Feast Pilgrimages to Israel–Messianic Lessons Learned from Shemitah

by | May 19, 2018 | Blog, Podcasts

Feast Pilgrimages to Israel--Messianic Lessons Learned From Shemitah

by Rod Thomas--The Messianic Torah Observer | Sabbath Thoughts and Reflections

Pilgrimages to Israel for the Feasts of YHVH

Question Posed: Are We Suppose to Conduct a Pilgrimage to Israel Today?

The question has been posed and sadly has been incorrectly answered some: Are we obliged to keep Unleavened Bread, The Feast of Weeks (i.e., Pentecost or Shavuot) and Feast of Booths (i.e., Tabernacles or Sukkot) in the Land of Israel (namely Jerusalem), in obedience to Deuteronomy 16:16?

Facebook Arguments Again

This past week, I visited one of our Facebook feeds and happened upon a rather robust exchange by several Hebrew Roots/Messianic friends regarding the three (3) Pilgrimage Feasts and the Torah instruction to celebrate those feasts in Israel./Jerusalem. The exchange apparently began with one rather forceful individual telling her Facebook friends that they were required by Torah to keep the three (3) Pilgrimage Feasts in the Land of Israel each year. Failure to do so, would of course, be a violation of Torah. This individual provided a few chapters and verses where Father instructed us to keep Unleavened Bread, Shavuot (Feast of Weeks) and Sukkot (Tabernacles) at the place where He would cause His Name to be placed (Deuteronomy 14, 16; 26:2); essentially to keep these feasts where Father’s presence would be among us. Wherever the Father instructed His Tabernacle to be erected once we entered the Land of Promise (e.g., Shiloh), and ultimately where His Temple would be established by King Solomon is where His presence was established and we were to keep these three (3) Pilgrimage Feasts at that location.

Needless to say, the exchange was somewhat contentious. At one point in the feed, the individual who started the whole discussion about Torah-mandated Pilgrimages to Israel by 21st century observers for these three Feasts, maligned a very popular and respected Hebrew Roots/Messianic teacher. That teacher somehow entered the discussion and you could easily tell by the words he posted that he was devastated by some of the negative things that individual was saying about him. This teacher tried to defend his reputation, but when the discussion began to focus more on him personally and on his teachings than on the actual topic of discussion, he gracefully bowed out of the conversation.

The thing that hurt me the most about this exchange were the people, no doubt new or inexperience to Torah-keeping, who were devastated to think that they may have been violating Torah by not making the pilgrimage to Israel during those Feasts. Many lamented that they could not possibly afford to travel to Israel with their families three (3) times each calendar year and pay for 16 or more days of lodging and food. The individual who started the conversation suggested possible cost saving-options for making the Pilgrimage more affordable, but like the Pharisees of Yeshua’s day still insisted that it was every believe’rs responsibility, regardless of their personal situation, to make these trips each year without fail.

Many participants in this discussion went to great lengths to prove to this individual that she was taking the pilgrimage instruction out of context, citing obvious facts that the Temple and its services are no longer in existence and that our bodies have become the Temple of YHVH today. But true to many in our Faith Community who read Torah without proper discipleship; without the teaching and leading of the Holy Spirit; and without Yeshua as their example for proper Torah Living, there was no reasoning or humiliation to be found in this individual. It was truly a sad thing to witness.

The Pilgrimage Instruction Given

Deuteronomy 16:16 reads as follows:

Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty: (Deu 16:16 KJV)

If you are interested, companion verses to this passage include: Exodus 23:14, 22, 23 and 17.

It goes without saying that the last place Father chose to have these 3 feasts kept by us was in Jerusalem. That was where His Temple was erected and the place where His presence dwelt. Thus in this passage, Father commanded us to appear before Him–His presence–for these 3 key feasts or moedim.

What’s the Deal Here?

So what’s the deal here? The instruction for us to conduct 3-pilgrimages to the seat of His presence (i.e., the sanctuary in Shiloh and then the Temple in Jerusalem) each biblical calendar year is clear. But there are some mitigating factors that come into play here that we must take into account when deciding to keep these 3 feasts according to the literal way it is recorded in Torah.

Mitigating Factors to be Considered

The Temple Mount

Are Messianics obligated to make pilgrimages to Jerusalem for the Feasts of Yehovah?

For starters, it is common knowledge that the Temple was destroyed by Roman General Titus in 68 C.E.. Josephus documents this tremendous event in “War,” 6.4.5-6.4.7. Ezekiel records seeing the glory and presence of YHVH leave the Temple in Ezekiel chapters 8 through 11; this prior to the temple’s destruction and the people taken into captivity. Temple worship and Father’s presence in our midst was the fulcrum upon which this instruction was given and required. Both of these elements are now missing and not present in the Land of Israel.

And it goes without saying that the land–Jerusalem–Israel proper–today is in a state of defilement as a result of rampant immorality, secularism, humanism and social and political corruption. Any such pilgrimage for purposes of worship seems almost laughable in my mind.

The Answer is Given

Given these and other such mitigating factors, are Torah Observant Believers in Yeshua then required to keep this instruction as written and recorded in Deuteronomy 16:16? No, we are not required to conduct a pilgrimage to Israel in order to keep the three (3) Pilgrimage Feasts of YHVH for the stated reasons.

Context-Context-Context

The other thing that we must consider is the context upon which Father’s original instruction to go up to where He caused His Name to be placed; essentially, Father’s presence to rest is based. When this instruction was given, and for centuries thereafter, Father’s presence rested upon the Ark of the Covenant, that was contained within the holy of holies, that was contained in the sanctuary and then temple in Shiloh and Jerusalem respectively. Today, we must bear in mind that Father’s presence is supposed to rest upon and within each and everyone of us.

Yeshua Must Be Our Example

Yeshua must be our exclusive example for proper Torah-Living. There is no one else who we should imitate. The Spirit of YHVH rested upon Yeshua as recorded in the 11th Chapter of Isaiah and confirmed by Master in Luke 4:18. Father’s Spirit  rests upon He whom the Father chooses to have His presence rest. Generally speaking, that individual who has the Spirit resting within and on them must be of a pure heart (Matthew 5:8) and a clean, undefiled heart and soul (Psalm 24:3-5). We saw the physical manifestation of this in the workings of the Tabernacle whereby every individual who would come to the sanctuary for worship was required to be ceremonially clean while the sanctuary and the attending priests were to be in a perpetual state of cleanliness and purity. Have you heard about the current state of modern Israel? The modern State of Israel is a far cry from being in any semblance of cleanliness. Certainly, the Father’s presence is not resting upon the Land today. Indeed, I believe with my whole heart that Father’s watchful eye and protective hand remains over Israel even today (Deuteronomy 11:11, 12; Psalm 121:4). But to simply take the original Torah instruction to keep each of the three (3) pilgrimage feasts in Israel without keeping full truth of the instruction as it applies today, is in my book, adding to, or maybe even, taking away from Father’s Torah.

Faithfully

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Messianic Lessons Learned from Shemitah

The Shemitah and Modern Hebrew Roots

When we consider the Torah instruction related to the Shemitah (or the Sabbatical Year) and the Jubilee Year that was given to Moses (i.e., Moshe) on Mount Sinai, which he then passed down to us, I was compelled to reflect upon the significance these two great observances have to our modern Hebrew Roots Community. It turns out that last Sabbath’s Torah Portion–Parashah 32–entitled B’Har, or “On Mount,” dealt with this very subject. The section of this portion that speaks to the Shemitah and the Jubilee is contained in Leviticus 25:1-26:46 and Deuteronomy 15:2-10. It must be mentioned, however, that without the corresponding Brit haDashah reading, found in Luke 4:16-21, the relevance of these two great observances to Torah Observant Believers in Yeshua could easily become lost in rote, blind obedience to an instruction that has sadly become widely misunderstood and improperly kept by 21st century Messianics and Jews the world over.

The Popularity of Jewish Things

Have you noticed how popular Jewish names, concepts, words and even teachings have become of late in many sectors of Christianity today? There was a time, not too long ago, that anyone who would bring up anything of a Jewish nature in any Christian discussion or teaching, that individual would more than likely receive the stink eye by anyone who happened to be in hearing range. But today, it’s become a rather theologically sound practice to infuse Jewish terms, names and concepts into Christian sermons and teachings. Or dare I say, Hebrew terms, names and concepts? For as encouraging as this popularity in many things Jewish may appear to some of us, the true Hebrew Roots message is more times than naught overlooked by these individuals who seek to popularize Hebraism to Christianity.

Johnathan Cahn-Messianic Jewish Rabbi

Johnathan Cahn and others were instrumental in introducing Shemitah to mainstream Christianity and Hebrew Roots communities.

I am reminded while reflecting upon this popular wave of Hebraism that seems to have taken Christianity by storm,  of the well known Messianic Jewish personality, Jonathan Cahn, who is considered formally a Messianic Jewish Rabbi. Let me take you back just a couple years ago. If you recall, it appears that many Messianic and Jewish communities in one form or another observed Shemitah from September 2014 to September 2015. During this same period we had a series of, what many Hebraic Roots and Christian teachers called Blood Moon sightings. The combination of these two events seemed to create quite a hubbub throughout both Christian and Messianic circles. And it was during this time frame that teachers and preachers such as Jonathan Cahn climbed the rapid ladder of financial success, so to speak, by capitalizing on the Torah instructions surrounding the Shemitah. Sadly, the true message and relevance of Shemitah was lost in all the hubbub and excitement.

Being transparent, I did not read any of Mr. Cahn’s books or listen to any of his teachings on the Shemitah and Blood Moons. What I did see was the huge impact that these Hebraic Roots teachers and preachers had on both communities. If you recall, the primary focus of Cahn and teachers like him was to warn of pending doom and gloom to come upon the inhabitants of Israel and the whole earth because the nations have violated Torah’s Shemitah instructions. Bear in mind, such a pronouncement is pure speculation and frankly not biblical since Shemitah only pertains to the people living in the Land of Israel. It should also be mentioned that no one truly knows when the Shemitah and Jubilee are supposed to occur. The Shemitah and Jubilee time frames were forever lost to the memory of the Jewish people after the destruction of Herod’s Temple in 68 C.E. and after the Sanhedrin was disbanded and exiled in 359 C.E.

I would give those Jews living in the land of Israel who attempted to keep the Shemitah credit for at least trying to obey Torah, despite the rabbis having no true knowledge of when Shemitah was to occur.

The Missing Element of The Shemitah and The Jubilee

There are a couple problems with this whole Shemitah instruction as it relates to the modern Hebrew Roots/Messianic Community.

The Shemitah and the Jubilee

For Truth-seekers, the Shemitah and Jubilee are about Sabbath Rests, Faith, Miracles, Restoration and Redemption.

To begin with and as I stated earlier, no one truly knows when the Shemitah year is supposed to occur. The Orthodox Jewish website www.chabad.org projects the next Shemitah year cycle to be 9/7/2021 through 09/25/2022. Now, where the rabbis got those dates from, I have no idea. My guess is that they believe they have the authority to determine Father’s appointed times, as they have shown similarly in their adjusting the beginning of the biblical calendar year from Nisan 1 (i.e., Aviv 1) to Tishri 1 (i.e., the 7th month). The problem with anyone tinkering and moving around Abba’s appointed times is that He told us not to. Father instructed:

What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. (Deu 12:32 KJV)

Is rabbinic authority challenging this commandment when they establish when the Shemitah and other set-apart days occur during His biblical calendar year? If not, then it certainly seems that they are getting close in my opinion.

The other thing is the application of the Shemitah. In other words, does the Shemitah have universal application to all Torah Observers scattered throughout our 21st century world? And the answer to this rather loaded question is: yes and no. Let’s think about this for a bit.

Torah Portion 32–B’Har–Leviticus 25-26:46

I was blessed to have come upon the Shemitah instructions in last week’s Torah Portion: Parashah 32, B’Har (On Mount), Leviticus 25:1-26:46. Upon studying this section, I was reminded of that period between 2014 through 2015 when both the Christian and Hebrew Roots worlds were smitten, essentially obsessed, over Shemitah. It seemed as though everyone wanted a piece of Shemitah. The Christians wanted to somehow link to Shemitah because of a popular curiosity associated with Jewish things and multiple teachings that circulated throughout Christendom that violations of the Shemitah commands in Torah would result in worldwide death and destruction.

I guess it’s only fair to say that Hebrew Rooters came out in droves wanting a piece of Shemitah because observance of Shemitah was a Torah instruction given to us by YHVH; among other reasons I would imagine. So, many of us felt compelled to literally observe it. Therefore, if we owned and operated a farm, we did not work the farm that entire year that was designated as the Shemitah. Then we were moved to forgive any debt that was owed to us, if indeed we held any debt. In all honesty, however, I heard very little about debt forgiveness during that period.

I understand that in the Modern State of Israel proper, many farmers actually observed the Shemitah and did not work their lands that year. For all intents and purposes, it was somewhat of a heady and enlightening time to say the least.

Which brings me to that yes and no answer to the loaded question I proposed to you just a bit ago regarding the application of Shemitah to the 21st century Torah Observers who are scattered throughout the world. I already mentioned that no one today truly knows when Shemitah is to occur. Anyone who says they do, is not being truthful–or just misinformed maybe. Anyone who says that it doesn’t matter and that we should just start observing Shemitah whenever the urge hits us is frankly adding to Torah. The clock for Shemitah began the year we entered the land of promise. While we sojourned in the Sinai Desert, we did not keep Shemitah. In fact, YHVH instructed Moshe while Moshe was on Mount Sinai to tell the people of Isra’el: “When you enter the land I am giving you, the land itself is to observe a Shabbat rest for YHVH” (Leviticus 25:1; CJB). And from there YHVH goes on to delineate the essential elements of Shemitah.

Therefore, it is clearly stipulated in this section of Torah that Shemitah observance is specifically tied to the Land of Israel. In other words, Shemitah is not applied to, tied to, or to be practiced anywhere else on the planet. To do so would be bordering on adding to Torah which Father strictly prohibited (Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32).

Zeal is Good, But Zeal Can Also Cause Us to Get Off Track

I get that many of us in Hebrew Roots desire to live Torah perfectly and to the absolute best of our abilities. So some of us tend to be zealous in our keeping of Torah. Our zeal for Torah, however, must not override our sense of reason and understanding. I mean, it’s one thing to keep Father’s Feasts and the weekly Sabbath and the Food Laws which are universal in their applicability–that is, there are no but’s or what if’s associated with them. We are to obey them without question and employing a modicum of zeal in keeping them can go a long way towards solidifying our relationship with the Almighty.

When it comes to other Torah instructions such as Shemitah and Jubilee and Messianics making pilgrimage feasts to Israel and sacrificing lambs on Passover (and these are stories for another time), we must consider context and understand to whom these instructions were originally given to and then determine how they would apply to us today. Many such Torah commandments applied strictly to the Land of Promise or to Temple worship. Thus it goes without saying that before one goes off half-cocked to keep specific Torah instructions such as Shemitah on your Virginia homestead, or embark on a pilgrimage to Israel to keep the feast because required us to keep the three (3) Feasts of Unleavened Bread, Shavuot and Tabernacles/Sukkot at the place where He placed His Name, we must first determine if those specific instructions apply to us today.

In the case of Shemitah, the instructions given in Leviticus 25 clearly tell us that this instruction applies to those of us living in the Land of Promise. Furthermore, if we were to live in the Modern State of Israel today, we still would not know when Shemitah is to take place, apart from the made up dates given by the rabbis. So no: we do not keep Shemitah outside of the Land of Promise and no, we do not know when Shemitah is supposed to actually take place.

Now, is it a crime for someone living outside of Israel to exercise Shemitah principles when it comes to their farm land? No. In fact, it’s a fantastic principle to follow. However, in following Shemitah principles outside of the Land, one must be very careful not to elevate that practice to Torah-level authority. In other words, one should not demand that others do likewise as if their refusal to do so would violate Torah because it would not violate Torah. You know how some of us can be when it comes to certain Torah instructions?

Context–Context–Context

We must be ever so care to ensure that we honor and keep Torah in proper context and have a firm understanding as to why we are keeping the instruction and to what end we are keeping the instruction. The problem with keeping and living Torah out of context is that we will ultimately end up adding our own personal spin to Torah (which we’ve been instructed not to do). If not for ourselves in terms of how we keep Torah, let us always be cognizant of the young and impressionable of our Community. So many  of our newbie jump out of the frying pan of religion, only to be caught up into the fire of religion yet again.

The other think we should be aware of is that when we go out of our way to keep and practice Torah outside its truest context, we essentially feed into our Christian cousins’ accusations that we are all legalistic in our Faith-keeping and that we are attempting to purchase our salvation by works of the Law. Well, I’ve never been afraid to be called legalistic; I tend to see that as somewhat of a badge of honor, if the accusation is being made within the context of my being obedient to Torah as we are meant to keep it (e.g., keeping the weekly Sabbath, the annual Feasts of YHVH and the food instructions). But when we as a veteran Torah Observer insist and teach others to practice Torah out of context, then the legalistic allegations may not be too much of a stretch. We saw true legalistic religion practiced by the Pharisees of Master Yeshua’s day. This band of controlling religious leaders erected a religion around Torah and in so doing, enslaved the Jews of Yahoshua’s day, and one could argue, Jews through the last couple millennia.

I would be less inclined to believe that true Hebrew Rooters/Messianics are keeping Torah for purposes of purchasing their salvation and place in the Kingdom of YHVH. Virtually everyone I know who keeps Torah in our Faith Community does so because they realize that Torah has not been done away as pop-Christianity has teaches. On the contrary, we keep Torah in its proper context because wish to please our Heavenly Father by being obedient to His instructions. There will always be some in our Faith Community who will insist on erecting personal walls around Torah and creating traditions and practices that ultimately trumps the authority of Torah, such as we saw happen with Rabbinic Judaism. When we give into the adding and subtracting of Torah we run the risk of losing perspective and before you know it, Master Yahoshua and His teachings go out the door; we become Pharisaical in our worldview; and do indeed take on a belief system that we are purchasing our salvation and place in the Kingdom of YHVH.

This is human nature when it collides with Torah. That is why it is so important to die to self and allow the Holy Spirit–the Ruach HaKodesh–to fully operate in our lives. When we allow the Holy Spirit to take over, there is no risk of behaving contrary to Torah. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth that rested upon our Savior and that our Master promised us (John 14:17; 15:26).

Master promised us that He would have His Father send us His Comforter and The Comforter is also the Spirit of Truth that will guide us into all truth (John 16:13).

I submit to you here today that if our community–individually and collectively speaking–were to make it a practice to fast and pray that Father grant us a greater unction of the power and authority of His Holy Spirit, our keeping of Torah would be much more meaningful and spot. Our obedience to Torah would be more in line with the example Yeshua provided us and would better glorify our Father in heaven.

The Spirit and Truth of the Matter

So what then must a Torah Observant Believe in Yeshua Messiah take away from the Shemitah and Jubilee instruction if in deed we do not know when these set-apart days to occur and we live outside the Land of Israel (or in the Land of Israel for that matter)? What is the Spirit and Truth of Shemitah and Jubilee?

The grander point to keeping any commandments, especially Feasts of YHVH and set-apart days such as the Shemitah and the Jubilee years, is the worship and glorifying of YHVH our Elohim. In other words, it’s all about Father. He must always be the focus of our obedience and keeping of His instructions, with an eye on Yahoshua our Messiah, who is the end–the bottom line–the end goal if you will–of Torah for righteousness to everyone of us in our Faith Community (Romans 10:4).

Lessons to Be Gained From Shemitah Over Blind Ritualistic Obedience

The Shemitah

Although the concept of Shemitah is universally brilliant, the Shemitah instructions applies only to the land of Israel.

The Shemitah and its grand sister year, the Jubilee Year, when they were passed down to us by the Almighty through Moses, taught us to respect the Land that Father gave to us by invoking a period of rest for the land for an entire year. In that time, we were to not work the land, which included no planting, pruning or harvesting of crops and produce. What were we to do for food during that Sabbatical Year period we asked? Well, we were to trust and rely upon the providence and provision of our Heavenly Father. As the land was allowed to rest all those months, it would produce food on its own. We were to then live off that spontaneous produce, if you will, as well as live off of any provisions we held from the previous harvest period to sustain us. Speaking of the previous harvests, Abba would miraculously increase our harvests from the previous years (Leviticus 25:19, 20).

Thus we were being taught to live by Faith in the Almighty’s provision and providence.

The other lessons were being taught was discipline and obedience. Discipline would come into play as an outcropping (no pun intended) of our Faith in Father’s provision. The natural tendency would be to turn to the work of our own hands to provide for our sustenance. So we would ignore Father’s commandment to let the land rest every Sabbatical Year and work the land in order to provide food for our families, which history bears out that we actually did do. As a result of our disobedience and lack of discipline in honoring the Shemitah, we were taken into Babylonian Captivity equivalent to the number of Shemitah Years we ignored (reference II Chronicles 36:21; II Kings 17 and 25).

The Shemitah also taught us about forgiveness of debt (Deuteronomy 15:2-10), which lesson was a precursor to the forgiveness for sins that we would receive from YHVH because of the sacrificial work of Yeshua on the execution stake.

The Shemitah taught us about the importance of Sabbatical rest, whereby we turn our attention away from the day-to-day grind of everyday life–in the case of Shemitah, the grind of farming, and turn our hearts and minds and souls to YHVH our Elohim. We of course see this embodied in the weekly Sabbath rest and in Father’s holy Feasts that we enjoy. There are times in Father’s calendar when he simply wants us to stop what we’re doing and give Him our full attention and adoration.

The Shemitah also taught us of the importance and sacredness of the Land. Torah reveals to us that YHVH cares for the Land of Canaan and His eyes are always on it all the time (Deuteronomy 11:12). Now, that’s not to say that the Jews, or for that matter, any one of us should worship the Land of Israel. The only person we are to worship is YHVH our Elohim. The point is that it must become common knowledge for us that Father has a special attachment to the Land that He has given to us His children.

The companion year of the Jubilee, which also involves the Land, serves to teach us the principles of redemption and restoration. Torah teaches us that during the Jubilee–which occurred every 50-years–that being once every 7-Shemitahs–all owned property (i.e., farm land exclusively) was to be returned to the original owner (Leviticus 15:23-28). Essentially, land could not be permanently sold. Thus, in the event that we lost our family-inherited land–for whatever reason, and we were unable to redeem it or purchase it back from the new owner leading up to the Jubilee Year–we would have the family land restored to us in full by the grace and providence and provision that the Almighty factored into His Torah. I know, doesn’t make any sense to our western sensibilities–that being, once you sell your land and the new owner take possession of that land, they should be able to keep and do whatever they want with that land. But that’s not the way Father sees things. Father’s grace is amazing and fortunately, He writes the rules. Unfortunately, men like to come in the midst and re-write Father’s rules.

Thus the concepts of redemption and restoration, which are embodied in the Jubilee Year, foreshadowed Father’s Plan of Salvation, the Gospel of the Kingdom of YHVH, and in the mission and teachings of our Master Yeshua Messiah.

These are just some of the things that we are to take away and apply to our lives as it relates to the Shemitah and the Jubilee. It’s not about forcing a keeping of Shemitah or Jubilee which truth be told, we cannot properly do. It is, however, about Yeshua’s work on the execution stake to free us from religion and the scourge of sin and rescue us from eternal death. It is about trusting Father to meet our day-to-day needs. It’s about living disciplined and obedient Torah-based lives. It’s about loving and watching out for one another. It’s about loving, serving, honoring and worshiping the Creator of the Universe.

 

0 Comments

Asarah B’Tevet 10

Jews around the world honor Tevet 10 as a day of fasting, mourning, and repentance, specifically commemorating the siege of Jerusalem and the subsequent destruction of Solomon's Temple. It is an abbreviated, complete fast day (i.e. the observant Jew refrains from...

TMTO Ministry Update

Greetings I'm back! Well, not quite. But almost.   History of Ministry QFC (2012) Blog (2012) Podcast (2014-11/2022) YouTube (2018-11/2022) QFC Affiliates with Feastkeepers (New York) and First Century COG (Baltimore) (2019-2021)   Why we ended the podcast...

Thoughts and Reflections on Torah Reading 80

Shalom! We pray that you had a restful and meaningful Sabbath this past week. This past Sabbath’s Torah Portion was the 81st parshah of the 3-year Torah Reading Cycle. (If you are so led to participate in reading and studying the weekly Torah Readings, we have put the...

Biblical Rosh Hashanah 2023 and a TMTO Ministry Update

Greetings Saints! May this post find you, your families, and your fellowships well and blessed during these challenging times. I wanted to update you as to what's going on with The Messianic Torah Observer of late, as well as I wanted to encourage you as we enter the...

Shabbat Zachor 2023-Our Sabbath of Remembrance

Shabbat Shalom Beloved. Our Torah and Haftorah Reading in Light of Where we are on the Calendar This is a special Shabbat, for it is the Shabbat that immediately precedes the Jewish holiday of Purim. According to our observational calendar, Purim will occur at sundown...

We were Baptized into Moses in the Red Sea

Our Baptism in the Red Sea Was Illustrative of our Transformation into the People of God So, in our departure from Mitsrayim/Egypt, which was representative of a would-be child of Yah coming into a covenant relationship with Yah through the Person and Ministry of...

Walking in God’s Divine Guidance and Protection

Introduction   This week’s Torah Portion/Parshah/Reading is the 56th Reading in our 3-year Torah Reading Cycle. And it is contained in the Cepher of Exodus/Shemot 13:21-15:18.   It is a continuation of last week’s reading which I entitled “The Key to Knowing...

The Key to Knowing God: Remembering and Obeying

In the past two readings, which we did not cover because we were on hiatus for the Fall Feasts, Yisrael experienced or witnessed the inauguration of Pesach in the midst of the final tenth plague that resulted in the death of every Egyptian/Mitsri firstborn and the...

The Realities of Yom Teruah 2022

  Introduction to our Discussion   Welcome to the Day of the Blowing of Trumpets, or better, the Blowing of Shofars 2022. And with that, we pray that you are earnestly preparing and eagerly awaiting the arrival of Yom Teruah 2022.   The title of our...

Israel-The Birth of a Nation Through Tribulation-STAR-46

This is Israel: The Birth of a Nation Through Tribulation. It is a study of the 46th Parshah of our 3-year Torah Reading Cycle. This week's reading is found in Exodus/Shemot 1:1-2:25. Introduction to the Reading The historical record transitions from that of a focus...

Death-the Grave-the Resurrection-Part 2

  Introduction   This is part 2 of our discussion on death, the grave, and the resurrection. And we will be picking up where we left off in part 1, which if you haven’t had the opportunity to either read or listen to that post on any of the platforms in which...

The 9th of Av–You Are Called by Name–STAR-44

Tisha B'Av--The 9th of Av--"The Saddest Day of the Jewish Calendar Year."   According to Hillel’s Calendar, which I frequently refer to as the Jewish Calculated Calendar, as I am recording and posting this installment of TMTO Sabbath Thoughts and...

God Humbles Those Who He Enters into Covenant With

This is an overview of the 30th Reading of our 3-year Torah Reading Cycle. It is found in Genesis/Beresheit 31:3-32:2. I use the Hebrew names of the patriarchs throughout this post. And just to familiarize you with the names so as to not cause any confusion:...

Biblical Rosh Hashanah 2022 Update

Starting off, I would be remiss if I did not connect this update with my last post entitled "Why I Keep the Torah (Observational) Calendar and not the Other Popular Messianic Calendars." In that post, I gave five reasons why I keep the Torah (Observational) Calendar....

Lessons Learned from the Death of Sarah-STAR-20

Lessons Learned from the Death of Sarah-STAR-20

In our Torah Reading for this Sabbath, we read of the death of the Matriarch of our Faith, Sarah. And in our discussion, we will explore the eternal truths associated with this sad, but important story. We will touch upon the themes of loving our wives; being a sojourner in this world; burial versus cremation when caring for a deceased loved one; as well as we’ll examine many of the historic and cultural elements that are attached to this beautiful Reading. Shalom and Welcome.

When our Covenant Relationship with God is Tested-Akeida-STAR-19

When our Covenant Relationship with God is Tested-Akeida-STAR-19

This week’s Torah Reading is that of the Akeidah or the binding of Isaac. It is a story about obedience, trusting faith and the ultimate goal of the Abrahamic Covenant. We will also explore the ramifications associated with God’s testing of those whom He loves. This is one of the most important Torah Reading Discussions of the Torah Reading Cycle. Come fellowship with us and let’s discuss the Eternal Mysteries of Yah’s Eternal Words of Life.

The In’s and Out’s of Covenant-Justice and Mercy-STAR-18

The In’s and Out’s of Covenant-Justice and Mercy-STAR-18

Many of us view covenant as an exclusive club or culture that belongs to God’s elect and those who find themselves outside of covenant are doomed to be outside of God’s blessings and provision. But the truth of the matter is that God operates in ways that are often foreign to us and that defy how we believe God should operate. In today’s Torah Reading discussion, we discuss the in’s and out’s of covenant and how God’s justice and mercy define how He will interact with those who are in covenant versus those who are outside covenant.

Abraham and the God (Yah) Culture–Sabbath Thoughts & Reflections 15

Abraham and the God (Yah) Culture–Sabbath Thoughts & Reflections 15

This week’s Torah Reading touches on a number of relevant themes that include righteousness, justice, reverence, hospitality, boldness, laughter, theophanies and covenant. But the one theme that stands out most is culture. In this installment of TMTO’s Sabbath Thoughts and Reflections, we explore each of these themes, in particular the theme of culture. What is the God Culture/the Hebrew Culture? What was Abraham’s role in that Culture? And what does that culture have to do with us today?

El Shaddai-The Mothering Side of our God-STAR 14

El Shaddai-The Mothering Side of our God-STAR 14

Seems we have been indoctrinated to view God exclusively from a “Fathering” perspective. But could one of God’s revealed names be indicative of a “Mothering” side to the Creator of the Universe? In this installment of TMTO we explore and discuss the power and meaning of El Shaddai.

Yehovah-The God Who Sees-STAR 13

Yehovah-The God Who Sees-STAR 13

In our reading today, we’re led to think and reflect on the themes of:

● Trusting Faith
● Respect
● Patience & Perseverance
● Responsibility
● Honor
● The Spirit Realm Intersecting with the Physical Realm
● Promise
● Sonship

Our Example of Abraham Being a Friend of God-STAR-11

Our Example of Abraham Being a Friend of God-STAR-11

The circumcised heart of an individual—contrite and broken and humble in spirit—is the one thing that captures Yah’s attention and places him or her in contention for being chosen as His friend and ultimately His child. If our heart ain’t right, we ain’t going to be chosen to enter into an obedient covenant relationship with Yehovah, much less a friend or child of His.

What it Means to Walk with God? STAR-4

What it Means to Walk with God? STAR-4

  Today’s discussion is entitled: “What it Means to Walk with God;” it is a Messianic Discussion of the 4th Parashah in the 3-year Torah Reading Cycle. Our discussion text for this Shabbat will be Genesis 5:1-6:8.   I will be reading and commenting from the...

The Call to True Biblical Repentance is to Teshuva

  A Question of Kingdom Preparedness This was a teaching I delivered to a Sabbath-keeping group online this past Sukkot. I've entitled it "The Call to True Biblical Repentance is to Teshuva."  This teaching is actually the firstfruits, if you will, of an overall...

Round and Round the Asherah Pole We Go–Parashah 138

This Week’s Torah Reading This week’s Torah Reading, Parashah 138, is contained in Deuteronomy 16:13-22. My ruach eye (that is, my spirit eye) seemed focused primarily on Deuteronomy 16:21-22. These two verses has to do with, yet again, another admonishment to avoid...

Yeshua-The Bread of Life-Torah Reading-132

Introduction to Parashah 132—Yeshua, the Bread of Life   Our Parshah this week, under the 3-year Torah Reading cycle, is found in Deuteronomy 8:1-20. The most prominent verse in the reading is verse 3:   “Thou shalt not live by bread alone, but by every Word that...

Heeding Zophar’s Wisdom About Yehovah

 Job: A Story With Many Complexities You know, the story of Job is not by any stretch of the imagination an easy one to work through. Theres just so many complex literary and spiritual textures and concepts woven into the baseline story. The Cepher of Job is in part a...

Can I Get a Witness Up In Here?

A Story of Witness and Commitment to YHVH Picking up from my last blog-post taken from the Cepher of Y’hoshua (aka Joshua), I wish to now turn our attention to chapter 22, verses 10-34. And what we find here in this passage of Holy Writ is an amazing but awesome...

The Great Commitment to Kingdom Living by God’s Elect

My daily Torah studies this morning brought me to the Cepher of Y'hoshua (aka Joshua), chapter 22. By the end of my studies this morning, I was compelled to ask myself, what is the level of commitment I had to  walking and living Kingdom. You'll soon see what I mean....

The Gospel According to the Apostle Paul

Our New Challenging Pauline Passage--Romans 2:16--A Seemingly Bold and Curt Statement From the Apostle.    Our focus passage, or more precisely, our focus verse today is Romans 2:16. And we find when we read this verse a rather bold and seemingly curt statement...

Paul on Being Under the Law-Part 2-Torah Meets Grace

Goal What I would like to do in today's installment of TMTO is to lay the ground-work or set-the table if you will in our gaining as complete an understanding of what the Apostle Shaul (aka the Apostle Paul) meant when he wrote to his Roman Messianic readers that "sin...

The False Hope of Imitation Christianity

If you've been called and chosen, this message is for you. But it's not for everybody. Questions: What does John 8:32?--You shall know the Truth and the Truth shall set you free. We are to get our information from Scripture. Do you know what you worship? What's the...

What Did Paul Mean by Being Under the Law–Part 1

Goal of this Post  “For Yah shows no partiality (that is, Yah shows no favoritism). For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are...

Feast of Tabernacles and the Kingdom of God in You

The Feast of Tabernacles and the Kingdom of God (of Yah) in You   My goal in delivering this discussion to you here today is to communicate to you another way of looking at and understanding the Kingdom of Yah. Another perspective. Another angle. Another Truth....

Polygamy and the Bible–A Messianic Perspective

My Interest Piqued In my studies of this past week’s Torah Reading, I was drawn to Deuteronomy 21:15-17. Many modern English bibles generally entitle this passage something akin to “The Right of the Firstborn.” That being said, this short passage really is about the...

Picking Up and Moving Forward With TMTO

Update on TMTO (Special post without any fanfare and promotion)--Where we are today and where we'll be going.   Discontinuing Live-Stream and Why. The failure of the Livestream. Non-committal group of individuals.  Newsletter failures. Loss of focus on the original...

Torah Reading 48–Shofetim–Judges–Reading Outline

  This week's Torah Reading is contained within Deuteronomy 16:1--21:9 and is entitled Shofetim. In English, Shofetim means Judges. If one were summarize the content of this reading I guess it could be described as a discussion of Yah's established civil...

Jews Before Gentiles?

Today’s discussion is entitled, “Jews Before Gentiles?  How Does that Work?” And the biblical basis for our discussion this evening is found in Romans 1:16 which reads:    16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation...

To Whom Do You Pray?

Who do you pray to and worship and give thanks? Yeshua? YHVH? Both?  Is it Biblical to pray to and worship Yeshua as so many Christians routinely do?  In this installment of the Messianic Torah Observer, we will continue our review of the Book of Romans and Paul's...

Messianic Sainthood–Paul and the Book of Romans

Paul Calls His Roman Readers Saints. What Gives? Our next challenging Pauline passage of the Book of Romans is found in chapter 1 verse 7 and it reads as such: "To all those in Rome who are loved by G-d and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from G-d our...

Chevra Kadisha-Honoring the Jewish Dead

An Intriguing Article I recently became intrigued by an article I came across on the "My Jewish Learning" website. The article was entitled: "Chevra Kadisha or Jewish Burial Society." It was written by a Rabbi Joseph Telushkin. And yes: I do from time to time visit...