Why Messianic Halakha is needed Pt 6.
Date: Feb 28th, 2009 9:04:19 pm - Subscribe
Mood: zealous
Why Messianic Halakha is needed -Part 6.
By Rabbi Aminadav Ben Avraham Hinton
{ Remembrance of YHVH}
2/28/09
Http://sites.kindweb.com/mcmcongregation
Script:
Shemot- Exodus 13.1-22/ Devarim- Deut 6.1-25/ Mattithyahu- Matt 23.1-39- Tzit- Tzitot/
Misle- Prov 1.1-33/ Misle- Prov 3.1-35/ Misle 6.16-35/
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Shemot 13. verse 9-10 relates our subject matter being: Tefillin
More over, it will serve you as a sign on your hand and as a reminder between your eyes, so that Hashem's Torah may be on your lips, because with a strong hand Hashem brought you out of Egypt. 10. Therefore you are to observe this regulation at it's proper time, year after year
The text that i really want to deal with today is a major scripture misunderstanding for Messianic believers and that is Matthew 23.
1-39, I want to cover some of those verses-
I looked at those verses from five of the messianic bibles that i have the word- comma – is the point of clarification let us read it from two main translations that i love, being The Complete Jewish Bible- The Orthodox Jewish Bible- the comma is there in every single translation that i am aware of- and the comma makes the difference in the explanation of the text even if there isn't a coomman seen it states But You-which indacates who he is talking to,
Matthew 23. verse 1. Then Yeshua addressed the crowd and his talmidim
( who is he addressing- the crowd being the Scribes, Sadducee's and Pharisees ) so then this tells us who the message was addressed to verse 2. The Torah teachers and the Prushim( Pharisees) he said sit in the seat of Moshe(or your wanting to sit in the seat of Moshe-wanting Moshe's glory) verse 3.
So whatsoever they tell you, take care to do it. But don't do what they do(what are they doing?) because they talk but don't act(There religious but not righteous) verse 4. They tie heavy loads (Man made works) onto people's shoulders (Talmud, Mishna, Gemera Etc.) but won't lift a finger to help carry them ( They won't help train the people so they understand) verse 5. Everything they do is done to be seen by others
( Religiosity) for they make their tefillin broad(Bigger, Noticeable )and their tzitziyot long( so every one can see them as somebody great and Religious) verse 6. they love the place of honor at banquets and the best seat in the synagogues ( They want to be in front of everyone so they can get glory and become worshiped as some great Rabbis) verse 7. and they love being greeted deferentially in the marketplaces and being called Rabbi( people idolize them, they have become gods) verse 8. But you are not to let yourselves be called Rabbi because you have one Rabbi, and you are all each other's brothers.
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This is where the big hang up is all about with some congregation- reading verse 4-8 in The Orthodox Jewish Bible
verse 4. And they tie up heavy extra biblical loads. Hard to bear, and they place them upon the shoulders of men, but they, with so much as a finger , are not willing to lift the oppressive burdens. Verse 5. And all their maasim hamitzvot (works of the commandments) they do in order to be seen by Bnai Adam, for they broaden their tefillin and lengthen their tzitziyot verse 6. and they love the places of honor at the seudot (banquet dinners), and the shuls, verse 7. And the[ obsequious] Birkat Shalom greetings in the market places, and to be called by Bnai Adam, Rebbe. Verse 8.But you are not to have pretentious titles like Rebbe,(comma) for One is your Rebbe, [ Rebbe Melech Ha'Mashiach], and all of you are Achim b. Moshiach..
Now does this mean that no one can be called a Rabbi or not? Some have taken this to mean just that, that the messianic congregation particularly can't have a Rabbi based on what Yeshua said there in Matthew 23. or is there something that some of you seem to be missing- You will notice that in most of your bibles after he said BUT YOU we saw a comma -which indicates who he was talking to- was he talking to everybody or somebody- I believe he was talking to somebody and he said who he was talking to mainly the Sadducee and the pharisees do you remember the crowd and then the talmidim or not? The comma after him saying that reflects something unmistakable what is it? He is talking to a specific group because of what they were doing , If it was intended that Rabbi which means Teacher not to be indicated then after Yeshua there would be no more biblical reference to that term or terms with it's same expressed meaning.
A comma is
1.a mark of punctuation (,) used to indicate a slight separation of sentence elements, as in setting off nonrestrictive or parenthetical elements, items in a series, It identifies a certain idiom
If there is no Rabbi, who then is the Teacher -The scripture say how can you hear without a preacher [teacher,rabbi]
Romans 10.14- How therefore shall they call on him In whom they have not believed(Yeshua) And how shall they believe in him(Yeshua) of whom they have not heard?(How can they possibly hear or understand without a teacher- Impossible!) And how shall they hear(Shema- understand) without someone doing the hatafah (preaching) verse 15. And how shall they do the hatafah unless they have been sent(not called by themselves to start teaching people, not some cell group teaching-no a direct called Rabbi of YHVH) As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who preach Besuras HaGeulah – Yeshayah 52.7
So a bunch of people getting together trying to study Torah, is like a cow thinking it's a chicken, There direction will be limited, because it is clear throughout the scriptures that YHVH has called a man to lead the people- not just anybody, a person well trained, committed, who has a deep relationship with YHVH, a person who has been in the walk for many years, trained by other leaders and credentialed to approve that persons calling. Here is more Brit Chadasha scriptures to prove this-
1 Tim 2.verse 7. And for this edut(appointment, calling) I was given the smichah(ordination) of Hashem as a karoz(herald) a maggid(darshan-Preacher-Rabbi) For Mashiach, a shliach( Moshiachs emissary) I speak Emes, I do not sheker and a [rabbinic] moreh (teacher) For the nations in emunah and Emes
do you mean that Rabbi Shaul and Timothy were Rabbis -Yes- 1 Timothy chapter 1. the first verse states that he was a Rabbi or in other translations an apostle, If what Yeshua stated in Matthew 23, pertained to everybody then to this day Rabbi Shaul would not be called Rabbi, What people fail to realize is that Yeshua was talking about people who call themselves Rabbi to become another Moshiach, who receive the worship of men, who take a title and positions to be glorified and exonerated and lifted up and made into an human Idol like Chabads false messiah Sneerson, More proof
1 Corinthians 12. 28-29- And Hashem placed in the Messianic Congregation first Apostles(Rishon) second prophets(shlichim) third teachers(neviim, rabbi) then works of power, then gifts of healing, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues(Hebrew first)
The Orthodox Jewish Bible- Then those of cholel nifla'aot(accomplishing miracles) then matanot harippuy (gifts of healing) then matanot of helps, then manhigut ruchanit 9spiritual leadership,administration,kinds of leshonot. 29. Surely not all are shlichim surely not all all are nevi'im? Surely not all are rabbinical morim? Surely not all are those cholel nifa'ot (accomplishing miralces)
So then how is it, that you can dismiss all these factual leadership positions in the congregation, but the first listing was a Rabbi whom some call Apostle.
In conclusion of dealing with Matthew 23. Some of you just misunderstood the text, when there is a man who replaces Yeshua, then don't call him a Rabbi- simply as that! It does not mean that someone can't be called a Rabbi- Teacher, We have been taught by people with either limited understanding or one who did not research the whole sum of the text to see what and to whom Yeshua was talking to
Now with the lesson:
Messianic Jewish Halakha seeks to maintain as much commonality with our people through Halakha which comes from the Hebrew word to mean- to walk, It is a term used for rules and rulings that govern Jewish life. It is a term used to convey who we as Jews are following. In this lesson we will cover of the twenty five Messianic Halakha listings we will cover the Halakha importance of Tefillin. So then at this sixth session we have covered 1. Overview 2.Milah 3. Mikvah 4. Tefillah 5. Shema and the 6th for today being Tefillin. Keep in mind the word we have been using in some of the lesson being Halakha Shel Ha'Derech meaning the walk of the or this way, specifically how we are to walk according to Torah, Tanakh and Brit Chadasha after the inward man to please Yeshua. Not to mention that the word Mitzvot stands for Law/ Torah/ Instruction and Halakha for Teaching/ Application. Listed under book two, under the five direct laws termed as Tefillin, Mezuza and Sefer Torah it states a direct commandment from YHVH not to be worn based on traditional religious observances or Jewish thought but to be worn because YHVH said so, so then it isn't a suggestion, It reads
1.To wear tefillin on the head- Dvarim 6.8
2.To bind(acar-fasten/chabash- to wrap firmly/anad-to lace) tefillin on the arm- Dvarim 6.8
3.To put a Mezuzah on each door- Dvarim 6.9
4.Each male must write a Sefer Torah- Dvarim 31.19
5.The king must have a separate Sefer Torah for himself- Dvarim 17.18
Tefillin is also called from a Greek tongue phylacteries, are a pair of black leather boxes containing scroll of parchment inscribed with biblical verses I'll discuss later. The Rabbbinic sage Eliezer related that when the Israelites came before Hashem and complained to him, we are eager to occupy ourselves night and day with the study of Torah, but alas! We cannot find the leisure time for it. Hashem replied to them perform the mitzvah concerning tefillin and i will consider that as if you had been studying the Torah night and day, There was even an ancient Jewish saying- Hashem too, wears tefillin. Hashem keeps his own word at his mind and in his heart, The obligation suggested for every male Jew to wear tefillin and was stated in the commandment? Mitzvah: And it shall be a sign unto thee upon thy hand, and for a memorial between they eyes that the Torah of Adonai may be in thy mouth- Shemot 13.9 The observing Jew for countless generations in performing the daily rite of putting on tefillin every time he recited his morning prayers and was helped to remain permanently conscious of his duties and his Jewish group identity. The tefillin were for him a symbol of his personal dedication to Hashem and to the Torah, In the optimistic words of the 12th century rabbi-philosopher Maimonides: the sanctity of the tefillin is very great. As long as they are on the head and on the arm of a man. He is modest and Hashem fearing and will not be distracted by merry making or idle talk, He will have no evil thoughts, but will devote all his thinking to truth and righteousness. Tefillin are two individual boxes or cubes whose dimensions usually are two or three inches square, Inside each are deposited passages in Hebrew of the Torah-
Ex 13.1-10/ Ex 11.16/ Deut 6.4-7/ Deut 11/13-21
The Tefillin themselves are made of black leather, one is designed for the head, the other for the left hand, they are held in place by means of leather loops, knots and long straps, on the hand the shin is shows. The spiritual significance is they carry ad advanced level of thinking- The tefillin the word itself is singular and plural word on the head strapped around the fore arm, so that suggestively it may rest next to the brain, the one on the left arm rest in a position closest to the heart. This arrangement for the wearing of the frontlets, the Talmud teaches that it signifies that the Jew when he worshiped Hashem did so with all his heart and with all his thoughts. The wearing of tefillin is obligatory for all orthodox male Jews from the time they become Bar Mitzvah at thirteen, they put them on before commencing the recitation of the morning prayers each day except on Shabbat/Shaboos and festivals, by themselves the holy days constitute signs, symbols and religious identity already, consequently the wearing of tefillin on them is considered superfluous. Talmudic laws which are based on oral tradition as well on later practices and rabbinic views with regard to tefillin are very numerous . The 16th century ritual code, The Shulcan Aruch, list 160 laws that relate to every aspect of the physical make up tefillin, the ritual procedures and the order of putting them on and taking them off. They provide for all the exigencies than might possibly govern under any condition the wearing of tefillin,What this means is that a competent and Hashem fearing scribe(Sofer) is to write the four biblical excerpts which are encased in the cubes, the sofer who prepares the parchment text has to submit to a calligraphic as a well as religious discipline, that is as rigorous as that prescribed for copying a Torah scroll, in addition the tefillin and the straps which hold them in place can be made only from the skin of an animal considered ritually clean , The sewing on each tefillin is limited to twelve stitches and must be done with thread made of the dried veins of a clean animal. The edges of the case are not to be scuffed nor can the outside layers of leather show any signs of peeling or separation, there are rigid rules for the worshiper, tradition requires that he does so while standing as a mark of reverence. The tefillin on the head comes first, to me it resembles how Yeshua is the head of the body- the exact period when the wearing of tefillin originated is not known, although the Jewish historian Josephus writing in the first century referred to the rite as one that was already ancient in his time. Tefillin means to remember , remember YHVH'S Torah, his promises and the brit between us and him. The tefillin is four compartments, the parchment is cited as Tefilin Shel Yad in the hand and Tefillin Shel Rosh on the head, These compartments are called: Batim and the biblical passages inserted are mentioned as
Kadesh(sanctify to me) Exodus 13.1-10
V'haya Ki Y'Viacha( And when he brings you) Exodus 13.11-16
Shema(Hear O Israel ) Deut 6.4-9
V'haya Im Shamo'a( And if you hearken) Deut 11.13-21
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On the tefillin represent two types of shin- the three headed shin symbolizing the patriarchs Avraham, Yitzchak and Ya'akov
The four headed shin symbolizes the four matriarchs Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel and Leah the merits of the patriarchs is on the right and the merit of the matriarchs on the left, The numerical value of the shin is 300 twice 300= 600 the two shins together form the word- Shesh- which means six(= 6, thus giving us 606. when we add the seven heads of the two shins, we reach the number 613 -the number of Mitzvot in Torah. When we lay tefillin we thus remember that we desire to fulfill all 613 Mitzvahs. Tefillin symbolizes the eternal bond between Israel and our abba in shomayim,
Also
Tefillin when it is referred to phylacteries this stems from the ancient Greek – Phylakterion- which means safeguard, apparently the Greeks misunderstood the tefillin to be some sort of amulet or charm, actually tefillin serves not as a superstition but as a bona fide connection to Hashem, The very word Mitzvah meand to bind, as such every mitzvah is an act of ahavah that binds us to Hashem. But tefillin is the paradigm Mitzvah, in that we literally bind ourselves to the will of Hashem, tefillin represents a total dedication and union with YHVH,Tefillin has a tremendous power to connect spiritually; remarkably The Chinese Journal of Medicine claims that the contact points of tefillin are exactly those points at which acupuncture needles are inserted in order to increase spirituality and to purify thought. Throughout Jewish history and more recently in the Holocaust, many Jews risked their lives for the sake of tefillin- Rabbi Joshua Aronsohn in the Holocaust and Halakha describes how tefillin were put on in Auschwitz stated: When we arose in the darkness of the night, we had just managed to wash, the block leaders and their helpers were hurrying us along to the forced labor details. There were long queues of prisoners waiting in line, not for bread or coffee, but to fulfill the Mitzvah of Tefillin. We appointed a special guard whose job it was to make sure that no one kept the tefillin on for longer than it took him to say the one verse SHEMA YISRAEL-so that more would be able to fulfill mitzvah.
The tefillin is the epitome of closeness to Hashem, the true strength of the Jewish people. In referring to tefillin the Torah says:
The peoples of the earth will see that Hashem's name is called upon you, and they shall be awed by you- Dvarim 28.10
There are five main parts of tefillin they are
1.Parshiot- The parchments
2.Bayit- The box containing the parchments
3.Titurah- The wider base of the bayit
4.Ma'abarta-The opening of the base which the strap goes through
5.Ritzv'ah- The strap( plural- ritzv'ot)
In conclusion there are 1594 letters in each of the tefillin, if one letter is extra or missing it renders the tefillin as invalid.
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Al' Ahavat HaTorah Ve Geulat Nefesh Hador
On the love of Torah and redemption of the souls of our generation
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2/28/09 For our readers, mispochah and new E-Training members
Shalom readers i have received a few emails stated that either they missed one of the Halakha lessons and where to find them or if it could be resent to them, I want to convey that if you missed an email
E-Training News Letter don't worry about it, it's no problem after i complete the news letters i send a copy in my news letter blog at www.aeonity.com/kingdom there you can always see the latest news letters plus all the back file news letters is in there also, and of course you can print them all out and read them when time avails , I want to thank each and every one of you that allows me to bombard your emails with the weekly lesson which i teach on Shabbat and the series we are covering which i get to share with you,
I get no greater joy than to receive emails from people like you mentioning to me about the news letters or something in regard to Messianic Judaism, for me coming from my background i am delighted and really enjoy studying and typing these lessons, It is also a stress reliever for me,plus it isn't my word or our ideals it is YHVH'S word and he gives us understanding where we lack and to be quite frank- opening the bible i see and learn new things all the time that i did not know, perhaps you could be helpful to us -
Mind Changing Ministries Beit Yeshua, if you know of anyone especially some one of the Christian background who need to learn the truth- do us a big favor ask them if you could submit there email address to us, we would love to send them some information and teachings especially the two part series we did called Messianic verse Christianity and i would like to get that out to them via the net- If you get there permission- messianic believers also- submit it to mindchangingministries@minister.com they will receive the following weeks news letter and the link to get caught up at the blog site, once again
Toda Raba Sincerely
Rabbi Aminadav Ben Avraham Hinton
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Mind Changing Ministries Beit Yeshua
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