This weeks Torah Portion

Discussion in 'Faith and Religion' started by skyking, Jun 13, 2011.


  1. skyking

    skyking Monkey+

    hope everyone had a restful Pentacost and weekly sabbath

    not sure if there are other members here that observe the weekly sabbath{Fri eve till Sat eve} ,the biblical feast {holidays} found in scripture not mans holidays},observe the dietary guidelines in scripture and believe in the second coming -just checking in.

    Torah or teachings- the first 5 books of the bible-the books of Moses...

    Torah PORTIONS | Home Page

    http://www.bereansonline.org/enews/5771-37.pdf

    Parasha: Shelach

    Even if I am being poured out...

    Thought for the Week:

    The world looks on us as fools, wasting our time with religion. On some occasions, we may feel as if our efforts to serve God have been utterly in vain. It might seem as if we have wasted our time and energy in pursuit of His Kingdom. But in the Torah, we learn that which is wasted on the God is not a waste at all, but a sacred service received on the altar of heaven.
    Commentary:

    In Numbers 15:1-12, the Torah teaches about the wine libations which the priesthood was to pour out over God's altar. No one drank of the wine libations. They were completely poured out. To some, it might have seemed like a waste.
    Paul compared his own life to a wine libation poured out over the altar on two different occasions. He first did so in his early letter to the Philippians; the other instance is in one of his last letters, 2 Timothy.
    To the Philippians, Paul compares his life to a drink offering in that he has poured out his efforts upon the Philippians without any assurance of success. Some would measure his efforts spent on them to be a 'waste,' but Paul sees it as a gesture of worship "upon the sacrifice and service" of faith.
    But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all. You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me. (Philippians 2:17-18)​
    Years later, near the end of his life, Paul wrote to Timothy. He knew that he would not survive the murderous intrigues of the court of Nero, and he again compared his life to a drink offering being poured out over the altar. He knew that he was going to die a martyr's death. But in his perspective, it was a noble end in as much as it was a martyrdom for the sake of the Kingdom. In the same way that the wine of a libation was 'wasted' on the altar is not wasted at all, but rendered up as a holy service to God, so too Paul regarded his own life as spent on the service of God. Though it may seem 'wasted' to others, to Paul it was a holy service.
    For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. (2 Timothy 4:6)​
    Yeshua Himself, on taking the cup of His last seder meal, makes allusion to the drink offering ritual saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood." (Luke 22:20) In Mark He says His blood is "poured out for many," (Mark 14:24) and in Matthew He adds that it is poured out "for forgiveness of sins." (Matthew 26:28)
    The Master's blood which was poured out on the ground like water and like a drink offering upon the altar. It was not a waste.
     
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  2. skyking

    skyking Monkey+

    http://torahportions.org

    /http://www.bereansonline.org/enews/5771-38.pdf

    Welcome to Torah PORTIONS!


    The word “Torah” comes from the Hebrew root Hey|Reish|Hey, which means “to teach.

    An online hub for learning and studying the weekly Bible portions from the Torah Torah PORTIONS seeks to encourage Christians to become familiar with the five books of Moses. On these pages you can follow, read and hear the weekly portions from the Torah. We have created the structure of PORTIONS as a hub for teachers and students to link up, share with one another, and to focus on the weekly Torah portion.

    Parasha: Korach

    Guarding the Sanctuary

    Thought for the Week:

    Though our spirit--our inner man--delights in the expressed will and wisdom of God that is His own instruction, our flesh fights against it tooth and nail. Our fleshly minds work overtime to try to find reasons to excuse ourselves from keeping the commandments. Our wicked hearts resent the authority of God. Yet in Messiah we have a new identity. We don't need to submit to our flesh. We need not join Korah and perish in his rebellion. In Messiah the flesh has been crucified with Messiah. It is within our grasp to live in Messiah.
    Commentary:
    "[The Levites] shall be joined with you and attend to the guarding of the Tent of Meeting..." (Numbers 18:4, Literal Translation) ​
    It was the Levites' job to guard the Temple from intruders. But more than simply protecting the Temple's assets, the Levitical guards were to protect the Children of Israel from inadvertent trespassing. As Korah's followers discovered in Numbers 16, a step too far in the wrong direction could be fatal. The Levitical guard was meant to insure that the common man did not make that misstep.
    In the Mishnah, we are told of how the captain of the Levitical guard would keep his watchmen awake at their posts by surprising them like a thief in the night.
    The man in charge of the Temple mount would go around to every watch post carrying lighted torches before him. When he found a watchman which was not standing at his post he would say, "Shalom Aleichem (Peace be with you.)" If the man was sleeping, he struck him with his staff, and he had the right to light his garment on fire. The people would say, "What is the noise in the courtyard?" "It is the noise of a Levite being beaten and his clothes being burned because he fell asleep at his post." Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov said, "One time they found my mother's brother sleeping and burned his garment." (m.Middot 1:2)​
    The threat of having your clothes lit on fire was probably good incentive to stay awake. In Revelation 16:15, Yeshua refers to this custom of the Temple guards.
    Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame. (Revelation 16:15)​
    Messiah comes like 'the captain of the Temple guard' who, in turn, 'comes like a thief in the night.' That is why He says, "Blessed are those servants whom the master will find on the alert when he comes...whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves." (Luke 12:37-38)
    Stay awake! Stay alert, and keep your clothes!
     
  3. skyking

    skyking Monkey+

    Torah PORTIONS | Home Pagehttp://www.bereansonline.org/enews/5771-39.pdf



    Parasha: Chukat
    The Purity Paradox

    Thought for the Week:

    The writer of the book of Hebrews specifically mentions in Hebrews 9:13-14 the ashes of the red heifer. What is more, he attributes efficacy to them as regards cleansing the flesh. The passage compares the blood of Messiah to the ashes of the red heifer. If the ashes of the red heifer work on the outside (the flesh), how much more so does the blood of Messiah work on the inside (the conscience) from sin.
    Commentary:

    For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:13-14)
    In Numbers 19, God gives the laws for preparing the ashes of the red heifer. The red heifer is an unusual sacrifice which was slaughtered and burned outside of the Tabernacle. Its ashes were then collected and mixed with water. The water was sprinkled in a purification ceremony which removed ritual uncleanness engendered by contact with death.
    Paradoxically, the preparation of the red heifer renders each person involved unclean. The priest who oversees the slaughter and the burning is rendered unclean. The man who ignites the fire is rendered unclean. The man who gathers the ashes together is rendered unclean. We learn in Numbers 19:21 that the one who sprinkles the water is also rendered unclean. It is one of the great paradoxes of Torah, explicable only as a decree of God.
    "Who decreed this? Was it not...[God]? We have learned that all the people engaged in preparing the water of the ashes of the Red Heifer, from beginning to end, defile garments, while the Heifer itself makes garments ritually clean. The Holy One, blessed is He, says, 'I have laid down a statute; I have issued a decree! You cannot transgress My decree.'" (Numbers Rabbah 19:1)​
    This is the paradox of purification. Though the priest and the men who assisted him were administering a purification ritual, they themselves were rendered somehow impure.
    The paradox of purification is that the one performing the cleansing is rendered unclean. Everyone involved in the preparation of the ashes of the red heifer or in the sprinkling of the ashes and water is made unclean. So too, in order to cleanse us, the Master became unclean. In order to liberate us from death, He died. Yeshua took the curse upon Himself. He became death for us, so that we might be freed from death. Nothing is as contaminating as a dead body. Yeshua took on mortal uncleanness by virtue of His human birth. He took on human uncleanness by virtue of His healing ministry in our midst. He took on the uncleanness, the iniquity, the transgression and sin of Israel in order to cleanse us. He took on death itself--the very most contaminating source of uncleanness--in order to cleanse us.
    Just as those administering purification from death, are rendered unclean, so too the Master was made unclean, even taking on the contaminating impurity of death itself, in order to cleanse us from sin and death.
     
  4. -06

    -06 Monkey+++

    Good reads and good insight Sky. Thanks for you time and efforts. Will be following more of your posts.
     
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  5. skyking

    skyking Monkey+

    TORAHPHOBIA

    Good read from Lew White
    TORAHPHOBIA
    THE FEAR OF INSTRUCTION
    Ps 119:18: Open my eyes, that I might see Wonders from Your Torah.
    RETURNING TO THE FATHER’S HOUSEHOLD, THE PRODIGAL SON REPRESENTS THE LOST TRIBES OF ISRAEL REALIZING THEIR NEED TO RETURN TO TORAH[FONT=&quot].[/FONT] [FONT=&quot] THIS PARABLE WAS GIVEN FOR US TO UNDERSTAND IN THE LAST DAYS. [/FONT]
    WALKING WITHOUT TORAH, WE ARE UNREPENTANT; THEREFORE TO YAHUAH WE ARE DEAD:
    Luk 15:32 “‘And we had to rejoice and be glad, for your brother was dead, and is alive; and was LOST and is found.’ ” [FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
    img4.

    TORAHPHOBIA - the fear of instruction - keeps many from obeying the Covenant. Read Ephesians 2:8-13, and a light will suddenly come on concerning the “works” about which no man can “boast” about. Look at this verse, and try to guess what “works” Elohim prepared beforehand that we should walk in:
    Eph 2:10: For we are His workmanship, created in Messiah Yahusha unto good works, which Elohim prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” If you guessed the Torah, you are correct! IT IS THE WATER OF LIFE ~ Rev 22:1: [FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
    And he showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of Elohim and of the Lamb.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
    Psa 119:160: The sum of Your Word is Truth, and all Your righteous right-rulings are forever.[FONT=&quot][/FONT] (Yahuah’s TORAH is eternal)
    Psa 119:162: I rejoice at Your Word as one who finds great treasure.[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
    Joh 17:17: “Set them apart in Your Truth – Your Word is Truth.[FONT=&quot][/FONT] Also, at Joh 18:37: “Then Pilate said to Him, You are a sovereign, then? Yahusha answered, ‘You say it, because I am a sovereign. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the Truth. Everyone who is of the Truth hears My Voice.’”

    more here: TORAHPHOBIA
     
  6. skyking

    skyking Monkey+

    Glad you appreciated the portions 06.I can only take credit for being the "messenger boy"
    When I started on this path and started truly learning from another mindset and the use and meaning of words it was like another world of the bible sprang forth and it truly is amazing and complex.
    Many people think that Torah is only a jewish thing and that's just not true ,the jews just kept it alive all these yrs.The history of Torah and haftorah are the instruction books of life and society and how it's to function,now and then.
    Ok then ,look forward to sharing these with you 06
     
  7. skyking

    skyking Monkey+

    The un-Inspired Page in the Bible

    The un-Inspired Page in the Bible
    Monte Judah

    There is a page in the Bible that was not written by Moses, the Prophets, the Messiah, the Apostles, or God Himself. Many quote from that page more than the other writings combined. It is not inspired by God and God never told anyone to put that page in the Bible. However, the modern church has emphasized and taught more doctrine based on the words of that page than any other part of the Bible. It is the un-inspired page in the Bible. What page is it, you ask?
     
  8. skyking

    skyking Monkey+

  9. skyking

    skyking Monkey+

    This is one of my favorite portions.

    http://torahportions.org/

    http://www.bereansonline.org/enews/5771-40.pdf
    Parasha: Balak

    Never Argue with a Donkey

    Thought for the Week:

    Through the mouth of Balaam, the LORD explained to King Balak why Israel cannot be cursed: God has already promised to bless them. God is not fickle. Having already promised to bless Israel, He cannot reverse Himself. He cannot change His mind. Unlike human beings, God's integrity is absolute. Therefore, the attempt to place a curse upon Israel is utterly futile.
    Commentary:

    Balaam the wicked prophet set out on his donkey to curse Israel. The Angel of LORD blocked Balaam's path three times. Each time, Balaam did not see the angel, but the donkey did. The three incidents are meant to correspond to Balaam's three attempts to curse Israel. Each time the LORD stood in his way, so to speak, and changed his curse into a blessing.
    Balaam referred to himself as "the man whose eye is opened" (Numbers 24:4) and as the man "who sees the vision of the Almighty...having his eyes uncovered." (Numbers 24:15-16) He is full of himself. He is the model of spiritual pride. He speaks of himself as the man who sees with eyes uncovered, but his donkey disagrees with his self-assessment. The donkey had more spiritual insight than Balaam.
    The Angel of the LORD blocked the way three times, but Balaam did not see Him. On the third occasion, Balaam assaulted his donkey with a stick. When the donkey rebuked him, Balaam said, "If there had been a sword in my hand, I would have killed you by now."
    The Sages noticed the absolute irony of such a statement from a man who allegedly could defeat an entire nation simply by the power of his words. Balaam intended on smiting all Israel with the power of his speech, but he needed to beat his donkey with a stick and wished for a sword to kill her.
    This villain was going to curse an entire nation which had not sinned against him [merely by the power of his speech], yet he has to smite his donkey [with his hand] to prevent it from going into a field! ...the donkey spoke to Balaam saying, "You need a sword in your hand to kill me? How then do you intend to uproot an entire nation with only your words?" Balaam could not think of an answer, so he kept silent. (Numbers Rabbah 20:14)​
    The same midrash goes on to explain that one should never argue with donkeys or any other animals. They will always outwit you. For that reason, God, in His mercy and wisdom, has closed the mouths of animals. If not, they would continually make us feel stupid.
    The Holy One, blessed be He, has consideration for the dignity of mankind and, knowing their weakness, He shut the mouth of beasts. For had they been able to speak, it would have been impossible to put them to the service of man or to stand one's ground against them. For here was this donkey, the most stupid of all beasts, and there was the wisest of all wise men, yet as soon as she opened her mouth he could not stand his ground against her! (Numbers Rabbah 20:14)​
     
  10. skyking

    skyking Monkey+

    Torah PORTIONS | Home Page

    http://www.bereansonline.org/enews/5771-41.pdf
    Parasha: Pinchas

    Who Needs Religious Fundamentalists?

    Thought for the Week:

    Religion is a two-edged sword. On the one hand, faith in God, trust in Messiah and obedience to God's commandments is the narrow path that leads to life. It brings peace, joy and purpose to existence. On the other hand, religious convictions can become a source of strife, enmity and hatred between people.
    Commentary:

    Parashat Pinchas is named for Pinchas (Phineas), the zealous grandson of Aaron the priest, who turned aside the LORD's wrath by publicly skewering two flagrant transgressors of Torah. Without trial and without due process, Pinchas rose up as a court of one. He was the witness, the judge and the executioner. Yet rather than being punished for his zeal and transgression, Pinchas is rewarded with a "covenant of peace"! (25:12) It is a difficult story with some troubling ramifications.
    For our purposes, we will simply note that God praised Pinchas for his zeal. The LORD says, "he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not destroy the sons of Israel in My zeal." (25:11) The word that is translated as "zeal" is the Hebrew word kana (קנא). In fact, the anti-Roman, Jewish revolutionaries of the First Century were referred to by the same word: the Zealots. Hence the classic mistranslation of the name of one of Yeshua's 12 disciples, 'Simon the Canaanite." Simon was not a Canaanite; he was a Kanana (קנאנא), i.e. a Zealot. First Century Judea and Galilee were filled with political and religious zealots who regularly resorted to Pinchas-like violence to advance their purposes. In many ways, their fervor and ruthlessness is comparable to the religious fundamentalists, who trouble our modern world with terrorism and blood.
    Prior to his Damascus road encounter, Paul pursued the believers with a Pinchas-like zeal. As he wrote to the Philippians, he mentioned his history as a persecutor of the believers as evidence of his zeal for God. (1 Philippians 3:6) From Paul's example, we learn that zeal for God can be sorely misplaced. It is far better to emulate the Master who was zealous for His Father's house (John 2:17) and for His Father's will. Similarly, rather than expressing their zeal for God in acts of violence, the Jerusalem believers were "zealous for the Torah." (Acts 21:20)
    Religion is a two-edged sword. On the one hand, faith in God, trust in Messiah and obedience to God's commandments is the narrow path that leads to life. It brings peace, joy and purpose to existence. On the other hand, religious convictions can become a source of strife, enmity and hatred between people. When a person has a dearly held religious belief, he naturally wants others to share it. When others challenge that conviction, the religious person might become hostile in defense of his beliefs. He may resort to intimidation and aggression. He could engage in religious persecution or other nastiness, all the while feeling that he is doing God a favor. The religious person might view himself like Pinchas, sticking up for the truth by skewering people. This line of reasoning falls apart when we realize that Pinchas was acting under the direct orders of Moses and God.
    It is good to be zealous for God, but we must be careful lest we misplace that zeal. We should be zealous for the good standards of the Kingdom. We should be zealous for Messiah our righteousness. In our lives, we need to express zealous vigilance in our war with the flesh. For Messiah "gave Himself for us to redeem us from every Torah-less deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds (mitzvot)." (Titus 2:14)
    More here..http://www.bereansonline.org/enews/5771-41.pdf


     
  11. skyking

    skyking Monkey+

    http://www.bereansonline.org/enews/tam17.pdf

    Parasha: Mattot

    The Sin of Triangulation

    Thought for the Week:

    "Take full vengeance for the sons of Israel on the Midianites; afterward you will be gathered to your people." (Numbers 31:2) Why did God want the Israelites to take vengeance on the Midianites? The Midianites were not only guilty of the affair at Peor, they were also guilty of triangulation. The Proverbs say, "Like one who takes a dog by the ears is he who passes by and meddles with strife not belonging to him" (Proverbs 26:17).
    Commentary:

    In an effort to ensnare the Israelites, the Midianites and Moabites had sent their daughters to entice the men of Israel into worshipping Baal of Peor. The plan worked. Many Israelite men were led away by the seductive allure of the Moabite and Midianite women. They committed fornication with them and worshipped idols. Their wickedness incited the wrath of the LORD, who struck Israel with a devastating plague.
    This explains why the LORD commanded Moses, "Take full vengeance for the sons of Israel on the Midianites" (Numbers 31:2), but it also raises another question. The Midianites were not solely responsible for the affair of Peor. They had been coconspirators with the Moabites. The Moabites also used their daughters to seduce the men of Israel, as Scripture says, "The people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab" (Numbers 25:1). Why then did God say, "Be hostile to the Midianites and strike them" (Numbers 25:17), and, "Take full vengeance ... on the Midianites" (Numbers 31:2), but regarding Moab He only said, "Do not harass Moab, nor provoke them to war" (Deuteronomy 2:9)? The Moabites and Midianites were responsible for the same sin, but one was singled out for punishment while the other was not.
    The Moabites had a legitimate concern and grievance against Israel. The hosts of Israel had entered their land and were camping on their territory. Balak, the Moabite king, was afraid that the throngs of Israel were going to strip bare his land and conquer his kingdom. The Midianites, however, had no legitimate interests at stake in a fight with Israel. Their territory was not threatened, and Israel had done nothing against them. Rashi says, "The Midianites interfered in a quarrel that did not concern them."
    The Midianites were not only guilty of the affair at Peor, they were also guilty of triangulation. This can be compared to a man who sees two dogs fighting in the street. He tries to stop the fight by grabbing one of the dogs by the ears. As a result, he gets bit by the dog. The Proverbs say, "Like one who takes a dog by the ears is he who passes by and meddles with strife not belonging to him" (Proverbs 26:17).
    Triangulation happens when a person gets involved in a quarrel between other people. It happens when you pick up someone else's grievance and carry a grudge on their behalf. By imposing oneself in a situation that is not really your business, you needlessly place yourself in harm's way.
    According to Rashi's explanation, God forgave the Moabites because they had a legitimate reason to fear and undermine Israel. He did not forgive the Midianites, though, because they had needlessly stuck their noses into someone else's business.

    More " Torah PORTIONS | Home Page

    portion studies

     
  12. skyking

    skyking Monkey+

    This weeks Torah Portion http://www.bereansonline.org/enews/5771-43.pdf
    Parasha: Massei

    Levites for Messiah

    Thought for the Week:

    Yeshua asks us, "What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?" (Matthew 16:26) The Levites are an example of those that forfeit this world that they might inherit the world to come. They inherited no portion in the land, nor did they gain for themselves through career and industry. Instead, their lot in life was God Himself, as He tells the priests in Numbers 18:20, "You shall have no inheritance in their land nor own any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the sons of Israel."
    Commentary:

    Numbers 35:1-8. In the Torah this week, Moses calls for the establishment of Levitical cities among the Israelites. Disciples of Yeshua are like Levites for Messiah. The Levites were the servants of the Temple and of the Priesthood. Messiah is the living Temple. He is our High Priest in the order of Melchizedek. As His disciples, we are His servants--His Levites.
    In the same sense that the Levites were the property of the priesthood and the Tabernacle, we are the property of Yeshua. Our diligence in the kingdom falls along the same lines as much of the Levitical work. Like the Levites, we are to be facilitators for those seeking to worship God. We point the way, carry the burden, assemble the institutions and build the congregations that facilitate people encountering God. Like the Levites, we are to provide people with teaching. We are entrusted with the words of the Master and the teaching of Torah. We are to teach the ordinances to Jacob and the Torah to Israel. Like Levites, we are scattered among the People of God, and our job is to function as salt and light in their midst.
    Maimonides regarded the Levites' consecrated life as a model worthy of emulation. His words apply well to the high calling of discipleship. As with the Levites, the call of discipleship often involves revocation of earthly pursuits like career and property.
    And [this is true] not only of the tribe of Levi, but of every man throughout the world whose spirit has made him willing, and whose intellect has guided him, to set himself apart to stand before the LORD, to minister unto Him and to serve Him with a view to knowing the LORD, following the right [path] according to the LORD's design, and casting off his shoulders the yoke of the many [worldly] affairs sought after by man. [He who has thus dedicated himself] is sanctified in the highest degree, and the LORD becomes his portion and his inheritance for all eternity, and will grant him in this world whatever will suffice for his needs, even as He has done to the Priests and the Levites. (Mishneh Torah, Zeraim, Hilcoth Shemitah Ve-Yobel 13:12-13)​
    It is helpful to think of the role of the local Torah community as a sort of Levitical city in the midst of Israel. Our communities are scattered. They are very distinct from the other congregations around them. Yet they are not to be too insular. Their role is to 'teach the ordinances.' We are to be a ministry, a witness and an example to those outside of the community. Our communities are meant to be cities of refuge and reservoirs of Torah.
    More: Torah PORTIONS | Home Page

    a few teachings on this portion

    Manna From Heaven Live 08-04-11 Masei 4

    ed0b0c31c412f7d67bd39119503bb394_M.
    David Matthews finishes up his commentary on the Torah portion of Masei.
    David Matthews digs into the torah portion of Masei and also shares insights on the flocks of sheep that Ya'akov or Jacob took from Laban as payment for his hire.


    Additional Info







     
  13. skyking

    skyking Monkey+

    Torah TRUTH PART ONE: A basic study for the follower of Messiah

    Has the Torah been done away with as the Christian church teaches? Absolutely not! According to both New and Old Testament the Torah is foundational and should be studied and kept today. Within this study many aspects will be covered such as the blessings of Torah and the curses of Torah, also the words of Paul will be examined along with the ruling for Gentile converts.

    ‪Torah TRUTH PART ONE: A basic study for the follower of Messiah‬‏ - YouTube



    ‪Torah TRUTH PART TWO: A basic study for the follower of Messiah‬‏ - YouTube



    ‪Torah TRUTH PART THREE: A basic study for the follower of Messiah‬‏ - YouTube
     
  14. skyking

    skyking Monkey+

  15. skyking

    skyking Monkey+

    Welcome to Torah PORTIONS!

    An online hub for learning and studying the weekly Bible portions from the Torah


    Torah PORTIONS seeks to encourage Christians to become familiar with the five books of Moses. On these pages you can follow, read and hear the weekly portions from the Torah. We have created the structure of PORTIONS as a hub for teachers and students to link up, share with one another, and to focus on the weekly Torah portion.

    Parasha: Devarim

    These are the Words

    Thought for the Week:

    A famous rebbe once stated that the opening phrase of the parashah, "These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel," is meant to teach that words of Torah should always be regarded as something new and exciting. "They should be new in your eyes every day," says Rashi. Ben Bag Bag says, "Turn it over, turn it over again, for everything is within it. Look into it and become gray haired and old in it." (m.Avot 5:22)
    Commentary:

    The book of Deuteronomy begins saying, "These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel..." (Deuteronomy 1:1) The Hebrew for "words" is devarim (דברים), hence the traditional Hebrew name of the book. The words of Deuteronomy are, in many ways, simply Moses' recapitulation of the Torah, hence the common name Deuteronomy, which derives from the Greek words for repetition of the law.
    A famous rebbe once stated that the opening phrase of the parashah, "These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel," is meant to teach that words of Torah should always be regarded as something new and exciting. "They should be new in your eyes every day," says Rashi.1 This means that one should never consider himself to be beyond learning Torah. If the Torah is really the words of the living God, then it continues to impart revelation regardless of how many times a person has read it. It is always new. So it is when Moses recapitulated the Torah in the words of Deuteronomy, it was the same Torah, and yet it was also new and fresh.
    Yeshua is the prophet like Moses. He is also the teacher like Moses. When Yeshua taught Torah, He did so effortlessly. Torah rolled out of Him. Yeshua taught Torah so naturally that Bible readers unfamiliar with the Torah scarcely ever realize that He was doing it. He never formally announced to His disciples, "Gather around, we are going to learn some Torah now." Instead, all of His words and teachings were pure Torah, insights into Torah, interpretations on Torah and implications of Torah. It was the same Torah Moses received at Sinai and spoke at the Jordan, but it was ever new in the mouth of the Master. The words of Yeshua are pure Torah, like the words of Moses beside the Jordan. They are the words of life, living water springing forth. Turn them over and turn them over again. Everything is in them.
    Yeshua's disciples knew the Torah, too. They had grown up with the Torah. Yet they did not always see it as He saw it. It was not always new in their eyes every day. After His resurrection, "He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures." (Luke 24:45)
    The Spirit of Yeshua is still with His disciples. He still opens our minds and makes the Torah new in our eyes. He told His disciples, "Every scribe [of Torah] who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old." (Matthew 13:52)
    more studies http://www.bereansonline.org/enews/5771-44.pdf

    [FONT=arial, helvetica][FONT=Arial,helvetica]What does the word Torah refer to?[/FONT]

    [/FONT][FONT=arial, helvetica][FONT=Arial,helvetica]But what is the Torah? How do you pin it down? How do you define its borders? [/FONT][/FONT]
    What does the word Torah refer to? - Torah.org
    --
     
  16. skyking

    skyking Monkey+

    THE FIG TREE PARABLE

    This article is by Lew White
    THE FIG TREE PARABLE First, a couple of photos so you'll grasp the size of what is being described:
    FIG%20TREE.

    FIG%20TREE%20large. FIG TREE ROOTS
    Some fig trees are as much as 300 feet tall, and 200 feet wide. It must have traumatized the disciples of Yahusha when they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots:

    Mar 11:13, 14: And seeing at a distance a fig tree having leaves, He went to see whether He would find any fruit on it. And when He came to it, He found none but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And Yahusha, responding, said to it,
    'Let no one eat fruit from you ever again. And His taught ones heard it.
    Mar 11:20, 21: And in the morning, passing by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. Then Kĕpha, remembering, said to Him,
    Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered. (The Scriptures)

    FRUIT IS OFFSPRING
    The cursing of the fig tree is a parable about the end-time harvest of Israel.
    The fig tree is symbolic of all Israel (see YirmeYahu/Jer 24). When it bears fruit, Israel increases. If it does not bear fruit, it is simply using up the ground, and is therefore useless to Yahusha. The seed (Torah, the Word of Yahuah) is in the fruit. Israel is a nation of priests, established to teach Torah to the nations. When this is not done, no fruit is produced.

    The 12 disciples of Yahusha are a miniature picture of the 12 tribes of Israel, His wife. Yahusha attempts to teach Israel, His wife, obedience through His parables (examples), so understanding what the parables mean and who they are directed at allows for their proper interpretation.

    What happened to the fig tree refers to what will happen to people of the Covenant who profess to be in the Covenant if they bear no fruit, meaning they fail to increase by bearing fruit - which contains seeds to make more.
    The meaning of the parable is blocked from most people because they they've been taught there is no need to obey Torah, so teaching it to others seems pointless to them. These remain lost because they are not in the Covenant.
    They feel that LOVE is unconditional, that they are forgiven, and follow the guidance of leaders who are not in the Covenant. According to men's teachings, love is unconditional to all; but according to Yahusha, and every example given in Scripture, APPROVAL is very conditional. Our love is shown to Him through our obedience:
    Joh 14:15 If you love Me, you shall guard My commands.
    When we show our love for Yahuah through our obedience, we declare our faith through our works (Jas 2:1 icon_cool. . Disobedience is what is causing our problem and always has; we will never receive the approval of Yahuah by disobeying His Torah. Those in the Covenant need to work as laborers planting and watering for a greater harvest. Increasing the number of those in the Covenant is what we invest our lives in:
    Mat 28:19, 20:Therefore, go and make taught ones of all the nations, immersing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Set-apart Spirit, teaching them to guard all that I have commanded you. And see, I am with you always, until the end of the age. Amein.

    In the above commission, Yahusha is speaking to Israelites, not members of any Christian sect. MattithYahu chapter 21 and Mark 11 both discuss the withering of the fig tree and the impact it had upon Yahusha’s talmidim. Luke chapters 13 and 21 expand on the relationship of the fig tree, the fruit, and the reign of Yahuah concerning the end times.
    Yahusha cursed the fig tree to get their attention (Mark 11), then used it to teach them about the necessity of bearing fruit even when it may not seem so important at the time. It’s always time for us to bear fruit; by our example we may help another person enter the Covenant.

    Later in the memoir of Mark, we see Yahusha discusses the harvest in the end times, when the harvesters will go forth to appraise the inhabitants on the Earth, manifested by their fruits.
    Yahusha says, Learn this parable from the fig tree:

    Mar 13:27-37: And then He shall send His messengers, and assemble His chosen ones from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven.
    And learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that the summer is near.
    So you also, when you see these taking place, know that it is near, at the door.
    Truly, I say to you, this generation shall by no means pass away till all this takes place.
    The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but My words shall by no means pass away.
    But concerning that day and the hour no one knows, not even the messengers in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
    Take heed, watch and pray, for you do not know when the time is –
    as a man going abroad, having left his house and given authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch.
    Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming – in the evening or at midnight, or at the crowing of the ####, or in the morning,
    lest, coming suddenly, he should find you sleeping.
    And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!

    For the fig tree Yahusha cursed, it was not the time for fruit to be seen. This means at that time the people in the Covenant could not bear good fruit given the circumstances caused by their teachers and leaders. Yahusha came in order that we bear fruit:

    Joh 15:1-6 I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener.
    Every branch in Me that bears no fruit He takes away. And every branch that bears fruit He prunes, so that it bears more fruit.
    You are already clean because of the Word which I have spoken to you.
    Stay in Me, and I stay in you. As the branch is unable to bear fruit of itself, unless it stays in the vine, so neither you, unless you stay in Me.
    I am the vine, you are the branches. He who stays in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit. Because without Me you are able to do naught!
    If anyone does not stay in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up. And they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. Yahusha is the living Torah, and He wants us to remain (abide, live) in His teachings.

    Yahusha uses agricultural metaphors that relate to our obedience of Torah, contrasted with obeying false teachings.
    Who sows the seed makes all the difference. The teachings of the Elders of Israel were mixed richly with men’s traditions. Christianity, following the teachings of men and ignoring the Torah of Yahuah, is a great harvest of weeds after being fertilized to grow on lies for many centuries. It promotes salvation through belief only, and programs (brain-washes) the adherents to accept teachings opposed to Torah.
    The average person is controlled by strongholds (beliefs, false understanding) they have been taught, and we fight against those strongholds with weapons that overthrow them: the teachings of Torah. When we share the Truth with them, the strongholds (false reasonings) are shattered. The Torah will reverse the brain-washing. Yahusha brings His Covenant to us, writing it upon our hearts, and thereby we receive a love for the Truth.
    The Covenant will change them, and Israel is thereby increased. It changes "Gentiles" into "fellow citizens of Israel" (Eph. 2:8-13).

    Our "weapons" are not carnal, but rather the Word of Yahuah, His Torah (teachings). They overthrow the strongholds (teachings of error, false reasonings) of men's traditions. We wrestle against spiritual matters of wickness, overcoming in the Name of Yahuah, the Maker of the Heavens and the Earth.


    AN AWAKENING IS NEEDED TO OVERCOME THE STRONGHOLDS
    Goliath says: I'm doing all sorts of Pagan stuff and can't stop! Somebody explain things to me; I need help to wake up!

    David says: Allow me to help do that for you! Drop that pumpkin you Pagan Philistine!
    Goliath was a VERY religious man, who cursed David by the names of his Pagan deities. Like the ancient Greeks, the Philistines believed that FIRE was "sacred", being the presence of their deity. The Olympic torch is an echo of this kind of belief, and it is used to light the fire of the ALTAR OF ZEUS where the games are held. The Philistines (Latinized to "Palestinians") lit their hearths with a flame from their local Pagan temple, and carried the essence of their deity into battles using a torch. This is the kind of idolatry Gentiles were told to refrain from at Acts 15.
    Awaken to the strongholds, and become free of them.
     
  17. skyking

    skyking Monkey+

    The Fig Tree
    June 2006
    When God placed Adam and Eve in the garden, the traditional picture of the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is an apple. However, those who study the Bible believe another common fruit is a much better picture of the forbidden fruit. As you are about to discover, there are aspects to the fig tree and its fruit that many simply do not know. Like Eve who first considered the forbidden fruit, not understanding the consequences, there is another side to the fig and its fruit.

    Dave Matthews
    Manna from Heaven


    If you give this a listen you'll hear lot's of reference and a good teaching with the fig tree as a part of it.
    Dry Bones
     
  18. dystopia

    dystopia Monkey+

    Thank You. I've been trying to read the Bible ( on Levitticus ) but that Moses could of wrote FM manuals for the army. Your commentary makes what i'm reading greatly more interesting.
     
    skyking likes this.
  19. skyking

    skyking Monkey+

    Walking in Torah

    I just received this and haven't had a chance to download yet ,let me know if any of you get a chance to watch and what you think..SK

    Walking in Torah


    These teachings are shared to help you grow in your faith as you are walking out the living Torah in your life.


    "Taking in the Word and Walking it Out."

    For so long, westerners have gained much head knowledge the ABOUT the word, but we have not been very successful in PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE in our lives.

    May you be blessed as you watch and listen to these audio/visual teachings. More teachings will be uploaded regularly.


    Walking in Torah Teachings
     
  20. skyking

    skyking Monkey+

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