Grafted (ePub)

The purpose of this book is to share a simple guide to what the Torah ("to guide or teach") tells us about living life the way God wishes.

When I began to study my Hebrew roots (I do not believe I am a Jew, though I could be; the ten tribes of the house of Israel never returned from captivity and assimilated into the societies they were taken to. I'm happy to acknowledge that I may only be a "stranger that sojourneth among you" [Exodus 12:49]), I could not find a simple list of things that said, "Do this, eat that", etc., so I wrote this one.

Jesus admonished the Pharisees for teaching traditions (Talmud) and obscuring the law (Torah) through their religious edicts and practices. God said that His Commandments are not difficult, but over the centuries, Jewish leaders have added to God's statutes as a way of helping the Jewish people to avoid close proximity with sin. The intentions initially were good, but the practices became a religion unto themselves, and the Jews lost the message of God's love in the endless procedures and rules proscribed by the Talmud.

Jesus kept the entire law, as did the apostles Paul, Peter, James, Stephen, et al. We err when we teach that Christianity is something new. Neither Jesus nor the apostles ever advocated anything new. They remained committed Hebrews all their days, and to teach otherwise is not only wrong but also calamitous to our Christian walk.

One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an ordinance for ever in your generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the LORD. (Numbers 15:15-16; see also Romans 11:16-27)