Luke 10:25-26 (Complete Jewish Scriptures)
“An expert in Torah stood up to try and trap Him by asking, “Rabbi, what should I do to obtain eternal life?” But YESHUA said to him, “What is written in the Torah? How do you read it?”
Noce that YESHUA points back to the Torah that He does not limit “Torah” to the five books of Moses alone? He never says what is in the Torah of Moses which is Genesis Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy! We arrived at that conclusion because that is what has been handed down to us. I have mentioned this in previous messages that TheTorah.com mentions that the Torah in the Second Temple period included more than five books.
In the Second Temple Period the idea of “Torah” was not limited to the Five Books of Moses. Prof. Molly M. Zahn writes:
Expanding Torat Moshe
“Ezra-Nehemiah refers to certain laws as torah that are not found in versions of the Pentateuch that we are familiar with. For example, Nehemiah 10:35 mentions a wood offering:
נחמיה י:לה וְהַגּוֹרָלוֹת הִפַּלְנוּ עַל־קֻרְבַּן הָעֵצִים הַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם וְהָעָם לְהָבִיא לְבֵית אֱלֹהֵינוּ לְבֵית־אֲבֹתֵינוּ לְעִתִּים מְזֻמָּנִים שָׁנָה בְשָׁנָה לְבַעֵר עַל־מִזְבַּח יְ־הוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ כַּכָּתוּב בַּתּוֹרָה.
Neh 10:35 “We have cast lots [among] the priests, the Levites, and the people, to bring the wood offering to the House of our God by clans annually at set times in order to provide fuel for the altar of YHWH our God, as is written in the Torah.
It is possible that the authors of Ezra-Nehemiah knew a version of the Pentateuch that did contain these laws.[8] But it is also possible that the authors are attributing the laws to Torah as a way of indicating (or claiming for them) a CERTAIN LEVEL OF AUTHORITY.[9] In other words, they have a broader idea of “Torah of Moses” than what was contained in the written Pentateuch. The latter interpretation is likely in light of a number of Second Temple period texts that present themselves as SINATIC TORAH. Two premier examples are the book of JUBILEES AND THE TEMPLE SCROLL.”
What did YESHUA say?
Matthew 23:13 (Hebrewgospels.com)
“Woe to you, scribes and Perushim (Pharisees) and deceivers! Who hold back THE WAY of the heavenly kingdom from the peoples. So you do not go in, NOR ALLOW THEM TO GO IN.”
YESHUA said that the Pharisees hold back “The Way” of the heavenly kingdom! This is important because what is the scriptural definition of “The Way?”
Psalms 119:1 (Complete Jewish Scriptures)
“How happy are those whose WAY OF LIFE is blameless, who live by the TORAH OF YAHWEH!”
Psalms 103:7 (Complete Jewish Scriptures)
“He made His WAYS known to Moses, His mighty deeds to the people of Yisra’el.”
What was given to Moses on Mount Sinai? The 10 commandments! Therefore, the Torah is ELOHIM’s literal WAYS!
2 Esdras 14:30-31
“And received the LAW OF LIFE, which they did not keep, which you also have transgressed after them. Then land was given to you for a possession in the land of Zion; but you and your fathers committed iniquity and did not KEEP THE WAYS which the Most High commanded you.”
Isaiah 64:4 (Complete Jewish Scriptures)
“You favored those who were glad to do justice, those who remembered You in YOUR WAYS. When you were angry, we kept sinning; but if we KEEP YOUR ANCIENT WAYS, we will be SAVED.”
Malachi 2:9 (Complete Jewish Scriptures)
“Therefore I have in turn made you contemptible and vile before all the people, because you did not keep My WAYS but were partial in applying THE TORAH.”
Revelation 15:3 (Hebrewgospels.com)
“And they sang the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb, and said, “Great are the works of YAHWEH Elohei Tseva’ot (YAHWEH Elohim of the armies)! RIGHTEOUSNESS AND TRUTH are your WAYS o King of kings!
Righteousness is Torah (Deuteronomy 6:25) and so is truth (Psalms 119:142)!
YESHUA is saying that the Pharisees have HELD BACK THE TORAH from the people and by them doing so, it prevented not only the Pharisees from entering the kingdom, but also those who were deceived by them.
Matthew 15:12-14 (Hebrewgospels.com)
“And His disciples drew near to Him and said, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended because of the word which they heard?” So He answered them and said, “Every plant that My Father did not plant will be uprooted. Let them alone, for they are BLIND LEADERS OF BLIND ONES. And the blind who leads another blind, THE TWO OF THEM WILL FALL INTO THE GRAVE.”
Hosea 4:6 (Complete Jewish Scriptures)
“My people are destroyed FOR WANT OF KNOWLEDGE. Because you rejected knowledge, I will also reject you as priests for Me. Because you FORGOT THE TORAH OF YOUR ELOHIM.”
As I stated in the message “Bible Definitions”, knowledge is the Torah.
Malachi 2:7 (Complete Jewish Scriptures)
“A priest’s lips should safeguard KNOWLEDGE, and people should SEEK TORAH from his mouth, because he is the messenger of YAHWEH-Tzva’ot.”
Thanksgiving Hymns (The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls) page 269
“And they, TEACHERS OF LIES AND SEERS OF FALSEHOOD, have schemed against me a devilish scheme, to exchange the Law engraved on my heart by You for the smooth things which they speak to Your people. And they WITHHOLD FROM THE THIRSTY THE DRINK OF KNOWLEDGE, and assuage their thirst with vinegar, that they may gaze on their straying, on their folly concerning their feast days, ON THEIR FALL INTO THEIR SNARES.”
The writer of the Thanksgiving Hymns agrees with YESHUA that the false teachers have held back the Torah and taught lies and was a snare to them. They held back the truth from those who were seeking it. The point is that if we do not have the full Torah then that means we will not be able to walk in the complete truth and will be breaking YAHWEH’s commandments. There is proof that the Rabbis have hidden the truth:
In a lecture by Rachel Elior titled “Who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls and why were they forgotten?” she states, “Rabbi’s said any book dealing with the PRIESTHOOD, ANGELS, OR 364 DAY CALENDAR are external books.”
Sefaria.org writes:
“In the Mishnah (Sanhedrin 10, 1) Rabbi Akiva issues a shocking statement: one who reads “SefarimHitzonim” (“external books”) has no share in the world to come!”
The books that they banned just happened to deal with the calendar and angels. The festivals in Temple Scroll are based on the 364-day solar calendar and it strictly defines the commandments of the Torah. Jubilees is also based on the 364-day solar calendar, has angel interaction, angels involved as priests in heaven (Jubilees 30:18) and shows how Noah and Abraham performed priestly duties before the Levitical law. So, it’s easy to see why the Pharisees would want to ban these books and label them as “external” because these books threatened the lunar calendar they adopted, and it threatened the power they had over the people who accepted their oral torah and interpretation of the scriptures as authoritative. So, the best thing for them to do was to threaten the salvation of anyone who dared to read those books and to this very day their threat worked.
If anyone were to read The Temple Scroll and Jubilees, then they would see that what is written in them contradicts the teachings of the Pharisees aka Rabbinical Judaism.
7 Books of the Torah
Understanding that the truth has been intentionally held from believers is critical as outlined above to show that YESHUA never limited His teaching to only 5 books! What did He teach?
Matthew 16:5-12 (Hebrewgospels.com)
“And when they came to the shore of the sea to pass on further, they forgot to take their bread. Then He said to them, “Beware of the leaven of the Sadducees and Pharisees.” So they thought in their inward parts saying, “He says this because we do not have bread.’ But YESHUA, who knew what they thought, said to them, “What do you think in yourselves, men without believing? You think that I said this because you do not have bread? Why do you not understand or remember the five loaves and the five thousand men, how many lumps remained? And seven loaves and four thousand men, and how many lumps remained? And why do you not understand that I am not speaking about the bread? But I say to you that you must beware of the leaven of the Sadducees and the Pharisees.” And then they comprehended that He did not speak about the leaven of the house, but OF THE DOCTRINE OF THE PHARISEES AND THE SADDUCEES.”
Firstly, how many lumps were picked up with the 5,000?
Matthew 14:17-21 (Hebrewgospels.com)
“They answered Him, “We have nothing here besides five loaves and two fishes.” So He said to them, “Bring them to Me.” And He commanded that the people should sit on the grass. Then He took the loaves and the two fishes, and looked into the heavens and blessed them—and broke them and gave them to the disciples. And the disciples gave them to the people. And all of them ate and were satisfied. And the leftovers remained TWELVE FULL LUMPS. And the number of those who ate were five thousand men, besides both women and children.”
How many lumps were picked up with the 4,000?
Matthew 15:34-38 (Hebrewgospels.com)
“But YESHUA said to them, “How many loaves do you have? And they said, “Seven, and a few fishes.” Then He commanded the people that they should sit on the ground. And afterwards He took the seven loaves and the fishes, and He did a prayer of thanksgiving to YAHWEH and broke them and gave them to His disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. And all of them ate and were satisfied. And of that which remained, they took up SEVEN FULL LUMPS. And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.”
The key numbers in these two accounts are 7 and 12, but what do they represent? 7 is the number of completion and perfection and represents the 7 books of the Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Temple Scroll and Jubilees. The number 12 represents the 12 festivals of YAHWEH!
Temple Scroll Column 11:9-13 (A New Translation by Michael Wise, Martin Abegg and Edward Cook)
“And you shall offer sacrifices upon the altar of burnt offering for all YAHWEH’S FESTIVALS: On the SHABBATS and at the BEGINNING OF MONTHS, and on the FIRST OF THE FIRST MONTH, and on the FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD, and on the day of the WAVING OF THE OMER, and on the FEAST OF THE SECOND PASSOVER, and on the FEAST OF WEEKS, that is, of the Feast of First fruits for Wheat, and on the FEAST OF WINE…and on the FEAST OF NEW OIL and on the SIX DAYS OF THE WOOD OFFERING, and on the DAY OF REMEMBRANCE (YOM TERUAH) and on the DAY OF ATONEMENT and on the FEAST OF BOOTHS…”
In this list we see that the 2nd Passover is mentioned which would make the total13; however, we know that only ONE Passover is to be celebrated by each person. The 2nd Passover is only for those who are unclean or on a long journey (Numbers 9:3-14), therefore, the total number of festivals to be observed by an individual is 12 total!
Also, there are 52 Shabbats in a year, ELOHIM lumps them together and counts them as 1 Festival and although there are 12 months in a year He counts the first day of each month as 1 festival. This would include the Days of Remembrance in Jubilees 6:23 which all fall on the 1st day of month and will be covered in more detail in another section. And the first day of the first month is separated from the other beginning of the months because it is a High-Shabbat just like Yom Teruah is on the 1st day of the 7th month.
Notice after YESHUA asks them how many lumps were picked up after breaking the loaves and fish which were 12 and 7 that YESHUA goes on to tell them to beware of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees! YESHUA was telling His disciples that He taught them that there are 7 books in the Torah and 12 festivals! Teach this to the people and feed them spiritually and physically as I have shown you, but do not teach them the false doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees!
Proverbs 6:23 (Complete Jewish Scriptures)
“For the COMMAND IS A LAMP, TORAH IS LIGHT, and reproofs that discipline are the way to life.”
The etymology for the word lamp in Proverbs 6:23 is “niyr” pronounced neer (H5216) and is the same word for lamp in Leviticus 24:2-4, which are the 7 lamps on the Menorah. So, the command is a lamp and the torah is a light, so just as the menorah is LIGHT with 7 LAMPS, so is the TORAH a LIGHT (Proverbs 6:23) and LAMP unto our feet (Psalms 119:105) with 7 BOOKS. And the 12 loaves of shewbread (Leviticus 24:5) represents the 12 festivals!
The number 12 is important because it also represents the 12 Tribes of Yisra’el, 12 disciples, 12 months in a year, and 12 gates in the New Jerusalem.
We see YESHUA rebuke Pharisees several times and warns His disciples not to follow them.
Matthew 16:12 (Hebrewgospels.com)
“And then they comprehended that He did not speak about the leaven of the house, but OF THE DOCTRINE OF THE PHARISEES AND THE SADDUCEES.”
Matthew 15:8-9 (Hebrewgospels.com)
“This people which honors Me with words but their heart is far from Me, they honor Me in vain, imposing YOUR INSTRUCTIONS AND COMMANDMENTS OF THE MEN.”
The Dead Sea Scrolls a New Translation (Wise, Abegg, and Cook page 18)
“As Josephus wrote, “The Pharisees have imposed on the people MANY LAWS FROM THE TRADITION OF THE FATHERS NOT WRITTEN IN THE LAW OF MOSES” Ant. 13.297).
Testament of Levi 16:1-2
“And now I have learned in the book of Enoch that for seventy weeks you will go astray, and profane the priesthood, and pollute the slaughtering’s. And you will MAKE VOID THE TORAH, and set the words of the prophets at nothing by evil perverseness.”
Temple Scroll
I have done a message showing that the Temple Scroll is Torah so I will not focus on the witnesses in this message, but if you have not seen it, you can view it here: https://youtu.be/ZdXPVHtuA8M?si=3HjVrsX2cftUP6tQ
One more witness showing that the Temple Scroll is a part of the Torah involves John the Baptist.
In an article by Kyle Pope titled “It is Not Lawful for You to Have Her” he writes “As John prepared the way for Jesus, the Bible tells us he called all the people to repent and prepare for the Messiah (Luke 3:7-14). One of the boldest demonstrations of this came when he had the courage to rebuke the UNLAWFUL MARRIAGE of Herod and Herodias. He told Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have her” (Matt 14:4, NKJV). According to Josephus, Herodias was Herod’s NIECE by his brother Aristobulus (Antiquities 18.5.1), but she was ALSO “his brother Philip’s wife” (Matt. 14.3).”
This is important because Rabbinic Judaism says that it is lawful for a man to marry his niece because it is not specified in the laws of Leviticus 18. The only place where marrying a niece is forbidden is in the TEMPLE SCROLL! And if what Josephus says is correct this is more evidence that John the Baptist was familiar with this law from the Temple Scroll in order to express the two reasons why Herod’s marriage was unlawful.
Temple Scroll (The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls) Column 66 page 220
“A man shall not take his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother, for this is abominable. A man shall not take his father’s sister or his mother’s sister, for this is immoral. A man shall NOT TAKE THE DAUGHTER OF HIS BROTHER OR THE DAUGHTER OF HIS SISTER for this is abominable.”
Again, the Zadok Priest in the Damascus Document understood this:
Covenant of Damascus 5:7 (Compete Dead Sea Scrolls page 133).
“And each man marries the DAUGHTER OF HIS BROTHER OR SISTER, whereas Moses said, You shall not approach your mother’s sister; she is your mother’s near kin (Leviticus 18:13). But although the laws against incest are written for men, they also apply to women. When, therefore, a brother’s daughter uncovers the nakedness of her father’s brother, she is also his near kin.”
Jubilees
Mark 2:27-28 (Hebrewgospels.com)
“Then He said, “The SHABBAT (Sabbath) was made for the sake of MAN, not the man on account of the Shabbat. And because of this the Son of ELOAH is Adon (Master) of EVERYTHING, whatever is in the world – and OF THE SHABBAT.”
Jubilees 2:24-25 (James VanderKam’s Hermeneia translation with Hebrew fragment)
“It was granted to these that for all times they should be set-apart and blessed ones. This the TESTIMONY AND THE FIRST LAW as it was SANCTIFIED AND BLESSED ON THE SEVENTH DAY. He created the heavens, the earth, and everything that was created in six days. YAHWEH gave a set-apart festal day to ALL HIS CREATION. For this reason He gave orders regarding it that anyone who would do any work on it was to die; also the one who would defile it was to die.”
YESHUA said that the Shabbat was made for the sake of mankind! Why? Because the Shabbat was the FIRST LAW given to humanity as a gift of rest. YESHUA says that He is the Master of the Shabbat because as the Creator He instituted the Shabbat as the first law for mankind during creation.
John 1:1-3 (Hebrewgospels.com)
“In the beginning was the SON OF ELOAH. The SON of EL was both with EL, and the SON of EL was ELOAH. This was in the beginning with EL. ALL THINGS WERE MADE BY HIM; and without Him nothing was made, of that which was made.”
YESHUA speaking pre-incarnate says:
Isaiah 48:16 (The Complete Jewish Scriptures)
“Come close to Me, and listen to this: SINCE THE BEGINNING I have not spoken in secret, since the time things began to be, I HAVE BEEN THERE; and now YAHWEH ELOHIM has sent Me and His Spirit.”
YESHUA and Jubilees on Shabbat
Matthew 12:5 (Hebrewgospels.com)
“And have you yourselves never READ IN THE LAW that the priests at times break the Shabbats in the Sanctuary with NO INIQUITY?”
YESHUA appeals to the Pharisees about reading about this in the law, but we don’t find a statement like this in Numbers 28 concerning the sacrifices. Benson’s commentary states: Benson Commentary
Matthew 12:5-6. Have ye not read in the law, &c. — He does not mean that the words following were to be found in the law, but only that they might read in the law, how the priests were obliged, on the sabbath days, to perform such servile work in the temple as, considered separately from the end of it, would have been a profanation of the sabbath, but really was not so, because it was necessary to the public worship of God, on account of which the sabbath was instituted.”
We will arrive at the same conclusion as Benson with only the five books of Moses, but if we turn to Jubilees, we will find a statement in the law that excuses the work of the priests as the only work that can be done on the Shabbat.
Jubilees 50:10-11 (James VanderKam Hermeneia translation)
“For great is the honor that YAHWEH has given Yisrael to eat, drink, and be filled on this festal day; and to rest on it from any work that belongs to the work of humanity EXCEPT TO BURN INCENSE AND TO BRING BEFORE YAHWEH OFFERINGS AND SACRIFICES FOR THE DAYS AND SHABBATS. ONLY THIS KIND OF WORK IS TO BE DONE ON THE SHABBAT DAY IN THE SANCTUARY of YAHWEH your ELOHIM in order that they may atone continuously for Yisra’el with offerings from day to day as a memorial that is acceptable before YAHWEH. And in order that He may receive them forever; day by day, as you were ordered.”
75 in Jubilees, Acts, Seputagint, and Dead Sea Scrolls
In the New Testament we find the RUACH HA’KODESH pointing back to Jubilees and other ancient translations when He was speaking through Stephen.
Acts 7:14 (Complete Jewish Scriptures)
“Joseph then sent for his father Jacob and all his relatives, SEVENTY-FIVE PEOPLE.”
Many people have concluded that Stephen was quoting from another tradition or that he made a mistake, but it would be impossible for Stephen to make a mistake as he was speaking by the RUACH HA’KODESH and the truth is found below.
Jubilees 44:33-34 (James VanderKam Hermeneia translation)
“All the persons of Jacob who entered Egypt were SEVENTY PERSONS. So all of these sons and grandsons of his were SEVENTY, AND FIVE WHO DIED IN EGYPT BEFORE THEY MARRIED. THEY HAD NO CHILDREN. Judah’s two sons Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan. They had no children. The sons of Yisra’el buried those who died, and they were place among the seventy nations.”
Jubilees tells us that 75 total people came from Jacob and entered Egypt, but FIVE of them died in Egypt before they were married and had no children; therefore, since that occurred the number 75 is technically 70. And 75 souls that came out of the loins of Jacob are confirmed in other ancient manuscripts.
Exodus 1:5 (Septuagint)
“But Joseph was in Egypt. And all the souls born of Jacob were SEVENTY-FIVE.”
Exodus 1:5 (Dead Sea Scrolls Bible, 4Q1)
“And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were SEVENTY-FIVE SOULS.”
Seasons or Appointed Times
Genesis 1:14 (Septuagint)
“And ELOHIM said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven for shinning, to divide between day and night and let them be for signs and for SEASONS and for days and for years.”
Genesis 1:14 (Dead Sea Scrolls Bible)
“And ELOHIM said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven to separate the day from the night; and they were for signs, and for SEASONS, and for days and for years…”
Genesis 1:14 (Samaritan)
“And ELOHIM said, let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to light the earth and separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs, and for SEASONS, and for days, and years.”
Genesis 1:14 (TS2009)
“And ELOHIM said, “Let lights come to be in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and APPOINTED TIMES, and for days and years…”
The common doctrine concerning Genesis 1:14 is that the moon is used for the appointed times aka the feast days but notice that all the ancient translation says “seasons”. So, the ancient translations say seasons and other translations place “appointed times” where “seasons” is. The etymology for the word season is “Mo’ed” H4150 and defined by Brown-Driver-Briggs as “1)Appointed place, appointed time, meeting 1a) appointed time 1a1) APPOINTED TIME (general) 1a2) SACRED SEASON, SET FEAST, APPOINTED SEASON 1b) APPOINTED MEETING 1c) appointed place 1d) appointed sign or signal 1e) tent of meeting.
Strongs defines it as “properly an appointment, that is, a FIXED TIME OR SEASON; SPECIFICALLY A FESTIVAL; conventionally a year; by implication, an assembly (as convened for a definite purpose); technically the congregation; by extension, the place of meeting; also a signal (as appointed beforehand): appointed (SIGN, TIME), (SET, SOLEMN FEAST.)
In the etymology for season, we see the words: season, festival, and appointed times mentioned. So, when we combine seasons with appointed times, we get the truth of the command found in Jubilees that during the four divisions of the year (the beginning of each SEASON) is an APPOINTED TIME AND WE ARE TO HAVE A FEAST. The first day of the first month is SPRING, the first day of the fourth month is SUMMER, the first day of the seventh month is FALL, and the first day of the tenth month is WINTER.
Jubilees 6:23-29 (James VanderKam Hermeneia translation)
The Four MEMORIAL DAYS and DAYS OF SEASONS
“On the first of the first month, the first of the fourth month, the first of the seventh month, and the first of the tenth month are memorial days and DAYS OF THE SEASONS. They are written down and ordained at the FOUR DIVISIONS OF THE YEAR AS AN ETERNAL TESTIMONY. Noah ordained them as FESTIVALS for himself throughout the history of eternity with the result that through them he had a reminder. On the first of the first month he was told to make the ark, and on it the earth became dry, he opened it and saw the earth. On the first of the fourth month the openings of the depths of the abyss below were closed. On the first of the seventh month all the openings of the earth’s depths were opened, and the water began to go down into them. On the first of the tenth month the summits of the mountains became visible, and Noah was very happy. For this reason he ordained them for himself forever as memorial FESTIVALS. So they are ordained, and they ENTER THEM ON THE HEAVENLY TABLETS.”
In conclusion, we can see that books have been removed and or hidden by the Pharisees and by doing so they held back the way of the heavenly kingdom for those who want to enter. Do not be one of the blind ones who are following the blind leaders and their man-made doctrines. Let us come back to the ancient Torah that has been uncovered for us in these last days so that we can completely obey YAHWEH! As always may YAHWEH bless you in YESHUA’s Name.