Turn of the Year

Oct 1

The New Torah Cycle

Each year, after the fall holidays of Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles, we begin anew teaching the Torah each Sabbath for the next year. It is part of the “Turn of the Year.” We remember the blessings of Moses and open our Scriptures to the first reading of the annual cycle in Genesis, to Beresheet “In the Beginning.” Each week we advance to the next Torah portion.

This method of systematically teaching the Torah every year has been done for centuries. Even in the days of Yeshua and the disciples, this was the norm. All the disciples of the Lord had been taught about God through Moses and the Prophets. When the Messiah came, He based His ministry and message on the same.

Today, many new Messianic believers have returned to this type of spiritual training and edification. Unlike the Biblical teaching given in their previous churches, which was for the most part limited to “getting saved” and “giving money,” the teaching of Torah turns into the active faith of Sabbath, kosher, and Biblical Holidays.

It is understandable that native believers from Israel were taught the Torah and continued with it once the Messiah came. The disciples, for example, kept the Sabbath and the feasts with Yeshua. Yeshua taught the Torah commandments and linked them directly to Himself, “If you love Me, keep My Commandments.” We have much evidence to support their faithfulness, even after the resurrection. The Apostle James, for example, ministered to many believers in Jerusalem at the Temple. He was martyred there as well. But many Christians think that the Apostle Paul is the one who transitioned to what we call Christianity today.

There was a rumor that the Apostle Paul was teaching the new Gentile believers that they did not need to keep the Law, but that was a rumor and Paul took steps to prove that rumor false.

And the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. After he had greeted them, he began to relate one by one the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. And when they heard it they began glorifying God; and they said to him, "You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law; and they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs. What, then, is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. Therefore do this that we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; take them and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads; and all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law.”
Acts 21:18–24

You should take note that the believers of Yeshua in the land of Israel were excited by the Torah and keeping it, as a result of their faith in the Messiah. When I was in the church, I was never told that Paul kept the Law; I was told that He taught that we did not need to keep the Law. Furthermore, I was told that if I pursued the Law of Moses I was falling from grace, losing my salvation, because I was trying to do good works for salvation.

I’m not alone. Many Christians have been taught to avoid the Torah, Sabbath, kosher, and Biblical Feasts.

When Paul was instructing Timothy on how to minister, he emphasized the “public readings.” The public reading was the teaching of Moses (the Torah) and the Prophets.

Prescribe and teach these things. Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.
1 Timothy 4:11-16

I would remind everyone that when this was written to Timothy, there was no New Testament. The only recognized Scriptures were the Torah, the writings of the Prophets, and the Psalms (what we call the Old Testament today).

When the new Gentile believers began to increase and come with Paul to Jerusalem, there was a dispute with some Pharisaic believers. They had the idea that keeping the Torah had to be to their standards. It is very apparent to Yeshua and the disciples that the Pharisees and Sadducees were not keeping the commandments properly. As Yeshua said, “Neglecting the commandment of God you hold to the tradition of men.” (Mark 7:8) When a conference was concluded, there was specific instruction given to the Gentiles by the apostles about what they were to be taught. It turns out they were to keep what Torah teachers call “the Heart of the Law” and to continue their spiritual training in the Torah. The Apostle James wrote a letter to all the Gentile believers.

Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.
Acts 15:19–21

Many Christians have never been taught that there a specific letter from James in the Bible instructing them to abstain from idolatry, keep kosher, and avoid sexual immorality… and go to where Moses is taught!

Many Christians believe that, once they believe in the Messiah, they do not really need anything from the teachings of Moses any more. Once you get saved, that is it! When you get saved, then you get the Holy Spirit and that is what really leads you, not the commandments, not the teaching of Moses. Of course, you need to be nice to other people and “love your neighbor.” Oh yeah, and you should love God too.

According to Yeshua, you must learn from Moses and believe the words he wrote to understand the Messiah correctly.

For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?
John 5:46–47

If you think you can believe and understand the Messiah without the instruction of Moses then you are woefully untaught and unable to walk uprightly before Him. Yeshua also said that simply “believing in Him” without obeying His instructions would result in judgment.

He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.
John 3:36

Yeshua was even more terse in His requirement to learn the Law of Moses and keep God’s commandments. He spoke into the future of people who call Him “Lord” but will not enter the Kingdom.

Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?” And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.
Matthew 7:21–23

Yeshua just said that some Christians who have been active in the Christian church will not be entering the Kingdom because they have turned away from the teaching of Moses – The Torah, The Commandments, The Law.

For those who believe they have the proper understanding of the Messiah without the instruction of Moses, but instead rely on Paul’s explanation, I would remind you of what Peter said.

…and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness,
2 Peter 3:15–17

There are many Christian men, even in seminaries, and pastors of churches who think they KNOW what the Bible teaches and dismiss the teaching of Moses. They do not teach the brethren of the Lord the Commandments nor the principles of the faith. The reason is because they themselves are untaught. A teacher of Moses is a dedicated man who teaches Moses every Sabbath!

Not keeping the Sabbath, eating pig flesh, and following pagan holidays from Babylon, Greek Mythology and Roman gods is evidence of a man who knows nothing of the teaching of the Torah.

This is the turn of the year. Now is the time to recommit ourselves to the instructions in righteousness and learn the Law of Moses. To do that, we assemble on Sabbath and hear the weekly Torah portions—the public readings.

Because this is the turn of the year, I would like to encourage you attend an assembly that teaches Moses every Sabbath in your community. Here is what to expect when you hear the Torah taught this year.

Genesis / B’reisheet

The Book of Genesis begins with the Creation story how man and woman came to be. The Hebrew name for the book is Beresheet “In the beginning.” The first letter of the first word is the letter “Bet.” It means “house.” You will learn that this great teaching of the whole Bible is about God building His house (children-heirs). This about God taking Israel to be His Bride (by the way, that is all believers). To build a house (start your family), you take a bride. The house is built by the bride; she provides all the offspring. Along with the creation story, God establishes marriage and introduces us to covenants (such as when God makes an agreement with Adam after the garden).

You will learn just in Genesis alone about the covenant God made with Adam for all mankind, about the covenant with Noah, and the covenant with Abraham. You will discover that it was Abraham who promises us the coming of the Messiah, “the Lamb of God,” and where He is prophesied to be sacrificed for us.

You will learn about Abraham’s miracle son, Isaac, and Isaac’s son, Jacob. Jacob will become known as “Israel” and his descendants will become the “children of Israel.” God will prophesy to Abraham that his descendants will go down into Egypt, become enslaved and that God will bring them back to the promised land.

One of Jacob’s sons, named Joseph will begin the story of Redemption. The story of Redemption is about a son sent by his father to do good to his brethren. But the brethren will reject him, putting him a pit, selling him, and making him go away. But that son will rise out of the pit and will be in charge of the world. The revealing of Joseph to his brethren and the good he does for them sets the stage for Israel entering Egypt to become enslaved. But the fourth generation born in Egypt was prophesied to leave Egypt. You will learn that this is the story of Redemption for the coming Messiah, being rejected by His countrymen, put in a grave, rising from the dead, and soon coming to rule the whole world.

Exodus / Shemot

The Book of Exodus begins to tell us the story of the exodus from Egypt. The Hebrew name is Shemot “Names.” Moses teaches what happened to the 70 named descendants of Jacob that went to Egypt. You will learn about a certain Levite family that give birth to the man Moses. He too will have a miracle birth. Moses grows up in Pharaoh’s house. He kills an Egyptian who was harming one of his Hebrew brethren and escapes to the land of the Midianites. In the Arabian wilderness, Moses will be drawn to a burning bush that is not consumed by the fire on a mountain. At this place, you will hear God introduce Himself and commission Moses to go back to Egypt, to lead the children of Israel back to the same mountain. What God says about Himself is incredibly profound. When Moses asks how his brethren will believe that God has sent him, God gives his three signs: the ability to turn water into blood, instant healing from a deadly disease, and his staff becoming a serpent. These same signs will be shown by Yeshua when He comes to prove that He also was sent by God to us.

Moses reunites with his brother Aaron, then together they confront Pharaoh, demanding that Israel be let go. Pharaoh hardens his heart and God pours out ten judgments upon the gods of Egypt proving that He is the One and Only God; there are no others.

At the tenth judgment, the Passover, the firstborn of Egypt die and Israel is let go. However, Pharaoh has a change of heart and pursues Moses and the children of Israel. One week after the Passover, God opens the Red Sea for Israel to escape. When Pharaoh’s chariots pursue, they drown when the sea closes over them.

From these events, God requires us to memorialize them and teach our children in the subsequent generations. This the instruction of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread—the Feast of Redemption and Freedom. The Messiah will use these feasts to show Himself as our Redeemer – the Lamb of God.

Moses and children of Israel then journey to the base of Mount Sinai. God then makes a covenant with Israel. He will be their God and they will be His people. But He requires them to obey Him. The people agree and respond, “Whatsoever the Lord says, we will do.”

God gives His Ten Commandments by His own voice and writes them on two tablets of stone. However, a terrible event happens shortly after this. Some of the children of Israel become impatient with Moses staying on the mountain and they decide to make an idol. They form a golden calf and begin to worship it. When Moses returns, he breaks the tablets and the offenders are slain. Moses returns later with two more tablets for God to rewrite the Ten Commandments. Amazingly, this what we do when we accept the Messiah with our hearts. He writes the same commandments on the tablets of our hearts in the New Covenant.

God then directs Moses to take up an offering and build a Tabernacle where God can dwell with the people. This Tabernacle includes very specific furnishings: an Ark with a Mercy Seat to hold the tablets, a Table of Shewbread, a Menorah (seven-branch candelabrum), a golden altar for incense, a fire altar to offer sacrifices, a laver for washings, and a sanctuary to house the furnishings. He also prepares the priestly garments for the High Priest Aaron. The book concludes with everything being assembled.

Leviticus / Vayikra

The Book of Leviticus instructs the priesthood how to use the Tabernacle and altar. The Hebrew title of Leviticus is Vayikra “And He called.” Moses specifies five distinct types of offerings that any man can bring and then He explains how the Priests will present them to the Lord. The book then shifts into explaining “the house rules” for God’s house. God explains what He defines as clean and unclean animals and what may become food. He explains what is acceptable and unacceptable worship of Him in His House. He is Holy and wants us to be Holy like Him. He then explains His Sabbaths and His festivals to be observed in His House. God then begins to explain what will happen if they do not observe His instructions, His Sabbaths, and His Feasts, how it will result in them being cast out of the land and subject to their enemies. However, God insists that He will not forget the covenant and we will be brought back when we turn back to the teachings of the Torah.

Numbers / Bemidbar

The Book of Numbers tells what happened in the wilderness on their journey to the Promised Land. The Hebrew title of this book is Bemidbar “In the Wilderness.” The first thing they did after leaving Egypt was to number all the men in the camp. More than 600,000 were counted and they collected a half-shekel from each. The number is very significant because God had promised Abraham that his descendants would be more that the stars of the sky. Astronomers tell us that the eye can see about 600,000 stars on a clear night. God’s promise to Abraham is evident every night when we look at the stars. The book then begins to explain the many mistakes that they made. One of the biggest mistakes was on approaching the Promised Land at Kadesh Barnea; they sent spies into the Land to see whether it was good or bad land, whether the cities were strong, and to learn who were the current occupants. No thought was given to the Lord leading them or solving whatever problems they might face. When the spies returned, they gave a bad report. They said the Land was good but the cities were too strong and that the occupants were giants and they would kill the women and children. This report melted the hearts of the people and they spoke against God and Moses.

The Lord then said that that generation had gone too far. God pronounced that the generation that came out of Egypt would NOT enter His Promised Land. Thus began the 40-year journey in the wilderness. There were many other incidents: the rebellion of Korah, the fiery serpents, Balak and Baalam, and the battles with the Amorites and the Midianite kings.

The book concludes with a record of all their journeys through the wilderness and a new census of those who would enter the Land. It turns out even after God’s judgment against that generation, the count was over 600,000 again.

The Apostle Paul says the lessons in the wilderness are for our benefit and will fall upon us at the end of the ages. He says this book is prophecy for the last generation. (See 1 Corinthians 10:11)

Deuteronomy / Devarim

The Book of Deuteronomy (in Hebrew, Devarim “Words”) is the “repetition of the Law” and explains the “words” that were spoken at the previous events. Moses wrote this book in the last two months of the exodus and before his death. Moses recounts the most significant events of the journey. He recounts God’s voice from Mount Sinai and challenges with five different discourses. They all carry a single theme: follow the Lord, listen to the Lord, do not forget the Lord, obey the Lord, the final message to the Last generation. In conclusion, he shares the second song of Moses. When they crossed the Red Sea, he wrote his first song, a song of deliverance from the Egyptian captivity. But this song is called a song of remembrance and it written to the final generation for the Greater Exodus. The entire Torah ends with Moses talking to the end-time believers. I’ll have Moses say it in his own words:

So it shall be when all of these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind in all nations where the LORD your God has banished you, and you return to the LORD your God and obey Him with all your heart and soul according to all that I command you today, you and your sons, then the LORD your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you. If your outcasts are at the ends of the earth, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you back. The LORD your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers. Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.
Deuteronomy 30:1-6

The Torah is our past, it is guide for today, and it is our future. It teaches us about our God and Coming King Yeshua. We need to learn the Torah!

By the way, did I mention that the Torah will be taught by the Messiah each Sabbath in the Kingdom? Might as well start learning it now.

Shalom,