11:3 Restoration

‘evan’ / אבן, Another picture…

Last evening as Jonathan and I sat around unwinding, he had a few thoughts from his morning Torah study he wanted to share. As we were looking at verses in Deuteronomy 4, I suddenly had a brainstorm. First, the verses,

¹²Then the Lord spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form—only a voice. ¹³So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten ^[a]Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone. ¹⁴The Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might perform them in the land where you are going over to possess it.

We noted several things… The covenant is to be performed. I.e., maintaining it is an action, not a belief. (Faith without works is dead…) The covenant is not just the Ten Words, as Christendom often teaches, but rather included much more than that. Just refer to Exodus 20-23. And, the covenant was to be performed not just before crossing the Jordan, but afterward as well. (I’ll write on some of this later in terms of the symbolism and Christendom’s understanding of ‘crossing Jordan.’) But something else stood out!

You may recall a very interesting and important post about eban, or אבן as a picture of Messiah. After that, I wrote a follow-up post with more references to ‘stone,’ but always in connection with ‘uncut’ stone. Of course, Messiah is/was not to have human works added to Him. Continue reading “‘evan’ / אבן, Another picture…”

Tales from the Bus. Mercy.

Jackson*, a fourth grade student on my bus, has been a bit of a handful lately. More than a few times in recent weeks I have had to talk to his school principal for various infractions on the bus, from wrestling and punching to using inappropriate language, etc. He is fairly new to the school having moved into the area about eight weeks ago.

Today was a banner day… As one student exited the bus, he related that Jackson had punched him in the gut. Another relayed that Jackson had used the ‘s’ word. I had enough and stopped the bus.

After calling Jackson to the front seat, I moved everyone else back a couple of rows to create a buffer zone and effectively isolate him. He fell right to sleep.

I drove on, dropping students and pondering what to do. I really wanted to drop the hammer on him, but my bus is brand spanking new and no camera has been installed yet. It would be his word against his accusers. He is my last stop each afternoon so I had time to think.

As I rolled away from my next to last stop a still small Voice said, ‘Encourage him.’

‘What?’ Continue reading “Tales from the Bus. Mercy.”

Thoughts from B’reisheet

Today began the new year’s cycle of Torah portions. Our family attended a small fellowship in Columbia and enjoyed participating in a fun discussion/midrash that took a jaunt through Genesis 1:1-6:8, this week’s portion. We also participated in their ongoing study in both Romans and Joel. Certainly, a blessed way to spend several hours on a Shabbat!

Following are a couple thoughts from this week and our discussion:

– ‘God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it….’

“Central to rejecting Creation is the rejection of the seventh day Sabbath.”

I don’t remember who said it, or if that is the exact quote, but that is what I heard as our discussion concerning the creation week touched on evolution Continue reading “Thoughts from B’reisheet”

Fencing the Commandments

One of the unfair charges often leveled against Rabbinic Judaism is that they added to the Word of God by ‘fencing the commandments.’ And, while the charge may be true, it is generally leveled as if no one else is guilty of the same and the Jews have therefore committed some dastardly crime.

While reading a paper written by Messianic Jewish friend and midrash partner, Jonathan Krause, a section really caught my eye. He wrote,

When did sin occur on earth? Many scholars will say that it happened when Adam ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. However, in Deut. 4:2 G-D tells us not to add or take away from his word(s). Since words were added to what G-D said, it created a door to sin. But, Adam had the roots of sin in his heart when he added to the words of G-D. Perhaps he did not trust G-D in that he had to instruct Eve further by telling her she was not only not to eat of the fruit, but not to touch it.

I looked up from the paper and said, “Adam fenced the commandment!” Continue reading “Fencing the Commandments”

Jesus on ‘Works’ and ‘Eternal Life’

And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Full context here.)

What must I DO to inherit eternal life?

DO.

This verse begins a recounting of a conversation in the life of Messiah. A conversation wherein Yeshua (Jesus) says what much of Christendom doesn’t want to hear. Let’s pay attention to the Rabbi.

Rabbi Yeshua replies,

“What is written in the Torah? How does it read to you?”

Recall what He said in Matthew 5:17-19…

Given the opportunity to say, ‘All ya gotta do is believe…’ and Yeshua does not. Rather, He points to the Torah! The lawyer replies, quoting Torah commands that sum up the whole of the Law,

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”

Without hesitation, Yeshua answers, Continue reading “Jesus on ‘Works’ and ‘Eternal Life’”

One Law, Water, Light and Bread

I was reading a post by Peter over at the OMJ blogspot when a comment he had inserted into a quote got my attention. While the post was about John 7 and 8 from a Hebraic perspective, the comment said,

[Peter’s One-Law Note: the Bible compares Torah to light and water. Light because it says “Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet, a Light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). Water because it says “Let my teaching fall like rain”(etc). In John 7:37-39, Yeshua, referencing Isaiah, said “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.” The quoted passage (Isaiah 55) says that G-d will also summon foreign nations to these waters of Torah. And Zechariah says that the nations who fail to observe Sukkot will have no rain! The deeper meaning of course is that they can’t have the rain (i.e. teachings of Torah) if they’re not present at Jerusalem to hear the teachings of Torah being taught by the King]

And, it triggered a thought about the metaphors and ‘One Law.’

Those who oppose One Law say that the Jews are responsible for all of the Torah, but only some of it applies to the Gentile. Continue reading “One Law, Water, Light and Bread”

Did Jonah Meet Yeshua??

So, I’m studying and preparing to teach a segment on the Memra to a group during their Sukkot gathering. It is an invitation I am excited about, particularly because they asked me to briefly share on one of my favorite topics, the Memra, and because at least half of the guests are NOT Messianic, but from local churches! What an opportunity to display the Messiah through Judaic eyes to potential seekers. May their eyes be opened!

Anyway, I had my whole powerpoint presentation finished and was doing some random browsing in Scripture when I was drawn back to a passage I read a few days ago. Then something popped off the page!

Jon 1:1 Now the word of Jehovah came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
Jon 1:2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
Jon 1:3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah; and he went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah.

WOW!! Did that just say what I think it said??

‘The word of Jehovah‘ said…. And then Jonah flees from ‘the presence?!?’

We know that there are so many other places in Scripture where the Angel of the Lord comes and speaks the words of the Father, and we know that there are dozens and dozens of places in the Targumim where personifications of Yehovah are translated as ‘the Word of the Lord.’

Did Jonah speak with and run from the physical presence of pre-incarnate Yeshua?

What are your thought?

Yom Kippur in Babylon

Today marks our fourth Yom Kippur observance since leaving the traditions of men behind, and it has been an interesting one.

As many of my readers know, we are in the unenviable position of being ‘homeless.’ The house we were renting was sold and we had to move out a month ago without having found a suitable rental or purchasable dwelling that meets a litany of requirements. Chief among those requirements is a few acres for our dairy goats. So, while we are staying with friends to remain close to my eldest son’s college for his daily commute and near my work, we have been forced to ‘farm out’ our animals. Five of our Nubian princesses went to the breeder and the five girls from this spring’s kidding, went a state away to be housed on my father-in-law’s farm.

We had hoped it would be temporary, but weeks have stretched into a month and the breeder called. What to do with the other five, but to transport them to my father-in-law’s (FiL) to keep the herd together.

Well, as timing would have it, my wife’s 30th high school reunion is this weekend, and my FiL is being ordained tomorrow as a deacon in the Baptist church… so, early last week I came to the difficult realization that we would have all of this going on over Yom Kippur. Then I got the call… My FiL let me know that we would spend Saturday (Shabbat/Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year) mending fences so the goats would have sufficient grazing.

Feel the angst? Yom Kippur in Babylon! Continue reading “Yom Kippur in Babylon”

‘To the Jew first…’ You can help!!

My regular readers are familiar with Rabbi Itzhak Shapira and his book, The Return of the Kosher Pig, from a number of posts referring to him in one way or another. Frankly, I love this brother in Messiah and his passion for bring the good news to his people.

In the recent past he has had several really special opportunities for which he has needed to raise funds. It has been a blessing to participate.

Today, I received an email about another such opportunity and I want to share it with you. Please participate as you feel led!!

Dear Friends, Rabbis, and close partners of Ahavat Ammi Ministries,

Last year, we had a chance to make a History in Paris, France with the revival project and the donation of a Torah scroll to congregation El Beth-El. During this event, sveral Orthodox Jewish Men received Yeshua as their Messiah. Then, earlier this year, we went to Belgium to establish another Messianic Synagogue (first in the country) to make history. Here are some highlights of our previous outreaches:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ14zo2BNOU

On December this year, we have been given the opportunity to make yet another history together in another area in Europe in the heart of the Jewish community in Italy! Continue reading “‘To the Jew first…’ You can help!!”

His Tender Mercies… Ha’azinu

This week’s Torah portion (Ha’azinu, Deu. 32) has been particularly interesting to study with it yielding a number of heretofore unseen gems. I don’t really have the motivation to share all I learned, though I filled several margins of my Bible with notes. I do want to share an item or two regarding the Memra and Moshe.

As many here recall, I have really enjoyed reading/studying the ‘angel of the Lord’ passages which led to me reading and searching the Targumim for the translator’s understanding of the presence of the Memra. Now, if you are not familiar, the crash course is simple: During the intertestamental period between the Babylonian exile and the destruction of the Temple, several authoritative Aramaic translations of the Torah were composed. What makes them of particular interest is that they are dynamic equivalent translations allowing the translators to interject some of their theological understanding, thus giving us an avenue into the minds of some some Second Temple thought.

The part that has been most fascinating to me is the use of ‘the Word of the Lord,’ or ‘the Memra d’Yah,’ as a personification of YHVH working in the affairs of men. Here is a basic article with additional pingback links in the comments.

With this fascination, I often search the Targumim in certain Torah portions to see what they yield, and this one was special.

Yeshua’s Presence is clearly visible, even without the Memra additions, as we see four significant uses of ‘the Rock,’ which Rav Sha’ul definitively connects to Yeshua in I Cor. 10:4. Besides the ‘Rock’ references, I want to share a few ‘Memra’ occurrences as well as a few thoughts…

32:6-7 Can you indeed so requite the Name of the Word of the Lord, O foolish people, and receive the law, yet not be made wise? Is He not your Father who bought[2] you, who created you and established you?

Moshe is relating future prophecy to Israel. Through the chapter we see many events that happened later, however there are a couple yet future events. In the above quoted paraphrase from Targum Pseudo-Jonathan/Yonatan, we see the prophecy that Israel ‘repays’ the Word of the Lord wrongly by acting corruptly. Continue reading “His Tender Mercies… Ha’azinu”