The Giver of Torah-YHVH-clearly stated that Torah was for all who would attach themselves to the commonwealth of Israel and live according to the Way He prescribed for men and women to live. Yet many within and without our Faith Community teach otherwise–that Torah was meant exclusively for the Jews. What are we to make of this dichotomy? We discuss this critical issue in “One Law For All-Reflections on Torah Portion Shelach Lekha.

 

A Strange Email

This week’s Torah Portion/Reading is somewhat serendipitous. For it comes on the heels of a very interesting (I call it strange) email I received from a listener after last week’s posting (ie., entitled “Messianics-Modern-Day-Levites-Separated for Service to God”).

Initially I took the tenor of that email to be curt and attacking. However, in light of this week’s Torah Reading (ie., Shelach Lekha), oddly enough,  that email turned out to be somewhat revealing.

The Sender An Orthodox Jewish Pentecostal Pastor and Evangelist

To begin with, the email was sent by a gentleman who identified himself to me as an Orthodox Jewish Pentecostal pastor and evangelist. (A little outside the norm right?) He wanted to make it clear to me that he DID NOT consider himself a Messianic. Why? Because, according to him, the title is not found in the Bible. He went on to say, however, that the title Christian WAS in the bible. So I guess all things considered, he could be identified as a Jewish Christian.

The second odd thing about this gentleman’s email was that it had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with any of my posts. Turns out that what he was actually writing me about was my stance on non-Jewish believers (ie., Christians) keeping Torah.

Jewish Concerns Against Non-Jews Keeping Torah

Now, here’s where the story gets somewhat strange.

Most of us are quite familiar with the anti-Torah stance of our cousins in churchianity (ie., protestant Christianity). Churchianity generally holds to the belief that Torah was done away with by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Thus, in their view believers in Jesus Christ cannot “come under Torah” for fear of “falling from grace.”

But this gentleman’s concern about my stance on Torah was coming from a different trajectory. He asked me if I was a non-Jew who was violating the Jerusalem Council (ie., referencing Acts 15). And the reason he was asking me this was because (his words): “I speak out against non-Jews putting themselves under Torah because they are in rebellion to the Gospel.”

Turns out that this fellow was not against Torah like his Christian associates are. Instead, he was against people like me, non-Jewish, keeping Torah (or using his vernacular—non-Jews coming under Torah). His contention then was that Hebrew Rooters and certain Messianics are in violation of the Jerusalem Council. And being in violation of Acts 15, we were in rebellion to the Gospel. (Thank God for the Torah police!)

Up Pops Shelach Lekha

And so I moved on with life. And low and behold comes this week’s Torah Portion entitled Shelach Lekha, which is found in Numbers 13:1-15:41.

The biggest section of the reading deals with the story of the 12-spies who went to check out the situation in Canaan in anticipation of the nation taking possessing the Land.

The spies bring back a rather discouraging report. Tragically, the manner in which ten of the spies put forth their report caused the people to be spooked. And before you know it, the people straight-up told Moshe they weren’t going to participate in any conquest of the Land. They, of course, feared being destroyed by the Canaanites.

And oh, by the way, they gave serious consideration to replacing Moshe with a leader of their choosing. The plan was for the people to high-tail it back to Egypt.

Of course, word of this brewing sedition reached the attention of YHVH. As punishment YHVH condemned the people to 40-years of continued wandering in the desert. In the end, every adult-age individual who left Egypt would out, leaving their children to possess the Land.

One Law For All

As spiritually packed a story as this is, there was another section of this week’s reading that really caught my attention. For  I immediately recognized the timeliness of it.

The section I’m referring to is contained in Numbers 15:14-16. And it reads as follows:

“And if a stranger is sojourning with you, or anyone is living permanently among you, and he wishes to offer a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the LORD, he shall do as you do. For the assembly, there shall be one statute for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you, a statute forever throughout your generations. You and the sojourner shall be alike before the LORD. One law and one rule shall be for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you” (ESV).

A Little Known Understanding

Now, I hope you can easily recognize why this section of the reading resonated with me so much. The significance of this section of the reading has connection to the email I described at the start of this discussion.

And as crazy as this gentleman’s position on non-Jewish believers in Messiah keeping Torah may sound, believe it or not, this gentleman’s position is actually a commonly held one; particularly among orthodox Jews.

Defending Our Faith

The main reason I’m focusing on this section of the reading in this post is because we, as a faith community, are subject to persecution by not just Christians, but from Jews as well.

Beloved, as we get nearer to the End, we’re going to have to be prepared to deal with such challenges to our Faith from every conceivable angle. And we’re going to have to be ready to “give every man an answer that asks us for the reason of the hope that is in each of us” (1 Pet. 3:15).

The earthly brother of our Master stated that we must “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered” to us (Jud. 1:3).

Thus, we may be required to defend and contend for our Faith from various people in our lives: from family members to the godless; from the godless to the secular; from the secular to the Christian; from the Christian to the Jew; from the Jew to God knows who else. And we’ve got to be ready.

Why Are Jews So Stingy With the Yah’s Torah?

So why are Jews so put off by non-Jews keeping Torah? Well, the reason may surprise you.

It’s actually quite simple: many orthodox Jews, and may I say not too few Christians, believe that the Jews are God’s chosen people.

This is of course nothing new to any who have even the remotest knowledge of Judaism and Churchianity. The Jew has for centuries (albeit while enduring off and on persecution) and the Church for the better part of 2-centuries, have drilled into our skulls that the Jews ARE God’s chosen people.

(Well of late, of course, that trend of thought is undergoing a fundamental change in the minds of many. But that’s a discussion for another day.)

Suffice to say that the belief in the Jew being God’s chosen people is born out of the Creator saying that He chose Israel from the nations of the world TO BE His special treasure/possession. And indeed they are the most unique people to have ever existed by virtue of their unique association with the Almighty. Nevertheless, it’s one thing to be chosen by YHVH to be His special people. But it’s an entirely different thing for the ones that are chosen of God to truly walk out and realize their chosen status.(

In reality, the Jews (more so the Hebrews) were and are slated to be the Creator’s chosen ones. That is if they keep their end of the covenantal bargain. Sadly, however, they’ve not been terribly successful in accomplishing that.

But that’s beside the point when we’re talking about the Jews being a chosen people today.

A Question of Who is Chosen by YHVH

To certain orthodox Jews, the term “chosen” means “the election of Israel.” They believe in the unique call of the “Jews as Jews.” While at the same time, these same Jews believe “in the universality of Jewish wisdom as a gift for all” (www.myjewishlearning.com/rabbis-without-borders/is-torah-just-for-jews/).

The mindset held by certain Jewish sects (and one or two so-called Christian Jewish sects) that non-Jews are prohibited from being Torah-observant, in great part, is derived from late Rabbinic teaching.

As it relates to this understanding we find in Bamidbar Rabah, section 14 of the Talmud the following:

“God gave Israel two Torahs—the Written Torah and the Oral Torah. God gave them the Written Torah which includes 613 commandments in order to fill them with good deeds and virtues. God gave them the Oral Torah to differentiate them from all other nations. Therefore, it was not given in written form so the other nations will not be able to forge it and claim that they are the (also) Israel.”

In his article entitled, ”Is Torah Just For Jews?,” Tsafi Lev writes of a tension that exists everywhere in Judaism between “particularism” and “universalism.” Lev references two-parts of the “Aleinu (pronounced ah-len-nu) Prayer” (ie., a Jewish prayer found in the Siddur (pronounced sid-dur), the classical Jewish prayerbook) that illustrates this tension beautifully.

It reads as follows:

“God made our lot unlike that of other people, assigning to us a unique destiny.”

This is an excellent example of Judaism’s particularism. It highlights the Jew’s distinction among the people of the earth.

The second part of the prayer goes something like this:

“Reign over all, soon and for all time…On that day the Lord shall be One and God’s name One.”

This is a wonderful example of Judaism’s universal hope. It encourages a hope that the world will someday embrace the God of the Jew and Torah’s timeless truths.

Along Came Distrust

Sadly, Judaism over the centuries developed a deep-seeded suspicion of the outside world. Thus, Jews have for centuries lived in relative isolation. This isolation has made them prime targets for persecution and deadly bigotry.

To protect that isolation, Jewish scholars and leaders put forth a doctrine that would deny Torah to the world. And thus the universal hope that idealistically underscores the “Aleinu Prayer”—that Torah be shared with the people nations of the world—has become tragically foreign and even repugnant to the orthodox Jew today.

A View Also Held By Some Messianic Jews

Oddly enough, this insane (Torah is only for the Jews) mindset is held by a number of Messianic Jews today. (Not held by all Messianic Jews, however. Thank YHVH!)

One contributor to “Torah Resource” (a website that claims to provide educational resources to Torah Communities within the broader Messianic movement) wrote:

“Torah is the special possession of the Jewish people…many of its stipulations are therefore directed toward Jews, not Gentiles” (https://www.torahresource.com/is-the-torah-only-for-jews/).

These teach their followers that although the moral ideals that are laid out in Torah have universal application for the world, the various practical elements of Torah (ie., the weekly Sabbath; the Feasts; the so-called kosher laws; the wearing of tzitzits; etc.) are meant only for the Jewish people. It is further believed by many of these same ones that the various practical elements of Torah serve as “distinct marks of their (ie., the Jew’s) unique position in the covenant made with Israel” (Tim Hegg; author of “Is the Torah Only for Jews?”).

In his article, Tim Hegg offers up a very interesting observation:

”When non-Jews live out Torah, the lines of distinction between Jew and non-Jew are blurred.”

We can’t have that now, can we?

A Reality Check

I have to say that I was shocked to learn that so many members of our Hebrew Roots/Messianic Community hold to the non-biblical belief that Torah-living is only for the Jew.

The gentleman (ie., the one who sent me the email) in question took great pride in pointing out to me that he was a Jewish Christian. (I can only assume that he is a Messianic Jew.) He insisted I know that he was a Jew by birth. I’m guessing that his Christian side came much later in life. And now, he was a preacher of the Gospel on a mission to rid the earth of any believer in “Christ” who dared keep Torah.

I have come across individuals who were born Jewish and who became followers of Christ (or Messiah). I found that some of those individuals tended to believe they were superior to their non-Jewish brethren both biologically and spiritually.

One of those individuals—who fancied himself a ministry coach–comes readily to mind here. The last I heard of this individual, he still carried with him that same arrogant, pompous attitude of superiority over non-Jewish brethren. I’ve since learned, sadly, that he lost the support of just about all his supporters and followers.

Unjustified Superiority Complex

As special as the Hebrews were to Father, He never meant for them to feel they were superior to the non-Hebrews that would attach themselves to their Hebrew brothers and sisters. So when Yah passed down His Torah to the nation, He sprinkled reminders throughout His instruction that this very same Torah He was giving to the Hebrew would apply equally to the non-Hebrew born of the nation.

Case in point is found in Numbers 15: 30, 31, which reads:

“Any who would err with a high hand, whether he be home-born or a stranger, the same blasphemeth YHVH; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people” (KJV).

According to J. H. Hertz (Pentateuch and Haftorahs): “’with a high hand’ literally means ‘with a hand raised.’ This is as a sign of presumption. Iserved as a public defiance of His law. No sacrificial atonement is possible for a willful offense. That presumptive soul shall be cut off and his/her iniquity would be upon him/her.”

In other words, it didn’t matter to YHVH who or what you were. If you, being a non-Hebrew, became a member of the commonwealth of Israel, you received all the benefits inherent therein. Thus he/she would be expected to adhere to the law of the Land: Torah.

So when one kept Torah, they would be blessed, just like the native born Hebrew. When one violated Torah, they stood the risk of reaping curses upon themselves, just like the native born Hebrew.

An Examination of a Section of “Shelach Lekha”

So let’s do a quick verse-by-verse examination of the Torah Reading that forms the basis of this week’s post.

Verse 14

The English term “stranger” in the Hebrew is ”ger” (pronounced “jur”). The HCSB/CJB translates “ger” as “foreigner,” while the LXX/NAB translates “ger” as “alien.”

According to verse 14 of our selected text, the alien or stranger that is highlighted here is one who decides to adopt the tenets of the Hebrew Faith (ie., walk in the ways stipulated by YHVH’s Torah).

Ger Defined

According to the Brown, Driver, Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon, the Hebrew term “Ger” is generally tied to the concept of being a “proselyte” (BDB Lexicon).

A proselyte is one who converts from one opinion, religion or party to another (Google Dictionary). Thus in this sense, a ger would be considered a proselyte to the Hebrew Faith.

Hertz defines “a stranger” or “ger” as a resident non-Israelite “who becomes a convert to the religion of Israel and who has undertaken to conform to the laws and precepts of the Torah” (J. H. Hertz, The Pentateuch and Haftorahs).

According to this verse of our reading, the “ger” must be permitted to worship in accordance with the tenets of Torah.

The Ger Was to be Treated as an Equal

What we see sprinkled throughout Torah regarding the Torah-committed “Ger,” is that YHVH was especially careful to provide for the wellbeing and equal treatment of the ger by the Hebrew. For indeed, the “ger” would be a minority in a native-Hebrew dominated land.

Thus, Father required the following conditions be observed by the Hebrews regarding the Ger in their midst:

• He/she must be treated justly in all matters (Exo. 22:21; 23:9; Lev. 19:33, 34; Deu. 1:16; 10:18, 19; 24:14, 1; 27:19; Jer. 76; 22:3; Exe. 22:29; Mal. 3:5; Mat. 25:34, 38, 43).
• Those ger who choose not to adopt the ways of the Faith (ie., a Torah lifestyle) may of course be exempt from keeping Torah (Deu. 14:21). (Yah has never, does not in the present, nor will He in the future force Himself on anyone. People will always be allowed to choose whom they will serve. Freewill remains a top priority for the Creator.)
• Any who adopts and keeps a Torah lifestyle enjoys the privileges of being a part of the commonwealth of Israel (Exo. 12:48, 49; Num. 9:14).
• As required of their Hebrew counterparts, ger are forbidden to practice idolatrous rites (Lev. 20:2).
• Just like their Hebrew counterparts, the ger are not to blaspheme YHVH (Lev. 24:16).
• The prohibition against work during the weekly Sabbath applies to both the Hebrew and the ger equally (Exo. 20:10; 23:12; Deu. 5:14). (Funny how that prohibition has been done away with by the Church.).
• The ger must be relieved in their time of distress, just as their Hebrew counterparts would in their time of distress (Lev. 25:35).
• Both Hebrew and Ger were equally allowed access to the provisions and benefits of the cities of refuge (Num. 35:15).
• Ger would be afforded opportunity to glean from the harvests of the Israelites (Lev. 19:10; 23:22; Deu. 24:19-22).
• The ger would be encouraged to participate in the various celebration of the Hebrew people (Deu. 14:29; 16:11; 26:11).
• Like their Hebrew brethren, the ger would have Torah read to them (Deu. 31:12; Jos. 8:32-35).

When understanding the many provisions Father extended to Torah-committed ger living alongside their Hebrew brethren, one is forced to recognize that YHVH never intended His Torah to become the sole property of the Jew. Yes, Father did entrust His Torah to the Hebrews for safekeeping. However, Father never meant for it to be kept stingingly by the Jew in some spiritual lock-box.

So when Jews, or even so-called Christian Jews, come against those of us who have chosen to live a Torah-lifestyle, they have taken a rather presumptive attitude that is in opposition to the will and grace of YHVH. No good can ever come from such prejudiced actions. For their prejudiced actions are, in a funny twist of fate, prodding them to “kick against the prick” (Act. 9:5).

Verse 15.

There would be one “ordinance” (KJV); statute (ASV; HCSB; ESV; NASB); regulation (CEB); law (CJB; LXX) for both the “Congregation of Israel” and the “Ger.” As Torah relates to the Hebrew, so shall it equally relate to the ger before YHVH.

So clearly we see here that Yah is no respecter of person.

The Hebrew term for ordinance used here is “chuqqah” (pronounced “kukka’). It means “something prescribed, enacted; or a statute. It is generally used in Hebrew when referring to special ritual laws such as the Feasts of YHVH and other specific Torah elements (BDB Full Lexicon).

So…would it be too much of a stretch to say that the Ger would be expected to also keep the Feasts of YHVH in their appointed times; obey the food laws; and keep the weekly Sabbaths and such? Sure sounds like it doesn’t it?

And, oh, just to make sure this equal application of Torah would not be shoved under the spiritual carpet (so to speak) and forgotten by the Hebrews, Father put into the wording of the verse a little caveat: this is to be “…an ordinance (ie., regulation) forever in your generations…”

Verse 16.

Thus YHVH definitively stated: “One law and one rule shall be for you (ie., the Hebrew) and for the stranger (ie., the Ger) who sojourns with you” (Num. 15:16; ESV).

The English term “law” that is used here in this passage is easily identified as “Torah” in the Hebrew. The English term “rule” is a little less obvious. It is “mishpat” in the Hebrew.

Mishpat refers to judgment(s) (ie., the act of deciding a case from a seat of judgment or during some form of litigation before a judge; hearing a case; or the act of sentencing.

As it applies here, Father seems to be saying that there would be one rule of law in the Land as it specifically relates to Torah (ie., the nation’s constitution) and a single or equal application of Torah or law for both Ger and Hebrew. Everyone in Yah’s sight is thus equal as it relates to Torah. In every sense, the law is truly blind, regardless the socio-cultural-economic status of the individual residing alongside the Hebrew.

Our Cousin The Jews Under Great Deception Regarding Torah

As in so many other avenues related to Faith, when an orthodox Jew (or a so-called Jewish Christian for that matter) speaks out against non-Jews keeping Torah, they are approaching this thing from a non-Scriptural perspective. These are actually approaching this issue from a rabbinic (religious) perspective. Sadly, they are blind to the True Faith and they are incapable of seeing beyond the teachings of their rabbis and sages. This is part and parcel of the blindness that caused them to miss the great day of their visitation (Luk. 19:44)!

But their blindness will not be a permanent one. Of the temporaneous nature of their blindness Paul wrote:

“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, ‘There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins’” (Rom. 11:25-27; KJV).

The Jealousy Element

In addition to their blindness and deceived state, when Jews come against non-Jews keeping Torah, they have been provoked to jealousy just as YHVH prophesied in His Torah and as taught by the Apostle Paul:

“They have made me jealous with what is no-god; they have provoked me to anger with their idols. So I will make them jealous with those who are no people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation” (Deu. 32:21; ESV)

And Paul writes:

“What then? Israel did not obtain that which it looked for: for the election obtained it; and the rest of them were blinded in their heart. As it is written: ‘Elohim gave them a stupid spirit and eyes that do not see and ears that do not hear, to this very day.’ And again, Dawid said: “Let their table become a snare before them; and let their reward be a stumbling block. Let their eyes be darkened that they are blinded; and let their back, at all times, be bowed down.’ But I say: ‘Have they so stumbled as to fall entirely?’ May it never be! Rather, by their stumbling, life has come to the Gentiles for (awakening) their jealousy” (Rom. 11:7-11; AENT).

The Jerusalem Council

Oh, and what about the gentleman’s accusation that I was in violation of the Jerusalem Council by my keeping and teaching of Torah?

According to Carmen Welker on her website “The Refiners Fire:”

“Torah plainly states that there is ONE Torah for Israel and the Gentile who dwells with her. Yet, many try to use Acts 15 as “proof” that Christians don’t have to keep Torah. That is because they don’t realize that Acts 15 is referring to Gentiles coming to Torah-not ‘reducing’ the obligation of Torah itself…”

In other words, when read in context, “Acts 15 plainly states that the expectation of the non-Jewish believers was that they would learn Torah as they grow in their relationship with Mashiyach and His people” (Welker: “Acts 15: Does Torah Pertain to Christians?”).

Bottom Line

Bottom line saints: Do NOT be fooled or misled by Orthodox and so-called Messianic Jews into thinking or believing that we non-Jews are not to be Torah-observant. Such talk and such thinking is from the pit of hades.

For it came directly from the God that gave Torah to the Hebrews and the mixed multitude coming out of Egypt, that Torah was for every man, woman and child who would commit themselves to the Creator’s way of life for mankind.

For in YHVH, there is ONE Torah and one Ordinance.