The Torah Network

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This is the principle question every Christian needs to face. Most of the history of Christendom has been under the assumption that Messiah dies to destroy the Torah so they wouldn’t have to obey it anymore. But the Bible says He actually died to pay for our breaking it, and to empower us to obey it.

Question Everything

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From This Week’s Torah Portion:

Mount Gerizym & Mount Eyval – Blessings & Curses

“And Moshe and the priests, the Levites, spoke to all Yisra’el, saying, ‘Be silent and hear, O Yisra’el: This day you have become the people of YHWH your Elohim, and you shall obey the voice of YHWH your Elohim, and do His commands and His laws which I command you today.’ And Moshe commanded the people on that day, saying, ‘These are to stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people, when you have passed over the Yarden: Shim’on, and Levi, and Yehudah, and Yissaskar, and Yoseph, and Binyamin. And these are to stand on Mount Ěyval to curse: Re’uven, Gad, and Asher, and Zevulun, Dan, and Naphtali. And the Levites shall speak with a loud voice and say to all the men of Yisra’el:

“Cursed is the man who makes a carved or molded image, an abomination to YHWH, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and sets it up in secret. And all the people shall answer and say,’ Amein!’

Cursed is he who makes light of his father or his mother. And all the people shall say,’ Amein!’

Cursed is he who moves his neighbor’s boundary. And all the people shall say, ‘Amein!’

Cursed is he who misleads the blind in the way. And all the people shall say, ‘Amein!’

Cursed is he who twists the judgment of the stranger, the fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, ‘Amein!’

Cursed is he who lies with his father’s wife, because he has uncovered his father’s bed. And all the people shall say, ‘Amein!’

Cursed is he who lies with any beast. And all the people shall say, ‘Amein!’

Cursed is he who lies with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother. And all the people shall say, ‘Amein!’
Cursed is he who lies with his mother-in-law. And all the people shall say, ‘Amein!’

Cursed is he who strikes his neighbor secretly. And all the people shall say, ‘Amein!’

Cursed is he who takes a bribe to strike an innocent being. And all the people shall say, ‘Amein!’

Cursed is he who does not establish the Words of this Torah. And all the people shall say, ‘Amein!’”

Between Mount Gerizym and Mount Eyval is a small valley. The valley is about three miles long, but so narrow that it is said a man’s voice can be heard across it. Through this narrow strait, following Yehoshua ben Nun, all of the nation of Yisrael had to pass, if they wished to enter the Land of Promise. As they did, they all paused to hear the blessings and the curses they would now be subject to as YHWH’s chosen people, according to the Torah. The conditions under which they would receive either the blessing or the curse were very clearly stated:

“For ye are to cross over the Yarden to go into possess the land which YHWH Eloheykem giveth you, and ye shall possess it, and dwell therein. And ye shall observe to do all the statutes and judgments which I give to you this day.”

It was through this narrow passageway that the people of Yisrael crossed over from the wilderness into a new life with YHWH – and it was the only way.

About 1,400 years later, another Yehoshua – our blessed Messiah – came out of his own time of trial in the wilderness and sat upon a mountain not far from Gerizym and Eyval. He also taught the people following Him about the blessings and curses for doing excellent deeds or evil ones, according to the Torah – and then He did a new thing: He elevated the standard of righteousness for His followers to a level that the curses could no longer even reach. In effect, He commanded them to walk in such a state of perfection, grace and love, that they would be above the simple commands of Torah, and thereby no longer subject to its penalties. He did not do away with the Torah in order to achieve this state of grace and perfection, but rather He brought it into its fullness – to completion. He said to them:

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Torah or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy, but to complete.”

Yehoshua then compared The Way into the kingdom of YHWH to a narrow passage, a way similar to the one between Mount Gerizym and Mount Eyval which led into the Land of Promise. He said,
“Enter in through the narrow gate, because the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter in through it. But the gate is narrow and The Way that leads to life is difficult, and there are few who find it.”

Finally, He stated the condition under which His followers would enter into the kingdom of YHWH and all of its blessings. He said,

“Not everyone who says to me ‘Master, Master,’ shall enter into the kingdom of YHWH, but he who is doing the desire of my Father in the heavens.”

The Father has already clearly stated His desire time and again throughout the pages of scripture, that His people should follow The Way that He has prescribed for them. It is by this narrow Way that the followers of Messiah must pass, keeping the commands of YHWH in their fullness and having the testimony of Yehoshua, in order to crossover from death and curses to everlasting life and blessings with them – and it is still the only Way.

“And it shall be, if you diligently obey the voice of YHWH your Elohim, to guard to do all His commands which I command you today, that YHWH your Elohim shall set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of YHWH your Elohim:
Blessed are you in the city, and blessed are you in the field.

Blessed is the fruit of your body, and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your livestock – the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.

Blessed is your basket and your kneading bowl.

Blessed are you when you come in, and blessed are you when you go out.

YHWH causes your enemies who rise against you to be smitten before your face – they come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.

YHWH commands the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and shall bless you in the land which YHWH your Elohim is giving you.

YHWH does establish you as a set-apart people to Himself, as He has sworn to you, if you guard the commands of YHWH your Elohim and walk in His ways. And all peoples of the earth shall see that the Name of YHWH is called upon you, and they shall be afraid of you.

And YHWH shall make you to have plenty of what is excellent, in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your ground, in the land of which YHWH swore to your fathers to give you.

YHWH opens to you His excellent treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. And you shall lend to many nations, but you do not borrow.

And YHWH shall make you the head and not the tail. And you shall be only on top, and not be beneath, if you obey the commands of YHWH your Elohim, which I command you today, to guard and do. And do not turn aside from any of the Words which I am commanding you today, right or left, to go after other mighty ones to serve them.”

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"If a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit, and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein; the owner of the pit shall make it good, and give money unto the owner of them; and the dead shall be his."

Ex 21

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Found OOMs!

An I Spy birthday card from 2022, a piece by Lisette, and Earthstar by Richard A. Kirk.

https://www.reddit.com/r/cosmi....cartphlegm/comments/
https://weirdfictionreview.com..../2012/10/in-richard-

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Whoever Exalts Himself Shall Be Humbled

In the twenty-first through the twenty-fifth chapters of Mattithyahu, Yehoshua our Messiah is in the city of Yerushalayim, within the precincts of the Temple. He is answering questions and teaching there. The crowd before him consists of P’rushym, Tzadoqym, Sopherym, along with crowds of the Am Ha’aretz. The subject matter of his oratory is diverse, ranging from obedience in the law to the kingdom of YHWH, and even includes some incredible prophecy of the “Yamym Acharym” – The Days of the End. The time of year is those days during the month of Aviv between the selection of the lambs and their slaughter four days later on the Eve of Pesach. The reason he is allowing himself to be publicly questioned on any and all of these subjects is a matter of Torah law – if he is to serve as the lamb of Elohym to be sacrificed for the sins of all mankind at Pesach, then Torah demands that he must first undergo inspection by the leadership of Yisrael during these four days in order to ensure that he is without any blemish. That he was indeed found adequate and unblemished is indicated by the verse at the end of chapter twenty-two, which says, “And no one was able to answer him a word, and from that day on no one was bold enough to ask him any more questions.”

This was Yehoshua’s last great public teaching before his death, resurrection and ascension to the heavens. With that teaching he also included several warnings to those who were and would be his talmidym – his students, or disciples. He was quite serious about them, speaking to them in the strongest of terms. He meant exactly what he said. He also spoke to them clearly, rather than in parables, leaving no room for misinterpretation. Even so, men have consistently ignored and violated these warnings of his ever since those days, claiming that they were only some sort of allegory and metaphor. This has been a monumental error. Yehoshua meant his warnings to be taken absolutely and literally, not figuratively.

In this article, we intend to focus upon three specific warnings that Yehoshua gave in Mattithyahu chapter twenty-three. They are admonitions against egoism, hypocrisy and self-exaltation. They begin with a short introduction to the subject which is directed towards Yehoshua’s own talmidym, but use the Sopherym and P’rushym as examples:

“Then Yehoshua spoke to the crowds and to his taught ones, saying, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit on the seat of Moshe. Therefore, whatever they say to you to guard, guard and do. But do not do according to their works, for they say, and do not do. For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders, but with their finger they do not wish to move them. And they do all their works to be seen by men, and they make their tefillin wide and lengthen the tzitzith of their garments, and they love the best place at feasts, and the best seats in the congregations, and the greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’”

Then comes the first warning:

“But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’, for One is your Teacher, the Messiah, and you are all brothers.”

The Hebrew word ‘rabbi’ (רבי) literally means “my great one.” There is hardly a more bald-faced title of self-exultation than this. It was often interpreted to refer to one’s own personal teacher, though the more common word for teacher is ‘moreh’ (מורה); which carries none of the egotistical baggage of the term rabbi. The reason given for this admonishment is that, “you are all brothers,” implying that no one of Yehoshua’s talmidym is to be considered or appear greater than another.

Next comes the second warning:

“And do not call anyone on earth your father, for One is your father, He who is in the heavens.”

The Hebrew word for father is ‘Av’ (אב). This admonition often causes some confusion, and is the primary excuse used by those who wish to reinterpret Yehoshua’s words about being called Rabbi for doing so. They point out that since Av is the common scriptural term for anyone’s natural father, which is often used throughout its pages for such, and since there is no comparable Hebrew term to replace it, then the entirety of Mattithyahu twenty-three must then be taken allegorically. Of course, this allegory is most often used by those who favor using the titles ‘Rabbi’ or ‘Father’ upon themselves in public, or in their own pet doctrines. The counterpoint to this analogy is that Yehoshua’s prohibitions are against artificial titles of self-aggrandizement, not against material facts. All people have a natural father – and av; and many people are factually teachers – morehym. There is nothing wrong with using these words in their intended sense. It is the exultation of self with such titles that is forbidden in this passage, and literally so.

The origin of Av as a title probably occurs in about the same time period as that of Rabbi. Oddly, many people equate its origin with the Catholic Church. Obviously, that is an impossibility, as the Catholic Church did not exist until about the fourth century C.E. In Yehoshua’s time, it was used exclusively in reference to the head of each Jewish community’s Beyth Dyn, who was then and is still known to this day as the “Av Beyth Dyn.” The reason given by Yehoshua for this admonishment is that only One person deserves the ultimate title of Father of us all, and that is YHWH Himself.

And finally, the third warning:

“Neither be called leaders, for one is your leader, the Messiah. But the greatest among you shall be your servant.”

The common Hebrew word for “leader” is nagiyd (נגיד). It generally refers to the leader of any assemblage of people, such as the commander of a military force or a governing body. However, the word nagiyd is not normally used as a personal title. In scriptural times and to the present, the Hebrew title most often used for a leader is the word “Nassi” (נשיא). It generally is defined as a leader, prince, or president. In Moshe’s time, the leader of each of the twelve tribes of Yisrael was called Nassi. Since the Babylonian exile, the administrator of each local synagogue has carried that title. Today, the Prime Minister of the state of Israel is called Nassi. This is most likely the term that Yehoshua forbade in the warning to his talmidym.

In Ma’asey chapter fifteen, commonly referred to as the “Yerushalayim Council,” Shaul and Barnaba have traveled to that city to attend a meeting of the Shliachym and Zakenym of Haderek – The Way. The subject of the meeting was whether or not under Torah law Gentiles must be circumcised in order to be saved. The meeting quite obviously took the form of a formal Beyth Dyn – a Court of Judgment, as commanded by Torah. Testimony was given by those on both sides of the argument, with Shaul, Barnaba and Shimon Kepha on one side, and certain P’rushym on the other. Once all testimony and evidence had been presented, Ya’akov stood to give the decision to the assembled members of the council on the matter. It is because of this particular act that most scholars have assumed he must have been acting as the Nassi of the Yerushalayim community. However, it is not the duty or place of a community Nassi to make legal decisions or pronounce judgment in a Beyth Dyn. That is the purview of the Dayan. At the end of any hearing, whether civil or criminal, the judge stands and renders his verdict before the court and all present. That is exactly what Ya’akov Hatzadik did.

The Yerushalayim Council acted as the Supreme Court for all communities of Haderek in eretz Yisrael, and throughout the diaspora. It was known as the Beyth Dyn HaGadol – the Great House of Judgement, or Supreme Court. If any disputes between members could not be resolved in the Batey Dyn at their local level, they were brought before this higher court at Yerushalayim. When Ya’akov stood to make his decision on the matter of gentile circumcision known, he did so as Roshey Beyth Dyn - Head of the House of Judgment – as a judge, and not as a Nassi. This is evidenced by his own words following the witness testimony, when he said, “Therefore I judge...” Ya’akov may also have been considered the Nassi or leader of the community at Yerushalayim, but there is absolutely no evidence that he was ever called by that title, and he was surely aware of Yehoshua’s prohibition of it. He was, according to his own words and historical precedent, its judge.

Yehoshua strongly and specifically warned his disciples not to assume any of these three titles, and so be lifted up above their brethren. There is nothing wrong with the concept or identification of being a teacher, a father, or a leader. These are necessary functions within a family, community or other organization. It is rather the lifting up of one’s self by using grand titles that is the problem, and this is the issue at hand in Yehoshua’s condemnations. It is why he forbids those who follow him from using such titles in regard to their relationships with other members of the body of Messiah. The reason he gives in this instant verse for this prohibition reflects that thinking: “But the greatest among you shall be your servant.” According to our Messiah, it is not the one who lifts himself up before his fellow believers with fancy titles who is great before YHWH and his Messiah. Those who do so usurp the place of the Most High and His son. It is rather those who lower themselves in the sight of Elohym and men with humility that are greatest of all, as the final verse in this passage confirms:

“And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.”

Some scholars will note that Yehoshua himself is addressed as “Rabbi” in the writings of Yochanan. This is true, but he is only addressed as such there by others. He only refers to himself as Rabbi in the verses of Mattithyahu twenty-three, where he forbids his talmidym to be called by that same title. Other scholars will assert that Shaul of Tarsos would have achieved such a title himself and would have been addressed with it, having been a talmyd of the esteemed Rabbi Gamliel. This also is probably true, but Shaul left behind all of his former achievements for the sake of Messiah, as he states most eloquently in Philipiyim three:

“If anyone thinks to trust in the flesh, I more – circumcised the eighth day, of the race of Yisrael, of the tribe of Binyamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, according to Torah a Pharisee, according to order, persecuting the assembly; according to righteousness that is in the law, having become blameless. But what might have been a gain to me, I have counted as loss, because of Messiah. What is more, I even count all to be loss because of the excellence of the knowledge of Messiah Yehoshua my Master for whom I have suffered the loss of all, and count them as refuse, in order to gain Messiah…”

And so should we.

YHWH Im’ka, Ovadyah

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OOMs ?

Grids in six-directional hexahedron-sectioned labyrinth of labyrinths fractally. The pattern of the thin bars pressed into the skin of the knees, as we wait to choose another right, left, up, down: forward is blocked.
Spiky beams shatter on the myriads of blockages, the shifting the shadows to create more confusion than illumination. When a kind of night falls, we can follow the faint heat without such distractions.
The heat guides us towards the barely audible beating of many drums - or one heart.

#writtenoom 2024/08/18

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