Purim – Recognizing Miracles

We are now in the moon of Adar (the 12th moon) where our joy is increased. But we are living in the galut (dispersion, exile) among the very anti-Semitic goy who try and make life for us Jews very difficult. Here in South Africa, our government is instituting a boycott of any Israeli products, persecuting us Jews and having many marches against us because they claim that we live according to an apartheid regime and that we are villains and evil. But is that really true?

But do we live by apartheid? And if so what kind of apartheid are we talking about?  If we are evil then how is this evil defined?  And then, would such opinions not depend on others point of view?  Looking at a torah life as the only way of life and survival may indeed seem stupid or evil from the outside. The Torah makes it very clear that Yisra’el is a kadosh nation. The question is, what does it mean to be kadosh?

Kadosh simply means, “separate” or, “set apart.” The Christian bible translates this Hebrew word, “kadosh” as “holy.” HASHEM made it very clear that we are not allowed to be like the other nations. Are we not to follow the commands and precepts found in the Torah, no matter where we are? To do this, we must separate ourselves in a torah life and culture, not so? Anti-Apartheid (Anti-Kadosh) literally means, “forced conversion,” which is a very wicked act. It is exactly what happened during the Spanish Inquisition where many Jews we killed. Anti-Kadosh, in this sense, is Anti-Semitic.

Now I need to make it very clear that the kadosh'ness' of the Jews is in no way the same as that of the other apartheid regimes, like what happened in South Africa. Us Jews do not hate or mistreat people from other nations or cultures. In fact, Although we are one of the smallest nations in the world, we are the second largest financial, humanitarian aid contributor among all nations. We have a deep love for people and live to be a light to the world bringing morality and righteousness, no matter where we may be.

Unfortunately, because we have not stayed kadosh, and most times, not been able to do so, there is a great amount of Jews that have assimilated into other cultures and religions. This has always been viewed as a great crisis among religious Jews. We have seen throughout history that Jews have been forced to assimilate and convert to other cultures and religions or face the penalty of being kicked out of the community, country or even killed. This is still happening at this moment all around the world to some degree or another, whether it be terrorist attacks, pressure from the governments, boycotts or simple hate speech against us.

So how are we to increase our joy? We could even be justified in being angry at the injustice and clear violation of our human and religious rights that our own governments show us. But no, we are not angry at all. In fact, we rejoice and really do increase our joy. But how is this even possible? There is one simple word that explains how it is possible, “Emuna.”

Through all this tribulation that we are going through, it is fitting that Purim is being celebrated now. Purim is the remembrance and celebration of the great miracles and protection that the Almighty grants us, His nation, Yisra’el. We read the story Esther on this day, which has so many lessons for us.

The story of Esther is about how we were exiled and were living under the Persian King. One of the King’s generals, Hamman, was an evil man and convinced the King to make a decree that all the Jews must be killed because they live by a different set of laws and separate themselves from the people among whom they live (the Persians). So the Jews were to be destroyed because they were living in apartheid.

But HASHEM had His hand over the situation at every single moment. HASHEM caused this to happen, even though it seemed bad. And As Jews we so many times feel that HASHEM has departed from us, and in worldly terms we may even have every right to moan about being persecuted. But this is not what we do. Such events caused us to fast and repent and turn to HASHEM for their salvation. Everything happened as it should have and at the right moments too. In the end, the evil Hamman and his sons were hanged on the very gallows that Hamman built for the hanging of the righteous Jew called Mordechai. At the end we Jews were not only saved then, we also gained all the respect of the King, something we did not have before.

Emuna teaches that there is only One being that is in control of everything and that everything that happens is from Him. And that everything that He does is for the good, even if it may seem bad.

The Name of the Almighty does not appear even once in the entire book of Esther. In fact it is the only book in the entire Tanakh that does not contain the Name at all. This teaches us, among other things too, that even though it seems that HASHEM has hidden Himself from us, that He is still actually in control and watching over us.

The ultimate goal in life is “tikkun” (soul correction) and everything that happens to us happens for the sake of tikkun, because HASHEM loves us.

That is why us Jews can be happy and Joyful at all times, no matter what our circumstances are at any time. We know that everything is for the good.

May we all continue to do teshuva (repentance) and grow closer to HASHEM, by the study and obedience to His Torah so that we may continue to joyfully say: BARUCH HASHEM no matter what our circumstance. To be kadosh (set-apart) is to be satisfied with being different, as we prefer to be what HASHEM wants us to be, no matter where we are or what the circumstances.

Purim Same'ach

Are we to celebrate Hanukkah?

At the time of the writing of this article, it is deep into the Hanukkah celebration. When I logged on to Facebook this morning, which I have not done for a long time, the most talked about topic was about Hanukkah. I mostly saw arguments from Messianics and "Believers" who mostly claimed that Hanukkah is not to be celebrated as it is not found in the Torah or anywhere in the rest of the Scriptures. They even go as far as to say that because it is called a festival of lights, that it is pagan and evil. But is this really the case? Let us have a look at Hanukkah a little through the eyes of a Jew who lives by the Torah and honors the Almighty, blessed be He.

Is Hanukkah not found in Torah?

Yes it is true; we cannot find the celebration of Hanukkah as a mo'ed (appointed time) anywhere in the Torah at all. Does that mean that we may not celebrate it at all? Well, the celebration of Hanukkah (dedication) wholly revolves around the re-capture of Yerushalayim by the Hasmonians (who were Levites and Kohanim (Priests)), from the Greeks, and the re-dedication of the Temple of HaShem, blessed be He. This event happened around 500BCE, which is LONG after Torah had been written and completed. So for this reason, there would be no way that Hanukkah would be found in the Torah. 

None of us as Jews observe Chanukah as if it is compulsory or as if it is a mo-ed declared by torah.
It is purely a cultural celebration, where we celebrate the many wonderful miracles that HaShem, blessed be He, did for the Jews during the re-dedication (Hanukkah) of the kadosh temple,including the events leading up to it.

But then, again, what we look for and how we look will determine either what we will find (or not find). If we really look carefully, then we will find Hanukkah in the Torah. When the Mishkan (Tabernacle) was erected for the first time, it had to be "Hanukkah" (dedicated) first before it came into service. We read about this event in Bamidbar (Numbers) chapter seven. Anything which was to be used for ‘sacred purpose’ had to be dedicated (Hanukkah).

Festival of lights
Yes, Hanukkah is called a festival of lights. Does this automatically mean that it is pagan in nature, just because there are other religions that have their own festivals with the same name? That idea is really an absurdity. If we had to use that same logic, then the term "El," which we use to refer to HaShem, blessed be He, is also pagan because that is also the name of the ancient Cananite deity. The Cananite 'el' was the "father of the gods." But in reality, the Hebrew word 'el' simply means, "mighty one." The Hebrew word 'el' was a fitting name for the deity that the Cananite people created for themselves and for whom they had to find a name. The fact is, that the word "El" long preceded the Ca'ananite deity. Also the term "ba'al" is not pagan at all, but rather the deity which was given that name by its creators is. The term ba'al simply means "master or husband." I am my wife's ba'al.

So just because Hanukkah is referred to as the festival of lights does by no means mean that it is in any way associated with any pagan practice at all or with any other religions festival of lights. Why then is Hanukkah called the festival of lights?

There is a commandment in the Torah that the kohen gadol (high priest) must daily clean and light the Menorah in the Mishkan (Tabernacle) or Beit Mikdash (Temple). See, even lighting candles and even incense, is found in the Torah and is not of pagan origin. Now during the time of the Maccabee's when the temple was abominated by the Greeks slaughtering pigs on the alter and many other abominations, the Hasmonians (Maccabee's) re-captured the city and the Temple too. They then did a full cleans of the temple and then re-dedicated (Hanukkah) it. But during this time, they needed pure oil for the lighting of the menorah. They needed enough oil for at least eight days, but could only find enough for one day. When they used that oil, a miracle happened and it lasted the full eight days long instead of only one day.

That is why we light candles for a period of eight days during Hanukkah in commemoration of the miracle of the oil lasting the full eight days needed during the re-dedication (Hanukkah) of the temple. That is also why we call it the festival of lights which is the celebration of the miracle of the menorah and NOT from pagan origins at all. A Jewish home can be identified during the time of Hanukkah by the sight of lights from the hanukkia (Hanukkah candles) radiating light in the window.

For those who do not wish to celebrate Hanukkah and all the miracles that HaShem, did for His people and His Temple, then don't. This is in any event a Jewish practice and not for people of other religions. For those who belong to the Hebrew faith, we celebrate such amazing miracles that HaShem, blessed be He, did for us as a nation. It is our culture and as a nation, we celebrate it all together, which brings unity among us. Such commemoration also brings hope and strength in times of trouble, hardship and persecution. Such traditions have brought joy in times when it seemed impossible and even gives a reason for living to many. It is safe to say that many Jewish traditions, such as Hanukkah, are the reason that many Jews lived when it was easier to just give up and die. Unity is of the utmost importance to the Hebrew nation, when one Jew hurts, then all Jews hurt together. As the saying, that comes from the movie "The Three Musketeers” says, "All for one and one for all." This is how the Jews have survived throughout history, and this is why we celebrate Hanukkah.

Every single Jew who awaits the coming of the Messiah, looks forward to the one who will bring peace to this world and rebuild the Beit Mikdash (Temple) and then Hanukkah (Dedicate) it. And yes, there will be a festival that day, and yes, there will be lights as there will also be a dedication (Hanukkah).

For those who live a life of Hanukkah, may you be filled with the light and joy of Hanukkah!!!!

Your Word is a lamp to my feet

It still often amazes me how people can take a verse here and there and use it so out of context that the original writers of the verses would never recognize the way it is being used in today’s times. And then they believe that it is truthful and build an entire teaching that is foreign to the teachings of the Scriptures because the basis of the teachings are way out of context to start off with. But at the same time I know how these people are so deceived, because I too was in my earlier years. It was only when I started noticing contradictions within the churches teachings, that are universal to all the churches that I had attended, that I started doing a lot of reading, studying and research for myself. (This happened many years ago)

What I found is that a lot of what the church teaches is pure superstition based on the incorrect context of many verses in the bible and the opinions of the teachers themselves. This is why there are many thousands of different Church denominations, each teaching their own opinions. In fact, the fundamental church doctrines are not based on the Scriptures but rather upon the anti-Semitic Jew hating early church fathers and their personal teachings. The problem is that the church goers trust the pastors and priests way too much without actually testing any of what they teach. What we land up with is a lot of buzz words and phrases, but do not really have a proper understanding of what they mean.

Psalm 119:105 is one verse that is used a lot within the Christian church and is even one of their favorite hymns to sing. But do they really believe this to be true in the correct context, or is it a superstitious buzz phrase to keep themselves happy and satisfied? Let us then read this verse and understand it in its correct context for once. “Your Word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).

The subject of this verse is the Word of the Almighty. King David, the author of this Psalm, is making it clear that what guided his actions and every step he took, was the Word of the Almighty. Can this fact be changed over time? The answer is a definite NO. This man, David, who was called, “a man after My own heart” by the Almighty Himself, authored many Psalms praising the wonderful Word of YHWH.

So what was king David referring to as the Word of YHWH that is a lamp and a light that illuminates his walk? Who better to turn to than the person who was considered to be the wisest of all men, and who was entrusted to build the house for the Shechina (presence of the Almighty), the Temple, and who is the son of the author of Psalm 119. King Sh’lomo wrote the following, “For the command is a lamp, And the Torah a light, And reproofs of discipline a way of life” (Proverbs 6:23). Here Sh’lomo makes it very clear that the Commandments are a lamp and that the Torah is a light. The term, “Commandments” is a simile for the term, “Torah” as it is the Torah that holds all the Commandments. Just as a ‘lamp’ is a simile for ‘light’ as the function of a lamp is to give light.

In the Christian religion, the problem arises when they claim this verse and sing it in hymns etc. but then in the same breath, they reject the Torah and the Commandments. The rejection of the Torah is literally the opposite action to what Psalm 119:105 teaches. If someone proclaims or sings this verse of Psalm 119:105, and then does not walk in the light of the Torah and the Commandments, then that person is a liar. Some people are even fooled into believing that the ‘New Testament’ is the Word of YHWH spoken of in Psalm 119. If you are one of these people, then ask yourself the question, Did the ‘New Testament’ exist at the time when King David wrote this Psalm? Or was David referring to the Torah? If the ‘New Testament’ is being referred to, then it must be the same context and contents as that of the Torah as it never existed at the time of the writing of the Psalms, but the Torah was.

We see the same thing when we read the prophets, “Grass shall wither, the flower shall fade, but the Word of our Elohim stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:8). Did the ‘New Testament’ exist when Yeshayahu (Isaiah) wrote this? If the Torah was what Yeshayahu was speaking of, then it is the Torah that stands forever. So is the Word of YHWH that exists today different to that of the Word of YHWH that Yeshayahu knew and wrote about?

The author of Psalm 119:105 (quoted above) also wrote the following: “The Torah of יהוה (YHWH) is perfect, bringing back the being; The witness of יהוה (YHWH) is trustworthy, making wise the simple” (Psalm 19:7). So if the Torah is perfect and stands forever, then why is it necessary to change or do away with or even need something better? How can anything that is perfect be bettered?

Let us have a look at some references in the ‘New Testament’ regarding this topic. “So that the Torah truly is set-apart, and the command set-apart, and righteous, and good” (Rom 7:12). Sha’ul (Paul, as the Catholic Church calls him) is speaking of the Torah as good and righteous and set-apart, and not as a curse as many Christians claim. He also refers to the Hebrew Tanakh (Old Testament, as the Catholic Church calls it) as Scripture and that we need to use it for teaching, reproof, setting straight and the instruction in righteousness, “All Scripture is breathed by Elohim and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for setting straight, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of Elohim might be fitted, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:16-17).

It is very clear that the Torah of YHWH is perfect and eternal. No person has the authority to decide otherwise. In fact, not even the Almighty can change His Word, however, this is irrelevant as His Word is already perfect and need not ever be changed. We do not have the choice of how we want to serve YHWH the Almighty. The only choice we do have is between serving Him or not. If we choose to serve YHWH, then we need to do it His way. That is however a good thing as He has given us the manual to do so, the Torah.

May we all study His Word and DO His Word so that we may walk on the derech tzedakah (way of righteousness)

Do you practice witchcraft?

Many people agree that witchcraft is evil and dangerous and should never be practiced or even attempted by any believers. But what these people are not as certain about is, “what witchcraft is.” Many believe witchcraft to be things like, casting spells, animal and human sacrifices, wearing evil pendants and talisman, voodoo, speaking to the dead or to spiritual beings etc. Yes these are all forms of witchcraft and are to be avoided at all costs. But there are other forms of witchcraft that seem to be innocent and even not recognizable as witchcraft practices, but are still just as evil as the other forms and is an abomination for the Almighty. Let us have a look at a few examples that Rambam gives on this subject:

”a piece of bread dropped out of my mouth, my can fell from my hand, so I will not start out today… Since a fox ran past me on the right, I will not venture outside the door today… If a certain thing happens to me, I will follow this course of action… This house which I built has turned out lucky for me… From the moment I bought this animal I became rich… That is a lucky sign…”

He concludes by saying that all these practices are false and deceptive, and that whoever believes in them us nothing but a fool (Yad, Avodah Zarah 11:16).

Yes, Superstitious beliefs and practices, are forms of divination and are wicked to the core. Many may seem to be innocent and even cute, but that is what makes it so deceptive. Witchcraft is condemned in the Torah as an abominable form of idolatry, being steeped in crime, immorality and deception. It is not in accord with Yisra’el’s belief in One Elohim. To think that any instance or event or action is out of the reach of the Almighty, is considered unbelief and a denial of YHWH.

So to all the believers who have a lucky coin or something similar, or scared of breaking a mirror, or worried if a black cat crosses your path, or any other superstitious belief, please consider the following verse found in the Torah:

“Do not allow a practiser of witchcraft to live.” (Exo 22:18).

May we all seek the Almighty with all our heart, mind and strength and live by His Torah and leave all worldly beliefs and practices alone.

The Circumcision – Outdated Legalism, or Loving Obedience?

The Word of the Almighty (Torah) is such a beautiful creation that is perfect and good in every way. It teaches us how we are to love Him and draw close to Him and also how to love and care for our neighbors too. But there are religions, like Christianity/Messianic, Hebrew Roots and even Islam, who believe and teach that it is old and outdated to some degree or another. Such people see the Torah as a list of do’s and don’ts. These are the people who do not know or understand the heart of the Torah or the Almighty at all.

These people also only see the Scriptures in a very shallow way and cannot see or recognize the true depth, meaning and value of the Scriptures. What that leads to, is simply a lack of understanding of many teachings and, therefore, the belief that many of the ancient customs are outdated and no longer necessary today. But to someone who dedicates his life to the pursuit of truth and understanding and the deeper study of the Torah, this idea of being outdated is absolutely ludicrous. What some might perceive as redundant, to another person it is a great treasure and overwhelming wealth.

Maimonedes (Rambam) explains, so clearly, the differences between the Torah Jews and other religions, that might seem to resemble that of Torah Judaism. It is this that he wrote to the Jews who were living in Yemen, who, at that time, were being persecuted and was facing forced conversion to other religions, in that case it was to Islam. Rambam wrote these letters to support the Jews and encourage them to stay strong in their beliefs. In one of his letters, he wrote the following:

  “Our religion differs as much from other religions as a living person differs from a lifeless statue, which is ever so well carved out of marble, wood, bronze or silver. When an ignorant person sees a statue that superficially resembles man in contour, form, features and color, he thinks that the structure of its parts is similar to that of a human being. But the informed person, who knows the interior of both, is aware of the fact that the internal structure of the statue shows no skillful workmanship at all, whereas the inner parts of man are marvelously made.

So too, a person ignorant of the deep meaning of the Bible, and of the deeper significance of the Torah, would be led to believe that our religion has something in common with another. True, both contain a system of religious observances; but the tenets of other religions, though resembling those of the Bible, are merely superficial imitations. People have modeled their religions after ours in order to glorify themselves”

One of the biggest controversies surrounding the Scriptures is that of the circumcision. Many teach that it is

If your argument is, “but I am too old,” Then please spare a thought for Avraham who was 99 years old when he circumcised HIMSELF. He did so because of his love and devotion to the Almighty Creator, without any hesitation at all.

Now, let us look at the different views and understandings of this commandment and see which view is shallow and deceitful and which is the one who knows the deeper rooted understanding of this commandment.

As noted above, Christianity/Messianic believe that it is redundant and not necessary to perform anymore. Some do it because they want to, for health benefits etc, and not because it is a commandment. Some may do it because the Torah teaches so, and often because their friends are doing it too, but they are few and far between. They claim that Sha’ul (Paul) taught that circumcision is not longer necessary and that in Acts 15 it was done away with. We will discuss this case further below.

Now let us see what Judaism teaches on this subject. This section was taken from Jewish commentary of the Torah from the Torah portion mentioned:

”Regarding the commandment of the circumcision (Gen 17:9-14).

From the sequence of this chapter, it is clear that the blessings of the children and possession of the Land depended on circumcision, a connection that is also implied in the second blessing of the Blessing after Meals.

The symbolic significance of this commandment is indicated by the name of the flesh that is removed in performance of the commandment – “orlah,” commonly translated as ‘foreskin,’ but more accurately, as it is used in Scripture, ‘a barrier’ standing in the way of a beneficial result. For example, the sinful habits that predispose a person not to change his lifestyle are called the ‘orlah’ of the heart (Lev26:41; Jer 9:25; Eze 44:7).

Thus, although this concept is beyond human understanding, circumcision is a means to help the Israelite ennoble himself and return to the spiritual state of Adam before his sin. As the Sages teach, Adam was born circumcised, but after his sin his foreskin was extended and covered the organ (Senhedrin 38b), as a symbol that he had created a barrier between himself and set-apartness.

By removing the superfluous skin covering the organ of continuity, circumcision teaches that man must eliminate the natural barriers blocking his advancement. But circumcision’s capacity to accomplish this is not a logical outcome of the physical act; to the contrary, it is metaphysical. This aspect of circumcision is symbolized by the commandment that it be done on the eighth day of a boy’s life. As Maharal teaches, the natural order of Creation involves cycles of seven, such as the seven days of the week and the seven years of the Shemittah agricultural cycle. The number eight represents the concept that one can rise above limitations of nature. By commanding Israel to circumcise its male children on the eighth day, Elohim taught that the Israelite’s ability to remove the barriers to his spiritual ascent transcends the natural order of life. Nevertheless, Elohim gives man the ability to do it – and since he can, he must.

A commandment consists of two parts: the physical act and its underlying moral or spiritual teaching – and neither is complete without the other. Just as it is not enough to perform the commanded deeds if they are denuded of intellectual and moral content, so it is not enough to philosophize on the commandments and seek moral improvement without actually performing the commandments. Hence, the physical act is the covenant, but it is also a sign of the covenant’s deeper meaning.”

Can you see the difference? The one sees the commandment as a redundant obligation whereas the other sees its true value which is removing the barrier so that we can come closer to the Almighty. The one view is humanistic and the other is recognizing the love for YHWH. Also notice how valuable and important it is to analyze the Hebrew text for the absolute truth. You will not find this information in any English translations at all.

So what about Acts 15… does that not teach that circumcision is not necessary for Gentile believers? Well, lets analyze it a little bit together.

”And certain men came down from Yehudah and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised, according to the practice of Mosheh, you are unable to be saved.”” (Act 15:1). Here we see that certain Y’hudim were teaching that new believers must submit to all the Torah straight away, including the Circumcision. But this is not possible for new believers as it takes a lot of study to know the whole Torah.

”So when Sha’ul and Barnabah had no small dissension and dispute with them, they arranged for Sha’ul and Barnabah and certain others of them to go up to Yerushalayim, to the emissaries and elders, about this question.” (Act 15:2). Sha’ul and Barnabah were not disagreeing with the Y’hudim with regards to the circumcision, but rather when it was to be introduced to the new believers. This is so that the new believers would not be frightened off. So they went and sought counsel.

“Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the gentiles who are turning to Elohim, but that we write to them to abstain from the defilements of idols, and from whoring, and from what is strangled, and from blood.” (Act 15:19-20). Here it is clear that only new believers from other nations (non-Jews) who were turning to Elohim (Torah Judaism). They were taught that there are a few things that they have to immediately obey without question. These things are:

1) Abstain from Idols:

           

a)      Eating meat offered to idols

b)      Speaking in the names of idols (Exodus 23:13)

c)      Having an idols image or statue in your home

d)      Riches and popularity etc.

2) Whoring:

            a) Do not commit adultery

            b) Do not have any sexual relations with anyone other than your husband or wife

            c) Do not follow the teachings of men

            d) Do not turn away from the Word of the Almighty to follow other false teachings

3) What is strangled:

            a) Any meat that comes from an animal that has been strangled, which is a kosher law

4) Blood:

            a) No blood is allowed to be eaten, for the soul is in the blood (Kosher law)

            b) Do not murder

            c) Women’s monthly cycle laws

These things are absolute no-no’s for anyone who turns to the faith of the Messiah, and have to stopped immediately if they are still being performed. But that is not where it ends. The chapter goes on to say:

“For from ancient generations Mosheh has, in every city, those proclaiming him – being read in the congregations every Sabbath.” (Act 15:21). Here is the key to the entire chapter. Because the new believers do not know the whole Torah, they need to go to the Jewish congregations on every Shabbat to learn Mosheh (Torah) so that they can know how to live their life in righteousness and serve the Almighty in truth.

As one learns the way of righteousness, he is then required to live accordingly. That is why the new believers went to learn Mosheh, so that they can learn righteousness and changed their old practices and habits in favor of the teachings of the Torah. So when it came to the section in the Torah which speaks of the Circumcision, the new believers then, out of their own desire to obey and serve YHWH, became circumcised, because that is what the Torah teaches. In fact, the Torah makes it very clear that no person can partake in the Passover if he is not circumcised in the flesh.

It is very clear that, neither Sha’ul, nor any other disciple ever taught that it was not necessary to be circumcised. Only through the twisting of Scripture and trickery, do the Christian/Messianics teach this false theology.

Let us end with the following Scripture of a prophecy:

”‘Thus said the Master יהוה (YHWH), “No son of a foreigner, uncircumcised in heart OR uncircumcised in flesh, comes into My set-apart place, even any son of a foreigner who is among the children of Yisra’ĕl” (Eze 44:9).

Do you want to go into the Set-Apart place of the Almighty, or do you want to be rejected and denied entrance because you did not want to become circumcised, and chose to keep the barrier between yourself and the Almighty Creator of the heavens and the earth?

Choose Life

This article is being posted in light of the Torah portion that was read this Shabbat that has just past (Nitzavim).

There is a very large and popular church in the city where I live (Pretoria South Africa) which has the name of “Choose Life Church.” Now, we all have to assume that this church was named after a passage from the Bible, as it is a Christian church. In fact, on their website, they admit that this is true. Now, if this is the case, then this church must stand up to the principles taught in the Bible too, or at least in the verse from which it gets its name from. If you do a little research, then you will quickly realize that the term, “choose life” appears only once in the entire Scriptures. It is not found in the “New Testament” but actually only in the Torah.

The verse that this particular church used in reference to their name is Deut 30:19. Let us read it together:

”I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live” (Deut 30:19 KJV)

It is actually a very nice name that is based on a very lovely and beautiful verse in the Scriptures. The Almighty has set before us life and death and has given us the choice as to which one we want to choose. The church in question (Choose Life Church) has clearly stated which one they claim to have chosen, and which things that they supposedly teach accordingly.

The Scriptures make it very clear what choosing life entails and what we need to do in order to choose this life. It clearly says that the Almighty has set it before us and that the heaven and the earth are witnesses to this. We need to read the entire chapter in order to know what choosing life is all about, according to the Word of the Almighty. For a restriction of space, let us start reading from vs 15:

“See, I have set before you today life and good, and death and evil, in that I am commanding you today to love יהוה (YHWH) your Elohim, to walk in His ways, and to guard His commands, and His laws, and His right-rulings. And you shall live and increase, and יהוה (YHWH) your Elohim shall bless you in the land which you go to possess” (Deut 30:15-16).

In the verses above is the formula for choosing life. Choosing life is to love the Almighty, to walk in His ways, and to guard (do) His commands, His Laws, and His right rulings. If you do this, then you are choosing life. This is saying that we need to do all that is written in the Torah.

But what happens when you do not do these things? Well, let us read further to see.

“But if your heart turns away, and you do not obey, and shall be drawn away, and shall bow down to other mighty ones and serve them, I have declared to you today that you shall certainly perish, you shall not prolong your days in the land which you are passing over the Yardĕn to enter and possess” (Deut 30:17-18)

The disobedience of the Torah is to turn away your heart from the Almighty. If this happens then you will bow down to other mighty ones and serve them. When this happens, the verse says, “you shall certainly perish”. The disobedience of the Torah is choosing death.

So with this information from the Scriptures, it is safe to assume that any institution who claims to base their faith on the Scriptures and who call themselves by the title of, “Choose Life” should in fact be following and teaching the Torah, just as the Messiah did. If not, then they are liars and teach only lies. “And by this we know that we know Him, if we guard His commands. The one who says, “I know Him,” and does not guard His commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:3-4). One cannot take a title or verse from the Scriptures and use it totally in the wrong context. If one does so, then it is a total deception to all who come into contact with them.

So let us compare the teachings of the church (called, “Choose Life”) with that of the instruction manual of the Almighty, called the Scriptures (The Word of the Almighty Creator).

But before we get started with this list, let us have a look at one of the prerequisites that the Choose Life Church has for becoming a member of their church is. On their website, the second prerequisite for becoming a member is as follows:

”You should be endeavoring to live a life that pleases God. You should not be living in sin.”

Now let us go to the Bible and see what it says what sin is:

”Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4 KJV)

So according to the statement of the Choose Life Church, we have to assume that all its members are living according to the Law of the Almighty. If not, then they should not be members (according to the requirements of the Church itself). If the leaders and pastors of the Church also do not live by the Law (which according to the Bible is living in sin) then they are hypocrites and liars. This is according to their own standards.

Sha’ul (Paul) makes a clear statement in 2 Corinthians regarding those who do not keep the Law (Torah), “Do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness? And what fellowship has light with darkness?” (2 Cor 6:14). He makes it very clear that those who do not live by the Law of the Almighty are unbelievers and darkness and the opposite of righteous. And what did the Messiah say about those who are lawless?

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Master, Master, shall enter into the reign of the heavens, but he who is doing the desire of My Father in the heavens.

Many shall say to Me in that day, ‘Master, Master, have we not prophesied in Your Name, and cast out demons in Your Name, and done many mighty works in Your Name?’ And then I shall declare to them, ‘I never knew you, depart from Me, you who work lawlessness!” (Mat 7:21-23).

The Messiah himself proclaims that those who do not submit themselves to being obedient to the Torah of his Father, even though they profess to be believers and do many mighty works, will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. These people who do not live by the Torah are not known to the Messiah and will be rejected at his return.

So now, let us look at a few examples of what the Torah teaches and see if the members of the Choose Life Church lives up to the standards of the Scriptures.

1) The Scriptures teach us that we need to rest and learn Scripture on the Sabbath (the seventh day) and that it is an eternal covenant. The Sabbath is also a sign between the Almighty and the people of the Almighty (Exodus 31:13-16). The Sabbath is also a commandment, the 4^th one (Exodus 20:8-11). If we do not keep the Sabbath, then we do not guard the Commandments and deny the creation of the heavens and the earth, and therefore are not choosing life.

Does the Choose Life Church keep the Sabbath? NO… they get together on the first day which was instituted by the Roman Catholic Church to make the statement that the Church is above Scripture (Word of the Almighty) and has the authority to change the Scriptures. Choose Life Church does not choose life by breaking the Sabbath, which is a transgression of the Law, which is living in sin.

2) According to the Scriptures (Lev 11), the eating of any sort of unclean animals (like pork, rabbit, prawns etc) are an abomination to the Almighty. It is still as relevant today as it was in the time of Mosheh (Moses) and is part of the Law.

Does the Choose Life Church keep to and teach the eating of clean animals only, and the abstinence of unclean animals? NO, they do not believe that to be relevant at all anymore, even though they claim that the “Old Testament” is the Word of the Almighty, on their website under “statement of faith”. It is just too convenient to pick and choose which parts of the Law they want to keep.

3) The Scriptures make it very clear that we should not learn the ways of the world (Deut 18:9), and that the friend of the world is an enemy of the Almighty (James 4:4). The celebration of pagan festivals is an abomination in the eyes of the Almighty and is considered as idolatry, which is the transgression of the 2^nd commandment.

Does the Choose Life Church abstain from idolatrous celebrations as the Scriptures require? NO, They celebrate Christmas, Easter, Birthdays, Gregorian New Year, Sun-day, etc. All these celebrations originate from paganism and are an abomination to the Almighty.

4) The Scriptures make it very clear that in order to belong to Yisra’el (spiritual Yisra’el), all the males have to be circumcised. This is the sign of the covenant (Gen 17:10-14). If any males are not circumcised, then they cannot partake in the Passover (that means no communion) (Exodus 12:43-44) and (Ezekiel 44:9).

Does the Choose Life Church practice and teach the necessity of circumcision? NO, They teach that it is not necessary to be circumcised, which is contrary to what the Scriptures teach.

5) The 3^rd Commandment commands us not to bring the Name YHWH to naught (Exodus 20:7). The Torah also commands us not to use the names of other idols, and not to even let it be heard out of our mouths (Exodus 23:13). Substituting the Name of the Almighty, with that of the name of an idol, is forbidden and an abomination to the Almighty. Also, using the names of idols in place of names and other words is also an abomination.

Does the Choose Life Church use the correct names and words as correctly translated from the original text, and do not substitute them with the names of idols? NO, they have chosen to follow the Roman Catholic Church who dictates all the Christian doctrines and totally undermines the authority of the Scriptures. Choose Life Church rather follows after man made doctrines rather than the written Word of the Almighty.

Why do they do so? Because it is far more profitable (in the worlds eyes, money -wise) to follow the corrupt Christian system. If the Church taught Scripture and Scripture alone in the correct context, then they would never be able to function as a business (which they really are) and make a profit by exploiting its members.

Is it not a little fishy to realize that the only form of the Law that the Church keeps is that of the tithes? Even this is twisted so that the people are fooled into giving their hard earned money to the church.

For an organization who claims to follow the Scriptures, the Choose Life Church certainly cannot be more wrong. They even support people who supports absolute transgression of the law. They support a preacher who believes homosexuality is acceptable and that homosexuals will also inherit the kingdom of heaven. They even have a link to this preacher’s website on their website.

Choose Life Church is a business that does not promote Scripture, but rather “good feelings” to its members so that they will always have a constant supply of money. One statement that this church cannot say is that their teachings are based on the Scriptures. If you desire to follow the Teachings of the Almighty, who created heaven and earth and sustains it all by His eternal Word and choose life… then Choose Life Church is certainly not the place to be.

One great problem that arises from such churches and people who follow these churches and teachings is that they are the ones who persecute and abuse the righteous people who are keeping all the commandments of the Almighty and walking a righteous life.

Christianity is a religion of pure hypocrisy saying that their faith is based on the Scriptures and yet, they go and transgress all the commands of the Almighty in everything that they do. 

It is very easy to say that you choose life, but it is another thing to actually choose life by obeying the Word of the Almighty.

The Almighty does not accept bribes

I have not posted any articles for a long time now. There are many reasons for this, the biggest reason being that I have been working on writing a book for a while now. There is a lot of research and study that goes into it and it is all very time consuming. Another big reason is that I have been continuing my Hebrew and Torah studies (which is going to be a study until the day I die.)

The reason that I have decided to write an article now is because of what we read in the Torah portion this last Shabbat. The Torah portion that was read is called “Eikev” (Deut 7:12-11:25) and it is so full of information and rich Torah knowledge that I am going to be writing a few articles on this Torah portion.

The verse that stood out, which inspired this article is the following, “For יהוה (YHWH) your Elohim is Elohim of mighty ones and Master of masters, the great Ěl, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe” (Deut 10:17)

There are a few different ways to understand this concept, all of which are perfectly valid and true all at the same time. We are however only going to look at three of these ways below.

Firstly, how many times have you watched a movie, where one of the characters gets into a real tight spot and then cries out to “God” and makes a deal with Him saying that if He gets him out of this tight spot, then he promises to go to church from then on or give money to charity or something like that. Maybe you yourself have made such promises like that as well.

But is that really how the Almighty works? It is true that it is written in the B’rit Chadashah that “For everyone who calls on the Name of יהוה (YHWH) shall be saved.” (Rom 10:13). But does this mean that a sinner who does not follow the instructions of the Almighty, can now just ask the Almighty to get them out of a tight spot with promises that are usually not kept in the end? Well, the Torah (the Word of the Almighty) clearly teaches that this is not the case. The Almighty does not accept bribes in any way or form, especially promises that are empty and ultimately are not kept.

Secondly, as the Jewish commentator “Rashi” puts it, an unrepentant sinner cannot bribe the Almighty by bringing an offering or contribution of charity. Elohim is angered by those who steal or otherwise obtain money dishonestly and then use their ill-gotten profits to bless or serve Him.

As Rashi explains, all your actions and means of funds have to be perfectly legal and moral and done with perfect honesty. Anything not done or acquired so is not at all acceptable and you cannot justify the ends by these means. The Almighty regards this as bribery and does not accept it in any way.


Thirdly, as the Jewish commentator “Ramban” explains, Elohim does not trade off the performance of commandments as a covering for sin (kippur) for transgressions. Rather, He gives reward for the performance of mitzvot and punishment for their transgressions. 

As Ramban explains, the covering of sin is provided for by the Torah and follows a very specific and clear instruction. Just carrying on with performing mitzvot (commandments) without Teshuvah (repentance) and a chatat (sin offering) the keeping of the commandments is then considered a bribe and also trying to save yourself by keeping the law, but to no avail because it is not done out of love for the Almighty. This third way of understanding is much like the first.

So then, what is required from us, well then, the answer is also found in this Torah portion. “And now, Yisra’ĕl, what is יהוה (YHWH) your Elohim asking of you, but to fear יהוה (YHWH) your Elohim, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, and to serve יהוה (YHWH) your Elohim with all your heart and with all your being, to guard the commands of יהוה (YHWH) and His laws which I command you today for your good?” (Deut 10:12-13)

It is inconceivable to think that we can ask the Almighty for any favors unless we are totally committed to loving the Almighty and obeying His Word. The Almighty never changes, and neither does His Word. We are to commit our entire lives to loving the Creator of the heavens and the earth. It is out of love that we keep His Commandments. Anyone who does not keep all the Commandments found in the Torah does not love the Almighty.