Israel ben Betzalel

Believers are led to keep Torah not because they may somehow have Jewish ancestry. Just because one is born Jewish doesn’t guarantee that they will make teshuvah (repentance to the Torah). A believer in Messiah Yeshua is led to keep Torah not because of their ancestry as some caught in the very attractive, very appealing Ephramite, Two-House movement would have you believe as they themselves are distracted by. Believers are led to keep Torah because they have the real, Jewish, living Messiah in and who lives through them, who himself is obedient to the Torah in every way and calls all of his talmidim (disciples) to imitate him.

Brothers and sisters, you are being led to keep Torah because Yeshua, who is Jewish, lives in you, and He himself keeps Torah.

We have received accusation from some inquirers from other sites asking if JerusalemCouncil.org is a Two-House (Ephraimite) theology website. No it is not - at least not myself nor the majority of those who have chosen to volunteer in this site’s vision. This site is open to all who desire to discuss such things, but it is not the view of myself or the current volunteers at JerusalemCouncil.org. We believe the evidence is firmly on the side of a Torah-for-all-mankind call to repentance - in that the Torah is for both native and non-native born alike, not just the native-born. Israel has the God-given responsibility to guard the Torah, just as the Levites have the God-given responsibility to guard the Tabernacle. This does not mean that Israel is kept out of the Tabernacle, nor does this mean that the rest of mankind is kept out of the Torah! Just as Israel was expected to participate in the Tabernacle, so too all mankind is expected to participate in the Torah! All are called to repentance, for it is the Torah that reveals Messiah and confirms who he is, and it is to the Torah that the Messiah leads us to before his return as King. The majority of visitors to this site appear to follow a One-Law view of Torah application for the believer (both native and non-native born) (promoted by such Messianic Torah observant organizations as http://ffoz.org), rather than a belief that someone is drawn to the Judaism of the Messiah simply because they must somehow be descended from one of the lost tribes of Israel.

We, as a site, support and defend the non-native born’s right to the Torah and its application in their lives.

We of course do not discount the base premise of Two-House theology, in that those descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are making teshuvah as they discover their heritage. There is even the very real possibility that some believers in Messiah who are coming into a greater and greater knowledge of the Jewishness of the faith in Messiah Yeshua may in fact be descended from the 10 lost tribes of Israel (as this is a fulfillment of biblical prophecy) - but as far as it being the main reason as to why so many non-native born believers are drawn to the Jewishness of our faith, we disagree emphatically with such speculation.

What is argued here in this comment, is that the applicable conclusion of such thinking continues to promote the same lie the the Torah isn’t for the non-native born believer (even though this is not what is actually believed within the majority of Two-house circles, it certainly is the only logical apologetic conclusion for keeping Torah), which was the cause for the appearance of Two-House theology in the first place. Tacitly surrendering to the prejudice of others (that Torah is for native-born only) is not, in the opinion of this site, the proper solution to this sad state of Messianic affairs.

When our first response to someone asking why they feel drawn to the Torah, is “your family probably was at Mt. Sinai 3500 years ago,” rather than “because Yeshua is Jewish,” then we’ve totally missed it. Worse still, we have laid the foundation for their journey into Torah observance as being based on their ability to secure their identity from supposed Israelite ancestry, rather than in Messiah Yeshua. Some do not admit this, and others vehemently say they aren’t doing this, but ideas have consequences.

When the identity bubble of a new believer who’s subscribed to the Ephraimite bandwagon is questioned (as inevitably it will), or even popped, what have we left such people with as the reason for their draw to Torah? If the value is on ancestry, and not Messiah Yeshua, what kind of disciples are we raising for him? When we build teshuvah on the quicksand of ancestral heritage, we commit the same fallacy as those who think they will inherit the World to Come on their own identity alone. In fact, if one rejects Torah and Messiah with it, because they have rejected any idea of their heritage being from Israel, then the consequences of the Two-House Distraction may have effects which last into Eternity, if not damnation, then certainly a loss of reward based on obedience. Do you want to be responsible for that?

Take my advice, and those of others that have gone before us: let distractions and endless genealogies handle themselves, and you - focus on the real reason for keeping Torah: that Messiah Yeshua is your Lord and King - for it is he who gives you your identity as his am segulah (treasured people) - if this is called “Jewish,” then it truly is Messiah Yeshua who gives you your “Jewish” identity, not your ancestors. It is through Yeshua we are led to keep the Torah, and through the Torah that we become Jewish (and part of the remnant that inherits eternal life). It’s not the other way around. It never has been, and never will be.

Sadly, Two-House theology evolved as a popular theology due to the rejection by some native-born (read Jewish) believers of non-native born (read Gentile) seekers, refusing them access to all the commandments of Torah which apply to Israel. This prejudice is due in part, we believe, to a fear of man, in which some in the Messianic movement have fallen to, as they seek recognition and legitimacy within greater and more popular Judaism that rejects Yeshua as the Messiah, and which refuses the Torah to non-native born believers. We believe such a fear is unwarranted when it should be the Messiah that our common identity is found in, and therefore legitimized as the sole reason for our participation in imitating Him.

Now that we have laid the foundation for your return to Torah as being the Messiah, and not one’s identity beforehand, then if you are looking for answers to solidify your identity after the fact, then look no further than the Torah as explained in orthodox Jewish halacha concerning conversion: one who has been circumcised (if male), and has committed themselves to do the Torah, and has been immersed in a mikveh (immersion) of conversion, is deemed an Israelite in all respects - and is considered fully Jewish and has a new identity as a Jew, has a new parentage, new ancestry, new heritage and promises, and becomes fully integrated as an equal member of the covenant community of the nation of Israel, and by default are associated with the tribe of Judah. Since land inheritance allocations have been lost today, then such a convert is just as equally a Jew as any other Jew who is not a Levite or Cohen. Furthermore, according to the Torah and to orthodox Jewish halacha, it is a transgression of Torah for anyone to remind such a convert of their gentile past, let alone treat them as such. Concerning the orthodox Jewish requirements for conversion, have not even the vast majority of Christians unknowingly done this, especially when they too make teshuvah and commit to the Torah? So then, when asked if you are Jewish, then if you have been circumcised (if male), committed yourself to the Torah, and have been immersed (baptized) in water (for conversion to HaDerech “The Way” a sect of Judaism), witnessed by others (by Jews or other converts); then one can only answer with an emphatic and most-honest, “Yes.” Anything less is dishonest with ourselves and with others.

Two-House genealogical speculation isn’t necessary when one realizes that it is a distinctly Jewish Messiah who desires to take Lordship over the hearts of both the native and non-native born. Such imitation of the Messiah will lead someone to a distinctively Torah-observant, Jewish-looking lifestyle, and resulting Jewish identity, and to that end, we hope that this truth will counter the rapidly encroaching darkness of the Torahless Anti-Messiah in these times.

Read and respond to the original article at JerusalemCouncil.org

I wanted to clarify the purpose of the Tabernacle, and later the Temple, since many seem to be confused as to what it’s purpose was, and what it will be in the future when it is built again.

The purpose of the Temple is for God to dwell with man.

It was not to provide atonement for sin. That was not its function. Instead it is because we are unclean, and sinful, and God who is holy can not dwell with unclean and sinful man, that atonement for us is required as we “draw near” to God. In fact the Hebrew word for “drawing near” is the same as “making a sacrifice.”

The purpose for the sacrifices were so that we, as unclean, sinful man, could draw near to him without being vaporized.

Even the believers of the 1st Century understood this concept, and fully expected to comply with it as they met daily in the Temple during the “standing” morning and evening prayers - which are clearly tied into the tamid offering that was slaughtered and the incense offered up every morning and evening. It was these “standing” prayers that Yeshua admonishes us that “when you stand praying…” and then teaches us several things, including one of which is the Aveinu, the Lord’s prayer which is the prayer of the rabbi that a disciple inserts after the end of the Amidah (18 Benedictions) of the standing prayers.

There is obviously a disconnect when we think we as believers in Messiah could just stroll right up into the Holy of Holies, and right into the manifest awesome, holy, and incredible presence of God, just the way we are in these unclean, and sinful bodies and not expect to get vaporized.

Thank God that God has given us the Messiah. Yeshua is the house (tabernacle) of God, and through him we interact with God in our unclean, and sinful bodies, and do not die. Yet this does not diminish who God is in his fullness, presence, and glory, nor dimish the fact that a man can not stand in the presence of God.

So what does this mean for us? What are you trying to say, Israel?

I am saying that we have much to anticipate as believers. When a future Temple is built, all believers in Messiah (just as anyone else) will be required to do what is necessary to draw near to God through their unclean, sinful bodies (assuming the End of the Age hasn’t happened yet, and we haven’t received our transformed perfect bodies), if they so desire to meet God in the Temple. This includes participating in the offerings and requirements for entering the Temple complex and so being made ready to meet God. It includes participating in the morning and evening prayers while the tamid lambs are being offered.

As believers we certainly can draw near to God in the spirit without any precondition; however in our bodies we aren’t transformed yet, and we are still covered in all forms of uncleanness and sin. It is naive to assume one could just waltz right into the Holy of Holies in the earthly Temple and not expect to get vaporized. The reason is that God is holy, unapproachable, and incompatible with sin.

You may say “well God did away with my sin.” On an accounting basis yes! For eternity, yes! But do you still sin? Of course we do. We are still in our bodies that desire to sin - even when we become a believer in Messiah, and we still commit sin every day (hopefully though, the unintentional kind). The problem is not with our spiritual condition, it’s with our bodies - our physical behavior. Yeshua cleans us on the inside (and dwells on the inside), but its on the outside that we are responsible for taking care of when we approach the One Holy God in the Temple.

Yeshua is our wonderful intermediary who we can approach to receive eternal life, and expect one day to receive transformed sinless bodies; but he is not the atonement in the earthly Temple for our physical behavior when we approach God in the earthly Temple (for his offering was made in the Heavenly Temple, not the earthly).

After all, people could interact just fine without atonement for their sin when they approached Yeshua in the Temple, but whenever one desired to approach God in the Temple, they were clearly required to draw near through the only means that actually cleaned their physical bodies (going through a mikveh), and atonement for their sin (participating in the offerings).

Much of this stems from a traditional misunderstanding of how the earthly Temple and the heavenly Temple interact. From a Hebrew understanding, they are considered echad - one a reflection of the other, and to interact with the reflection (earthly) is to in fact interact with the heavenly. So then in application, what is offered in the heavenly must have a reflection in the earthly that also MUST be offered, or else the whole gig is up and the earthly Temple is just a play toy.

In fact, traditional Christianity introduces further confusion when it says that because Yeshua made his offering in heaven (in time and space) that therefore the offerings on earth ceased (in time and space). Yet this assumption is predicated on the idea that God somehow changes, or something changed in God (which require God to be subject to time) to where Yeshua is no longer the Lamb slain since the foundation of the world, but now is the lamb slain in only 33AD, and all those before are lost to eternal life, which is contrary to what the scripture says concerning those who had faith.

In fact, no one asks the most treasured question of all: if the bible calls the patriarchs as those who had saving “faith” in the Messiah before the sacrificial system was given through the Tabernacle, then what was the sacrificial system for?

The answer: it covers the physical behaviors of this life whereby we as unclean, sinful man can draw near to the holy presence of God in the Temple (on earth, and when he’s not just in the body/tent/house of Messiah.)

So what is Messiah for? Messiah’s death causes us to live forever and to receive transformed perfect bodies so that we may draw near to God then. The earthly Tabernacle sacrifices cause us to be reckoned as physically atoned for in our current bodies so that we may draw near to God now. I hope that clears up the purposes of each, and shows that both are perfectly co-existing in this Age (if in fact we had the rebuilt Temple today). Two different applications (one in this Age, the other in the Age to Come), two different realms (earthly, heavenly), both a direct reflection of the other, both fully co-existing.

So what is the offering of Yeshua in the heavenly reflected in the earthly? The tamid offering - the morning and evening lamb. For Yeshua is called “the lamb who takes away the sin of the world.” So too in order for us to interact with God in heaven and in the Age to Come where there is no more death, we need Yeshua. For us to interact with God on earth, now in our unclean sinful bodies, we need the tamid lamb offering.

If you desire to meet God now, in this life, then pray for the rebuilding of the Temple. Otherwise as has been the case for almost 2000 years, we must wait until our physical bodies die. When God allows us to have the Temple, we as believers in Messiah should clearly view it as a blessing of God - an invitation to meet him in the physical, now.

The difference between “old covenant” and “new covenant” is used by scripture to differentiate between the unregenerate sinner, and the regenerated saint. It is the difference between their individual relationship to the Torah. The Torah is the full description of the Messiah, Yeshua ben Yosef shel Netzaret. Thus by implication, and often by reference, the Torah of God (which he gave to Moses) is the Messiah, who is the Word of HaShem. Since the Torah is the Messiah in this sense that he is the Word of HaShem, then it is rightly said that he is also the Covenant God makes with all men. So then, when one rejects Torah, as they are inclined to do from birth, they reject the Messiah; and when one embraces Messiah, as they are inclined to do by God’s grace, they embrace the Torah. In summary, we can see this in the following descriptions of the difference between these relationships to the Torah (the relationships to the Messiah, the Covenant).

1st man:

Old man, unregenerate man, sinner, of the flesh, condemned, cursed, can’t help but sin against God’s Torah (which is spiritual). Since the Torah is spiritual, this man can not perceive the things of the Torah until the veil of his sinful nature which clouds his perspective of the Torah, is taken away. This man is fleshly and is guided by the lusts of the flesh. This man is cursed to die by the Torah for his sin, and is thus considered “under Torah,” a position of being cursed to death. This man is just like the fathers who broke the Covenant, and relies on his own righteousness, and therefore breaks the Covenant. The relationship this person has to the Torah is called the “old covenant.” This man is who dies to the Torah (Messiah), for the curse of sin brings death.

God remains faithful to his Covenant, and grants death, the consequence of the sin of this man.

2nd man:
New man, regenerate man, saint, of the spirit, blessed, not cursed, can’t help but keep God’s Torah (which is spiritual). Since the Torah is spiritual, this man can perceive the things of the Torah clearly because the veil of his sinful nature which clouded his perspective of the Torah, has been lifted. This man is spiritual and is guided by the Spirit of God. This man is blessed to eternal life by the Torah for Messiah’s righteousness, and is thus considered “not under Torah,” a position of being redeemed from its curse of death. This man is not like the fathers who broke the Covenant, and relies on Messiah’s righteousness, and therefore keeps the Covenant. The relationship this person has to the Torah is called the “new covenant.” This man is who lives to the Torah (Messiah), for the blessing of obedience brings life.

God remains faithful to his Covenant, and grants eternal life, the result of the righteousness of this man identified/clothed in Messiah’s righteousness.

You will find this understanding true all throughout scripture when it talks about old and new covenant, old and new man, etc.

For example, in Romans chapter 7, Paul uses these two “men” to show that the first man, as first husband, is put to death to the Torah, the Messiah, the wife; and therefore only then can the second man, the second husband be able to marry the wife, the Torah, the Messiah, and live in the Spirit, for the Torah is spiritual. See the Messianic Apologetics Reference Project called “Understanding Romans 7″ for an applicable understanding of this concept:

viewtopic.php?f=29&t=495

The old and new covenants are a state of condition, not a table of content, for the content remains the same since there is only one Covenant: the Torah, the Messiah. Who we are in relation to him is the only difference between “old” and “new” covenant. Let me state that again. WHO we are in relationship to the Perfectly Obedient Standard for Righteousness, the Messiah himself, is the only difference between what scripture calls old covenant and new covenant.

1. One party breaks it (by his own righteousness, which is nothing), and is cursed to death. (old man) (old Covenant that is broken)

2. God renews the Covenant to a different party (new man), while Himself remains faithful to the Covenant.

3. The second party keeps it (by Messiah’s righteousness), and is blessed with eternal life. (new Covenant that is kept)

God makes his Covenant, and each time he makes it with another party, it is called “new.” That is all there is to understanding the difference between the old and new covenant.

If we have identified ourselves in Messiah, then it is our cursed nature that is considered dead for he died hung on a tree which is a condition of being cursed under the Torah. And if we have identified ourselves in Messiah, then our spiritual nature is considered alive for he rose to life from the grave.

The key here then is to understand the necessity to identify oneself with Messiah’s death and resurrection in order to be blessed by the Torah for eternal life. This requires our obedience to the Torah, the Messiah as it is written:

Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him. (Ex 23:21)

and if one transgresses this commandment, then they are as:

When such a person hears the words of this oath, he invokes a blessing on himself and therefore thinks, “I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way.” This will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry. The LORD will never be willing to forgive him; his wrath and zeal will burn against that man. All the curses written in this book will fall upon him, and the LORD will blot out his name from under heaven. The LORD will single him out from all the tribes of Israel for disaster, according to all the curses of the covenant written in this Book of the Law. (Deut 29:19-21)

When God makes his Covenant with us as sinners, which was made on that day with all who where “there” and “not there” in Deuteronomy 29:14-15, our inclination to sin caused us to break it the moment we sinned (and all have sinned in Adam). So then when God renews his Covenant with us (as a new regenerated man alive to the Messiah, the Torah) it is therefore to us, renewed, and to the new man (that is, we who are the righteous in Messiah) it is “new.” Thus that is why it is called a “new” or “renewed” Covenant.

At the point of our obeying the Messiah (surrendering our life to Him which is an act of teshuvah, or known as our repentance to the Torah), we are then “born” again, into the new man to whom the Covenant is made new to us, by God implanting His Spirit within us, and by implication of this renewal and identification in Messiah, His righteousness is therefore upon us, and we are given eternal life in accordance with the blessing promised when one keeps the Covenant. We can therefore look back on the “old man” that we once were, back to whom the same Covenant was made but condemned him to death. We can look back on that old man and see that the Covenant God made with him ultimately was that which put him to death because of that sinful man’s own “righteousness,” which is really no righteousness at all on the level that the Torah demands. From our perspective of the new man, that is why we thus call the “old” Covenant “old” and the “new” Covenant “new”- for God has renewed to us, we as the new man, the same Covenant to us, but through identifying with Messiah we now keep it.

The differences between identifying the old and new covenant then is a matter of perspective of the relationships a sinner has to the Torah and the relationship a saint has to the Torah, for the perspective of the Covenant one has concerning it, is based on the old and new relationship one has to the Covenant (the Torah, the Messiah).

You can read the full scriptural argument for this from:

viewtopic.php?f=29&t=381&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

But only in the place the Lord will choose in one of your tribes; there you shall offer up your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I command you. (Deut 12:14)

This verse in this week’s parasha, highlights an important teaching: the further you are from the place (HaMakon), also known as Temple Mount today, the less Torah one can do. Only in The Place can all the Torah be done. This means that in the exile, one can only do so much, but in the Land, one can do more, and at Jerusalem, even more, and in the Temple, yet more, etc.

As believers we should realize that the further we are away from him, who is High Priest of the Heavenly Tabernacle,  the more we cut off ourselves from greater and greater opportunities of obedience to Him. Our sin cuts us off from opportunities that would otherwise have been available for us to keep. We should make returning to the Torah, teshuvah, repentance our daily lifestyle, for doing so will only lead you closer and closer to the ultimate relationship you can have with Messiah Yeshua, the Living Torah.

Unlike all other sects of Judaism, Messianic Judaism views all believers in Yeshua as full-fledged Covenant members the moment they accept Yeshua as the Messiah, and submit to Him which means to also submit to his Torah teaching.

Those who do, have a right (and responsibility) to fully participate in the Torah that God gave to Israel; and as a new convert to HaDerech (The Way / Messianic Judaism) aligns his lifestyle with that of the Torah and how Rabbi Yeshua lives it out, then circumcision (if a male), commitment to the Torah, and even going through a mikvah in Yeshua’s name will eventually be the fruit.

That this process of getting circumcised, keeping the Torah, and going through a mikvah is also shared by other sects of Judaism as a means of conversion to Judaism, lends weight that this is a natural progression for any sincere believer in Messiah Yeshua as they continue to submit to the Torah. This process is purely scriptural and is the means by which converts to Messianic Judaism can clearly identify with the greater Jewish community as “Jewish.”

The only difference between conversion into Judaism through HaDerech, and conversion into say orthodox Judaism (or any other sect of Judaism), then, is in the certifying authority. Who in Messianic Judaism has the authority to certify that converts have been circumcised, keep the Torah, and have gone through a mikveh? Other Messianic Jews! How so? Because the first Messianic Jews were themselves recognized as the certifying authority for converts to the sect: the Jerusalem Council, made up of the first disciples of the Messiah and our Master Rebbe, Yeshua himself.  Thus we have the Messiah, Yeshua, as our certifying authority.

from: Do Gentiles need to be circumcised?

The Messiah is the one from “among our brothers,” a phrase that is found in the Torah almost as if the Torah itself is telling us a story of who it is.

The most popularly noted example of the usage of this phrase in relationship to the Messiah, is that he is the “prophet who is like” Moses, “raised up” “from among your brothers.”

Who is this prophet like Moses? King Messiah. How do we know this? We know this because this verse is written in the same context as the instruction concerning the King of Israel, of who it is also written “He must be from among your own brothers,” in Deuteronomy 17:15, which is just one chapter before the “prophet like me (Moses)” verse in chapter 18.

By this, the Torah then teaches us that that “the King” is described by every verse in Torah related to the phrase “from…brothers.” This includes him being a prophet like Moses who is also “from among your brothers,” and:

Leviticus 21:10, the first use of the phrase, where it is found written: “the high priest, the one among his brothers who has the anointing oil poured on his head…”

What does Moshiach mean? Anointed one. This verse clearly is linked to the King of Israel of who the Torah also shares the phrase “among…brothers” in describing him. So then we see this phrase as being another key to unlocking the Torah’s teaching concerning the Messiah, in almost like a chronological progression, as He is also:

• Messiah (anointed one) serves first in his function as High Priest from “among his brothers” (Lev 21:10),
• then is counted as a poor man “among your brothers” who we are not to be “hardhearted” towards (Deut 15:7)
• before he is appointed King “from among your own brothers” (Deut 17:15),
• who then is reckoned like a Levite who the offerings are their inheritance, as well as HaShem as it is written “among their brothers; the LORD is their inheritance” (Deut 18:2),
• and then he as a prophet like Moses “from among your brothers,” who commands everything HaShem tells him (Deut 18:15,18),
• and finally is counted as the one who dwelt in the burning bush and is the prince, as it is written he is one on whom is “him who dwelt in the burning bush. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers.” (Deut 33:16).

Don’t let this post just leave you with those tidbits. Each of these verses in context further applies to the Messiah, as does the rest of Torah. If you believe what Moses wrote, then you will believe the Messiah, Yeshua, who Moses wrote about very clearly in all of the Torah.

An Open Letter to Rev. Gary Sims, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC):

It has come to our attention that Messianic Jews in ODRC as reported in the Mansfield News Journal are being denied the right of access to kosher foods when all other Jews are granted access to kosher foods. This is appalling, since Messianic Jews are those who keep the Covenant God made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as written by Moses in the Torah. This includes keeping a kosher diet. One who breaks the commandments concerning clean and unclean foods, commits sin, since it is a transgression against the literal commandment of God as it is written:

Leviticus 11:43-44
43 Do not defile yourselves by any of these creatures. Do not make yourselves unclean by means of them or be made unclean by them.
44 I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves about on the ground.

Due to a misinformed understanding of Torah-observant Messianic Judaism, it appears the opposite stance was taken after some “Messianic rabbis” were consulted concerning the requirements for diet for Messianic Jews within ORDC. The scripture above should be absolutely clear that Messianic Jews who profess obedience to the Torah, are required by God to “not defile yourselves by any of these creatures” as outlined in the entire chapter of Leviticus 11.

The issue is not whether or not Messianic Jews are Jews for purpose of ODRC dietary classifications - although the majority of Messianic Jews consider themselves fully Jewish, and we at the Jerusalem Council, and other organizations would be more than happy to make the case for such a classification; however the issue is that Messianic Jews who believe they are responsible for keeping the commandments of God in the Torah, should be allowed to do so within any fair application of dietary menus provided by ODRC if others enjoy that same privilege. The issue is over the fact that some prisoners within ORDC are in fact privileged to exercise their obedience to God in the matter of keeping kosher, by claiming to be Jewish, and believing Jesus is not the Messiah; whereas those who desire to keep the commandments of God concerning diet, who believe Jesus is the Messiah, should be allowed the same treatment.

If you want the theological reasons for keeping kosher as a beliver in Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah, please feel free to contact us and we will be more than happy to provide all the material you need in making a fair decision, but we will be happy to share one here:

Revelation 14:12
This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.

Please register this compliant with the appropriate authorities within ODRC, and please reconsider allowing Messianic Jews who profess obedience to the Torah as a way of obedience to God, the means to meet their convictions concerning the matter, and thus end this unfair religious discrimination against Messianic Jewish prisoners within ODRC.

Signed,

Israel ben-Betzalel
Messianic Jewish Apologist
JerusalemCouncil.org

and the global Torah-observant Messianic Jewish community

Numbers 23:10

Who counted the dust of Jacob or the number of a fourth of [or, of the seed of] Israel? May my soul die the death of the upright and let my end be like his.

The seed, can be taken as a remez back to the Seed of the Woman, the Promised Seed. The “fourth” can be taken as a remez back to the stone that Jacob anointed with oil and wine (the Messiah) since it was from four stones that that stone was made echad:

Gen 28:18

And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.

Since this establishes that the Torah is talking about the Messiah here in Numbers 23:10, and in Gen 28:18 (since Messiah means “anointed”), then the Torah clearly teaches that the Messiah is “upright” and that he will “die the death of the upright” and his “end” is to live forever.

from: http://jerusalemcouncil.org/midrash/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=474

According to the Torah, is a man commanded to wear a kippah or other head covering? Is a woman commanded to wear a head covering?If we are to be ready to “guard” the commandments of God, then yes, wearing a head covering is part of fulfilling that mitzvah to be on guard to do God’s commandments concerning head coverings.

As it is written:

Deuteronomy 27:1
And Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying: ‘Keep all the commandment which I command you this day.

“Keep” is the Hebrew word “Shamar” which means to “guard” or “hedge around” as if to protect what is inside.

In this, the Torah teaches us that we are to create a hedge to always be ready to do God’s commandments.

Leviticus 13:45
“As for the leper who has the infection, his clothes shall be torn, and the hair of his head shall be uncovered

Numbers 5:18
And the priest shall set the woman before the LORD, and uncover the woman’s head, and put the offering of memorial in her hands, which is the jealousy offering; and the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that causeth the curse.

Here we have two scriptures detailing a clear positive commandment to remove the head covering of a man, and the head covering of a woman for specific cases.

Point: Notice the Torah assumes there is a head covering being worn, and does not say “if there is a head covering, then remove it.”

If we are to guard God’s commandments and be ready to do them, then it follows that if one is instructed here to remove a head covering already assumed to be worn, and this is not a conditional but rather an instructive commandment, then the Torah therefore assumes that we are wearing a head covering! In fact, it not only assumes this, but assumes that we wearing one at all other times, than in these specific cases mentioned here.

It can and should be asked, that if we are commanded to guard God’s commandments, and be ready to do them, then how can we obey the mitzvah to remove our head covering when we aren’t wearing one? Thus if the Torah expects us to have our head covering removed when meeting these conditions for their removal, then wearing a head covering is thus commanded as part of “guarding” God’s commandments!

The next question one may ask is what kind of head covering? Any head covering that meets the Torah’s other requirements for clothing should suffice; such as not wearing a covering identified as one of the opposite sex (cross dressing), or weaving wool and linen together (that is reserved for the High Priest!). This means a man can wear a turban, hat, kippah, or tallit; and women can wear a hat, snood, or tallit in addition to other coverings thus designed for the purpose of covering the head in fulfillment of this mitzvah.

In short,

Wearing a head covering, according to the Torah then, is truly a sign of submission to God. By wearing one, one essentially proclaims that they are intending to guard God’s commandments. Thus you will find that by wearing one, more so than just tzitzit (since tzitzit and their purpose are not easily recognizable by the nations of the diaspora), that you will be held to a higher standard by others, for you wear upon you then a very obvious symbol of submission to HaShem and his ways. From a midrash it can even be drawn that wearing one is a sign of submission to our husband, who is HaShem - the Messiah, in that we intend to guard his commandments. And if you are female, then by implication (and this is where the Apostle gets it from) that it is also a sign of submission to your earthly husband as well - another mitzvah in itself.

Thoughts?

From: http://jerusalemcouncil.org/midrash/viewtopic.php?f=13&p=2135#p2135

After much study and review, we have posted a document detailing Messianic Jewish Simcha, also known as Messianic Jewish Conversion:

Messianic Jewish Simcha (Conversion)
http://jerusalemcouncil.org/conversion.html

In short, it recognizes the scriptural definitions of Covenant members, and from a Torah perspective it clearly lays out the identity of a believer in Messiah Yeshua, as being fully Jewish, even according to orthodox halakhic standards, hopefully putting to rest once and for all the 2000 year old dispute over the inclusion of believers from the nations (gentiles).