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

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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.

 

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Picking up in Chapter 8, verse 11, we find that we are commanded not to forget Yehovah our Elohim.  The passage reads:  11"Beware lest you aforget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today;...

Because you are Obedient to Torah Part 2

Picking up from the previous section of Deuteronomy 7:12-8:10: 7:12--there is a 3-part requirement related to Torah observance: (1) listen (i.e., to shama or to hear); (2) keep (i.e., to watch and preserve); and (3) obey (i.e., to do them). What we have here is a...

Because you are Obedient to Torah-Part 1

Because you are Obedient to Torah (Part 1) Greetings Saints, My Daily Torah studies took me to D'varim 7 (Deut 7). Beginning at verse 12, we find Moshe speaking to the nation of Israel from a reassuring perspective. He'd already established the need for them to keep...

Standing Up To The Christian Bullies Part 1

Standing Up to the Christian Bullies Part 1 Commentary on "Hebrew Roots Heresy" Facebook Page One of the posts on this site rails upon Hebraic Roots advocating Christian believers being Torah Observant. This post went out of its way to insist that the New Testament...

Two of Purim’s Greatest Secrets

Happy Purim! Well, here we are in the Month of March which translates to the 12th Biblical Month or the Month of Adar as recorded on the Rood “Astronomically and Agriculturally Corrected Biblical Hebrew Calendar.” At the time of this post it will be the beginning of...

Why Hebraic Roots–An Ongoing Debate–Post 1

Why Hebraic Roots The Messianic/Hebraic Roots of the Christian Faith focuses on what the Father truly has to say to us. Thus, in order to understand what it is the Father has to say to us, it is vital that we somehow come to a place in our lives, existence, etc.,...

Grieve the Holy Spirit?

Don't cause grief to God's Ruach HaKodesh, for he has stamped you as his property until the day of final redemption. (Eph 4:30 CJB) It comes down to us simply giving in to the leading of the Ruach Kodesh in every aspect of our lives. Things are not always going to go...

Doctrine of Baptisms

Doctrine of Baptisms Having just posted the latest episode of Sabbath Thoughts and Reflections where my focus was on baptism or the Doctrine of Baptisms as mentioned in Hebrews 6, a full day later I'm just as fired up about this topic as I was when I recorded and...

Sabbath Thoughts #2

Sabbath Thoughts #2--Baptism and Teachers Calendar--February 14, 2015--the West is celebrating St. Valentine's Day 24th Day of the 11th Biblical Month 6014 (aka: Shevat 5775) Upcoming Feasts and Messianic Celebrations Purim--Est. 03/06/2015 or 14th day of the 12th...

TL 45-We Must Deal with the Stronghold in our Life

We Must Deal with the Stronghold in our Life The Challenge--Causes of Strongholds What is a stronghold?   The true, exegetical explanation of strongholds as I've learned this past Sabbath through Arthur's message and my own studies of the chapter has completely...

Hanukkah’s Greatest Hidden Secrets Part 2

Part 2--A Case of Anti-Jewish/Anti-Hebrew Sentiments Leading to Christianity's Profound Ignorance On the Keeping of Easter--From the Letter of the Emperor to all those not present at the Council (Found in Eusebius, Vita Const., Lib. iii., 18-20) Jude 1:4 speaks to...

Deuteronomy 7:8–The Everlasting Love of Yehovah–Part 1

My Torah studies have brought me to Deuteronomy 7:8 which reads thusly (by the way, I attached verse 7 to verse 8 to ensure a complete thought and complete sentence): CJB  Deuteronomy 7:7 ADONAI didn't set his heart [His love-chashaq] on you or choose you because you...

The Love of a Father for His Creation

My Torah studies brought me to Deuteronomy 7: 8 this morning and the passage reads accordingly: But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you...

In Yehovah’s Eyes, Size Doesn’t Matter

Continuing my Torah studies, I've come to Deuteronomy 7:7 &8: 7 The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: 8 But because the LORD loved you, and because he would...

The Shema is NOT a Precursor to the Trinity

Read each of these translations of Deuteronomy 6:4 and see for yourself how the Shema (incorrectly referred to by many) states the "oneness of Yehovah:" ASV Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah: (Deu 6:4 ASV) CJB Deuteronomy 6:4 "Sh'ma,...

Speak to Us Yehovah as You did at Horeb

Continuing my Torah studies, I come to Deuteronomy 5: 24 (the corresponding Complete Jewish Bible's verse is 21). The CJB reads as follows: and said, 'Here, ADONAI our God has shown us his glory and his greatness! We have heard his voice coming from the fire, and we...

Deut 4: 9-40–Avoiding Idolatry at any Cost

As I continue my daily Torah studies, I come to Deuteronomy 4:9-40. What follows is a summary for your reference and review, followed by commentary and application: vs 13--He proclaimed His covenant to you which He ordered you to obey, the Ten Words which He wrote on...

America the Beautiful versus Torah

7 For what nation [goy=nation=gentiles] is there so great, who hath God [elohim] so nigh unto them, as the LORD [Yehovah] our God [elohim] is in all things that we call upon him for? 8 And what nation is there so great, that hath *statutes [choq] and judgments...

Keep and Do Torah

6 Keep [shamar-guard, observe, give heed] therefore and do [asah] them; for this is your wisdom [chokmah] and your understanding [biynah] in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding...

Torah Living 37-Yeshua’s Earthly Family

Now the Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles) was drawing near. Yeshua's brothers said to him, "Depart from here and go into Yehudaea that your other disciples also may see the works that you do. For there is no man that does anything in secret when he himself seeks to be...

Looking for Signs

As my practice, I began my day with prayer followed by reading Torah. I deter from Torah reading, however, when specific events contained in Rood's Chronological Gospels correspond to our Gregorian calendar date. In this case, events 114 and 115 happen to occur on...

A Case for Eating Out on the Sabbath or Not

A practice that I've begun following of late is incorporating the Michael Rood Chronological Gospels into my regimen of Torah Study. I do this following the Rood Astronomically & Agriculturally Corrected Biblical Hebrew Calendar and looking at the corresponding...

Torah Living 25–Freedom

Having observed (to some slight degree) the U.S. holiday of Independance Day this past 4th of July, the concept of "freedom" came to my mind. Indeed, the U.S. celebrates its freedom from British rule every 4th of July and has done so since the year 1776. We all know...

Yeshua the Light of the World (Torah Living Episode 24)

So this past Sabbath while listening to some great Messianic teachings from some of the world's best Messianic teachers, I was taken by the passage in John where the Master described Himself as being the "light of the world." John records the Master as thus: "I am the...

Israel’s Indiscretions with Moab–Moses Intervenes

Greetings Fellow Saints! Today is the 30th day of the 2nd Biblical Month and the 41st Day of the Counting of the Omer. May this great day of preparation be of most blessing to you and your family. My Torah studies today took me to a most profound place in the Children...

The God Who is Evergreen

Greetings Fellow Saints in Training! Today was the 28th Day of the 2nd Biblical Month and the 39th day of the counting of the Omer. We trust that you have a blessed day in Messiah. My Torah studies today took me to Numbers 23: 13-26. Those of you who are Torah buffs...

The Samaritan Woman at the Well and Our Salvation

Greetings Fellow Saints in Training. Today was the 27th Day of the 2nd Biblical month and the 38th day of the counting of the omer. I trust you had a lovely day in Messiah. This morning prior to going to work and as part of my daily Torah studies, I happened upon...

Look and Live

Today is the 21st Day of the 2nd biblical month and the 32nd day of the counting of the omer. I trust this brief post finds you and yours well and blessed. Shalom. My #Torah study today provided a prophetic shadow picture of the Master and His sacrifice at Calvary. In...

Am I Clean or Unclean Before the Father?

Today is the 19 day of the 2nd Biblical Month and the 30th day of the counting of the Omer. In my Torah study this morning I came across Numbers 19. This chapter dealt with the issue of cleanliness and uncleanliness; more specifically how must Israel (more so...

Tzitzit Wearing

Greetings to you all this 23rd Day of the #CountingoftheOmer and the 12th Day of the 2nd Biblical Month on the Creator's Sacred Calendar. Today's #Torah reading marked the commandment by the Almighty to His people to wear #Tzitzits on each corner of their garments....

Is Torah Meant for All Believers (or Just the Jews)?

As I read Numbers 15:8-16, any doubt that I had about the applicability of Torah to true Believers in Messiah was quickly erased. vs. 15 reads, "...there will be the same law for you as for the foreigner living with you; this is a permanent regulation through all your...

God’s Promises Have a Shelf-Life

Indeed. The passage Num. 14:26-15:7 details how the Lord's disappointment and anger towards Israel was kindled after she rejected the promised land upon hearing the report from the spies. Father's promise of providing the chosen nation with a land flowing with milk...

Episode 18-The Value of Wise Counsel

And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses' father in law, We are journeying unto the place of which the LORD said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good: for the LORD hath spoken good concerning Israel. 30 And he said...

Episode 15-How Should the Believer Worship Yehovah?

This past week, I had the amazing good fortune to interview my wife Hilary, about a topic that is vitally important to any and all Believers of Messiah--How Should Believers Worship Yehovah? The crux of this interview comes ahead of the release of Hilary's upcoming...

Episode 14-Good Friday Just Doesn’t Add Up

Overview of Good Friday Commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ Observed during "Holy Week" as part of the Paschal Triduum, with Friday preceding Easter Sunday Good Friday is otherwise known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Black Friday, or Easter Friday Belief in a...

Is Passover a Jewish Holiday?

Greetings. Today, according to God's calendar, is the 9th day of the Month of Aviv. Still a New Year, a new beginning for those of us who love the Lord Yehovah. According to Rood's Gospel Chronology, in 27 CE, Yeshua, his family, and His newly selected disciples...

Torah Living Episode 6–The Hangers On, Part 2

Continuing on from our previous study, we find ourselves still looking at Numbers 11: 4 and the situation involving a mixed multitude of peoples who accompanied the Chosen People in the Exodus out of Egypt. The passage reads beautifully as: CJB  Numbers 11:4 Next, the...

Torah Living–The Hangers On, Part 3

Greetings Saints. This Torah Living content is being posted on the 28th Day of the 12th Biblical Month of 6014 (according to Rood's Astronomically & Agriculturally Corrected Biblical Hebrew Calendar). I trust that you are well and blessed in all areas of your...

Torah Living–Numbers 11: 4–Hangers On Part 1

Numbers 11: 4 reads: CJB  Numbers 11:4 Next, the mixed crowd that was with them grew greedy for an easier life; while the people of Isra'el, for their part, also renewed their weeping and said, "If only we had meat to eat! (Num 11:4 CJB) This rich verse of Torah...

The Gospel Your Pastor Never Taught You, Part 5

The Gospel Your Pastor Never Taught You Part 5 Concluding the Parables of Matthew 13: In Matthew 13, Yahoshua gave the people eight parables about what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. Each parable contained its own message. After Yahoshua gave the last parable, He was...