with the rabbis that
healing a man’s hand on “Shabbat” was
allowed by His Father in Heaven, and mercy
was to be extended to anyone regardless of
their manmade restrictions against healing
on the “Shabbat” which are found in Oral
Torah.
“(Yeshoo/Yahushua) took as an example, a son
(of Yisra’el) and an ox, a human being and
an animal. Some Jewish religious
fanatics would not render a service for the
sake of an animal on the Sabbath (Shabbat)
day. They would let it stay until the next
day and if the animal died, it would not
make a difference. Today some Jews will not
extinguish fire on the Sabbath even if it
threatens to destroy their own home. If a
man would not pull out his ox from a pit on
a Sabbath day, he would certainly pull out
his own son. The Sabbath was a most sacred
Jewish institution and strictly observed by
the Jews in Judea wherein the center of
worship and priesthood was established. This
was not the case in Galilee where the people
were non-Jews by race (not Yahudah Yahudim).
Here the Sabbath was not so strictly
observed. (Yeshoo/Yahushua) was often
criticized for healing and performing
miracles on the Sabbath day” (Lamsa, p.351).
The Yahudah Yahudim taught the “letter of
the Oral Torah (Law) in a “legalistic”
manner. Coming from a Galilean Yahudi
background that yielded to a less
restrictive, and more “free thinking of the
individual” type of Yahudi society in the
Galil, Yahushua, therefore, taught in a
different manner than Yahudah rabbis.
Yahushua often used the teaching method of
“parables” to sort out the “called ones” or
“spiritually discerning ones” from among the
Galilean and Yahudah people.
Extreme opposition to Yahushua, and His
message of love, mercy, forgiveness, and
freedom to observe His Father’s Written
Mosaic Torah, came from the teachers of the
Oral Torah that eventually incited
Yahushua’s death, with the exception of a
few rabbis. Yet, thousands of “uneducated”
Galilean people loved Yahushua, and followed
His teachings. Galilean women were devoted
to the great itinerant rabbi from the Galil.
TERMINOLOGY:
JEWISH
The term
“Jewish” is an adjective in the English
language that stems from the word “Jew.”
It is a word used to relate to, or to
describe, or to be characteristic of the
people known as the “Jews.” The word
“Jewish” is usually used in a
characteristic manner to denote a person’s
relationship to the religion of Judaism,
through observance of customs, laws, and
traditions relative of Judaism.
The term “Jewish” is equated with the
religion of Judaism much more so than
with the Mosaic Torah itself.
Many would beg to differ on this point, but
in reality “Jewish” is an erroneous
word derived from the misapplied term
“Jew.” Many believers who have enjoined
themselves to some aspect of the Written
Mosaic Torah observance have made the
mistake of applying the term “Jewish”
to themselves personally, or have used the
term to identify Messianic and
Christian assemblies. They have even
applied the term to Yahushua, at some
point in their walk. But, Yahushua
should never have falsehood or error
applied to Him, especially by His
“redeemed people.”
Messianic Judaism, unfortunately, is
largely responsible for portraying to the
world that Yahushua haMashiach is the
perfect “Jew,” and that He is
the “Messianic fulfillment of
Judaism.” To some limited extent,
various Christian groups have
exemplified this reasoning also. To make
matters worse, this same philosophy has been
carried from Messianic Judaism and
Christianity over to the present Two
House Restoration Movement to a great
degree. It has come into the Two House
Restoration Movement through various
leaders, teachers, and proponents that have
not understood the “fine line” between
Yahushua haMashiach and the religion of
Judaism, and therefore have
contributed to the continuing existence of
the error.
One must understand, that to use the term
“Jewish” correctly, one is describing or
relating to someone or something that is
involved with the religion of Judaism.
The question then becomes, “Did
Yahushua follow anything that was found
in the manmade religion of His time
or would He follow any manmade
religious group today? The answer must
clearly be
NO!
Based
on the applied terminology of the letter
“J,” and the term “Jew,” the
adjective “Jewish,” and the manmade
religion of “Judaism,” these terms
cannot be appropriately applied to
Yahushua or His fulfillment of
the Written Mosaic Torah and the
Prophets.
Did Yahushua follow the local customs
or personal traditions of the Galilean
Yahudi people? The answer is
YES!
It is
evident that Yahushua did observe
cultural customs and traditions of the
Yahudim in the Galil. Several
verses can be found in ha Brit
Chadasha (New Testament) that
indicate that He did. The Book of
Luke tells us that Yahushua
attended synagogue on the Shabbat
Shabbaton (weekly Shabbat) which is the
custom of the Yahudim even to this
day. “And He came to Nazareth, where He
had been brought up: and, according to His
practice, He went into the synagogue
on Shabbat, and stood up to read (from the
Torah Scroll)” (Luke 4:16,
Restoration Scriptures).
This particular verse, gives us insight into
two customary practices that Yahushua
personally kept: 1. Attending congregational
services on Shabbat Shabbaton; 2.
Standing up before the congregation to read
aloud from the Written Mosasic
Torah Scroll. Both are customs or
traditions of the Yahudim because the
Mosaic Torah specifically mandates
neither. Likewise, Yahushua’s
custom of attending congregational services
on Shabbat Shabbaton, and sharing in
the oral reading from the Written Mosaic
Torah Scroll before the congregation,
have been passed onto the Assembly of
Mashiach to follow in its congregational
practices. These customs of Yahushua
were also passed onto us through the
continuing practice of Rav Shaul (Paul),
and his traveling companions in
Ma’aseh Shlichim (Acts) 13:14-15; and by
Timtheous (Timothy) as a spiritual
leader in the Greater Assembly of
Mashiach in Timtheous Alef (I
Timothy) 4:13.
Another custom that was a delight in the
Galilean Yahudi culture was a
wedding and the weeklong festivities that it
employed. Yahushua, and His
limmudi (my taught ones; disciples)
attended a wedding in Qanah (Cana), and
partook of the festivities as well.
Yochanan (John) 2:1-2 states, “And
on Yom Shleshi (third day of the week;
Tuesday) there was a marriage in Qanah of
Galil (Galilee); and the ima (mother) of
Yahushua was there: And both Yahushua was
invited, and His talmudim, to the marriage”
(Restoration Scriptures).
AUTHOR’S NOTE: The words “talmid” (sing.)
and “talmudim” (pl.) that are traditionally
used in the Messianic Jewish, Two House
Restoration Movements, and some Bible
translations to signify a disciple or
follower of Yahushua and/or the Mosaic Torah
is not completely correct. Judaism uses the
terms “talmid” and “talmudim” in reference
to Yahudi that are pupils or students in a
school or university, but more aptly applied
to students of Jewish religious studies
which include the Talmud (Oral Torah/Oral
Tradition, rabbinical writings).
“Talmeed (talmid)/ah meaning “pupil;
student” (Webster’s New World Hebrew
Dictionary).
More perfect in terminology and usage for
followers of Yahushua and the Mosaic Torah
are the Scriptural Hebrew words “limmud”
(sing.) and “limmudi” (pl.) meaning “my
taught ones; disciples.” These terms would
be more aptly used in reference to followers
of Yahushua that are students of the Written
Mosaic Torah and taught by Him through the
Ruach haKodesh.
Strong’s Concordance Hebrew word #3928 -
“limmud” meaning “instructed: accustomed,
disciple, learned, taught, used.”
BDB Hebrew word #3928, p. 541 - “limmud”
meaning 1. “taught, as disciples.” 2.
“accustomed to something.”
In the Written Mosaic Torah, only the
various forms of the Hebrew word “limmud”
are used; “limmudi” to describe “my
disciples” found in Yeshayahu/Isaiah 8:16;
“limmudim” describing those who are “taught”
found in Yeshayahu/Isaiah 50:4;
“limmudai/ay” is found to read as “all your
sons shall be taught by Yehowah” in
Yeshayahu/Isaiah 54:13 according to the
Analytical Key To the Old Testament.
Perhaps
a less defined practice of Yahushua,
but worthy to note, is found in Yochanan
(John) 10:22-23. In this passage,
Yahushua was walking in Shlomo’s
(Solomon’s) Porch located in the Second
Temple in Yahrushalayim
(Jerusalem) during the season of
Chanukah/Hannukah (Feast of Dedication),
the annual remembrance of the Maccabean
Revolt. Yahushua’s arrival in
Yahrushalayim during the festive days of
Chanukah reveals that He
personally sanctioned the remembrance of
Yahudi victory over Hellenist
(Greek) culture and pagan worship of
Greek deities.
The Yahudim observance of Chanukah
also gave Yahushua the perfect
opportunity to witness to the Yahudah
people that He truly came from the
Father in Heaven by performing miracles
at that particular time of the year. A
miraculous event was the topic of the
Oral Torah/Oral Tradition of the rabbis
at that particular time of year.
A rabbinic tale relates that after the
destruction of the Great Temple in
Yahrushalayim by the wicked Seleucid
invader, Antiochus, only enough Temple oil
was found hidden in the Temple wall to burn
for one day. The oil miraculously burned for
eight days. Out of this tale, came the
Yahudim tradition of burning eight
candles in a “chanukiah” (nine-branch
menorah) during the Chanukah season. It was
during this particular Yahudim
cultural celebration of light that Yehowah
revealed to the people that His Son,
Yahushua, was the Anointed One,
the Mashiach of Yisra’el, the True Light of
the world.
This revelation came through the many
miracles that the Father in
Heaven did through Yahushua
during the Chanukah season.
“Yahushua answered them, I told
you, and you believed not: the works that I
do in My Abba’s (Father’s) Name, they bear
witness of Me” (Yochanan /John) 10:25,
Restoration Scriptures). It is
also very possible that continuing in the
Book of Yochanan (John), we read
that the priests and Prushim (Pharisees)
agreed that Yahushua had performed
many nisim (miracles) which occurred during
Chanukah.
“Then gathered the chief kohanim
(priests) and the Prushim (Pharisees,
teachers of Oral Torah/Oral Tradition) a
Sanhedrin (ruling council of 70 elders), and
said, What do we do? For this Man does many
nisim (miracles)” Yochanan (John) 11:47,
Restoration Scriptures).
Of the three customs that have been given,
others can be found that would apply to
Yahushua and His limmudi
as cultural practices rather than religious
practices of Judaism. Therefore, with
a more enlightened understanding, the reader
should begin to distinguish the fine line
that Yahushua personally walked, that
narrow road, a line of righteousness,
between cultural customs and traditions, and
manmade religious practices of Judaism.
DID YAHUSHUA
LIVE IN JUDEA?
The answer to this question should be simple
to answer by now -
NO!
The
Hebrew word “Yahudah” comes from the
word “yahdah” meaning “praise.” The
area of the Southern Kingdom of Yisra’el
was never called “Judea/Judaea”
during its time but would have been called
“Yahudah.” It is almost certain that
the mountainous southern area, and the
surrounding area of Yahrushalayim
were called “Yahudah” by the
Yahudim.
The area called Yahudah, however, did
eventually receive a name change by Rome. In
63 B.C/B.C.E., the Roman army captured
Yahrushalayim and the Temple, and
entered the Most Set-Apart Place (Holy of
Holies) to declare Yahudah a subject
of Rome. The Southern Kingdom of Yahudah
then became part of a larger
province of Rome known as
“Iudaeus/Iudae/Iudaea” in Latin (Kremers, P
263). Many years later, in 25-26 A.D.,
Yahudah still remained under Roman
occupation, and Pontius Pilate was appointed
procurator or governor over Yahudah.
It was during, Pontius Pilate’s governorship
that Yahushua lived as an adult,
suffered, and died.
On the 9th of Av (August), 70
A.D., Roman General Titus entered the Most
Set Apart Place of the Temple in
Yahrushalayim. Roman soldiers completely
plundered the Temple, and set fire to it in
fulfillment of Daniel 9:26 (Kremers,
p. 266).
“And after sixty-two weeks Ye-karet
Moshiach (actual Hebrew “Mashiach will be
killed or slaughtered”); shall Moshiach be
cut off, but not for Himself:
and the people of the prince (Titus) that
shall come shall destroy the city (Yahrushalayim)
and the (Most) Set-Apart Place (Holy of
Holies); and the end of it shall be with a
flood, and to the end of the war desolations
are determined” (Daniel 9:26,
Restoration Scriptures).
Years later on the same date, the 9th
of Av, 130 A.D., Roman Emperor Hadrian
ordered then Governor Tinieus Rufus to plow
down Yahrushalayim along the line of
the projected walls of a new Roman city to
be called “Aelia Capitolina”. This “plowing”
fulfilled Mikah (Micah) 3:12; Yirmeyahu
(Jeremiah) 26:18. After the “plowing” or
leveling of Yahrushalayim occurred,
Hadrian changed its name to “Palestine” to
erase all memory of Yahudah,
(Kremers, p.267).
It is from the Roman renaming of
Yahudah’s territory in the Land of
Yisra’el, that modern day Jordanian
refugees have named themselves after as the
“Palestinians,” and prefer to call the
existing State of Israel as their personal
property called “Palestine.” This is due to
their Islamic beliefs. According to Islamic
belief, when a Moslem sets foot in a
territory, that territory is then
acknowledged as belonging to Islam. A
purposeful thought is interjected here; does
Islam strategically place its people around
the world for global conquering? It was in
1948, that Jordan introduced the present day
name of “West Bank” for the Palestinian area
of occupation in the State of Israel.
Another point to consider is that the
Southern area of Yahudah was never
known to be Yahushua’s “hometown.”
Beyth Lechem (Bethlehem), a few miles south
of Yahrushalayim in Yahudah was
Yahushua’s birthplace in order to
fulfill Micah 5:2, “But you, Beyth Lehem
Ephrathah, you who are little among the
clans of Yehudah, out of you shall come
forth to Me the One to become Ruler in
Yisra’el. And His comings forth are of old,
from everlasting.”
Luke 2:1-7
informs us
that Yahushua’s parents, Miriam
(Mary) and Yoseph (Joseph) were living in
the town of Natsareth (Nazareth) in
the Galil (Galilee) in the Northern
portion of Yisra’el before Yahshua
was born. They traveled to the Southern area
of Yahudah to the town of Beth Lechem
to pay the required taxes due. Yahushua
was born there in the town of Beyth
Lechem, thereby fulfilling the prophecy of
Micah 5:2. Mattithyahu (Matthew)
2:13-14 further relates that a kodesh
melakim (holy angel) of Yehowah
appeared to Yoseph in a dream and told him
to take Miryam and Yahshua to
Mitsrayim (Egypt) to flee the onslaught of
King Herod, the Great. After the King died,
Yoseph was once again warned in a dream that
the family should return to the Galil,
and they settled in the town of Natsareth
once again.
“But hearing that Archelaos was reigning
over Yahudah instead of his father Herodes,
he (Yoseph) was afraid to go there. And
having been warned in a dream, he (Yoseph)
departed to the parts of Galil, and came and
dwelt in a city called Natsareth - thus to
fill what was spoken by the prophets, ‘He
(Yahshua) shall be called a Natsarene”
(MattithYahu /Matthew 2:22-23, The
Scriptures).
Yahushua
was raised in Natsareth in the
Northern Galil area near the Sea of
Galilee. He remained in the
Galil area as a child and young man into
His thirties. He and His
parents made annual visits to
Yarushaylim to observe the festivals of
the Mosaic Torah found in Shemoth
23:14-17. All Yisra’elite males were
required to appear before Yehowah on
Pesach/Chag Matzah (Passover/Feast of
Unleavened Bread), Shavuot (Feast of Weeks),
and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles). Luke
2:41, “And His parents went to Yerushalayim
every year at the Festival of the Passover”
(The Scriptures).
Yahshua’s ministry began in the
Galil area in His hometown of
Natsareth, and later setup His
ministry headquarters in Kephar
Nahum (Capernaum) in the Galil,
and dwelt there. During Yahshua’s
relatively few years of ministry, most of
His teaching, preaching, healing, and
miracles were done throughout the Galil
area. It is not recorded how many times
Yahshua visited Yahudah in the
South. MattithYahu 4:25 indicates
that many from other areas including
Southern Yahudah followed Him
throughout the Galil area as He
ministered. We certainly do know that He
visited Yarusahaylim several times
and was there during the last Passover that
He would celebrate with His
limmudim. Yahshua’s trek to
Yarushaylim during that fateful week
would be His personal
fulfillment of the Scriptures found in
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 53.
WAS JUDAISM
YAHUSHUA’S RELIGION?
Based on previously given information
regarding the terminology of the word
“Judaism,” we would be in error
to believe that a religion known as
Judaism today, was known as such during
Yahushua’s sojourning here on earth.
Perhaps, the worship, and its life style
practices of the rabbinic religion were
known as Yahudism or Yahudaism,
or simply Torah but not
Judaism.
“The terms Judaism and
religion do not exist in premodern
Hebrew The Jews spoke of Torah, God’s
(Yehowah‘s) revealed instructions to
Israel, which mandated both a worldview and
a way of life - Halakhah” (MSM
Encarta: Judaism).
Now that the error in the
usage of the term Judaism has been
established, the reader should understand
that the Living Mosaic Torah, Yahushua
haMashiach, did not hold to Judaism
as His religion nor did He
authorize Judaism as an official
religion of the Yahudim.
In order to fully comprehend the following
information, one must begin to separate the
manmade religion of Judaism from
Yahushua, and it is a very “fine line”
It is a “fine line” because the religion
called Judaism contains the
Written Mosaic Torah Scroll in
its midst, and Yahushua honored the
Written Mosaic Torah by
reading publicly from the Torah
Scrolls. It is difficult to distinguish
the “fine line” because much of the
halakhah (the way to go or walk out one’s
life according to Yehowah’s commandments)
that was partially practiced by the
Yahudah Yahudim, and still is to
some extent, is within the framework
of the Mosaic Torah, and was
also practiced by Yahushua.
Therefore, the “fine line” that must be
distinguished must be between the person and
practices of Yahushua, Who is the
Living Mosaic Torah, and that of the
manmade religion of the Rabbis. The
“fine line” becomes even clearer when
haBrit Chadasha (New Testament) is added
to the discussion on Judaism and
whether Yahushua haMashiach partook
of the rabbinical religion.
Yohanan (John) 14:2
indicates that Yahushua set Himself apart from the religion of the
Yahudah Yahudim by stating that He is “the
Way, the Truth, and the Life.” Yahushua’s
followers referred to themselves
collectively, and were known by others as
“the Way.” Acts 9:2, 19:9 & 23, 22:4, 24:14
all reveal that Yahushua‘s followers were
called the people of “the Way,” denoting
their separation and preferable difference
from the Yahudim religion of their
day.
To further examine the “fine line,” the use
of Terminology will once again be
helpful to the reader.
TERMINOLOGY:
JUDAISM
Judaism:
1. The
monotheistic religion of the Jewish
people, tracing its origins to Abraham,
having its spiritual and ethical principles
embodied chiefly in the Bible and the
Talmud. 2. Conformity to the
traditional ceremonies and rites of the
Jewish religion. 3. The cultural,
spiritual, and social way of life of the
Jewish people. (Late Latin Judaismus,
from Greek Ioudaismos, from
Ioudaios, Jew) (The American
Heritage Dictionary Of The English
Language).
The Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate
Dictionary defines the term Judaism
in the following manner:
1: a religion developed among the ancient
Hebrews and marked by the belief in one
God who is creator, ruler, and redeemer of
the universe and by moral and ceremonial
laws of the Old Testament and the
rabbinic tradition. 2: conformity to
Jewish rites, ceremonies, and
practices. 3: the cultural, social, and
religious beliefs and practices of the
Jews. 4: the whole body of Jews.
Today, Judaism is referred to as
Rabbinic Judaism, Traditional Judaism, or
Contemporary Judaism. In the United
States, Contemporary Judaism is
becoming a popular overall designation for
all three different forms of Judaism -
Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox.
Included in each specific form of Judaism
are several sects or divisions. For
instance, the Chasidic (Hebrew
meaning “pious ones”) or Ultra Orthodox
Judaism is a sect that would fall in the
Orthodox category but are different
from all other sects. The Chasidim
are a sect of Yahudi mystics. Their
sect was formed in Poland around 1750 A.D.,
when they split in opposition to the
formalistic Judaism of the period and
its ritual laxity (American Heritage
Dictionary of the English Language).
SCRIPTURES
ARE HENOTHEISTIC
There are two real eye openers in the above
definitions of Judaism. The first eye
opener is the word monotheistic
which is the description of a religion
that believes in one God or ‘Elohim
but denies the existence of other
gods. Ancient or earliest Yisra’el was
NOT
monotheistic but
henotheistic Henotheism
is the
worship of one God or ‘Elohim
without denying the existence of other
gods. Most people are not aware of
this distinction. However, throughout
Scripture the henotheistic nature of
the Word is clearly revealed, and can
be found in several verses, such as
the following:
Shemoth (Exodus) 15:11, “Who is like you, O
Yehowah, among the mighty ones (gods)”;
Shemoth (Exodus) 20:3 “You have no other
mighty ones (gods) against my face;”
Tehillim (Psalms) 86:8, “There is none like
You among the mighty ones (gods)” (The
Scriptures).
Shemoth/Exodus 23:13 also expresses
the henotheistic view of Yehowah
in His very own words, “And in all
that I have said to you take heed. And make
no mention of the name of other mighty ones
(gods), let it not be heard from your mouth”
(The Scriptures).
Yahushua,
being the Living, Breathing Mosaic Torah
in human form, did not deny that there were
“other gods” in this world. It would be very
foolish to think otherwise. Yahushua
personally saw, and spoke to the “god” that
is responsible for the sin that exists in
the world, haSatan; Satan; Hellel;
Lucifer; Devil. The following verse
relates the personal confrontation that
Yahusha had with haSatan.
“Then Yahushua said to him, ‘Go, Satan! For
it has been written, ‘You shall worship
Yehowah your Elohim, and Him alone you shall
serve” (MattithYahu (Matthew) 4:10, The
Scriptures).
The “shadim” or unclean spirits, fallen
melakim (angels) of haSatan, known as
demons, fit into the category of “other
gods” because they have the ability to
suggest and manipulate mankind into
following their suggestions for sin. Shadim
have an unquenchable lust for sin. In order
to satisfy their demonic craving for sin,
they use people to do their bidding, and in
turn give haSatan glory for the
fulfillment of their undying craving for
sin. People that do the bidding of these
unclean spirits through the many avenues of
sin, fall into the sin of worshipping
objects of demonic lust as “gods,” such as
money, religion, sex, material things, etc.
Yahushua was not only aware of the
“shadim” but also His limmudi
were aware of unclean spirits, and were even
more amazed that the Name of Yahushua
held power over the “shadim.” Luke 10:17
says, “And the seventy returned with simcha
(joy), saying, Master, even the shadim
(demons; unclean spirits) were subject to us
through your Name” (Restoration Scriptures).
Yahushua warns His people in
the written Scriptures about one of the most
powerful “gods” in the world, and what will
happen if one worships this “god.”
MattithYahu (Matthew) 6:24 says, “No one is
able to serve two masters, for either he
shall hate the one and love the other, or
else he shall cleave to the one and despise
the other. You are not able to serve Elohim
(Yehowah; Yehowah; Yehowah) and mammon” (The Scriptures).
Mammon literally means
“wealth; riches.” It is a Chaldean
(Babylonian) word used in the Book of
MattithYahu (Matthew) to be a
personification of a spirit or “god”
(haSatan) that causes mankind to worship
“money, power, wealth, economics.”
Yahushua certainly did not deny the
existence of the “god” of this world that
drives mankind to lust after the
personification of wealth, known as
mammon.
It
is then established that Yahushua
upheld the henotheistic Living
Ruach (Set
Apart Spirit
of Yehowah) of the Mosaic Torah
which is
elaborated in the above verse of
MattithYahu (Matthew) 6:24. This verse
in MattithYahu is linked to
Debarim (Deuteronomy) 8:18 which states,
“But you shall remember Yehowah your Elohim,
for it is He who gives you power to get
wealth, in order to establish His covenant
which He swore to your fathers, as it is
today” (The Scriptures).
Therefore, the true understanding of the
word henotheism enables us to
partially answer the question, “Was
Judaism Yahushua’s religion?” The
first part of the answer is
NO!
The remainder of the answer will be found in
the discussion about Talmud (Oral
Torah/Oral Tradition).
JUDAISM IS A
MONOTHEISTIC RELIGION
During Yahudah’s 70-year exile into
Bavel (Babel; Babylon; Iraq) that
took place in 586 B.C./B.C.E., a
monotheistic outlook emerged among
the Yahudah Yahudim, which
brought about an eventual monotheistic
religion of the rabbis. This
monotheistic philosophy was a major
turning point in their understanding, and
later teaching of the Mosaic Torah
and Neviim (Prophets).
The previous henotheistic
understanding of Torah (Mosaic) was
reinterpreted in light of the 586
B.C./B.C.E. exile into Babylon,
with the ‘Elohim (God) of Yisra’el
then seen as the ‘Elohim ruling
universal history and the destiny of all
nations (MSM Encarta: Judaism). With
Yehowah seen as Elohim of all
nations on earth, the “other gods” that
Scripture recognized as existing, became
“invisible” or denied to exist.
Judaism’s monotheistic
philosophy continued throughout the
“Hellenist Period” or the Grecian
attempt to convert Yahudah to Greek
culture, religion, and philosophy. The
monotheistic view of Yehowah
played an integral part in the
apocalyptic writings by the Rabbis
during that time. Monotheism
continues to exist in Judaism today,
likewise Christianity and
Messianic Judaism follow the same
monotheistic philosophy in their
teaching of the Bible.
After the Romans destroyed the Great Temple
in Yahrushalayim (Jerusalem) in 70
A.D., the Yahudah Yahudim made two
major revolts against Roman oppression. The
last revolt led by Simon Bar Kokhba in 132
to 135 A.D. caused the priestly (Levite)
leadership to be greatly discredited. This
loss of confidence in the Levites allowed a
rabbinical movement to emerge and gain
religious control over the Yahudim.
The rabbis (teachers of Oral Torah/Oral
Tradition) formed a formal
monotheistic religion for the
Yahudah Yahudim that contained the
Written Mosaic Torah in its midst but
Oral Torah/OralTradition (verbal
rabbinical instruction on how to keep Torah;
fences around the Mosaic Torah)
became the foremost element of the religion.
Oral Torah/Oral Tradition, the
verbal instructions of the rabbis that were
passed down through the centuries, were
eventually contained in written volumes, the
Mishna and Gemara,
referred to as the Talmud.
Therefore, the second most important thing
to see in the definitions for the word
Judaism, is that the religion of
Judaism has one other major component in
addition to the Mosaic Torah:
the Talmud or Oral Torah, Rabbinic
Tradition (Oral Law).
AUTHOR’S NOTE: The present day religion of
Judaism
continues to maintain the
monotheistic
view of Scripture, not the
henotheistic
knowledge of Yehowah, and His Word as
revealed in the Mosaic Torah, the Neviim
(Prophets), and upheld by Yahushua.
Judaism
contains
two contrasting elements,
Talmud
and
the
Written
Mosaic Torah Scroll!
Thereby,
Judaism is a mixture of the Mosaic Torah
given by Yehowah, and manmade religious
authority Talmud
is studied
and quoted extensively, and upheld as the
final authority on how to fulfill the Mosaic
Torah. Therefore,
JUDAISM
does
not prescribe to the authority of Yehowah,
but to the authority of man through
rabbinical writings.
TERMINOLOGY:
TALMUD
The Hebrew word “Talmud” is a
Mishnaic word (found in the Mishna, part of
the Talmud), and basically
means “instruction or learning; that which
is learned or memorized;” specifically
applied to the writings of rabbis or sages.
The words “Talmud, Talmudic, Talmudist,
Talmidim” then are primarily used in
connection to the collection of rabbinic
writings consisting of the Mishna
and the Gemara, together
called the Talmud which
constitute the basis of religious authority
for traditional Judaism rather than
the Mosaic Torah.
HISTORY OF
THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD
The
Oral Torah/Oral Tradition of the
rabbis was faithfully transmitted by word of
mouth in an unbroken chain from master to
disciple for centuries. In 220 C.E./A.D.,
Oral Tradition was compiled and edited
in Palestine (Land of Yisra’el) into
the earliest rabbinic document, the
Mishna. The Jerusalem
Talmud’s Gemara was completed
around 400 C.E./A.D. Gemara is
an Aramaic term that means “that which is
studied.” Subsequent rabbinic study of the
Mishna in Palestine and by the
rabbis in Babylon generated two Talmuds.
The Babylonian Talmud, a larger and
more authoritative version was edited about
the 6th century, and in the 7th
century became the foundation document of
rabbinic Judaism (MSM Encarta:
Judaism).
During the 7th century, Islamic
conquest of the Middle East, the growing
Mediterranean and European “Diasporas or
exiles,” and several anti-rabbinic
movements such as the Karaites (Yahudim
that do not uphold Talmud), necessitated
the need for formalized rabbinic leadership.
The heads of the Bavel (Babylonian)
rabbinical academies attempted to
standardize oral law (rabbinical tradition),
custom, and liturgy in accordance with their
own practices in Bavel (Babylon),
which they set forth in their replies to
inquiries from other Diaspora
communities. Rabbinical leadership over the
Yahudim passed from Yahrushalayim
(Jerusalem) to Bavel, and the
Babylonian Talmud came to be the most
authoritative rabbinic document (MSM
Encarta: Judaism).
The writings of the rabbis or sages in
Bavel became canonized as the foremost
authority on how the Yahudim are to
keep Oral Torah/Oral Tradition as an
outward manifestation of their
monotheistic religion.
THE GREAT
CLASSIC WORKS OF RABBINIC LAW (ORAL LAW) AND
COMMENTARY
MISHNAH - Compiled and edited about
200 C.E. by Yehuda Hanasi - containing six
major divisions or “Orders” covering every
aspect of Jewish Law
The Six Orders are:
Zeraim (Seeds) Ritual Laws, Blessings,
Prayers
Moed (Festivals) The Sabbath and all
Festivals
Nashim (Women) Marriage, Divorce,
Relationships
Nezikin (Damages) Civil and Criminal Law
Kodashim (Holy Things) Sacrificial Laws,
Temple Observance
Tohorot (Purification) Things Clean and
Unclean
TALMUD - Compiled between 200 and 500
C.E. This great rabbinic work arranged
according to the above Six Orders includes
both the Mishnah and Gemara which is a
commentary and further explanation of the
Mishnah. Rabbinic writings from the Talmud
which deal solely with legal matters are
called Halachah. Staements from the
rabbis discussing beliefs, attitudes,
stories and opinions are called Aggadah.
Halachah and Aggadah work
together to provide guidelines and values by
which a Jew must live.
MISHNAH TORAH - Compiled in the 12th
century C.E. by Rabbi Moses ben Maimon
(Rambam) and includes both the Written and
Oral Laws with commentary.
SHULCHAN ARUCH - compiled in 1515
C.E. by Rabbi Joseph Caro is the great code
of law covering all aspects of Jewish Law
applicable to today.
SIDDUR - The Daily and Sabbath Prayer
book. The earliest version is that of Rav
Amram Gaon of the 9th century
C.E. containing all prayers for day-to-day
observance. Siddurim vary from locale to
locale and century to century, but are all
based upon the canonization of the liturgy
by Rabbi Gamliel II of the 1st
century C.E.
MAHZOR - The Siddur used for High
Holiday and Festival Observances.
HAGGADAH - the guidebook-prayer book
used for the holiday of Passover. It
contains all the prayers, songs, and rituals
needed for the Seder, the ritual meal of the
festival.
SHOULD
BELIEVERS STUDY THE TALMUD?
Judaism
does have its contribution to the study of
the Scriptures. Likewise, the Talmud
does have certain areas of information that
can be referenced or commented on.
Therefore, the author would like to give
credit to the viable or useful information
found in the Talmud that supports or
defines the Mosaic Torah.
However, not all is viable but rather
personal interpretation or opinion of
Rabbis, and one must be able to discern
between the good and bad when using the
Talmud.
In many instances, the Written Mosaic
Torah is not specific on how to observe
certain things. This is where the Talmud
can be helpful or at least taken into
consideration. In Debarim (Deuteronomy)
6:9, the Written Mosaic Torah
states, “And you shall write them (words
of Yehowah) on the doorposts of your house
and on your gates” (The Scriptures). Is
the Mosaic Torah speaking of its
entirety or the passage prior to the
mentioned verse? The Talmud explains
that the words referred to in the above
verse is the Shema (Hebrew for listen;
hear; take heed to what you hear)
found in Debarim (Deuteronomy)
6:4-5 that states, “Hear, O Yisrael:
Yehowah our Elohim, Yehowah is one! And you
shall love Yehowah your Elohim with all your
heart, and with all your being, and with all
your might” (The Scriptures).
This Talmudic explanation further
suggests that the words of the Shema
are to be written on a parchment scroll and
affixed in a specified place and manner on
the doorpost of one’s home. From this
explanation comes the practice of inserting
the Shema, verses from
Debarim (Deuteronomy) 6:4 and 11:13-21,
written on rolled parchment paper inserted
into a decorative devise that is attached to
the doorpost of one’s home called a “mezuzah”.
However, much in the Talmud is
rabbinical opinion. Therefore, believers
should be very careful in their use of
Talmudic reference. They should be well
grounded in the Mosaic Torah (Five books
of Moshe (Moses), and fully understand
the writings of the Neviim (Prophets),
and fully comprehend haBrit
Chadasha’s elaboration of the original
Mosaic Torah, to discern what is
useful from what is not, before attempting
to implement the Talmud along with
their Scripture study.
There are those in the Assembly of
Mashiach that use Talmudic
references quite frequently in their
teachings. The frequent use of Talmudic
passages by some teachers can be open to
questioning as to their overall purpose in
using them. Are they using the passages to
explain hard to understand Mosaic Torah
verses, or are they quoting from
Talmud in the hope of attracting
rabbinic Yahudim, who might be
reading or hearing their material,
into accepting Yahushua as their
Savior and Mashiach because they
would be familiar with Talmudic
quotes? If this is the case, then
these teachers are basically following the
same train of thought that Messianic
Judaism has supported for years - use
all carnal means to get the “Jews”
into their congregations to convert them to
the “Jewish Messiah.”
The truth of the matter is, the Ruach
haKodesh is the One who will draw the
Yahudim into acceptance of Yahushua.
Yehowah, the Savior of Yisra’el will open
their eyes to see that Yahushua truly
is His vessel of salvation that He
has revealed throughout the Mosaic Torah,
the Prophets, and haBrit Chadasha, not
the Talmud. “I, I Yehowah and there is no
savior besides me” (YeshaYahu/Isaiah 43:11,
Analytical Key To The Old Testament).
There can also be an unwise aspect to the
present trend of using frequent Talmudic
reference when teaching Scripture to new or
unlearned believers. They are often
“intrigued” by the idea that the Talmud
is available to help them to learn the
Written Mosaic Torah.
Unfortunately, the ultimate end for those
drawn away from the Written Mosaic Torah
is to go into Rabbinical Judaism
to quench their thirst for knowledge that
they feel that they can find in
monotheistic Judaism. This may lead
them to place more interest in the writings
of the rabbis, and less study of Scripture.
Believers in Yahushua haMashiach
should realize that the rabbinical writings
contained in the Talmud are foremost
in Judaism. In essence, the writings
of the rabbis, the Talmud, replace
the Living Breath of the Mosaic Torah,
the Ruach haKodesh. Therefore, we can
only take out what is good in the Talmud
that may enrich our observance of the
Written Mosaic Torah, and leave the rest
to Judaism to observe.
IT SHOULD BE
REALIZED THAT BECAUSE JUDAISM DOES NOT
ACCEPT THE BLOOD ATONEMENT OF YAHUSHUA, AND
THEREBY DOES NOT HAVE THE POWER OF THE RUACH
HAKODESH, THE WRITTEN MOSAIC TORAH SCROLL
RETAINED IN ITS MIDST HAS NO LIFE, IT HAS
BECOME ONLY A WRITTEN TORAH SCROLL THAT IS
ESTEEMED AS A VALUABLE SCROLL THAT CONTAINS
THE MOSAIC WORDS BUT IN REALITY THE MOSAIC
WORDS ARE NOT FOLLOWED BECAUSE JUDAISM IS A
RELIGION THAT PRACTICES ONLY WORKS UNTO THE
TALMUD!!!!
The reader should not be surprised at this
point, to read that the second part of the
answer to the question “Was Judaism
Yahushua’s religion?” is
NO!
The Books
of Talmud or formalized written
authority of Rabbinic Tradition did
not exist yet during Yahushua’s time.
Oral Torah/Oral Tradition that
was passed down orally from century to
century existed, but
Yahushua
opposed Oral Tradition many times as
recorded in haBrit Chadasha!
Therefore,
Yahushua would oppose much of what is
written in Talmud today.
FOLLOWERS OF
THE WRITTEN MOSAIC TORAH SHOULD UNDERSTAND
THAT THERE ARE TWO TORAHS IN THIS
WORLD. IN JUDAISM, WHEN THE WORD “TORAH” IS
SPOKEN OF OR WRITTEN ABOUT IT IS REFERRING
TO ORAL TORAH/ORAL TRADITION
NOT THE
WRITTEN MOSAIC TORAH !!!!!!!!!
DID YAHUSHUA
UPHOLD ORAL TRADITION?
The fine line between Judaism and
Yahushua becomes a lot clearer when the
information already given is taken into
heartfelt consideration. We must see
Yahushua clearly in light of the Word,
not in supposition of what we think. We may
be wrong in our “supposed” view, and fall
short of the True revelation of Yahushua
haMashiach.
Yahushua upheld Oral Torah/Oral
Tradition only in certain instances
where the rabbinic thought upheld Mosaic
Torah wisdom, and many times He
set new halakhah (how to walk out the
Mosaic Torah) by
placing the spiritual meaning of the
Mosaic Torah before the rabbis’
Oral Torah/Oral Tradition. However,
in areas of blatant rabbinic misuse of
Mosaic Torah wisdom, Yahshua
rebuked the rabbis in their reliance on
Oral Torah/Oral Tradition
Such is so in Mark 7:1-23
which deals with the matter of
“ritual purity” as taught by the rabbis. In
this portion of Scripture, Yahushua
highly rebuked the Prushim (Pharisees,
teachers of Oral Torah/
Oral Tradition) for their manmade
laws regarding food handling as taught by
Oral Tradition (n‘tilat-yadayim
(vv.2-4&N) (Stern, p.93).
“According to this understanding (found in
above Scripture), Yeshua (Yahushua)
is explaining that the body’s ordinary
digestive process makes all foods (talking
about only kosher foods) clean
enough to be eaten, so that hand washing is
of minor importance and the P’rushim
(Pharisees) shouldn’t be giving it so much
attention Conclusively against such a
rendering is that it suddenly puts the focus
on hygiene instead of ritual purity, which
is the topic of the rest of passage,”
(Stern, p. 93).
Further elaboration on Mark 7:1-23
can be found in the Restoration
Scriptures, MattithYahu (Matthew)
15:11, footnote 4, p. 981, “Yahshua
is not allowing unclean foods; He is
stating that the human heart is the problem
not Yehowah’s word (Mosaic
Torah). This is further confirmed in
verse 13.”
Yahushua
stressed the point that “purity” is not in
clean hands but in having a “clean
heart.” Thus, a person eating food with
unclean hands does not defile the food but
what is in one’s heart defiles the food.
Several other passages where Yahushua
opposed Oral Tradition of the
rabbis can be found throughout the
Besarot (Gospels) dealing with
Shabbat Shabbaton issues. The Prushim
(Pharisees) traditions had evolved into
laborious laws regarding the Shabbat
Shabbaton, Yehowah’s weekly 7th
Day of Rest.
Torah
states in
Bereshith (Genesis) 2:3, “And Elohim
(Yehowah; Yehowah; Yehowah) blessed the seventh
day and set it apart, because on it He
rested from all His work which Elohim in
creating had made” (The Scriptures).
Yehowah
further states in Shemoth (Exodus)
20:8-11, “Remember the Sabbath day, to set
it apart. Six days you labour, and shall do
all your work, but the seventh day is a
Sabbath of Yehowah your Elohim. You do not do
any work - you, nor your son, nor your
daughter, nor your male servant, nor your
female servant, nor your cattle, nor your
stranger who is within your gates. For in
six days Yehowah made the heavens and the
earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and
rested the seventh day. Therefore Yehowah
blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart”
(The Scriptures).
Oral Tradition, which is now
the written Talmud, also referred to
as Oral Torah, discusses the
measures that must be taken to keep from
violating Shabbat or “doing what is
unlawful on Shabbat;” things that are
considered by the Prushim (Pharisees) to be
violations against the Shabbat Shabbaton.
Mark 2:23-24 tell us that Yahushua
and His limmudi (taught ones;
disciples) broke Oral
Tradition by picking grain to eat on
Shabbat Shabbaton. But it is an
interesting portion of Scripture because
the Mosaic Torah, which Yahushua upheld,
allowed them to pick the
grain.
“And it came to be on a Sabbath that He
(Yahushua) went through the grain fields,
and His taught ones were plucking the heads
of grain and were eating, rubbing them in
the hands. And some of the Pharisees said to
them, ‘Why are you doing what is not right
on the Sabbath?” (Mark 2:23-24, The
Scriptures).
The Mosaic Torah states, “When you come
into your neighbor’s standing grain, you
shall pluck the heads with your hand, but do
not use a sickle on your neighbor’s standing
grain” (Debarim/Deuteronomy) 23:25, The
Scriptures).
Therefore, neither the Mosaic Torah
nor Yahushua presented the problem
but the rabbinical restriction of their
Oral Torah did. The rabbinic
issue at hand was not the men plucking heads
of grain to eat but rather their action was
considered work on Shabbat Shabbaton.
“According to the Oral Torah
as we have it now in the Mishna
(Shabbat 7:2) thirty-nine categories of
m’lakhah (work) are prohibited on
Shabbat, namely, those prohibited on
Shabbat while the Tabernacle
was being built. One of these was reaping,
another threshing. At v. 1 we are
told the talmudim (should be
limmudi) were reaping (plucking);
in the parallel passage at Luke 6:1
they were also rubbing the heads of grain
together in their hands, which would be
defined as threshing. This is the content of
the accusation the P’rushim
(Pharisees) were making against them and by
implication against Yeshua (Yahushua),
responsible as their teacher for their
behavior” (Stern, pp.44-45).
Yahushua’s
healing on Shabbat Shabbaton
also became a major issue with the Prushim
(Pharisees). The basis of their arguments
was usually centered on the work that was
involved in the healing. Yahushua was
well aware that Oral Torah was
not always merciful, and revealed through
His gift of healing that Yehowah
Himself was more merciful than the rules
of the Prushim (Pharisees).
“And it came to pass also on another
Shabbat, that He (Yahushua) entered the
synagogue and taught: and there was a man
whose right hand was withered. And the
Sophrim (Scribes) and Prushim (Pharisees)
watched Him, whether He would heal on
Shabbat; that they might find an accusation
against Him. But He knew their thoughts, and
said to the man who had the withered hand,
Rise up, and stand forth in the midst.
And he arose and stood forth. Then said
Yahushua to them, I will ask you one
thing; Is it lawful on the Shabbat to do tov
(good), or to do evil? To save chayim
(life), or to destroy it? And looking
all around upon them all, He said to the
man, Stretch forth your hand. And he
did so: and his hand was restored whole as
the other. And they (Sophrim and Prushim)
were filled with bitterness; and discussed
with each other what they might do to
Yahushua” (Luke 6:6-11, Restoration
Scriptures).
Even modern halakhah that is
based on Oral Tradition would
find fault with Yahushua healing the
man’s withered hand on Shabbat Shabbaton.
It is stated as follows in the Jewish New
Testament Commentary, p. 117:
1. On Shabbat healing to “save
life” is not only permitted
but a duty.
2. Caring for the “seriously ill” (e.g.,
those with a high fever or pain affecting
the whole body) is allowed, within
certain constraints.
3. Treating minor ailments is
prohibited by g’zerah
(rabbinical decree) - the reason
being that most treatments require
grinding to prepare medicine, and
grinding is a prohibited form of work.
Since this man’s shriveled hand was neither
life threatening nor “serious,” the Prushim
(Pharisees) regarded Yahushua’s
healing on Shabbat Shabbaton a
violation of Oral Tradition.
However, Yahushua did not use
medicine, and no grinding was done,
therefore, they could not rightfully condemn
His healing as work on Shabbat
Shabbaton. But they found Yahushua
in violation in another way. The logic
expressed in the Mishna allows
healing on Shabbat Shabbaton, which
comes as a byproduct of some other activity,
but Yahushua‘s was a miracle, not a
byproduct of something else, and considered
a violation (Stern, p. 117). The
Mishna states, “They may not set
a fracture. If someone’s hand or foot is
dislocated, he may not pour cold water over
it; but he may wash it in the usual way; and
if it heals, it heals,” (Shabbat 22:5)
(Stern, p. 117).
Following the same thought line in
MattithYahu 12:12-13, Yahushua stressed
the rule that to save a life including an
animal on Shabbat Shabbaton was a
mitzvah (good deed) but at the
same time it would take work to lift out an
animal fallen into a pit. His example
to the Prushim (Pharisees) revealed their
hypocrisy, and the contradiction brought
forth in the Oral Tradition
regarding Shabbat Shabbaton.
With an intense study of haBrit Chadasha
under the discerning light of the
Ruach haKodesh, one can begin to
separate Yahushua from the Oral
Torah/Oral Tradition of the rabbis,
and begin to see very clearly that
Yahushua opposed all rabbinic laws that
were void of Yehowah’s love, mercy,
forgiveness, justice, and wisdom.
KABBALAH -
JEWISH MYSTICISM?
An overview on Judaism would not be
complete without researching a major
component of the religion, which is
Kabbalah. The Hebrew word “Kabbalah”
comes from a Hebrew root word that is
spelled “Qof-Bet-Lamed,” meaning “to
receive; to accept,” but the word
“Kabbalah” is usually translated as
“tradition.” Kabbalah is a Yahudi
practice that is often classified as
“Jewish mysticism.” The
“traditional” or ancient form of Kabbalah
continues to be practiced today, and a
new more “secular” form of Kabbalah
has recently emerged.
Kabbalah that is usually practiced in
Traditional Judaism was developed to
seek for “hidden or secret” knowledge that
is linked to the Mosaic Torah, or to
add deeper meaning to the Mosaic
Torah. Kabbalah is taken very
seriously in certain sects of Judaism,
and is an integral part of Chasidic
Judaism. The Chasidim have even
included Kabbalistic passages in
their traditional prayer books. But
other sects of Orthodox Judaism feel
that it is basically “nonsense.” The area of
Kabbalah that is open to speculation
is that it is a practice that is open to
personal interpretation (Rich: Kabbalah).
Many members of Judaism, and more
non-adherents to Judaism look upon
any form of Kabbalah as occultic,
witchcraft, evil, or black magic. Others
feel that “Jewish” Kabbalah is an
esoteric theosophy, containing elements of
Gnosticism and Neoplatonism.
However one chooses to look upon
Kabbalah, it is a very real practice
that has been around since the Late Middle
Ages.
HISTORY OF
KABBALAH
After the Crusades began in 1096 A.D., great
hostilities were directed toward the
Yahudim. Surviving Yahudi
communities in central and northern Europe
became severely isolated from the
surrounding culture. During that time,
rabbinical scholars produced new and
monumental commentaries on the Talmud.
After the Crusades, mystical trends emerged
among the European Yahudim who turned
inward and wished for more direct contact
with the divine. The most important form of
Yahudi mysticism developed in Spain
(MSM Encarta: Judaism). Personal experiences
into the “hidden or secret” spiritual realms
of certain Kabbalistic rabbis became
popular mystical teachings among the
Kabbalists. Later these teachings were
compiled into books such as the Zohar.
EIN SOF -
FUNDAMENTAL TEACHING OF KABBALAH
One of the well-known teachings from the
Zohar that many people are aware
of is the fundamental concept of ‘Elohim
as Ein Sof, the Ten Sefirot, and the
Kabbalistic Tree of Life. According
to Kabbalah, the true essence of ‘Elohim
is so transcendent that ‘Elohim is
known as the Ein Sof meaning
“without end,” encompassing the idea that
the Ein Sof is without
boundaries in both time and space. The
belief is that the Ein Sof is
so transcendent that ‘Elohim cannot
directly interact with the universe.
Therefore, the Ein Sof
interacts with the universe through
Ten Emanations from this essence,
known as the Ten Sefirot.
These Sefirot correspond to
qualities of ‘Elohim. They are
Keter (the crown), Chokhmah (wisdom), Binah
(understanding), Chesed (mercy) or Gedulah
(greatness), Gevurah (strength or power),
Tiferet (glory), Netzach (victory), Hod
(majesty), Yesod (foundation), and Malkut
(sovereignty). The Ten Sefirot is
commonly represented in a
diagram that is known as the
Kabbalistic Tree of Life (Rich:
Kabbalah).
SECULAR
KABBALAH
|