What is it that G-d sees when we sin?

This Torah Focus is to the point.  In this program is less than two minutes.  In this short clip you will know what G-d sees when we sin. Check it out.

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Berachot 60b

On entering a privy one should say: ‘Be honored, ye honored and holy ones that minister to the Most High. Give honor to the G-d of Israel. Wait for me till I enter and do my needs, and return to you’. Abaye said: A man should not speak thus, lest they should leave him and go. What he should say is: ‘Preserve me, preserve me, help me, help me, support me, support me, till I have entered and come forth, for this is the way of human beings’.

When he comes out he says: ‘Blessed is He who has formed man in wisdom and created in him many orifices and many cavities. It is fully known before the throne of Thy glory that if one of them should be [improperly] opened or one of them closed it would be impossible for a man to stand before Thee’. How does the blessing conclude? Rab said: ‘[Blessed art You] that heals the sick’. Said Samuel: Abba has turned the whole world into invalids! No; what he says is, ‘That heals all flesh’. R. Shesheth said: ‘Who does wonderfully’. R. Papa said: Therefore let us say both, ‘Who heals all flesh and doest wonderfully’.

The Messianic Secret

Volumes have been written about the final verse in our pericope of Mark. (Mk 8:30) Why would Yeshua tell his Talmidim to keep silent concerning his being Messiah? The other writers who have offered different levels of perspective on Yeshua’ life have recorded this event as well. However, I believe that we have sufficient information in the p’shat of Mordechai to answer this question. Below I offer some possible answers to the problem. I will offer the opinions of other scholars and then my opinion in conclusion.

It is obvious that Yeshua is in a foreign environment as we have already stated. Perhaps Yeshua does not want his Talmidim broadcasting the revelation of Messiah-ship in this foreign environment. The thought goes that Yeshua did not want this “secret” broadcast because there may be a veiled anti-Semitism in this foreign location. However, in my mind this is not really a good answer. Though plausible, I believe that there is a better answer in the history of his life as recorded by Mordechai.

Others suggest that Yeshua was really trying to tell his Talmidim to tell everyone that he was Messiah in some sort of antithetical way. By telling his Talmidim not to tell, he knew that they would tell everyone. Again, while this may be plausible I do not think this is the real crux of the story.

Other scholars go so far as to suggest that this was never really a part of the original story. It was added later to solve some literary problem. Again, I do not buy this thesis. When scholars start hacking up text at their whim they can make any story they like. They can cut and paste until they have the story they want to tell. Beware of the hackers!

There are other examples in the Mesorah of Mordechai where Yeshua follows the same practice. (see 1:34; 7:36; 8:26) While I believe that Mordecahi and his master T’sfet are far more ingenious than we ever gave them credit for, I believe the answer is really quite simple. Why don’t we let Yeshua simply be who he really is? He is a chakham and tzadik. A real chakham and tzadik does not need to advertize his intelligence and wisdom. If you are a real chakham, you do not have to tell anyone. They know it instinctively when they hear you speak. I have translated the relative verse as follows. “And to show his honor he asked them to tell no one about Him.” The Greek word “epitimao” contains the following dictionary trace from the Liddel Scott, which defines the classic Greek, and the Thayer, which is one of the better lexicons of our day.

[Liddell Scott] evpitima,w

evpi&ti¯ma,w, f. h,sw, to lay a value upon, Lat. aestimare: hence, 1. to shew honour to, tina, Hdt. 2. to raise in price:-Pass. to rise in price, Dem. II. of judges, to lay a penalty on a person, Hdt. 2. c. acc. to censure, Dem.; also c. dat., Id.: absol., Thuc. Hence evpiti,mhsij

[Thayer] evpitima,w

evpitima,w, evpiti,mw; imperfect 3 person singular evpeti,ma, 3 person plural evpeti,mwn; 1 aorist evpeti,mhsa; the Septuagint for r[;G”; in Greek writings 1. to show honor to, to honor: tina, Herodotus 6, 39. 2. to raise the price of: o` si/toj evpetimhqh, Demosthenes 918, 22; others. 3. to adjudge, award (from timh, in the sense of merited penalty): th,n di,khn, Herodotus 4, 43. 4. to tax with fault, rate, chide, rebuke, reprove, censure severely,

Thayer tells us in #4 that there can be a rebuke. However, I do not believe that this even fits the context of the narrative. Unless there is something that we do not see and are not told Yeshua has no need to “rebuke” T’sfet or his talmidim. While the word evpitima,w is paralleled by the Hebrew word r[;G in the Septuagint we must still maintain the context of the narrative.

Because Yeshua is an honorable Tzadik, he does not need his Messiah-ship broadcast. His righteousness will speak for itself. Soon enough everyone will know the true nature of his Messianic character.

The Trouble with Mitzvot

Tonights class will deal with the interaction between the Oral Torah and the Mitzvot of the Written Torah.

The following Study Guide will be requisite.

Study Guide

Tonight we will continue out look at the Mesorah of Mark in relation to the Torah Seder. We will look at mechanisms for connecting the Haftarah and Nazarene Codicil passages to the Torah Seder.  The Study Guide for Lesson #9 and #10  will be helpful for tonight’s class.

See you at 7CST

We will be taking a serious look at the mastermind behind Mark’s Mesorah.  This is going to be a good class. You will not want to miss it.

The following Study guide will be requisite.

Study Guide 10

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Connecting the Pericope of Mark with the Torah Seder

Tonight we will look at Mark and see how it’s themes and vocabulary fit the Torah Sederim (Parshot).  We will be looking at the first couple of Mark pericope.

The following Study Guide will be helpful

Updated

Study Guide 9

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Midrashim - with Dr. Walter Oakley Tuesdays on ARBA4 / Torah Focus

Mesorah of Mark #3

This program is aired only in audio.  This is the Next Lesson in te Series of Mesorah of Mark.  Due to time constraints and file size we are only able to air this file in audio.  However, we have posted the appropriate study guide for viewing while auditing this program. A DVD is available for purchase.  If you wish to purchase the DVD of this program please contact us through the Torah Focus Website.

Download the Study guide through the E-book file below

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The Simple Gospel?

Mark always catches the opposition for being the ignorant and simple.  However, the fact that Mark laid the foundation for all the succeeding Gospels is seldom conceded.  Where did Mark gat all of his wisdom?  Here is another one of those oxymorons.  Mark turns out to be the scribe of Peter.  There again, saying that Mark was Peter’s scribe causes us to think that we should dismiss this book and move on to bigger and better things.  However, bigger is not always better.  Our world is preoccupied with fast and easy.  Well, here you are.  Mark is the fast and easy Gospel. On the other hand, is it?

What complexities lay behind the simple text?

The Mesorah of Mark

We have begun our series labeled the “Mesorah of Mark.”   Why have we used this title?  Why did we deviate from “Gospel”?

We have selected the title Mesorah because the Hebrew word “Mesorah” means tradition.   When most readers read this, they will think that I am referring to the “tradition” that was passed down concerning Yeshua.  Quite the reverse, this is not my point.   When I refer to “Mesorah”, I am using the genuine Hebraic thought concerning Mesorah.

This being the case, Mark’s book would open with these words.  “The beginning of the Mesorah of Yeshua haMashiach son of the judge.”  Well, this needs a bit of clarification.

First, the Hebrew word “beginning” used by Mark is “raysheet.”  The Hebrew word “raysheet” means beginning.  However, it does not mean first in an order of events.  This is the case with the Hebrew phrase “braysheet,” “in the beginning” as recorded in the book of Genesis.  The Hebrew word “raysheet” means the chief or most important part of something.  In other words, Yeshua is the choicest or chief part of the Masorah i.e. Oral Law.  This ought to catch some opposition.  Many of Yeshua’ followers detest this word and idea.

Before we detest too much maybe, we should look a little deeper.  How so?  What I am saying here is that Yeshua is the foundation for all of the Oral Law.  John suggested that if we loved Yeshua we would keep his commandments (14:15).  This being true, we should want to know his commandments.    I have heard the old cliché that this means love your neighbor ect.   I do not buy this load of bunk.  Why?   Because Yeshua said far more than just love G-d and neighbor.   A life and ministry as great as his is insulted by such a naive remark.  I am sure that other will concur that we have far greater truths to learn.

In the coming weeks we will delve into the mystery of Mark, the depth of Peter’s teaching and the power of a single life.

The Paradox

Tonight’s class is labeled “The Paradox.”  We will look at paradoxical thinking and studies.  The following study guide will be helpful.

Study Guide

Mesorah of Mark - The Great Day

Tonight’s discussion will take a look at the opening pericope of Mark in relation to the month of Nisan and Shabbat haGadol.

The following study Guide will be requisite.

Study Guide

Tonight’s class will be a discussion on Hanukkah.  The following study guide will be requisite.

Study Guide

Mesorah of Mark #6

Tonight’s class will focus on the pericope of Mark 1:1-2 and it relation to Pesach. The following study guide will be requisite  for the class. Join us live at 7 CST

Study Guide

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Midrashim - with Dr. Walter Oakley
Tuesdays on ARBA4 / Torah Focus

Mesorah of Mark #5

In this program we begin to look more deeply at the idea of what “Tradition” means in realtion to who and what Yeshua is.

Study Notes available in the Ebook file below.

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A Taste of Hebrew

#64 / Min

Dr. Elizabeth Oakley

Dr Elizabeth teaches a Taste of Hebrew

We welcome Dr. Elizabeth to Torah Focus teaching line up

Mondays on ARBA4 / Torah Focus

In this Taste of Hebrew we look at the Hebrew word “min.” We will see how it is used throughout scripture and try to trace the word historically to search for broader meanings.

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