Moving Beyond Hebrew Roots

After we discover our Hebrew heritage and learn that the Old Testament has not been replaced by the New Testament; as we have come out of the mysterious Babylonian world system and let go of that old time religion, what's next? 
Glad you asked! 
Now we discover the Faith that was once delivered.

Jude 1:3 ~ While I take all pains to write to you of our common life, it is needful for me to write to you, encouraging you to maintain a conflict for the faith which was once delivered to the Set Apart believers.

What does that mean, the faith once delivered, and why do we need to fight for it?  Keep reading:

Jude 1:4 ~ For some have obtained entrance who, from the beginning, were registered beforehand under this condemnation: wicked men who pervert the grace of Elohim to impurity and deny Him who is the only MarYah (Master YHWH), and our Master, Y'shua the Mashiyach.

Long before the days of Y'shua, wicked men had been infiltrating assemblies of YHWH and continue to teach lies to this very day.  It is up to us as Set Apart believers to remind folks of the faith that was delivered long before men began to pervert it. All religions have perverted the Word of our Creator to one degree or another.

1 John 4 ~ Do not believe all spirits, but discriminate among spirits whether they are of Elohim; for many false prophets have gone out into the world... 

These false prophets (wicked men) in their teaching of perverted doctrines, in essence, deny YHWH as our only Elohim and do not recognize Y'shua as the Son of Elohim.

What is 'faith'?
Hebrews 11 ~ Now faith is the persuasion of the things that are in hope as if they were an actual fact, and it is the manifesting of the things not seen. For by faith we understand that the worlds were shaped by the Word of Elohim and that things seen originated from those that are not seen.

In our continued reading and study of Scriptures, it is by faith we come to trust our Creator and believe His Word is the truth about everything. We commit ourselves to YHWH and trust Y'shua, His Son.  Our Hope is in the actual fact of the Good News of the Kingdom to come, yet to be manifest - all of which we have not seen - but it is by growing in faith we obey the will of the Father.  Examples of faith are taught to us through Noah; when he was told of the things not seen (the Flood), he obeyed Yahweh and made an ark, and became righteous which is by faith. By faith, Abraham, when called, obeyed Yah, left home and traveled to the place of his inheritance while he had no idea where he was going. By faith he became a resident in the land that was promised. By this same faith we also inherit the promised land.

1 Peter 1:6-9 ... when you are under some pressure by the various trials that pass over you (it is) so that the proof of your faith may appear more precious than refined gold that is tested by fire, to glory and honor and praise at the manifestation of Y'shua: whom having not seen, you love; and in the faith of whom you rejoice with the joy that is glorious and beyond expression, that you may receive the reward of your faith, the life of your souls...

According to Scriptures, faith is not about religion or the doctrines of man. Faith is much more than saying "In God We Trust", going to church and reciting prayers. Faith is our commitment to the Living Elohim who provided an Owner's Manual to go with His Creation which includes all humanity. As we read, study, research, discuss and learn about His ways, the Ruach haKodesh reveals the truth of all things, and it becomes a harmonious relationship in which we gain understanding. It is His Path of Righteousness we continue to move along towards the land of our inheritance. Satan, with his various devices which cause division, tries to stop us from moving along this path, and succeeds in turning many people away from YHWH Elohim our heavenly Father.

John 20:29 - Y'shua said to him, "Now that you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who do not see me and believe."

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Since discovering these Hebrew origins-- beginning with Abraham the Hebrew and continuing through the descendants of Jacob which became the House of Israel --many have be led to align themselves with today's Jews, completely ignoring the other eleven tribes, a serious side-effect of many Hebrew Roots teachers. These people begin to embrace traditions as they adorn themselves with prayer shawls, clip-on tzitzits, collect shofars, menorahs and Israeli flags, wear pins and star of David jewelry, and keep the 7th day rest every sat-day. They follow the herd as they 'stand with Israel' not knowing today's modern day state of Israel is not Biblical Israel and they believe that Jews are God's chosen people who were gathered back to their land in 1948. Some folks even go as far as to submit their DNA for analysis to see if they are blood relatives of the Jews. Sadly, they don't realize how much has been added to the Word of Elohim via Judaism, the writings in the Talmud and the mystical Kabbalah. It's as if Satan is throwing out one last stumbling block for those of us seeking YHWH. We came out of the Babylonian religious systems but many are in danger of being snared by Judaism and all its customs. YHWH's Son refers to this very topic and taught against it.

Click here to go to my study Who Is Israel

Let's come back to the first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Recorded in these writings are YHWH's plans for His people and the precise instructions to follow in order to live in a just and righteous fashion. They are known as Torah in the Hebrew language and Instructions in the English language. Christianity likes to call them Laws and put them under the heading of Legalism which makes it easier to promote the belief that Jesus 'nailed them to the cross' and did away with them. This is not the case.  

Does any one even take into consideration where the Ten Commandments came from? There are even folks who think only Two Commands apply today.  The Two and the Ten can be backtracked to the rules and regulations found in the Old Testament and narrowed down to the first five books. For example, Matthew 22 tells us that Yah's Instructions (Torah) and the (writings of the) prophets hold onto these two commandments: 

• Love Master Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart, soul, might and mind 
• Love your neighbor as yourself 

Earlier, we read in Deuteronomy 6:5

• You shall love Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart and all your soul and with all your might.

and in Leviticus 19:18

• Do not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your countrymen. Love your fellow as yourself.

It is because of our faith 

that we become obedient, through love.

If we have no love nothing else matters.

Faith, not religion, is what Y'shua asked about, wondering if any will be found on this earth when he returns (Luke 18:8). He spoke this parable against men who relied upon themselves thinking they were righteous, while despising everyone else.

Click here to go to my study Faith and Salvation

Being made aware of the Hebrew Roots of the Word of Elohim (aka Scriptures) is a valuable stepping stone along His Path.  Do not let it become a stumbling block by trading your old religion for a substitute. Pick up your Bible and start reading from the beginning, Genesis, on through to Deuteronomy.  Just a light surface reading will do the first time... now read it again and one more time. Take notes and write down your questions.  Let His Words sink in and allow His Spirit to teach you.  Y'shua called this Spirit the Comforter, who reveals truth. Find fellow Set Apart believers to share and grow with.  Understand that we are no different from the people we read about in Scriptures. We have the same struggles, joys and sorrows.  Satan is still seeking whom he can devour as we face the same temptations and make decisions.  By obeying the Instructions given by our Creator we are trained up so as to make the right decisions.  Continue reading through the Old Testament noting the results of the decisions made by those people. All this was written for our benefit so that we would not make the same mistakes. Scriptures contain everything we need to know in order to live a good life as we wait for the return of Y'shua our High Priest and future King.

Traditions of Man

Definition of "tradition" from the 

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

• an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior
• a belief or story or a body of beliefs or stories relating to the past that are commonly accepted as historical though not verifiable
• the handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another without written instruction
• cultural continuity in social attitudes, customs, and institutions
• characteristic manner, method, or style

Mark 7:5 The scribes and the Pharisees ask Y'shua, "Why don't your disciples walk according to the traditions of the elders? His short answer is: "You hypocrites... You have left the Commandment of Elohim and have embraced the tradition of men. ... And you despise the Word of Elohim because of the tradition that you have handed down..."

This entire chapter showcases one of the greatest discussions of 'oral versus written law' predating what would later be recorded in the Talmud some 200 years later.

Matthew 15:3 records the same... the scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem ask Y'shua why his disciples transgress against the traditions of the elders. He asks them, "Why do you transgress the Commandments of Elohim because of your traditions?"

Written Torah was pitted against the oral traditions of the Pharisees who were nullifying the Word of YHWH by their traditions - he would not instruct his followers to do likewise.

Who were the scribes?

Members of a learned class studying the Scriptures and serving as copyists, editors, teachers, and jurists

Who were the Pharisees?

Members of a Jewish sect noted for strict observance of rites and ceremonies of the written law and for insistence on the validity of their own oral traditions concerning the law.

Who were the Sadducees?

Members of a Jewish party consisting of a traditional ruling class of priests and rejecting doctrines not in the Law (such as resurrection, retribution in a future life, and the existence of angels)

Quote from the Jewish Virtual Library: 

Of the various factions that emerged under Hasmonean rule, three are of particular interest: the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes.

The most important of the three were the Pharisees because they are the spiritual fathers of modern Judaism. Their main distinguishing characteristic was a belief in an Oral Law that God gave to Moses at Sinai along with the Torah. The Pharisees believed that God also gave Moses the knowledge of what these laws meant and how they should be applied. This oral tradition was codified and written down roughly three centuries later in what is known as the Talmud.

The Sadducees were elitists who wanted to maintain the priestly caste, but they were also liberal in their willingness to incorporate Hellenism into their lives, something the Pharisees opposed. The Sadducees rejected the idea of the Oral Law and insisted on a literal interpretation of the Written Law; consequently, they did not believe in an after life, since it is not mentioned in the Torah. The main focus of Sadducee life was rituals associated with the Temple.

The Sadducees disappeared around 70 A.D., after the destruction of the Second Temple. None of the writings of the Sadducees has survived, so the little we know about them comes from their Pharisaic opponents. These two "parties" served in the Great Sanhedrin, a kind of Jewish Supreme Court made up of 71 members whose responsibility was to interpret civil and religious laws.

A third faction, the Essenes, emerged out of disgust with the other two. This sect believed the others had corrupted the city and the Temple. They moved out of Jerusalem and lived a monastic life in the desert, adopting strict dietary laws and a commitment to celibacy.

The Talmud

Quoted from the Jewish Virtual Library:

The Oral Law is a legal commentary on the Torah, explaining how its commandments are to be carried out. Common sense suggests that some sort of oral tradition was always needed to accompany the Written Law, because the Torah alone, even with its 613 commandments, is an insufficient guide to Jewish life. For example, the fourth of the Ten Commandments, ordains, "Remember the Sabbath day to make it holy" (Exodus 20:8). From the Sabbath's inclusion in the Ten Commandments, it is clear that the Torah regards it as an important holiday. Yet when one looks for the specific biblical laws regulating how to observe the day, one finds only injunctions against lighting a fire, going away from one's dwelling, cutting down a tree, plowing and harvesting. Would merely refraining from these few activities fulfill the biblical command to make the Sabbath holy? Indeed, the Sabbath rituals that are most commonly associated with holiness-lighting of candles, reciting the kiddush, and the reading of the weekly Torah portion are found not in the Torah, but in the Oral Law.

Without an oral tradition, some of the Torah's laws would be incomprehensible.

Can you see where the term 'legalism' was wrongly applied by Christians to Torah, the written Word of Yah, as an excuse to ignore the Old Testament, while at the same time being totally blind to the fact it was the acts of the scribes and Pharisees which made their opinions 'legal'? That is the foundation of Judaism, another religion that perverts our heavenly Father's Instructions for humanity.

Babylonian Talmud? Does this have anything to do with the warning to 

Come out of Babylon?

I do not support the use of the talmud nor do I support folks who use it as a teaching guide. Rabbis believe "Without an oral tradition, some of the Torah's laws would be incomprehensible" and this is simply not true. The talmud provides insight to the 'Jewish mindset' (not the Hebrew mindset) via the early rabbinic system (the beginnings of Judaism = a religion). It is a collection of writings that cover all 'Jewish law and tradition'. Rabbis believe we cannot understand "Torah" without it and I find that to be a false teaching. They were guilty of putting a 'fence around Torah' back in the day and this is the same sort of power trip the RCC participates in. I am pointing out to Beware the traditions of man. When we continue to read and study Scriptures daily, His Spirit will reveal the Truth wherein we gain knowledge and understanding, without the influence of traditions or man's opinions about "God". Y'shua called the scribes and Pharisees hypocrites because they transgressed against the Commandments of Elohim by way of their traditions... which later became recorded in the Talmud. This is a big reason why I do not recommend using the Talmud in an attempt to teach, shed light or verify the Word of YHWH.

Traditions of Men - Hard habits to break

I think one of the hardest things for any professing Christian is to give up the traditional holiday festivities. 

We are raised believing in Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, Ghosts and Goblins, sunrise service and other distractions put in our way by Satan. We don't know any better because that's what mom and dad have done and their folks and their folks before them. Innocently enough, little white lies and fairy tales have kept us off His Path.

That's how it was for me until I started asking questions, and I only started asking those questions a handful of years ago. What, why, who and when.... 

None of it will make sense unless you are pointed in the direction of life on a straight path that leads to a narrow gate. It ain't easy but we do it out of love and gratitude for our heavenly Father and His Son. We must choose to participate in His plan else we get nothing out of it. 

I think the main reason we look forward to the holidays is because they are so festive with all the lights and colors and good food and drink. Families get together, make time for one another and no doubt there is love there, too, but it's all performed beneath the pagan decorations of another lifetime. To YHWH it has the outward appearance of pagan worship. It smacks of Babylonian ways which He warned us to stay away from more than once. 

Some facts are: 

• Yahshua was not born on December 25
• Easter is a fertility ritual (rabbit/egg)
• Origins of Halloween

There is plenty available for historical research about the origins of what we think are American, Christian holidays. We have been lead astray and by that I mean Satan has taken us by the hand and walked us in the opposite direction from which YHWH desires us to go. It would be wise to choose to remain on that straight path that leads to the narrow gate. That means turning our backs on these pagan festivals. We do so with the help of His son, Y'shua, because with out him, we are fair game for the Adversary- Satan.

This is just one of many steps in the spiritual journey that returns us to the King of the Universe, YHWH, our Creator.