This Shabbat is also called Shabbat Tochecha or "curses and
blessings". There are 98 injunctions of curses if we are not
obedient in keeping Torah.
There
is a great misunderstanding in Christianity about the keeping of
the Torah. An idea developed over the centuries that Torah is G-d's
failure to His people and now He needed to invent something new
that would work and lo and behold "Jesus Christ" came
onto the scene and now the Torah was no longer necessary because
he ended it.
Rabbi
Stuart Dauermann made a statement which is quite impactful. "Are
you sure that the Good News of Jesus is good news for the Jews?"
If we look at the history of persecution of our people, we would
certainly say "no".
Religion
tends to take us away from the clear path which God has set down
for us. We were told once we have taken the land, we were to divide
it, offer the first fruits (the best of the land) back to G-d as
an extra tithe every 3 years. (Deut. 27:12) We were not to give
by the letter of the law but to give with our hearts with gratitude
for all He had provided for us. The Rabbis say that we need to
obey the Torah with our heart and not our head.
The
message of Torah is Grace and Salvation all of which are looked
upon differently by the 3 major religions.
The
letter to the Galatians in the Messianic Writings by Rabbi Shaul
(Paul) has been tragically misunderstood in both application and
context. He was writing to Gentiles about the Jewish community
of non-believers in Yeshua. Many of the Gentile believers of the
day who wanted to be accepted by the regular Jewish community would
have had to abide by their rule. Paul was telling them that they
didn't need to do that. He wasn't telling them that they no longer
needed to follow the Torah. It is extremely important to always
interpret the Word in the context in which it has been given in
light of the people to whom it has been written.
The
curses were given to us for a specific reason. Was He trying to
make our lives miserable? Totally the contrary, G-d wants us to
have great joy in our lives. In verses 11-13, G-d is clear about
us rejoicing for and sharing every good thing which He has given
us with the Levite and the foreigner dwelling among us. Why would
he mention them? They both had no inheritance in the land but even
they would be blessed with every good thing along with us "when
they all keep the commandments!"
Yeshua
said "do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Torah…"
he came to complete or fulfill or make it clearer. That the Messiah
would do this was always understood by our sages in Talmud. Only
when Messiah comes will be able to keep Torah perfectly. They understood
the difficulty we have in keeping Torah, not because it is impossible
to do but it is our own natures that get in the way. When Rabbi
Shaul (Paul) wrote about this he already had known it from the
traditions of our fathers. Our prophets Ezekiel and Jeremiah wrote
about how G-d would give us a new heart, breathe His Ruach into
us and put His Torah on our hearts.
Yeshua
said, "b'emet
(in truth) not one dot or stroke would disappear from the Torah
until all had been accomplished, until heaven and earth passed
away." In the Theological world, they use stratagems
to try to explain the unexplainable…Torah has not passed away
and heaven and earth have not passed away yet!
Yeshua
was speaking here to the Jews not the Gentiles. They well understood
what he was trying to say. They themselves were changing G-d's
Torah with their own words in the Oral Tradition. Yeshua said that
with their traditions, they nullify the Word. That is what he meant.
He
wants us to worship him in spirit and in truth (being obedient)
not with religion which divides and causes wars and anyone who
keeps others from keeping the least of His commandments will be
called least in the Kingdom of G-d. Very strong words! Again I
repeat…Yeshua was speaking to the religious Jews; not to the
Gentiles; who say that while Jesus was alive we were bound to the
old economy but once Jesus died and resurrected we now had a new
economy. Suddenly all the rules changed? Isn't G-d the same yesterday,
today and tomorrow? What does this say about G-d? Is He fickle?
Suddenly, in Dauermann's words, the Good News became bad news for
the Jews.
Is
tochecha a good thing? There is a story in Berachot 60b, in the
Talmud and let me give you a short version of the story. Rabbi
Akiva would travel from town to town, his only possessions being
a donkey to carry him on his journey and a rooster to wake him
in the morning and a lantern to read by. He entered a village where
there was no room for him to sleep and he soon found himself having
to seek shelter in the nearby countryside. He went to the forest
and made camp there. A terrible cry from his donkey a lion killed
his trusty animal which had long carried him. He said to himself
"never mind, all things are meant for good, Baruch ha Shem.
In a couple of hours, his rooster, the friend who had awoken him
daily, was killed by a predator. "Never mind" he said,
"all things work together for good, Baruch ha Shem".
With his lit lantern began to read and very soon a heavy wind blew
out the light so that he couldn't read. With a sigh he said "Never
mind, all things work together for good. Baruch ha Shem and he
fell asleep." When he got up in the morning, he noticed smoke
coming from the village. He hurried there quickly to see that marauders
had invaded the village the night before. They had killed everyone
and burned their homes. He quickly cried out to God with thanksgiving
realizing that if they had seen his lantern, or heard his donkey
and rooster, he too would have been killed.
We
know that G-d allows bad things for a reason. When He gave us the
Torah with blessings and curses, He knew that the curses would
be blessings. He knew that they were warnings and that we would
think twice before we would break the Torah.
Is
it possible that the Torah could be tochecha? No, impossible says
Paul who stated that the Torah was holy. The important thing to
understand is that the Torah and Salvation are two separate things.
We cannot mix apples with oranges. Torah does not bring Salvation.
Only G-d can save us. Torah provides us with the rules for righteous
living.
So
what is the message for today? There is only one G-d, the G-d of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He chose a group of people who were wandering
Arameans with no land, brought us out from Egypt to the Promised
Land with an outstretched arm, with signs and wonders. We are not
a race but a nation called Israel consisting of the redeemed ones…a
She'ar Yashuv…a remnant turned to G-d…from around the
world. In the coming days all events will be centered around Israel
…all the nations will be blessed through Israel. This is the
true olive tree and the branches of the wild olive tree will be
grafted into Israel to produce one tree…the Israel of G-d.
The
message has not changed where there is no longer the need to obey
Torah. The term "saved by grace" being sufficient is
giving license to people to do whatever they want, whenever they
want without consequences. Yeshua came as the incarnated Word of
the Living G-d. He came to show us how to live Torah fully. G-d
is the one who saves and once saved, we need to "work out
our salvation" which means being obedient to Torah gratefully
and joyfully. However, the struggles with our natures heighten
as we battle to do what is right and avoid what is wrong. Our sages
say that only when the Messiah restores the world will we be able
to fully keep all the Torah.
How
do you know if you are "saved" or "chosen by G-d"?
This is between you and G-d. There are some parameters to judge
our salvation when G-d Himself shows us by changing us from inside.
Yeshua: G-d is Our Salvation. He continues working in us and He
reveals Himself to us in a special way.
Search your hearts today and allow G-d to work in you.
May
G-d add blessings to His Word!
Rabbi
Percy Johnson
Netanel
ben Yochanan
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©
2008 Use by Permission
Kehilat
She’ar Yashuv
