It never ceases to amaze me that Jewish counter-missionaries continue to have the audacity to quote MAN-MADE WRITINGS and sources to “prove” that Gentiles can't keep the Shabbat or any of the Torah commands. While Talmud is a wonderful source for reading what the sages of old THOUGHT, it is NOT Torah!
HAD the thoughts of all the sages been incorporated INTO Moshe’s writings, then I would accept them without question. But they weren’t, and therefore they CANNOT be confused with God-given commands! Torah NEVER, EVER says that those who accept YHWH as their God shouldn’t obey His Divine Instructions! Not once did GOD ever say that only the Jews were supposed to be holy….
Numbers 15:13-16 makes it clear that ALL who accept haShem are to do as HIS people do - and His people have always been Torah observant - including Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel and Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and even Moshe – NONE of whom were Jews! There were no “Jews” until the Tribe of Yehudah came into being after Ya’acov had a son named Yehudah. That is an indisputable fact. “Jew” is simply a blanket term for all the Tribes.
Also indisputable is that ADONAI set down some Divine Rules, right from the start – to the first non-Jews, Adam and Eve. (His Divine Rules = Torah. Nothing else BUT Torah!) The first rule was, “Be fruitful and multiply.” (Gen 1:22) The next one was to not eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Gen 2:16-17) There have always been rules, and they were for ALL within earshot…who had the capacity to shema - “hear and do.” So why is it that non-Jews shouldn't obey Torah today?
Referencing Rabbi Yaron Reuven’s comments … he keeps talking about "the Jewish Nation" and how God gave His Torah to ONLY the Jewish nation.
Well, he must have overlooked the fact that ADONAI’s Words were ALSO heard by ALL those who were there standing there WITH “the Jewish Nation” on Mt Sinai – those who had been part of the "mixed crowd/multitude" who chose to follow Moshe out of Egypt, who were absorbed into the Tribes (Exodus 12:38).
Scripture does NOT tell us that the "gerim" were separated or had to live apart from the tribes at Sinai! They were absorbed into the Israelite population. (Torah and Commentary: The Five Books of Moses by Sol Scharfsten: Point #20 on page 218.)
The bottom line is, “non-Jews” way before Yehudah was born, were Torah observant! All believers since the beginning obeyed YHWH's Torah; not just "the Jews" as the Rabbis continue to insist. It was never just "all about the Jews." Even Cain and Abel knew to present animal sacrifices (Genesis 4) and Noah knew the difference between "clean and unclean" (Gen. 7:1-3). NONE OF THEM WERE JEWS! Not even Moshe was a Jew, yet God spoke to him directly.
The Tribe of Judah was chosen to guard the Torah after YHWH dispersed "the Jewish Nation" for their endless disobedience (Genesis 49:10, Micah 4:2) but that certainly didn’t qualify them as perfect human beings who deserved to be the only ones on earth who get to be Torah observant….
What people like Rabbi Yaron are doing is suggesting that the non-Jews of today – unlike the non-Jews before Yehudah was born - are UNWORTHY! That sounds an awful lot like he’s playing God….
I recalled your blog, while I was watching a teaching - within their study, the similarity of two books were pointed out.
ReplyDeleteI've read both the book of Esther and Ruth, however, I missed the tie, that both stories are about the marriage covenant between Jew and Gentile- accepting the Torah. Esther is about a Hebrew women that marries a Gentile King, and Ruth is about a Gentile, Moabite women that marries a Hebrew man. In the book of Ruth chapter 4, Boaz gathers elders and peoples for witnesses, to step alongside Ruth during the redemption/inheritance process into the family of Yahweh. Ruth becomes the ancestor to King David and Yeshua the Messiah. These marriage stories prove that YHWH promotes all of us to follow Torah.
GREAT POINT! Thanks for taking the time to write!
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