Blogs

The problem with fences, they say, is that not only do they keep some peo­ple in, but they keep others out. While this is definitely true, and regarding this prin­ciple one should definitely exercise caution, we should not, however, “throw the baby out with the bath water.” While some fences are built to the extreme (i.e. you don’t need a 20 ft fence to keep your dogs in the yard), a prop­erly built fence keeps in the children and pets, keeps out the unwanted solicitors & preda­tors, and maintains a healthy relationship with the neighbors. It’s the same with Torah.

A brief look at Yeshua’s authority in comparison with rabbinic authority

The Gospel of Matthew begins by setting the stage for the important truths which will follow. It begins,

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. (Matthew 1:1)

Dispelling a fundamental misunderstanding of first century Judaism.

One of our goals at Emet HaTorah is to restore the Jewish Jesus.  While this may seem like a self-evident truth and an unnecessary objective, there are many aspects of this truth which remain hidden from the majority of Believers… even those acutely aware that Jesus was Jewish.  Many of the interpretations and concepts we impose on the Scriptures, particularly the Apostolic Scriptures (the “New Testament”), claim to find their origin within the Scriptures themselves, or at least within the historical record of the biblical narrative.  While these interpretations may not ever seem to be problematic to many Believers, there are many times these interpretations actually undermine the authority of the biblical canon and compromise the immutability of the Almighty.  In our attempt to explain Scripture, particularly the Apostolic Scriptures, we need to verify that our interpretation does not compromise the basic revelation found within the sacred text.  Unfortunately, this is more often the case than not when theologians find themselves caught between the Jewish Jesus and Christian dogma.  So, let’s take a look at one particular expression of this way of thinking.

In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), Yeshua challenges his disciples in many areas of life. In his longest recorded sermon, he reveals the will of the Father in relationship to how the principles of Torah should be lived out.  This lengthy teaching begins with what has been labeled as the Beatitudes.  These are short, pithy sayings in which the Master praises a particular character trait or behavior and associates it with a reward or gives the result of such action.