The material in this book has been, so far, relatively simple-but critical. For without first establishing the nature of Torah, it is impossible to define the ways in which it should be applied. To determine who should follow the Torah is a gigantic undertaking. It is an extremely controversial exercise, and there are many different viewpoints. In light of the subject, please understand that we intend to be as gracious as possible concerning the different, sometimes opposing positions set forth in this chapter. Our goal is to study how much of the Torah should be followed-and by whom.

(Please note that the following is an overview of ideas, not of movements or specific teachers. Hence, there are no formal labels attached to these ideas. Furthermore, recognize that we are writing, for the most part, to believers in Yeshua. Therefore, we will state only those viewpoints that have relevance to them.)

There are well-meaning believers who suggest that the Torah is an antiquated document, that its precepts were for a particular people-the Israelites-and for a particular time frame, the age or dispensation of law. Therefore, they say, the Torah should no longer be followed. An example of this viewpoint is contained in the following quotation from Arnold Fruchtenbaum's book, Israelology:

There are some passages in the Brit Hadasha which, at first glance, appear to support Fruchtenbaum's position. For example, Hebrews 8:7 says, "For if the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second." Verse 13 continues this argument: "When He said, 'A new covenant,' He has made the first one obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear."

At face value, the teaching of these verses would appear to be devastating to any who hold that the Torah should be followed in this day and age. However, closer examination may reveal a different conclusion.

First, it is important to note the context of these verses. This passage is couched right in the middle of a section of Hebrews discussing the sacrificial/priestly system. Central to the covenant with Moshe was the system of atonement, which involved the use of sacrificial animals and a special class of workers called priests. The Book of Hebrews was written to Jewish believers to show them that this one aspect of that covenant was in the process of changing. Its glaring message is that Yeshua of Nazareth, the Messiah, is the end or culmination of that particular system. His death was the final, once-for-all atonement for sin, through His blood, which He offered on the altar in the heavenly mishkan (the tabernacle).

A second observation concerns itself with the words, "But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear." When the Book of Hebrews was written, there were at least two (possibly three, if we count the Samaritans) Jewish priestly systems in operation. The best known of these was in Jerusalem, centered around the Second Temple, and maintained by the Sadducees. This is the one mentioned most frequently in the Brit Hadasha.

But not all were in support of that temple and its system. Consequently, there was a second Jewish priestly/sacrificial system, operated by the Dead Sea (Qumran) community, which was in fierce opposition to the Jerusalem Sadducean Temple system. No matter which system was considered more valid, however, both were a testimony that the sacrificial system was alive and well in the early first century CE and during the time when Hebrews was most likely written.

Things changed, however, rather drastically when Yeshua died. The gospels attest that upon His death, the veil separating the holy place from the Holy of Holies in the Second Temple was ripped in half (Matthew 27:51). This was an obvious indication from Yehovah that no matter what sacrifices were offered in the temple, they would be rendered redundant because the real sacrifice took place in the death of Yeshua.

We would like to mention one further detail concerning these verses. Hebrews 8:7 implies that the older covenant was imperfect. A faultless one was needed. This does not mean that everything about the older covenant was imperfect. For example, is there something imperfect about Succot? If so, perhaps someone should have informed the prophet Zechariah before he told us that the whole world will celebrate Succot when Yeshua ***S/b Messiah?*** returns! In addition to Succot, Isaiah 2:3 says that in the Messianic kingdom it will be the Torah which will go forth from Zion. How could something as "imperfect" as Torah be part of Messiah's kingdom?

What was imperfect was not the covenant as a whole, not even most of its specific provisions-it was the sacrificial system! Animal sacrifices could only cover sin temporarily. Yom Kippur was observed year after year for that purpose. But Hebrews teaches us that the faultless sacrifice of Yeshua replaced that imperfect sacrificial system.

To be sure, if Torah was against grace, then perhaps that statement would be true. But Torah does not oppose grace. If we adhere to the proper definition of Torah as "teaching" as opposed to "law," then statements like the one quoted above are very unfortunate and should be avoided. Let it be said emphatically: it is man's mishandling, misinterpreting, and misuse of Torah which causes it to be against grace-not the document itself!

Some would rather not throw out the baby with the bath water, so to speak. They are not willing to say that Torah in its entirety should not be followed; neither, however, are they willing to say that it should. Those who hold to this viewpoint sometimes speak of Torah in terms of a threefold division: civil, ceremonial and ethical. The civil sections of the Torah are those dealing with governmental functions, such as the teachings concerning capital punishment and other jurisprudence functions. The ceremonial sections concern the sacrifices, the priesthood, and everything connected with these institutions. The ethical laws are those which govern how a person lives his everyday life in relationship to his fellowman.

There is a certain degree of merit to this point of view. No matter how we understand certain passages in the Book of Hebrews, it is clear that the book singles out at least one separate category of Torah, the "ceremonial." In addition, there are also specific parts of the Torah which are applicable only to those who live in the land of Israel.

However, when we begin to dissect Torah in a way that was never intended, hermeneutic difficulties inevitably arise. Remember that Torah is a covenant. It is intended to be understood as a whole. For example, is it really fair to the Torah to say that one will only follow the ethical sections, while ignoring the civil? More important, does Torah itself give us the right to make such distinctions? The only exception is that made by the Brit Hadasha itself: the sacrifices would no longer be necessary.

Some theologians say that all of the Torah should be obeyed. But the ones who are to do it are the Church, which has theologically replaced Israel. Of course, in regard to the teachings concerning the sacrifices, they recognize that in Messiah these came to completion. However, they say, it is incumbent upon believers to follow the rest of Torah.

By suggesting that the Church has replaced Israel, adherents to this viewpoint have already revealed their basic method of hermeneutics: spiritualization. They have given up the fundamental, literal interpretation of the Bible in lieu of a symbolic, spiritual or allegorical one. This viewpoint has characterized most of the Church since the middle of the second century, and continues to plague a good portion of it-even some of the believing, evangelical Church-to this very day.

To be sure, those who subscribe to this viewpoint are consistent: just as they transform literal physical Israel into the Church, so also do they spiritualize many of the specific teachings of the Torah. For example, we have met a number of people who hold to this viewpoint, and have read some of their writings. We have yet to meet one who wears fringes according to Numbers 15. Moreover, we have not met one who faithfully keeps the Holy Day cycle of Leviticus 23. Somehow, these parts of Torah are spiritualized to mean something else and, therefore, not followed.

We believe that this method of interpretation is not consistent with the proper exegesis of the Scriptures. Specifically, Romans 11 makes a clear distinction between non-Jewish believers in Yeshua and physical Israel. It clearly asserts that there is still a future plan for physical Israel. Yes, there are allegories and spiritualization within the Bible, but the use of such figurative language must be governed by recognizing its proper place within the literal, grammatical, historical method of interpretation. Hence, through consistent use of a literal method of Scripture interpretation, we can easily lay to rest such theories as the replacement of Israel by the Church.

We come now to our last category. This is the opinion that Torah is to be followed by believers-especially Jewish believers in Yeshua-in this day and age.

In the foundational chapters of this book we demonstrated the unique relationship between the Torah and the physical nation of Israel. The Torah is Israel's national constitution, sacred marriage ketubah, and its solemn covenant with God. There is no indication in the Scriptures that this special relationship has ended. The establishment of the Brit Hadasha, like the addition of the other covenants, did not abrogate its predecessors; it only affirmed, strengthened, and complemented them. This is the thrust of Sha'ul's argument in Galatians 3, especially when he asks, "Is the Torah then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be!" (Galatians 3:21)

The Jewish believers of the first century understood this truth as well. Acts 21 recounts a remarkable incident in Sha'ul's life which illustrates this. Returning from one of his journeys sharing the Good News with the Gentiles, Sha'ul found himself confronted by the Jerusalem leadership. It was rumored, they said, that he had been "teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moshe, telling them not to circumcise their children, nor to walk according to the customs." (Acts 21:21) Now the leaders wanted to know: Were these accusations true or false?

Not long before this meeting, Sha'ul had written to the believers in Galatia and Rome. They were confused by some of the difficult things he had written concerning Torah. Now, face to face with the Rabbi, they wanted to know the truth of the matter: "Do you follow Torah or not? Do you approve of other Jewish believers following the Torah?" In other words, is it still valid to follow the Torah as a Jewish believer in Yeshua?

This was Rav Sha'ul's big moment. Because of his influence as the greatest theologian the body of Messiah ever had (next to Yeshua), what he would say or do at this moment was of crucial importance. It would determine the proper interpretation of the confusing statements in his letters concerning Torah. It would also set a precedent for other Jewish believers to follow.

So what happened? The elders gave him the option of disproving the allegations by paying for four of their number who had taken the Nazirite vow as described in Numbers 6. Not only was he to pay their expenses, but also to go through a purification immersion along with them. Much to the shame of many a modern-day evangelical theologian, he did just as he was asked (verse 26).

What Sha'ul had done was to make a statement which should have been echoed throughout the centuries: "Torah is for today! Jewish believers should be taught and encouraged to follow the Torah of Moshe!" Many may not appreciate this conclusion, but the Greek in verse 20 tells us that there were tens of thousands of Messianic Jewish people in Jerusalem "who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Torah."

Life was not easy for the early Jewish believers. Because of their trust in Yeshua, they suffered persecution at the hands of traditional Jews. But because of their adherence to the covenant of Sinai, they would also eventually suffer persecution from other believers in Yeshua. After what is generally referred to as the Second Jewish Revolt (the actual second revolt took place in Alexandria, Cyremaica ***SP?*** and Cyprus) against Rome failed miserably in 135 CE, many Church leaders and preachers made a concentrated effort to rid the Church of any Jewish trappings. Needless to say, it was the Messianic Jewish observance of Torah that brought the persecution from fellow believers.

Not everyone gave in to the pressure. There existed from the earliest days a remnant of Jewish believers who were true to the covenant. In Church history, this group is called the Nazarenes. When I studied Church history in Bible College and seminary, not much was taught concerning the Nazarenes. They were portrayed as a group of Jewish believers who, unfortunately, still clung to the "Law of Moses."

Both the Nazarenes and their predecessors, the Jewish believers of whom we read in the Book of Acts, serve as illustrations that, biblically, Jewish believers in Yeshua have always had a special relationship to the Torah. They were chosen to follow it.

The remnant of Torah-observant Jewish believers lasted until sometime near the end of the fourth century, when Torah-keeping Jewish believers in Yeshua somehow left the pages of history. Today, another Jewish revival is taking place. More and more Jewish believers in Yeshua are learning the importance of living according to the national covenant of our people, the Torah.

How much of the Torah can be followed? The Book of Hebrews provides part of the answer for us. In Hebrews 8-10, we are told that the older covenant has certainly been modified, but not done away with! The Brit Hadasha clearly teaches that God does not require us to bring a lamb to our Temple. Yeshua is the sacrificial atonement.

There are many historical examples of covenants and national constitutions being modified or amended. The first set of amendments to the United States Constitution is called the Bill of Rights. If the Constitution is amended, does that mean that Americans should not follow the "old" Constitution? Of course not! It is still in force, and citizens of the USA have a special relationship to it which people from other lands do not enjoy.

Divine Permission

As we begin this difficult discussion, we need to make two qualifying statements. The first concerns the motivations of the individual in following the Torah. Plainly stated, we believe that no one, Jewish or non-Jewish, may earn, merit, or keep his eternal salvation by following the Torah. The second qualifying statement is that, in this whole discussion of the non-Jewish person's relationship to the Torah, we have purposely avoided the words "must" and "should," as the use of these words tends to cloud the issues at hand no matter to whom we are referring.

Now, how can we engage in a meaningful exploration of this subject without once employing these imperatives? We can begin by examining the implication of a series of biblical passages relating directly to this subject: that at the very least, the relationship of the non-Jewish person to the Torah is one of permission and encouragement. Allow me to explain.

What About All Those People?

By the grace of God, we have received an overwhelmingly favorable response to our first edition of Torah Rediscovered. But this response came from some very unexpected quarters. We anticipated that the book would be read and considered in Messianic Jewish circles. What we could not have predicted was the startlingly positive response from those who cannot be classified as Messianic Jews. We are referring to believers in fellowships, home study groups, and churches which traditionally have not embraced the viewpoints on the Torah espoused by this book. Moreover, we have been impressed at the sheer numbers of people responding to this message. Many evangelicals, charismatic and otherwise, are hungry to know more about the Torah. Beyond that, however, many of these have expressed a deep desire, not only to know the Torah, but also to learn to follow it.

What should we say to such people? More important, what would the Holy One say to them? To answer this, we need to look into His Word. Following are several passages of Scripture which have one thing in common: all have something to teach us about the relationship of non-Israelites to the Torah of Israel. Even though these passages come from quite diverse locations in the Scriptures, we will strive to avoid violating their context and intended meaning. We submit these teachings for your prayerful consideration.

Our Father Abraham

Abraham was not a Jewish person. He was born a Gentile in the city of Ur, a prominent city-state in lower Mesopotamia. We are not certain how he came to believe in the one true God, the Creator of heaven and earth, and the God of his descendants (Israel). But as we read about him in the pages of Genesis, we find a Gentile who had a profound relationship with God.

It is true that Abraham was the father of the Jewish people. But he himself was not born Jewish. Judaism began with Abraham when God entered into a covenant, signified by circumcision, with him and his progeny.

Abraham lived several hundred years before one of his descendants, Moshe, would receive the Torah on Mount Sinai. Yet the Lord said of him, "Abraham heard My voice and guarded My commandments, My statutes, and My Torah." (Genesis 26:5) Actually, the Hebrew is even more emphatic: "Abraham heard My voice and guarded My protective guards, My commandments, My statutes, and My Torah."

How did Abraham do this before the Torah, the mitzvot, and the chukim were revealed to Moshe? How did he come to call upon the name of the Lord? How did he know, as his ancestor Noach knew, that to relate properly to the Lord required a blood sacrifice? Could it be that the Lord Himself somehow revealed to these non-Jewish men of God portions of His holy Torah, in the expectation that they would receive this teaching as His Word to them?

Israel Was to Attract the Gentiles

Let us travel onward in history to the time when Abraham's physical family, the children of Israel, were camping on the plains of the Jordan Valley opposite Jericho and preparing to take possession of the Promised Land.

The Lord had called this nation to be separate and holy unto Him. They were to live the Torah before the surrounding nations as a mighty witness of the true God: Who He was, and how He desired His people to relate to Him. God equipped Israel for this task in many ways. For example, He chose to situate the nation at the crossroads of the world! The Promised Land was an ancient and natural land bridge between Japan, India and China in the Far East, Africa in the south, and Europe in the north. Accordingly, many of antiquity's most traveled trade routes traversed the land of Israel. Because of this, the Israelites had ample exposure to people from all nations of the then known world.

Furthermore, the Holy One provided Israel with the Torah. This body of writing contained provisions and instructions for relating properly to God, living peacefully with others, and finding prosperity in the Land. If Israel had made the Torah their national lifestyle in the way God intended, all nations of the earth would have discovered this life and flocked to Israel's God-the one true God. As we read in the Torah itself:

Suppose, for a moment, that it had worked! Suppose some Gentile people groups had observed the wisdom of Israel's God as expressed through their living out of the Torah. And that, provoked to jealousy, they chose to embrace the God of Israel. What then? Would Israel have said to these non-Jews, "You may have our God, but not our Torah?" That would be ludicrous! The text in Genesis clearly implies that to accept Israel's God also meant to live by the revealed wisdom of His Torah.

The Prophets Made Provision for Gentiles

Let us continue again through the centuries to a time in the late 600s or early 700s BCE. When Isaiah, one of Israel's greatest prophets, wrote his book, he did so with the intention of admonishing Israel and Judah to forsake their sins and to live by the Covenant of the Torah. He also encouraged the faithful remnant of believers to continue in their faith in the Lord.

However, Isaiah had a message for the Gentiles as well. He had words of rebuke and warning for them, as chapters 13-23 indicate. However, particularly in chapter 56, we also find words of encouragement for the remnant of Gentiles who followed the God of Israel. Indeed, for our purposes this is a most remarkable passage, meriting our close attention.

Chapter 56 of Isaiah opens up with an encouragement to the remnant of Israel to continue following the Covenant of Torah. The prophet calls upon them to "maintain justice and do what is right" as well as to "keep the Shabbat." These are words which we might expect a prophet of Israel or Judah to speak to the Jewish people. Notice, however, who Isaiah is addressing in verses 3 and 6. He speaks about "the foreigner"-but not just any foreigner. These are foreigners who have bound themselves to the Lord. In other words, the prophet has some important things to say to non-Jewish believers.

First, Isaiah tells these non-Israelites (non-Jewish believers) that the Lord Himself will make certain to include them with the remnant of His people among Israel. This is the thrust of 56:3.

Second, presumably because these Gentile believers share a portion with Israel, Isaiah reminds them that the Lord will grant them access to "My holy mountain" and that He will accept their offerings at the Temple, because "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations." (In the Hebrew, the word translated "nations" is amim-literally, "peoples.") In other words, God was doing all He could to assure these non-Israelite believers that they were on equal footing with Israel, the people of the covenant. Yet He refers to them not as Israel, but as "foreigners!"

Third, notice how Isaiah describes the lifestyle of these Gentile believers. He characterizes them in verse 6 as people "who keep the Shabbat without desecrating it and who hold fast to My covenant." This is an utterly remarkable statement to make about believers not born physically into the nation of Israel. It implies that although they cannot be called "Jews" because of their birth, yet because of their relationship with the Lord they are entitled to follow Torah-and even encouraged in their observance! In addition, they are described as participants in "the covenant."

Finally, in verse 8, Isaiah prophesies about the generations to come. He looks beyond his present situation and says, "The Sovereign Lord declares-He who gathers the exiles of Israel: I will gather still others to them besides those already gathered." At the very least, the Lord was promising that many from among the nations would believe in Him, thereby becoming a part of "them"-Israel-which would include living by the Torah! When would this happen? The natural answer to this would be at the ingathering of the Gentiles described in the book of Acts.

Yeshua Propagates the Torah to the Nations

Just before He went back to His Father's throne from whence He came, the Messiah gave careful instructions for his talmidim to follow. He told them in Matthew 28:19-20: "As you are going, make disciples from all nations, immersing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Spirit of God."

This passage, often referred to as the "great commission" by many believers, contains several points frequently overlooked by sincere Bible teachers in the churches. The first is the nature of the material Yeshua's followers were to teach to the potential believers from the Gentiles. Yeshua refers to this material as "My commandments." The vast bulk of His teaching consisted of explicit Torah passages and Torah-based instruction. Moreover, since He was most likely speaking Hebrew to His Hebrew-speaking followers, He would have used the word "mitzvot," which we have translated "commandments." Mitzvot were part of the instructions of the Torah. In other words, it is not difficult to see that Yeshua would have been instructing His followers to teach the Torah (the teaching on God's righteousness) to those from among the Gentiles who would believe. This would have been perfectly consistent with the prophecy of Isaiah 56 which we have examined above.

Introducing the Gentile to the Torah

The next important passage relating to our subject is Acts 15. To be sure, this is not an easy passage to interpret. It is, however, an important passage for us because it contains a record of how the Gentile believers were received by the early Jewish followers of Yeshua. There are several things we can learn from this passage about how Gentile believers may relate to the Torah.

The first point Acts 15 makes is to underscore the fact that no one may follow Torah in order to achieve justification. Concerning this salvation, the leaders confirmed that "God made no distinction between us and them, for He purified their hearts by faith" (verse 9). Having stated this truth, however, the chapter tells us that the Jewish leadership definitely had the Torah in the forefront of their minds. In verses 19-21, we see the leaders concluding that the new Gentile believers had a very definite relationship to the Torah. There were several aspects to this relationship.

First, presumably to facilitate table fellowship between the Jewish and non-Jewish members of the Body of Messiah, the Jerusalem elders instructed the non-Jewish believers to follow the parts of the Torah which had to do with the dietary laws. This was important, because it was by sharing meals together that true fellowship and unity could be fostered between the once estranged cultures.

It is at this point that many otherwise careful commentators fall into a trap. They assume that the Jewish leadership was requiring the Gentiles to follow something similar to the famous "Noachide Laws"-a set of rules developed by the rabbis for Gentiles to follow in order to be considered righteous. It is true that the four requirements recorded in Acts 15 are very similar to these Noahide Laws. However, we disagree with most interpretations of the reason for these requirements.

Many teachers feel that since the rabbis required Gentiles to adhere to the Noahide Laws, the Jewish leadership here is simply following suit, albeit on a somewhat limited basis. That may be true. However, there is a second, more probable explanation: the Jewish elders in Jerusalem were doing all they could to demonstrate grace, patience, and kindness to the Torah-illiterate Gentile believers.

The Jewish believers had grown up with the Torah. Many had significant sections of it memorized. It was their life and breath, their joy and heartbeat (see Acts 21). But to the Gentiles the Torah was a strange book. Many had never even been exposed to it before Sha'ul and other faithful followers of Yeshua brought them the message of Messiah. The Jerusalem elders knew this. They also knew that the only existing body of teaching for believers, Jewish or Gentile, was the Torah. However, the elders could not demand that the Gentile believers follow the Torah with the same intensity that they did. Therefore, by delineating the four Torah-based instructions for table fellowship in Acts 15:19-20, the wise and loving elders were communicating to the Gentiles this message: "You are equal to us in the Body of Messiah. Our teachings are your teachings. But it will take you a while before you can understand the Holy Book, the Torah. Thus, for now, only learn what will best facilitate fellowship between you and your Jewish brothers and sisters. You will gradually learn more of what it means to walk with God as time goes by. We will send you qualified and trained Torah teachers."

We find a confirmation of this interpretation in verse 21. After the elders wrote the teachings in verses 19-20, they made this rather cryptic statement to the Gentiles: "For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Shabbat." What is the meaning of this comment? It seems to make very little sense-unless we understand it as the elders' encouragement of the Gentile believers to continue in their study of the Torah. And since Torah instruction was available in the local synagogue of almost every city in the diaspora, this would not have presented a problem! In other words, the Jewish elders were telling the Gentile believers that if they wanted to grow in their understanding of the Torah, they could learn how to do so-in the synagogue.

Moreover, because most Gentile believers would have been worshipping in the synagogues, the Jerusalem leadership knew that these new believers would be hearing the Torah each week. In their wisdom, they knew the reality of Yeshua's teaching that "the sheep know My voice and follow Me." The Torah is the voice of Yeshua, and these young lambs would hear and follow.

Thus Acts 15, far from downplaying the role of Torah in the life of non-Jewish believers, rather provides ample encouragement for them to pursue the Torah at their own pace.

Gentiles Grafted In

We have seen that Abraham, the father of our faith, "heard God's voice and guarded God's Torah." We also saw that the Torah itself made provision for the Gentiles to relate to it. Next we looked at Isaiah's magnificent prophecies to the Gentile remnant of believers concerning their relationship to Torah and Israel's covenant. After that, we learned that Yeshua instructed His followers to teach the Gentiles the Torah, as the elders of the young Jerusalem fellowship knew that the Gentile converts would hear and pursue the Torah.

Now we come to one of the most important passages concerning the relationship between Gentile and Jewish believers in Yeshua. We are referring to Romans 11:11-21. To be sure, this passage does not speak about the Torah. However, it does teach that Gentile believers have a significant relationship with Israel. It is only a matter of reasoning that, since Gentile believers are closely connected to Israel, then they must also have a close connection to the Torah-just as Deuteronomy 4 implies.

In Romans 11:11-21, Shaul provides one of the most exciting truths in the Brit Hadasha for Gentile believers. Elsewhere he had described unbelieving Gentiles as those who were "uncircumcised, foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope, far away" (Ephesians 2:11-13), and pagan idol-worshipers (I Corinthians 12:2). In contrast, because of what Messiah Yeshua did for these countless numbers of non-Jewish people, they have now been brought near and "grafted in" to Israel.

There is some difference of opinion among the scholars about exactly into what the Gentiles are grafted. Some say that they, along with Jewish believers, are grafted in to Yeshua. But that does not do the passage or the context justice. Wilson states it best when he observes, "But this view confuses the expression 'root of Jesse'...or 'root of David'...with 'root of the olive tree.' The flow of the context supports the conclusion that the root represents the patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the faithful forefathers of the Jews."¹⁵

Thus, this passage is telling us that Gentile believers in Yeshua have a significant relationship with Israel through being grafted in. Again, let us permit Wilson to summarize this beautiful truth for us:

What then does it mean, in practical terms, for Gentiles to be "grafted in" to the olive tree of Israel? As stated elsewhere in this book, it does not mean that Gentile believers are now Jews. That, as we have stated, is a matter of physical descent. Rather, it is the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy: Gentiles can now benefit from the covenants, resulting in a living and active relationship with the Torah. Remember what Ephesians 2:11-13 says:

The Gentile believers have not been grafted in to France, nor have they been brought near to China or Mexico. Rather, because of Messiah, they are "no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household...." They have been made part of the commonwealth of the children of Israel.

An Inheritance with Israel

Lest there be any doubt about the new relationship between Gentile believers and the covenanted children of Israel, let us turn to Ezekiel 47. Here the prophet looks far ahead of his own time, and even of our present age. He prophesies concerning the coming Messianic Age, when Yeshua will be seated on the throne of David in Jerusalem. This will also be the time, according to Ezekiel, when the final land inheritance is divided among the people of Israel.

However, we see in verses 21-23 that there will be others desiring to live among the people of Israel. These are Gentile believers. The Lord at that time will instruct Israel with the following word regarding the distribution of the inheritance:

Do you see what God is teaching here? He is instructing the Israelites regarding their relationship with those who have come to live among them. They are so grafted in that they are to be considered native-born Israelites, with full rights of inheritance. One thing this implies for our study is that if non-Jewish believers may be entitled a parcel of land among the people of Israel in the Messianic kingdom, surely they can be permitted to enjoy the blessings of the Torah among the people of Israel right now!

The Bride

We have indicated in this book that among other things, the Torah serves as the ketubah, the sacred marriage document specifying the conditions for the Divine marriage between God and Israel. This means that Israel is the bride of God, a fact quite adequately affirmed in the rest of the Tenakh (see, for example, the prophecy of Hosea). Yet, as we read the Brit Hadasha, we learn that the "Church" is considered to be the bride of Messiah.

What is the situation here? Does God have two brides? Is He a polygamist? Of course not! Or is it possible that, as some have suggested, God divorced one bride, Israel, to marry another, the Church? That cannot be, either. Jeremiah speaks concerning this when he affirms God's everlasting covenant with the physical children of Israel in 31:35-37. Sha'ul of Tarsus also affirms the continual existence of the physical people of Israel in Romans 9-11.

The best solution to this problem is to assert that God has always had one bride, His chosen people. His bride has always been Israel, remnant Israel. All along, this has been enlarged to include those grafted in to Israel, the Gentile believers. Since, therefore, God has one bride, it would then follow that the same ketubah still defines this Divine marriage: the Torah.

The Cycle of Worship

Finally, we need to ask one question: where are the commanded worship times that God gave to His people? We can look long and hard through the Brit Hadasha without finding a specified time of worship for the people of God. Yet all we need do is open to Leviticus 23, and a whole worship cycle is before us. This cycle contains seven or eight specified times when God's holy community gathers for precious worship before the Holy One. Most of these special appointed times (mo'edim in Hebrew) are occasions of great joy and praise. One day, Yom Kippur, is a more solemn occasion. In short, these are the times when Israel was called to remember what God did for them as a nation, both physically and spiritually. The cycle of the mo'edim was designed by God to proclaim in every generation, year by year, the Good News of the Messiah and His work of redemption in our lives (see also Hebrews 4:2). Accordingly, it should not surprise us that the Lord instructed that these special days be observed "throughout your generations wherever you live" (23:14, 21).

What about the non-Jewish members of God's family? Are they to be left out of the singing and the dancing, the celebrating of the Lord's redemptive work in their lives? Are they to be denied gathering for special meals, hearing the shofar sound, or living for a week in a special succah? Yet these are the specified times of worship taught in the Torah and which Yeshua celebrated with His talmidim.

The history of redemption and the worship of the Redeemer were clearly intended to be celebrated by all of God's people throughout the generations through the mo'edim. This includes the Gentile believers, as they are part of that same redemptive history. (For those unfamiliar with the mo'edim, we refer you to Chapter Three, "The Torah, A Way of Life," as an introduction to the subject.)

Summary

We have attempted in this section to present the biblical evidence supporting this thesis: that non-Jewish believers in Yeshua have a meaningful and significant relationship to the Torah of Moshe. Through this relationship, God Himself instructs His children to embrace the full revelation of His grace in their lives. That full revelation consists of the whole of Scripture, including the Torah.

Believing Israel in the first century was a mighty light to the nations. As a result, many from those nations came to faith and were "grafted in" to the holy community. Thus, on the other hand, the holy community is the Torah community. May the holy community of this present generation also become a light to the nations, bringing many into "the Way, the Truth and the Life"-Yeshua Himself! According to our understanding...the Torah for me? Yes! For you? Are you grafted in? Then, yes! The Torah is for the holy community!