Table of Contents
How do I contact you ?
Where can I find proof of your teachings?
What do you believe?
Who is Rabbi Tamah Davis?
Why Messianic Judaism?
Why Torah Observant?
How do I Contact you?
You may contact us by e-mail at: Beth Elohim Messianic Synagogue or by letter addressed to: Rab Davis, PO Box 203, Lecanto, FL 34460-0203.
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Where can I find proof of your teachings?
None of my teachings are done in secret. All proof can be found in the biblical citations included with each message. References to Jewish writings are given as well. All the proof you need to ascertain their credibility is found in Scripture informed by context, linguistics, customs and by extra biblical documented material when necessary.
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What do you believe?
Doctrinal Statement
· We believe in the One “Echad,” True Elohim as declared in the Shema (Deut.6: 4), Eternally existent as a “compound unity” of THE FATHER (YHVH); THE SON (Adonai); and THE HOLY SPIRIT (Ruach HaKodesh).
· We believe in the fall and lost estate of man, whose total depravity makes necessary a new birth by the Spirit of G-d.
· We believe in the personality of HaSatan and his present control over unregenerate humankind.
· We believe Yahshua (Jesus), the Messiah is YHVH Elohim’s Word (Torah) Manifest, the eternal Son of Elohim having been eternally existent in the G-dhead, Who in His incarnation as Yahshua HaMashiach was conceived of the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) and born of the virgin Mary and is the One predicted in the Hebrew Scriptures as the Messiah, G-d incarnate, fully divine and fully human, who was sinless, but made sin for us so that we might be reconciled unto YHVH Elohim through Him.
· We believe we are reconciled through our trust in Yahshua’s faithfulness and by obedience to YHVH’s Torah in accordance with the Sevenfold Witness of Yahshua’s definition of a True Believer in the Book of Revelation we become sons of G-d.
· We believe that Believers are united by the Ruach HaKodesh into the commonwealth of Israel awaiting the day when we shall be physically united with Him as his Bride, co-ruling with Him in the world to come
· We believe the Bible, consisting of the Old (Tanakh) and the Refreshed, Renewed Testament (B’rit Chadashah) in the original text is the inerrant, infallible, inspired word of G-d delivered unto humankind through the agency of the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh). That YHVH revealed His plan of reconciliation, and salvation as well as instruction and guidance for all believers.
· We believe in the resurrection of the saved into everlasting life and the resurrection of the damned into eternal damnation.
· We believe that Yahshua the Messiah is the Living Word (Torah), and that Elohim’s revelation to humankind is complete in Him.
· We believe that the nation of Israel (Judah and Ephraim) and the Jewish people have irrevocable promises from YHVH concerning then and their rightful possession of the Land of Israel.
· We believe that in these latter days YHVH will unite the two olive trees of Israel into one entity Israel (Judah and Ephraim) of His Covenants. (Jer. 11:10, 16; Jer. 2:1-21; Jer. 30:1-11; Eze. 37:16-25).
Who is Rabbi Tamah Davis?
Rabbi Tamah Davis is a Jew who received her education from both Jewish and Christian institutions. She trained under the Rosh Rebbe Milkamah ben David of Beth Elohim Messianic Synagogue for over 15 years. She gained additional training from a Rabbi who served in Tampa for many years from the Conservative perspective. Rabbi Davis holds a Doctorate in Theology, a Masters in Biblical Studies, a PhD in Nursing, and a Bachelor’s in Biology. Rabbi Davis is a veteran of the Army Reserve, Active Navy, and Guam Army National Guard. She left the service as Captain in the Army Reserve in the field of Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical warfare. Rabbi Davis served as the Cantor of Beth Elohim while taking her training as a rabbinical student. Rabbi Davis is an ordained Rabbi as was her husband who taught for over 30 years. Rabbi Davis assumed the mantle of the role of Rabbi at Beth Elohim Synagogue after the Rosh Rebbe was gathered to our people in August 2013; a responsibility for which he prepared Rabbi Tamah for many years in advance, blessed be his memory. Rabbi Davis is the Rabbi at Beth Elohim Synagogue in Inverness, Florida. She has spoken at many conferences, lectured at one of the local colleges, and lectured at several Christian churches and organizations on the Jewish roots of Christianity, the truth of G-d’s Grace and Law, and the definition of a true believer as stated by Yahshua (Jesus) who is G-d. Rabbi Tamah Davis is available for lectures and presentations by contacting her at the synagogue e-mail address.
Beth Elohim Messianic Synagogue was founded by Rabbi Phil Davis in 1997 and was duly incorporated by the State of Florida as a non-profit corporation.
Why Messianic Judaism?
1. Yahshua was a Jew, an orthodox (religious) Jew. He observed the tenants of his faith. His lineage was of the House of David (Judah) and the priesthood (Zachariah). Mary was descended from both branches. He taught and lived in Israel. His disciples were Jews. He attended the required festivals and observed the proper sacrifices in Jerusalem. He died and ascended into heaven from Israel and will return to consummate the biblical prophecies given by Israel’s prophets. He will return to rule as King of Kings as the rightful heir on the throne of David, a Jewish King of Israel, in a Jewish land, from Jerusalem. Temple worship will be reinstituted and sacrifices observed. Hebrew will be the spoken language of His kingdom.
2. The inspired Bible is a Jewish book. The Old Testament (Tanakh) was written by Israelites. The Torah (writings) Law was written by Moses an Israelite. The minor/ major prophets and poetical books were written by Israelites. The New (Strong’s: refreshed, renewed) Covenant (Brit Hadassah,) was written by Jews including Luke according to contemporary scholars. Also the oracles of G-d were delivered unto the Jews and we cannot make G-d a liar.
3. The first believers were Jewish. Messianic Judaism was tolerated for a time by mainstream Judaism and considered just another Jewish sect at the beginning. The Bible used was the Hebrew Bible. The New Testament (Brit Hadassah) had not yet been compiled. The order of service was Jewish in nature and concept. The center of the religion was Jerusalem. The rite of circumcision for Gentiles became an irritant outside of Israel, even though the Messianic Jerusalem council ruled it was not required officially for Gentiles. However, certain individuals or groups still insisted upon it contrary to the council’s ruling. This is analogous to today’s Christian churches’ tenants being challenged and/or ignored. The Covenants were delivered to Judah and Israel and no one else (See my pamphlet, “No covenants given to the Gentile Church”. Gentile believers are grafted into Israel.
4. Sun-worship has been fused with the Christian faith. G-d brought Israel out of Egypt, the land of sin, Acts 7:38, 39 and 42. In Acts 7:42 YHVH delivered Israel up to worship the host of heaven, because they would not abide by, and remain faithful to the Covenant, the “Ten Words” (Deu. 4:13 Hebrew text, correctly translated in the New English Bible or Green’s interlinear). Israel would not abide by the “Living Words” (Acts 7:38 NIV) that they received at Mt. Sinai through Moses. Moreover, our Savior Yahshua, the Mediator of the NT (Refreshed, Renewed Covenant) (Heb. 8:6, 9:15; 12:24) has been seeking to mediate the NT to us. The contents of the Renewed Covenant are the same as the Covenant of the old, namely the Law of YHVH (Heb 8:10, 10:16; Jer. 31:33), of which the “Living Words” or the Ten commandments form the foundation.
5. The Ten Commandments are given on two tablets. The second tablet with the last six commandments is the basis of the ethical or social law. The first tablet with the first four Commandments is the basis of the religious law. For almost two thousand years the Institutional Church has been striving to get believers to adhere to the second table. But the first table has been ignored, neglected, turned aside or “done away with.” In Luke 16:17 Yahshua confirms the permanency of the Law: “And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the Law to fail. Should we follow any human authority in an attempt to evade Commandment keeping, including the Fourth-the Sabbath? The Dictionary of New Testament Theology discusses this alleged Sabbath-annulling by Yahshua and concludes, “We may conclude then, that though Yahshua broke through the rabbinic tradition (oral law), about the Sabbath, there was no annulling of the observance of the day. Since this question lingered on, The Archbishop of Reggio at the Council of Trent in 1562 set all hesitation aside by openly declaring that tradition stood above Scripture! His words were, “The authority of the Church (legalism) could therefore not be bound to the authority of the Scripture, because the Church had changed…the Sabbath into Sunday, not by the command of Christ, but by its own authority,” and Protestants by and large have followed this tradition ever since. This is analogous of Jews relegating G-d’s Law to a lower status than the oral law, which well-meaning but misguided Christians, so frequently condemn being akin to removing the beam from your own eye before judging the splinter in another. Is there any difference? In Matthew, Yahshua said: “Do not think that I came to destroy (abolish or annul) the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy (abolish or annul) but to fill. For verily I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the Law till all come to pass (or be accomplished). Whoever therefore breaks one of these commandments the least, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whosoever does and teaches [them], he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” This word “fill” in v. 17 (Greek pleroo) has different meanings when used figuratively. The New English Bible translates it as “complete”, and so does the Canisius Translation. The word pleroo cannot mean “annul” or “abolish” here in v. 17, because firstly, then Yahshua would have contradicted Himself in one and the same verse. Secondly, pleroo is used in Matthew 3:15 and Col. 1:25 where it would be preposterous to suggest a meaning of “annul” or “abolish”. The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, like others, suggests: complete, confirm, meeting the full requirements, corroborate, establish, totalize or even fully preach (the best rendering of Col. 1:25). Others have suggested: execute, or live up to, or comply with as the best rendering, especially in Matt 3:15. In Matt. 5:19, the correct rendering of “breaking one of these Commandments the least” (see Interlinear or the Rotherdam Version), clarifies the difficulty created by the ordinary translations and brings it into harmony with all Scripture.
6. In the year 321 the Roman Emperor Constantine whose family had been sun-worshippers and as he himself said of the sun-deity: “Unconquered Sun, my companion,” also confessed Christianity. This edict declared that Sunday was to be the rest day and was commanded in honor of the sun, and not in honor of the Messiah. The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible emphasizes the motive of Constantine for legislating Sunday as a day of rest stresses the general importance of the sun G-d by the Empire. From the fourth century on there was an increasing assimilation of Yahshua to the sun-G-d (as the Sun of Righteousness), the Christos Helios ( Eusebius [early Church father] Life of Constantine 1.4.18; and the notable mosaic of Christos Helio recently discovered in the tomb of the Julii under the Vatican. This theme of “Christ-the-True-Sun,” had already been proclaimed by Clement of Alexandria (another Church father ca. 150-215) as well Origen who followed in the footsteps of Clement, his teacher, proclaimed the Savior to be “The Sun” (Genesin Homilia 1,5 and 1,8 identified the Messiah with the sun). There are too many of these church fathers claimed by both Catholic and Protestant institutions to enumerate here.
7. In 336 or 364 the Council of Laodicea’s directive instructed Christians not to Judaize by resting on the Sabbath. It was apparently obeyed by Rome and Alexandria the two centers infiltrated by and mixed with pagan religions. Two contemporary historians namely Sozomen in the year 440 and Socrates in the year 439 both recorded observations regarding this remarkable situation. Socrates wrote, “Although almost all churches throughout the world celebrate the sacred mysteries of the Sabbath (Friday at sundown until Saturday at sundown) of every week, yet the Christians of Alexandria and at Rome, on account of some ancient traditions, have ceased to do this (Socrates Ecclesiastical History, 5, 22, as recorded in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers). Sozomen confirms this, “The people of Constantinople, and almost everywhere, assemble together on the Sabbath, as well as on the first day of the week, such a custom is never observed at Rome or Alexandria” (Same reference as above). As the influence and power of the Roman Church grew supported by civil and political power, Sabbath-keeping dwindled until there was hardly a remnant left, scattered and persecuted.
8. Constantine’s religious polity characterized itself in a striking manner by this establishment of Dies-Solis (Sun-day) as a mutual feast-day for the heathen and Christians in the year 321 which excluded them from the Jewish believers and separated them from the Messianic faith of Yahshua. In Exodus we read: “Therefore, because they wanted to be excluded from the Covenant people (Israel), they rejected the sign of the eternal Covenant: the Sabbath. Elohim emphatically declared this to be the sign of the eternal covenant between him and His people. If believers, Jews and Gentiles, are adopted into Israel through trust in Yahshua, then we must keep this sign. YHVH said His Covenant is eternal, forever and the Sabbath is a sign of that eternal Covenant. The Covenants, Laws, the Worship, the Promises from YHVH were given only to Israel (Rom. 9.4 NIV), and since He only made His Covenant with no other people than Israel we are obliged to keep this sign. In the Good News Bible this verse even says of Israel, “They are Elohim’s people…they have the True Worship…” So, when the church rejected the Covenant Law that Elohim had made with His people, Israel -the Ten Words- Elohim gave them up to worship the hosts of heaven, just as He had done previously (Acts 7:42).
9. New Testament is found nowhere in scripture. This is a mistranslation in the Latin Vulgate. The renewed or refreshed Covenant NT (the Hebrew work chawdawsh is derived from the verb chawdash, which means “renew”{see any Hebrew Lexicon} and the Greek equivalent kainos, is best rendered as “fresh” or “renewed”, hence renewed or refreshed Covenant {Testament} see Strong’s concordance-root word) is given only to the House of Israel and Judah, (Heb. 8:8). Most professing Christians don’t know this and are greatly surprised by this revelation. Any convert from the Gentiles has to be grafted into Israel if he wishes to be a “partaker of the root of the fatness of the olive tree,” (Rom. 11:17). This is why Jews do not have to give up their Jewishness when they become believers; they are still Jews of the tribe of Judah of the nation of Israel. There is no such thing as a “completed Jew,” it would be more correct to call a Gentile or Jew who believes a “completed Israelite.”
10. There are many other proofs of paganization within Christianity, but I will only give one more to make my point why I feel G-d has called me to return to the faith of Yahshua and the Messianic faith of the early believers. “Easter” found in Acts 12:4 of the King James Version is a mistranslation of the Greek Pascha. All other translations have subsequently rendered it correctly as “Passover.” Barnes Notes comments on this mistranslation in the single occurrence of the word “Easter” in the King James Version, as follows: “There was never a more absurd or unhappy translation than this.” Not only is the name “Easter” incorrect, but the time of the feast. You would not keep your birthday on the same day each year but would keep it according to the date of the calendar. Constantine’s church instituted “Easter Sunday.” The controversy between the paganized western Church and the Near East believers was finally settled at the Council of Niacea in the year 325 where it was decided Easter was to be kept on Sun-day and on the same Sunday throughout the world and that “none should follow the blindness of the Jews.” Polycarp, the disciple to the Apostle John, had learned from the Apostle himself that the 14th of Abib was the Scriptural day of the year, which had been legislated by G-d Himself to determine the onset of Passover, which our Savior Yahshua kept the night before he was betrayed. Polycarp, Polycrates, Apollinarius and others contended for the correct calculation of Passover to be reckoned from the 14th of Abib (Nissan). With Constantine taking the lead, the Church decided to reject the Scriptural way of determining the date and in favor Easter Sun-day, according to the day of the week thus further separating the church from its Judaic beginning. Easter also has a pre-Christian origin which is the festival in honor of Eostra the Teutonic dawn-goddess, also known as Eos, the Greek dawn-goddess, and as Usha of Ushas, the Hindu dawn-goddess (look in any Oxford English Dictionary). This Eostre was also known to be the spring goddess and the goddess of fertility (hence the tradition of the fertility symbols of eggs and bunnies). It is another form of sun-worship, another variant of the dawn-deity, Eostre, also called Eastre. Eostra or Ostara (Jan de Vries, Altgermanische Religionsgeschichte, I; pp 356-359-Jacob Grimm, Teutonic Mythology, pp. 288-291; The Oxford English Dictionary; G. Jobes, Dictionary of Mythology and Folklore and Symbols, under “Ushas”, “Eos”, and “Easter”, J.G.R. Forlong, Encyclopedia of Religions, under “Ushas”, “Eros,” and “Easter.”) Most probably this Eostre, dawn-deity/fertility deity is the same as Astarte recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures as Ashtaroth and Ashtoreth who was also known as the “queen of heaven.” We should be warned for we read in Mark 7:7, “Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men,” replacing G-d’s times and festivals with the traditions of man.
11. There is a great deal more evidence of paganism inculcated into institutionalized religion for which G-d warns us to be separated, but there is not enough time or space to address all the evidence in this paper. Let it be said if we are to be True Believers we must divest ourselves of all pagan influences and strive to observe and obey the Word of G-d as revealed in the Bible and by Yahshua Himself. Salvation comes through trust in Yahshua’s finished work as ordained by G-d, but the mark of a True Worshipper is as Yahshua Himself revealed in the Seven-Fold Message of Revelation. Yahshua defines what True Worship is in 7 places-the number of spiritual perfection. We learn that True Worship rests on two fundamental principles, and the True Worshipper has to comply with these requirements: To guard the commands of G-d (YHVH) and to believe in Yahshua (Jesus)! We read this in Rev. 12:17, Rev. 14:12, and also in Rev. 15:2-3 where the over comers are described as those who sing the song of Moshe (The Law) and the song of the Lamb, Yahshua. Now for the other four witnesses: “Word,” “Command,” and “Teaching” are very often synonyms, or interchangeable. See for yourself in Ps 119: 142, 151, 160. compare also Ps. 119:105 with Prov. 6:23, and read Prov. 13:13 as well. This leads us to the other four witnesses to what a True Worshipper is as found in Rev. 1:2, Rev. 1:9, Rev. 6:9, and Rev. 20:4
Yahshua further revealed in this book written for us the following:
In Rev 1: 2 (NASB) “I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot endure evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false;
3 and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary.
4 But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you, and will remove your lampstand out of its place– unless you repent.”
Rev 3: 15 “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I would that you were cold or hot.
16 So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.”
Rev 18: 4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her (the apostate church), my people, that you may not participate in her sins and that you may not receive of her plagues;”
Rev 21: 6 And He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.
7 He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his G-d and he will be My son.
8 But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Rev 22: 12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.
13 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
Baruch Hashem~Blessed be His name!
Why Torah Observant?
Let’s examine the motivations for following Torah. There are several reasons why the Torah is to be lived. All reasons are meant to be considered equally.
1. Because G-d Tells Us To!
One word frequently used to describe much of the content of the Torah is the Hebrew mitzvah. This simply means “commandment.” It is something G-d has told us to do. Don’t be frightened by the concept, as if it is something only for the Tanakh. Although Jewish scholars are quick to assert that there are 613 commandments in the Torah, New Testament scholars nave noted that there are over 1,000 such “commandments” in the Brit Chadasha! A commandment is a commandment. After all, what is the difference between celebrating Shavuot and choosing elders to govern your fellowship? Both are commanded. We want get into that here.
2. Torah Gives Definition
What does it mean to be Jewish or an Israelite? As noted earlier, the Torah is the only authoritative document, which answers this question. Many Jewish traditions are purely cultural, but the Torah presents a required lifestyle of holiness that is cross-cultural. Whether from Morocco or Brooklyn, Jewish people are bound together by certain practices, such as circumcision and eating kosher, that are taught in the Torah. It is the Torah, then, that gives the Jewish descendants of Jacob their identity. Believing in Yahshua only makes that identity complete as an Israelite of G-d’s “called out ones.”
3. Because it is Who We Are!
Personally, this reason may be best because it solves all of the problems for both Jewish and non-Jewish people. First, if we follow Torah only because it is commanded, it can easily turn into legalism. Let us enter by a different door altogether. Let us enter the arena of Torah through the door of our identity in Messiah, and see where it leads us.
The Scripture teaches us a critical truth. In bringing us to faith in Yahshua, G-d has made us into completely new people. We are new creations, with the Messiah living in us. Moreover, we are receivers of and participants in the Refreshed, renewed Chadasha. Jeremiah 31 teaches that G-d promises to write Torah on our hearts when He makes us new. Do not miss the full implications of that. Torah is written on our hearts! Among other things, this means that Torah is part of our basic makeup as believers in Yahshua. The new-creation man or woman, therefore, should only do what comes naturally to him or her. In this case, it means living out what is written in the Word-all of the Word.
4. The Mirror
Why do we follow Torah? Because it is who we are as new creations. When we read of the redeemed person as described by the precepts of Torah, we are, in reality, reading a description of who G-d has made us in the Messiah. Let us go to the concept of the mirror image referred to in James 1:22-25. Here we learn the importance of being doers of the Word instead of listeners only. The illustration is of a person looking at himself in a mirror, but verse 25 describes that “mirror” as the Torah. (Though translated “law” in nearly every English translation, it is actually Torah.) He who does not do the Word is one who looks at his face in the Torah and immediately forgets what he looks like. In that state, therefore, he does not do the Word. But the person who sees himself in the mirror-the Torah-and remembers what he looks like, this is the one who does the Word. When we look into the mirror of the Torah, our reflection is that of a redeemed person as described therein. The individual teachings, in essence, describe what the redeemed one looks like. Because it is Yahshua who has made us new, made us the righteousness of G-d (II Corinthians 5:21), all that is left for us to do is to choose to walk in that new life-the righteous life of Yahshua-the life of Torah.
That means, we do not follow Torah as though it were merely a list of do’s and don’ts. We follow it because it is written on our hearts. It is who we are as new creations. It comes naturally to us because G-d has made us into new people! But unless we know what our real spiritual identity is, we can’t enter into the whole realm of our new life in Messiah that is available through the Torah.
5. Because Our Messiah Did It
Don’t all believers want to do what Yahshua did, and to be like Him? Aren’t we encouraged to be like Him in scripture? We are quick to practice letting His love flow out from us, and learning to worship and pray as He worshiped and prayed. Rightly so. But what about following the Torah as Yahshua did? His life was so characterized by Torah that even as late as the next generation of Jewish believers after Him, He was referred to as “The Torah.” Even John 1 describes Yahshua as the Word, a reference to the Torah.
There is one more key to this point, which will unlock its importance for us. The key is to remember that Yahshua is in us! We are new creations, with the Living Torah inside of us. This truth is so powerful that, when we think about it, the question we should be asking is not “Should we follow the Torah?” but “How do we come to know this ‘treasure in jars of clay’?” (II Corinthians 4:7)
6. Because of what it Communicates to unbelievers
This is the final and most emotional point. I am speaking here as Jewish person to other Jewish people and Messianic believers especially. But I am also making an appeal to non-Jewish believers, who need to be awakened to a major theological tragedy that has been perpetuated for the last 1,800 years.
The anti-Torah theology, which so dominates the body of Messiah today, originally taught and practiced in the second century, arose from a distinct anti-Judaism propounded by some of the most influential scholars and leaders in the body of Messiah. And because many theologians in the Body today have swallowed the anti-Torah teachings of the Church fathers, the conclusions they continue to teach and publish naturally reflect the same bias. The believers of our era may not be as anti-Jewish as many of the Church fathers were; nevertheless, many have inherited their anti-Torah, anti-Jewish interpretations of the Brit Chadasha Scriptures.
Many today do not think for themselves, nor practice honest exegesis of the Brit Chadasha (NT). If they did, they would conclude that the Brit Chadasha, in reality, is very Torah-positive and encourages a Torah lifestyle. And while it is no easy task to change beliefs that have been dearly held for over 1,800 years, change they must-if for no other reason than to be honest with the Bible.
But there is another reason. We need to ask some very serious questions. What does the prevailing anti-Torah theology say to the traditional Jewish world? How do they see us? What do they understand of our thinking? Moreover, Jewish believers, what is the message being conveyed to our families and Jewish friends by our attitude toward Torah?
Simply stated, we are communicating confusion and error to the very people through whom the Word of truth originally came. As a result, on the human level (that is, apart from the elective grace of G-d) there is very little motivation within the traditional Jewish world to hear the Good News. Rabbi Benjamin Blech is a prominent teacher at New York’s prestigious Yeshiva University, a major educational institution for the Orthodox Jewish world. In his excellent textbook on basic Judaism, he makes this very poignant criticism of “Christianity”, as he understands it:
“Christianity therefore rejected the law and gave a new interpretation to the covenant at Sinai. This is the crucial distinction between the Old Testament and the New. The Torah was assuredly given to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai, but its laws were no longer binding, according to Christianity. How could G-d have given directives that He Himself later saw fit to change? He Asks.”
Blech is saying that by rejecting Torah we have, at best confused the Jewish people in regard to G-d’s revelation in the Scriptures. At worst, we have written them off as a group. Inasmuch as the Church’s anti-Torah bias led to the theological (and physical) persecution of the Jewish people, Christian rejection of the Torah has ultimately resulted in Jewish rejection of Yahshua. In short, for our people, the Good News has become nothing but the sad and bad news.
The Church’s anti-Torah theology is a tragic flaw as concerns the Jewish people. Dr. David Stern recognizes this when he says, I am certain that the lack of a correct, clear, and relatively complete Messianic Jewish or Gentile Christian theology of the Torah is not only a major impediment to Christians’ understanding their own faith, but also the greatest barrier to Jewish people’s receiving the Gospel. Most Christians have an overly simplistic understanding of what the Torah is all about; and second, that Christianity has almost nothing relevant to say to Jews about one of the three most important issues of their faith.
7. Are We Listening?
Our goal in pursuit of Torah will be accomplished when each believer can sing along with David, Psalm 19:7-11. Many believers do sing this song, in reference to the whole Word of G-d. This is fine. Remember, though, that when David wrote these words, he was writing about the Torah.
“The Torah of the L-rd is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the L-rd is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the L-rd are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the L-rd is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the L-rd is clear, enduring forever; the judgments of the L-rd are true and righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.”
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