There are many things to speak about in this portion but I won't spend a lot of time on the obvious lessons, such as the idea of trusting which we learn from the 12 spies being sent by Moses to search out the quality of the land they were about to enter. In the Talmud there is a story of a king who sent his men out to reconnoiter the enemy. They returned to him and he asked them to first give him the bad news and then the good news. The reason was that whatever was spoken about last would be what would remain in his memory setting the stage for the king to have a more positive outlook on the outcome. Of the twelve spies who came back to Moses, ten came back first agreeing that the land was indeed beautiful and bountiful but finished with a negative report spreading fear throughout the camp.

Nor will I focus on the lesson about the tsitsit (the fringes) which has the numerical value of 600. It is interesting to know that the 4 tsitsit each consisted of 8 threads- 6 white and 2 blue. The blue was made from a dye which came from a special worm or a shell from the sea which had disappeared but in 1948 after Israel was voted in as a state, these mollusks miraculously washed up on the shore and were able to be used once again. They also each have 5 knots. 600 plus 8 plus 5 equals 613, the amount of commandments given by God; 365 of which are negative equal to the number of days in the year; 248 are positive - bones in the body.

The area I want I to focus on is found in chapter 15 of Numbers and defines who we are as a Messianic community in the area of how we accept the "ger" (the foreigner). The chapter begins with how the citizens of the land are to bring sacrifices for sin and then verse 13 and following we read …"and if a stranger residing with you or with your descendants intends to offer food burnt as a smell pleasing to God, he will do as you do. One Torah (law) shall be for both of you of the congregation and also for the foreigner dwelling with you, an ordinance forever in your generations (l'dorotechem - okytrdl ); before Adonai, you and the stranger are no different. One law, one statute will apply for you and the stranger".

Here the "ger" are the people who are non-Jews who have decided to be part of Israel. Their descendants lose their status as strangers and become full Israelites in their future generation with one Torah being applied both to the Jew and to them. This is an eternal regulation, and forever means forever. No one has the right to change the Word of God to suit their theology. By doing so we accept the lie that Satan wants to propagate, that Torah is for the Jews and the Noahide laws are for the non-Jews. In accepting this, we have condemned the world.

When Israel bought the lie, they lost their raison d'être and that is to be Or l'goyim - a light to the nations. From Zion would shine forth the Torah to all the nations.

The Rabbis are as guilty as the Christians when they tell each other that they do not need the Torah. The Jews say that Torah is only for the Jews and the Christians are pleased to say that they are no longer under the law! This is how to destroy the Jews without firing a single shot. How you might ask? By keeping the Torah from the Christians, they in turn, keep the living Torah (Yeshua) from the Jews. How often have we heard, Jesus is not for the Jews?

I am sorry to say that I used to believe that Messianic Congregations are only for Jews. I still believe that but I have now understand that the ger who is called by God to follow Torah also belong in the Messianic Congregation…not as visitors but being one with us.

Acts 15 is very clear about what the gentiles needed to do. The Jerusalem Council had to make some decisions and pass down some rulings on what to do with all the gentiles who were coming to believe in Messiah. How were they to be treated? Did they have to do the same as we did? Certain members of the Pharisees who had become believers were insisting that the gentiles should be circumcised and instructed to keep the Torah. Let me say one word about circumcision, circumcision does not save anyone. Having said that, the covenant that God made with Abraham is what ensures that a boy becomes a Jew. Yeshua himself was circumcised for as the Scriptures tell us, Salvation comes from the Jews.

Now back to Acts 15. Yaacov (James) the brother of Yeshua steps in and gives his verdict as leader of the Jerusalem Council. "…we should send them a letter telling them merely to abstain from anything polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from eating meat of strangled animals and from blood. This is usually where people stop to prove their point that the gentiles do not need to do the same as the Jew. However let us read the next verse 23: For Moses has always had in every city those who proclaim him with his words being read aloud in the synagogues every Sabbath."

What is Yaacov saying here? It is clear that the new believers who were not Jews would naturally be attending synagogue on the Sabbath. They would be living with the Jewish believers and learning to observe the Torah. In order not to frighten off these young believers with the idea of adult circumcision, they would begin by abstaining from the things which were the most obviously repugnant to the Jewish community. The rest would follow as God led. We must allow the Scriptures to speak for themselves and not interpret them in ways that fulfill our own theology.

Another trap we Jews have fallen into was being assimilated into the world system and not living up to the name we were given: Yehudim which means praisers of God. Being Jewish is not about wearing long black coats, long peyotes, a huge tallit and separating ourselves from the world. We are not an exclusive club who do not mix with the nations.

Yeshua said to be in the world but not of it. Our small Messianic community has to battle the ways of the world on a daily basis. We can only do this by putting God first in our lives. How many times have we kept our mouth shut when we needed to speak up for truth? How many times have we been afraid to speak out because it might jeopardize our incomes? Integrity is not based on what people think but on what God thinks. Have you allowed the world to guide you or are you allowing God to guide you?

To be a man or woman of God we need His courage, His valor. We as Jews do not have the right to teach the gentiles any other way.

In doing this we choose to trust the Word of God and not the word of man. As Jeremiah said "cursed is the man who trusts in man; blessed is the man who trusts in God." Can any of us say that we have been completely faithful to God and trust Him completely? Israel today is suffering not because she is surrounded by so many enemies but due to the lack of trust in the God of Israel. We were guided by the cloud by day and the fire by night and we still did not trust Him. Are you looking for the cloud and the fire or are you following your own desires? May God give us the courage to follow only Him and to trust only in His Word and not in ourselves!

   May God add blessings to His Word.

     Rabbi Percy Johnson
     Netanel ben Yochanan
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