Sabbath Thoughts And Reflections

In this 148th Reading of our 3-Year Long Torah Reading Cycle, we learn of Yah's concern that we will abandon Him and His ways for the worship of Canaanite gods. He instructs Moshe to store His written Torah in the Ark of the Covenant to serve as a witness against our impending idolatry.

In this 142nd Torah Reading discussion, we are taught how to operate in certain domestic relationships that include relating the taking of foreign war brides unto our selves, treatment of the firstborn son in a polygamous relationship, how to properly deal with unredeemable rebellious children, proper treatment of executed criminal remains, and the proper handling of lost property.

In our Torah Reading discussion for this week, we find ourselves having to contemplate and determine the integrity of our covenant relationship with Yehovah. As well as we are moved to make a choice between being loyal to this world and the things of this world, versus being loyal to God and His ways. This is the 141st reading of our 3-year Torah Reading cycle.

In this 140th reading of our 3-year Torah Reading Cycle, the Most High instills in us our responsibility to adhere to the governmental structure He put in place for the Kingdom. Here we learn how the needs of the Levitical Priests were taken care of; the prohibitions against our adopting the religious pagan practices and ways of the nations we were dispossessing; how to discern and treat supposed prophets who claimed to be of God; a reiteration of the establishment of the Cities of Refuge once we settled in the Land of Promise; and the security that comes in knowing that our God will fight for us when we are obediently operating in His Will and Purpose.

In this fourth installment of our True Biblical Baptism series, we explore the next scriptural iteration of water immersion: John the Immerser's (aka John the Baptist's) water immersion. What was the meaning of John's water immersion? How, if at all, did it differ from the Hebrew water immersion of Torah? And how, if at all, does it differ from New Covenant, Messianic/Netsari water immersion that we all have been instructed to engage in as part of our discipleship journey in Yeshua Messiah?

With the Day of Pentecost or Shavuot being just a day away, it seemed good to discuss the immersions of the two Pentecosts or Shavuots. What were these two Shavuots/Pentecosts and how do they relate to immersion? These are the questions we aim to answer in this installment of TMTO.

In this brief installment of the Messianic Torah Observer, I explain why Messianics and our Orthodox Jewish brethren are keeping Pentecost -- Shavuot -- the Feast of Weeks on differing dates. This discussion is not a teaching. It is meant simply to inform and to hopefully dissuade any confusion or questions that Netsarim may have as it relates to when believers will be keeping the Day of Shavuot in 2024. Shavuot: One of the mandated Feasts of the LORD.

In this installment of TMTO, we return to the True Biblical Baptism series I began back in 2022. In this teachings we will examine various aspects of what is popularly referred to in our Messianic Faith communities as the mikveh. From our examination of the mikveh, we will recognize some similarities as well as some dissimilarities to true Messianic water immersion or baptism.   Invitation to Messianic Discipleship: Invitation to Messianic Discipleship-From the Sinner's Prayer to True Messianic Discipleship (themessianictorahobserver.org)

Instead of discussing Torah Reading 133, this Shabbat, I have been led to share with you seven reasons I stand with Israel. This is a controversial topic that few members of our Faith community will engage in. But it remains an elephant in the proverbial room that each of us in our respective walk in Messiah must deal with. I pray that this discussion will lead you to take a stand on the side of Yehovah our Elohim.

In this 132nd reading in our 3-year reading cycle, we come to terms as it relates to our forgetting about God and His ways. Here in Deuteronomy 8, God reveals to us that we cannot live by physical food alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.   themessianictorahobserver.org    

In this discussion on Yeshua's Passover, I explore the controversies surrounding what the Last Supper was and what it was not. We delve into some of the critical teachings Yeshua gave to His disciples during His last meal, as well as we consider what a meaningful Passover/Pesach may look like to us in 2024.

I have chosen to discuss the shadow picture of Yeshua that is embedded in the Passover and how He fulfills the role of our Pesach instead of discussing the elements of Passover and Unleavened Bread for Pesach 2024. In this discussion, we highlight the Torah instruction to select and take unto ourselves a perfect lamb to serve as our Pesach on the 10th Day of the Month of the Aviv and how Yeshua perfectly fulfilled that critical requirement of Passover.

Oh, how wonderful is the Month of the Aviv, for it contains the crucial shadows of our redemption and salvation through Yeshua Messiah.

The barley is aviv and the renewed moon has been sighted over the Land of Israel. Thus, we have entered the Month of the Aviv, which God commanded us to guard. Tonight, we briefly discuss the significance of this command and prepare ourselves for the tremendous prophetic shadows that are embedded in this holy set apart month of God's sacred calendar year. Happy New Year!

Why do so many folks dislike, if not hate, the so-called God of the Old Testament? Well, in our discussion of the 127th Parashah of our 3-year Torah Reading Cycle, we examine the problems and misunderstandings associated with negatively judging Yehovah's warrior Persona.   https://www.themessianictorahobserver.org/2024/03/30/deuteronomy-a-rehashing-and-retelling-of-torah-to-a-new-generation-126/   Explaining the Current Calendar Confusion Among Observational Calendar Keepers (themessianictorahobserver.org)   Obedience to Torah-Marked For Destruction-Wearing Phylacteries-Torah Portion Ekev (themessianictorahobserver.org)   The High Expectations for God's People to Fulfill His Will and Purpose — Thoughts and Reflections on Torah Reading 122 (themessianictorahobserver.org)   Shabbat HaChodesh and Guarding the Month of the Aviv Thoughts and Reflections - The Messianic Torah Observer

With this post we begin the final leg of our 3-year Torah Reading trek: Deuteronomy -- A Rehashing and Retelling of Torah for a New Generation.

What I want to provide to you here today is in this post is an explanation as to why observationalists in our faith community are observing the biblical New Year at different times this year. This is an explanation of the current calendar confusion that exists among observational calendar keepers this year.

This week's Parashah is the 125th reading of our 3-year reading cycle and it entails the Torah of the Cities of Refuge. Herein we gain insight into the righteous concepts of atonement, redemption, and grace. Our text is found in Numbers 35.9-34 Key Terms and Concepts Discussed   Refuge (aka asylum): miq-lat Die or dying: mwt (mem-vav-tav) Kill or killer or murder or murderer; manslaying or manslayer: rot-zah. In our reading, Yehovah distinguishing for us the difference between murder/intentional homicide and what we call here in the West, manslaughter, accidental, or unintentional homicide. Yah's Torah of the Cities of Refuge clarifies the distinction between these two forms of killings/homicides. Besides distinguishing between intentional and unintentional homicide, Yehovah, through His instructions on the Cities of Refuge, further emphasized the extreme value that He places on life. Yah's extreme value for life must serve as a mandate for us to value life as He does. We value life in a Godly man

This 122nd Reading discusses the high expectations God has for His chosen people through the story of three tribes who sought to make a home in a place other than Canaan.