Mk. 1.1-2

BSD (BSiyata DShamaya)
Aramaic: With the help of Heaven
NAZAREAN TALMUD
Sidra Of BeResheet (In the Beginning)
Bresheet (Genesis 1:1 2:3
By: Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham &
Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai
SCHOOL OF HAKHAM SHAUL SCHOOL OF HAKHAM TSEFET

Tosefta Peshat
(Luke 1:1 2:50) (Mark 1:1-2)
Peraqim Alef - Bet Pereq , Mishnayot Alef + Bet
Pereq : Inasmuch as many have undertaken to repeat the liturgical1 The chief part of the Masorah
narrative of the events that are fully known2 among us,3 just as they (Tradition/Oral Law) is Yeshuah the
were orally4 handed down (Mesorah)5 to us from those who were Messiah, the Son of God (i.e. Ben
eyewitnesses from the beginning,6 (from the) Hakhamim7 (Sages) of Elohim = the King/Judge); as it is
the Torah.8 So I, carefully following every teaching, which has been written in the prophets, Behold, I
(orally)9 transmitted from the beginning, am writing a liturgical send My messenger before your face,
account for Your Excellency Theophilus, that you may know the truth which will prepare your way
concerning the things which you have been catechized.10 (Hebrew: Derekh/Halakha) before
you (Exodus 23:30; & Malachi 3:1).
: And now it happened in the days of Herod, king of Yhudah, that
there was a Kohen (priest) named Zkharyah, of the (priestly) division
of Aviyah.11 And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her And as it is said: Mosheh received
the Torah from Sinai and gospelled it
1
Most translations will agree that the anatassomai means orderly transmission. Building on the concept being the Oral
tradition Mesorah of Messiah, I translate anatassomai as liturgical. We should see this as a liturgical account of the
Masters life. Or, the events of the Masters life in relation to the Torah Lectionary. See TDNT 8:32 to repeat what has been
learned, from memory i.e. the Mishnaic import of Mordechai (Mark). John Nolland here suggests that the literary composition
of this liturgy is the effort of the many. Nolland, J. (2000). Word Biblical Commentary Luke 1-9:20 (Vol. 35a). (B. M.
Metzger, D. A. Hubbard , & G. W. Barker, Eds.) Nashville: Thomas Nelson. p.6
2
plerophoreo Scholars suggest the use of the concept of plerophoreo as fulfillment or
accomplished preferring the former. This matches their agenda to use Matt 5:17 in a way, which demonstrates the completion
and abrogation of the Torah. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I have translated according to the lexical use of the word
as demonstrated in TNDT 6:309
I fully acknowledge the work of Yeshua and his messianic mission. In this frame, his work has accomplished or fulfilled its
goal. However, this fulfillment can NEVER be seen as an abrogation of the Torah.
3
I.e., the Hakhamim entrusted with the Mesorah of Messiah. My reference here is in particular to Hakham Shaul and his sofer
(scribe) Hillel (Luke).
4
See TDNT 2:909 where it is determined that Luke received his account of the Gospel orally.
5
I have translated handed down because this is typical nomenclature for transmission of materials such as Torah and Mesorah.
Similar phrases from this Greek word are handed over, or passed on.
6
arche, relating this opening pericope with the Torah Seder Beresheet. The opening phrase of Genesis reading
in the LXX and also found in the Peshat of Mordechai (Mark) 1:1.
7
Here I translate the officer as the Hakhamim by contextual hermeneutic rule #12 of R. Yishmaels 13 middot. It is for this
reason that I will use Hakham as a preface for men such as Hakham Tsefet St. Peter.
8
The word here should be understood as the Torah
9
I have used orally here because its use is implied from above. See TDNT 2:909
10
katecheo implying formal systematic education on particular matters. Theophilus (the beloved of God) has already
been catechized by the Mesorah of Mark or schooled in the School of Hakham Tsefet. Having graduated the School of Peshat,
Theophilus is now ready to move forward. Hakham Shaul, in making the liturgical presentation of Tosefta and Remes furthers
Theophilus education.
11
Cf. 1Chr 24:718
Page 1 of 38
name was Elisheba.12 And they were both righteous/generous before down to Yehoshua, and Yehoshua
God, walking blamelessly (sinless) in all the mitzvoth gospelled it down to the Elders, the
(commandments) and statutes13 of the LORD. But, they had no child, Elders to the Prophets, and the
because Elisheba was barren, and both were advanced in years. Prophets gospelled it down to the Men
of the Great Assembly. They (the Men
: And now it happened when he (Zkharyah) was serving in the order of the Great Assembly) emphasized
of his priestly division before God (at the Temple), he was chosen by three things; Be deliberate in
lot according to custom of the priesthood to enter the Temple (Holy judgment, make stand many disciples,
Place) to offer incense. Now at the time of the incense offering, the and make a fence around the Torah
whole assembly prayed in the outer (courts).14 And the angel of the (P. Abot 1:1).
LORD appeared to him15 (Zkharyah) standing at the right side of the
altar of incense.16 And seeing the angel Zkharyah was overwhelmed
with awe17 and trepidation. But the angel said to him, Zkharyah do not be afraid because your supplication has
been heard. Your wife Elisheba will bear a son and you will call his name Yochanan. You will have joy and
gladness, and many will delight in his birth, for he will be outstanding in the sight of the L ORD. He must never
drink wine or anything intoxicating; and even from his mothers womb, he will be filled with the spirit of
prophecy.18 And he will return19 many of the Bne Yisrael to the LORD their God. He will go before Him (the
LORD) with the neshamah (spiritsoul) and power of Eliyahu (Elijah), as it is written, And he will turn the heart
of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers; lest I come and smite the land with utter
destruction (Mal 3:2324 (4:56). [Or in paraphrase:] (He) will turn the disobedient to the Hakhamim20 (Sages
personification of wisdom) of righteous/generosity to establish a people21 for the LORD.
: And Zkharyah said to the angel, "How will I know this (is true)? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced
in years." And the angel answered him, "I am Gabriel. I stand and serve the Shechinah (Divine presence), and I
was sent to speak to you and to bring you this message. And behold, because you were not persuaded by my words,
which will be fulfilled in their (appointed)22 time, you will be mute and unable to speak until the day that these
12
The present introductory style can be found in typical husband / wife introductions in the Tanakh. Cf. 1Sa.1:12
13
This refers to the Chukim, pl.m. Chukot pl.f. Chukim/Chukot are statutes, inexplicable Laws of the Torah. The use here implies
the extent of their righteous/generosity which is attested to by the use of blameless/sinless.
14
Cf. m. Tamid 6:13
15
See Brown, R. E. (199). The Birth of the Messiah, A commentary of the infancy Narrative in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke
(New Updated Edition ed.). (D. N. Freedman, Ed.) New York: The Anchor Bible, Yale University Pres. Table VIII p. 156
16
Between the altar of incense and the Menorah.
17
While the Greek word phobos is typically translated fear the true response to angelic visitation is although associated
with fear is majestic awe. Reiling, J., & Swellengrebel, J. L. (1993], c1971). A handbook on the Gospel of Luke. Originally
published: A translator's handbook on the Gospel of Luke, 1971. UBS handbook series; Helps for translators. New York: United
Bible Societies. p. 28
18
The endowment with the Holy Spirit characterizes John as a prophet since, according to Jewish interpretation, the Spirit was
the Spirit of prophecy Strack, H. L., and Billerbeck, P., Kommentar zum Neuen Testament aus Talmud und Midrasch, Mnchen,
19221961. 127ff See below where Elisheba speaks from the spirit of prophecy.
19
Appropriate terminology for the turning Jewish hearts is return. The appropriate language for a Gentile when embracing
G-d is turning towards G-d. Therefore, I translate epistrepho return.
20
Because of Yochanans work, the disobedient will turn to wisdom ChokhmahHakhamim. We have in the phrase wisdom a
number of hints making this particular part of Hakham Shauls work Remes rather than Tosefta. Or we might say that here the
Tosefta actually fits the hermeneutic principle of Remes rather than Peshat. However, we also have a hint to Messiah. While
Yeshua is a personification of wisdom (chokhmah), the Hakhamim are equally the personification of chokhmah thus the name
akhamim. Therefore, the Sages establish a people for the LORD.
21
This passage is conceptually related to Abot 1:1, making many talmidim (disciples) to stand. Consequently, the people
are actually talmidim.
22
I have bracketed in appointed which is implied by the use of kairos which is translated by varied interpreters as
proper time and in its appointed time. Cf. Reiling, J. &. (1971). A handbook on the Gospel of Luke. New York: United Bible
Societies. p.41 and Johnson, L. T. (1991). The Gospel of Luke (Vol. 3). (S. J. Daniel J. Harrington, Ed.) Collegeville , MN: The
Liturgical Press, Sacra Pagina Series. p.34
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things take place."23 And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a
vision in the temple (holy place), and kept making signs to them. And now it happened when his time of service
(at the Temple) was ended, he went to his home.
: After these days his wife Elisheba conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, "This is
what the LORD has done for me in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among my people."
: In the sixth month (of Elishebas pregnancy), the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galil named
City24 of Branches (Notsri),25 to a young girl26 betrothed to a man whose name was Yosef, of the house of David.
And the young girls name was Miriam (Mary). And he came to her and said, "Shalom, O favored 27 woman, the
LORD be with you!" But she was greatly perplexed at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this
might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Miriam (Mary), for you have found favor with God. And
behold, you are going to conceive28 in your womb and bear a son, and you will call his name Yeshua. He will be
great and will be called the son of the Most High.29 And the LORD God30 will give to him the throne of his father
David, and he will reign over the house of Yaaqov forever, and of his kingdom (governance) there will be no
end." And Miriam (Mary) said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a young girl (yet to marry)?" And the
angel answered her, "You will31 be clothed with the Ruach HaKodesh (Spirit of holiness), and the Shechinah
(Overshadowing Presence) and power of the of the Most High;32 therefore the child will be born holy33 (separated
to specific purpose) and will be called the son of God. And behold, your relative Elisheba in her old age conceived
a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. Because no word (breathed) from God will be
powerless." And Miriam (Mary) said, "Behold, I am the servant of the LORD; let it be to me according to the word
23
I have softened this rebuke because we have scriptural precedent where Yehoshua (Joshua) stood face to face with the angel
of the LORD, though with trepidation demanded the angels identity concerning his being for or against the people of God.
24
The use of polis rather than patris town the place where he grew up or the place of his ancestors is of import.
Nazareth was never more than a patris The place of Yeshuas residence is a poils implying that there was a place of greater
influence that Yeshua lived and matured.
25
There is a great deal of controversy concerning the title Nazareth as the place where Yeshua grew up or resided during his
early years. Nazareth is not mentioned in any Jewish literature i.e. Mishnah, Talmud, Midrash or Josephus. The etymology of
the word seems to be related to the idea that Messiah would be from the stock or branch of David. Further research shows that
also means to guard or watch. Therefore, it is suggested that the City of Branches or the City of Guardians or City of
Watchmen is Tzfat. Consequently, this would make Tzfat the actual place of Yeshuas early residence. This interpretation seems
to be more in line with the thought of Yeshua being from the branch of Jessie (Davidic stock). Given the Remes interpretation
of the present materials we would suggest tha Yeshua was the guardian, watchman of the soul, Oral Torah, Wisdom
Hokhmah and Tzfat was the secret garden or garden of secrets (Sood).
26
There is no need to read into this word the idea of special insemination. At this point Miriam (Mary) is a virgin young woman
of marital age. Therefore, the Greek parthenos means that Miriam (Mary) is a marriageable maiden with the
implication that she is a virgin. Cf. TDNT 5:826
27
The term charitoo may also imply the righteous/generosity attributed to the Tsadiqim (Holy Ones).
28
Note that here the natural process of insemination is alluded to.
29
This is s title given to the King of Yisrael. Note here that it is associated with the Kingship (throne) of the monarch David.
is a title for God found frequently in the LXX, where it is equivalent to l elyn. Yeshua relates the title
sons of the Most High with those who walk in righteous/generosity. Therefore, we should not read the phrase or title son
of God in any special manner.
30
Language reminiscent of Beresheet (Genesis)
31
eperchomai, is indicative of future action. This does not mean that Miriam conceived supernaturally at that
moment. Marshall cites Cranfield, Nothing is said regarding how this will happen, and in particular there is no suggestion of
divine begetting (Creed, 20). See Marshall, H. I. (1978). New International Greek Commentary, Commentary on Luke. Grand
Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. p. 71
32
This is a direct thematic link our present Torah Seder and related readings. Beresheet (Genesis) 1:2 the Divine presence
overshadowed the earth. This language is metaphoric, allegorical hinting to the act of creation. Or as the Rabbis have taught
that the spirit Ruach which hovered over the waters was the Spirit Ruach of Messiah. The Ruach hovering over the bohu
did not produce something supernatural. The result of the Ruach hovering over the bohu resulted in the natural appearance
of dry land Heb. Eretz. The Shechinah hovering overshadowing Miriam will insure her ability to naturally conceive.
33
Here we are to understand holy kodesh as being separated to the Messianic Mission. see footnote f above.
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you (breathed)." And the angel departed from her.
: In those days Miriam (Mary) rose and zealously went to the hill country, to a city34 in Yhudah, and she went
to the house of Zkharyah and greeted Elisheba. And now it happened when Elisheba heard the greeting of Miriam
(Mary), the baby leaped in her womb. And Elisheba was filled with (the) spirit of prophecy 35, and she cried out
with a loud voice, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed will be36 the fruit of your womb! And why am I
(granted the pleasure) that the mother of my master (Messiah) should come to me? For behold, when I heard the
sound of your greeting, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be
a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the LORD."
: And Miriam (Mary) said, "My soul (declares) the greatness of the L ORD, and my spirit rejoices in God my
Savior, for He has looked on the humility of His servant. Because, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty (One) has done great things (for) me, and Holy is His Name. And His chesed (mercy) is for those
who reverence Him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud
in the thoughts of their hearts; He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble;
He has satiated the hungry with good, and the rich (He has sent away) empty-handed. He has helped His servant
Yisrael, in commemoration of His mercy, as He spoke (promised) to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring
forever."
And Miriam (Mary) remained with her (Elisheba) about three months37 and returned to her home.
: Now the time came for Elisheba to give birth, and she bore a son. And her neighbors and relatives heard that
the LORD had shown chesed (mercy) to her, and they rejoiced with her. And on the eighth day they came to
circumcise the child. And they would have named him (the child) Zkharyah after his father, but Elisheba (his
mother) objected saying, "No; he shall be named Yochanan." And they said to her, "None of your relatives is called
by this name."38 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be named. And he asked for
a writing tablet and wrote, "His name is Yochanan." And they were all amazed. And immediately his mouth was
opened and his tongue (freed), and he spoke, blessing God. And all their neighbors were awed. And all these things
were discussed all through the hill country of Yhudah, and all who heard them pondered these things in their
hearts, saying, "What then will this child become? For the hand of the LORD was with him.
34
Why did Hakham Shaul (Paul) through his sofer (scribe) Hillel (Luke) not give us the name of the city? This is because the
name is inconsequential. The writers of the Nazarean Codicil do not interject materials that will distract their readers or weigh
down the translation/commentary.
35
Here the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) is the spirit of prophecy. Justin Martyr records It is not right, therefore, to understand
the Spirit and the power of God as anything else than the Word, who is also the first-begotten of God (Apologia 1:33 FC, 6. 71)
Fitzmyer, J. A. (1983). The Gospel According to Luke I-IX A New Translation with commentary (The Anchor Study Bible ed.,
Vol. 28). Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc. p. 350 Fitzmyer furthers the comment by telling us that it was not until
after the third/fourth century that the doctrine that the holy spirit was considered the Third Person of the Trinity.
The first century understood the holy spirit to be
The power of God with no emphasis on a spirit as a special separate entity.
The Divine (dwelling) Presence Shechinah
The spirit (breath i.e. Oral Torah) of holiness
The spirit of prophecy
However, the first century Sages never understood the holy spirit to be a separate entity.
36
Masculine, perfect passive blessed will be the fruit of your womb. The word blessed looks towards the future. As I have
noted in the footnote above Elisheba prophecies of the coming child. That Elisheba calls the child to be her master is most
likely her belief that Miriams child to be will be the Messiah. Likewise, the masculine tense demonstrates that the future
blessing will be a boy. J. Reiling translates that-which-will-be-born out-of your-womb. Reiling, J. &. (1971). A handbook
on the Gospel of Luke. New York: United Bible Societies.
37
Three New Moons
38
It was very common in the first century to name the child after the grandfather in the case of boys. We see that this was not
the case with Yochanan. Elisheba follows what she heard from Zkharyahs conversation with the angelic messenger.
Page 4 of 38
: And his father Zkharyah was filled with the spirit of prophecy and prophesied, saying, "Blessed be the LORD
God of Yisrael, for He has visited39 and brought forth (the) redemption of His people and has raised up a horn of
salvation for us in the house of His servant David, as He spoke through the mouth of His holy prophets from
antiquity,40 that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the chesed
(mercy) promised to our forefathers and to remember His holy covenant, the oath that He swore to our father
Abraham, to give us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, (that we) might be of priestly service
to Him without fear, in holiness and righteous/generosity before Him all our days.
: And you, child (Yochanan), will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the LORD to
prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the atonement of their sins, because of the
tender mercy of our God, whereby the dawn shall be watchman41 to us from on high to give light to those who sit
in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." And the child (Yochanan) grew
and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Yisrael.
Pereq : And now it happened in those days42 that Emperor Augustus issued a decree43 for a census44 to be taken
throughout the Empire.45 This census started before46 Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone went (every
male Royal Ish, was required to go) to his own city for the census. Yosef also went up from Galil, from the City
of Branches,47 to Yhudah, to the city of David, which is called Bet-Lechem, because he was a descendant of
Davids house (lineage). [He went to be] registered with Miriam the wife of his betrothal48 who was now pregnant.
And now it happened while they were there, the day of her delivery arrived. And she gave birth to their firstborn
son and wrapped him (with strips of cloth) and laid him in a feeding trough because there was no place for them
39
, pqad
40
Marshal citing Wilcox tells us that this is s liturgical structured phrase. The language has a liturgical sound (Wilcox, 74-76)
Cf. Marshall, H. I. (1978). New International Greek Commentary, Commentary on Luke. Grand Rapids, MI: William B.
Eerdmans Publishing Co. p. 91 Here Marshal related the hymn to the Shemoneh Esreh.
41

42
Hakham Shaul demonstrates that salvation history is both particular (JewishJohn 4:22) and universal in its implications.
43
dogma, as decree., I have translated it here as decree to maintain the continuity of thought with the institution of
Rabbinic decrees which will appear later in the text.
44
means write off with the implication of census. Scholars have determined that this means taxation. The truest
interpretation is census. There may have been some sort of taxation but this is indeterminate. It is most plausible to believe
that Scholars have arrived at the definition of taxation as the result of the idea of taxation through the idea of the half-shekel
tax taken to support the Temple. The half-shekel taxation was a means of taking a census among the Jewish people from the time
of Moshe.
45
While, means throughout the entire world, the meaning here, derived from context is throughout the
entire Romans Empire.
46
Publisius Sulpicius Quirinius (6-7) A.D. Herod king of Yehudah (Judea) died in March/April of 4 B.C.E. Following the
Matthew birth narrative in conjunction with the present Lukan Birth Narrative established the birth of Yeshua somewhere before
4 B.C.E. most likely being 6 B.C.E. Other qualifying date Mat 2:16 Stein, R. H. (2001, c1992). Vol. 24: Luke The New American
Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers. p. 105. See also Brown, R. E. (199). The Birth of the Messiah, A
commentary of the infancy Narrative in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke (New Updated Edition ed.). (D. N. Freedman, Ed.)
New York: The Anchor Bible, Yale University Press. p 395
47
There is a great deal of controversy concerning the title Nazareth as the place where Yeshua grew up or resided during his
early years. Nazareth is not mentioned in any Jewish literature i.e. Mishnah, Talmud, Midrash or Josephus. The etymology of
the word seems to be related to the idea that Messiah would be from the stock or branch of David. Further research shows that
also means to guard or watch. Therefore, it is suggested that the City of Branches or the City of Guardians or City of
Watchmen is Tzfat. Consequently, this would make Tzfat the actual place of Yeshuas early residence. This interpretation seems
to be more in line with the thought of Yeshua being from the branch of Jessie (Davidic stock). Given the Remes interpretation
of the present materials we would suggest that Yeshua was the guardian, watchman of the soul, Oral Torah, Wisdom
Hokhmah and Tzfat was the secret garden or garden of secrets (Sood).
48
mnesteuo does not mean that they were betrothed at the present time. The Perfect passive tense of the Greek speaks
in past tense. Therefore, we translate the wife of his betrothal. This makes no mention of virgin birth nor does it in any
strengthen the possibility of such. See Nolland, J. (2000). Word Biblical Commentary Luke 1-9:20 (Vol. 35a). (B. M. Metzger,
D. A. Hubbard, & G. W. Barker, Eds.) Nashville: Thomas Nelson. p. 015
Page 5 of 38
to lodge.
: And nearby there were shepherds49 abiding in their fields who (guarded) over their flocks in night watches.
And the messenger (angel) of the LORD stood before them and the Kabod (glory) of the LORD shined around them
and they were in great reverential awe. And the messenger (angel) said do not fear I bring a message of great joy
for all people (Yisrael):50 today a redeemer (like Moshe) is born for you in the city of David who is the Anointed
(Messiah) of the LORD.51 And this is a sign52 for you: you will find an infant wrapped (with strips of cloth) laying
in a feeding trough. And now it happened suddenly that there was a multitude of the heavenly army with the
messenger (angel) praising God and saying Glory to the Most High God, and Shalom (peace)53 on earth to His
favoured54 (Segulah i.e. Yisrael).
: And now it happened when the messengers (angels) departed into the heavens the shepherds said to each other
let us now go to Bet-Lechem (the city of David) and see this thing55 which has happened and has been made
known to us by the LORD. And they came with haste and found Miriam, Yosef and the infant was lying in a feeding
trough. And when they saw this they declared to (Yosef and Miriam)56 what had been told to them about this child.
And everyone who heard them were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Miriam kept these words to
herself (remembered) and gave careful consideration57 to them in her mind.58 The shepherds returned magnifying
and praising God (by singing Psalms)59 because all they had seen was as the (angelic messenger) had told them.
49
Scholars are quick to cite m. Kiddushin 4:14 where the Mishnah downplays the role of the shepherd. Nevertheless, it must be
noted that the entire discourse here is a hint (Remes) to the Davidic lineage of Messiah.
50
htis estai panti t la Reiling, J., & Swellengrebel, J. L. (1993], c1971). A handbook on the Gospel of Luke. Originally
published: A translator's handbook on the Gospel of Luke, 1971. UBS handbook series; Helps for translators. New York: United
Bible Societies. p. 112
51
Lamentations 4:20 The phrase is not paralleled elsewhere in the Nazarean Codicil. However, it is used in
Lamentations 4:20. The LXX reads and is translated Anointed (Messiah) of the LORD. Nolland, J. (2002). Vol.
35A: Word Biblical Commentary: Luke 1:1-9:20. Word Biblical Commentary. Dallas: Word, Incorporated. p.107
52
Greek semeion need not be understood as any miraculous sign per se. The sign may be understood as the
qualifying data for determining the infant they are looking for. However, the sign is paradoxical. That the King Messiah should
be found in the feeding trough of an animal is enigmatic. However, the manger feeding trough of an animal would have special
significance to the shepherds tending flocks. Marshall, I. H. (1978). The Gospel of Luke : A commentary on the Greek text.
Includes indexes. The New international Greek testament commentary. Exeter [Eng.: Paternoster Press. p 111
53
Here the intention of Shalom is the full scope of blessing associated with the mission of Messiah.
54
Cf. Cant. 6:3
55
Here the Greek word rhema corresponds to the Hebrew word Dabar which is also a thing.
56
Here the thought is somewhat ambiguous. The subject of the revelation made known is not clear. This has caused scholars
to believe that the sheepherders made the thing know to more than just Miriam and Yosef. Plummer, A. (1933). Critical and
Exegetical Commentary on The Gospel According to S. Luke (Fifth ed.). New York: T. & T. Clark. Note the opening phrase of
the next verse - pantes oi akousantes everyone who heard which informs us that they must have told
others.
57
sumballo, to give careful thought to, consider, ponder (Pla., Crat. 384a ; Philo, In Flacc. 139; Jos., Ant. 2,
72 ) Lk 2:19 (cp. our colloquial get it all together
BDAG The careful consideration seems to be a continuation of the continuing engagement with the events which
are told to Miriam. This careful consideration and mention of Miriam may make her a source for the events. Nolland, J. (2002).
Vol. 35A: Word Biblical Commentary: Luke 1:1-9:20. Word Biblical Commentary. Dallas: Word, Incorporated. p.107
58
Consideration to them in her mind, the appropriate English idiom for heart would be mind. It is wrong to psychologize
and to suggest that the messianic identity of the child is in the original form of the story a surprise to Mary as to all the rest.
Nolland, J. (2002). Vol. 35A: Word Biblical Commentary: Luke 1:1-9:20. Word Biblical Commentary. Dallas: Word,
Incorporated. p.109
59
TDNT 1:177 - There are eight occurrences in the NT, six in Luke and Acts, one in R. 15:11 == 116:1, and one in Rev. 19:5
dat. It denotes the joyful praise of God expressed in doxology, hymn or prayer, whether by individuals (Lk. 2:20; Ac. 3:8 f.), the
group of disciples (Lk. 19:37), the community (Ac. 2:47; Rev. 19:5) or the angels (Lk. 2:13). It may be that the sheepherders
sang the song of the messengers, Glory to the Most High God, and Shalom (peace) on earth to His beloved (Segulah Yisrael).
Page 6 of 38
: And after eight days passed (it was time for) his Brit Milah (circumcision)60 and he was named Yeshua, the
name (he was called) by the messenger (angel) before he was conceived in the womb. And when day came for
her61 (Miriams) purification according to the Torah of Moshe62, and they brought him (Yeshua) up to
Yerushalayim to redeem (i.e. pidyon ha-ben) him to the LORD. As it is written, you will set apart to the LORD all
that opens the womb; every firstling that is a male, which you have coming from a beast, will be the LORD'S (Exo.
13:12)63. And they offered the sacrifice required in the Torah of the LORD, [as it is written:] If, however, her
means do not suffice for a sheep, she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the
other for a sin offering. The priest will make expiation on her behalf, and she will be clean (Lev. 12:8).64
: And behold there was a man (Royal Ish) in Yerushalayim whose name was Shimon;65 this man (royal ish) was
a Tsaddiq and Shomer Shabbat/Nazar,66 anticipating67 the Comforter of Yisrael (the Messiah) because the spirit of
prophecy rested on him. And the spirit of prophecy revealed to him that he would not see death before he had seen
the LORDS Messiah. And he was guided by the spirit of prophecy to come into the Bet Mikdash; and they (Yosef
and Miriam) brought the child Yeshua according to the Oral Torah,68 Shimon took him in his arms and blessed
God (with the appropriate blessing)69 and then said, Master of the Universe, now you are dismissing your servant
(from Yerushalayim) in shalom (peace) according to Your prophecy:70 for my eyes have seen Your shalom (tikun),
which You have provided before all peoples, a light of truth for the Gentiles and for the exoneration of your people
(Yisrael.) And his father and mother were amazed and marveled at what (Shimon) said about him. Then Shimon
blessed them71 and said to his mother Miriam, this child is appointed for the rise and fall of many in Yisrael, to
be a sign of opposition so that the thoughts of many will be brought to light and a sword will pierce your own soul.
: And there was a prophetess, Channah bat Pnuel of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in age she live with
her husband for seven years after marriage, and then she was widowed to the age of eighty-four. She never failed
to attend the Temple worship fasting and praying night and day. And at that moment she came, and began giving
thanks to God and spoke about the child to everyone who was looking for the redemption of Yerushalayim. When
they finished everything required by the Torah of the LORD they returned to Galil to the city of Branches. The child
grew and became strong filled with hokhmah (wisdom) [Binah (understanding) and Daat (knowledge)] and the
60
Cf. Gen 17:10-14; 21:4; Lev. 12:3
61
, Of their purification should be understood as the days of her purification. Yeshua was not in need
of purification as a child. Cf. Plummer, A. (1896). A critical and exegetical commentary on the Gospel According to S. Luke.
London: T&T Clark International. p. 63
62
Cf. Lev. 12
63
See also Num. 18:15-16
64
Here we have a testimony against the virgin birth. Had Miriam (Mary) had such a birth she would not have been required to
give such an offering. However, because of her obedience to the Torah, she cannot have conceived and given birth to a child is
a supernatural way.
65
kai idou anthrpos n en ierousalm onoma sumen makes the introduction of Shimon who is righteous/generous. His
identity remains a mystery for the most part. However, Dr Alan Cutler has argued that this righteous Tsaddiq is none other than
Shimon ben Hillel.
66
The Greek word eulabes bears the idea of holiness or piety. However this word as used in the Tanakh is related to the
idea of separateness. This word is related to the Nazarite or more specifically the Nazarean. Here would determine that the current
reference is telling us that Shimon is from the city of Branches, noeri. This would reiterate that Shimon was of Davidic
lineage. The Greek to Hebrew Dictionary of Septuagint Words, Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament by Abbot-Smith
and Hatch and Redpath Concordance to the Septuagint, Free non-commercial distribution offers two possible Greek/Hebrew
parallels. The first being H2623 (chasid) and the second being H5144 (nazar.) We have used the latter with scholarly opinion
and insight.
67
Waiting for or looking for and anticipating
68
Cf. Numbers 8:15-18, Bechoroth 47a
69
"Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us
concerning the redemption of a son. " And: "Blessed are You, L ORD our God, King of the Universe, who has granted us life,
sustained us and enabled us to reach this occasion."
70
This prophecy is not a Biblical Prophecy. This prophecy is a personal prophecy given by the spirit of prophecy given
above.
71
Possibly hinting at the priestly blessing Num. 6:23ff
Page 7 of 38
chesed (loving-kindness) of God was upon him.
: And every year his parents made aliyah to Yerushalayim for the festival of Pesach. And when he was twelve
years old, they went up according to the Oral Torah.72 When the days (of the festival) ended while they returned
the young man Yeshua stayed behind in Yerushalayim and his parents did not know. But they thought that he was
in the group, and went a days journey. And they looked for him among relatives and friends. When they did not
find him, they returned to Yerushalayim to find him. And now it happened after three days found him in the Bet
Mikdash, studying among the Rabbis73 listening to them and asking pressing questions. And all who heard him74
were astonished at his understanding (ability to accept something by hearing and to follow it to its logical
connection)75 and answers.76 And (when his parents) saw him they were stricken with shock and his mother said
to him, child why have you dealt with us like this? Behold your father and I have been searching for you sick with
fear. He said to them why were you searching for me? Did you not know that it is proper for me to be doing the
things of my Father? And they did not understand what he said to them. And he went with them and came to (the
city of) Branches, and was obedient and subject to them. His mother carefully guarded all these things in her heart.
And Yeshua increased is hokhmah and in maturity and in divine and human favor.
SCHOOL OF HAKHAM SHAUL

REMES
(Acts 1:1-4)
Pereq :
Pereq : In the first account I (Luke) made O Theophilus, I indeed constructed [a narrative] concerning all the
work that Yeshua did and taught from the beginning till the day he was taken up (into the heavens) after giving
his Oral Torah through the spirit of prophecy to his chosen emissaries. After his suffering he showed himself alive
to them in many infallible proofs appearing to them during forty days77 and giving discourse about the governance
(kingdom) of God [through the Hakhamim and Bate Din as opposed to human kings]. And staying with them and
commanded them not to leave Yerushalayim, but to wait for what the Father proclaimed which you heard from me
(Yeshua).
72
Cf. m. Bikkurim 3:3
73
Cf. m. Abot 1:4 et. al. TDNT 3:440 1d
74
Theological dictionary of the New Testament. 1964-c1976. Vols. 5-9 edited by Gerhard Friedrich. Vol. 2 compiled by Ronald
Pitkin. (G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley & G. Friedrich, Ed.) Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. 2:687
75
Ibid Vol. 7, 7:888 the depth of what is being conveyed here cannot be put into a simple sentence. Therefore, I recommend
study of the TDNT related notes.
76
Not so much the questioning curiosity of the boy, but rather His successful disputing in rabbinic (Mishnaic & Talmudic) style.
Here the best possible translation relates to the rabbinic idea of stringing pearls as noted in the Midrash below. However, it would
best be translated And all who heard him76 astonished at his hermeneutic ability in stringing pearls.
Midrash Rabbah Song of Songs 1:53 When they were stringing pearls the words of the Pentateuch with those of the prophets
and the prophets with the Writings, and the fire flashed around them and the words rejoiced as on the day when they were
delivered from Sinai. For was not their original delivery from Mount Sinai with fire, as it says, And the mountain burned with
fire unto the heart of heaven (Deut. IV, 11)? Once as Ben Azzai sat and expounded, the fire played round him. They went and
told R. Akiba, saying, Sir, as Benn Azzai sits and expounds the fire is flashing round him. He went to him and said to him: I
hear that as you were expounding the fire flashed round you. He replied: That is so. He said to him: Were you perhaps
treating of the secrets of the Divine Chariot? No, he replied. I was only linking up the words of the Torah with one another and
then with the words of the prophets, and the prophets with the Writings, and the words rejoiced as when they were delivered
from Sinai, and they were sweet as at their original utterance. And were they not originally delivered from Sinai in fire, as it
says," And the mountain burned with fire"? As R. Abbahu sat and expounded, the fire flashed around him. He said: Am I perhaps
not linking together the words of the Torah in the proper way? For R. Levi said: Some are able to link together but not to
penetrate, (the extreme difficulties of the text) and some are able to penetrate but not to link together.
77
A pars pro toto argument for 33 days i.e. Lag BaOmer.
Page 8 of 38
COMMENTARY TO HAKHAM TSEFETS SCHOOL OF PESHAT

It was the custom in ancient libraries to recognise the title and contents of a book by the first few words of that
book at the beginning of said scroll. Therefore Mishnayot.1-2 describe to any ancient Librarian the title of the book
and a small description of its contents. This technique will become clearer after we make sense of every word
contained in these two initial verses.
I. Mordechai (Mark) 1:1
(Arkhi) - this Greek term corresponds to the Hebrew Resheet, meaning chief part as in:
,
Resheet Chokhmah Yirat Adonai (Psalm 111:10)
" (Septuagint Psalm 110:10)
The chief part of Wisdom is the reverential fear of Ha-Shem.
The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament78 defines the Hebrew term RESHEET to mean First,
beginning, choicest, first/best of a group. The same source continues stating:
A feminine noun derived from the root ROSH, and appearing fifty times in nearly all parts of the OT.
The primary meaning is first or beginning of a series. This term may refer to the initiation of a series
of historical events (Gen.10:10; Jer. 26:1) but it also refers to a foundational or necessary condition as the
reverence or fear of G-d (Ps. 11:10; Prov.1:7) and the initiation, as opposed to the results, of a life (Job
8:7; 42:12). It is used frequently in the special sense of the choicest or best of a group or class of things,
particularly in reference to items to be set aside for G-ds service or sacrifice. The first fruits (Lev. 2:12;
23:10; Neh. 12:44) and choicest (Num. 18:12) fruits are so distinguished. Difficult usages of the term
occur in several passages. In Deut. 33:21 the KJV reads first part which is followed by JPS, however the
RSV, best of the land is preferred. In Dan.11:41 the KJV reads: chief of the children of Ammon, but
the RSV reads main part of the Ammonites.
When translating Mark back into Hebrew most translate the first word as: The beginning i.e. ( TChilat)
rather than
( Resheet) as Prof. Delitzsch originally did following the translation to Hebrew of Elias Hutter
(circa 1600 c.e.) as shown below:
\
Now TCHILAT is better translated to English as commencement i.e. beginning in time. But this seems
redundant, since we expect that a story or narrative starts with the beginning or from the beginning. Thus, to state
in the opening words This is the beginning of ... seems to be somewhat clumsy, as we expect the narrative to
start with or from the beginning.
This is also in agreement as well with Rashis79 comment as to the import of the first words of Genesis 1:1 where
78
Harris, R.L., Archer, G.L., Waltke, B.K. (1980), Theological Wordbook Of The Old Testament. (two vols.). Chicago: Moody
Press, vol. II, p. 826
79
Silberman, A.M. & Rosemblaum, M. (2007 Reprint), Torah with Targum Onkelos and Rashis Commentary: The Book of
Page 9 of 38
he states:

IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED This verse calls aloud for explanation in the
manner that our Rabbis explained it: God created the world for the sake of the Torah which is called
(Prov. 8:22) "The beginning ( - RESHEET) of His (God's) way", and for the sake of Israel who
are called (Jer. II. 3) "The beginning ( RESHEET) of His (G-d's) increase". [The Rabbis translated
thus: For the sake of ( )the Torah and Israel which bear the name of ( RESHEET) G-d created the
heavens and the earth.
In other words, this introductory verse is telling us something critical about the Messiah and which forms the
central argument of this book i.e. that the Messiah is the chief part or the heart of something which will be
explained throughout the book and for which sake creation took place (cf. Prov. 8:22 for a hint), and not just merely
telling us that at the beginning of the book is the beginning of the so called gospel, a very clumsy and redundant
statement indeed.
A further and most important reason as to why RESHEET is to be preferred to T'CHILAT is found in the
mechanism of verbal tally governing both the Annual and Triennial Torah Lectionaries. If we use RESHEET in
Mark 1:1 then we surely have a verbal tally with the first Torah Seder ie. BERESHEET. Support for this line of
reasoning is found in John 1:1 which also starts with the term BERESHEET and thereby indicating a verbal tally
with the first Torah Seder starting in Genesis1:1.80
In a similar vein, Rabbi Shmuel ben Meir, also known as the Rashbam (Troyes, France, c. 1085 c. 1158), a
specialist of Peshat comments on Genesis 1:1 as follows:
As to these scholars who understand the word BERESHEET as equivalent to the word TECHILAT in
Hos. 1:2 i.e. so that it would mean at the beginning G-d created the heaven, i.e. before He created
heaven and earth there was chaos, darkness in the face of the waters, etc., so that it emerges that water had
been created first, this too is nonsense. How could the Torah refer to a state of the earth prior to creation
of the heaven?81
Here, clearly the Rashbam understands that Techilat deals with chronological time, while RESHEET deals with
order or priority in a list of things. This why it is clumsy and unnecessary to state at the beginning of a chronicle:
This is the beginning of this chronicle, since we expect chronicles to start at the beginning of some epoch or
period of time.
Finally, we may bring the testimony of the Peshitta which is written in Aramaic, a sister language of Hebrew (much
like Spanish is to Italian or French i.e. sharing many root words in common). In Mark 1:1 the Peshitta has:
RISHA DEUANGELION
The Aramaic term RISHA is the equivalent to the Hebrew RESHEET, which supports our contention that the
original word at the beginning of Mark 1:1 is RESHEET and not TCHILAT as modern Hebrew versions of the
Nazarean Codicil have.
(Tu Euageliou) where Tu means of the, and Euageliou is translated as Gosphael.
The definition that modern Christians usually provide for the term Gospel is as they say, encapsulated in the
Genesis Hebrew/English, BN Publishing.

80
John 1:1 is strictly following the interpretation that Rashi gives in Proverbs 8:22 as found in the above quote.
81
As quoted in: Hachut Hameshulash, Translated and Annotated by R. Eliyahu Munk, (2003), New York: Lambda Publishers,
Inc., vol. I, pp. 1-2.
Page 10 of 38
words of Hakham Shaul:
"For I delivered (gospelled) unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Messiah died for our
sins according to the Scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to
the Scriptures. (1 Cor. 15:3-4)
In fact, Stern82 echoing much of modern of evangelical theology writes concerning these two verses:
The essence of the Gospel is contained in these two verses, as we shall see, but the key point for Jewish
people to grasp and Messianic Jews to stress is that the Gospel is in accordance with what the Tanakh says
(as Shaul himself emphasises by saying it twice). That is, every major point of the Good News set forth in
the New Covenant with Israel is spoken of or prophesied in the Hebrew Scriptures.
Whilst in some points Dr. Sterns words are true, we disagree with this Christian and rather foreign (from a
Jewish perspective) interpretation, and therefore must rather propose a complete different and radical Judaic
approach to the meaning of the term in question.
Most Christian Hebraists point to the Hebrew word BSORAH as the equivalent term and original word from
which it was translated to Greek as EUANGELION. However, those that have proposed and still propose this
idea seem to be ignorant of the following difficulties.
1. The awkwardness of the term
In commenting upon the term BSORAH the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament83 states:
"The root is a common one in Semitic, being found in Akkadian, Arabic Ugaritic, Ethiopian, etc. The root
meaning is to bring news especially pertaining to military encounters. Normally this is good news, but
(contra Friedrich, Theological Dictionary of The New Testament, vol. II, p. 707) it need not necessarily be
so (I Sam. 4:7; II Sam. 18:20 where TOV is specifically appended). The Akkadian bears this out, for the
word is largely neutral there."
In other words, the term BSORAH, still to this very day means simply NEWS and one needs to specify by
means of the addition of an adjective (good/bad) so that anyone may understand us.
2. The term lacks antecedent and cultural or contextual validity
Whilst most terms utilised throughout the Nazarean Codicil can be traced to and seen in use in Rabbinical literature
of that period and after that period, the term BSORAH lacks any use in a religious or legal sense by Jewish
scholars pre and post 100 c.e. We do have terms like justice, righteousness, born from above, etc. etc.
commonly used in Jewish religious and legal literature, but this is not the case with the term Bsorah.
In fact, when the Rabbis of the Talmud wanting to show the foreignness of Christianity and Christian teachings to
normative Judaism, and Jewish culture/language (pre and post Christian) show this by employing a pun on the
Greek term EUANGELION. The Greek word EUANGELION is transliterated to the Hebrew as AVEN
GILAYON meaning the falsehood of blank paper (R. Meir) or AVON GILAYON meaning the sin of blank
paper (R. Yochanan) see editorial footnotes on Shabbat 116a in the English translation of the Soncino Talmud.
84
82
Stern, D.H. (1992), Jewish New Testament Commentary. Clarksville, Maryland: Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc., p.
485
83
Harris, R.L., Archer, G.L., Waltke, B.K. (1980), Theological Wordbook Of The Old Testament. (two vols.). Chicago: Moody
Press.
84
Epstein, I. (1987). Hebrew English Edition of The Babylonian Talmud. London, U.K. : The Soncino Press.
Page 11 of 38
All Christian commentators and also all so called modern Nazarene and Messianic commentators in unison
state that this shows but a malicious deed on the part of Jewish Rabbis against the so called Jewish Christians of
that day. This is reflected in the rhetoric for example, of the anti-Semite Friedrich Kittel in his article in the
Theological Dictionary of the New Testament85, where he states:
"This seems to be contradicted by the fact that EUAGELION appears to be a loan-word introduced into
Judaism to describe the New Testament Gospel. In Shab., 116a, we have the malicious conversion of
Gospel into AVEN GILAYON, gloss of destruction, or AVON GILAYON, gloss of sins: R. Meir (c.
150) called it (the book of the Minim, i.e. of Jewish Christians, and therefore the Gospels) AVEN
GILAYON, gloss or writing of destruction, and R. Yochanan (c. 279) called it AVON GILAYON, gloss
or writing of sins. From this passage we may conclude that the Jewish Christians had adopted the
Greek EUAGELION, since there is no real equivalent in Aramaic. The pun is possible only in respect
of the Greek. On the other hand the passage does not prove what has been deduced from it. Palestinian
Judaism was bilingual. Aramaic might be spoken, but Greek was understood. It was known that
BESORAH would be EUANGELIUM in Greek. The Rabbinic propensity for puns enabled them to seize
on the Greek word for BESORAH and to bring it into disrepute, thus making the hated heretics ridiculous.
However, Green, et al.86 , make a very strange statement regarding this term:
"The reader of the Gospels must be wary in reading a post-Easter definition into the Evangelists use of
the term gospel (such as is found in Pauline writings, 1 Cor. 15:1-4; Rom. 1:2-4). In the Synoptics it is
found in the mouth of Jesus at the beginning of his ministry: The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of G-
d is at hand; repent, and believe in the Gospel (Mk. 1:14-15; cf. Mt. 4:17,23; Lk 4:18,43). They use the
term to designate Jesus message without prior definition, implying that it was a term known to their
audience.
Despite this statement, the only source pre or post 70 c.e. where we read about the term Gospel as being a Hebraic
term to define a specific message or genre of literature is in the various Greek renditions of the Nazarean Codicil
or parts of it. Yet, the undisputed fact remains that we have no evidence whatsoever that the term Gospel (Heb.
BSORAH) was used with any religious or legal significance by the Jewish people, prior to, during, and after the
death of His Majesty King Yeshuah the Messiah. If the term was well known to His Majestys audience as
Mordechai 1:14-15; Matityahu 4:17,23; and Luqas 4:18,43 makes it abundantly clear, then of necessity it must
have been some other Hebrew word rather than that advance by Christianity BSORAH.
Perhaps, and from our view, most certainly the Sages of the Talmud are alerting us in veiled language to a sad
event in history, which has remained unreported but for which evidence is abundantly mounting, where a heresy
rose amongst Jews and Gentiles which gave rise to the destruction of almost all original Hebrew manuscripts extant
of the Nazarean Codicil or parts of it and reworked them into the Greek to justify the beliefs and theological dogmas
of this sect, and which unfortunately unleashed a systematic destruction of anything or anyone identifying as
Nazarean. The wise sages of the Talmud are alerting us to the fact that Greek Manuscripts so called GOSPELS
are reworked partial forgeries87 of the authentic writings of the Jewish Nazarean writings, who in fact never used
the word GOSPEL EUANGELION BSORAH.
85
Kittel, G. (1964). Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. (10 vols., translated by G. W. Bromiley). Grand Rapids,
Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. , Vol. 2, p. 726, 727
86
Green, J.B., McKnight, S., & Marshall, I. H. (1992). Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. Leicester, England: InterVarsity
Press, p. 283
87
Although forgeries to some extent, they do not escape a detailed forensic analysis, and there are many tools available for us
today to discover and excavate what lie beneath these partial forgeries, until the day comes, G-d willing, where a discovery be
made of the authentic early Hebrew manuscripts underlying the writings of the Nazarean Codicil.
Page 12 of 38
If the term Bsorah (Gospel) was wide known and understood by all in Yisrael, as the so called Gospels
themselves state (Mk. 1:14-15; cf. Mt. 4:17,23; Lk 4:18,43), then why is it that we find no Jewish record either in
Hebrew or Aramaic showing that the term was widely used and known to the Jewish people and to Jewish Scholars
of that epoch? No doubt we must conclude that the term Gospel lacks any cultural or legal antecedent, or for that
matter contextual validity and we must reject or at least hold in high suspicion the view that such term was ever
used by His Majesty King Yeshuah the Messiah himself or his Talmidim.
Further, in the Aramaic, a sister language of Hebrew (much like Spanish is to Italian or French i.e. sharing many
root words in common), of the Peshitta at Mark 1:1 has the word EUANGELION without any translation. Why?
If GOSPEL = BESORAH as modern Christian Scholars teach, then the Peshitta should have had the word TEBA
which means news or report, and corresponds to the Hebrew BESORAH. The first verse of Mark in the Peshitta
reads:
RISHA DEUANGELION
Lastly, the Vaticanus Hebraica88, a translation of the four so called four gospels into Hebrew by an anonymous
scholar under duress, starts in Mark 1:1 with the word ZEHU HA-EUANGELION MI YESUS ... In other words,
this Hebrew Scholar could not find a Hebrew equivalent for the Greek term EUANGELION, even when under
duress at the hands of catholic authorities, much as the Aramaic Peshitta translators before him also could not find
one in Aramaic.
So, where does this leave us? Is there any other term in the Hebrew language that we can reasonably suspect was
used, before it was substituted by the Greek term EUANGELION? And does the Nazarean Codicil itself suggests
any other possible Hebrew/Greek word that might have been used by the original writers of the Nazarean Codicil
before it was substituted by the Greek term EUANGELIUM?
In our view the shortest answer to all of the above questions is simply YES! However before we state our case,
we would like to let the Nazarean Codicil speak for itself and explain to us what a gospel is, and when it was
proclaimed for the first time in history.
a) Hakham Shaul in Bereans (Hebrews) 4:2ff. states that the so called Gospel was first proclaimed at Har
(Mount) Sinai in connection with the laws regarding Shabbat which must be appropriated by means of
EMUNAH (Faithful Obedience):
For indeed we have had EUIGELISMENOI (gospel) [announced to us] even as also they; but not
did profit them the word of the report, not having been mixed with faith in those who heard For
unto us was the gospel proclaimed, as well as unto them, but the word proclaimed did not profit
them, not being mixed with faithful obedience in them that heard it.
Or, as the Literal English Translation Bible by Morris with Strongs numbers added puts it:
"|2532| indeed |1063| For |2070| we are having |2097| had the Good News preached |2509| even as
|2548| those also. |0235| But |3756| did not |5623| profit |3588| the |3056| word |0189| of hearing
|1565| those, |3361| not |4786| having been mixed |4102| with faith |3588| in those |0191| hearing.
It is most interesting that a self-confessed Nazarene, Dr. James Trimm in his commentary on the so called
Epistle to the Hebrews89 leaves very conveniently this key passage unexplained. However Dr. Stern90, a
Messianic teacher does go on to make some ridiculous comment which is completely out of order with the
88
Vat. Ebr. No. 100 from the late Medieval period.
89
http://www.nazarene.net/hebframe.htm?
90
Stern, D.H. (1992), Jewish New Testament Commentary. Clarksville, Maryland: Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc., p.
672.
Page 13 of 38
Pshat (plain literal meaning) of this passage. He states:
The Good News the Israelites heard was the promise of entering His rest in the Promised Land;
the Good News which has been proclaimed to us is, of course, that we enter the rest that comes
from knowing that our sins are forgiven.
It is obvious, that we need a much better and logical analysis of this verse at least at the Pshat (plain
meaning) level. To do this let us look at the clauses:
a) For indeed we had gospel proclaimed to us even as they (them);

b) But it did not profit them the LOGOS (Torah) proclaimed (of the report);
c) Not having been mixed with faithful obedience in those who heard.
We start by asking who is Hakham Shaul describing with the pronouns us and them in the first clause?
Christians and Messianics will readily say that the us refers to Christians and that the them refers to
Jews, particularly those at Har Sinai. However, such interpretation depends on an illegitimate straight-
jacket approach imposed by Christian Theology and not justified by the text. At best it can be said that
Hakham Shaul is making a distinction between the same people (Jews) living at Har Sinai and Jews living
when he wrote this Epistle thus, the difference between the us and them is one imposed by the
distance in time and not a difference of ethnicity. From this perspective, the gospel is the same, and the
difference is not one of ethnicity or religion but one of generations amongst the same people.
Delitzsch91 schooled evidently on a diet of Replacement Theology proposes that the text should read: We
have a message of salvation, as even they had such a message. This rendition thus favours two messages
of salvation as proposed by replacement theology one of salvation by works (that of our apparently ignorant
Jewish people) and that of salvation by faith (whatever that means) which is superior and belonging to
Christians. This replacement theology view is reflected in the RSV translation of this verse:
For good news came to us just as to them; but the message which they heard did not benefit them,
because it did not meet with faith in the hearers.
Enough to say that this view is increasingly being rejected by Gentile Theologians, and has no place in our
proposition which advocates virtually no or at best very minor differences between Nazareans and Jewish
Orthodoxy. This view for example is found in the rendition of this verse by the Catholic New Jerusalem
Bible which puts it:
We received the gospel exactly as they did; but hearing the message did them no good because
they did not share the faith of those who did listen.
And the Aramaic Peshitta (Lamsa, 1987) translates:
For the gospel was preached to us as it was to them also, but the word they heard did not benefit
them, because it was not mixed with faith in those who heard it.
Consequently, we are left at this point using strictly a Pshat (plain leteral meaning) mode of interpretation
with the idea that the this gospel being proclaimed by Hakham Shaul and being accepted by these
converts to Judaism in Berea is the same which was proclaimed at the foot of Har Sinai to the people of
Israel. What this gospel consisted of is not explained in this first clause of this verse.
91
Delitzch, F. (1871, reprint 1978). Commentary On The Epistle To The Hebrews (2 vols), Minneapolis, Minnesota: Klock &
Klock Christian Publishers.
Page 14 of 38
The second clause: But it did not profit them the LOGOS (Torah) proclaimed (of the report) needs further
elucidation. The Literal English Translation Bible by Morris renders the Greek LOGOS TIS AKOIS as:
|3056| word |0189| of hearing. Similarly the Douay-Rheims Bible renders this verse as follows:
For unto us also it hath been declared, in like manner as unto them. But the word of hearing did
not profit them, not being mixed with faith of those things they heard."
The Latin Vulgate has sermo auditus lit. auditory sermon when translating the word of
hearing clause. So, let us ask a critical question at this juncture, do the Jews distinguish between the
LOGOS (Word) of writing and the LOGOS (Word) of hearing? And the answer of course is a resounding
YES! The LOGOS of Writing we call Torah Shebiktav Written Torah, and widely known as the
Pentateuch, and the LOGOS of hearing we call Torah Shebeal Peh lit. Torah from the mouth,
that is the Oral Torah. Second, does the Oral Torah of the Jewish people itself records its genesis or
origins? The answer of course is a resounding YES! And any Jewish Orthodox child will direct one to
Pirqe Abot 1:1 where we read: Mosheh Qibel Torah MiSinai Mosheh received the
Torah from Sinai, UMsarah LiYehoshua and handed it down (gospelled it down, or,
rehearsed it in the ears) of Yehoshuah
The second clause of this verse, then identifies the nature of the so called gospel as stated in the first
clause. In other words, the second clause of this verse acts as a circumstantial clause subject to the first
clause and which object is twofold. First, to explain what the gospel is, and second to inform us that this
so called Gospel did not profit them at Har Sinai. The reason for this is given to us in the third clause
Not having been mixed with faithful obedience in those who heard. Now the Greek term used here
for FAITH is PISTEI and which answers to the Hebrew EMUNAH meaning Faithful Obedience
and not just as Christians teach: the firm conviction that G-d exists and is the creator and ruler of all
things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Messiah, or even a strong and welcome
conviction or belief that Yeshuah is the Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom
of G-d. No, EMUNAH is the perfect union of believing what is said as being the truth and then doing
what is commanded in what was said. In fact the whole of Chapter 12 of Bereans (Hebrews) is replete
with the phrase By (through) faith that is, by and through EMUNAH so and so did such and such. Thus
Emunah is not just believing but rather something more profound and meaningful FAITHFUL
OBEDIENCE! Something that must be believed and faithfully obeyed.
Now, note that in Pirqe Abot 1:1 the Hebrew term MSORAH is interpreted as that which is privately
handed down from one generation to another, from the mouth of one Torah teacher to the ear of his Talmid
(disciple), and so on, throughout the generations. It is but a logical deduction, from what we expounded
above, then that the original word in the Nazarean Codicil, replaced later by the Greek EUANGELION,
was none other than the Hebrew MSORAH which in the Greek is translated mainly as PARADOSIS and
meaning a giving over which is done by word of mouth or in writing, i.e. tradition by instruction,
narrative, precept, etc. (a) objectively, that which is delivered, the substance of a teaching; and/or (b) of
the body of precepts, which were orally delivered by Moses and orally transmitted in unbroken succession
to subsequent generations, which precepts, both illustrating and expanding the written law, as they believed
and obeyed them with equal reverence. We have traces of this, for example in 2 Thessalonians 2:15,
where we read:
Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which you have been taught, whether by
word, or our epistle.
However we need to examine other definitions given in the Nazarean Codicil of the term Gospel to see
if we obtain a similar pattern and consistency throughout.
b) Hakham Tsefet (Peter) states that the word of Ha-Shem abides forever, and this is the word which was
Page 15 of 38
EUAGELISTHEN (gospelled) to you (1 Peter 1:25), thus equating the word of Ha-Shem with the so
called GOSPEL.
The Literal English Translation Bible with Strongs numbers renders this verse as follows:
|3588| the |1611| but |4487| word of |2962| {the} Lord |3306| remains |1519| to |3588| the |0165|
age. |5124| this |1161| And |2076| is |3588| the |4487| word |2097| preached as Good News |1519|
to |5209| you.
Similarly, the Catholic New Jerusalem Bible renders this pasuk:
But the Word of the Lord remains forever. And this Word is the Good News that has been brought
to you.
The Greek term used here for WORD is RHIMA (Strongs # 4487) and meaning basically that which
is or has been uttered by the living voice. In other words, this is the Oral and not the Written Word
of Ha-Shem, this is nothing but Torah Shebeal Peh the Oral Torah! Therefore this verse is much
better translated from a Rabbinical perspective as:
But the Torah Shebeal Peh of Ha-Shem abides forever, and this is the Torah Shebeal Peh which
was MASARAH (handed down, gospelled down) to you.
Here we find three things. First, a harmonisation and complete agreement of Hakham Tsefets (Peters)
words with the Mishnah Tractate Pirqe Abot 1:1. Second, the Greek term EUAGELISTHEN translated by
Christians as preach as Good News or has been brought was most probably changed for the original
Hebraic term MASARAH (handed down, gospelled down - PARADOSIS) sometime after the
destruction of the Second Temple in the year 70 c.e. Thirdly, we have here the Oral Torah (Greek:
RHIMA) Oral Word of Ha-Shem being equated with the so called Gospel, which no doubt in the
original was MSORAH and not BSORAH as Christians and Messianics teach.
If as we propose the original Hebrew word MSORAH in the Nazarean Codicil was later replaced for
EUANGELION / BSORAH, it clearly explains the claim made by Green, et al.92 that: In the Synoptics
it is found in the mouth of Jesus at the beginning of his ministry: The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom
of G-d is at hand; repent, and believe in the Gospel (Mk. 1:14-15; cf. Mt. 4:17,23; Lk 4:18,43). They use
the term to designate Jesus message without prior definition, implying that it was a term known to
their audience. The more, we might add, particularly since most of His Majestys Jewish audience were
conversant with Mishnah Tractate Pirqe Abot 1:1.
c) Hakham Yochanan in his Apocalypse states that the so called Gospel is ever-lasting and about fearing
G-d ie. at least observing the 7 Noachite Laws which renders a Gentile a G-d fearer (see Rev. 14:6-
7).
The two verses in question are rendered by Morris Literal English Translation Bible with Strongs numbers
as:
6. |2532| And |1492| I saw |0243| another |0032| angel |4072| flying |1722| in |3321| mid-heaven,
|2192| having |2098| Good News |0166| everlasting |2097| to preach |3588| to those |2730| living
|1909| on |3588| the |1093| earth, |2532| even |3956| every |1484| nation |2532| and |5443| tribe
|2532| and |1100| language |2532| and |2992| people,
92
Green, J.B., McKnight, S., & Marshall, I. H. (1992). Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. Leicester, England: InterVarsity
Press , p. 283.
Page 16 of 38
7. |3004| saying |1722| in |5456| a voice |3173| great, |5399| Fear |3588| - |2316| God, |2532| and
|1325| give |0846| to Him |1391| glory, |3754| because |2064| came |3588| the |5610| hour |3588| of
the |2920| judgement |0846| of Him. |2532| And, |4352| worship |3588| Him |4160| having made
|3588| the |3772| heaven |2532| and |3588| the |1093| earth |2532| and |3588| the |2281| sea |2532|
and |4077| fountains |5204| of waters.
And the Catholic New Jerusalem Bible renders it:
6. Then I saw another angel, flying high overhead, sent to announce the gospel of eternity to all
who live on the earth, every nation, race, language and tribe.
7. He was calling, "Fear God and glorify him, because the time has come for Him to sit in
judgement; worship the maker of heaven and earth and sea and the springs of water.
At this point, Stern93 comments on this section as follows:
The three angels exhort G-ds people to remain faithful (vv. 6-7, 12; compare 13:9b, 10b), so as
to avoid the judgement against Babylon the Great (vv. 8-11). They must persevere, observe G-ds
Mitsvoth (commandments) and exercise Yeshuahs faithfulness (v.12), the same faithfulness
Yeshuah had (see Romans 3:22; Galatians 2:16). Note that works and faith go hand in hand
(Romans 3:27-28; Eph. 2:8-10; James 2:14-26), and that the works of the righteous go with them
for reward (v.13; compare Romans 2:6-16; 1 Cor. 3:8-15). Verse 13 is a reassurance when any
believer dies.
Most interesting quote indeed, if we translate Sterns Yeshuahs faithfulness for Yeshuahs EMUNAH
or Yeshuahs Faithful Obedience. He even prefaces this EMUNAH of His Majesty with the clause
observe G-ds Mitsvoth (commandments), and going at length in the last sentences to explain that
works and faith go hand in hand. So, then, according to Stern this Good News Ever-lasting or the
gospel of eternity is about persevering in observing G-ds Mitsvoth (commandments) and exercising
Yeshuahs faithfulness [in observing the mitzvoth].
Whilst this may well be true, yet the very text from a Pshat (plain literal meaning) perspective states that
the Good News Ever-lasting or gospel of eternity as proclaimed by this angel to all the Gentiles is
about Fearing G-d and glorifying Him. Now, Stern94 commenting on 2 Luqas (Acts) 10:2, states:
A G-d-fearer Greek Phoboumenos ton Theon, one who fears G-d, is regarded by most
scholars as a technical term describing a Gentile who attached himself to Judaism but chose not to
undergo formal conversion, which included circumcision and public immersion (proselyte
baptism). This class of Gentiles, known in Judaism as proselytes of the gate, was quite large at
this time. They were attracted to the nobility of Jewish worship and to the truth of the one G-d
Who had revealed Himself in the Bible, but for various reasons did not become Jews.
So now, back to Revelation 14:7, what is the first thing the angel proclaims in Greek to the Gentiles from
the Gospel of Eternity? The Greek has: PHOBITHITEN TON THEON. We see now that the only
difference between PHOBOUMENOS TON THEON of 2 Luqas 10:2 with the PHOBITHITEN TON
THEON is a matter of Grammatical accident of the same Greek verb PHOBEO to fear, to reverence.
Thus the command of the angel as contained in the Gospel of Eternity to the Gentiles is Fear/Reverence
G-d = Become a G-d Fearer, that is, a Noachite (observing the seven Laws of Noach).
93
Stern, D.H. (1992). Jewish New Testament Commentary. Clarksville, Maryland: Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc., p.
830.
94
Stern, D.H. (1992). Jewish New Testament Commentary. Clarksville, Maryland: Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc., p.
257.
Page 17 of 38
Therefore, according to Yochanan the so called Gospel is about fearing G-d and glorifying Him, which
to Gentiles is translated as observance of the Seven Laws of Noach and for Jews as observance of the 613
Commandments of the Torah as explained and mandated by the Oral Torah. Now, we may ask, is this not
what our wise sages of old and our Jewish people of all generations have known as MSORAH? And have
we not established above in 1 Tsefet (Peter) 1:25 that the Torah Shebeal Peh of Ha-Shem abides forever?
Please note that we have selected three simple definitions of the term MSORAH and later substituted for the
term EUAGENLION from three distinct authors of the Nazarean Codicil (reflecting the three distinct Nazarean
traditions of the Mishnaic School of Hakham Tsefet and his scribe Mordechai, the Gemarah School of Hakham
Shaul and his scribe Dr. Luqas; and the Kabbalistic School of Hakham Yochanan) and whilst we could cite more
cases similarly confirming our hypothesis, we are content to follow the venerable and just Torah principle that at
the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established (Dbarim 19:15).
However, for the sake of internal validity and internal consistency, seeing that as we have observed, the Nazarean
Codicils definition of the so called Gospel (originally MSORAH) is in consonance with the Oral Torah (cf.
Pirqe Abot), we need to explain what this same Jewish source says is the function of MSORAH, then go on to
review the passage of 1 Cor. 15:1-4 and its relevance or connection to the concept of MSORAH, and finally offer
a possible explanation how MSORAH became BSORAH.
THE PURPOSE OF THE MASORAH
In Pirqe Abot 3:17 we read:
Rabbi Akiba said: jesting and levity accustom a man to lewdness. The transmitted Oral Torah (Heb.
MASORAT) is a protective fence (Heb. SYAG) about the Torah, the tithes are a fence (Heb. SYAG) for
riches; vows are a fence (Heb. SYAG) for abstinence; a fence (Heb. SYAG) for wisdom is silence.
In other words, we find in Pirqe Abot that the purpose of the Oral Torah Heb. MSORAH (and replaced by the
Greek EUANGELION/Gospel in the Greek Nazarean Codicil) is to be a protective fence about the Written Torah,
in the same way as tithes are a protective fence for wealth. Or, simply put, the Oral Torah prevents the Written
Torah from it being misunderstood or misused as well as protecting its practitioners from serious breaches of the
Written Torah or even deviating from the Torah. Translating this into a language which novices can understand,
the so called Gospel prevents the Written Law of the Bible from being misrepresented or misused, as well as
protecting its practitioners from serious breaches of the Written Law of the Bible or from deviating from a
righteous/generous walk according to Torah, and as understood by THE faith (ie. Judaism). Or more precisely, as
Hakham Hirsch95 puts it: The traditional text of the Written Word of G-d guards the Scriptures against
falsification, and the traditional interpretation of the content of the Law protects the latter from distortion.
Since, the MASORAH is uniquely welded to the Written Torah, then the text of Genesis 1:1 opens us to further
understanding. Midrash Tanhuma Yelammedenu96 commenting on the words" :With the beginning " Geneis 1:1 ,
states:
This is what Scripture means when it says :The LORD with wisdom97founded the earth( Proverbs 3:19).
That is, when the Holy One, blessed be He, was about to create this world, He consulted the Torah98 before
embarking upon the work of creation, as it is said :Counsel is mine and sound wisdom; I am understanding,
power is mine( Proverbs 8:14.)
95
Hirsch, S. R. (1967). Chapters of the Fathers: Translation & Commentary, Spring Valley, New York: Phillip Feldheim Inc., p.
52.
96
Berman, A. Samuel (1996). Midrash Tanhuma Yelammedenu, Haboken, New Jersey: KTAV Publishing House, Inc., p.3.
97
Beginning and wisdom are synonymous for Torah in Rabbinic literature. See: Schechter, S. (1998), Aspects of Rabbinic
Theology: Major Concepts of the Talmud, Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, p. 129.
98
Seven things were created two thousand years before the creation of heaven and earth, and the Torah was one of them.
Page 18 of 38
Thus we have translated Mark 1:1 as The chief part of the Masorah (Tradition/Oral Law) is Yeshuah the Messiah,
the Son of God (i.e. Ben Elohim = the King/Judge) ".Yet, based upon the above Midrash we could also translate
this verse as" :The wisdom (i.e. Resheet is synonimous with Hokhmah = Wisdom) of the Masorah is Yeshuah the
Messiah, the Son of God (i.e .Ben Elohim = the King/Judge) ".This does not mean that Chistianity is therefore
superior to Judaism, G-d forbid! To the contrary, what it means is that anyone studying the Masorah( Oral Torah)
is acquiring the wisdom of Messiah who is the very embodyment of the Torah! It is therefore obvious that the
creation of the Messiah as the embodyment of the Torah (Written and Oral) precedes the creation of this world, as
the Targum Yerushalmi reads" :Be-Hokhmah (With Wisdom) the LORD created ... Thus, the Masorah in creation,
which was done in strict justice/perfection, kept that strictness and perfection in check so that strict
justice/perfection did not exceed the boundaries placed by Wisdom. Much more could be said regarding the
purpose of MASORAH but suffice to say that it is a most powerful creative and innovative force which is
personified in the person of G-ds Messiah.
HOW MASORAH FITS INTO 1 COR. 15:1-4
The Literal English Translation Bible by Morris with Strongs numbers renders this passage as follows:
1. |1107| I make known |1161| And |5213| to you |0080| brothers, |3588| the |2098| Good News |3739| which
|2097| I preached |5213| to you, |3739| which |2532| also |3880| you received, |1722| in |3739| which |2532|
also |2476| you stand,
2. |1223| by |3739| which |2532| also |4982| you are saved, |5101| to what |3056| word |2097| I preached
|5213| to you |1487| if you |2722| hold fast, |1623| unless |1508| - |1500| in vain |4100| you believed.
3. |3860| I delivered |1063| For |5213| to you |1722| among |4413| the first |3739| what |2532| also |3880| I
received, |3754| that |5547| Christ |0599| died |5228| for |3588| the |0266| sins |2257| of us |2596| according
|3588| to the |1124| Scriptures,4. |2532| and |3754| that |2290| he was buried, |2532| and |3754| has been
|1453| raised |3588| the |5154| third |2250| day |2596| according |3588| to the |1124| Scriptures.
And the Catholic New Jerusalem Bible translates this passage:
1. I want to make quite clear to you, brothers, what the message of the gospel that I preached to you is;
you accepted it and took your stand on it,
2. and you are saved by it, if you keep to the message I preached to you; otherwise your coming to believe
was in vain.
3. The tradition I handed on to you in the first place, a tradition which I had myself received, was that
Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the scriptures,
4. and that he was buried; and that on the third day, he was raised to life, in accordance with the scriptures;
Note the connection woven in the tapestry amongst these verses of the following concepts:
EUAGELION Good News / Gospel (Strongs # 2098) Originally in Heb. = MSORAH

PARALAMBANO Receive (Strongs # 3880 Hebrew = QIBEL
PARADIDOMI (from PARADOSIS) hand down (Strongs # 3860) Hebrew = MSARAH
This Gospel which the New Jerusalem Bible correctly identifies in v.3 as tradition (Hebrew: MSORAH) is
the Oral Torah as we described earlier in dealing with the genesis of the Oral Torah as found in Pirqe Abot 1:1
Mosheh (Moses) Qibel (received) Torah MiSinai (Torah from Sinai) UMsarah (and handed it down / gospelled
it down) to Yehoshuah. So, what connection is there between a death for sins, being buried, and being raised to
life on the third day?
First of all, let us say that Hakham Shaul in this Gemarah treatise of 1 Corinthians is alluding to Pirqe Abot 1:1
since the key words in this section as explained above point to this connection. Second, that the significance and
Page 19 of 38
explanation of the 1st Akedah (binding of Yitschaq) as pertaining the Jewish peoples and the 2nd Akedah (binding
of Mashiach ben Yosef to the tree) by and for the Gentiles can only be found in the MASORAH or Torah Shebeal
Peh (Oral Torah). This is not the place to dwell on the parallels between the TWO BINDINGS, but suffice it to say
that the ORAL TORAH both in the Talmud and in the Midrash make this abundantly clear.99
In other words, Hakham Shaul makes a connection between, or more precisely, firmly anchors the Oral Torah in
both the Aqedah of Isaac (for the Jews) and the Aqedah of Mashiach ben Yosef (for the Gentiles). Thus the
connection is established between MSORAH (Oral Torah) and the Akedah.
POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS OF HOW MSORAH BECAME BSORAH
Two plausible explanations fit this riddle. First from a benign point of view, the error was introduced by an
unlearned scribe who read a Bet for a Mem and thus MSORAH became BSORAH, however whilst this may
explain the genesis of the error, it does not explain why EUANGELION became so widely adopted in the literature
without protest. To answer this question we need to think of a more sinister scenario, one which combines pagan
mythology with Biblical terms. We all know that the EUCHARIST which in the Nazarean Codicil when viewed
from a Hebraic perspective is identified readily by the Jewish blessings over bread and wine (HaMotsi & HaGefen)
at the beginning of a meal, and the blessings after the meal (Birkat HaMazon), the Gentiles reworked this term to
fit the ritual of Mithraism where a communion or mass was celebrated with water and bread by their priests
[please note that most of the Roman Legions were followers of the Mithraic cult.]
Similarly, if by error or intention MSORAH was changed into BSORAH and BSORAH being translated into
the Greek by EUAGELIUM it would have suited the Roman authorities and pagan priests and finding it relatively
easy in accommodating Nazarean Judaism to their pagan beliefs, if we take into account that according to Kittel100
the Greek word EUAGELION was used for news of victory which was accompanied by sacrifices to pagans
gods, and also the term was used of an oracular saying which were accompanied by thank offerings to pagan
gods, as well since imperial rulers were held as appearances on earth of a deity in human form, his words and laws
were held to be EUAGELION. With this background to the Greek word EUAGELION and its usage among the
pagans it is not difficult to see how the accidental or most probably intended mistake of replacing MSORAH for
BSORAH and weaving a web of deceit whereby this term is translated to the Greek as EUAGELION and
illegitimately linking the good news spoken by the Prophet Yeshayahu to the pagan concept of EUAGELION
from the imperial cult. Thus we have a clever substitution which allowed them to anchor their pagan religion and
concepts camouflaged in respectable Biblical terminology. What is new under the sun?
- Fiu Tu Theu this is equivalent to the Hebrew expression Ben Elohim a title reserved for
Jewish Kings Priests and Judges, and according to G-ds Torah a calling/vocation of every single Jew.
To make this point clear let us start by saying that the Exodus from Egypt was predicated upon G-ds calling of all
of His chosen and noble people Israel to become collectively and individually MAMLEKHET (a kingdom)
KOHANIM (of priests) VGOI QADOSH (and a holy people) (Shmot/Exodus 19:6). These same words but
interpreted in the Pshat are repeated by Hakham Tsefet (Peter) in 1 Tsefet (Peter) 2:9:
|5210| you |1161| But |1085| a race |1588| chosen, |0934| a royal |2406| priesthood, |1484| a nation |0040|
99
For those interested in pursuing this matter see these MUST HAVE books: Mishael Maswari Caspi & Sascha Benjamin Cohen,
The Binding (Aqedah) and Its Transformations in Judaism and Islam: The Lambs of God (Mellen Biblical Press Series, Vol
32), Edwin Mellen Press, ISBN # 0773423893; Aharon Ronald E. Agus, The Binding of Isaac and Messiah: Law, Martyrdom
and Deliverance in Early Rabbinic Religiosity (SUNY Series in Judaica Hermeutics And Mysticism), State University of New
York Press, ISBN # 0887067352; Louis A. Berman, The Akedah: The Binding of Isaac, Jason Aronson Publishing House, ISBN
#: 1568218990; & Shalom Spiegel, Judah Goldin, The Last Trial: On the Legends and Lore of the Command to Abraham to
Offer Isaac As a Sacrifice: The Akedah, Jewish Lights Pub, ISBN #: 187904529X.
100
Kittel, G. (1964). Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, (10 vols.), translated by G. W. Bromiley). Grand Rapids,
Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., vol. II, pp. 721-725.
Page 20 of 38
holy, |2992| a people |1519| for |4047| possession, |5620| so as |3588| the |0703| virtues |1804| you may tell
|1537| out |3588| of the |1537| {One} from |4655| darkness |5209| you |2564| having called |1519| into |3588|
the |2298| wonderful |0846| of Him |5457| light. (Literal English Translation Bible by Morris with Strongs
numbers)
Or, as the Catholic New Jerusalem Bible puts it:
But you are a chosen race, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation, a people to be a personal possession to sing
the praises of God who called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
Here, Hakham Tsefet (Peter) wants us to recognise that even today the calling is as fresh, as powerful, as
penetrating, as invigorating, and as awe inspiring today as when it was given at Har (Mount) Sinai, three thousand
three hundred and something years ago! And it is this context that the Kings of Israel and the Messiah being the
embodiments of the calling and aspirations of the noble nation of Israel are called by the title Ben Elohim (son
of G-d) see Psalms 2:7. But the Psalmist goes even further and extends this title to all Jewish judges (cf. Psalms
82:1) and renews this calling to all Bne Yisrael (Psalms 82:6). This again is echoed in the Qabalistic treatise of
Hakham Yochanan in Yochanan (John) 10:31-38, particularly in vv.34-36, which again is an echo of
Shmot/Exodus 21:6. Hakham Yochanan extends this invitation once again in his first epistle Chapter 3 and v. 1
(1 John 3:1) where we read:
|1492| See |4217| what type |0026| of love |1325| has given |2254| us |3588| the |3962| Father, |2443| that
|5043| children |2316| of God |2563| we may be called [to be]. |1223| Therefore |5124| - |3588| the |2889|
world |3656| not |1097| knows |2248| us, |3754| because |3756| not |1097| it knew |0846| Him.
If we read the above verse in the context of what we have explained to mean the term or title Ben Elohim we
will start to taste some of the depth of this holy calling (vocation) from a Qabalistic perspective/level. This whole
line of reasoning, as we have abundantly demonstrated so far, completely demolishes the Christian interpretation
(or sacred cow) that the title Ben Elohim = Son of G-d = the third person of a 3nity or the second person of a
binity. In fact such a teaching would be utterly repugnant to the teaching of Torah both Written and Oral.
So, let us join all our discoveries so far and see that we should read Mordechai 1:1 as: The chief part of the
Masorah (Tradition/Oral Law) is Yeshuah the Messiah, the Son of God (i.e. Ben Elohim = the King/Judge).
This Masorah, as we have found is both a fence against the transgression or abuses of the Written Torah.
II. MORDECHAI 1:2
v. 2 - as it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send My messenger before your face, which will prepare
your way (Hebrew: Derekh/Halakha) before you (Exodus 23:30; & Malachi 3:1).
As, any Jewish reader of Rabbinic literature can observe, the phrase as it is written is a frequent used Rabbinic
phrase. And here Hakham Tsefet (Peter) by the hand of his scribe Mordechai wants to offer justification and
clarification for the statement made in the previous verse. That is, in answer to the question, what was the need for
the coming Mashiach ben Yosef? The following quote from Malachi 3:1 conflated with Shmot (Exodus) 23:20 is
offered as a simple yet rich answer.
Now, we may well ask, is this conflation warranted? And did Hakaham Tsefet in his Mishnaic treatise have any
precedent for this in the deep well of the Oral Torah?
a) Arguing From the Triennial Lectionary:
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We note that Hakham Jacob Mann101 lists as Seder 61a (16a) of the Triennial Palestinian Cycle of Torah
readings a Torah Seder starting at Shmot (Exodus) 23:20ff with a corresponding Aslamatah (Prophetic
reading) from Malachi 3:1ff. Further, the Ashlamatah for Shabbat HaGadol is none other than Malachi
3:4-24. And since, the Torah Seder of Gen. 1:1 2:3 is read on Shabbat HaGadol, it is not then surprising
to observe the genesis of this conflation and how it came into being, something which antedated Messiah
and was well established during that time. Please note, that at that time, there were no Chapter numbers
nor verse numbers in the Bible (a latter Christian invention), which meant that everyone would cite the
first verse of a given Torah Seder (section of the Torah) and linked to its corresponding Ashlamatah
(reading from the Prophets) via verbal tally, and as a way of organising the Bible and quoting from it.
Thus, we can now understand that (1) the verbal tally of Resheet in Mark 1:1 with BResheet in Gen.
1:1 places Mark 1:1-2 as a commentary to our first Torah Seder; (2) the connection with Malachi in Mark
1:2 comes due to this Torah Seder being read in connection with the semi/Festival Ashlamatah for Shabbat
HaGadol; and the conflation of Mal. 3:1 with Shmot 23:20, comes to be as a consequence of reading on
the ordinary Sabbaths in the Septennial cycle the Torah Seder of Shmot 23:20 ff. and as its ordinary
Ashlamatah the text Mal. 3:1ff via verbal tally of ,( Ex. 23:20) with ,
-( Mal. 3:1). Thus our Septennial Torah reading cycle explains how the MSorah of Mordechai
(Gospel of Mark) came to be constructed and organized.
b) Arguing from the Oral Torah:
From Midrash Rabba102:
BEHOLD, I SEND AN ANGEL. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: He who guarded
the patriarchs will also guard the children; for so you find in the case of Abraham that when he
blessed his son Isaac, he said: The LORD, the God of heaven ... He will send His angel before you
(Gen. xxiv, 7). And what did Jacob say to his children? The angel who has redeemed me from all
evil, etc. (ibid. xlviii, 16). He has redeemed me from the hand of Esau, from Laban, and he it was
who fed and sustained me during the years of famine (referring all this to an angel one sent by
God for that particular purpose). God said to Moses: Now also, He who guarded the fathers will
protect the children, as it says, BEHOLD, I SEND AN ANGEL. Wherever the angel appeared,
the Shechinah appeared, as it says, And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in aflame of
fire. (Ex. iii, 2), and immediately after, it says, God called unto him (ibid., 4). Moreover, salvation
comes to Israel wherever they cry unto Him (whenever Israel cries unto God and the angel appears,
he is a herald of salvation); at the thorn-bush Behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come
unto Me (ibid. V. 9); in the case of Gideon And the angel of the LORD came ... and the angel of
the LORD appeared and the LORD said: Go in this your might, and save Israel (Judg. vi,
11-14). In the millennium, likewise, when he (the angel; he will be the herald announcing the
coming of the LORD and of true salvation) will reveal himself, salvation will come to Israel, as it
says, Behold, I send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me (Mal. iii, i).
But note, that the same Midrash103 states:
The Holy One, blessed be He, told Israel: 'Take heed of the messenger, for he cannot retract aught
of My mission; BE NOT REBELLIOUS AGAINST HIM (ibid.), for he represents strict justice
(the messenger, unlike the sender, cannot make allowances, but must faithfully fulfil his errand,
therefore if he is sent to punish he cannot forgive). Heretofore one could say, You have been
101
Mann, J. (1971). The Bible As Read And Preached In The Old Synagogue, Vol. I: The Palestinian Triennial Cycle Genesis
and Exodus. New York: KTAV Publishing House, Inc., pp. 479-80
102
Lehrman, Rabbi Dr. S. M. (1983) Midrash Rabbah: Vol. III: Exodus. London: The Soncino Press., Vol. 3, pp. 412-13)
103
ibid. pp. 408-9
Page 22 of 38
rebellious against the LORD (Deut. ix, 24), yet I could accept [penitence] from you, but now BE
NOT REBELLIOUS AGAINST HIM, FOR HE WILL NOT PARDON YOUR
TRANSGRESSION.' Another interpretation of BE NOT REBELLIOUS (TAMMER) AGAINST
HIM. Do not exchange (temirani) Me for him, nor treat Me as his substitute (by ranking him as
His substitute). Do not say: 'Since he is our guardian angel, we will worship him and he will forgive
our sins,' FOR HE WILL NOT PARDON YOUR TRANSGRESSIONS. He is not like Me, of
whom it is written, That pardons the iniquity/lawlessness, and passes by the transgression, etc.
(Micah vii, 18), FOR HE WILL NOT PARDON YOUR TRANSGRESSIONS. Moreover, you
will be the cause of My Name being removed from within him, for it says, FOR MY NAME IS
IN HIM (xxiii, 2I) [for his greatness and glory lie in the fact that he is My Messenger, but if you
worship him, you desecrate My Name and thereby deprive him of his true glory]. Another
interpretation of FOR MY NAME IS IN HIM. The angels are sustained only by the splendour of
the Shechinah (that is, their only source of existence), as it says, And You preserve them all, and
the host of heaven worshipped You (Neh. ix, 6). Why is this expression used? Because, said R.
Haggai, 'You are their means of sustenance.' Moreover, he will ever be held guilty on their account
(for not only is the worshipper punished, but even the thing worshipped is held guilty Sanh. 93a).
BUT IF YOU WILL INDEED HEARKEN UNTO HIS VOICE, AND DO ALL THAT I SPEAK
(xxiii, 22). It does not say 'that he speaks', but THAT I SPEAK, implying that if you receive his
words it will be like listening to Me. If you will do this, THEN I WILL BE AN ENEMY UNTO
YOUR ENEMIES (ibid.). Hence, BEHOLD, I SEND AN ANGEL.
And from Midrash Tanchuma104 we have:
The Holy One said: In this world I sent an angel before them, and he destroyed the peoples of the
world; but in the world to come, I am sending you Elijah, may his memory be blessed. It is so
stated (in Mal. 3:34 [4:5]): LO, I AM SENDING YOU THE PROPHET ELIJAH BEFORE THE
COMING OF THE GREAT AND AWESOME DAY OF HA-SHEM.
So, then, having shown that the conflation of Shmot 23:20 with Malakhi 3:1, was well established from antiquity
amongst our people, it only remains to ask, what is the meaning of this verse, and what is the role of this angel,
which this document attributes to Mashiach?
In Malakhi 3:1 we read that this angel (messenger) of G-d is to: Upinah-Derekh LPanai and he (the angel)
will clear the way before Me (G-d), and in Shmot 23:20 we likewise read: LiShmarkha BaDarekh
VLahaviakha El-Ha-Maqom Asher Havinoti - to guard you in the way, and to bring you to the place which I
have prepared. In this regard, the Ramban105 comments:
BEHOLD, I SEND AN ANGEL BEFORE YOU. Here they were informed that they would sin [by
worshipping the golden calf] and that the Divine Glory would be saying to them, For I will not go up in
the midst of you (cf. 33:3). FOR MY NAME IS IN HIM. This is connected with the beginning of this
verse: Take heed of him, for My Name is associated with him. Our Rabbis explained (Sanhedrin 38b) that
the angel referred to is Metatron [This is the great angel whose meaning of the word being the guide of
the way. Thus the Rabbis have said in Sifre (Haazinu, 338): The Holy One, blessed be He, was the
metatron (guide) for Moses, and He showed him the entire land of Israel.] whose name in numerical value
is equal to that of his Master, for the sum of the letter-numbers of the name Metatron is equal to that of
Sha-dai (Almighty) the number of each being 314. All this is the language of Rashi. In Eileh Shemoth
Rabbah (32:7) I have likewise seen that one of the Sages interprets the verse in this way, referring to the
worshipping of the calf.
104
Townsend, J. T. (1997). Midrash Tanchuma: Translated into English with Indices and Brief Notes (S.Buber Recension)
Vol. II: Exodus And Leviticus. Hoboken, New Jersey: KTAV Publishing House, Inc., p. 125)
105
Chavel, Rabbi Dr. C. B. (1973). Ramban (Nachmanides) Commentary on the Torah (5 vols), New York: Shilo Publishing
House, Inc. Vol. II, pp. 410-11.
Page 23 of 38
But one must ask that [we find that] this decree of I send an angel before you did not actually take place,
for the Holy One, blessed be He, had said to Moses, And I will send an angel before you ... for I will not
go up in the midst of you, (33:2-3) but Moses pleaded for mercy on this and said, If Your presence go not,
carry us not up hence. For wherein now will it be known that I have found grace in Your sight, I and Your
people? Is it not in that You go with us? And the Holy One, blessed be He, consented to him and told him,
I will do also this thing that you have spoken. Thus also did the Rabbis interpret it (Sanhedrin 38b): Even
as a guide we refused to accept him, as it is written, If Your presence go not, carry us not up hence."
The answer according to this opinion of the Rabbis is that this decree was not fulfilled in the days of Moses,
and it is with reference to this that Moses said, So that we are distinguished, I and Your people, and G-d
answered him, For you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name, and He further said, And
all the people among which you are will see the work of the Eternal [that I am about to do] however, after
the death of Moses our Teacher He did send with them the angel. It is with reference to this that Scripture
states: And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold,
there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went unto him, and said
unto him: Are you for us, or for our adversaries? 'And he said: 'Nay, but I am captain of the host of the
Eternal; l am now come (Joshua 5:13-14). And there you will see that Joshua asked him, What says my
lord unto his servant? Now the angel did not command Joshua anything in connection with his appearance
to him, but merely told him, Put off your shoe from off your foot (5:15), nor did he explain why he came.
But the vision was for the purpose of informing Joshua that from now on there would be an angel sent
before them to go out in the host in battle. It is with reference to this that he said, I am now come. And so
did the Sages say in the Tanchuma (Mishpatim, 18): "The angel said to Joshua: 'I am he who came in the
days of Moses your master, and he pushed me away and did not want me to go with him.' " The Rabbis
have also said expressly (Shemoth Rabba 32:4): "The promise that Israel would not be turned over to 'a
captain' all the days of Moses now became void; thus as soon as Moses died 'the captain' returned to his
position, for Joshua saw him, as it is said, And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho ... And he said,
'Nay, but I am captain of the host of the Eternal; I am now come.' This is why it is said, Behold, I send an
angel before you."
By way of the Truth, [the mystic teachings of the Cabala], this angel they were promised here is the
redeeming angel in whom is the Great Name, for in Y-a-h the Eternal is an everlasting Rock (Isaiah 26:4).
This is [what He meant when] He said, I am the G-d of Beth-el (Genesis 31:13), for it is the custom of the
King to dwell in His Palace. He is called mal'ach (angel) because the whole conduct of this world is by
that attribute. And our Rabbis have said that this is Metatron, a name which signifies "the guide of the
road/way" I have already explained this in Seder Bo - and this is the sense of the phrase here, [Behold,
I send an angel before you,] to keep you in the way. - And to bring you into the place which I have prepared,
referring to the Sanctuary, as it is written, the Sanctuary, O Eternal, which Your hands have established
(15:17). The meaning of the expression: which I have prepared, is "for Myself, to be My holy and beautiful
house" (Isaiah 64:10), for there the Throne is perfect. I will yet mention the Rabbis' meaning in saying that
Metatron's name [in the sum of letter-numbers] is even as the Name of his Master. His voice is thus the
voice of the living G-d, and it is mandatory upon us to hearken to His voice by the mouth of the prophets.
Or the meaning may be that they should not mutilate the shoots of faith (seeking to undermine the
principle of the Unity) and thus come to abandon the Oral Torah, just as the Rabbis have interpreted
(Psichta Eichah Rabbati, 2): "And they have spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 5:24) -
this refers to the Oral Torah." Thus the explanation of the expression, and hearken unto his voice, (v.21)
is "to My words." Similarly He said, But if you will indeed hearken unto his voice, and do all that I speak
(v.22). Onkelos hinted at this, for he translated ['ki sh'mi b'kirbo' - for My Name is in him]: "for in My
Name is his word," as he speaks with it. He said, Then I will be an enemy unto your enemies (v.22), for
even with the attribute of mercy I will be an enemy to them; and an adversary unto your adversaries -
through him, [the angel], through the attribute of justice. Hence He explained, For Mine angel will go
before you, and bring you in unto the Amorite etc. and the Canaanite etc. and I will cut him off, when he
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will bring you to them, that we may know that it is He [through the attribute of justice] that will cut them
off. He mentioned them in the singular ["and I will cut him off], for He will cut them all off as if they were
one man. Now when this angel dwelled in the midst of Israel, the Holy One, blessed be He, would not have
said, For I will not go up in the midst of you - [for He said] for My Name is in him, so He was in the midst
of Israel! But when they sinned by worshipping the golden calf He wanted to remove His Divine Glory
from their midst, and that one of His angels should go before them as His messenger, and Moses pleaded
for mercy, and He again caused His Divine Glory to dwell amongst them as before. There I will explain
the verses, with the help of G-d.
The Rabbis have also hinted to this in Midrash Rabbah (Shemoth Rabbah 32:8) in that section. Thus they
said: "Behold, I send an angel The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: 'The one who guarded the
fathers will guard the children.' And thus you find with Abraham, that when he blessed Isaac he said, He
will send His angel before you (Genesis 24:7). In the case of Jacob we find [that he blessed Joseph's sons
by saying], The angel who has redeemed me etc (Genesis 48:16. He said to them: 'He redeemed me from
the hand of Esau; He redeemed me from the hand of Laban; He fed me and sustained me in the years of
famine.' Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to Moses: 'Now too, the one who guarded the fathers will guard
the children,' as it is said, Behold, I send an angel before you. Again the Rabbis have said there clearly
(Shemoth Rabba 32:4): "The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: 'Be heedful of the messenger, for he
does not go back on his mission; he is the attribute of justice, be not rebellious against him, etc.
In any case, according to all authorities the Midrash I have mentioned is true, that as long as Moses lived
the angel who was captain of the host did not go with them, for Moses filled his place, similarly to that
which is said, And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed. And in the days of
Joshua it was necessary that the angel captain of the host of the Eternal come to him to fight their battles,
this being Gabriel who fights for them, and this was why Joshua saw him with his sword drawn in his hand
(Joshua 5:13), because he came to execute vengeance upon the nations, and chastisements upon the peoples
(Psalms 149:7).
For he will not pardon your transgression; for My Name is in him. He is saying: "Be not rebellious against
him, for he will not pardon your transgression if you rebel against his word, for he who rebels against him,
rebels against the Great Name which is in him, and he deserves to be cut off by the attribute of justice." It
is possible that the expression My Name is in Him, is connected to the above verses: hearken to his voice,
for My Name is in him, and his voice is the voice of the Supreme One.
Interestingly, before being murdered by the then corrupt priests in Yerushalayim (Jerusalem), Stephen states in his
last address (2 Luqas (Acts) 7:30-38)
30. And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sinai an angel
of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.
31. When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord
came unto him,
32. Saying, I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold.
33. Then said the Lord to him, Put off your shoes from your feet: for the place where you stand is holy
ground.
34. I have seen the affliction of My people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am
come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you into Egypt.
35. This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made you a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to
be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.
36. He brought them out, after that he had showed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red
sea, and in the wilderness forty years.
37. This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet will the Lord your God raise up
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unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him will you hear.
38. This is he, that was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel which spoke to him in the
mount Sinai, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us: (Authorised Version)
This angel (Metatron) the Chief of the Host of the Eternal is no other than the Adam Kadmon (Prototype Man),
the very Mashiach himself who has no authority of himself to forgive sins, and whose role it is to: (1)
LiShmarkha BaDarekh to guard (keep) you in the way, and (2) VLahaviakha El-Ha-Maqom Asher
Havinoti - and to bring you to the place which I have prepared. [For a Nazarean perspective on this
identification, see Messiahs discourse on the signs of the end (Mordechai 13:26-27); his statement to Hakham
Tsefet in Matityahu 26:53; and Revelation 19:1-16, particularly v.14.]
No matter how much we Jews complain, and how many crimes have been perpetrated against us by the hands of
the Goyim, which G-d, most blessed be He, one day will punish most severely, still this Metatron in whom G-ds
Name is on him, the guardian of Yisrael, through many chastisements and sufferings (since he cannot forgive but
only meets tempered justice) has surely kept us (the noble people of Yisrael) BaDarekh Ha-Shem [in the way
(Halakha) of Ha-Shem] faithful to the Written and Oral Torah. Thus, we can say, that the bitter and painful
sufferings of the past inflicted upon our people by the Gentiles, shows us that the Shekhinah has always remained
amongst the noble people of Yisrael and with no one else! Thus the crimes committed against Yisrael and the
Jewish people are in reality crimes against Ha-Shems Shekhinah (Divine Presence) for which there is no
forgiveness (the unpardonable sin mentioned by Mashiach Matityahu 12:30-32) and no apologies are accepted.
Another interpretation on to prepare the way before you (Malachi 3:1) is that offered by the Rambam (Rabbi
Mosheh Maimonides) in his Mishneh Torah: Hilchot Melachim UMilchamoteihem (The Laws of Kings and
Their Wars)106 where he states:
Can there be a greater stumbling block than [Christianity]? All the prophets spoke of the Messiah as the
redeemer of Israel and its savior, who would gather their dispersed and strengthen their [observance of]
the Mitzvoth. [By contrast, Christianity] caused the Jews to be slain by the sword, their remnants to be
scattered and humbled, the Torah to be altered, and the majority of the world to err and serve a god other
than the L-rd.
Nevertheless, the intent of the Creator of the world is not within the power of man to comprehend, for His
ways are not our ways, nor are His thoughts, our thoughts. [Ultimately,] all the deeds of Jesus of Nazareth
and that Ishmaelite who arose after him will only serve to prepare the way for the Messiah's coming and
the improvement of the entire world, [motivating the nations] to serve G-d together, as [Zephaniah 3:9]
states: I will make the peoples pure of speech that they will all call upon the Name of G-d and serve Him
with one purpose.
In other words, despite his justified rhetoric (Maimonides is writing this in the midst of a horrendous Catholic
persecution against the Jews in Spain) the Rambam is saying that His Majesty King Yeshuah, even when the
Gentiles have twisted his words, yet he has been, despite the evil of man towards man, preparing the way
[Halakha] before you (Malachi 3:1), that is, preparing the Gentiles for the receiving of the truth of the Torah
(Written and Oral), and preparing the Halakha for our final redemption. Nevertheless, a question may be asked as
to how does this apply to us who confess without shame to be disciples of the Jewish Mashiach?
This text of Malakhi, in fact, outlines and delineates clearly our mission:
a) LiShmarkha BaDarekh to guard (keep) you (Yisrael) in the way [Halakha], that is, it behoves
every Nazarean Jew to make sure to render all possible assistance so that our Nazarean communities and
Touger, Rabbi E. (1987). Maimonides Mnishneh Torah: Hilchot Melachim UMilchamoteihem The Laws of Kings and
106
Their Wars, Jerusalem, Israel: Moznaim Publishing Corp., pp. 236-39
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all Yisrael remains BaDerekh Ha-Shem (within the lawful constraints of the Written and Oral Torah).
b) LiShmarkha BaDarekh to guard (keep) you (Yisrael) in the way [Halakha], that is by bringing
the many (ie. the Goyim/Gentiles) near to the Torah we hasten the coming of the Mashiach, as it is
said in Pirqe Abot 1:12 Hillel and Shammai received the tradition (Oral Torah) from them. Hillel says:
Be of the disciples of Aharon, loving peace and pursuing peace, loving your fellow creatures and bringing
them nearer to the Torah.
c) VLahaviakha El-Ha-Maqom Asher Havinoti - and to bring you (Yisrael) to the place which I have
prepared. This is none other than the heavenly Bet HaMiqdash, which one day will descend upon
Yerushalayim after the 2nd coming of Mashiach. This point is critical, since we are not looking forward
to the rebuilding of any Temple by human hands, but our goal is to bring every man be he Jew or Gentile
(each in their own covenant relationship) to this Holy Place which will descend down from the heavens as
our Sages teach. This heavenly Temple is the proto-type or model of which Mosheh Rabbenu was shown,
and from which he produced a copy here on earth. And of this Temple, the prophet says: Khi Veiti (for
My house) Bet-Tefilah (a house of prayer) Yiqare (will be called) LiKhol HaAmim (for all peoples)
Yeshayahu 56:7!
III. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MORDECHAI 1:1 AND MORDECHAI 1:2
Apart from providing reinforcement and delineating the task of Messiah as presented in Mordechai 1:1 and as
indicated at the beginning of v.2 as it is written, that is, offering support and/or structure for the claims made
in the previous statement of Mordechai 1:1, we can still find further evidence for this intimate nexus of these two
psukim (verses).
If we compare the mission of the angel captain of the host, that would lead Israel into the land: LiShmarkha
BaDarekh to guard (keep) you (Yisrael) in the way [Halakha], with the role of the MSORAH being
identified in Pirqe Abot 3:17 as a SYAG (fence) to protect the Written Torah from being desecrated and
misused, as well as protecting Yisrael [that is, to guard (keep) you (Yisrael) in the way [Halakha]], we find
indeed a complete harmonious overlap of roles.
This overlap is only possible if as Hakham Yochanan (John) teaches, that this Mashiach is none other than the
Torah (Written and Oral) made flesh (tabernacling in the flesh) cf. Yochanan 1:14. And it is this theme of the
MSORAH being identified with the Mashiach that is the parting point of the Mishnaic treatise of Mordechai as
elucidated in the first two introductory verses. Further, then v.2 is stating that just as the angels mission is to
guard (keep) you (Yisrael) in the way [Halakha], so too is the role of the MSORAH! Equally as well, the role of
the angel is said to be that of and to bring you (Yisrael) to the place which I have prepared, and the same could
be said of the role of the MSORAH.
Behold, then with what reverence does the author of this Mishnaic treatise holds the Oral Torah of the Jewish
people which it equates with Mashiach himself, and with the angel captain of the host of Heaven, and further
intimating quite clearly that this Oral Torah in Israels possession will guard (keep) you (Yisrael) in the way
[Halakha] and will ultimately bring its adherents, students and practitioners to the place which I (G-d) have
prepared (compare with Yochanan 14:2-4)! It is, therefore with a great sense of disgust and shame that we see
false teachers instructing and demanding that Mashiachs true disciples throw off the Heavenly yoke of the Oral
Torah, or replace it with some other foreign (aka pagan) Oral Torah that our people never received by the
disposition of G-ds angels.
On this wise, His Eminence Hakham Yaaqov Culi (Turkey 1689-1732) of blessed memory, in the MeAm Loez
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(Pueblo Ladinador) Sephardi Commentary on the Tanakh107, on Shmot (Exodus) 23:2-22 writes:
Shmot 23:20
"Behold, I will send a Messenger before you, to safeguard you on the way, and to bring you to the place
that I have prepared.
G-d now told the Israelites that He would send an angel before them. This angel would watch them as they
traveled, and bring them to the place that He prepared. G-d is referring to a definite place, where the Holy
Temple (Beth HaMikdash) would be built. The place is prepared by G-d, since the lower Temple is directly
opposite the Temple on high (cf. Rashi, Tanchuma).
Shmot 23:21
Be careful before him and listen to his voice. Do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your
disobedience; My Name is in him.
The angel that G-d would send before the Israelites would be the angel Metatron. The name Metatron has
[a numerical value of 314, which is the same as] the numerical value of G-d's Name, Shaddai.
Since this angel is merely a messenger, he does not have the authority to forgive any sin. He cannot change
in any way what he has been appointed to do (cf. Rashi, Tanchuma). Anyone who speaks against him is
counted as if he spoke against G-d. Anything that the angel says, he says in G-d's Name, for G-d's Name
is in him. The Hebrew word for angel is malakh, which literally means an agent or messenger. This is
because an angel is nothing more than a messenger of G-d.
Shmot 23:22
For if you obey him, and do all that I say, then I will hate those who hate you, and attack those who attack
you.
The Torah speaks of both a hater and an attacker. There is one person who merely hates in his heart, but
does not bring his hatred to action. When an enemy actually acts upon his hatred, he is an attacker. Since
he is willing to do something, it is evident that his hatred is stronger.
G-d is thus saying, "There is an angel ready to go before you, to help you and show you the way. But you
must realize that he is not doing this on his own, of his own good will. Any good he does is as My agent,
since he cannot do anything that I do not command him. If you derive benefit from him, do not give him
credit for it; he has no power to do anything.
"Still, you must be careful before him, to listen to him and not rebel against him. Although I have said that
he has no power to do good or bad on his own, and all that he does is My bidding, you have no right to
rebel against him. My Name is in him. Since he is My agent, you must respect him, as it is taught, 'I will
respect those who respect Me' (1 Samuel 2:30).
Therefore, whoever respects others will himself be respected. Whenever a person respects his peers, he is
also showing respect for Me. Man is the work of My hands, and should not be dishonored. If this is true
of man, who is flesh and blood, it is certainly true of an angel."
Rabbi Yaakov Culi (1980). The Torah Anthology Vol. 8: MeAm LoEz, Translated by Rabbi A. Kaplan, Jerusalem, Israel:
107
Moznaim Publishing Corp., pp. 177-179.
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Although this is speaking of an angel, the word for angel (malakh) denotes a messenger. It can refer to a
prophet or a rabbi, who are also G-d's messengers. We are also forbidden to rebel against them, since this
is considered disrespect for the Torah.
Here, we see that with regard to an angel, G-d says, "If you obey him, and do all that I say." You must
obey the agent, and do all that G-d commands.
However, if any prophet or rabbi says something that goes against the Torah, he should not be obeyed. G-
d therefore did not say, "do all that he says." If G-d had said that, we would think that if an angel, prophet
or rabbi tells us to do anything at all, we must obey. But G-d said, "do all that I say," so we see that there
are limits (cf. Ramban, HaEmunah VeHaBitachon 19).
Thus, rejecting the Oral Torah of Yisrael as expressed by our Jewish Sages who whether they acknowledge him or
not has strictly supervised them, amounts to rebellion against the angels (Rabbis) of G-d, rebellion against the
Mashiach (in whom G-ds Name is in Him), and what is more important rebellion against Ha-Shem Himself and
His G-dly rule. This Mishnaic treatise of Mordechai alerts us in these two introductory verses in no uncertain terms
against such despicable behaviour, and the more coming from anyone who advertises to be a follower of the
Mashiach, be he a Jew or a Gentile.
Finally, according to simple logic, if a = b, then it follows that b = a. And if the MSORAH itself and its teachers
= the angel captain of the heavenly host, at least in roles, then the MSORAH itself and its teachers are also the
embodiment, no matter how imperfect, of the angel captain of the heavenly host, and the same MSORAH and its
teachers too have G-ds Name in them. For, as we have just read Anything that the angel says, he says in G-d's
Name, for G-d's Name is in him. Thus equally, anything that the MSORAH says and teaches or its Hakhamim
(Rabbis) say and teach so they do in G-ds Name, for G-ds Name is in the MSORAH and its saintly teachers.
Again, we observe the connection here between v.2 and son of G-d (Ben Elohim) of v.1.
It is vital that we understand that whether Jewish Rabbis acknowledge or not Yeshuah as the Messiah, it is this
same Yeshuah as Metatron that has been guiding and superintending the production of Halakha as taught by our
Sages. Either Messiah superintends the affairs of men from the heavens as we most certainly believe to be the case,
or he is not doing so.
IV. MORDECHAI 1:3
And as it is said: Mosheh received the Torah from Sinai and gospelled it down to Yehoshua, and Yehoshua
gospelled it down to the Elders, the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets gospelled it down to the Men
of the Great Assembly. They (the Men of the Great Assembly) emphasized three things; Be deliberate in
judgment, make stand many disciples, and make a fence around the Torah (P. Abot 1:1).
Now, you may notice that no edition of the New Testament has this statement as verse 3. So then the question
immediately arises as to why have we added this statement of Mishnah Pirqe Abot 1:1 here as Mordechai (Mark)
1:3? We have added this statement for the following three reasons:
1. at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, will a matter be established
(Deut. 19:15). Hakham Tsefet (Peter) through his scribe Mordechai (Mark) has presented us in v.2 with
one witness in the conflation of Exodus 23:30 with Malachi 3:1 as shown above. We therefore are in need
of a second witness in order to establish the matter. It is our sincere belief that this statement of Pirqe
Abot 1:1 originally was part of Mark but at a later time in order to purge the writings of the Apostles from
any Jewishness, this statement was striked out or purged from the original version.
2. "Without father, without mother, without a genealogy (Hebrews 7:3). Surely a servant is without a
Page 29 of 38
genealogy, since servants are bought and sold. And since the Master, i.e. the Messiah is presented in this
composition as the servant of Ha-Shem, we find no genealogy of the Master in the book of Mordechai
(Mark).108 But since verse one states that the Master is the chief part or wisdom of the MASORAH, a
genealogy of the Torah since Sinai is required. In verse 1, the genealogy of the Torah is traced before
creation, in verse 2, from creation to Sinai, and in our present verse from Sinai to the present day.
3. That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done;
and there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Verse 3 serves to emphasize the point that
the MASORAH of the Master is the same MASORAH that Mosheh Rabbenu (Moses our Master) received
at Sinai and gospelled it down to Yehoshua, and down to this very day through our Sages. There is indeed
no other Gospel except than the one delived to Moses by G-d at Mt. Sinai! And further, as verse one
intimates it is with this Gospel that G-d, most blessed be He, created the universe as it is stated: For the
sake of Resheet G-d created, etc. (Gen. 1:1)
It is clear then that the statement of Pirqe Abot 1:1 fits perfectly after verse 2. Not only does it fit perfectly, but it
explains verse one and two in a very succinct and elegant form.
V. LECTIONARY CONCERNS OF MORDECHAI 1:1 AND MORDECHAI 1:3
We have already argued the fact that verses one and three of Mordechai chapter one form an organic unit /whole
as shown above in the intimate interrelationship between the three verses. Therefore, the three verses constitute by
themselves the first paragraph of this work. This does not detract from the Rabbinic rule that matters dealt in two
adjoining paragraphs overlap and are related to each other.
Some have argued, that the organisation of any Mishnaic treatise is thematic rather than framed around any
chronological scheme such as the ancient Jewish Septennial Lectionary of Torah readings. We do concede that
such is the scheme for the Mishnah as we have received it, arranged around six orders. Nevertheless, this Mishnaic
treatise is somewhat different, since it is arranged around the life and teachings of the Messiah, whom we identified
above as being the embodiment of the Written and Oral Torah. And thus alike with the unrolling of the Torah
Scroll week by week we expect the arrangement to be somewhat chronologically related to the Torah readings,
and alluded to in each paragraph of the Mishnaic treatise of Mordechai.
Others have also argued that the ministry of Yochanan the Immerser was one whose main subject was that of
TESHUVAH repentance, as we shall see in our next paragraph and lecture, G-d willing. And that such a
message would be better suited for the season of repentance in our calendar known as the Yomim HaNoraim
(the 10 days of repentance from Rosh HaShanah (New Year) to Yom HaKippurim (Day of Atonements) in the
autumn month of Tishri. However a closer look at our calendar also shows that the days from the beginning of the
month of Nisan in Spring, and exemplified with house cleaning before Nisan 14, the search for leaven at the
beginning of the Nisan 14, the eating of Matsah (un-leavened bread) for seven days and the counting day by day
of the Omer till the festival of Shabuot (Pentecost the commemoration of the giving of the Torah at Sinai) in
Sivan 6 are also a season of preparation and repentance.
The problem has been a perception in Judaism that with the over-emphasis of Christianity on the spring festivals
at the expense of the autumn festivals that they do not celebrate, has forced Judaism to place a greater emphasis on
the autumn festivals. Also the perception, that since the festival of Rosh Ha-Shanah depicts the resurrection of the
dead and the initiation of the millennial kingdom that the autumn festivals seem to be more relevant for us from
the perspective of time than the spring ones. However the Talmud teaches that in Nisan we were redeemed and in
108
Luke presents us with a genealogy of the Master because Luke portrays the Master as a nobleman, and all noblemen have
genealogies. Matityahu (Matthew) presents us with another genealogy of the Master, because in Matityahu the Master is
presented as the King of all Israel, and kings do have a genealogy. Luke and Matthew differ in their genealogies due to the rules
and needs of the genre they are writing Luke in Remes and Matthew in Drash.
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Nisan we will be redeemed again, as it is said in Talmud Babli, Rosh Hashanah 11a:
It has been taught: R. Eliezer says: In Tishri the world was created; in Tishri the Patriarchs were born; in
Tishri the Patriarchs died; on Passover Isaac was born; on New Year Sarah, Rachel and Hannah were
visited; on New Year Joseph went forth from prison; on New Year the bondage of our ancestors in Egypt
ceased; in Nisan they were redeemed and in Nisan they will be redeemed in the time to come. R. Joshua
says: In Nisan the world was created; in Nisan the Patriarchs were born; in Nisan the Patriarchs died; on
Passover Isaac was born; on New Year Sarah, Rachel and Hannah were visited; on New Year Joseph went
forth from prison; on New Year the bondage of our ancestors ceased in Egypt; and in Nisan they will be
redeemed in time to come.
The Talmud (Rosh Hashanah 11b) in fact, lays down the chronology of our future redemption as follows:
On New Year the bondage of our ancestors ceased in Egypt. It is written in one place, and I will bring you
out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and it is written in another place, I removed his shoulder from
the burden. In Nisan they were delivered, as Scripture recounts. In Tishri they will be delivered in time
to come. This is learnt from the two occurrences of the word horn. It is written in one place, Blow the
horn on the new moon, and it is written in another place, In that day a great horn shall be blown. R. Joshua
says, In Nisan they were delivered, in Nisan they will be delivered in the time to come. Whence do we
know this? Scripture calls [the Passover] a night of watchings, [which means], a night, which has been
continuously watched for from the six days of the creation. What says the other to this? [He says it
means], a night which is under constant protection against evil spirits.
This Talmudic description of our future redemption is explained in terms of a process which starts in Rosh Ha-
Shanah (in the month of Tishri) but alike in the former redemption in Egypt culminates on Pesach (in the month
of Nisan).
Perhaps a hint on this topic is provided to us in the words of the Mishnah of Pirqe Abot 1:1 Mosheh Qibel
Torah MiSinai UMsarah LiYehoshuah (Moses received the Torah from Sinai and gospelled it down to
Yehoshuah). This Yehoshuah firstly refers to the saintly Yehoshuah (Joshuah), the brave and most faithful
disciple of Mosheh Rabbenu. However, this Yehoshuah can also be allegorically interpreted to mean His Majesty
King Yeshuah (Hebrew abbreviation for Yehoshuah) the Messiah. In doing this, the first clause of Abot 1:1 is to
be taken as a description of a transition (ie. from Metatron (Messiah) to Mosheh Rabbenu and from Mosheh
Rabbenu to His Majesty King Yeshuah), and the next clauses outlining this process with the final clause describing
that the aims of both Mosheh and Yeshuah are identical. Moreover, this Mishnah would also be reinforcing the
fact that the Torah received by Mosheh and gospelled down to His Majesty King Yeshuah the Messiah is the same
Written and Oral Torah which he (Mashiach) handed down to us and being communicated through our extremely
faithful Hakhamim since 70 c.e. up to this very day.
VII. SUMMARY OF TEACHINGS OF MORDECHAI 1:1 AND MORDECHAI 1:3
Any Mishnaic treatise, as was/is the custom amongst our noble people of Yisrael throughout the ages, is basically
understood as a catechetic work with material selectively arranged for didactic purposes. Catechumens, be they
the young or the un-initiated adult or neophyte were, and still are subjected to a period of intensive training and in
which they are asked to memorise that which systematically organises the faith. In the case of Christianity, it is a
series of dogma and in Judaism our basic Laws and appointments with G-d. The style of this literature is therefore
straight to the point, and bereft of any fanciful explanations since it is intended to be committed to memory and
provide the skeleton of schemata which through time will be elaborated upon by the human mind as further and
deeper studies on the subject matter are pursued.
The Mishnah then, offers to us the most ancient and basic program of study for converts and Jewish children alike
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before their Bar/Bat Mitsvah examination and or conversion procedures take place. However, as we progress
through human history different flavours of didactic endeavours and styles become the flavour of the month. Yet,
Judaism is not shaped or governed by the exigencies of passing fads or what may be secularly in vogue. In the
Mishleh (Proverbs) we read: My son, if you will receive my words and treasure (conceal) my commandments
within you. Now, how can a person conceal G-ds commandments within him/her? It becomes obvious then
that the author meant to say memorise G-ds commandments for in doing so, one conceals G-ds words within
the self. And the Middrash on Proverbs109 comments:
"My son, if you accept my words (Prov. 2:1) on Mount Sinai G-d said: My children, if you succeed in
accepting My Torah and doing what is in it, I will save you from three punishments: the war of Gog and
Magog, the pangs of the Messiahs advent, and the torment of Gehenna. And treasure up my
commandments (Prov. 2:1) if you succeed in storing away words of Torah in your hearts (minds), I will
satiate you with the stored-up goodness which I have laid away for the future, as it is said, How abundant
is the goodness that You have in store for those that fear You (Psalm 31:20). G-d said: In the future I will
make known to all the nations of the world that goodness with which I will benefit you, on the condition
that your ears continually listen to the words of Torah, as it is said, If you make your ear attentive to
wisdom, and your mind open to discernment (Prov. 2:2). How so? If you call to understanding, and cry
aloud for discernment (Prov.2:3).
And in Pirqe Abot 3:10, we read:
"Rabbi Dostai ben Yannai said in the name of Rabbi Meir: 'Whosoever forgets even one word of his study
(Torah learning) Scripture regards him as though he has sinned against his soul, for it is said: 'Only take
heed of yourself and guard your soul diligently, that you may not forget the things you saw (at the time of
the revelation at Sinai) with your own eyes. Now one might suppose that the same result would follow
even if the retention of what he has studied has been too hard for him. To guard against such an inference,
the Torah adds and lest they be removed from your heart (mind) your entire lifetime, and you will inform
your children and grandchildren of them, the day you stood before G-d, your God at Choreb ..."
Accordingly, he is guilty of sinning against his soul only if he sits down idly and deliberately removes
(these teachings) from his heart (mind).
So, then, the task of the Mishnah is to provide an organised skeleton of knowledge about the Torah as a means of
concealing G-ds commandments within us and enabling for apt repetition, recall and memorisation of them
which is the meaning of the Hebrew root term SHANAH from which the word Mishnah is derived. Therefore
we should ask, what then does Mordechai 1:1-3 wants us to memorise? Simple:
The chief part of the Masorah (Tradition/Oral Law) is Yeshuah the Messiah, the Son of God (i.e. Ben
Elohim = the King/Judge); as it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send My messenger before your face,
which will prepare your way (Hebrew: Derekh/Halakha) before you (Exodus 23:30; & Malachi 3:1).
And as it is said: Mosheh received the Torah from Sinai and gospelled it down to Yehoshua, and Yehoshua
gospelled it down to the Elders, the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets gospelled it down to the Men
of the Great Assembly. They (the Men of the Great Assembly) emphasized three things; Be deliberate in
judgment, make stand many disciples, and make a fence around the Torah (P. Abot 1:1).
FURTHER NOTES
1) As can be seen above we have welded Mark 1:1 with verse 2, as presented in Christian Bibles. The separation
109
Visotzky, B.L. (1992). The Midrash on Proverbs Translated from the Hebrew with an Introduction and Annotations. London:
Yale University Press, p.29
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of verses is really modern (1551 c.e.)110 and we are of the opinion that verse i and two should not be separated at
all. As regarding our verse 2 we think it should be separate since it presents another but complementary train of
thought.
2) Contrary to Christian teaching we believe that vv.1-2 as presented above is a pericope by itself which deals with
the introduction to this Mishnaic treatise and not to be joined with the next pericope (of vv. 3-8 in the Christian
Bibles), as this later pericope refers and deals with the subject of Yochanan the Immerser. Therefore we propose
that the above vv. 1-2 of the first Chapter of the Mishnah of Mordechai (containing the Christian verses 1 and 2,
plus the statement of Pirqe Abot 1:1) constitute a separate pericope distinct from the Christian vv.3-8.
2) Whilst most modern versions of this treatise include the phrase Isaiah the Prophet in v.2, this is completely
erroneous and shows a lack of understanding of the Hebrew Scriptures, the lectionary framework of this treatise,
let alone the Rabbinic perspective from which this Mishnaic treatise was written.
Here therefore ends our commentary on the first paragraph of the Mishnah of Mordechai. May the Creator, Most
Blessed be He, grant us strength to continue our studies and comment on further paragraphs of this important
Mishnaic treatise, and may He bless and comfort all Yisrael, and grant Wisdom to all who study the Written and
Oral Torah, amen ve amen!
Commentary to Hakham Shauls School of Remes

(Acts 1:1-4)
By: Paqid Dr. Adon Eliyahu ben Abraham
Scholars have debated for some time the original author of Luke/Acts. Scholars have noted that the same author,
with one overreaching inclusive agenda, wrote Luke/Acts.111 We assert that the author of both Luke and Acts is
Hakham Shaul. We will not belabor the research of other to make our point here. We will refer the reader to the
work of Howard H. Evans.112 Evans has exhaustively researched the vocabulary of all the Pauline materials in a
comparative study. Evans uses several hermeneutic rules to bring about a conclusion that Hakham Shaul is the
author of Luke/Acts. The result of the Evans study proves beyond a shadow of doubt that Hakham Shaul is the
author behind the Lukan scribe. It is reported that Hakham Shaul death was in June of 68 C.E.113 If there is any
validity to this statement, we must believe that Hakham Shaul and the other Nazarean Hakhamim were genius. Not
only were they genius, they possessed prophetic insights. Luke 21:16 predicts the destruction of the Temple years
before it actually occurred. This being the case we can see that the other Gospels made these predictions before
Hakham Shaul penned his words. Herein we assert that the Gospels were written early rather than late.
The continuous flow of materials between the two volumes demonstrates that they have a central agenda. The
Acts of the apostles, like other Pauline materials assumes that the reader understands the, Election of the Jews,
Predestination of the Jewish people, the Mesorah (Gospel) is to the Jew first, (Rm. 1:16; 2:910) and that
salvation is of the Jews (Jn. 4:22). Acts is not so much a new narrative. Acts is a rewording of previous
materials of Luke. Interestingly enough some scholars seem to believe that the work of Luke/Acts is the first two
110
Cf. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapters_and_verses_of_the_Bible
111
Peterson, D. G. (2009). The Acts of the Apostles. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company p.6. & Evans,
H. H. (1884). St Paul the Author of the Acts of the Apostles and the Third Gospel. London: Wyman & Sons. Khun, K. A. (2010).
Luke the Evangelist (Paul's Social Network, Brothers & Sisters in Faith ed.). (S. E. Bruce J. Malina, Ed.) Collegeville, MI:
Liturgical Press
112
Ibid p.7
113
Ibid p.8
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books in a possible trilogy.114 If there is, any plausibility to this line of thinking it may be that Hakham Shauls
letter to the Romans was the third book of such a trilogy. This would fit well with the present research on the
lectionary. As noted below in the footnotes below, F.F. Bruce is opposed to the notion based on Greek vocabulary
that he draws from secular Hellenistic Greek usage. Herein we find two problems. Firstly, Bruce has brought
Hellenistic Greek into a Judeo-Koine Greek115 composition. In other words, Luke and Acts originated in
Mishnaic Hebrew and were later translated into what we call Judeo-Koine Greek for lack of a better title. Secondly,
Bruce does not want to admit the obvious. In a word or phrase, the monks monkeyed with the text. And, finally
Bruce does not take into consideration the Lectionary, which seems to be a specialty of Hakham Shaul.
Romans 15:16 who made me a lectionary116 (priestly minister of lectionary or liturgy) of Messiah Yeshua to
the Gentiles in the priestly (service) God's Mesorah that the gifts of the Gentiles might be acceptable,
consecrated by Ruach HaKodesh (holy spirit breath Oral Torah).
Furthermore, by mention of the lectionary, we are referring to the Triennial lectionary. While we realize that there
are other possible lectionaries, the present research demonstrates that the Triennial lectionary is the most plausible.
Consequently, the idea of a trilogy may be more plausible than Bruce believes. Regardless of plausibility, we must
assert that Hakham Shaul must have originally intended for these materials to be read in conjunction with the
Triennial Torah reading cycle. Scholars suggest that Hakham Shaul wrote the books while incarcerated in Rome.
We cannot help but think of how these works must have been somewhat of a Pauline Midrash.117
ACTS OF THE APOSTLES?
Scholars have debated the genuine and original title for the book of Acts. It seems that it may not have possessed
a title in the beginning.118 Regardless, the present title Acts of the Apostles is slightly disingenuous. The book is
divided between the acts of Hakham Tsefet and the acts of Hakham Shaul. In his book Reading the New
Testament119 Rheme Perkins has divided Acts into two basic sections. Acts 112 are the acts of Hakham Tsefet
with the exception of the materials on Stephen in chapters 67. The remainder of the book deals with the acts
of Hakham Shaul. It is also noteworthy that Acts parallels Luke in many aspects with regard to the life of the
114
F.F. Bruce argues against this point based on the use of protos (meaning first of chief). Cf. Bruce, F. (1990). The Acts
of the Apostles, A Greek Text with Introduction and Commentary. (Third Revised and Enlarged Edition ed.). Grand Rapids, MI:
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. p. 97
115
I have coined the phrase Judeo-Koine Greek. This is because there is not satisfactory way to describe the Jewish use of Koine
Greek used to write the Nazarean Codicil. We will not elaborate at length here other than to say the Greek of the Nazarean Codicil
is filled with a plethora of Semitisms and Hebraisms, which are not common in Koine Greek. The fact that the Nazarean Codicil
was originally written in Mishnaic Hebrew further confounds scholars. When they try to turn Judeo-Koine Greek back into
Biblical Hebrew, they are plagued with inconsistencies. Only when we look at the Greek of the Nazarean Codicil as Judeo-Koine
Greek which was derived from the Mishnaic Hebrew do we begin to solve some of the linguistic problems of reconstructing a
legitimate version of the Nazarean Codicil as was extant in the first century.
116
Hakham Shauls use of leitourgos carries the idea of functioning is the Priestly office. Therefore, I have associated
it with the lectionary. The Temple functioned like a cosmic clock. It resonated with the Moedim and Sederim of G-d. The
Parshiyot of the Torah were acted out in the Temple. In a similar way, Yeshua was the personification of the Torah Lectionary.
Cf. John 1:1ff
117
Use of Pauline Midrash in no way implies that the present materials are Midrashic in content. Reference is to the Pauline
Midrash is an idea that each week the Torah portion spoke to Hakham Shaul in a special way while in prison (not to say that all
these materials were constructed while Hakham Shaul was in prison). His Eminence Rabbi Dr. Yosef ben Haggai has coined the
phrase Davidic Midrash. David wrote many of the Psalms from experiences he had in relation to the Torah portion of the week.
In similar manner, we would suggest that Hakham Shaul wrote his accounts of Luke/Acts/ Romans. Consequently, we have a
Pauline Midrash of sorts.
118
Khun, K. A. (2010). Luke the Evangelist (Paul's Social Network, Brothers & Sisters in Faith ed.). (S. E. Bruce J. Malina, Ed.)
Collegeville, MI: Liturgical Press. Peterson, D. G. (2009). The Acts of the Apostles. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans
Publishing Company.
119
Perkins, R. (1988). Reading the New Testament. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press.
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Master and the early life of the Nazarean congregations.
WORKS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Another title for the book is the Works of the Holy Spirit.120 While most Christian commenters and theologians
have a different idea of the Holy Spirit we must here set forth our understanding of the Holy Spirit.
Fitzmyer citing Justin Martyr records, It is not right, therefore, to understand the Spirit and the power of God as
anything else than the Word, who is also the first-begotten of God121 Fitzmyer furthers the comment by telling us
that it was not until after the third/fourth century that the doctrine that the holy spirit was considered the Third
Person of the Trinity. 122
Regardless of Fitzmeyers meaning, we interpret the Word as the Torah and Oral Torah. That the Torah, in both
forms is the firstbegotten of G-d is of clear in Jewish thinking.
During the first century, the Ruach HaKodesh holy spirit was understood to be
1. The power of God with no emphasis on a spirit as a special separate entity

2. The Divine (dwelling) Presence Shechinah
3. The spirit (breath i.e. Oral Torah) which produces holiness
4. The spirit of prophecy
5. It is noteworthy that the first century Sages never understood the holy spirit to be a separate entity.
Consequently, to give the book of Acts the title Acts of the Holy Spirit must have intended one of the perspectives
mentioned above. When we strip away the gloss of trinitarian theology, the Acts of the Apostles is indeed the
Acts of the Ruach HaKodesh, the Ruach HaKodesh being the Oral Torah or the Mesorah. The account of Acts
is the account of the Word of G-d i.e. Oral Torah as it was given to Moshe to explicate the Written Torah. In the
Sood words of Yochanan, Yeshua is the personification of the Witten and Oral Torah (Jn1:1). Therefore, when
we read the works of Acts we see the work of the Oral Torah in the lives of the first century Nazareans and those
that they met.
THE PROCLAMATION OF THE FATHER
The promise of the Father as many translations have it, is nothing more than the Ruach HaKodesh Oral Torah
as it is written within the hearts of those who embrace the Torah Oral Torah as the spirit which gives life.123
Jer 31:33 I will put my law (Torah) in their inward parts (i.e. mind), and write it in their hearts; and will be
their God, and they shall be my people.
While we do not see the experiences of Acts as the completion of the proclamation made above, we certainly see
them as the initiation of that proclamation. The Acts of the Apostles are therefore, the conduct of the Apostles
as they taught and lived out the Oral Torah along with its effect on the human behavior of all who received the
Mesorah.
120
Johnson, L. T. (1992). The Acts of the Apostles (Sacra Pagina Series ed., Vol. 5). (S. Daniel J. Harrington, Ed.) Collegeville,
MN: The Liturgical Press. p. 14
121
(Apologia 1:33 FC, 6. 71) Fitzmyer, J. A. (1983). The Gospel According to Luke I-IX A New Translation with commentary
(The Anchor Study Bible ed., Vol. 28). Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc. p. 350
122
Ibid
123
Jn. 6:63, Rm. 8:2, 10; 2 Co. 3:6; Ga. 6:8; Re 2:7; 22:17
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ACTS AND GENESIS:
We do not have to labor to see that the book of Acts is read with Genesis, Exodus and Leviticus. Especially
noteworthy are the materials read with the book of Genesis (Acts 1:111:18). Only taking a cursory look at the
materials demonstrates that the primary evangelistic efforts of the apostles were to the Jews first. The tenth
chapter of Acts, read with the final chapters of Genesis where the Jewish people went into Egypt and began
interaction with gentiles. The materials read with Exodus (11:1918:28) demonstrate the initiation of evangelism
to the gentiles per se. The final portions of Acts are read with the book of Leviticus. This section demonstrates the
restoration of the Priesthood of firstborn and their agenda among the nations. The addressee O Theophilus is
thought by some scholars to mean G-dfearer.124 That Romans is read with BMidbar (Numbers) and Dbarim
(Deuteronomy) is only logical when we take into account that Acts/ Romans are read from a Remes (hint)
hermeneutic. The book of Romans(1:18:25) hints at the present Diaspora, where life is lived in the diaspora
of the wilderness (BMidbar). Its concluding passages (Rm. 8:2616:27) are read with the Dbarim
(Deuteronomy) which is a hint at the Oral Torah.
The work of the Master from his beginning until he was taken up, must be read with Genesis 1:12:3. Hakham
Shaul presents Yeshua as a prophet like Moshe.125 This is befitting when reading the Nazarean Codicil with the
Torah. The phrase all the work126 that Yeshua did demands exegesis. The Greek word - poieo is anchored
in the two key words of Beresheet, namely bara and asah. Obviously, Hakham Shaul is hinting at the fact
that the book of Acts is read in conjunction with Beresheet and the Tanakh.
THE GOVERNANCE OF G-D
The Masters final lessons to his talmidim are on the governance (kingdom) of God [through the Hakhamim and
Bate Din as opposed to human kings].
A compendium of Acts is found in the key phrase of Beresheet 1:26.
Gn. 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over
the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every
creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.
The Ramban makes it clear that the phrase let us is a conversation between G-d and the earth. Man is composed
partly of earth and the Neshamah (breath of life) from G-d.127 However, the statement let them have dominion
is most interesting when read from Hebrew.

26
The highlighted word is transliterated ve-yirad. The Hebrew word raddah (H7287) means to rule. Therefore,
124
Williams, C. (1964). A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles (Black's New Testament Commentary on the Acts of the
Apostles ed.). (H. Chadwick, Ed.) London: Adam & Charles Black. p. 54 Williams cites J.I. Still who makes an argument that
Theophilus was a magistrate wait to hear Pauls case. While in prison, Paul wrote the book of Luke and Acts to this God-fearer
who, according to Still and Streeter was Flavious Clemens.
125
Cf. Dbarim 18:15
126
Here the phrase poiein te kai didaskein finds no parallel in English or Greek. This Greek word - poieo is anchored in
the two key words of Beresheet, namely and . Theological dictionary of the New Testament. 1964-c1976. Vols. 5-9
edited by Gerhard Friedrich. Vol. 10 compiled by Ronald Pitkin. (G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley & G. Friedrich, Ed.) Grand Rapids,
MI: Eerdmans. 6:459
127
Ramban. (2008 ). The Torah; with Rambans Commentary Translated, Annotated, and Elucidated, (Vol. Sefer Beresheet).
Artscroll Series, Mesorah Publications ltd. p. 73
Page 36 of 38
it was the duty of Adam rishon to rule over the works of G-ds hands. However, the Hebrew phrased ve-yirad,
used in Gen 1:26 is polyvalent. The Hebrew word yarad (H3381) means to descend. The Hebrew phrase ve-
yirad contains the idea of ruling and descending. The governance of G-d depends on submission and authority
to the Bate Din and Hakhamim as opposed to human kings. Therefore, the concept can be summed in a few
thoughts. If we refuse the rule raddah of the Hakhamim and Bate Din we are destined to fall yarad.
However, if we accept the authority of the Hakhamim and Bate Din we will be masters yarad of our being.
However, we can also read inductively the thought that if the Hakhamim and Bate Din do not rule raddah they
will yarad fall. Yet, it is better said that if the Hakhamim and Bate Din do not rule raddah we all will
yarad fall.
One passage that says more than a life of words is found in Yochanan.
Jn. 6:28-29 Then said they unto him (Yeshua), What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
2
Yeshua answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that you faithfully obey him whom He has
sent.
We readily admit that the him of this passage refers to obeying the words, Mesorah of the Master. Yet, we see
here the principle of agency. Obedience to him who the G-d has sent can easily refer to the Bate Din and Hakhamim.
Therefore, the work of G-d is to obey them that G-d has sent.
When we look at varied teachings of Yeshua, we clearly see that there is a great deal in common with the Abot,
specifically Abot 1:1. The sayings of the Fathers appear in the Nazarean Codicil albeit restated and in different
context. It is befitting for Hakham Shauls opening of Luke/Acts contain materials which we could say are from
the Nazarean Abot.
Some Questions to Ponder:

1. From all the readings for this week, which particular verse or passage caught your attention and fired your
heart and imagination?
2. In your opinion, and taking into consideration all of the above readings for this Sabbath, what is the prophetic
message (the idea that encapsulates all the Scripture passages read) for this week?
Blessing After Torah Study

Barch Ath Adonai, Elohnu Melch HaOlm,
Ashr Natn Lnu Tort Emt, V'Chayi Olm Nat B'Tochnu.
Barch Ath Adoni, Notn HaTorh. Amen!
Blessed is Ha-Shem our God, King of the universe,
Who has given us a teaching of truth, implanting within us eternal life.
Blessed is Ha-Shem, Giver of the Torah. Amen!
Now unto Him who is able to preserve you faultless, and spotless, and to establish you without a blemish,
before His majesty, with joy, [namely,] the only one God, our Deliverer, by means of Yeshua the Messiah our Master, be
praise, and dominion, and honor, and majesty, both now and in all ages. Amen!
Page 37 of 38
"Gmar Chatima Tova."

May you be inscribed (in the Book of Life) for Good!
Sea usted inscrito y sellado (en el libro de la Vida) para bien!
Coming Festival
(Tishri 10, 5776): Tuesday Sept. 22 Wednesday Sept. 23, 2015
Yom Kippur
For further study see:
http://www.betemunah.org/kippur.html;
http://www.betemunah.org/kohen.html
& http://www.betemunah.org/atonemen.html
Next Shabbat:
Shabbat: Eleh Toldot HaShamayim
Sabbath These are Generations of the Heavens
Shabbat Torah Reading: Weekday Torah Reading:

Toldot Ha-Shamayim Reader 1 Bresheet 2:4-6 Reader 1 Bresheet 3:22-24
Generations of the Heavens Reader 2 Bresheet 2:7-14 Reader 2 Bresheet 4:1-5
Orgenes de los Cielos Reader 3 Bresheet 2:15-24 Reader 3 Bresheet 4:5-7
Bresheet (Gen.) 2:4 3:21 Reader 4 Bresheet 2:25 3:7
Ashlamatah: Is. 51:6-16 Reader 5 Bresheet 3:8-12
Reader 6 Bresheet 3:13-16 Reader 1 Bresheet 3:22-24
Psalms 1:1 2:12 Reader 7 Bresheet 3:17-21 Reader 2 Bresheet 4:1-5
Maftir Bmidbar 28:9-15 Reader 3 Bresheet 4:5-7
N.C.: Mark 1:3-6
Isaiah 51:6-16
Luke 3:1-9 & Acts 1:5-11
Shalom Shabbat Ve Gmar Chatimah Tova!
Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai

Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David
Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham
Page 38 of 38

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BSD (BSiyata DShamaya)

Aramaic: With the help of Heaven

SCHOOL OF HAKHAM SHAUL SCHOOL OF HAKHAM TSEFET

you (breathed)." And the angel departed from her.

chesed (loving-kindness) of God was upon him.

SCHOOL OF HAKHAM SHAUL

COMMENTARY TO HAKHAM TSEFETS SCHOOL OF PESHAT

I. Mordechai (Mark) 1:1

" (Septuagint Psalm 110:10)

The chief part of Wisdom is the reverential fear of Ha-Shem.

(Tu Euageliou) where Tu means of the, and Euageliou is translated as Gosphael.

Genesis Hebrew/English, BN Publishing.

words of Hakham Shaul:

1. The awkwardness of the term

2. The term lacks antecedent and cultural or contextual validity

Pshat (plain literal meaning) of this passage. He states:

a) For indeed we had gospel proclaimed to us even as they (them);

And the Aramaic Peshitta (Lamsa, 1987) translates:

Similarly, the Catholic New Jerusalem Bible renders this pasuk:

And the Catholic New Jerusalem Bible renders it:

At this point, Stern93 comments on this section as follows:

THE PURPOSE OF THE MASORAH

In Pirqe Abot 3:17 we read:

HOW MASORAH FITS INTO 1 COR. 15:1-4

And the Catholic New Jerusalem Bible translates this passage:

EUAGELION Good News / Gospel (Strongs # 2098) Originally in Heb. = MSORAH

POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS OF HOW MSORAH BECAME BSORAH

Or, as the Catholic New Jerusalem Bible puts it:

II. MORDECHAI 1:2

a) Arguing From the Triennial Lectionary:

b) Arguing from the Oral Torah:

From Midrash Rabba102:

But note, that the same Midrash103 states:

And from Midrash Tanchuma104 we have:

Their Wars, Jerusalem, Israel: Moznaim Publishing Corp., pp. 236-39

III. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MORDECHAI 1:1 AND MORDECHAI 1:2

Moznaim Publishing Corp., pp. 177-179.

IV. MORDECHAI 1:3

V. LECTIONARY CONCERNS OF MORDECHAI 1:1 AND MORDECHAI 1:3

VII. SUMMARY OF TEACHINGS OF MORDECHAI 1:1 AND MORDECHAI 1:3

And in Pirqe Abot 3:10, we read:

Commentary to Hakham Shauls School of Remes

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES?

Master and the early life of the Nazarean congregations.

WORKS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

1. The power of God with no emphasis on a spirit as a special separate entity

THE PROCLAMATION OF THE FATHER

ACTS AND GENESIS:

THE GOVERNANCE OF G-D

A compendium of Acts is found in the key phrase of Beresheet 1:26.

Some Questions to Ponder:

Blessing After Torah Study

"Gmar Chatima Tova."

Shabbat Torah Reading: Weekday Torah Reading:

Shalom Shabbat Ve Gmar Chatimah Tova!

Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai

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