Over a number of years I have had contact with various “Messianic” people who see themselves as “Torah Observant” and who correctly see Yahooshua {incorrectly Jesus} as Messiah [the Anointed One who was to come]. The question that arises is whether Torah Observance as in a formal study of texts and observance of texts is relevant in this age. In saying this, while I have read the so-called “Old Testament” from Bereshith {Genesis} to Malaki {Malachi} over twenty times since I came to serve Father Yah intensely, Father has never impressed on me that I should become observant of some of those books at an intellectual / works level.
Further, in 2001, Yah clearly stated to me that the Bible is NOT His Word, contains errors, and is only about 2.5% inspired. So building too much on the Bible, whether the first Five Books of the Bible or the entire Bible, versus being led by the Spirit, is problematic.
The Old Covenant was Fulfilled through the Offering of Yahooshua
In considering this topic it is vital to understand that Yahooshua fundamentally changed the situation regarding the Torah:
MattihYahoo {Matthew} 27:45-53 “45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 46 And about the ninth hour Yahooshua {Jesus} cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My Beloved Mighty One {God}, My Beloved Mighty One {God}, why have You forsaken Me?”
47 Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” 48 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink.
49 The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.”
50 And Yahooshua {Jesus} cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” Confirmed in Mark 15:33-38.
There are a number of key points here -- see the article “The miraculous planning of the death of Yahooshua – where, how and what” for an elaboration of many of these points:
- The rocks were rent, allowing the blood and water that flowed from the side of Yahooshua when his side was pierced with the spear to flow down onto the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant which had been hidden there by YiremeYahoo (Jeremiah) in 586 BC and discovered by Ron Wyatt in 1982 – refer article cited above.
- The Veil in the Temple was torn from Top to Bottom thereby revealing that the Most Set-Apart Place {Holy of Holies} was empty and the Ark of the Covenant was not there so that the High Priest was a fraud and the offering for Atonement of Sin was invalid. Important to note that it was torn from Top to Bottom showing it was not done by human beings – thus Yah opened the way to relationship with Him to ALL Believers – this is vital to understand in the context of the discussion of Torah.
- Note also that the Spirit of Yah had to leave Yahooshua in order for him to die.
- Note also that since the two tablets of stone with the Ten Words (Ten Commandments) were in the Ark of the Covenant which was missing from the time of YirmeYahoo, this thereby opened the way for Yah to write the Commandments on the Hearts of Believers.
This passage is profoundly important to this discussion regarding the meaning of Torah and the relevance of Torah observance in the current age.
Torah keepers killed Yahooshua
In considering the life and death of Yahooshua it is also vital to understand that the people who called for the death of Yahooshua misinterpreted the Torah as they had it such that those who were strictly Torah observant were responsible for the death of Yahooshua thereby terminating the terms of the Covenant through Moshe {Moses} and opening the way of the New Covenant through Yahooshua. Thus, Yah REJECTED Torah observance in the strict intellectual sense when Yahooshua died!
About Torah Observance
Most of those who practice “Torah Observance” today subscribe to the view that the “Torah” relates to the five so-called “Books of Moshe {Moses}” – Bereshith {Genesis}, Shemoth {Exodus}, Wayyiqra {Leviticus}, Bemidbar {Numbers} and Debarim {Deuteronomy} which I will henceforth refer to as “the Five Books”. Some of these people believe that the Five Books were all written by Moshe {Moses} before he died, including the portion at the end of Debarim which describes the death of Moshe and what happened immediately thereafter.
Note that the above does NOT mean that I am saying that people should not read the Five Books or the Bible diligently a few times and take notes and ask questions – I AM saying that deep intellectual study of the Five Books or the Bible as a whole is NOT appropriate and, is in fact, damaging! And, particularly that memorising the Five Books or the Bible or any other book, including the Quran, is totally off the mark!
The 613 Mitzvot
Some of the people mentioned above, the most strictly Torah observant, also observe the 613 Mitzvot – 613 Laws deduced from the Torah by Rabbi’s and taught as a strict basis for getting into right standing with Yah see https://www.jmu.edu/dukehallgallery/exhibitions/2018-2019/the-613-mitzvot.shtml It will be apparent that such a large number of rules requires substantial intellectual effort in order to engage, understand and apply with the consequence that those who take on this discipline are likely to be intellectually engaged with the book and NOT in tune with Yah’s Spirit.
This is what Yahooshua was referring to in MattihYahoo 23:4 speaking of the Torah observant leaders, scribes, etcetera “For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.”
In my over 31 years (December 2024) of being led by the Spirit of Yah, Yah has strenuously kept me from having anything to do with the 613 Mitzvot bar being aware of their existence – Yah will NOT even let me read them!
In considering what follows keep in mind Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten Torah {the law} of your Mighty One {God}, I also will forget your children.” This paves the way for the coming of Yahooshua and the New Covenant. Those who champion Torah Observance may take this as an injunction to study more deeply where, in fact, it is challenging people to return to deep knowledge and experience of the Almighty Himself.
Yah is Lonely and Making Adjustments
Note also that in the historical context, Yah is lonely and working with what He has to work with regarding human beings which has been increasingly weak and pathetic – the people today are far weaker spiritually than they were 3,600 years ago at the time of Moshe {Moses}. As a consequence Yah has had to substantially and progressively redefine how He works with human beings. These adjustments continue to today!
In considering the question of Torah in the present age it is important to evaluate exactly what is applicable today.
Torah In Hearts
In doing this note that Hebrews 10:16 states ““This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says Yah the Eternally Self Existing {the LORD}: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,””
The question arises which “laws” are being referred to.
It turns out that Hebrews 10:16 is quoting YirmeYahoo {Jeremiah} 31:33 “But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Yisrael {Israel} after those days, declares Yah the Eternally Self-Existing {the LORD}. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their Mighty One {God}, and they will be My people.”
To a point this also references Ezekiel 36:26-27 “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. / And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances.”
Abraham and Torah
Genesis 26:5: “because that Abraham hath hearkened to My voice, and keepeth My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My Torah (laws).” Clearly there is much in addition to the Torah in the way of Yah’s charge, Yah’s commandments and Yah’s statutes in addition to Yah’s Torah – so the Torah itself is apparently quite narrowly defined. Note also that Abraham had the Torah over 500 years before Moshe so the Torah is clearly NOT the Five Books which almost entirely deal with the situation after Abraham.
What IS the Torah?
Examining YirmeYahoo 31:33 in the Interlinear Bible at https://biblehub.com/interlinear/jeremiah/31-33.htm we find that the word translated “Law” is Strongs number 8451 “Torah”, so Hebrews 10:16 states ““This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says Yah the Eternally Self Existing {the LORD}: I will put My Torah into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,”” So Hebrews 10:16 is referring to Torah.
This highlights the question of what IS the Torah {Law} being referred to here? Strong’s Lexicon cited in Appendix A elaborates and Appendix B lists a few verses where Torah occurs.
From this we see a strong emphasis on the Torah being the Five Books as defined above but we also see an alternative interpretation that the Torah comprises the entire body of Jewish teaching, others say it includes all of the Old Testament . Others say Torah encompasses the entire Christian Bible without specifying which Bible version they are referring to – the standard Protestant with sixty six books, the Catholic with Apocrypha, the Ethiopian with 88 books, there is a collection of Apocrypha with 54 books, etcetera.
Torah is at best a Subset of the Five Books
Insofar as most of the Bible is simply history and Yah has said that “The Bible is NOT my Word and contains errors and is about 2.5% inspired” I submit that Torah is at best a subset of the Five Books and certainly NOT a superset.
I want to make a clear distinction between codified Law [Torah] and Jurisprudence (the theory of law or philosophy of law). It is my contention that over and above the large portion of the Five Books that is straightforward history, a significant further part of the Five Books is Jurisprudence as defined above and NOT codified Law.
In fact, there is a very small part of the Five Books that constitutes “Law” in the sense of a structured setting out of specific rules for serving Yah. The definition of Law in Google is “the system of rules which a particular country or community recognizes as regulating the actions of its members …” also “a rule of conduct developed by the government or society over a certain territory. Law follows certain practices and customs in order to deal with crime, business, social relationships, property, finance, etc. The Law is controlled and enforced by the controlling authority.”
A portion of the Five Books that complies with this definition is Leviticus 19 – problem is that at least some of Leviticus 19 is irrelevant today – see Appendix C.
There are also principles and jurisprudence that are relevant today, as set out on the End Time Issue Ministries website and elsewhere, that are important to living in right standing with Yah today that are NOT contained anywhere in the Five Books or even in the Protestant Bible.
Five Books are culture context sensitive
Note also that the Five Books are culture context sensitive – instructions about beards and the like reflect the culture of the tribes that the Israelites would be interacting with in the Promised Land and are not necessarily particularly relevant today.
Five Books equal Torah – some challenges
In the present age, there are some challenges if the Torah being referred to in Jeremiah 31:33 is the Five Books:
- What do people do who do not have access to the Five Books? Access to Bibles or subsets of the Bible is NOT universal and yet Yah is calling ALL on Earth to serve Him and to write His Torah on their hearts. Yah sent a number of Emissaries to the Gentiles.
- The Five Books is the most common interpretation with the variants noted above BUT there is a huge challenge here -- I have learned that when it comes to the matters of the Almighty THE MAJORITY IS ALWAYS WRONG. The Satanic and Demonic Realm are in control of almost all people on Earth, including the vast majority of those who regard themselves as Believers, and, therefore, if the Satanic and Demonic Realm are allowing the definition of Torah to be the Five Books that indicates that there is an issue here.
- The Five Books cannot be the “Law of Moshe” cited in various places – there is lots of history in the Five Books which is clearly NOT Law in any shape or form. So there MUST be some other body of Law!
- Deuteronomy 31:26 “Take this Book of the Law [Torah], and put it beside the ark of the covenant of Yah the Eternally Self-Existing your Mighty One, that it may be there as a witness against you;” – there is no indication that the Five Books were in existence at this time – much of the Five Books relates to events after Yah giving the two stone tablets at Mount Horeb – the implication is that the Torah referred to here was a much more concise and much more specific Law book which suggests that this book has gotten lost, at the very least at the time of the exile to Babylon. I have asked Torah observant Believers to share a clearly legal document with me and this has not happened so I infer it does not exist in the present age and may have been ignored since shortly after the time of Moshe.
Yahooshua came to usher in a New Covenant but we must conform to the Old Covenant? -- I don’t think so
Yahooshua very clearly came to usher in a New Covenant (Hebrews 8:13), a New Priesthood (Hebrews 4:14-15) and a New Offering for Sin (Hebrews 10:6-8). Yet, inherent in the concept of Torah observance IF Torah equals the Five Books, is adherence to the OLD Covenant terms and conditions. There is an implicit assumption that Yahooshua did NOT change anything!
- We are told that the New Covenant is to be written on the heart of Believers by the Set-Apart Spirit of Yah -- studying the Five Books at the expense of time on your knees and worshipping is therefore a major issue!
- There is important elaboration of the Ten Words on the End Time Issue Ministries website that is nowhere in the Five Books or, indeed the entire Protestant Bible – for example the teaching and prayers relating to people who come to Belief who have multiple one-flesh bonds with people who are not living with them.
- Inherent to the concept of “Torah in their hearts” -- IF one is deeply filled with the Set-Apart Spirit of Yah He will guide you – raises the question, HOW does one get deeply filled with the Set-Apart Spirit when one is engaged in an intellectual exercise of memorizing and interpreting a set of writings that are supposedly about 3,500 years old? I say “supposedly” because there is a body of opinion that states that most of the writings were lost at the time of the Babylonian Exile and the Five Books and books up to the time of the Exile were recreated from fragments and memory in Exile.
Getting deeply filled with the Set-Apart Spirt of Yah requires regular worship coupled with reading anointed writings / listening to anointed teaching. I see no indication that the Five Books are, for the most part, strongly anointed let alone inspired. So, in-depth study of the Five Books is potentially an exercise in futility!
Where do the Ten Commandments (Ten Words), Written in Stone by Yah, fit in?
As a counterpoint to the above, the Five Books DO contain the Ten Commandments – the fundamental Laws of serving Yah that were given at Sinai and which are reported in Exodus 20:2-17 and nominally repeated in Deuteronomy 5:6-21 with differences. This raises the question of why if the Five Books are the definitive setting out of the Law why was it necessary to repeat the Ten Commandments in the Five Books, particularly since there are minor discrepancies which should not be there IF the Five Books are fully inspired as some claim. See red text in Appendix D highlighting differences between Exodus and Debarim.
Exodus 31:18, reporting about Moshe, states “And when He [Yah] had made an end of speaking with him [Moshe] on Mount Sinai, He gave Moshe two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of Yah {God}.”
Deuteronomy 9:10 “Then Yah the Eternally Self-Existing {the LORD} delivered to me two tablets of stone written with the finger of Yah {God}, and on them were all the words which Yah the Eternally Self-Existing had spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.”
Note that the Tablets contained ALL the words spoken by Yah! NOT the Five Books or, indeed, any other large body of writing!
1 Kings 8:9 “There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moshe put there at Horeb, when Yah the Eternally Self-Existing made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.”
Clearly the Ten Commandments (Ten Words) have an extremely special place with Yah – He spoke them out personally and distinctly, He carved them in Stone personally and He required them to be placed in the Ark of the Covenant as a witness for all time. Yet they are hardly referenced throughout the rest of the Bible other than through references to Torah.
Could it be that the Ten Commandments ARE the Torah that we are required to comply with at all times and which are written on the hearts of True Believers? I claim that Father Yah has told me this!
References to Law that have a bearing
Following are some Bible verses that have a bearing on the word “Law” or Torah, whatever that ultimately proves to be:
Romans 2:14 “Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 So they show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts either accusing or defending them 16 on the day when Yah {God} will judge men’s secrets through the Anointing that was upon Yahooshua {Christ Jesus}, as proclaimed by my gospel.… Berean Standard Bible
Cross References
Jeremiah 31:33
“But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares Yah the Eternally Self-Existing {the LORD}. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their Mighty One {God}, and they will be My people.
Hebrews 10:16
“This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, declares Yah the Eternally Self-Existing {the LORD}. I will put My laws in their hearts and inscribe them on their minds.”
2 Corinthians 3:3
It is clear that you are a letter from the Anointing of the Set-Apart Spirit of Yah {Christ}, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living Mighty One {God}, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
James 1:23-25
23 For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, 24 and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so — not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer—he will be blessed in what he does.
John 8:9
When they heard this, they began to go away one by one, beginning with the older ones, until only Yahooshua {Jesus} was left, with the woman standing there. – they left because they were convicted by the Set-Apart Spirit of Yah within them contrary to the letter of the Law which said to stone her to death!
1 John 3:20-21
20 Even if our hearts condemn us, Yah {God} is greater than our hearts, and He knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before Yah {God},
1 Corinthians 4:4
My conscience is clear, but that does not vindicate me. It is Yah the Eternally Self-Existing {the LORD} who judges me.
Galatians 3:24
So the law became our guardian to lead us to the Anointing of the Set-Apart Spirit of Yah {Christ}, that we might be justified by faith.
Acts 24:16
In this hope, I strive always to maintain a clear conscience before Yah {God} and man.
1 Timothy 1:5
The goal of our instruction is the love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a sincere faith.
Ezekiel 36:26-27
“26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances.” So the Set-Apart Spirit within Believers will cause them to comply with the Jurisprudence of the Torah
Deuteronomy 30:14
But the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may obey it.
Isaiah 51:7
Listen to Me, you who know what is right, you people with My law in your hearts: Do not fear the scorn of men; do not be broken by their insults.
Psalm 40:8
I delight to do Your will, O my Mighty One {God}; Your law is within my heart.”
So we see a very substantial body of verses that relate to the Torah / Law being written on the hearts of Believers and moderating and directing them through their conscience.
Note particularly the corrections with regard to the word “Christ” correcting the verses to apply to the Set-Apart Spirit of Yah and NOT to Jesus!
I say again, this relates to people who are filled with the Set-Apart Spirit of Yah at a material level and have the Emunah {Faith / Trust} for Him to guide them.
The MattihYahoo 5:17-18 conundrum
Consider Matthew 5:17-18 Yahooshua speaking “17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. 18 For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”
There is a key question here as to what Yahooshua is referring to, specifically the “Law”. In terms of much of the Five Books in terms of the Levitical Priesthood, the Ark of the Covenant, the Tabernacle and all the ritual and protocols that accompany those physical artefacts Yahooshua literally fulfilled their purpose. This is set out in detail in the article “The miraculous planning of the death of Yahooshua – where, how and what” where it is detailed how Yahooshua became the new High Priest, the new offering for sin and ushered in the New Covenant in terms of which the Torah was written on the hearts of True Believers. Note that I refer to True Believers, NOT to wishy washy pagans pretending to be Believers. There is a huge issue here that the majority of people who claim to be Believers are NOT True Believers! There are about 1.5 million True Believers on Earth today (December 2024) and Billions of counterfeits.
Consider in particular Hebrews 4:14-16 “14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Yahooshua {Jesus} the Son of Yah {God}, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” So the Levitical priesthood was replaced once and for all by Yahooshua so ALL elements of the Five Books dealing with the Priesthood were fulfilled by Yahooshua and therefore fall away.
In the broader context of this article consider Hebrews 4:11-13 “11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. 12 For the word of Yah is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” – again we see that it is the Spirit of Yah that moderates and judges us NOT human beings or Law books.
Returning to the Five Books
Continuing the discussion of whether the Five Books constitute the Torah:
- The Five Books write about what Moshe {Moses} did they are clearly NOT written by Moshe although in some locations they quote what Moshe said. Some claim that the Five Books were supposedly written by Moses which is clearly not true as the most superficial reading will reveal.
- Further, we are not glove puppets playing out our lives in some preorchestrated charade – this would be extremely unjust – Yah has clearly said to me that He does not know what I will do or say in one minutes lime let alone months or years from now. We were designed to operate autonomously, independently and exercise our will and discretion in everything, the fact that we have turned out to be much more self-willed and foolish than Yah intended does not mean He plans our lives for us, WE are the ones who mess up!
It is a gross insult to Yah in this messed up world to suggest that our lives are foreordained by Yah! There have been specific instances where Yah set up an agenda with a spirit before sending it to Earth, as in the case most notably of Yahooshua, but this is by far the exception rather than the rule – we have to exercise our will and do what it takes to qualify for reward in Heaven of our own volition.
- The Torah supposedly also provides guidelines for compliance with the Laws of Yah, what I have referred to elsewhere as Jurisprudence. Again, much of the Five Books is history and NOT Law and NOT Jurisprudence, so the Five Books cannot, in a strict sense, be Torah, that is, Law.
- Note that true “Law” is very specific, highly structured and definitive – most of the writings in the Five Books do NOT meet this requirement.
- Further, IF the Five Books are a book of Law, as many claim, it is clearly apparent from careful reading that the Five Books are not Law. It is also apparent on careful reading that the individual books are made up of disjoint fragments and not one coherent statement of Laws and associated Jurisprudence. It is contended that this results from reassembling fragments during the Exile in Babylon.
- As noted above, there ARE sections, primarily in Leviticus, that are moderately structured and take a form that can be regarded as Law but that is it.
- Further, as stated above, there is a significant portion of the Five Books that deals with:
- The Tabernacle
- The Ark of the Covenant
- The Priesthood
- The induction of the High Priest
- The offerings for repentance and Atonement for sin
- The institution of the Covenant
All these were fulfilled through the death of Yahooshua and replaced with a new and better Covenant – note Hebrews 8:13 “In saying, "new," He has made obsolete the first; and that which is growing old and aging is near vanishing.” – note “near vanishing” [disappearing, disappearance, obliteration]! Also Hebrews 12:24 “and to Yahooshua the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkling of blood, speaking better things than that of Abel.”
Note that the Blood of Yahooshua fell on the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant, see the article “The miraculous planning of the death of Yahooshua – where, how and what”
- So we are left with the Ten Commandments and various verses which amplify the Ten as limited Jurisprudence, plus the Great Commandment, plus a limited amount of other Jurisprudence as elaboration, quite a bit of which is obsolete!
The True Torah is the Ten Commandments
So the best one can say is that true Torah as Law is made up of these last few items and even quite a few of these are set aside in the New Testament specifically the prohibition with regard to eating unclean animals is set aside in Acts 10:9-16 “9 The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. 10 Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance 11 and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. 13 And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”
14 But Peter said, “Not so, Adonay {Lord}! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”
15 And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What Yah {God} has cleansed you must not call common.” 16 This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.”
There are other verses which confirm this.
The Shaul (Paul) credibility issue
Note that insofar as Hebrews in particular is attributed to Shaul {Paul} it is important to note that The Final Quest chapter 6 verses 129-232 reports Shaul seated on a very High Throne in Heaven so he is clearly esteemed by Yah and seeking to discount his teachings as some do is not valid. This discounting is particularly done by people who have an intellectual engagement with the Five Books as formal Torah Law, something that Shaul corrected in a number of his writings as we have seen above – Shaul moved from being an intense Torah keeper to being highly Spirit Led and some Torah keepers find this offensive and speak ill of him.
Further there are all sorts of details in the Books of Good News {Gospels} of the so-called “New Testament” and attributed to Yahooshua that are not contained anywhere in the “Old Testament” -- for example with regard to the woman caught in adultery, Yahooshua calls on those without sin to cast the first stone and all walk away (Yahoochanan {John} 8:11) – so Yahooshua adds a new context to the Jurisprudence regarding the Commandment regarding Adultery!
The Five Books also do not include numerous items of Jurisprudence that are contained on the End Time Issue Ministries website and in other publications by others led by the Spirt.
The ONLY Law written by Yah in person is the Ten Commandments – it makes sense that this is what He writes on the hearts of True Believers
Looping back to the discussion of True Torah we have to conclude that, since the Ten Commandments are the ONLY Law spoken out to the masses in person by Yah and carved by Him on Tablets of Stone, indicating they will never change, THIS constitutes TRUE TORAH and is the Torah that Yah writes on the hearts of True Believers!
The Mark of the Beast
Over and above the conclusion above, in around 2000 I was told by Father that the Mark of the Beast is a mark indicating that a person is breaking at least one of the Ten Commandments and that virtually the entire planet was carrying the Mark, see “The Mark of the Beast is breaking any of the Ten Commandments NOT the Microchip”
Conclusion
Taking account of all the above I conclude that IF one is going to rely on a definition of Torah based on the Jewish Bible one must, of necessity, limit oneself to the Ten Commandments and Great Commandment and a limited amount of Jurisprudence which is consistent with what i have been teaching by the Spirit for some years.
It is reasonable to expect any Believer who comes to relationship with Yah wherever they may be and in whatever society they live to live a life consistent with the Ten Commandments led by the Spirit. However, this may take time given the level of error in all formal religions of the world today. That said, it is my experience that when a True Believer, one who has the Commandments written on their heart, hears truth that they lack they very quickly accept it and course correct as necessary.
Conversely it is not reasonable to expect anyone to live a life that is governed by the Five Books let alone the additional 613 Mitsvot without massive intellectual study and memorization which totally takes them away from the Spirit Led relationship that Yah desires.
It is therefore my conclusion and declaration that the Torah prescribed by Yah and written on the hearts of True Believers is the Ten Commandments, no more and no less!
---oooOOOooo---
Please feel free to email me at James@ETIMin.org and I will answer your questions and support you in your journey to become a Friend of Yah.
I look forward to hearing from you.
May Father bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you and grant you His Peace
May Yah judge me severely and correct me harshly and show me the level of my present deception and how to correct it with regard to everything that I write and publish
Warm regards and blessings,
Dr James A Robertson
Spokesman and Emissary of Yah
End Time Issue Ministries
22 December 2024
www.ETIMin.org
James@ETIMin.org
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Appendix A
Strong's Lexicon definition of Torah
torah: Law, Instruction, Teaching
Original Word: תּוֹרָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: towrah
Pronunciation: toh-RAH
Phonetic Spelling: (to-raw')
Definition: Law, Instruction, Teaching
Meaning: a precept, statute
Word Origin: Derived from the root יָרָה (yarah), meaning "to throw, shoot, or direct," often used in the context of teaching or instruction.
Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: - G3551 - νόμος (nomos): Often used in the New Testament to refer to the Law of Moses or the broader concept of law and commandments.
Usage: The term "Torah" primarily refers to the first Five Books of the Bible, also known as the Pentateuch. It encompasses the laws, commandments, and teachings given by God to the people of Israel through Moses. In a broader sense, "Torah" can refer to the entire body of Jewish religious teachings, including both written and oral traditions. It is often translated as "law" but carries a deeper connotation of divine instruction and guidance for living a life pleasing to God.
Cultural and Historical Background: In ancient Israel, the Torah was central to religious, social, and legal life. It was considered the ultimate authority and guide for moral conduct, worship, and community governance. The Torah was read publicly and taught in synagogues, ensuring that its teachings were accessible to all. The giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai is a foundational event in Jewish history, symbolizing the covenant between God and His people.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from yarah
Definition
direction, instruction, law
NASB Translation
custom (1), instruction (10), instructions (1), Law (1), law (188), laws (10), ruling (1), teaching (7), teachings (1).
Appendix B
Some instances of Torah cited in Englishman's Concordance
Following are instances of “Torah” cited in Englishman’s Concordance relating to different translations:
tō·w·rā·ṯî — 11 Occurrences
Psalm 78:1
HEB: הַאֲזִ֣ינָה עַ֭מִּי תּוֹרָתִ֑י הַטּ֥וּ אָ֝זְנְכֶ֗ם
NAS: O my people, to my instruction; Incline
KJV: O my people, [to] my law: incline
INT: Listen my people to my instruction Incline your ears
Psalm 89:30
HEB: יַֽעַזְב֣וּ בָ֭נָיו תּוֹרָתִ֑י וּ֝בְמִשְׁפָּטַ֗י לֹ֣א
NAS: forsake My law And do not walk
KJV: forsake my law, and walk
INT: forsake his sons my law my judgments not
Proverbs 3:1
HEB: בְּ֭נִי תּוֹרָתִ֣י אַל־ תִּשְׁכָּ֑ח
NAS: do not forget my teaching, But let your heart
KJV: forget not my law; but let thine heart
INT: my son my teaching not forget
Proverbs 4:2
HEB: נָתַ֣תִּי לָכֶ֑ם תּֽ֝וֹרָתִ֗י אַֽל־ תַּעֲזֹֽבוּ׃
NAS: Do not abandon my instruction.
KJV: doctrine, forsake ye not my law.
INT: sound give my instruction not abandon
Isaiah 51:7
HEB: צֶ֔דֶק עַ֖ם תּוֹרָתִ֣י בְלִבָּ֑ם אַל־
NAS: in whose heart is My law; Do not fear
KJV: in whose heart [is] my law; fear
INT: righteousness A people is my law heart Nor
Jeremiah 9:13
HEB: עָזְבָם֙ אֶת־ תּ֣וֹרָתִ֔י אֲשֶׁ֥ר נָתַ֖תִּי
NAS: they have forsaken My law which
KJV: Because they have forsaken my law which I set
INT: Because have forsaken my law which set
Jeremiah 16:11
HEB: עָזָ֔בוּ וְאֶת־ תּוֹרָתִ֖י לֹ֥א שָׁמָֽרוּ׃
NAS: and have not kept My law.
KJV: me, and have not kept my law;
INT: and bowed have forsaken my law not kept
Jeremiah 31:33
HEB: נָתַ֤תִּי אֶת־ תּֽוֹרָתִי֙ בְּקִרְבָּ֔ם וְעַל־
NAS: I will put My law within
KJV: I will put my law in their inward parts,
INT: the LORD will put my law within and on
Ezekiel 22:26
HEB: כֹּהֲנֶ֜יהָ חָמְס֣וּ תוֹרָתִי֮ וַיְחַלְּל֣וּ קָדָשַׁי֒
NAS: have done violence to My law and have profaned
KJV: have violated my law, and have profaned
INT: her priests have done to my law profaned my holy
Hosea 8:1
HEB: בְרִיתִ֔י וְעַל־ תּוֹרָתִ֖י פָּשָֽׁעוּ׃
NAS: And rebelled against My law.
KJV: and trespassed against my law.
INT: my covenant against my law and rebelled
Hosea 8:12
HEB: (רֻבֵּ֖י ק) תּֽוֹרָתִ֑י כְּמוֹ־ זָ֖ר
NAS: for him ten thousand [precepts] of My law, They are regarded
KJV: to him the great things of my law, [but] they were counted
INT: wrote myriad my law as A strange
Appendix C
Leviticus 19 as an example of codified Law in the Five Books
1And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.
3‘Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and keep My Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God.
4‘Do not turn to idols, nor make for yourselves [a]molded gods: I am the Lord your God.
5‘And if you offer a sacrifice of a peace offering to the Lord, you shall offer it of your own free will. 6It shall be eaten the same day you offer it, and on the next day. And if any remains until the third day, it shall be burned in the fire. 7And if it is eaten at all on the third day, it is an abomination. It shall not be accepted. 8Therefore everyone who eats it shall bear his iniquity, because he has profaned the hallowed offering of the Lord; and that person shall be cut off from his people.
9‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I am the Lord your God.
11‘You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. 12And you shall not swear by My name falsely, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.
13‘You shall not cheat your neighbor, nor rob him. The wages of him who is hired shall not remain with you all night until morning. 14You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shall fear your God: I am the Lord.
15‘You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor. 16You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord.
17‘You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely [b]rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. 18You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.
19‘You shall keep My statutes. You shall not let your livestock breed with another kind. You shall not sow your field with mixed seed. Nor shall a garment of mixed linen and wool come upon you.
20‘Whoever lies carnally with a woman who is betrothed to a man as a concubine, and who has not at all been redeemed nor given her freedom, for this there shall be [c]scourging; but they shall not be put to death, because she was not free. 21And he shall bring his trespass offering to the Lord, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, a ram as a trespass offering. 22The priest shall make [d]atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the Lord for his sin which he has committed. And the sin which he has committed shall be forgiven him.
23‘When you come into the land, and have planted all kinds of trees for food, then you shall count their fruit as [e]uncircumcised. Three years it shall be as uncircumcised to you. It shall not be eaten. 24But in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, a praise to the Lord. 25And in the fifth year you may eat its fruit, that it may yield to you its increase: I am the Lord your God.
26‘You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor shall you practice divination or soothsaying. 27You shall not shave around the sides of your head, nor shall you disfigure the edges of your beard. 28You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the Lord.
29‘Do not prostitute your daughter, to cause her to be a harlot, lest the land fall into harlotry, and the land become full of wickedness.
30‘You shall [f]keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the Lord.
31‘Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.
32‘You shall [g]rise before the gray headed and honor the presence of an old man, and fear your God: I am the Lord.
33‘And if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him. 34The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as [h]one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
35‘You shall do no injustice in judgment, in measurement of length, weight, or volume. 36You shall have honest scales, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
37‘Therefore you shall observe all My statutes and all My judgments, and perform them: I am the Lord.’ ”
Appendix D
The Ten Commandments in Exodus and Deuteronomy compared
Red text indicates discrepancies between Exodus and Deuteronomy
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Exodus 20:1 to 17
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Deuteronomy 5:6-21
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1And God spake all these words, saying,
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2I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
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5At that time I was standing between the LORD and you to declare to you the word of the LORD, because you were afraid of the fire and would not go up the mountain. And He said: 6“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
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3Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
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7You shall have no other gods before Me.
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4Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
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8You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath. 9You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 10but showing loving devotion to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
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7Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
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11You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.
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8Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
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12Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. 13Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox or donkey or any of your livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest as you do. 15Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. That is why the LORD your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
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12Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
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16Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
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13Thou shalt not kill.
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17You shall not murder.
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14Thou shalt not commit adultery.
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18You shall not commit adultery.
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15Thou shalt not steal.
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19You shall not steal.
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16Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
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20You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
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17Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
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21You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house or field, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
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Moses Comforts the People
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Moses Intercedes for the People
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(Deuteronomy 5:22-33; Hebrews 12:18-29)
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(Exodus 20:18–21; Hebrews 12:18–29)
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22The LORD spoke these commandments in a loud voice to your whole assembly out of the fire, the cloud, and the deep darkness on the mountain; He added nothing more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.
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18And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. 19And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. 20And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. 21And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.
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23And when you heard the voice out of the darkness while the mountain was blazing with fire, all the heads of your tribes and your elders approached me, 24and you said, “Behold, the LORD our God has shown us His glory and greatness, and we have heard His voice out of the fire. Today we have seen that a man can live even if God speaks with him. 25But now, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us, and we will die, if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any longer. 26For who of all flesh has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the fire, as we have, and survived? 27Go near and listen to all that the LORD our God says. Then you can tell us everything the LORD our God tells you; we will listen and obey.”
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