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Counting Omer and a Question of Circumcision

Reflections on the Creator’s Calendar and the Counting of the Omer

As I am recording this episode we find ourselves on 5/20/2016, it’s after sundown, which translates to the 13th day of the 2nd biblical month. Thus we are at day 28 of the so-called “Counting of the Omer.” If you are new to Hebrew Roots, the “counting of the omer” as popularly referred to in our community, is a 50-day countdown to the Feast or Day of Shavuot or Feast of Weeks or the Feast of Harvest; and as famously referred to in Christian circles, Pentecost. All these titles or names for the day are used interchangeably in our community, so if you are new to the Hebrew Roots Community, don’t be intimidated by all the titles and names: it will all eventually make sense to you as you study and get to know the significance and placement of the Feast of Yahovah. Yah willing, I will reflect on Shavuot as the day approaches.
But for now, without boring you with particulars, the term omer is a Hebrew agricultural term found just 3-times in the King James Version of our bible. According to the CJB, an omer is one-tenth of an eifah, which is a bushel dry-measure. The significance of the omer and the counting thereof (which is really not so much a counting) is that we are actually counting the days leading up to Shavuot or Pentecost. That count began on the Day of First Fruits which on our present-day calendar, began the day after Passover/Pesach, which this year translated into the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The day of First of Fruits this year fell on 04/24/2016 and that was the day that we began our 50-day count towards Pentecost as was outlined to us in Leviticus 23:15 and 16 and Deuteronomy 16:9. Interestingly, Arthur Bailey, in his book entitled “The Feast of Pentecost,” attributes the common reference of “the counting of the omer” to tradition that is not based upon Torah. Arthur writes: “Very few people refer to Shavuot or Pentecost as the Feast of Weeks. When you remove it from the Feast of Weeks, you remove it from the weeks that we’re required to count. And we don’t count by weeks, we count by days. With the culture comes a tradition, so counting days and counting weeks becomes Counting the Omer. We’re not commanded to count omers, but people are counting days and calling them omers—the third day of counting the omer, the fifth day of counting the omer, the twentieth day of counting the omer.” He goes on to ask the question: What omer have you been counting?”
Counting of the Omer

Counting of the Omer

Now if you know anything about Arthur, he is staunchly against the implementing of traditions that either replace or obscure the actual Torah command and its associated meaning. I certainly cannot agree more. It does become a sticky wicket, so to speak, when we begin substituting traditions for actual commands: in this case counting omer (and yes, there are certain congregations and individuals in Hebrew Roots that gather 50-omer of produce and count them leading up to the Day of Shavuot) replaces counting 50-days to the advent of Shavuot.I don’t necessarily think, however, that using the parlance or vernacular “counting of the omer” is necessarily a bad thing. I think it falls upon each of us who are in positions of instruction or whatever, to make sure that the truth of the thing being substituted in word by a tradition is made apparent to all. I believe there is danger of becoming so dogmatic about certain things such as vernacular that we begin to lose sight of the forest for the trees. The real point to this period on the Hebrew Calendar is a 50-day time-period leading up to the Feast of Shavuot or Pentecost or whatever name you are so led to refer to this Feast of Yahovah. I’m not intent on bad mouthing Arthur who I consider to be one of our community’s great Hebrew Roots teachers; I’m just saying let’s look at the bigger picture and point behind these days. Who really cares, in particular Yahovah, if we call the counting days or omers. Just saying.

If you have any questions whatsoever: be it about the biblical calendar (i.e., Yahovah’s reckoning of time), or the counting of the omer or the Feasts of FirstFruits or Shavuot/Pentecost/Weeks/Harvest, don’t hesitate to communicate with us by using any of the aforementioned methods that I gave at this episode’s opening remarks. We’ll get you up to speed and once you understand the significance and placement of these Feasts of the LORD, your life will forever be changed. If you are old-hat this, let us rejoice and make the most out of the Spring Feasts of the LORD: this is our heritage and commonwealth. Our coming into this Faith was not something of petty happenstance or a religious fad that so many of our Churchianity cousins have said about and thrown at us—that we have fallen from grace and such. Indeed, our coming into the true Faith once delivered was actually—or should I say, was in direct accord with Shaul’s (aka the Apostle Paul’s) teaching that is recorded in Romans 11. Shaul wrote to the Roman Assembly of believers:

“For I speak to you other people (most translations deem other people as “gentiles,” but here the Cepher uses “other people” to denote those who are not “Jews”)—continuing—inasmuch as I am the apostle of the other people, I magnify my office. If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh and might save some of them. For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be but life from the dead? For if the firstfruit be holy (Shaul here is speaking of the original Hebrews—true Hebrews)—For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root be holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches be broken off and you , being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them (that is, you as a Gentile coming into this Faith are grandfathered in as a Hebrew-a crossed over-one)—as a wild olive tree you were grafted in among them and with them partake of the root and fatness of the olive tree, boast not against the branches, but if you boast, you bear not the root but the root you” and so on (Romans 11:13-18, Cepher)

Now the fullness of Shaul’s teachings is made more apparent when we attach his teaching that he wrote to the Assembly in Ephesus which goes:

“For we are His workmanship, created in Yahusha HaMashiach (don’t get hung up in the name of our Master being different from the name that I refer to Him here on this show—I’m using the Cepher bible rendering of this text)—created in Yahusha HaMashiach unto good works which Yahuah has before ordained that we should walk in them. Wherefore remember that ye being in time past the other people (remember “other people is rendered as Gentile in most other translations)—in time past ye being other people in the flesh who are called “Uncircumcision” by that which is called the “Circumcision” in the flesh made by hands that at that time ye were without Mashiach (that is, without Messiah); being aliens from the Devariym of Yisra’el (that is, you were aliens from the “commonwealth of Israel” and that is the crux of what we must keep in mind here—that we were once outside of the true Faith once delivered and all the benefits and accompanying expectations)—continuing—being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and—(get this folks)—without Yahuah in the world. But now in Yahusha HaMashiach ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of HaMashiach. For He is our peace who has made both one (that is, He—Messiah has made both Hebrew and Gentile one)—continuing—and has broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the regulation of commandments contained in dogma; for to make in Himself of twain one new man, so making peace. And that He might reconcile both unto Yahuah in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby and came and preached peace to you which were afar off and to them that were nigh. For through Him we both have access by one Ruach unto the Father. Now therefore you ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the qodeshiym (that is the “saints”)—but fellowcitizens with the saints and of the household of Yahuah and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Yahusha HaMashiach Himself being the chief cornerstone in whom all the building fitly framed together grows unto a holy Templein Yahuah in whom ye also are built together for a habitation of Yah through the Ruach. (Ephesians 2:10-22, Cepher)

So we have been afforded all the benefits of being a true Hebrew and in assuming this role in Yah’s creation, there are expectations that we must fulfill and those expectations are found in Father’s Torah and in the teachings and example of Yeshua HaMashiach. We have been released from the Law ONLY in the sense of the penalty that comes from violating the Torah. Instead of blindly obeying Torah, as new creatures (2 Colossians 5:17 and Galatians 6:15), we begin the evolution from that of being fleshly creatures to that of being spirit-based creatures. Thus Yahovah’s Spirit—His Ruach—slowly but surely replaces our fleshly self, beginning from the inside working out (ultimately to be physically translated into a full spirit being)—but beginning from the inside working out, we seek to please Father and establish a true and eternal relationship with Him that is unlike any relationship known to man. That relationship, like all relationships, has rules. The rules for that eternal relationship with Father is found in Torah. Thus, we observe and honor Torah, not because we are forced through fear to blindly obey Torah, but because we love and honor and want to please our Father. And that is the foundation of why we observe the Feasts of Yahovah and we adjust our lives to Father’s reckoning of time and His appointed times—His moedim.

More to come on this as we get closer to Shavuot.
Reflections on the Question of Circumcision for the Hebrew Roots Community
Zachary Bauer

Zachary Bauer on Circumcision and Midwives

     Zachary Bauer recently recorded a YouTube Video, the topic being the two most important things the Hebrew Roots community is lacking or are in need of today. Zachary’s response to this inquiry is that our community is in desperate need of “midwives” and “mohels.” Zachary went on to explain: Midwives are needed to provide birthing services to our community’s mothers so that they may give birth to their children independent and apart from the world’s established medical system. Certainly it should come as no surprise to anyone in our community—at least I would think it would be of no surprise—that our current medical system advocates pharmakia to treat illness and the use of c-section procedures to facility birth which is dangerous to the overall health of newborns and mothers alike. In the case of “mohels,” they are typically Jewish men who are trained and dedicated to the administration of the Brit Milah (Askenazi) or Bris (Yiddish). Both practices are essentially the same and is simply the keeping of some semblance of the “circumcision covenant” as provided in Torah—first in Genesis 17:9-14, followed by Leviticus 12:1-3—and these passages read as follows:
“And Elohim said unto El-Avraham: ‘You shall guard my covenant therefore, you and your seed after you in their generations. This is my covenant, which ye shall guard, between me and you and your seed after you; every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin and it shall be a sign of the covenant betwixt me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you; every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house or bought with money of any stranger which is not of your seed. He that is born in your house and he that is bought with your money must need to be circumcised and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant.’” (Bere’shiyth-Genesis 17:9-14, Cepher)

“And Yahuah spoke unto Mosheh saying, ‘Speak unto the children of Yisra’el saying, if a woman have conceived seed and lorn a manchild, then she shall be unclean seven days according to the days of the separation for her infirmity (menstruation according to ERV and CJB translations) shall she be unclean. And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.’” (Viyiqra-Leviticus 12:1-3, Cepher)

     In our modern western society, circumcisions are generally performed in hospitals and various out-patient facilities by medical doctors. But for centuries, circumcisions have been performed within the tight confines of Jewish societies throughout the world by a select group of men known as “mohels.” Mohels have remained loyal to the clear provisions of the circumcision covenant from the very beginning and it is custom even today for every Jewish infant male to be circumcised on the 8th day of his life. Clearly, circumcision was a provision of Torah that Yahovah gave to our forefathers to serve as a sign of the covenant between Him and every Hebrew male.
     Zachary goes on to cite Ezekiel 44:7 as the driving force behind his thoughts that we need to ensure that our newborns receive circumcisions as prescribed in Torah without having to rely upon the pharmakia-based medical system of our modern-day western society.

Let’s take a quick look at this passage of the Prophet Ezekiel, chapter 44, but let’s begin at verse 4 and proceed up through verse 9. And the Cepher Bible rendering reads as thus:—

”Then brought he me the way of the north gate before the house (speaking about the Temple): and I looked and behold the glory of Yahovah filled the house of Yahovah and I fell upon my face. And Yahovah said unto me, son of Adam (men in most translations), mark well, and behold with your eyes and hear with your ears all that I say unto you concerning all the ordinances of the house of Yahovah and all the Torah thereof; and mark well the entering in of the house with every going forth of the sanctuary (the LXX adds “in all the holy things). And you shall say to the rebellious, even to the house of Yisra’el, ‘Thus says Adonai Yahovah; O ye house of Yisra’el, let it suffice you of all your abominations (the NET says–“Enough of all your abominable practices, O house of Israel”). In that ye have brought into my sanctuary strangers, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary; to pollute it, even my house, when ye offer my bread, the fat and the blood and they have broken my covenant because of all your abominations. And ye have not guarded the watch of my holy things but ye have set guarders of my watch to my sanctuary for yourselves.’  (The LXX simply says “and ye appointed others to keep the charges in my sanctuary.”)Thus says Yahovah, ‘No stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh shall enter into my sanctuary of any stranger that is among the children of Yishra’el.” (Cepher)

And as it relates to the added Torah commandment of circumcising of one’s heart as well as one’s flesh–Deuteronomy 10:16.

     So my take on circumcision for us Hebrew Rooters today is that, under the renewed covenant, our circumcision must be of the heart first and foremost. I would go over to Shaul’s letter to the Roman Assembly where he wrote the following:
“For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law or Torah (i.e., circumcision profits indeed if you fulfill or better, if you properly understand and manifest the understanding of Torah through accurate practice)…” Continuing—”but if you are a transgressor of the Law or Torah, your circumcision has become uncircumcision (i.e., but if you depart from Torah, one’s circumcision becomes uncircumcision).” Shaul continues: “And if uncircumcision should keep the precepts of Torah, would not that uncircumcision be accounted as circumcision? And will not he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law (or Torah), will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law AND circumcision are a transgressor of the Law (i.e., of Torah)? For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men but from Elohim.” (Romans 2:25-29, NAS and Roth’s Aramaic NT)
     So from this key passage of Shaul, coupled with the Torah passages of Deuteronomy 10:16 (”Circumcise then your heart and stiffen your neck no more.” NAS) and 30:6 (”And Yahuah Elohayka will circumcise your heart and the heart of your seed, to love Yahuah Elohaykawith all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.” Cepher)and with the Ezekiel 44 passage, Father was more focused upon each of us having circumcised hearts before Him such that we may walk in His ways without restraint, hesitation, malice, ignorance, fear or whatever; and that we would have a true relationship with Him. Physical circumcision was simply a fleshly formality that never ever guaranteed that the one circumcised would be a true Child of the King. Even the Jerusalem Council, led by the flesh and blood brother of Yeshua our Messiah, ruled in response to Peter’s and Shaul’s testimony not to place the full Jewish burden of laws and statutes and ordinances upon the newly converted Gentiles. James stated: “Wherefore my sentence is that we trouble not them which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: But that we write unto them that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.” (Acts 15:19,20, NAS) These four rules that were given by James to the attendees of the Jerusalem Counsel addressing the issue of the Gentile converts were basic Torah principles that had always been required of every proselyte to Judaism. In other words, it is my belief that this edict of James did NOT nullify the Torah mitzvah of circumcision, but it put the covenant of circumcision in its proper perspective. It essentially directed the convert to focus on those weightier matters of Torah first. The other matters of Torah could and would come later and I believe that this must be our mindset in Hebrew Roots today—circumcision of the heart must come first—adherence to Yahovah’s Feasts and Sabbath and Food Laws come next; and then all the rest must be a subject to be worked out between each individual and Yahovah. I do believe that every male disciple of Yeshua should be circumcised. If Hilary and I were still having children today, I would certainly lean towards having my boys circumcised on the 8th day instructed in Torah. But if an adult male were to cross over into our Faith, I would first counsel him to seeking after that true relationship with Father first through obedience to His Torah and the teachings of Yeshua Messiah. When the time comes—and he will most definitely know when that time arrives—then physical circumcision may be considered. You see, simply running out to be circumcised without first establishing that crucial relationship with Father and becoming a true disciple of Yeshua Messiah, will only lead to a focus upon fleshly obedience to Torah. Circumcision of the heart, I believe, must precede physical circumcision.
     I would further submit that Shaul never once, in all his teachings and admonishments to the assemblies he oversaw, that any Gentile male and or their male children be circumcised. And yes, I absolutely get it: we don’t follow every word and commandment that proceeds from the mouth and pen of Shaul—it is Yeshua that we Shema and Yahovah that we obey. But it would stand to reason that if circumcision was the end all to be all of our beloved Faith, then Shaul would have insisted that we be circumcised. But Shaul did not teach that we be circumcised—those of us coming into the Faith who were not Jews. Instead, he actually spoke against the practice such that one might focus too much upon the fleshly act and miss the spiritual necessities of our Faith which is Faith in Yeshua Messiah and love. Let’s take a quick look at Shaul’s teachings and his position on this subject of circumcision:
  • Circumcision profits us only if one keeps Torah—Romans 2:25
  • If those who are uncircumcised keep Torah, their uncircumcision will be counted as circumcision—Romans 2:26
  • The uncircumcised who keep Torah will judge those who’ve violated Torah and are regardless, circumcised—Romans 2:27
  • A Jew is defined as one who has a circumcised heart and is Spirit-born—Romans 2:29
  • Both the circumcised and uncircumcised will be considered righteous through their faith—Romans 3:30
  • Avraham’s faith was counted unto him as righteousness BEFORE he was circumcised. But circumcision became a seal of that righteousness of faith which Avraham had prior to his circumcision—Romans 4:9-11
  • If we were called in an uncicrcumcised state, then we should not undergo the b’rit-milah (i.e., circumcision); for circumcision means nothing. What does mean something is keeping God’s commandments—I Corinthians 7:18,19
  • Titus, a Greek follower of Shaul, was NOT moved to be circumcised (Galatians 2:3)
  • If you undergo the b’rit-milah, Messiah will be of no profit to you. For in so doing—being circumcised that is—that person is obligated to observe the entire Torah without failure—Galatians 5:2,3
  • Neither circumcision or uncircumcision matters, but faith working through love matters—Galatians 5:6; 6:15
  • Circumcision becomes a show of righteousness as opposed to faith. This is a denial of the Faith. The focus then becomes that of circumcision and not obedience to Yeshua and Yahovah’s way of life or Torah—Galatians 6:13
     So do we see in this extensive listing of verses that Shaul was not a fan of Gentile converts going out and being baptized? Now I highly suspect that many listening to this podcast episode or reading this as a blog post will take great exception to and might feel that I am misinterpreting Shaul’s writings and teachings. Well, let me tell you, if it was one or two verses, I might concede and say that I may be misinterpreting Shaul’s stance on circumcision for the Gentile convert and cross-over to this Faith. But given the numerous places that Shaul hits on this issue, I am pretty confident that I understand what Shaul is trying to get across in his teachings. The point is that circumcision of the heart and walking this walk and faith and good works and obedience are that which matter the most to Father. Circumcision has always been nothing more than a physical seal of the covenant that Yahovah made with the originators of the Hebrew Faith. It was a sign that was placed upon their flesh, yet it was not a guarantor of their relationship and faith in Yahovah, as we clearly saw over and over throughout their tempestuous history.
     Circumcised Messianic Jews of Shaul’s day reveled in their circumcision and not their obedience to Torah. It was blind obedience to their religion—Judaism–and their physical identification—circumcision–as Jews to the world that mattered most. And crossing over to the true Faith once delivered, these Jews brought with them a myopic understanding of faith that they zealously attempted to shove down the throats of crossed-over Gentile converts—circumcision first and foremost. It was this mindset and cult-like proselytizing of the Gentiles in Rome, Ephesus, Colossaie, Galatia and the like that opened the door to a transference of Judaism over into the true Faith that was delivered to us by Yeshua Messiah. The various assemblies that Shaul planted or oversaw began to look a lot like Jewish synagogues with Gentile Jews who were beholden and obedient to Judaism as opposed to Yeshua Messiah discipleship. This is clearly seen in many Messianic Jewish assemblies today.
     Shaul’s problem with circumcision to me was similar to Yeshua’s problem with the Prushim and Lawyers (or Scribes) when He attacked them for their obsessive focus on certain points of the Law while overlooking the more substantive aspects of Torah. Matthew records Master’s rant against the Prushiym and Scribes as follows: (Matthew 23:23, CJB)  
“Woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers and P’rushim ! You pay your tithes of mint, dill and cumin; but you have neglected the weightier matters of the Torah- justice, mercy, trust. These are the things you should have attended to- without neglecting the others! (Mat 23:23 CJB)
     Folks, I believe the Master hit the nail on the head with this one. Shaul had his way of stating his concerns about the risk of having an unhealthy focus upon circumcision over that of the more weightier aspects of our Faith and Torah. Shaul’s take was: he dudes, just don’t worry about circumcision; it doesn’t get you any further in your Faith and walk with Messiah than if you remained uncircumcised. But here, in Matthew’s account of Yeshua addressing the tithing issues of the Prushim (Pharisees and Scribes), Yeshua Messiah basically said: Hey dudes, focus on the essentials of the Faith first while still doing the less weightier aspects of our Faith. And it is this mindset that I believe we must have in Hebrew Roots today: circumcision is a commandment that was given to every male Hebrew back in the day as a physical seal upon His “chosen people.” But Father has always desired the hearts of His people over their physical-blind obedience. Father stated:
“If only there were such a heart in them that they would fear me and keep my commandments always so that it might go well with them and with their children forever!” (Deuteronomy 5:29,
QBE)
That heart is what Father continues to call for and the ultimate point that Shaul was trying to get the Gentile and Jewish converts to understand—circumcision of the heart for the most part has replaced circumcision of the flesh.
     Again, circumcision of the flesh is still something that I believe every male Hebrew Rooter should seriously and prayerfully consider once they have their spiritual act together. Certainly, I believe it is something that we should do to our boys on the 8th day as a show of our Faith and adherence to the Word of Yahovah. Thus the circumcision does not define who we are any longer—it’s our Faith and love that defines who we are today.
     Interestingly, both of Zachary’s suggestions—that of having more access to midwives and mohels in Hebrew Roots today–focus primarily upon that of the family, and I absolutely have to admire Zachary for that. Indeed, if you are familiar with Zachary’s ministry and overall Hebrew Roots-centered content, you can clearly see that he has a heart for the family. Like Zachary, I being one of the central stabilizing elements of the Hebrew Roots community is the Torah Observant—Yeshua Follower Family.
     Family is certainly important to the strength and structure of our Faith and community. But I do not believe that midwives and mohels are the two most important things lacking in our community today. I definitely believe that we should seek alternatives to the pharmakia-based medical system of our western society as we obediently strive to care after our families. Contrary to Zachary’s position on the two most important things our Hebrew Roots community needs today, our community needs two other things that I believe are vitally more important than mohels and midwives: “Unity” and “Truth.” Unity in that we must come together as a community–as the Hebrew Roots community that is. Right now we are splintered into dozens of micro-communities that practice our Faith differently than our brothers and sisters in other Hebrew Roots communities. We struggle coming together because we are all over the place as it relates to what we believe and how we live out our Faith. This is precisely what has happened in Christianity today: with some estimates going as high as 30,000 or so denominations in the Christian Faith. That’s absolutely crazy, I’m sorry. When we’re essentially all using the same Bible, why do we have thousands of ways to live and believe? As Hebrew Roots communities, we are all over the place in terms of how we live and walk this walk and what we believe. Thus we establish fellowships that turn into churches because the leaders of these fellowships begin to develop doctrines and teachings that are based, not upon Torah and the teachings of Yahoshua, but upon traditions and opinions of these “assembly—fellowhip—church leaders.”
     What if we were simply to adhere to what Yahoshua taught and live in accordance with the principles that He passed down to us, which is essentially Torah, but Torah Yeshua-style? If we were to simply do that, then we would all pretty much get along—that is, be unified in our Faith and live our lives as Yeshua intended when He left His disciples on the Mount of Olives and instructed them to carry out the “Great Commission.” Yeshua gave us only a handful of direct commandments that are NOT difficult to understand and follow: He told us: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations; baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.” (Matthew 28:19, ESV) Yahoshua commanded us to “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33, ESV). Then we’re commanded to “…love Yahovah your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind…and love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39, ESV). And how do we love the Creator and our fellow man–it is spelled out definitively in Torah. And being spelled out in Torah, we have the teachings and the example and model of Yahoshua who taught us how to live Torah the way it was always intended for us to live.
     Friends, I’m not opposed to our Hebrew Roots community having more midwives and mohels. That would be a good thing as we seek to separate ourselves from the world. Rav Shaul wrote to the Corinthian Assembly to “…go out from their midst and be separate from them…” (2 Corinthians 6:17, ESV) Indeed, midwives, mohels and moving our families from pharmakia-based medicine is the way to go. But I humbly believe that our community needs Truth and Unity.
Of unity and truth, it was, according to the Rood Chronology, on Wednesday, 4-28-28 CE or the 14th Day of the First Biblical Month—it was during the evening hours—that Yeshua prayed with and for His disciples in the Kidron Valley on their way to Gethsemane. Yeshua prayed: “I have given them your Word and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You would take them out of the world, but that You would keep them from evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through your truth—your word is truth. As You have sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. I have sanctified myself for their sakes so that they also might be sanctified through the truth. I do not pray only for these alone, but for those also who shall believe in me through their word, that they all may be ONE—THAT THEY ALL MAY BE ONE!!! As you Father are in Me, and I in You, I pray that they also may be one in us and that the world may believe that you have sent me…I in them, and You in Me, that they may be made perfect in ONE—and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” (John 17:14-23, CKJV)
     Unity and Truth—that is my desire and my prayer for our community Saints.