Is Observing the Torah Jewish?

Jewish people follow Torah, as well as a set of man-made laws which they see as a fence to keep them far from breaking the Torah. Following Torah is not Jewish in nature, although doing so is a recognised part of the Jewish religion. The Jewish religion acknowledges the importance of, and value in, God’s instructions and religious Jews follow what they call ‘halaḥah’. ‘Halaḥah’ is a word that means ‘the way’ and religious Jews think ‘halaḥah’ to be wisdom from men that is ultimately given by God.  They see ‘halaḥah’ as an evolution of the Torah which they believe to preserve an ‘oral Torah’ that was given to Moses on Sinai. There is also a sect of Judaism called ‘Karaite Judaism’ who only follow the Bible’s instructions, neglecting Jewish traditions, and who do not believe in Yeshũa as Messiah.

Yeshũa taught against the traditions which later constituted ‘halaḥah/halaḥot’, in the first century:

Mark 7:3-8

3 For the Pharisees, and all the Yehuḏim, do not eat unless they wash their hands thoroughly, holding fast the tradition of the elders,

4 and coming from the market-place, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions which they have received and hold fast – the washing of cups and utensils and copper vessels and couches.

5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?”

6 And He answering, said to them, “Well did Yeshayahu prophesy concerning you hypocrites, as it has been written, ‘This people respect Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.

7 And in vain do they worship Me, teaching as teachings the commands of men.’

8 “Forsaking the command of Elohim, you hold fast the tradition of men.”

As He says, He is quoting Isaiah:

Isaiah 29:13-14 (Brenton’s LXX)

13 And the Lord has said, This people draw nigh to me with their mouth, and they honour me with their lips, but their heart is far from me: but in vain do they worship me, teaching the commandments and doctrines of men. 

14 Therefore behold I will proceed to remove this people, and I will remove them: and I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will hide the understanding of the prudent.

This passage is different in the much later Masoretic text. Yeshũa tells us that it pertains to the practices which are a part of the religion of Judaism. Paul says that he left Judaism when he came to ‘faith/belief’ in Messiah:

Galatians 1:13-16

13 For you have heard of my former way of life in Yehuḏaism, how intensely I persecuted the assembly of Elohim, and ravaged it.

14 And I progressed in Yehuḏaism beyond many of my age in my race, being more exceedingly ardent for the traditions of my fathers.

15 But when it pleased Elohim, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me by His grace/favour,

16 to reveal His Son in me, that I might bring Him, the Good News, to the gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood,

In his letter to the Colossians, Paul writes about the correct way to apprehend these traditions:

Colossians 2:6-9

6 Therefore, as you accepted Messiah ישוע the Master, walk in Him,

7 having been rooted and built up in Him, and established in the faith/belief, as you were taught, overflowing in it with thanksgiving.

8 See to it that no one makes a prey of you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary matters of the world, and not according to Messiah. 

9 Because in Him dwells all the completeness of the Godliness bodily,

Yeshũa is the Word of God, bodily, that is ‘made flesh’. Religions teach that which Paul describes as ‘philosophy’ and ‘empty/vain deceit’. The words of men may sound impressive, and their traditions may hold cultural significance, but they are devoid of the salvific power of God’s Word, which is manifest to us bodily in Yeshũa.

Colossians 2:10-13

10 and you have been made complete in Him, who is the Head of all principality and authority.

11 In Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Messiah,

12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through the faith/belief in the working of Elohim, who raised Him from the dead.

13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 

One’s circumcision is primarily of the heart. Circumcision of the heart could be described as submission to God. This is something that Stephen tells those who stoned him that they and their progenitors lack/lacked:

Acts 7:51

51 “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy/Set-apart Spirit, as your fathers did, you also do.

Claiming to be God’s people without being submitted to Him, is meaningless. One must wholly believe and follow Him, as Caleb and Joshua did:

Numbers 32:11-12

11 ‘Not one of the men who came up from Mitsrayim, from twenty years old and above, is to see the land of which I swore to Aḇraham, Yitsḥaq, and Ya῾aqoḇ, because they did not follow Me completely,

12 except Kalĕḇ son of Yephunneh, the Qenizzite, and Yehoshua son of Nun, for they have followed יהוה completely.

One must put the old man to death at baptism, being raised to the newness of life, walking in the steps of Messiah as a new creature.

Colossians 2:14-15

14 having blotted out the certificate of debt against us – by the dogmas – which stood against us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

15 Having stripped the principalities and the authorities, He made a public display of them, having prevailed over them in it.

This passage is misunderstood to mean that Yeshũa nailed the Torah to the cross, by those who are misled by translations that translate the Greek word ‘dogma’ imprecisely:

Colossians 2:14

14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances (dogma) that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

‘Dogma’ is properly understood to be ordinances of men, and it is never used to refer to God’s Torah, nor could it be. There were Jewish laws that Yeshũa declared to be null and void when, having preached against them and having been put to death at the behest of the religious authorities, He rose from the dead, proving His authenticity.

Colossians 2:16-17

16 Let no one therefore judge you in eating or in drinking, or in respect of a festival or a new month or Sabbaths –

17 which are a shadow of what is to come – but the Body of the Messiah.

With the supposition that ‘Christians do not follow such things’, many understand this as saying that the Torah can now be ignored and that no one should judge another for not following it. Correctly understood, it refers to the teachings of men, not of God. Men’s regulations on such matters are of no consequence. The only thing that is of any importance is what the Word instructs. Such adherence to the Word over tradition brings judgement from religious types, but they do not possess the authority to go beyond what is written.

Paul also states that these practices are a shadow of a greater reality which is to come; a greater reality that man’s take on religion does not shadow.

Colossians 2:18-19

18 Let no one deprive you of the prize, one who takes delight in false humility and worship of angels, taking his stand on what he has not seen, puffed up by his fleshly mind,

19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the Body – nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments – grows with the growth of Elohim.

Paul’s warning against the religious practices of men terrifyingly implies that such traditions may, when they entail not holding fast to the Word made flesh, cause one to be deprived of the prize. He also alludes to them being born of the fleshy mind. This is a thought he will complete later in his letter.

Colossians 2:20-23

20 If, then, you died with Messiah from the elementary matters of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations: 

21 “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle” –

22 which are all to perish with use – according to the commands and teachings of men?

23 These indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed worship, humiliation and harsh treatment of the body – of no value at all, only for satisfaction of the flesh.

Paul is, again, not speaking of God’s admonitions against eating certain animals or any other Torah commands. He is discussing men’s commands and teachings which cannot profit us. He says that they satisfy the flesh but are of no value. Some take comfort in religion as a way to follow God, which eludes God’s actual requirements. If God commands that one lives in a way that is different to how those in one’s community think to worship Him, it can be a real test of one’s ‘faith/belief’ in Him and of one’s commitment to believe Him and to follow His instructions. Many adopt a ‘go along to get along’ attitude which raises the question, ‘Who is one aiming to please, God or man?’

It is neither my intention nor desire to lambast sincere people who genuinely seek God through the channels which they presume to be reliable. My goal is to reveal God’s warnings against religion to enable such people to plot a better course forward. I am certainly not saying that their ‘faith/belief’ is worthless, merely the religious practices which they have been taught. Their standing before God is reckoned by Him and not me. However, when YHVH gives one warnings, one should heed them and believe them.

Regrettably, the modern religion of Christianity has moved away from what Yeshũa taught, towards the teachings of men. The Sabbath day has been changed by the church. There are man references to this change in church writings and such a claim is neither controversial nor contested:

The Catholic Church claims that “the church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact” (Catholic Record of London, Ontario Sept 1, 1923).

I encourage you to read the above-mentioned Catholic Record of London. The influence and triumph of the logic and reasoning of man over God’s simple instruction is very apparent, and it demonstrates the arrogance which has allowed such justifications to proliferate. The subversion of this foundational instruction (the sabbath day is the fourth of the ten word/commandments) may well have escaped the notice of most Christians, and you will hear myriad supposed excuses for this, but God never made such a change. Men changed for their own reasons, which they felt justified in choosing a different day. Yeshũa observed the day, as noted in Scripture, and His followers are recorded as observing it subsequent to His death. They held off on dressing Yeshũa ‘s body in order to rest:

Luke 23:54-56

54 And it was Preparation day, and the Sabbath was approaching.

55 And the women who had come with Him from Galil followed after, and saw the tomb and how His body was laid.

56 And having returned, they prepared spices and perfumes. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the command.

The Sabbath is a day which is delineated from other days:

Acts 17:2

2 And according to his practice, Sha’ul went in unto them, and for three Sabbaths was reasoning with them from the Scriptures,

Other days are mentioned but the Sabbath day is always distinct from them.

Christianity, in large part, has declared the Torah to be antiquated and intended for an ancient people. Theologians have performed great feats of gymnastics to conclude that it was abrogated by the Messiah, saying that He performed it perfectly which negates our need to. Man is very devious in his attempts to escape his obligations to God but one must believe YHVH over man. Yeshũa was sinless (He did not transgress against Torah) but He demonstrated how one should walk so that one can follow His example, not as a substitution for one’s own faithful obedience:

1 John 2:3-6

3 And by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commands.

4 The one who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

5 But whoever keeps His Word, truly the love of Elohim has been perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.

6 The one who says he stays in Him ought himself also to walk, even as He walked.

The truth not being ‘in’ one is not a nebulous statement, just as Yeshũa declaring Himself to be the truth was not contextless:

Psalm 119:142

142 Your righteousness is righteousness forever, And Your Torah is truth.

‘The truth’, is a term that would be readily understood to those who already knew the Tanaḥ. The misapprehension of its use is enabled by the ignorance of newcomers to the new covenant writings who rapaciously appropriate them into a novel philosophy which accommodates their non-specific meaning.

In pursuit of this new interpretation, countless verses are stripped of the context that the rest of Scripture provides, and are presented as reasons why following the Messiah is fundamentally different from how God instructed the Israelites to follow Him. I won’t go through each one here, but the ‘Recommended Videos’ list includes videos wherein I give such explanations. I hope, throughout this book, to show the general nature of these claims, why people understand such verses as they do, and how they are actually supportive of the rest of Scripture, rather than of God changing His mind and revealing something better. It suffices to say that God’s Torah is profitable to us:

2 Timothy 3:16-17

16 All Scripture is breathed by Elohim and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for setting straight, for instruction in righteousness,

17 that the man of Elohim might be fitted, equipped for every good work.

Obeying God’s Torah is not Jewish. Observing the Sabbath, eating only clean animals and wearing tsitsiyot are all associated with Judaism only because religious Jews obey the commands of the Torah that their religion acknowledges. As believers in Messiah, we do not observe Jewish customs and traditions. Yeshũa and Paul both taught explicitly against such practices, declaring them to be vain and worthless. We follow Torah because we believe in the One Who gave it and because it shows us that which is pleasing in His sight:

Exodus 15:26

26 And He said, “If you diligently obey the voice of יהוה your Elohim and do what is right in His eyes, and shall listen to His commands and shall keep all His laws, I shall bring on you none of the diseases I brought on the Mitsrites, for I am יהוה who heals you.”

This approach is a stark departure from the teachings of the religion of Christianity but it is to imagine a false dichotomy to say that it is, therefore, Judaism. Christianity and Judaism have both added to and taken from the Scriptures. The Scriptures are God’s Words whereas religion is man’s word. Let us, therefore, depart the familiar and embark upon a pursuit of God as He explains Himself rather than as religion explains Him.