Yeshua the Lawgiver

Believers in Yeshua as Messiah are to express their faith in Him by following the Torah. In John 14:15, Yeshua said:

If you love Me, keep My commandments.

In speaking these words, Yeshua was making a hint or referring to Exodus 20:6, as it is written:

but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

Exodus 20:1–17 enumerates the Ten Commandments. Therefore, Exodus 20:6 is stated in association with the mention of the Ten Commandments. As a result, in John 14:15, Yeshua was saying that the Ten Commandments are HIS commandments. In other words, Yeshua gave the Torah at Mount Sinai. In Isaiah 33:22, it is written:

For the LORD is our Judge, the LORD is our Lawgiver, the LORD is our King; He will save us.

Yeshua is our Savior (Matthew 1:21, Luke 2:11). Yeshua is our Judge (2 Corinthians 5:10). Yeshua is our King (Revelation 19:16). Yeshua the Savior is also the Lawgiver (James 4:12).

The Torah and the Word of the LORD are synonymous terms. In Isaiah 2:3, it is written:

Many people shall come and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Paul embraced and followed the Torah. In Romans 7:12, Paul said:

Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.

In Romans 7:22, Paul wrote:

For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.

In Romans 3:31, Paul testified that Yeshua’s Torah is to be kept by both Jew and non-Jew, as it is written:

Do we [Jew and non-Jew] then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.

The Three Main Sects of Judaism

In the 2nd Temple Era, there were three main sects of Jews. They were the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and those affiliated with the Qumran community who were led by Zadok priests. The primary debate among these three main sects of Jews was over which group was given the authority to interpret the Torah. In addition, they had a debate over NOT IF you should follow the Torah, but the proper way or HOW you should follow the Torah. In this article, we will examine these three groups. Furthermore, we will answer the question, What Torah did Yeshua follow?

The Greco-Roman-based Gentile Christian church also teaches a doctrine about the Torah. It is based upon the doctrine of dispensationalism (age of law vs. age of grace). So, whose Torah do you believe?

• The Jewish Torah of the Pharisees

• The Jewish Torah of the Sadducees

• The Jewish Torah of the Qumran community led by the Zadok priests

• The Gentile Torah of the Greco-Roman Christian church

• The Torah of Yeshua

The Pharisees

So, who are the Pharisees? The Pharisees are a Jewish sect that arose after the Babylonian captivity of the Southern Kingdom of the House of Judah by King Nebuchadnezzar around 586 BC. The Pharisaic sect didn’t exist when Moses led the children of Israel in the wilderness. The Pharisaic sect didn’t exist in the days of King David or King Solomon. The Pharisaic sect is not even mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures. As far as our Bible is concerned, they are only mentioned in the New Testament. Some believe that the early roots of the Pharisees were a group of Jews called the Hasideans who joined the Maccabean revolt against the Greek Seleucids (2nd century BC), as mentioned in 1 Maccabees 2:42. However, this is not certain. If so, they were originally involved in political disputes but later focused more exclusively on religious freedom. Also, the Pharisees may have started as a social movement among the Jewish people around the 2nd century BC. Eventually, they emerged as Scribes and tried to instill a greater piety among the “common people.”

After the destruction of the second Temple, the Pharisees mentioned in the New Testament later became known as Rabbinic Judaism. Today, Rabbinic Judaism is known as Orthodox Judaism or even simply Judaism. The Pharisees taught that the Torah given at Mount Sinai was both written and came with an oral tradition. This oral tradition became known as the “tradition of the elders” (Matthew 15:1). The teaching of this oral tradition is known as the “Doctrine of Oral Torah.” Rabbinic Judaism teaches that, at first, it was forbidden to write down the Oral Torah. However, with the destruction of the second Temple, it was decided to write it down. The Oral Torah was subsequently written down and codified into the Mishnah (core text of legal traditions organized into six major sections) and the Gemarah (a collection of rabbinical analysis and commentaries on the Mishnah), which together is called the Talmud.

So, what are some of the major doctrines of the Oral Torah as taught by Rabbinic Judaism? First, Rabbinic Judaism teaches that the Oral Torah was taught in its entirety to Moses during his forty days and nights on Mount Sinai (Artscroll commentary on Genesis, Introduction p. 41). This includes the Mishnah, Talmud, and Aggadah (Soncino, Midrash Rabbah, Volume 6, p. 736). Aggadah is a homiletic method of explanation that may include a parable or an illustrative story to better communicate an idea or concept to convey a particular point. Rabbinic Judaism teaches that even questions that a student may ask his rabbi were given to Moses on Mount Sinai (Soncino, Midrash Rabbah, Volume 3, p. 536).

The doctrine of the Oral Torah of Rabbinic Judaism teaches that the Mishnah is greater than the written Torah (Soncino, Midrash Rabbah, Volume 6, p. 613). Here are some examples from the Talmud:

My son, be more careful in [the observance of] the words of the Scribes than in the words of the Torah, for in the laws of the Torah there are positive and negative precepts... but, as to the laws of the Scribes, whoever transgresses any of the enactments of the Scribes incurs the penalty of death…

Talmud, Eruvin 21b

And even on the view that precepts cannot nullify each other, that applies... only to a Biblical [precept]... with a Biblical [precept]... or a Rabbinical [precept]... with a Rabbinical [precept]... but in the case... of a Scriptural... and a Rabbinical [precept]... the Rabbinical [one]... comes and nullifies the Scriptural [one]...

Talmud, Pesachim 115a

Two major doctrines of the Oral Torah of Rabbinic Judaism are that the “Torah is not in Heaven” (in Hebrew לֹ֥א בַשָּׁמַ֖יִם הִ֑וא, lo ba-shamayim hi), based upon Deuteronomy 30:12, and to “incline after the majority” (Exodus 23:2). The doctrine of the “Torah is not in Heaven” is meant to justify human authority to interpret the Torah. The Talmud explains “[The Torah] is not in Heaven” to mean that the meaning of the Torah itself is to be uncovered not by prophets, or even God's miracles or words, but by humankind's interpretation and decision-making. Human interpretation and decision-making is understood to be the rulings of the Rabbis and the Sanhedrin.

Today, one of the most respected rabbis of Rabbinic Judaism or Orthodox Judaism is Moses Maimonides (known by the acronym of Rambam) who lived around 1135 – 1204 AD. In his Introduction to the Mishnah, he writes:

If there are 1,000 Prophets, all of them of the stature of Elijah and Elisha, giving a certain interpretation, and 1001 Rabbis giving the opposite interpretation, you shall ‘incline after the majority’ (Exodus 23:2) and the law is according to the 1001 Rabbis, not according to the 1,000 venerable prophets... God did not permit us to learn from the prophets, only from the Rabbis who are men of logic and reason.

The Oral Torah doctrines of the “Torah is not in Heaven” (Deuteronomy 30:12) and “incline after the majority” (Exodus 23:2) are further explained from the famous story of the ‘Oven of Akhnai’ wherein Rabbi Eliezer ben Hurcanus is having a dispute with his fellow rabbis who overrule him. The Talmudic story is found in Bava Metzia 59b. It states the following:

It has been taught: On that day R. Eliezer brought forward every imaginable argument but they [the other rabbis] did not accept them … Said he to them: ‘If the halachah agrees with me, let this carob-tree prove it!’ Thereupon the carob-tree was torn a hundred cubits out of its place — others affirm, four hundred cubits. ‘No proof can be brought from a carob-tree,’ they retorted. Again he said to them: ‘If the halachah agrees with me, let the stream of water prove it!’ Whereupon the stream of water flowed backwards — ‘No proof can be brought from a stream of water,’ they rejoined … Again he said to them: ‘If the halachah agrees with me, let it be proved from Heaven!’ Whereupon a Heavenly Voice cried out: ‘Why do ye dispute with R. Eliezer, seeing that in all matters the halachah agrees with him!’ But R. Joshua arose and exclaimed: ‘It is not in heaven.’ [Deuteronomy 30:12] … What did he mean by this? — Said R. Jeremiah: That the Torah had already been given at Mount Sinai; we pay no attention to a Heavenly Voice, because Thou hast long since written in the Torah at Mount Sinai, After the majority [of rabbis] must one incline [accept their ruling] …

Rabbinic Judaism bases its Torah authority upon Deuteronomy 17:8–11. The explanation is as follows:

Of the words of the scribes, it is written, ‘According to the law which they shall teach you’ [Deuteronomy 17:11] … ‘You shall not turn aside from the sentence which they shall declare unto you to the right hand nor to the left’. If they tell you that the right hand is right and the left hand is left, listen to them. Even if they tell you that the right hand is left and the left hand is right [listen to them].

Soncino, Midrash Rabbah, Volume 9, p. 33

The doctrine of Oral Torah that the “Torah is not in Heaven” comes from taking Deuteronomy 30:11–14 out of context. The basic idea of Deuteronomy 30:11–14 is that it is not too difficult to follow the Torah because it is in your heart and in your mouth. In Deuteronomy 30:11–14, it is written:

For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.

Paul quotes from Deuteronomy 30:14 in Romans 10:8. In doing so, he does not interpret it as a doctrine of Oral Torah that the rabbis were given Torah authority to make interpretations and decisions on following the Torah based upon the ‘opinion of the majority’. Instead, Paul applied Deuteronomy 30:14 to ‘righteousness by faith’ in expressing our faith in Yeshua as the Messiah as being in our heart and in our mouth. In Romans 10:6, 8–9, it is written:

But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Messiah down from above) … But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith which we preach). That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Yeshua and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

The doctrine of Oral Torah to ‘incline after the majority’ (Exodus 23:2) is also taken out of context. The rabbis quote this verse to justify that rabbinic Torah decisions are done through a democratic vote. In truth, the Kingdom of God is a theocracy (the God of Israel is King over His Kingdom). Yeshua gave the Torah and is the judge of heaven’s court (2 Corinthians 5:10). We cannot, by majority vote, overrule Yeshua’s Torah decisions. In context, the verse in Exodus 23:2 is really about NOT ‘following the majority’ in perverting judicial justice regarding how other people are treated. In Exodus 23:2, it is written:

You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice.

In teaching His disciples, Yeshua warned them against following the Pharisees and their doctrine of Oral Torah. In Matthew 15:1–2, it is written:

Then came to Yeshua scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.

The tradition of the elders is the doctrine of Oral Torah (Josephus Antiquities 13.10.6).

The ritual washing of both hands before a meal containing bread is mandatory even if one’s hands are immaculate (The Torah Anthology, Volume 17, p. 32). Yeshua rejected this doctrine of Oral Torah tradition. In Matthew 15:9, Yeshua replied:

But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Furthermore, in Matthew 15:12–14, it is written:

Then His disciples came and said to Him, ‘Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?’ But He [Yeshua] answered and said, ‘Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind’. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.

Therefore, Yeshua called the Pharisaic doctrine of Oral Torah the commandments of men and their teachings as not originating from the heavenly Father. As a result, the heavenly Father will uproot the Pharisaic doctrine of Oral Torah.

The Sadducees

Rabbinic sources describe the Sadducee and Boethusian groups as having originated at the same time, with their founders, Zadok and Boethus, both being students of Antigonus of Sokho (roughly 3rd century BC). In Avot of Rabbi Natan 5:1–2 (a minor tractate in the Talmud), it says:

Antigonus, a man of Sokho, [not a priest] received from Simon the Just. He would say: Do not be like servants who attend upon their master only on the condition that they receive a reward. Rather, be like servants who attend upon their master only on the condition that they do not receive a reward. And let the awe of the heavens be upon you so that your compensation will be doubled in the future. Antigonus, a man of Sokho, had two students who were studying his words. They would then teach them to other students, who would then teach them to yet other students. Those students then questioned what they had learned and said: Why did our fathers say [such a thing]? Is it possible that a worker should labor all day and not receive his compensation in the evening? If our fathers had known that there was [another] world, and that the dead would be revived, they would not have said this. So they decided to separate from the way of the Torah. Two factions emerged from them: the Sadducees and the Boethusians. The Sadducees were called that because of [the student of Antigonus] Zadok, and the Boethusians because of [the student of Antigonus] Boethus.

Simon the Just was the last of the generation, which considered that knowledge of the Torah and its interpretations was the exclusive privilege of the priests. He had numerous disciples, among whom were many non-priests. Antigonos of Sokho was one of them. (From the website: sefaria.org).

Because of the views of their founder (a student of Antigonus of Sokho named Zadok), the Sadducees rejected the doctrine of the Oral Torah. Furthermore, they only believed that the five books of the Torah were inspired. According to the New Testament, they also didn’t believe in angels or the resurrection of the dead (Acts 23:8). In the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Sadducees are the wicked enemies of the Qumran community. They are often referred to as “Manasseh,” while the Pharisees are referred to as “Ephraim” (4Q169: Pesher on Nahum).

The Qumran Community

The leadership of the Qumran community were Zadok priests. They were descendents of Zadok, the priest who was faithful to King David. Zadok was the sole high priest at the beginning of the reign of King Solomon (I Chronicles 29:22). According to the Jewish Encyclopedia article on ‘Zadok’, it says that from the time of Solomon that “reliable historical data shows that the high priesthood remained in the hands of the Zadokites from this time until the rise of the Maccabees.”

When the Temple became corrupted in the 2nd century BC and the Zadok priests were removed from their office, the faithful Zadok priests established a community in Qumran. This is where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Originally, the God of Israel declared that the office of the high priesthood could only come from Aaron and his four sons—Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar (Exodus 28:1). Nadab and Abihu offered strange fire to the LORD and died (Numbers 3:4). Because of the prophecy given to Eli the priest (I Samuel 3:11–13), the line of Ithamar became disqualified for the office of high priest (1 Kings 2:27). As a result, the office of the high priest was given through Aaron’s son, Eleazar, whose lineage includes Phinehas (Exodus 6:25—who was promised an eternal priesthood—Numbers 25:11–13) and Zadok (1 Chronicles 6:3–15), through whom we have the promises given to the “sons of Zadok” (Ezekiel 44:15, 24). Therefore, the Zadok priests in Qumran were the legitimate high priests of Israel. So, what was the Torah of the Qumran community through the leadership of the Zadok priests?

The Qumran community was a covenant community. In order to join the community, new members had to agree to do the following:

1. They had to repent of their sins and the sins of their forefathers (1QS 1:24–25). This is based upon Leviticus 26:40. They had to make this confession with their whole heart (CD Geniza A 15:7–12). This is based upon Psalm 119:34. In doing so, they were required to demonstrate a ‘circumcised heart’ (1QS 5:5). This is based upon Deuteronomy 10:12, 16. There was a two-year initiation process to determine if the candidate was sincere in his confession (1QS 8:10–11).

2. Each new member took an oath to follow the Torah, including the Sabbath and Festivals, under the authority of the Zadok priests (1QS 5:7–9, CD 6:18). This is based upon Ezekiel 44:15, 23–24 (CD Geniza A 3:19–21, 4:1–4).

3. In following the Torah, the Zadok priests and members of the community were to be led by the guidance of the Holy Spirit (1QS 3:6–8, 1Q28b 2:22–24, Thanksgiving Hymn 32:14–15). This is based upon Ezekiel 36:26–27.

Simply put, the Zadok priests in the Qumran community led the people to follow the Torah through the help and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, they did not embrace the Pharisaic doctrine of Oral Torah.

The Greco-Roman Gentile Christian Church

Christianity became the official state religion of the Roman Empire in the 4th century AD. Through the roots of the Roman Catholic church, the Torah was discarded, and eventually the doctrine of dispensationalism became the primary Torah doctrine within Greco-Roman Christianity. This includes the various forms of Protestant Christianity. The doctrine of dispensationalism teaches that before Yeshua died on the tree was the “age of law,” and after Yeshua died on the tree became the “age of grace.” With this teaching, the “age of grace” supersedes the “age of law.” As a result, the doctrine of dispensationalism rejects keeping the Biblical Sabbath, Festivals, and dietary laws for a variety of reasons.

The Torah of Yeshua

In Matthew 5:17, 19 Yeshua taught:

Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill … Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Because Yeshua gave the Torah at Mount Sinai, He came to the earth to give it the correct interpretation. Yeshua taught that those who keep the Torah and teach it to others will be great in the Kingdom of Heaven. Yeshua will rebuke those who transgress the Torah as a lifestyle (Matthew 7:23). Furthermore, Yeshua will teach the Torah to all nations from Jerusalem during the Messianic Era (Isaiah 2:2–3).

Yeshua was not a member of the Pharisees, the Sadducees, or the Qumran community sects. His Torah teachings came from His heavenly Father through the Holy Spirit. In John 7:15–16, it is written:

And the Jews marveled, saying, How does this Man know letters [translated as ‘Scriptures’ in 2 Timothy 3:15], having never studied [in a Pharisaic school learning Oral Torah]? Yeshua answered them and said, ‘My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.

In John 8:13, 19, 28, it is written:

The Pharisees therefore said to Him, You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true... Then they said to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Yeshua answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also…Then Yeshua said to them… I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.”

Yeshua was led by the Holy Spirit and did great deeds and mighty miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit. In Luke 4:1, 14 it is written:

Then Yeshua being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness … Then Yeshua returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.

So, what is the Torah of Yeshua? Yeshua gave the Torah at Mount Sinai. He came to the earth at His first coming to give the correct interpretation of the Torah. He followed the Torah through the help and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He ministered by the power of the Holy Spirit to set the captives free (Luke 4:18). Yeshua’s Torah doctrine originates from His heavenly Father. Therefore, how do we follow the Torah of Yeshua? We follow His Torah by His Holy Spirit. We do not belong to a particular Jewish sect.

In Romans 8:14, Paul wrote:

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

So, whose Torah is this? The Pharisees’? No. The Sadducees’? No. The Zadok priests of the Qumran community? Yes. The Torah of Yeshua? Yes.

While Yeshua wasn’t a member of the Qumran community and His Torah doctrine was independent of them, His Torah doctrine was most closely aligned with them.

In claiming their Torah authority based upon Deuteronomy 17:8–11, the Pharisees, who became Rabbinic Judaism, and today Orthodox Judaism, endeavor to keep the Biblical festivals from Leviticus 23 according to a Babylonian calendar. Yeshua said that the Pharisees and their doctrine of Oral Torah were NOT planted by His heavenly Father (Matthew 15:12–13). It also means that the Pharisees and their doctrine of Oral Torah, expressed through following a Babylonian calendar, are also NOT planted by the Heavenly Father.

So, whose Torah did the heavenly Father say is planted and recognized by Him? It is the Zadok priests who were faithful to King David (Ezekiel 44:15), who believed that Yeshua is the Messiah (Acts 6:7), and who sought to follow the Torah by the Holy Spirit as leaders of the Qumran community. (1QS 3:6–8, 1Q28b 2:22–24, Thanksgiving Hymn 32:14–15). The heavenly Father also recognizes the authority of the high priesthood office given to the “sons of Zadok” and for them to guide the nation of Israel about when to celebrate the Biblical festivals at the appropriate time. In Ezekiel 44:15, 24 it is written:

But the priests, the Levites, the sons of Zadok, who kept charge of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near Me to minister to Me; and they shall stand before Me to offer to Me the fat and the blood, says the Lord GOD … In controversy they shall stand as judges, and judge it according to My judgments. They shall keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed meetings (Mo’ed in Hebrew referring to the festivals of the Lord) and they shall hallow My Sabbaths.

Yeshua called the Pharisees doctrine of Oral Torah the ‘commandments of men’ (Matthew 15:9). Yeshua taught His disciples to be aware of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees (Matthew 16:12). The Sanhedrin mainly consisted of Pharisees and Sadducees. In Acts 5:27–29, Peter and the apostles of Yeshua did not submit to the authority of the Sanhedrin as it is written:

And when they had brought them, they set them before the Sanhedrin. And the high priest asked them, saying, Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name [the name of Yeshua]? But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: We ought to obey God rather than men.

So, in this narrative, Peter and the apostles viewed that the dictates of the Sanhedrin were in conflict with obeying God. Peter and the apostles did not submit to the claimed authority of the Sanhedrin.

So, whose Torah should I follow? It is the Torah of Yeshua while recognizing the authority that the heavenly Father gave to the high priesthood office, as expressed through the Zadok priests, in matters of Torah controversy in celebrating the Biblical festivals (Ezekiel 44:15, 24). Are the Zadok priests who were leaders of the Qumran community the Sadducees? No. The Zadok priests of the Qumran community and the Sadducees had completely opposite beliefs about how to follow the Torah. Should I follow EVERY teaching and EVERY custom of the Qumran community? No. Why not? Yeshua didn't, so neither am I obligated. Did Yeshua accept the authority of the Sanhedrin through the Pharisaic doctrine of Oral Torah and follow the Biblical Festivals according to a Babylonian calendar? No.

So, why are there still those in the Messianic/Hebraic Roots movement who are trying to keep the Biblical Festivals according to a Babylonian calendar? Whose Torah do you believe?

As for me and my house, we will follow the Torah of Yeshua and the Torah doctrine that He received from His heavenly Father! We will follow the Torah by the Holy Spirit in order to be the “sons of God” (Romans 8:14). I pray that you will choose to do the same! ■