Commandments in Torah Applicable Today

[alon]

        Brit Milah

Leviticus 12: (ESV) And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Brit Milah, still applicable today.

        Tevilah

Leviticus 15:16-17 (ESV) “If a man has an emission of semen, he shall bathe his whole body in water and be unclean until the evening. And every garment and every skin on which the semen comes shall be washed with water and be unclean until the evening. A man having a natural emission must wash his cloths and undergo tevilah.

Leviticus 15:18 (ESV) If a man lies with a woman and has an emission of semen, both of them shall bathe themselves in water and be unclean until the evening. After marital relations both the man and woman must wash their clothes and undergo tevilah.

Leviticus 15:19 (ESV) “When a woman has a discharge, and the discharge in her body is blood, she shall be in her menstrual impurity for seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean until the evening. Laws of nidah- she, anyone or anything she comes in contact with to 7 days after her discharge stops is unclean. Items must be washed, persons must undergo tevilah.

Leviticus 15:25 (ESV) “If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, not at the time of her menstrual impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her impurity, all the days of the discharge she shall continue in uncleanness. As in the days of her impurity, she shall be unclean. Same as the laws of nidah.

        Tzitzith

Numbers 15:38 (ESV)  “Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner. Command to wear tzitzit on the corners of our garments.

Numbers 15:39-40 (ESV) And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the Lord, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to sleeper after. So you shall remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God. When we see our tzitzyoth we are to remember to who we belong and how we are to act.

        One Law

Exodus 12:49 (ESV) "There shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you.” It sounds as if we (gerim) are responsible for the whole Torah when we accept Yeshua. Not talking about the 613 Mitzvoth of so called “Rabbinical Judaism,” but what it actually teaches- the laws, the instructions, the lessons, and the principles. Not 2 Torah, not 2 House, no lists made by man of what parts of Torah we should keep; just 1 Torah for everyone.

Numbers 15:15-16 (ESV)  For the assembly, there shall be one statute for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you, a statute forever throughout your generations. You and the sojourner shall be alike before the Lord. One law and one rule shall be for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you.” Again we are told there will be one law for everyone. We Gentile converts are the sojourners with Yisroel.

        Sin

Genesis 2:16-17 (ESV) And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Consider sin and its nature. Every bad habit, every forbidden pleasure, every sin I ever indulged in, loved and was habitually attracted to would have been a whole lot easier never to have partaken of than it was to quit! Don’t eat the forbidden fruit!

Page 40

Genesis 4:7b (ESV)  And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” This just naturally goes with the above commandment. The commandment: speaking of sin, which is on our minds and hearts- we “must rule over it.”

Genesis 3:7,21 (ESV)  Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. … And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. Cover it up.

Genesis 12:1 (ESV) Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country [land] and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you." Many missionaries (including Messianics) say “If God calls you, go”. But if you are not called, it is far better not to force the Lord’s hand.” Go where you are called, not where you want.

        Promises, Oaths, and Vows

Numbers 30:2 (ESV) If a man vows a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth. Do not break an oath or a vow. The subtle difference between a promise and an oath, or something sworn is the witness. In the case of something sworn to God, He may be the only witness. The same may be true when swearing in the Name of God. We are in fact (later) commanded to swear in God’s Name and (contextually) in Him alone:

Deuteronomy 6:13 (ESV) It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.

Numbers 30:3-5 (ESV)  “If a woman vows a vow to the Lord and binds herself by a pledge, while within her father's house in her youth,  and her father hears of her vow and of her pledge by which she has bound herself and says nothing to her, then all her vows shall stand, and every pledge by which she has bound herself shall stand.  But if her father opposes her on the day that he hears of it, no vow of hers, no pledge by which she has bound herself shall stand. And the Lord will forgive her, because her father opposed her.” A woman living under the protection of her father may have her vows or oaths annulled by her father. Or he may let them stand, but he must decide on the first day in which he hears of them.

Numbers 30:6-8 (ESV) “If she marries a husband, while under her vows or any thoughtless utterance of her lips by which she has bound herself, and her husband hears of it and says nothing to her on the day that he hears, then her vows shall stand, and her pledges by which she has bound herself shall stand.  But if, on the day that her husband comes to hear of it, he opposes her, then he makes void her vow that was on her, and the thoughtless utterance of her lips by which she bound herself. And the Lord will forgive her.” When she marries, her husband may annul any previous or new vows, again only on the first day he hears of them. She is now under his spiritual protection.

Numbers 30:9 (ESV) (But any vow of a widow or of a divorced woman, anything by which she has bound herself, shall stand against her.) A widow or divorced woman is responsible for her own self, and her oaths and vows are binding on her if made after her husband is gone and she is no longer under the spiritual covering of a head of household.

Numbers 30:10-15 (ESV)  And if she vowed in her husband's house or bound herself by a pledge with an oath, and her husband heard of it and said nothing to her and did not oppose her, then all her vows shall stand, and every pledge by which she bound herself shall stand. But if her husband makes them null and void on the day that he hears them, then whatever proceeds out of her lips concerning her vows or concerning her pledge of herself shall not stand. Her husband has made them void, and the Lord will forgive her. Any vow and any binding oath to afflict herself [fast], her husband may establish [allow to stand], or her husband may make void. But if her husband says nothing to her from day to day, then he establishes all her vows or all her pledges that are upon her. He has established them, because he said nothing to her on the day that he heard of them. But if he makes them null and void after he has heard of them, then he shall bear her iniquity.” Reiterates what was said before, however note the additional caveat in the ending; “But if he makes them null and void after he has heard of them, then he shall bear her iniquity.” As head of the household, men are held to a higher standard (as is with any leadership position). Once you hear of the vows or oaths of a female member of your household, then men are to find out the details and make a judicious ruling on whether it will stand. But the male head of household is responsible before God for his ruling.

Page 41

[alon]

Well, that concluded our project. With it we have a handy reference, however I should caution you all on using it as a list of do's and don'ts. Not that we can disobey, but ask yourself why. Why do I obey? A much better thinker than I actually addressed this problem a few centuries ago:

Philo of Alexandria

Philo Judaeus of Alexandria, @ 25 BCE- @ 50 CE, a contemporary of Yeshua, but lived in Alexandria in Egypt. Alexandria was founded @ 331 BC by Alexander the Great, and grew to be an important Hellenistic centre; known for its’ Lighthouse (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) and its Great Library (largest in the ancient world). It was the intellectual and cultural centre of the Mediterranean world in the Hellenistic age.

The city was a major centre of early Christ-followers and the Patriarch of Alexandria (whose title was, and still is, “Pope”). Today the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria both claim this ancient heritage. In the time of Philo, there was a large primarily Greek speaking Jewish community there. Philo was trying to explain the Hebrew Bible (TNK) to those of a Greek background. This is what he has to say about Torah study:

ON MOSES ACCOUNT OF THE CREATION OF THE COSMOS
Of other lawgivers (Gk f/ Torah was ‘nomos’), some have set forth what they considered to be just and reasonable, in a naked and unadorned manner,
* Among some you will find those who have just “lists.”
while others, investing their ideas with an abundance of amplification, have sought to bewilder the people, by burying the truth under a heap of fabulous inventions.
* The other common approach is to “amplify” the “Law,” encumbering it with so many false interpretations that no one really     knows what is the simple truth.
But Moses … made the beginning of his laws entirely beautiful, and in all respects admirable, neither at once declaring what ought to be done or the contrary, nor (since it was necessary to mould beforehand the dispositions of those who were to use his laws) inventing fables himself or adopting those which had been invented by others.
*Moses had a third, better way, better than usual Greek methods. He’s looking at the creation account, asking himself “How can I present this to the Greek world so they will understand?”
* This is the basis and introduction to the instructions Israel must follow.
And his exordium, as I have already said, is most admirable; embracing the creation of the world, under the idea that the law corresponds to the world and the world to the law, and that a man who is obedient to the law, being, by so doing, a citizen of the world, arranges his actions with reference to the intention of nature, in harmony with which the whole universal world is regulated.
* These are Greek concepts. They were concerned with what it would mean to be a good, loyal citizen of the polis, or city-state. Moses is saying “what does it mean to be a loyal citizen of God’s cosmos?”
… For some men, admiring the world itself rather than the Creator of the world, have represented it as existing without any maker, and eternal;
* Some falsely worship the creation rather than the Creator:
**Romans 1:25 (ESV) because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather   than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
I believe we can worship the “list,” or at least substitute the list for worship. We can turn our focus from obedience to please HaShem to just trying to keep the “list.” This takes our salvation from the realm of grace to that of works.

Basically Philo sees Torah existing in harmony with all of creation. Not just a set of rules, or a list, but instructions given for holy living as good citizens of HaShem’s universe. So our list here would in his mind be the wrong approach to reading and understanding Torah, as would Judaism’s list of 613 mitzvoth. And I agree.

While they may be good references, they are the wrong approach to obedience. Adon Khol HaEretz, The Lord God of All the Earth (Josh 3:13) did not just give us a list to follow. He gave us instructions, both explicit and exemplary. He gave both encouragement and admonition, actions and warnings, blessings and curses. This is why we have the parashot, the weekly readings. This is why we read and study His Word. To read, and understand the mind of YHVH Elohim, the Lord Your God (Gen 27:20); what a privilege!

Now, I must caution that we all need some kind of accountability as we interpret scripture. It is important to have a fellowship of like believers who can challenge or correct us as we go forward each week. But be careful who you choose to fellowship with. Their bad understanding could become your bad doctrine. That is why this forum exists. If you have a good local congregation, then get involved; use them. If not, move heaven and earth to find one. Meanwhile, this forum is a good place to come and discuss the Word. Not the “list,” but the Word as presented by Moshe Rabbinu, the prophets, and the Shaliachim. The Word of El-Elyon, our Most High God (Gen 14:18).

So this list, while as I said can be a good reference, it is not the be all and end all of obedience. We learn to live lives pleasing to HaShem by reading and studying His Torah. We learn the lessons and the principles, not just a bunch of do's and don'ts. Ben Avraham kindly posts on the Torah portion each week here. I will also be starting to post on it (probably next Shemeni Atzaret/Simchat Torah) now that I am done with this project. I'll be going onto a 3 yr. schedule. Meanwhile, whether you are on a 1 or 3 yr schedule, stay with your weekly Torah studies. It is the infinite word of the Almighty, so there is always something new to learn. But look for the lessons, the principles, the concepts. Try for a better Hebrew interpretation as opposed to the dogmatic approach of either Christianity or Rabbinical Judaism.