Download Notes - Beit Shalom Messianic Synagogue

“Faith”
Beit Shalom Messianic Synagogue
1425 East Jackson Street
Thomasville, Georgia
Messianic Judaism; Traditional Judaism?
Elements of Rabbinic Theology: Rabbi David Tokajer
Messianic Jewish Theology: Rabbi Robert Ackerman
Elements of Rabbinic Theology
Tonight I am going to talk to you about Rabbinic, or Traditional, Judaism; by Rabbinical
or Traditional we are specifically referring to non-Messianic Judaism. We are going to discuss
several key things about Rabbinic Judaism, all of which culminate in the traditional Jewish world
not accepting Yeshua as Messiah today. We are going to forego the history between Sinai and
the destruction of the Second Temple, as much of both of these have been covered in previous
discussions here, and will be covered more later on.
Let me first start by talking about the concept of the Messiah in the Jewish world. Jewish
tradition teaches of the coming of two Messiahs: in Hebrew they are called Mashiach ben Yosef
(who is also known as the suffering servant or the suffering Messiah) and Mashiach ben David
(who is known as the victorious Messiah or victorious King, who will come and end all war and
suffering and usher in eternal peace). As believers, and in reading the Scriptures, we can see that
this is identical to what Scripture says, and is very much like what we as believers believe of the
two comings of Yeshua as Messiah, He came as the suffering servant (i.e. Mashiach ben Yosef)
and died as the atonement sacrifice for our sins, and that He will return to usher in our eternity in
peace with ADONAI (i.e. Mashiach ben David). So, our Jewish understanding of the Messiah is
very much on point, and truly is also the foundation of the Body of Messiah’s understanding of
His two comings as well. However, as a people who, for most of our existence, has been nothing
more than a suffering people, albeit often because of our own sins, it is only natural to long and
hope for Mashiach ben David to come first. So, all of the Jewish world, even to this day, has
been expecting the coming of Mashiach ben David. When Yeshua, who obviously came as
Mashiach ben Yosef, came to suffer, even though He carried every attribute that Scripture
1
describes of the Messiah, it was hard for the Jewish world to follow Him and accept Him. It was
hard for the Jewish world to grasp the coming of the suffering servant when we have done
nothing but suffer our entire existence. Last week I talked about how the Jewish world had lifted
up many “Messiah” figures who they thought would lead them to victory over Rome, like Bar
Kochba. These individuals were viewed as being the possible Mashiach ben David. Logically
speaking, if Scripture speaks of two Messiahs, one who will suffer and one who will be
victorious, then either the suffering one must come first, or there can be no Messiah. Once the
victorious Messiah has ushered in eternal peace, what suffering will be left for Mashiach ben
Yosef? This is where we find ourselves in understanding the Rabbinic Jewish world, a world
that, still to this day, is longing for the victorious Messiah, in the same way that we are looking
for the same in the Return of Yeshua, but they have completely overlooked the suffering servant
who came about 2000 years ago.
Ok... I lied; I am going to at least briefly mention the Temple. As we try to understand
Rabbinic Judaism we are going to need to understand what led up to its development. As was
mentioned last week, with the destruction of the Second Temple by Rome in 70CE came a major
void in terms of Jewish worship and relevance in the world in which we lived. Up to this point
all of Jewish customs, rituals, and religious worship was centralized around the Temple worship
and sacrifice and the priesthood. This Temple stood for about 420 years, with its rebuilding be
dated back to Ezra and Nehemiah, and its update in appearance by Herrod. After the Babylonian
captivity the Jewish people coming out of captivity and all but complete separation from the faith
of our fathers clung to the hope and renewal of faith found in the reestablishment of the Temple
service.
Once the Temple was destroyed again in 70CE there was a major void left in the worship
of the Jewish people. As was mentioned last week, at this point in time there were many
different sects of Judaism, but the one thing they all seemed to have in common was the
importance of the Temple in their worship. By the time the Temple was destroyed there was
already a movement of planting synagogues in towns with large Jewish populations, especially in
ones that were farther away from the Temple. Being the Temple was the central part of the
Jewish worship experience, and the Jewish people were spread out so far throughout not only the
Roman Empire, but throughout the entire world, these synagogues provided a place of worship
and Jewish centrality for those that were unable to make the journey to the Temple as often as
they would like.
Once the Temple was destroyed all that was left in terms of a place of Jewish worship
were the synagogues, which were never intended to replace the Temple service or the Temple
itself. However, as the Jewish people faced what looked like an impending annihilation,
physically, religiously, and culturally, these synagogues are exactly what they clung to. From
the very dust of the destruction of the Second Temple arises the beginnings of a new movement
in Judaism, one that holds its physical and worship centrality in synagogues established
throughout the Jewish world. In a world where, once again, the Jewish people feel completely
lost and left out to die, arises one last hope of a continuation of a people whose very existence is
one that is based in their very faith and religion.
Here enters Rabbi Akiva, of whom we spoke briefly last week. Rabbi Akiva is viewed as
the principal person responsible for the development of Rabbinic Judaism. He is referred to in
the Talmud as Rosh la-Chachomim (Head of all the Sages) and is one of the most central
2
contributors to the Midrash. It is said that Rabbi Akiva started out as a poor shepherd who was
employed by a wealthy man, and apparently the wealthy man’s daughter fell in love with Rabbi
Akiva. She agreed to a secret betrothal to Akiva with the single catch being that he had to devote
himself to the study of Torah. When her father found out about the betrothal he sent them away
and disowned her. It is said that Akiva and his wife agreed that he should leave her, for what
became 24 years, and go to study Torah full time. When he returned, tradition says he returned
with 24,000 students following him and has been viewed as one of the greatest sages ever since.
During the Bar Kochba revolt around 132CE Rabbi Akiva was the primary spiritual
leader of the movement. He was also a staunch supporter of Bar Kochba, the general who lead
the revolt against Rome, to the extent of believing that Bar Kochba was the promised Jewish
Messiah. This revolt all but changed the very face of Judaism, from that time forth, the Jewish
people were no longer based in Judea, and the study of Torah and the principals of the faith were
outlawed.
As was mentioned last week, before this point we had numerous sects of Judaism, the
Pharisees, Sadducees, Zealots, Essenes, and the Nazarenes. Well, by this point all but two of
these groups had more or less vanished, the two that survived were the Nazarenes (who had by
now separated themselves from Judaism and were being called Christians) and the Pharisees who
emerged as the preeminent Rabbinic Judaism. Rabbi Akiva’s Rabbinic Judaism held both the
Written Torah and the Orah Law as being equally divinely given and equally authoritative in a
Jewish person’s life. Traditionally it is believed that the Oral Torah, or Oral Law, was also given
at Sinai and that it has been handed down orally since then, until it was written down as the
Mishnah, it is also believed that it is impossible to understand the Written Torah without having
the Oral Torah to help in interpreting it. This leaning toward the Traditions, or the Oral Law, as
being divinely authoritative and equal to Scripture has been a primary key in the development of
Rabbinic Judaism, this took the tenants of the faith away from being strictly based in the Torah
and put it in the hands of the Rabbis to decide and interpret.
The Rabbinic Jewish movement that developed out of Pharisaic Judaism basically pushed
all other forms of Judaism out of the picture and gave them an ultimatum of jump on board or get
out of the way. It was around 213CE that the Oral Torah, or the traditions handed down by the
sages over the years, was compiled into what is known as the Mishna. The Mishna is the first
major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions called the “Oral Torah” and the first major
work of Rabbinic Judaism. It was redacted Judah HaNasi when, according to the Talmud, the
persecution of the Jews and the passage of time raised the possibility that the details of the oral
traditions dating from Pharisaic times would be forgotten. It is thus named for being both the
one written authority (codex) secondary (only) to the Tenakh as a basis for the passing of
judgment, a source and a tool for creating laws, and the first of many books to complement the
Bible in a certain aspect. Rabbinic commentaries on the Mishna over the next three centuries
were redacted as the Gemara, which, coupled with the Mishnah, comprise the Talmud.
The Mishna reflects debates between 70-200 CE by the group of rabbinic sages known as
the Tannaim. The Mishna teaches the oral traditions by example, presenting actual cases being
brought to judgment, usually along with the debate on the matter and the judgment that was
given by a wise and notable rabbi based on the halakha, Mitzvot, and spirit of the teaching
("Torah") that guided his sentencing. In this way, it brings to everyday reality the practice of the
mitzvot as presented in the Bible, and aimed to cover all aspects of human living, serve as an
3
example for future judgments, and, most importantly, demonstrate pragmatic exercise of the
Biblical laws, which was viewed as being much needed at the time when the Second Temple was
destroyed.
Before the development of the Mishna there were a lot of traditions in Judaism, and these
traditions, although followed strictly, were viewed as merely traditions. After the Mishna, these
very same traditions became laws in and of themselves and are now viewed as being equally as
weighted upon the life of a Jewish person as is the very commands of the Torah itself. The
compilation of the Mishna single handedly changed the very face of the Jewish religion and
solidified it as a unified faith, even when great distances are placed between the adherents of this
faith.
Also a key in the development of Rabbinic Judaism is what it teaches replaced the
sacrificial system of the Temple service. There are three main things that it says replaced the
blood sacrifice commanded by the Torah: Good Deeds, Prayer, and Tzedakah, these three are
also viewed to be supported with a life of devotion to the study of the Torah and the Talmud.
Many people have heard the infamous phrase from a non-believing Jew after doing something
nice for someone, “That’s my mitzvah for the day” speaking of their “good works” that they
perform in helping them. In Rabbinic Judaism it is believed that a large part of what replaces the
need for a blood sacrifice is the idea of “good works” or “good deeds”, in other words doing
something nice for someone else. The perfect example I can think of in regards to this concept is
that of the University of Mobile in Mobile, AL which is a Southern Baptist Christian Liberal
Arts university. The property that the university is built on was donated to them by a wealthy
Jewish man in Mobile, he was performing a mitzvah, not only a mitzvah, but the highest mitzvah
of all. He was, in his eyes, blessing his enemy by giving them the property and, in a way, trying
to buy his righteousness.
During the next several centuries a number of very significant things occurred and I am
going to briefly describe each to you.
Around 358CE- Hillel II, a prominent rabbi in Rabbinic Judaism, established a permanent
Jewish calendar, which is based on the Moedim, or appointed times, as well as solidifying the
observance of some traditional Jewish celebrations
In the 3rd and 4th Centuries CE- The Jerusalem Talmud was compiled. The Jerusalem Talmud
predates its counterpart, the Babylonian Talmud, and is written in both Hebrew and Jewish
Palestinian Aramaic. It includes the core component, the Mishna, finalized by Rabbi Judah the
Prince along with the written discussions of generations of rabbis in the Land of Israel (primarily
in the academies of Tiberias and Caesarea) which was compiled c. 350-400 CE into a series of
books that became the Gemara.
In the 4th and 5th Centuries CE- The Babylonian Talmud was compiled and recorded, which is
the more commonly used of the two. The Babylonian Talmud is often viewed as being easier to
read and understand, and compiles the discussions of the Mishna from over 300 years.
1040-1105CE- The life of Rashi, Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki, a medieval French rabbi famed as the
author of the first comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, as well as a comprehensive
4
commentary on the Tanakh. He is considered the "father" of all commentaries that followed on
the Talmud and the Tanakh.
1135-1204CE- The life of Rambam, Rabbi Moses Maimonides, the preeminent medieval Jewish
philosopher and one of the greatest Torah scholars of the Middle Ages. Although his writings on
Jewish law and ethics met with respectful opposition during his life, he was posthumously
acknowledged to be one of the foremost rabbinical arbiters and philosophers in Jewish history,
his copious work a cornerstone of Jewish scholarship. His fourteen-volume Mishneh Torah still
carries canonical authority as a codification of Talmudic law. In the Yeshiva world he is known
as "Hanesher Hagadol" (the great eagle) in recognition of his outstanding status as a bona fide
exponent of the Oral Torah, particularly on account of the manner in which his Mishneh Torah is
elucidated by Chaim Soloveitchik.
All in all, by the sixth century CE Rabbinic Judaism was fully developed, and all though
Rabbinic Judaism today takes on numerous different appearances, looks, and theologies, all of
the modern Jewish world is based out of the begins of Rabbinic Judaism. Today there are a
number of sects of Rabbinic Judaism, and each has a number of sub-sects affiliated with it, but
the three primary are Orthodox, Conservative, and Reformed Judaism.
Orthodox Judaism holds that both the Written and Oral Torah were divinely revealed to Moses,
and that the laws within it are binding and unchanging. Orthodox Jews generally consider
commentaries on the Shulchan Aruch (a condensed codification of halakha that largely favored
Sephardic traditions) to be the definitive codification of Jewish law. Orthodoxy places a high
importance on Maimonides' 13 principles as a definition of Jewish faith.
Conservative Judaism, known as Masorti outside the United States and Canada, is characterized
by a commitment to traditional Jewish laws and customs, including observance of Shabbat and
kashrut, a deliberately non-fundamentalist teaching of Jewish principles of faith, a positive
attitude toward modern culture, and an acceptance of both traditional rabbinic and modern
scholarship when considering Jewish religious texts. Conservative Judaism teaches that Jewish
law is not static, but has always developed in response to changing conditions. It holds that the
Torah is a divine document written by prophets inspired by God and reflecting his will, but
rejects the Orthodox position that it was dictated by God to Moses. Conservative Judaism holds
that the Oral Law is divine and normative, but holds that both the Written and Oral Law may be
interpreted by the rabbis to reflect modern sensibilities and suit modern conditions.
Reform Judaism, called Liberal or Progressive Judaism in many countries, defines Judaism as a
religion rather than as a race or culture, rejects most of the ritual and ceremonial laws of the
Torah while observing moral laws, and emphasizes the ethical call of the Prophets. Reform
Judaism has developed an egalitarian prayer service in the vernacular (along with Hebrew in
many cases) and emphasizes personal connection to Jewish tradition.
Now that we have covered the basics of the development of modern Rabbinic Judaism, including
the different sects that occur today, let’s look at some history that has lead to the current
relationship, or rather lack there of, between the Jewish world and their promised Messiah.
5
The persecution of the Jewish people from the Middle Ages and on has been well documented,
and sadly enough, most of it was done either in the name of Jesus or in the name of the Church.
Here’s a short list some of the persecution:
1096CE- The Crusades Begin
1242CE- The Burning of the Talmud in Paris
1290CE- The Expulsion of all Jews from England
1394CE- The Expulsion of all Jews from France
1478CE- The Spanish Inquisition was established
1492CE- The Expulsion of all Jews from Spain
1933CE- Hitler comes into power
1939-1945CE- The Holocaust
These are but a few historical markers of persecution against the Jewish people over the
last 2000 years or so, and this does list does not even begin to include the Pogroms either. Many
of the persecutions, expulsions, and mass murders that have been performed against the Jewish
people are often done in either the name of Jesus or in the name of the Church. Sadly enough,
what most Christians do not understand or realize when they are speaking to a Jewish person is
that often the name Jesus instantly brings up pain and anger in their hearts, and the image of the
Cross is no different. The truth is that, as I mentioned at the beginning of this talk, the Jewish
people have done nothing but suffer most of our existence, and in the eyes of most Jews this
Jesus can’t possibly be the promised Messiah of Israel because too many atrocities have been
done to us in His name. Besides the fact that with as much suffering as has been incurred at the
hands of Christians, or supposed Christians, He couldn’t be the Messiah because the Messiah is
suppose to usher in peace, not suffering.
Rabbinic Judaism is a movement that began about 2000 years ago, it began as a
movement trying to answer a lot of questions. Without the Temple how can Judaism exist? Is
the Messiah ever going to come? What is the Jewish person’s place in this world? Can the
Jewish faith survive outside of Israel? Rabbinic Judaism has also given many things to the
Church that most Christians do not realize. The concept of Church planting came from Rabbinic
Judaism, it is spawned from the method of establishing synagogues in areas with Jewish
populations and where there is Jewish growth. The idea of using a hermeneutical method of
studying Scripture comes from Rabbinic Judaism. Even the liturgical prayers used in more
traditional or orthodox churches are modeled after the liturgical service of the synagogue. Not to
mention, Yeshua... And many other concepts...
Messianic Jewish Theology (slide 1).
6
Rabbi David has told you a bit about traditional Judaism. It is a very large subject and we can
only lightly touch upon it in our time allotted. He has shown you how Rabbi Yochanan ben
Zacchai and his followers developed a theology to fit the situation after the Temple was
destroyed in 70CE. That theology ignores a major part of Scripture; a part which ADONAI
considered all important, the "substitutionary death" of a sinless one to pay for human sins. We
spoke several times last week of Leviticus 17:11 which tells us "without the shedding of blood,
there is no remission of sins." As was said last week, Messiah Yeshua's death on the stake, the
cross, tzlav in Hebrew, is the key for all of us. Without the redemption that his blood provides
we cannot stand before ADONAI and without his blood we are not members of God's family, the
family of Abraham, the commonwealth of Israel.
So, on this, you and I agree. Messianic Judaism and Christianity fully agree that
salvation is by faith alone. Romans 1:16 says: 16 For I am not ashamed of the Good News,
since it is God's powerful means of bringing salvation to everyone who keeps on trusting, to the
Jew especially, but equally to the Gentile.(CJB). Trusting here refers to remaining in faith. We
cannot earn our salvation no matter how perfect we are in following ADONAI's commands. We
all fail, and that is why we, through repentance, can be forgiven for our sins which we commit
daily.
We also fully agree that Messiah Yeshua, the Son of ADONAI is divine. Not only is he
the Son of ADONAI, whose personal name is represented in Torah by the Hebrew consonants
YHVH, and also in a mysterious way that none of us understands, he is also YHVH. But he is
also the Son, Yeshua. We also completely agree with Christianity that Yeshua was born of a
virgin. His mother Miryam was overshadowed and impregnated by the Ruach HaKodesh, the
Holy Spirit, and her son Yeshua was born not only as the divine Son of God, but also fully as a
man who lived out his earthly life in the Land of Israel.
With that being said, let's look now at some of the ways that our understanding of
Scripture differs from that of traditional Christianity. We'll begin with Acts chapter 1. There we
are told that in one of their earlier gatherings with Yeshua, he told them to stay in Jerusalem to
wait upon what had been promised, that is, the outpouring of the Ruach HaKodesh, the Holy
Spirit. In chapter 2 we find Shimon Kefa, Simon Peter, and all of Yeshua's disciples at the
Temple Mount on the day of Shavuot. Why were they not in some upper room in Jerusalem
rather than at the Temple? Because they were obedient Jews and they followed Torah. Leviticus
23, verses 15 and 16 say: 15 "'From the day after the day of rest -that is, from the day you bring
the sheaf for waving -you are to count seven full weeks, 16 until the day after the seventh week;
you are to count fifty days; and then you are to present a new grain offering to ADONAI. This is
speaking of Shavuot, the Festival of Weeks, which is also known as Pentecost. Acts 2:1-2 says:
1 The festival of Shavu'ot arrived, and the believers all gathered together in one place. 2
Suddenly there came a sound from the sky like the roar of a violent wind, and it filled the whole
house where they were sitting. If you were just reading this in English, and read that they were
sitting in a house, you might rightly conclude that they were in some house. But understanding
that they were observant Jews and were commanded to be in ADONAI's presence on the Day of
Shavuot, you also might agree that they were at the Temple. But then again, you might require
more evidence before making that decision. Here it is. In Hebrew, the Temple mount with the
Temple upon it is referred to as: Har HaBayit. Har means mountain, Ha means "the," and Bayit
means "house." So, Har HaBayit means " the mountain of the House; House with a capital H.
Quite often it was shortened to just "The House." So, we understand that Yeshua's disciples
7
were being obedient Jews, and as obedient Jews, were at the place where ADONAI commanded
them in His Torah to go. They were at the Temple.
At this point we also diverge from the Covenant and Dispensational positions that say
that when the Holy Spirit fell on Shavuot, Pentecost, the Church was born, and Jews no longer
had a covenantal role outside of "the Church." Our view is that this empowering by the Ruach
HaKodesh, the Holy Spirit, to all of these "Jewish" persons on that day, was an empowerment to
enable them to carry out Yeshua's words in Matthew 28. He told us in verse 19 that we were to
go into all the world and make disciples. And in Acts 1:8 just before his ascension to the Father,
Yeshua said: 8 But you will receive power when the Ruach HaKodesh comes upon you; you
will be my witnesses both in Yerushalayim and in all Y'hudah and Shomron, indeed to the ends of
the earth. The empowerment by the Ruach was to take these men beyond their timid normal
selves, and to help them to go fearlessly forward with Yeshua's message of salvation and
discipleship for the Nations carrying out their roles as sons of Abraham..
The next event that I would like to talk about tonight is also in Acts. In Acts 10 we read
about a Roman army officer named Cornelius. In the KJV he is described as a man who "feared
God." In the NIV he is described as "devout and God fearing." But, in the CJB we are told that
he was a "God-fearer." Just this small difference in wording makes a difference. A yire
shamayim, "fearer of Heaven," was a very specific position in the Judaism of the 1st century.
These God-fearers, were followers of the God of Israel, but had not taken the step of becoming
full proselytes, that is, converts to Judaism. Cornelius was sincerely seeking to follow ADONAI
and because of his devotion, ADONAI gave him a vision. In this vision an angel told him to send
men to Yafo, Jaffa, to bring back Shimon Kefa. They were told that he was staying at the house
of Shi'mon the tanner.
What happened before Cornelius' men reached the house of Simon is well known
throughout Christianity. The vision that Kefa had on the rooftop of a sheet coming down is the
basis of the entire discourse. But what Christianity says it means is most often completely in
opposition to its understanding in Messianic Judaism. Let's read about it. In the CJB in Acts
10:9-16, it says: 9 The next day about noon, while they were still on their way and approaching
the city, Kefa went up onto the roof of the house to pray. 10 He began to feel hungry and
wanted something to eat; but while they were preparing the meal, he fell into a trance 11 in
which he saw heaven opened, and something that looked like a large sheet being lowered to the
ground by its four corners. 12 In it were all kinds of four-footed animals, crawling creatures
and wild birds. 13 Then a voice came to him, "Get up, Kefa, slaughter and eat!" 14 But Kefa
said, "No, sir! Absolutely not! I have never eaten food that was unclean or treif." 15 The voice
spoke to him a second time: "Stop treating as unclean what God has made clean." 16 This
happened three times, and then the sheet was immediately taken back up into heaven.
In Christianity this is usually taken to mean that ADONAI has declared all foods clean
and it was now OK for Kefa to eat pork chops. But we have to continue to remember that
Shimon was an obedient Jew, one who was careful to follow Torah scrupulously. When Kefa
said I have never eaten food that was unclean or treif, he was stating his faithfulness to Torah,
and was most likely thinking of Leviticus 11:3-23. These verses of Torah specify that only
certain four-footed animals can be eaten, not all kinds of four-footed animals. It also says that
"crawling creatures" cannot be eaten; only those specified "jumping" insects. And the Torah is
very specific that only certain birds are to be eaten; not every kind of wild bird. It is
understandable that some people would make the connection about eating because these verses
start out about Shimon Kefa being hungry and waiting for lunch to be prepared. But this is
8
jumping to a conclusion. If we just wait a few verses, we see that Peter reveals the meaning of
the vision at Cornelius's house.
Here, again, we have to understand the Judaism of the 1st century. This was a very big
deal to Kefa. To have ADONAI tell him to go somewhere with Gentiles and to go and enter the
home of a Gentile, was something which, up to this point, was just not done. Gentiles, with the
term meaning idol worshippers, were considered unclean. Everything about them was unclean.
They didn't follow Torah and they usually had foods forbidden by Torah in their homes.
However, this was probably not true in Cornelius' case, because he was a "God-fearer," and more
than likely he was a scrupulous follower of Torah. Even though Kefa didn't know that, he
obediently followed the instructions of ADONAI's voice. You know the story. After entering
Cornelius' house, understanding came to Kefa and he fully understood the meaning of the sheet.
In chapter 10, verses 34 and 35 Shimon Kefa said: I now understand that God does not play
favorites, 35 but that whoever fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him, no matter
what people he belongs to. Peter understood that the unclean animals, insects, and birds in the
sheet were a reference to the Gentiles that he was being sent to. ADONAI had declared Gentiles
to be clean and acceptable to the leaders of Yeshua's Messianic body. From this point on
Yeshua's disciples understood that they were to begin to take Yeshua's message to the Gentiles.
Up until this point, it was totally a Jewish thing. Even at Shavuot, Pentecost, every person who
heard Kefa's message and received Yeshua, were Jews. Acts 2:9-11 says: 9 We are Parthians,
Medes, Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Y'hudah, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, 10 Phrygia,
Pamphylia, Egypt, the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome; 11 Jews by birth and
proselytes; Jews from Crete and from Arabia. In the Judaism of that day, the proselytes to
Judaism, the non-Jews, were also considered Jews. That is a principle which is still followed
today. A non-Jewish person who converts to Judaism is considered to be a Jew. Now, Yeshua's
disciples were about to take his message to the Nations. But there was still much more
understanding which had to come before every kink had been worked out of the process.
This leads us to Acts 15. What took place at this meeting and discussion is sometimes
called "The Jerusalem Council." How do we understand the message of Acts 15? Unfortunately
it, too, has become Christian doctrine against Torah. But there is a way to understand it, and I
hope that by the time we finish, you will be convinced. Acts 15:10-11 is one of the key
Scriptures which cause Christian theologians to believe that this is a decision against Torah. In
these verses, the elders assembled there said: it is: a yoke on the neck of the talmidim which
neither we or our fathers could bear. What did they mean? What was it that our fathers could
not bear? We will find out.
We begin with the issue being discussed which is found in Acts 15: 1-2. 1 But some men
came down from Y'hudah to Antioch and began teaching the brothers, "You can't be saved unless
you undergo b'rit-milah in the manner prescribed by Moshe." 2 This brought them into no small
measure of discord and dispute with Sha'ul and Bar-Nabba. So the congregation assigned
Sha'ul, Bar-Nabba and some of themselves to go and put this sh'eilah, this question, before the
emissaries and the elders up in Yerushalayim. There were some Messianic Jews, Jews who had
accepted Yeshua, who came to Antioch and began to say that they believed that it was necessary
for Gentiles to convert to Judaism even though they had accepted Yeshua. This was not Sha'ul's
and Bar-Nabba's understanding. As Messianic Jews themselves, they were teaching that
Gentiles who had accepted Yeshua were not required to convert to Judaism in order to be a part
of the Jewish body. The question was not whether someone who was not a Jew could be saved.
The question was: did Gentiles have to convert to Judaism in order to be saved. That is what
9
undergoing b'rit-milah means; undergoing circumcision. To undergo b'rit milah was a "code
word" for conversion to Judaism. The real question that was before the Jerusalem Council was:
How could a Gentile become a covenant member? The traditional Judaism of the day said that a
Gentile had to become a Jew, that is, convert, in order to become a covenant member. And in
order to convert, Non-Jews had to be circumcised. In addition, in Acts 15:1, these Messianic
Jews said that this circumcision had to be done in the manner prescribed by Moses. You can
look as carefully as you wish, but nowhere in Torah will you find that Moshe told us how to do
B'rit Milah, the 8th day circumcision.
What's going on here? Again, by understanding the Judaism of the day, we know that the
reference to "Moshe" is a "code word" reference to "Oral Torah." In that day and also today in
Orthodox Judaism, there is the belief that there are two Torahs. Torah she'b'al-Peh is the Oral
Torah which has been handed down verbally from Moses, "mouth to ear," through the
generations. Torah she-biktav is the written Torah, the Word of ADONAI. As Messianic Jews,
we do not believe in the Oral Torah, which among those who accept it, is considered equal in
weight to the Written Torah. Moses never did prescribe circumcision. It was ADONAI Who
commanded it through Abraham, that b'rit milah, the 8th day circumcision, was to be done for all
of his descendants. What then, was the question being asked in Acts15:1-2? It was this: "Do
Gentile believers in Yeshua need to become proselytes? That is, do Gentile believers in Yeshua
need to be circumcised in order to convert to Judaism? And also very importantly and key to the
discussion was: Must Gentile believers in Yeshua keep "Oral Torah," the mouth to ear
requirements that were in addition to ADONAI's written Torah? Those Messianic Jews referred
to in Acts 15:1 were saying: "You must be a Jew, a part of Judaism, in order to be saved." In
their minds, Gentiles had to be circumcised.
Then Shimon Kefa stood and told about how ADONAI had through him opened the door
for Gentiles to be able to accept Yeshua and become a part of Messianic Israel. After telling
those gathered how ADONAI knew the hearts of the Gentiles and had given them the Holy
Spirit, in Acts 15: 10 Shimon said: 10 So why are you putting God to the test now by placing a
yoke on the neck of the talmidim which neither our fathers nor we have had the strength to bear?
What is this "yoke?" The Church says that it is "the Law." And they are partially correct. Yes,
it is the Law, but not the written Law of Moses. It is the oral law. It is the Torah she'b'al Peh,
the Oral Torah which was supposedly passed down from Moses. I personally don't believe that it
was passed down from Moses. It's kind of hard to understand how through the centuries that
Israel strayed away from worshipping ADONAI so many times, yet supposedly the Oral Torah
was always perfectly preserved. How can this be? During King Josiah's reign, we are told in
2Kings 22 that the "Book of the Torah" was discovered after being lost for many years and they
immediately began to follow it. The actual written Torah was lost, but the oral torah was being
perfectly preserved? Here is another proof that there is "no oral torah." After Israel left the
Wilderness and entered the Land of Canaan under Joshua's leadership, Joshua 8:34-35 makes it
clear that there were not other words from Moses which were written down. It says: 34 After
this, he read all the words of the Torah, the blessing and the curse, according to everything
written in the book of the Torah. 35 There was not a word of everything Moshe had ordered
that Y'hoshua did not read before all Isra'el assembled, including the women, the little ones and
the foreigners living with them. That settles it for me.
So, the yoke that our fathers could not bear was not the Torah of Moses, but was the Oral
Torah of traditional Judaism, which was believed to have been passed down by word of mouth
from Moses. The question really being asked here was: are we saved by keeping the Oral Torah,
10
or are we saved by the grace of Yeshua? The answer is clear: the Gentiles had been saved
because or their faith in Yeshua, not because they kept Oral Torah, and "became Jews." Please
understand that this was not a debate about salvation being achieved by works. Not even the
Messianic Jews mentioned in 15:1 who wanted Gentiles to be circumcised believed that
salvation came by works. They, as well as Ya'acov, James, Kefa, Peter, Yochanan, John, and all
the others, believed that a place in the world to come was only through the grace of Yeshua. But,
the non-Messianic Jews of that day, who were never a part of this discussion, believed that a
place in the world to come was the gift of ADONAI to every member of the Covenant Nation,
Israel. According to them, Yeshua was not needed. All that was required was to be a part of
Israel, whether Jew or proselyte Gentile.
But in order to be able to learn more, there had to be some entering point for these new
Gentile believers in Yeshua. This entering point was established through the four requirements
found in Acts 15:28-29. The elders said: 28 For it seemed good to the Ruach HaKodesh and
to us not to lay any heavier burden on you than the following requirements: 29 to abstain from
what has been sacrificed to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from fornication. If you
keep yourselves from these, you will be doing the right thing. Some say that these four were
really a short list of the 7 Noachide Laws. You may not be familiar with this. Traditional
Judaism says that there are 7 prohibitions based on Genesis 9:1-11 that all Gentiles have the
option of keeping in order to be in right standing with ADONAI. What they are saying is that,
yes, as a Gentile you can convert to Judaism, but as a Gentile, you also have the choice of just
being a Noachide, a follower of the seven Noachide Laws. We don't have time to go into this
further tonight. But this is not what the four prohibitions made by the council at Jerusalem were.
It could not have been. The Noachide Laws were not even formulated until the Babylonian
Talmud of the late 1st century and the early 2nd century. And, they are not mentioned in the
Mishnah, which is the written form of the Oral Torah.
Getting back to the four requirements; they had nothing to do with salvation by faith
through the grace of Yeshua. Acts 15:11 says: 11 No, it is through the love and kindness of the
Lord Yeshua that we trust and are delivered- and it's the same with them. In other words,
salvation is by faith for the Jews and it's the same for the Gentiles. If the Gentiles had been
given a different set of Laws it would have undermined the message of the Gospel. And, Sha'ul
never taught one way for Jews and one way for Gentiles. But it is clear that the four
requirements are essential. Even so, these four did not in any way suggest that they were the
totality of all moral and ethical guidelines, and that all that was needed for Gentiles was to be
found in these four things.
But, we still have our question: why did the Jerusalem Council prescribe these man-made
laws? The answer is actually a simple one. It was in order to be satisfied that the saved Gentiles,
those believing in Yeshua, were no longer "idolaters." The elders of the new Messianic body of
Messiah had to be certain that these new Gentile believers had turned their backs on the capital
Torah offense of "serving other gods." ADONAI was really a "stickler" about that, and these
leaders had to provide a way for these former pagans, idol worshippers, to stop their pagan
practices and begin to learn about ADONAI and His commandments.
Here is what the four prohibitions mean. 1) These new Gentile believers were to abstain
from eating meat which they knew that had been presented as a sacrifice to a false god in temple
worship. This was not a reference to meat clean according to Torah that was sold in the common
market, but specifically a reference to food at a meal of an idolatrous ceremony.
11
2) They were to abstain from blood. This was prohibited by ADONAI in Genesis 9 when He
gave Noah new instructions which allowed the eating of meat. It can also be found in a number
of places in the Coveanant given at Mount Sinai. This prohibition can refer to both eating meat
with blood in it and the drinking of blood as a part of a pagan ritual. 3) They were to abstain
from things strangled. Pagan sacrifices were usually killed by cutting the throat of the animal,
but strangulation was also known to be used. Meat from animals strangled was saturated with
blood. This would have been the eating of meat with blood in it and would also have been a
violation of compassionate slaughter, a characteristic of Jewish slaughtering. 4) They were to
abstain from fornication. This refers to "temple prostitution." Joining oneself to a prostitute
(either male or female) was to negate ADONAI's ownership of everyone called by His Name.
1Corinthians 6:15-17 says: 15 Don't you know that your bodies are parts of the Messiah? So,
am I to take parts of the Messiah and make them parts of a prostitute? Heaven forbid! 16 Don't
you know that a man who joins himself to a prostitute becomes physically one with her? For the
Tanakh says, "The two will become one flesh"; 17 but the person who is joined to the Lord is
one spirit.
What does all of this actually mean? How can we understand it? Here is the gist of it.
The new Gentile believers in Yeshua had to have a complete break with their former idolatrous
life. This would show that they had forsaken the "gods of their fathers" and turned to the One
God of Israel. This is shown by the final sentence in Acts 15:29, 29b: If you keep yourselves
from these, you will be doing the right thing.
Let's begin to summarize all of these points. We can begin this by saying that in this
case, the Jerusalem Council was dealing with a specific issue. And it was the question of
whether it was necessary for Gentiles to become proselytes and take on the full weight of the
man-made laws of the rabbis in order to be accepted in the Jewish community, that is to be
recognized as Jews. The council voted no to this question. They said that circumcision was not
necessary. As we said earlier, circumcision was a "shorthand code word" used to mean:
"becoming a proselyte, a Jew by conversion." The council said that Gentiles need not become
become proselytes in order to be received into the Messianic Torah community. But there was
another need. There was the need to insure that these new Gentile believers had forsaken any
form of idolatry. And to insure this, the Apostles required the Gentile believers to accept the
man-made rules of the Jerusalem Council regarding idolatry; the four prohibitions. These
prohibitions given by the authority of Yeshua's chosen leaders of the Messianic community
would then allow new Gentile believers to have fellowship with Jewish believers in Yeshua.
But the bottom line of this entire discourse was given long before the last words were
spoken and it is found in Acts 15:21. It says: For from the earliest times, Moshe has had in
every city those who proclaim him, with his words being read in the synagogues every Shabbat.
This meant that the new Gentile believers, by following the four rules of the Council, would be
permittted to enter the synagogues each Sabbath Day and to hear and to learn Torah. The
proclamation of Moshe, Moses, is another of those "code words," and it means to "study Torah."
By attending synagogue and hearing Torah, these new Gentile believers would gradually learn
what was further required of them in order to please ADONAI.
But remember, as we said last week, keeping ADONAI's Torah was not a means of
salvation. The new Gentile believers in Yeshua had obtained salvation through their faith in
Yeshua's sacrifice; through grace by faith. Let's reconsider for a moment what we learned last
week from Sha'ul, Paul, regarding Law; Torah. When Paul speaks of the Torah, Law, in the
"context of salvation," that is, justification, or right standing before ADONAI, he clearly states
12
that Torah keeping, Law keeping, is of no avail. You can't get saved through the Law. Read
Romans 3:20. But on the other hand, when Sha'ul speaks of the Torah in the "context of
believer's conduct," that is, sanctification, or right living before ADONAI, then, he affirms the
value and validity of ADONAI’s Torah. Romans 7:12, 13:8-10, 1Corinthians 7:19, and
1Timothy 1:8-10 are all examples of this.
What we have had time to consider tonight is just the tip of the iceberg of Messianic
Jewish theology. There are many, many more Scriptures that are very difficult to understand just
by reading the English. Most of them are found in Sha'ul's letters. Even though we don't have
time to consider them all during our talks, we will try to include some additional printed
materials for you to read at home before we conclude our six sessions.
What we hope that you have learned during our time tonight is that "the written word is
not always what it seems." By understanding Torah and having a knowledge of customs,
traditions, and the working of Judaism in the first century, we can many times decipher what is
being presented in the Messianic Scriptures, the writings of Yeshua's talmidim, his disciples.
And by all means, I hope that you now agree that Torah is still very much alive and in effect. As
Sha'ul said to Timothy in 2Timothy 3:16: 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is valuable for
teaching the truth, convicting of sin, correcting faults and training in right living; 17 thus
anyone who belongs to God may be fully equipped for every good work. If we understand that
the Scripture being spoken of is Torah, the teaching and instruction of ADONAI's commands,
then we can and will be fully equipped for every good work.
13