Torah of Jesus

By Arlin Ewald Nusbaum

We are releasing this title on Simchat Torah 2021/5782 (September 28-29, 2021) which is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the ending of one cycle and beginning of a new cycle of Torah reading. This book encompasses The Torah of Jesus the Messiah as recorded in the Remnant Record. It is also called The Book of Salvation, for Jesus is the Law, and we can only be saved by abiding by His teachings.

1 GREAT LAW OF JESUS
10 COMMANDMENTS OF JESUS
26 SAYINGS OF JESUS
12 BEATITUDES OF JESUS
14 CHURCH PRACTICES
12 STEPS OF REPENTANCE
7 STEPS OF CHURCH MEETINGS
9 STEPS OF PRAYER
3 STEPS FOR GIVING THE HOLY GHOST
5 STEPS FOR ORDAINING PRIESTS & TEACHERS
5 STEPS FOR ADMINISTERING THE BREAD
5 STEPS FOR ADMINISTERING THE WINE
5 STEPS OF BAPTISM
7 POST BAPTISMAL STEPS
8 DUTIES OF ELDERS
4 DUTIES OF PRIESTS
3 DUTIES OF TEACHERS

The Torah of Jesus can settle disputes in the churches and unify the body of Christ to prepare for His imminent return in glory.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Remnant Records
• Release date: Oct 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9781601356451

Book preview

1

Introduction

There are many divisions among Christians (45,000 denominations[1]) because it’s not clear what the law was Jesus taught. Before Jesus, there was the Law of Moses or the Mosaic Law:

31 As Moses the servant of the Lord commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the BOOK of the LAW OF MOSES (Joshua 8)

The Book of the Law of Moses is also called the Laws of the Torah or the Torah of Moses:

"Laws of the Torah. The contents of the Torah fall into two main parts: historical and legal. The latter commences with Ex. xii.; so that the Tannaim maintained that the Law actually began there, proceeding on the correct principle that the word ‘Torah’ could be applied only to teachings which regulated the life of man, either leading him to perform certain acts (commands ) or restraining him from them (prohibitions). The Talmud enumerates a TOTAL OF 613 RULES, 248 BEING COMMANDS and 365 PROHIBITIONS."[2]

The Torah recognizes no subdivisions of the commandments; for all alike are the ordinances of God, and a distinction may be drawn only according to modern ideas, as when Driver (in Hastings, Dict. Bible, iii. 66) proposes a triple division, into juridical, ceremonial, and moral ‘torot’.[3]

Reading of the Torah, Aish Synagogue, Tel Aviv, Israel, Roy Lindman, 2011

Reading of the Torah, Aish Synagogue, Tel Aviv, Israel, Roy Lindman, 2011

What or where is the Torah of Jesus? one may ask. Have the laws of Jesus been enumerated like the laws of Moses? If Yes, do Christians study the Torah of Jesus like the Jews study the Torah of Moses? The answers, unfortunately, are no and no—the laws of Jesus have not been clearly defined, and they are not being studied like the Jews study the Torah of Moses.

20 And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt SHEW THEM THE WAY wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do. (Exodus 18)

"Torah (/ˈtɔːrə, ˈtoʊrə/; Hebrew: תּוֹרָה‎, Instruction, Teaching or Law) has a range of meanings. It can most specifically mean the first five books (Pentateuch or Five Books of Moses) of the Hebrew Bible, namely (in their commonly used names) Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. This is known in the Jewish tradition as the Written Torah. It can even mean the totality of Jewish teaching, culture, and practice, whether derived from biblical texts or later rabbinic writings. This is often known as the Oral Torah."[4]

The Jews are exemplary in how they have kept and remembered the Torah of Moses. Here are some examples. The following prelude establishes what the purpose of the Torah of Moses was, which could be used as a prelude to the Torah of Jesus:

1 Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments,¹ which the Lord your God commanded to teach you,² that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it:

2 That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God,³ to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.

3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it;⁴ that it may be well with thee,⁵ and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.

Points

Commandments, statutes, and judgments. We will see that Jesus gave more than just commandments.

God commanded that they be taught

They are meant to instill fear in God

Ways to observe them

If we observe them, it will be well with us

Summary: teach > fear > observe > well with us.

In the following mandate, we notice everything flows from its first statement—it’s all about God—and is not restricted to the Old Testament. Again, we can apply it to the Torah of Jesus as well.

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:¹

5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.²

6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:³

7 And thou shalt teach them diligently⁴ unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.⁵

8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.⁶

9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

12 Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. (Deuteronomy 6)

Points

One Lord (other religions have many)

Love God with everything, i.e., all our heart, soul, might

These words shall be in our hearts

Teach them diligently to our children

Talk of them constantly, i.e., while sitting, walking, lying down, and rising up

As a sign to God, we are to bind the words upon our hands and between our eyes (elaborated next)

Write them on the posts of our houses and gates (elaborated next)

Israel Defense Forces soldier Asael Lubotzky Prays With Tefillin, Yoavlemmer, 2006

Israel Defense Forces soldier Asael Lubotzky Prays With Tefillin, Yoavlemmer, 2006

Question—are the laws and teachings of Jesus any less important than the commandments, statutes, and judgments of the Law of Moses?

Here’s one of the daily practices used by the Jews to keep their mind on the teachings of Moses—Tefillin or Phylacteries:

"Tefillin or phylacteries, is a set of small black leather boxes containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah. Tefillin are worn by observant adult Jews during weekday morning prayers."

The four biblical passages which refer to the tefillin, mentioned above, are written on scrolls and placed inside the leather boxes.

Originally tefillin were worn all day, but not during the night. Nowadays the prevailing custom is to wear them only during the weekday morning service, although some individuals wear them at other times during the day as well. Tefillin are not donned on Shabbat and the major festivals because these holy days are themselves considered ‘signs’ which render the need of the ‘sign’ of tefillin superfluous.[5]

They also place a Mezuzah on the doorposts of their houses and places of worship.

Ashkenazi mezuzah, as accepted in Rabbinical Judaism; the case is tilted and features the Hebrew letter ש (Shin) at entrance of Museum am Judenplatz, Vienna.

Ashkenazi mezuzah, as accepted in Rabbinical Judaism; the case is tilted and features the Hebrew letter ש (Shin) at entrance of Museum am Judenplatz, Vienna.

"A mezuzah is a piece of parchment called a klaf contained in a decorative case and inscribed with specific Hebrew verses from the Torah (Deuteronomy 6:4–9 and 11:13–21). These verses consist of the Jewish prayer Shema Yisrael, beginning with the phrase: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord (is) our God, the Lord is One’. In mainstream Rabbinic Judaism, a mezuzah is affixed to the doorpost of Jewish homes to fulfill the mitzvah (Biblical commandment) to ‘write the words of God on the gates and doorposts of your house’ (Deuteronomy 6:9).[6]

Question, is there any less of a need to remember the words of Our Lord than there was to remember the words of Moses?

As just mentioned, The Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) is an important prayer that is spoken and sung daily:

Shema Yisrael (Shema Israel or Sh’ma Yisrael; Hebrew: שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל‎; Hear, O Israel") is a Jewish prayer, and is also the first two words of a section of the Torah, and is the title (better known as The Shema) of a prayer that serves as a centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewish prayer services."[7]

People who visit Israel may be disturbed by the many Muslim calls to prayer over loudspeakers for all to hear, which may be a rip-off of the Jewish call to prayer—The Shema. Readers are encouraged to peruse the following examples of The Shema on YouTube.

talmidimnetiv, SHEMA ISRAEL (OYE ISRAEL)[8]

Mayer Malik, Shema Yisrael Call to Prayer[9]

Misha Goetz, Shema | A Prayer For Israel (Official Lyric Video) – Misha Goetz & Shae Wilbur[10]

Shilo Ben Hod, Shma Israel(Live) | Hear O Israel[11]

ElohimIsYahweh, SHEMA ISRAEL (Sepharcic tradition) Yaniv Madar[12]

DJ HELEN JOVANOVICH, SHEMA ISRAEL / Escucha Israel / Español Cuando el corazón llora[13]

MusicTreasuresOfTheWorld, Shma Israel – Sarit Chadad[14]

For other Jewish traditions[15]

While it’s true Our Lord spoke against long, repetitious prayers (Matthew 6:7), He was not against long, worshipful, or reflective prayers like in the Psalms or The Shema, as the following affirms.

28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?

29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:

33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, THOU ART NOT FAR FROM THE KINGDOM OF GOD. (Mark 12)

Question: is there anything wrong with a Believer remembering, reciting, or singing The Shema? Our Lord did not replace God the Father.

There’s something mystical, even magical, about following a tradition that has been faithfully taught, followed, and passed down by the Jews for 3500 years.

There is often a yearning for people to belong to something greater than themselves. Anyone can follow righteous, ancient traditions such as those described above without becoming a Jew. It’s a wonder Christianity did not continue to use these practices.

Summary

How important are the words of Jesus? Have they been specified like the Laws of Moses? Are they being studied like the Torah of Moses? Are they being remembered with rituals or festivals like the Jews do? Because we (Christians) have not enumerated the Laws of Jesus as the Laws of Moses, we are a divided people, more so than the Jews or any other religion; this should not be the case.

How Important Are the Words of Jesus?

Perhaps nothing will set the tone better for how important the words of the Lord are than the following verse:

48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my WORDS, hath one that judgeth him: the WORD that I have spoken, the same SHALL JUDGE HIM in the last day. (John 12)

God has committed all judgment to Jesus: