An important message from Bill Bullock, “The Rabbi’s Son”

I am sharing below some shocking truths and words of wisdom from Texas Attorney, Bill Bullock ("The Rabbi's Son"), on Torah portion - Parashah 48: Shof'tim (Hebrew for "Judges") ; Deuteronomy 16:18 through 21:9 – which features the  "Last Will and Testament" of Moshe (Moses)- the words he spoke the day he departed from the Israelites as they were making their Exodus through the desert, headed towards the Promised Land.

In the following teaching, Mr. Bullock reveals how the doctrines and ideas of men via their carnal mindsets, have skewed YHWH's Divine Instructions (handed to the Israelites via Moshe who spoke with YHWH “face-to-face”), turning them into critical errors into which both Christianity and Judaism have wandered:

Are the Words of the Holy One 'Commandments' – or Prophetic Empowerments?

The words which Moshe will speak in this second speech are usually described in English as “commandments” and “ordinances” and “laws”. But those terms do not describe them accurately at all.

Alas, the translation of the Holy One’s declaration at Sinai into English and other Western language as ‘commandments’, ‘ordinances’ and ‘laws’ lies at the root of the most critical errors into which both Christianity and Judaism have wandered.

By and large organized Christianity has erred in rejecting Torah’s “commandments, ordinances, and laws” as “unspiritual” – indeed considered to border on being demonic.
Most of Christianity has thus over the centuries devolved into a King-less, Constitution-less, Kingdom-less, Love-less, Law-less blob of prudish, angry religious people who try to process glorious spiritual mysteries through the filter of fleshly, carnal minds, who spread hate-filled opinions instead of truth, who expose people to dull, repetitive sermons instead of flowing in vibrant words of life, who pass off cute marquee one-liners as revelation, and who promote models of church growth and bean-counting instead of any real, substantive message that could lead to freedom, destiny, and purpose.

Organized Christianity today thus has virtually nothing of value to offer either the world or its own adherents, and both groups are rejecting it in droves.

Many modern forms of organized Judaism on the other hand have committed the exact opposite error, focusing almost all their attention on the letter of Torah’s instructions, drawing all the wrong lessons from the Holocaust and therefore instilling in upcoming generations the paranoia that everyone who is not Jewish is anti-Semitic, dangerous, and inferior.

Indeed since the Holocaust the mantra of organized Judaism seems to have unofficially changed from Sh’ma Yisrael! to ‘Never Again’! As a result mind-numbing sets of extra-Biblical rules designed to keep people away have been promoted in the guise of ‘building a fence around the Torah’.

There is indeed now a fence around the Torah in many forms of Judaism – and that fence is so high, is laced with so much razor wire, and is strewn with so many IEDs that the beauty of Torah – if not of the Holy One Himself -- has become hidden behind the carnage.
Father Avraham would weep. Moshe would be appalled. David would hang his harp in the willows. Sh’lomo would scratch his head in bewilderment. Eliyahu would rend his mantle in twain and start thrashing.

Fragments of the Messianic Judaism are alas falling into the same traps as organized Christianity and Judaism. Labels such as ‘Sacred Namers’, ‘Two-Housers’, ‘Lunar Sabbatarians’, and ‘Sabbatical Year Followers’ have become modern ‘Shibboleths’.

Swords are drawn and waving, ready to strike off the ear, cut out the tongue, or lop of the head, of anyone and everyone who fails to adopt the specific phraseology the ears of those bearing one’s chosen label itch to hear.

Brethren, these things should not be so. What in Heaven’s Name are we doing? How can we continue to misrepresent the Holy One’s character so horribly?
The Sinaitic covenant is not “law” - at least in any sense that term is used today. Nor are the mitzvot, mishpatim, and chukim “commandments” or “ordinances”.

They are Divine Energy.

They are a sweet fountain of life, health and peace.

They are substantive words of Divine empowerment and activation.

They are loving instructions, given in the context of an abiding covenant relationship, prophetically and creatively reshaping the soul and spirit of the recipient, transforming her from a redeemed slave into the Betrothed Bride-to-be of the Holy One.

Are mushrooms considered “clean”?

EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE SOMEONE WRITES TO OUR WEBSITE TO ASK ABOUT MUSHROOMS ARE CONSIDERED "CLEAN" FOOD.

Great question and the simple answer is "Yes"- because YHWH gave no prohibition on fungi.
While Scripture is very clear on many issues, it isn't replete with every little detail concerning all aspects of life, and so sometimes we're left to figure things out on our own ... using our knowledge of Scripture and some common sense.

For instance, the scriptures of Genesis regarding food are very general, not intended to be a complete, thorough, and solid reference of do's and don'ts. There are no other mitzvah (instructions/rules) presented in the Bible narrowing down what green plants can be consumed and which can't. In that, we have to use our own brains. So, while YHWH doesn't prohibit the eating of any plants, some plants will hurt or kill us - and therefore, we must choose wisely!

In the story of Elisha's miracle in 2 Kings 4: 39-42, the words of verse 39 translated as "wild squash" (Sterns) or "gourds" (NIV), in Hebrew is "paquot sade" or "fungi of the field". So it seems we have a story in the Bible which gives credence that fungi, which includes mushrooms, are not expressly forbidden.

According to this logic, mushrooms are edible. (As a matter of fact, Chabad.org, insists that mushrooms are kosher.) Some have even argued that manna was a sort of fungi.  As a matter of fact, Talmud Bavli, in Shabbat 30b, gives the following opinion about the miraculous fruitfulness of the land of Israel in the Messianic age:

"Come, and I shall show you their equal in this world," [Rabbi Gamaliel] replied. He went forth and showed him morels and truffles.

Another Jewish view of them is that they were not included in the curse of the ground that applied to plants, since they are not vegetation. (Source:  The Avnei Nezer - Avraham Borenstein, the first Sochatchover Rebbe, who claimed such in Orach Chayim 111. His claim is that they do not officially come from the ground like plants so they legally were never cursed.)

Additionally, many are highly medicinal, from immuno-modulators to cancer-fighting properties, and some (lion's mane and psilocybin types) exhibit distinct neuroplasticity (the ability for the brain to make new neural connections), and thus are being used for patients with Alzheimer's and similar dementia-like issues.

As further evidence in our “mushroom debate,” we must discuss the yeast cell, which are fungi, and they are critical to making chametz.  Yeast cells are not prohibited by YHWH either! We'd be in big trouble if fungi were prohibited as we breathe yeast cells constantly. In most cases, what yeast we consume is already dead (in both bread and wine), but we do ingest live yeast cells just by breathing. These are promptly killed by our immune systems.

Regardless, for those who consider themselves to be mushroom foragers, it would be wise to make sure you only consume culinary mushrooms from reputable sources, or educate yourself extensively before trying anything you find in the wild, as some will give gastrointestinal distress that would be unpleasant, and a few others can actually shut down vital organs, and so must be avoided at all costs…

Having said all the above, the eating of mushrooms is basically a decision each individual must make on their own.

(NOTE:  My gratitude to author, scholar and Amazon Associate, Jeremy Chance Springfield for his learned input to this article! Please check out his website!)