Is Galatians chapter three saying that all the laws of Elohim were added only until Jesus/Yeshua, and that Christians are now free from them? What law was added, who/what is the tutor to lead us to Messiah and how does the Torah-law of Elohim affect us today?
Is Colossians 2:16–17 speaking for or against the biblical feasts and dietary laws?
This video explains these difficult passages of Paul the apostle.
Hi Nathan, I thought this was VERY INTERESTING concerning Law. I was wondering if you could elaborate?
“Then spoke Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that OBSERVE and DO; but do not according to their works: for they say, and do not.” (Mathew 23:1-3)
Then I came across THIS!!!
“Unbroken Chain of Transmission”
Know that every mitzvah which G-d gave to Moses was given with its clarification. First He told him the mitzvah and then He expounded on its explanation and content, including all that which is included in the Torah.
“Unbroken Chain of Transmission”
The transmission from Moses until today is an unbroken chain of 120 generations. The following list of Rabbinic leaders – from Moses until the completion of the Talmud in 500 CE – appears in the introduction to Maimonides’ “Mishneh Torah.” Following this list is an explanation from Maimonides on the precise method of transmission, beginning with Moses.
Mount Sinai (1312 BCE)
• 1. Moses
• 2. Joshua
The Elders (l260-860 BCE)
• 3. Pinchas and the 70 Elders
• 4. Eli the Kohen
• 5. Samuel the Prophet
• 6. King David
The Prophets (860-360 BCE)
• 7. Achiyah
• 8. Elijah the Prophet
• 9. Elisha
• 10. Yehoyada the Priest
• 11. Zechariah ben Yehoyada
• 12. Hosea
• 13. Amos
• 14. Isaiah
• 15. Micah
• 16. Joel
• 17. Nachum
• 18. Habakuk
• 19. Zephaniah
• 20. Jeremiah
• 21. Baruch ben Neriah
The Great Assembly (360-260 BCE)
• 22. The Great Assembly consisted of 120 Elders, including Ezra, Zechariah, Daniel and Mordechai
• 23. Shimon the Tzaddik
TANA’IM – Mishnaic Era (260 BCE – 200 CE)
• 24. Antigonos of Socho
• 25. Yose ben Yoezer, Yose ben Yochanan
• 26. Yehoshua ben Perachiah, Nittai of Arbel
• 27. Yehuda ben Tabbai, Shimon ben Shatach
• 28. Shemayah and Avtalyon
• 29. Hillel and Shamai
• 30. R’ Shimon ben Hillel, R’ Yochanan ben Zakkai
• 31. Rabban Gamliel the Elder, R’ Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, R’ Yehoshua ben Chananiah, R’ Shimon ben Netanel, R’ Elazar ben Arakh
• 32. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel I, Rebbe Akiva, Rebbe Tarfon, R’ Shimon ben Elazar, R’ Yochanan ben Nuri
• 33. Rabban Gamliel II, Rebbe Meir, Rebbe Yishmael, Rebbe Yehudah, Rebbe Yose, R’ Shimon bar Yochai
• 34. Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel II
• 35. Rabbi Yehudah the Prince (codifier of the Mishnah in 190 C.E.)
AMORA’IM – Talmudic Era (200-500 CE)
• 36. Rav, Shmuel, Rabbi Yochanan (compiler of the Jerusalem Talmud)
• 37. Rav Huna, Rav Yehudah, Rav Nachman, Rav Kahana, Rabba bar bar Channa, Rav Ami, Rav Asi
• 38. Rabbah, Rav Yosef, Rav Chisda, Rabba bar Rav Huna.
• 39. Abaya, Rava
• 40. Rav Ashi, Ravina (compilers of the Babylonian Talmud in 500 C.E.)
MOSES’ TEACHING PROCESS
Maimonides, citing sources from the Talmud and Midrash, recounts in graphic detail the transmission process from Moses to the people of Israel. Moses personally wrote 13 copies of the Torah and distributed them – one to every tribe – before his death.
Maimonides’ “Introduction to the Mishnah”
Know that every mitzvah which G-d gave to Moses was given with its clarification. First He told him the mitzvah and then He expounded on its explanation and content, including all that which is included in the Torah.
The manner of transmittal to Israel occurred as stated in the Talmud (Eruvin 54b) [How was the system of teaching? Moses first learned the law from the mouth of the Almighty.]
Moses then went into the Tent, and Aaron went in with him. Moses then stated to him a single time the mitzvah he had received, and taught him its explanation, (following which) Aaron retreated to the right of Moses.
Then, Elazar and Itamar, Aaron’s sons, entered – and Moses told them what he had told Aaron, and then they stepped back. One sat to the left of Moses, and the other on the right of Aharon.
Then the seventy Elders arrived, and Moses taught Aaron and his sons. Following this came the masses of people and every one seeking God, and he (Moses) placed before them the mitzvah, until all had heard it from his mouth.
The result is that Aaron heard that precept from the mouth of Moses four times, his sons three times, the Elders twice, and the remainder of the people once.
Moses then left, and Aaron repeated the explanation of that mitzvah which he had learned, having heard it from the mouth of Moses four times (as we have mentioned), to all those present.
Aaron then left, after his sons had heard the precept four times (three times from Moses, and once from Aharon). After Aaron had departed, Elazar and Itamar repeated and taught that mitzvah to all the people present, and then ceased their teaching.
Thus we find that the seventy Elders heard the precept four times twice from Moses, once from Aharon, and once from Elazar and Itamar. The Elders themselves then repeated and expounded the mitzvah to the people one time.
As a result, we find that the entire congregation heard the precept in question four times once from Moses, once from Aharon, a third time from his sons, and the fourth time from the Elders.
After this, all the people went to teach one another what they had heard from Moses and to write that mitzvah on scrolls. The leaders would roam through the Israelites to (insure that the people) learned and applied themselves until they would know the traditional version of that mitzvah and were fluent in reading it. They would then teach the explanations of that G-d-given precept. That explanation would include all aspects, and they would write the precept and learn by heart the Oral Tradition.
Thus, our Sages said in the Midrash “And G-d spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai” (Leviticus 25:1). Why does the Torah state specifically at Mount Sinai? Was not the entire Torah given at Sinai? This is to tell us that just as the law of the Sabbatical year was stated with its generalities, specifics and fine details at Sinai, so too all the mitzvahs were stated with their generalities, specifics and fine details at Sinai.
Maimonides – “Mishneh Torah,” Laws of Sanhedrin 41-2
No one is qualified to act as judge in the Sanhedrin, or even in a court of three judges, unless he has been ordained by one who has himself been ordained. Moses ordained Joshua by laying his hands upon him, as it says (Numbers 27:23), “And he laid his hands upon him, and commissioned him.”
Likewise, Moses ordained the seventy Elders, and the Divine Presence rested upon them. The Elders ordained others, who in turn ordained their successors. Hence there was an uninterrupted succession of ordained judges, reaching back to the tribunal of Joshua, indeed, to the tribunal of Moses…
What has been the procedure throughout recent generations with regard to ordination? It has been done not by the laying of hands upon the elder, but by designating him by the title “Rabbi,” and saying to him “You are ordained and authorized to adjudicate (matters of Torah law).”
(Nathan, can you Please explain why us Messianics don’t believe in the Oral Tradition in which Jesus is said to have confirmed is true in this gospel?)
This is an excellent question and thanks for giving me the opportunity to address this issue. Many folks coming to the Hebraic roots of the Christian faith stumble have the same question. They figure that, since the Christian church purports to be antiTorah and since the Jews purport to be proTorah, we need to follow the Jews, since, ostensibly, they have been faithful to the Torah for all these millennia and we can learn from them and need to follow their example. On the surface, this seems like a reasonable proposition. The problem is that as one digs below the surface veneer and gets to the truth of the matter, neither of these propositions is correct. In fact, the Jews have veered from the Torah as much as the Christians by their non-biblical traditions. Perhaps, in fact, the Christians are better off than the Jews. At least they have the basic gospel message, and they, while claiming to be antiTorah actually follow much of the Torah (which they call the moral law). They just stumble over the dietary laws, the Sabbath and the biblical feasts and a few other minor Torah laws. These are the facts.
Now to your question about why we don’t follow rabbinic tradition lock, stock and barrel, or hook, line and sinker, as they say. Please give me chapter and verse in Scripture that states that Yeshua affirmed ALL Jewish tradition? On the contrary, he told the Jewish leaders of his day, “By your traditions, you make of no effect the Word of Elohim” (Mark 7:6–13; Matt 15:3–9), and then in Matt 5 he goes on to elaborate and condemn certain traditions of the elders that had in fact done this. Moreover, Paul was a Pharisee of the Pharisees at the highest level and was trained by Gamaliel, the grandson of Hillel the Great, yet Paul counted it all as dung (Phil 3:8). Moreover, the Jewish leadership of the first century who purported, as you suggest, to have the truth that we need to follow, told the disciples to stop preaching the gospel in the name of Yeshua, which they refused to do (Acts 6:33–42). This begs the question: Why should we follow those who hate Yeshua? Moreover, Yeshua commanded us to call no man “rabbi” (Hebrew meaning: “my great one”) except himself (Matt 23:8), which the modern Jews do in complete contempt and defiance of Yeshua the Messiah. Go study the life of “Rabbi” Akiba, the father and inventor of modern rabbinic Judaism, and his hatred for the Christians and all the unbiblical laws and anti-Christian rabbinic laws he invented and incorporated into modern rabbinic Judaism that persist to this day just to spite the Christians and the gospel message. Moreover, Yeshua condemned the antecedents to the modern rabbinic Jews nine times in Matt 23 for their ungodly, unscriptural traditions. Moreover, Paul and the apostles were vigorously fighting the non-biblical Jewish oral law or tradition that states that a Gentile male can’t be saved or brought into covenants of Israel unless they are first circumcised. The Acts 15 council and the whole book of Galatians addresses this non-biblical heresy—one that the rabbinic Jews still uphold to this day. Paul shows the fallacy of this teaching in Romans 4 and Galatians. Should I go on?
This is what we have to do. Take off our theological glasses that cause us to view the Bible through this or that tradition of men (be it Christian or Jewish). I’m not against men’s tradition per se. In fact, sometimes they can be helpful in helping us to understand the more vague areas of Scripture. What I am against is anything that diminishes or contravenes the written truth or word of Elohim as expressed in his written words, and there is plenty of each in both Christian and Rabbinic tradition.
If I’m going to submit myself to rabbinic oral tradition, then I may as well go back to the Roman Catholic Church and subscribe to all of their traditions. At least they have the basic gospel message, which is more than the Rabbinic Jews have. I have more chances of coming to faith in Yeshua in the Catholic Church, at least, than in Rabbinic Judaism.
Now there are some Jewish oral traditions that are very helpful, such as the various elements of the Passover seder that are above and beyond the four basic requirements specified in the Torah. In Yeshua’s last supper, for example, several of the things he did were pure Jewish tradition. They all pointed to him, even though the Jews of the day didn’t realize these specific traditions pertaining to the seder were prophetic and pointed to the Messiah. Bottom line? If a Jewish oral tradition doesn’t violate Scripture, points us to Messiah and helps us to grow in our faith and to fulfill better the commands of Elohim and in the process brings us into a closer walk with Elohim and Yeshua, then consider incorporating it into your life. If not, dispense with it.
As we go through life, every day we have to make judgments about what is right and wrong, true and false, and what we should or should not do. Every day, we’re using our skills of discernment to make judgments between good and evil, and then deciding what to think and do. It’s called “eating the fish and spitting out the bones.” We make these decisions based on our values, ethics and beliefs. When it comes to religious tradition, we must do the same by using the word of Elohim as the sole determining factor. Yeshua called this judging righteously (John 7:24). The problem is that most people don’t know the word of Elohim that well, so they rely on the traditions of men as a crutch to help them in this process. This is not only dangerous (you might end up believing an error), but it is wrong and can lead to apostasy! It’s time to roll up our sleeves and find out what the word of Elohim says. This is what will judge us in the last days at Yeshua’s second coming (e.g. Matt 5:19), and NOT the traditions of men, be they Christian or Jewish.
In conclusion, I have a lot of respect for the Jewish sages. I have studied them and have their writings in my library, and at times have quoted them extensively. The same is true of some of our esteemed Christian scholars and theologians. But as I get older and more mature in the word of Elohim, I find myself relying less and less on what men have to say about the Scriptures and more and more on the Scriptures themselves as led by the Spirit of Elohim who will lead us into all truth, as Yeshua said. Let’s all grow up and become those who feed on the meat of YHVH’s word instead of the milk as Paul told the Corinthians.
You make some solid points, but you still have not explained:
“Then spoke Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that OBSERVE and DO; but do not according to their works: for they say, and do not.” (Mathew 23:1-3)
It seems pretty clear. I don’t think Yeshua was lying.
I didn’t bring up Moses’ seat in my discussion of Gal and Col because that was outside the subject of those verses and is not what Paul is addressing in those places. This is the first time you have brought that verse up, so I will address it now.
First what is Moses’s seat as Yeshua uses the term? Please explain it to us and we can go from there.
If Moses’s seat is what you seem to think it is and we have to do ALL that the rabbinic Jews tells us, then the disciples went against what the Jews and Yeshua told them to do when they disobeyed the Jews who told them to stop preaching Yeshua in Acts 5. Into other words, if we’re going to follow everything the rabbinic Jews tell us, then we must all become Yeshua-deniers. Are you a Yeshua denier? If so, this blog is not the place for you. If you’re not, then you’re not following ALL that the Jews say to do. Period. It’s really that simple. I’m trying to kind and gracious here and speak the truth in love.
Another point, if Yeshua meant in Matt 23:1–3 that we have to do everything the Jews tell us, then why did he spend the rest of that chapter pointing out all the things that do that are wrong and contrary to the Scriptures? In other words, to NOT do everything they tell you to do. Hmmmmm???!!! There must be more to this Moses’ seat thing than doing all that they tell you to do.
Now to the point of your question: I have written a whole article in the recent past on this topic answering the question what is Moses’ seat and how that impacts the disciples of Yeshua. You can find it at https://hoshanarabbah.org/blog/2016/12/14/what-is-moses-seat/.
Respectfully, I am not a Yeshua denier. I am a Yeshua obeyer. The Lord is clear here. He said, “Do as they say (because what they are saying is true because they hold the ‘seat of Moses’) but do not do what they do, because they neither keep it themselves”I tell ya, I gotta go with the Lord here on this one Nathan. Sorry, I don’t mean any disrespect. (Agree to disagree) beside I have never found one halachic law that goes against what Yeshua taught. 🙂 Blessings to you ad your family 🙂
If I might, Silvia, I believe that if you look into the Greek a little deeper you’ll see what was said is actually to “do as he says” (Moses) not “they“ (as in Yeshua denier Jewish religious leaders). This verse has been brought up by believers in Yeshua that have already crossed this bridge. Most protestants and Catholics have no reason to dissect this verse. They have nothing to gain by rendering this verse a bit clearer. They simply aren’t interested in doing what the Jewish Orthodox says or what God said through Moses.