Eduth's Entries

Eduth — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:53:43 +0000

We celebrated Tu BeShevat….the tree festival for the first time. We did the major festivals last year, so it was fun to celebrate this one with fruits and nuts and tree decor.

Re’eh Parashah – Torah Portion

Eduth — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:02:01 +0000

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008
It’s Torah Tuesday, and there were so many good nuggets today to discuss, we didn’t finish after 1.5 hours! What a good time we had!

Starting with Deut 11:26 til the end of Deut 14.

Deut. 11:26-28 basically says, If you want to be blessed, follow the Mitzvot (Commandments, rules, and regulations), and be cursed it you don’t follow them! Pretty clear to me!

Deut 11:31 “For you are to cross the Yarden to enter and take possession of the land Adonai your God is giving you; you are to own it and live in it.” This reminded me of the Garden of Eden. Gen. 2:15 “Adonai, God, took the person and put him in the garden of ‘Eden to cultivate and care for it.”

In the beginning of Deut 12, God teaches them to not only eliminate the names of the nations they are dispossessing, but that God would come and put His name there.

Ruth discussed with us how today we act like the definition of sin is, Deut. 12:8b “everyone does whatever in his own opinion seems right;”, yet this is not what sin is. The bible says in, Deut. 12:28, “Obey and pay attention to everything I am ordering you to do, so that things will go well with you and with your descendants after you forever, as you do what Adonai sees as good and right.” It is what God sees as what is good and right that determines what sin is, not our opinion!

I value when I hear what God loves and what He hates. Deut. 12:31a “You must not do this to Adonai your God! For they have done to their gods all the abominations that Adonai hates!”

Deut. 13:1 “Everything I am commanding you, you are to take care to do. Do not add to it or subtract from it”. God repeats and repeats till it is humorous how many times he tells us to do his commands. There are many in this Torah reading repeated, and repeated.

Deut. 13:4b “For Adonai your God is testing you, in order to find out whether you really do love Adonai your God with all your heat and being.”

Deut. 13:6 Back in the day, when, if you followed another God and tried to get others to follow other gods, you could be put to death, you thought twice about doing such a thing.

Deut. 13:15, 16 “then you are to investigate the matter, inquiring and searching diligently. If the rumor is true, if it is confirmed that such detestable things are being done among you, you must put the inhabitants of that city to death with the sword destroying it completely with the sword, everything in it, including its livestock.”

Deut 14: 3 What a great verse! “You are not to eat anything disgusting.” lol. period.!!

I don’t understand Deut 12:17, “…or the offering from your hand.” what is the offering from your HAND?

Does anyone understand the full meaning of Deut 14:21? “You are not to eat any animal that dies naturally; although you may let a stranger staying with you eat it, or sell it to a foreigner; because you are a holy people for Adonai your God.” Why would God not allow it for his people yet allow the foreigner to eat it or buy it? Is there a health reason here? a test?

We ended earlier than ever before without finishing the Torah because this was such a meaty portion today! We will pick it up again on Thursday at Prophets Portion.

Note: This discussion is also found on the Discussion Board of the “Complete Jewish Bible Fan” group in Facebook.

Belief Conversation

Eduth — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 18:52:03 +0000

Sunday, July 13, 2008 1:31 PM

Questioner: What is it that you like about the Messianic Jewish way?

Reply from Eduth:

In my opinion now, Jesus followed the Torah (the first 5 books of the bible), and also the oral writings. I am trying to do the same. A lot of Christians think that Jesus fulfilled the Torah, and we don’t have to do what the old testiment says anymore. With my opinion changed to think that we are to continue to obey the old testiment, it is a fun new adventure finding out what Jesus and the Jews did in their lives and seeing how much of their Jewish traditions all pointed to the Messiah as being Jesus.

Sunday, July 13, 2008 1:39 PM

Questioner: Thank you…..are you living the Law of Moses?

Reply from Eduth:

I am trying to live the 10 commandments if that is what you mean. or perhaps you mean the first 5 books of the old testiment?

somethings are not as feasible since there is not a temple currently.

Sunday, July 13, 2008 1:48 PM

Questioner: the Law of Moses I mean all the little detailed things that the Jewish people live today. Living as if Jesus did not fulfill the Law? I have read some on Messianic Jews since you have been interested and I read that there is great variation among the groups.

Reply from Eduth:

I believe Jesus fulfilled the law and based on some scriptures, wants us to follow the law too. When the Jews lost their country they were spread all over the world for a long time. They tried to follow the bibles words and the oral traditions handed down. Some Jews interpreted how to follow them one way and so those who lived near them have simular traditions. Others who lived in another country followed the bible in another way. This created a variation in some ways that people follow the bible and the oral traditions. There are basically 2 types, one is Hasidic that originated with people living in Eastern Europe and the other one is based in Africa and nearby. (I forgot the name). The important thing is to follow what the bible says.

Sunday, July 13, 2008 2:15 PM

Eduth: sephardic is the other one. spain, portugal, and africa jews

(Eduth: Correcting my Mistake see below)

Sunday, July 13, 2008 3:20 PM

Questioner: Thank you for sharing about Messianic Jews.

Sunday, July 13, 2008 10:29 PM

Questioner: One more church question, if you were talking to someone in the mall and they asked you what your religion is, what would you now say?

Repy from Eduth:

On facebook I have as my religion, “Pentecostal Torah Observant Messianic”. Still pentecostal, added torah observant, and a Christian believes Jesus is the Messiah. I am not a Jew nor trying to be. Becoming torah observant is a long slow process. There is so much to figure out. I am enjoying the journey very much. My husband and the kids are too. It has really been a fun summer doing these things together.

Sunday, July 13, 2008 10:37 PM

Questioner: Thank you for sharing with me.

Mon, Jul 14, 2008 at 11:19 AM

Eduth: Okay. I am still learning and there are lots of hebrew words to learn. I am right that there are two main types, but I got the name wrong on one of them. Sephardic, and Ashkenazi are the two types of ethnic groups. Sephardic from spain, portugal, africa and middle east I think. Ashkenazi from Eastern Europe.

Hasidic is like a denomination….a type of jew. Sometimes seen with the black hat and hair curls on the sides. The other ones are orthodox, conservative, and reform jews basically.

I am mostly concerned about what the bible says and what Jesus did.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 2:08 PM

Eduth: http://www.jewfaq.org/index.htm

A very helpful site I use often.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 2:16 PM

Questioner: But you said you are not Jewish….

Repy from Eduth:

Yes, but I believe in the Jewish Messiah as my Savior. I am learning about his life and what He did. He was a Jew, therefore I am studing about Judaism.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 2:20 PM

Questioner: Just curious, wouldn’t your previous religious groups tell you that the Torah is not of God? I respect what you are doing because you are doing what you want to do.

Reply from Eduth:

Yes a lot of Christians believe that Jesus fulfilled the law and therefore it is not applicable to our lives today. I don’t believe this anymore…not sure I ever did. I feel there are scriptures that say that Jesus not only fulfilled the law Himself, but he wants us to too.

There is one scripture in one version that makes it sound the opposite, but it is mistranslated. There are many scriptures that say that He didn’t abolish the law, and etc. I don’t see any scriptures that indicate we are to stop following the law.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 3:18 PM

Questioner: but would people, including the pastor, at (Eduth’s previous church), believe the Torah is not of God?

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 3:18 PM

I only ask because I am curious, no other reason.

Reply from Eduth:

The Torah is the first 5 books of the bible. (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deut.) They have those in their bibles and they believe they are inspired by God.

Reply from Eduth: I understand.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 3:21 PM

Questioner: Isn’t the Torah a bit different?

Reply from Eduth:

Not as far as I understand. The Jews also have the Talmud which are the oral traditions that the rabbi’s wrote to try to help Jews understand how to obey the Torah.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 3:35 PM

Eduth: It sounds like Torah is used as the first 5 books, and also used as more than the first 5 books. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torah I use the word Torah to mean the first 5 books of the Old Testiment.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 3:42 PM

Eduth: You are helping me look up and understand more. There is a lot to learn and I am quite interested in the subject. I know so little compared to what there is to know. I enjoy it.

Synagogue Prayers

Eduth — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 23:40:43 +0000

I learned about the Jewish custom of the hours in a day. They consider a day to start at sunrise and end at sunset. Then they divide that day into 12 parts. That is how they consider time. Not like a clock.

They have prayers 3 times a day.

We read some morning prayers this morning. Ruth and I were in the balcony of our home while the men were downstairs reading the prayers. We aren’t going to always do that, but it was fun to do today thinking about the synagogue.

Transforming to a Torah Observant Messianic

Eduth — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 23:38:09 +0000

When my husband went to World Harvest Bible College, there was a prayer group that divided into smaller groups to pray for different countries. David was in the Israel group. It started a love and passion for Israel inside him that is there to this day.

We were close friends with a couple who had Judaism in their genealogy and decided to embrace things Jewish. They studied Jewish manners and customs, and festivals and taught these things in many churches.

Later my husband started purchasing and reading more books on Messianic (Jesus is the Messiah) Jewish ideas. He searched the internet for a Messianic Jewish community (church). Although he found one in a small home group in our area, we didn’t attend for a little bit.

This spring we started attending and have been loving and enjoying learning about Torah (the first 5 books of the bible). We now believe in being Torah observant, but are patient as God leads us little by little in adapting Torah to our lives. It is fabulous to have David lead us spiritually and to have our children follow so willingly and joyfully!

We have decided to not eat pork. We have started observing the Sabbath on Friday nights till Saturday nights. We loved celebrating our first festival, Shavuot (Pentecost).

I am excited to see what else we will learn.