464 Y'shua a Jewish Rabbi | nazareneisrael2house

Y’Shua a Jewish Rabbi.

Many believers in our Nazarene Jewish/Israelite faith believe that there are two types of Judaism, namely authentic Biblical Judaism and Rabbinical Judaism, even though they are exactly the same to the more traditional believers like me. About a hundred years after Messiah’s ascension to heaven Gentile-centered believers separated themselves from the Nazarene Pharisees who originally believed in Messiah and ultimately succeeded in their efforts by non-Jewish believers to separate the Jewish Believers from their Jewish roots. The Nazarene Israelite movement was persecuted severely by the newly formed Gentile Christian Church which was captured by Esau and remained so for almost 2000 years. But, it is possible to prove that during the past 2000 years there have always been small groups of Israelites who remained Torah observant believers in Messiah.

The main conflict or difference between the two groups of people who claimed to be followers of the Jewish Messiah was the acceptance of the authority of the Rabbinical Rabbis concerning the proclaiming of the annual Set-apart Calendar of G-d and the Koshering of food for consumption by believers. A great deal of confusion today is based on emotions rather on the accurate understanding of the Scriptures. The point is that Y’shua might be our Messiah, but He was a Teacher or Rabbi to His first century disciplesand should also be to us His latter day disciples. Most Scholars agree that the context of Y’shua’s discussions with various authoritative groups of His time indicate that He was or at least favored the Pharisaic groups, as much as that contradicts the attitudes adopted by most of Churchianity. The Pharisees were the founding fathers of Rabbinical Judaism. It is fair therefore to ask, do the anti-rabbinical viewpoints of Churchianity contrast with that of Messiah? Matthew 23 is a chapter much quoted to condemn the scribes and the Pharisees. The things discussed in Matthew 23 are about attitudes toward Torah, the same things that were discussed in Jewish groups throughout history and even today. The point is that we should not do things for the sake of appearances; like Messiah, Judaism teaches that such people already have their reward in this world and not in the world to come (Olam Haba), when Messiah brings the reward of rulership to those saved. Y’shua’s warnings are in fact a recurrent thing in Judaismand absolutely in agreement with Torah, even though the Renewed Covenant is at this time not aimed at the Jews – since Messiah’s first advent was not for them at all. For example, when Y’shua spoke to the scribes and the Pharisees in Matthew 23: 15, saying: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel about on sea and land to make one proselyte (or convert); and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves”. He was not really speaking to the Jews of His day, since they,like today do not believe in proselytizing new believers into their faith. Jews do not like Churchianity try to convert everybody to their point of view, but will only assist those who come to them and seek to be converted. We should therefore obey what He said and follow their examplenot to try and convert everybody we get into contact with, since HaShem does the calling as Y’shua clearly stated in John 6: 44, saying: “No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”

When the children of Israel heard G-d’s voice at Mount Sinai it was too much for them and they were afraid, so they asked Moses to relate G-d’s teachings to them. They therefore entrusted Moses with the authority to convey to them what G-d wanted them to know from heaven. It is for this reason that when HaShem gave the Israelites the times and duration of His Set-apart Days in Leviticus 23, that HaShem spoke to Moses in verses 2 – 5, saying: “Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, ‘(HaSHem)’s appointed times which you (Moses, or those Levites who succeed you) shall proclaim as holy convocations—My appointed times are these: (3) ‘For six days work may be done; but on the seventh day there is a Sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation. You shall not do any work; it is a Sabbath to HaShem in all your dwellings. (The Sabbath is not debatable - HaShem already sanctified it on the day that He originally created it.) (4) ‘These are the appointed times of HaShem, holy convocations which you shall proclaim (or announce) at the times appointed for them (the KJV reads in their season).’” This means that Moses or those Levites who succeed Him, as also confirmed by Y’shua in Matthew 23: 3, shall announce the timing of G-d’s Feast Days, provided they are in the correct season. Passover and the Feast of Unleavened bread should be in spring in the Northern Hemisphere; Shavuot or the Feast of First Fruits when wheat is harvested in Israel and Sukkot or the Feast of Tabernacles, at a time when all other fruits and products are harvested in the autumn or fall season in Israel. Even though the house of Judah was like the house of Israel taken into captivity, they remained Torah observant during their exile in Babylon and continued to do so after they returned to the Promised Land 70 years later with Ezra and Nehemiah, as can be seen from Nehemiah 8: 2, 13 - 18, as follows: ‘Then Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month. (13) Then on the second day the heads of fathers’ households of all the people, the priests, and the Levites were gathered to Ezra the scribe that they might gain insight into the words of the law. (14) And they found written in the law how HaShem had commanded through Moses that the sons of Israel should live in booths during the feast of the seventh month. (15) So they proclaimed and circulated a proclamation in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the hills, and bring olive branches, and wild olive branches, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of other leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.” (16) So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each on his roof, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of G-d, and in the square at the Water Gate, and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim. (17) And the entire assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in them. The sons of Israel had indeed not done so from the days of Joshua the son of Nun to that day. And there was great rejoicing. (18) And he read from the book of the law of G-d daily, from the first day to the last day. And they celebrated the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly according to the ordinance (in Leviticus 23: 36).’ Nehemiah further confirmed the authority of the house of Judah, because of their continued loyalty to G-d in Nehemiah 9: 14, saying: “So Thou didst make known to them Thy holy Sabbath, and didst lay down for them commandments, statutes and law, through Thy servant Moses.”

There were several groups in the days of Y’shua: namely Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes and Zealots. There were also groups or sects within groups, such as the sect of the Pharisees, namely the Nazarenes to which Y’shua’s disciples belonged as witnessed in Acts 15: 5[1] and 24: 5 & 14[2]. The Pharisees were those who were known as the ‘separate’ ones, since they wanted to remain separate from the influence of Rome. They were the local rabbis and eventually gave birth to modern day Rabbinical Judaism. The Sadducees were the aristocracy of the Temple and were also connected to the Roman rulers of the time. The Sadducees were the forerunners to the Karaite Jews of today, whose rejection of the Oral Torah caused them to be considered heretical in Judaism. With this background it is easier to understand the conversations Y’shua had with these two groups and show the significance of His agreement with the Pharisees. The Pharisees sought and clung more to the essence of Torah than the Sadducees and whereas the Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the dead (and the coming of Messiah), the Sadducees did not, as can be seen from their discussion with Y’shua in Matthew 22 regarding the resurrection of the righteous. The Pharisees were most closely associated with Y’shua’s disciples. The scribes were not only those responsible to write the Torah scrolls and the Mezuzot for the door posts and gates of the houses of believers (as they also do today); they were also experts in the Law. Most of the times that Y’shua mentioned the Pharisees He also spoke about the scribes; so we can assume that they were also of the Pharisaic sect.

Rulings of the rabbinical rabbis of today are mostly based on the Talmud. They never make independent decisions, but operate on the authority reaching back to Moses and therefore sit in the seat of Moses. In fact this was commanded by G-d in Deuteronomy 17: 8 – 13, in this way: “If any case is too difficult for you to decide, between one kind of homicide or another, between one kind of lawsuit or another, and between one kind of assault or another, being cases of dispute in your courts, then you shall arise and go up to the place which HaShem your G-d chooses. (9) So you shall come to the Levitical priest or the judge who is in office in those days, and you shall inquire of them, and they will declare to you the verdict in the case. (10) And you shall do according to the terms of the verdict which they declare to you from that place which HaShem chooses; and you shall be careful to observe according to all that they teach you. (11) According to the terms of the law which they teach you, and according to the verdict which they tell you, you shall do; you shall not turn aside from the word which they declare to you, to the right or the left. (12) And the man who acts presumptuously by not listening to the priest who stands there to serve HaShem your G-d, nor to the judge, that man shall die; thus you shall purge the evil from Israel. (13) Then all the people will hear and be afraid, and will not act presumptuously again.” But despite this stern warning by HaShem, there are groups among the house of Israel, who totally disregard this command by HaShem and who follow either their own, or the Karaite calendar instead of being in the least concerned about the Hebrew calendar. It is for this reason that HaShem again issued a warning message through the prophet Malachi in Malachi 2: 1 – 8, as follows: ‘”And now, this commandment is for you, O priests. (2) If you do not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to give honor to My name.” says HaShem of hosts, “then I will send the curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings; and indeed, I have cursed them already, because you are not taking it to heart. (3) Behold, I am going to rebuke your offspring, and I will spread refuse on your faces, the refuse of your feasts; and you will be taken away with it. (4) Then you will know that I have sent this commandment to you, that My covenant may continue with Levi,” says HaShem of hosts. (5) “My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him as an object of reverence; so he revered Me, and stood in awe of My name. (6) True instruction was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not found on his lips; he walked with Me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many back from iniquity. (The Levites, who are presently amongst Judah, are very meticulous in the way in which they serve HaShem and even though some of us from Ephraim believe that they are going overboard, they put in every effort to serve Him fully.)(7) For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his mouth; for he is the messenger of HASHEM of hosts. (8) But as for you, you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to stumble by the instruction; you have corrupted the covenant of Levi,” says HaShem of hosts’

Thosewho insist that they do not have to keep the Feast Days of HaShem any longer, because Y’shua has abolished it together with the so-called ceremonial laws, need to be reminded of Messiah’s words in both Matthew 5: 17 – 20 and in John 5: 43 – 47, as follows:

Matthew 5: 17 – 20: “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.” Without reading the next few verses, some quote this verse to show that Y’shua came to fulfill the requirements of the Law for them. The truth is that He actually came to make the Law more binding, as He explained further in chapters 5, 6 & 7 of Matthew and specifically in verses 18 – 20 of Matthew 5, saying: “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished. (19) Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and so teaches others, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven (which will eventually come to earth as Y’shua taught His disciples in the model prayer in Matthew 6: 9 – 13); but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (20) For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
John 5: 43 – 47: “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive (or believe) Me; if another shall come in His own name, you will receive him. (44) How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another, and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only G-d? (45) Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. (46) For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote of Me. (47) But if you do not believe his writings (Torah),how will you believe My words?”

Even so, there is a great misunderstanding about Y’shua’s position regarding Torah. In the two scriptural references given above, He clearly indicated that He did not come to change it in any way. We also read from John 1: 1 – 3: ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with G-d, and the Word was G-d. (2) He was in the beginning with G-d. (3) All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.’ The Word of HaShem is connected to this world, until heaven and earth pass away. Judaism teaches that Torah preceded the creation – G-d looked into Torah and created the world. They see Torah as the blueprint or Adam Kadmon of creation, but also that G-d created the universe through Him[3]. We are also told in Judaism that the spirit of Messiah hovered over the deep of the world (in Genesis 1: 2), and that this was the primordial light of the first day that calmed the chaos (caused by Satan when he rebelled against G-d and wanted to take over G-d’s throne in the third heaven as per Isaiah 14: 12 – 15 & Ezekiel 28: 13 – 15) and facilitated creation as recorded in John 1: 4 & 5, as follows: ‘In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. (5) And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.’ The Torah brings order into our lives by revealing G-d’s will and way in this world. Y’shua, who embodied the spirit of Messiah in this world, understood the significance of Torah. That same spirit of G-d, dwelling in each believer draws us to G-d’s will and way, which is described only through the Torah. Y’shua fully understood this and was teaching it to His followers. When He taught His followers or disciples in Matthew 5: 20 (quoted earlier) that their righteousness should exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees, contrary to what some believe, He was not implying that the Pharisees will not be in the kingdom of G-d, but addressing His disciples and future followers from the lost ten tribes, saying that our righteousness should exceed that of the Pharisees, because of our tendency to worship idols and our lust for the unclean.

Jews who obey Torah get the Set-apart Spirit through obedience to Torah, as Y’shua also told a Pharisee who asked Him in Matthew 19: 16, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?”, saying: “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” Judah who always knew what sin is need only repent and return to G-d in obedience, every time they miss the mark, but returnees of the lost ten tribes of the house of Israel have to be immersed into the name of Y’shua the Messiah, who paid the penalty for their past law-breaking, as Rav Kepha told them in Acts 2: 36 - 38, saying:‘Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that G-d has made Him (meaning Y’shua) both Master and Messiah—this Y’shua whom you crucified.” (37) Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Kepha and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?”(38) Kepha said to them, “Repent, and each of you be immersed in the name of Y’shua Messiah for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Set-apart Spirit.”’ Immersion is an act of faith and symbolizes our death and burial in a watery grave with Y’shua, but also our resurrection with Him as a new person cleansed from our sins by His blood, when we come out of the water as explained in Romans 6: 1 - 7.After immersion we should be taught to obey Torah by the teacher who immersed us, or by attending a synagogue in our area as Rav Yaa’cov recommended in Acts 15: 19 – 21, saying: “Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning (or returning) to G-d from among the Gentiles (those from the house of Israel who started believing that they were Gentiles and a small number of real Gentiles), (20) but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. (21) For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

Y’shua wanted and still wants His disciples to follow the Torah from the heart. But how does one follow Torah from the heart? We are told that there is no reward for not breaking a negative command. For example, no one is going to congratulate you for not killing your neighbor or for not stealing his property. If you and I want to be congratulated for that, there is something wrong with our characters. As much as such things are considered normal behavior in life, the positive command should be as well. Obviously you act kindly; obviously you pray; obviously you love G-d and your neighbor with all your heart. That is living by the spirit of the law. It is simply a way of life and that was the essence of what Y’shua was teaching His disciples in Matthew 5. We are not praised or congratulated for doing what we should do naturally. Even though Y’shua explained to us from the lost sheep of the house of Israel that we are the prodigal son whilst the house of Judah is the eldest son who remained loyal to our heavenly Father in Luke 15: 11 - 32,there are also a few other things to understand from this parable. Y’shua was talking to the scribes and the Pharisees who criticized His association with sinners in Matthew 9: 11, saying to them in verse 12, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.”According to Torah and therefore also according to the scribes and the Pharisees, sinners were those whose lifestyles were contrary to Torah, which some in Churchianity refer to as a yoke. What is the purpose of a yoke? It tames wild animals and makes them useful to their masters. The sinning nature of a person is also referred to as his animal nature; sinners were therefore like wild animals that do not want to be tamed by Torah. Since we are told not to sit in the seat of scoffers (in Psalm 1), this was a valid concern by the Pharisees when they criticized Y’shua’s behavior. However, Messiah’s way of walking Torah for His followers is stricter than that of the Pharisees and He also told them in Matthew 11: 28 – 30, saying: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest (during His millennial rule). (29) Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU SHALL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. (30) For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.” Rav Yochanan confirmed Messiah’s teaching in 1 John 5: 2 & 3, saying: ‘By this we know that we love the children of G-d, when we love G-d and observe His commandments. (3) For this is the love of G-d, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.’

But Y’shua explained to the Jews that they did not need Him, by relating the parable of the lost sheep to them in Luke 15: 4 – 6, informing them that in agreement with the Prophecies in the Tanach, He came to bring those of us from the lost sheep of Israel back into their sheepfold, saying: “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? (5) And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. (6) And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with Me, for I have found my sheep which was lost! (7) I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” While the main message about the parables in Luke 15 was the rejoicing in heaven over the return of even one sinning member of the lost sheep of Israel, there is also the underlying message that the Pharisees did not need Messiah. Y’shua never attacked the Law keeping of the Pharisees, but those who claim to follow Him today are very critical of the Jews, who are the only ones who keep the Law fully. Those who sit in Moses’ seat today are the Rabbinical Jews. During the time Y’shua was teaching His original disciples, there were two opposing schools; Shammai, who were very strict and Hillel, who advocated mercy. Y’shua’s opinions leaned toward the school of Hillel and similarly do the majority of the rulings by today’s Rabbinical Jews tend toward the rulings of Hillel. Those returning lost sheep of the house of Israel, who believe that the Oral Torah was the main reason for criticizing the Pharisees, need to understand that the Oral Torah of Messiah’s day became the Talmud of today. In addition, these discussions were typical of the interactions between equals debating the truth, even sometimes criticizing and getting close to insulting each other. But, it is a mistake to believe or think that the Oral Torah was ever discarded by Y’shua. Few realize that Y’shua’s interpretation of Torah is within the parameters of the teachings of traditional Judaism of His time. Y’shua’s teachings developed a systematic interpretation for sanctification of everyday life for His disciples, but also for us His modern day disciples. It is a practical system demanding a very high standard of personal self-discipline and commitment to Him as their/our Master.

Y’shua taught that there must be a purification of inward motives for Torah observance – we obey Torah because we know and therefore love G-d. The spiritual condition of a person is reflected by outward actions. Rav Shaul who was personally instructed by Y’shua, instructed the various Israelite congregations in the then Gentile world to obey Oral Laws passed on to him by Y’shua. Notice in the instructions of Rav Shaul to the various congregations that he referred to traditions and instructions from either Y’shua or the Torah, which are not in the written Torah, the first two came from the Oral Torah, namely the Mishnah and the last one from Y’shua:

1 Corinthians 14: 34: ‘Let the woman keep silent in the congregations; for they are not permitted to speak, but let them subject themselves, just as the Law also says.’
2 Thessalonians 2: 15: ‘So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth, or by letter from us.’
1 Corinthians 11: 1 & 2: ‘Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Messiah. (2) Now I praise you because you remember me in everything, and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you.’

Messiah’s Nazarene followers, just like Y’shua himself, admonished believers to continue to obey the Torah of G-d, which in their day included the Oral Torah. We have to understand that when Churchianity broke with its Jewish roots and became predominantly a Gentile religion, false doctrines became the order of the day. Rav Shaul warned the congregation in Thessalonica about the man of sin in 2 Thessalonians 2: 6 & 7, saying: ‘And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he may be revealed. (7) For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.’ What was restraining this man of sin? The Torah observant Jew – he who now restrains – would be taken out of the way. After Y’shua’s ascension to heaven, a whole new religion started, devoid of the restraint of G-d’s will expressed through Torah. When the break came, all that Rav Shaul was warning them would happen – was the establishment of Christianity by Constantine the Great. Jews who taught a Gentile Torah was outlawed. Scriptural Set-apart Days, including the Sabbath, were changed to holidays more familiar to the pagan traditions. Jewish traditions were changed for Gentile ones, just as Daniel prophesied would occur, as witnessed in Daniel 7: 25, in this way: ‘And he will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times and half a time.’ The two references in Revelation to those who keep the Law and hold the testimony of Y’shua are:

Revelation 12: 17: ‘And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of G-d and hold to the testimony of Y’shua.’
Revelation 14: 12: ‘Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of G-d and their faith in Y’shua.’ The side note against ‘their faith in Y’shua’ reads: the faith of Y’shua.

The commandments of G-d are as most of us are aware of,His Torah teachings. These two passages show clearly that obeying Torah and faith in Y’shua the Messiah are not opposed to one another, but belong together for those who are truly considered to be ‘saints’ with the house of Judah according to the Scriptures. It is clear that the anti-Jewish attitude of Churchianity to degrade the Torah and the authority of the Rabbinical rabbis is certainly in conflict with true believers in Messiah and definitely foreign to the spirit of Messiah!

As Nazarene Israelites, we base our Torah walk on Y’shua our Messiah, whom HaShem sent to be our perfect example. We better make sure that we do what Y’shua taught and not contradict Him by our words or actions, as He explained in Matthew 7: 19 – 27, in this way: “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (20) So then, you will know them by their fruits. (21) Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Master, Master,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. (22) Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Master, Master, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ (23) And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’ (24) Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock (meaning Y’shua).(25) And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the wind blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock. (26) And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. (27) And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall.” This is also what will identify us from the lost ten tribes as G-d’s people whom Messiah came to reconcile back to both the Father and Brother Judah. Y’shua was a Jew by birth, so this is telling us that we should not only keep G-d’s commandments, but that we should follow the faith into which our Master was born. Y’shua was the only one who could correct the ‘halacha’ of the Pharisees for His followers; He came to bring revival of Torah among the faithful remnant of the lost ten tribes and to restore the oral tradition which was passed down to us by Moses. Y’shua kept all of the Feast Days of G-d at the same time the Jews of His day did, butkept the Passover 24 hours before them and before He was betrayed later that night, so that His death during the following day time could correspond with the timing when the Passover lambs are slaughtered at 3.00pm.

Once we from the lost ten tribes have returned to the covenant relationship we made with G-d together with the house of Judah, through Abraham’s one seed, Y’shua, we become servants of righteousness like all Torah observant Jews are, as Rav Shaul explained in Romans 6: 16 – 18, saying: ‘Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? (17) But thanks be to G-d that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, (18) and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.’Rav Yaa’cov therefore called Torah the law of liberty in James 1: 25, saying: ‘But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.’The road that we as Nazarene Jews/Israelites walk is a narrow and lonely road and similar to our Jewish Brothers, Torah is not a burden to us. In fact obeying the Torah means freedom for us and since Y’shua redeemed us from our past sins, it is the road to eternal life. Baruch HaShem!

[1] Acts 15: 5: ‘But certain ones of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed, stood up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.”’

[2] Acts 24: 5 & 14: “For we have found this man a real pest and a fellow who stirs up dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. (14) But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the G-d of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law, and that is written in the Prophets.”

[3] This is perhaps the reason that only the word of HaShem could die for firstly the sins of the lost sheep of the house of Israel, but eventually for all mankind.