*Omitted (should not have been added to the Laws)
**Changed (a misinterpretation of the Law or based on the wrong scripture)
***No Longer Kept (No longer applicable today)
Law #11 Deut. 28:9 “The Almighty will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He sworn to you, if you keep the Commandments of Yahuah and walk in His ways.”
This is a law but it sounds more like a promise. This promise of Yahuah is to establish his chosen as a “holy people.” We will not have to establish ourselves as such. The Tribes of Israel have an innate character of belonging to Yahuah in the very nature of who we are as His own. He will establish us as holy but we do have a responsibility in order to claim holiness. This establishment is still contingent upon Israel’s commitment to obedience. He says, “IF you keep the Commandments of Yahuah” He will establish you. It’s not enough to shout to the world that you are Judah or Ephraim. It’s not enough to prove to the world the blackness of Judah or the Messiah. It’s not enough to talk about the persecutions of Esau against Israel over the generations. Israel has one duty as stated in Eccles. 12:13, to fear Yahuah and keep His Commandments. THEN He is willing to establish His people as a holy nation. If you know who you are but fail to keep the Commandments then you are living in sin and you cannot claim holiness. Obedience, NOT IDENTITY is what makes us holy.
**Law# 12 Deut. 10:20 “You shall fear Yahuah; you shall serve Him, and to Him you shall hold fast, and take oaths in His name.”
This scripture contains two Commandments. One is to fear Yahuah (which is Law #5), but this law #12 deals with character and says to hold fast to Yahuah. Rabbi’s have interpreted the law to mean “cleave to those who know Him.” This is also a good idea, but the actual Law is to cleave to Him. **Two asterisks have been placed by this Law because it should be changed in Maimonide's list to reflect the scripture.
We must hold fast to His truth, to His Word, hold fast to ministers who spread His truth without manipulation and lies, to teachers who teach the unadulterated knowledge of Yahuah, and hold fast to friends who thirst after Him. There are many distractions, from family members who still partake in idolatry to co-workers who expect you to join in for their annual celebrations of pagan holidays. However, we must hold fast to Him. At times we need inspiration and feel tempted to return to those vague manipulative sermons of Christians on TBN who have a positive word for everybody but we must hold fast to Yahuah. Do not be distracted by the celebrations and lies of the world around you. Stay true to the Almighty Yah and the everlasting covenant He’s set aside for you because He loves you. Seek only His face. Do not seek after vain interpretations of His Word. Do not think you must allow your children to partake in the holidays of this world around you. Teach them young so that they understand the difference between following the pagan masses and following Yahuah. Seek only His truth. Hold fast to it.
Law #13 Lev. 19:18 “Thou shalt not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Many of us have heard this Commandment in Matthew 22:39 when the Messiah himself stated it as the 2nd greatest Command. How many of us knew He was quoting the Law of Moses? Christians will never admit that because they believe the Law is done away with and don’t want any part of it. However, they’ve quoted this law many times…but had no idea what it really was about. When the Messiah quoted this he was referring ONLY to your Israelite neighbors, just as the original law was referring to. The Messiah did not quote this law out of context. The law referred to how Israelites treat other Israelites and this is the context in which the Messiah spoke it as well. Moreover, he was talking to Israelites when he said it.
The command is to love your fellow Israelite brother and sister as yourself. Resist the temptation to retaliate. They are your blood and the blood of the Messiah has brought grace and mercy upon us all, such that we should try to emulate that same forgiveness towards one another. Debates can get heated among us as we wake up and we often offend one another. We’ve forgotten that we’re all in the same boat so to speak. We’re all searching for the same truth and we should help one another learn, help one another to teach and support one another as we grow in truth. Forgiveness is key in this Commandment because it is essential if we intend to grow together as a people and prepare our next generation to do the same.
Our children are also a part of this commandment. It says not to bear any grudge against the children of your people. The principle is the same, rather your generation or the next generation. Our children take over where we leave off. The character of love and forgiveness that we display today rubs off on them. We are their #1 teacher and #1 influence and it’s our responsibility to raise them up under the same principles of love and forgiveness.
Law #14 Deut. 10:19 “Love ye therefore the stranger; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.”
[stranger = convert]
The command is to love the converts. For those of you who don’t believe the Israelite nation will be penetrated by other nations who love the true Yahuah, it’s stated here. We are to love the stranger among us. If they dwell among us they must abide by the Commandments of the Almighty. This would make them converts. Otherwise, what fellowship has light with darkness? If we be united under the same purpose, then we should love them.
However, If they dwell among us it is not for them to teach us but for us to teach them. Romans 9:4 says it is to us that “the adoption pertains, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of Yahuah, and the promises.” No other nation has the authority to guide us for this very reason. Joshua read the law to the Israelites, foreigners, women, kids, strangers, elders, officers and judges in Joshua 8:32-35. Judaism is an example of what happens when converts attempt to do the teaching. Rules and regulations are added into the law that should not be and important elements of the law are taken away from it. Deut. 12:32 says do not add to or take away from the Law. So, Israel is to lead any convert who comes.
If you’ve read Law# 11, this is the reason holiness cannot be based on Israel’s identity but only on their OBEDIENCE to the Commandments of Yah. Because there are people who are not blood Israelites who will convert. What will make them holy is not their nationality (identity) but their obedience to the Commandments of the Almighty.
One more point…there are converts who have chosen to occupy the identity of the true Israelites. There are converts who have chosen to add to the law and take away from the Law, as I’ve stated above. How can we as Israelites love converts who have rejected us and denied our existence? It is not possible. The objective is to convert to the belief system of Israel, not to imposter Israel. Until they who imposter Israel accept the Messiah and acknowledge the true Commandments of Israel and the nation they were originally given to, they cannot dwell with true Israel. We are not one in this instance. Just as Israel sought after their history, the Jews of Judaism, Khazars of Israel, etc. must look into their history and find out who they truly are; converts. If they do not accept who they are, how can true Israel receive them?
Law #15 Lev. 19:17 “You shall not hate your brother in your heart…”
[brother=fellow Israelite]
This Commandment is an extension of Law #13 (to love your fellow Israelite as yourself). Do not hate your brother in your heart. Loving your fellow Israelite goes beyond words or actions. Yahuah deals with the heart. So, when you practice forgiveness and love toward one another make certain you’re not just going through the motions. Examine your own self and let your love come from within. Avoid being judgmental and disrespectful to one another. Help each other to understand the truth. Be patient with them the way the Almighty is patient with you. Remember where you once came from and how ignorant you were. Put aside pride in learning. Be open to the fact that you are on a continual journey, you will never know everything. We are here to help one another grow. This is not a competition but a blessing that we are awakening in this season. Carry one another on this journey. Be a stepping stone and a bridge for one another.
Law #16 Lev. 19:17 “…You shall in any wise rebuke your neighbor and not suffer sin upon him (do not bear sin for him).”
The commandment is clear, do not be afraid to rebuke your neighbor. It is the job of Israel to hold others accountable to the truth and the commandments of Yah. Truth judges our actions, not ourselves but the truth we carry. The scripture says, “in any wise, rebuke.” That means be bold to do so. This is not a pass to be degrading. Be wise. Rebuke with respect because you still represent the Most High. Just because you carry the truth does not give you the right to be condescending and disrespectful to the next person. Remember who you serve and be a direct reflection of the Most High’s righteousness. It is possible to be bold and respectful at the same time and if you have not yet mastered the art of doing so, you must learn. The right message can be rejected with the wrong delivery.
Ezek. 33:8 reads, “When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die: if thou do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.”
This commandment is the same, rather you reprove your fellow Israelite, a leader among them or an Israelite minister of Christianity who has yet to awaken to the truth.
Ezekiel 13:1 says "Prophesy against the prophets who prophesy..."
*Law# 17 (Lev. 19:17) If you study Maimonides Listing of the Laws of Moses, you’ll find this law #17, which Rabbi’s created based on Lev. 19:17. They claim that within this scripture there’s a commandment “not to embarrass others.” THIS COMMAND IS NOT FOUND IN THIS SCRIPTURE. However, their purpose in misconstruing and adding to this scripture was to make a provision for themselves as teachers, where no one could call them out on their shameful acts as it would cause embarrassment to them. Do NOT follow this man-made law. Avoiding embarrassing others is more of a social rule of character, not a commandment. Rabbi’s bare no authority to add oral laws based on their idea of how keeping a commandment should play out. The character of Yahuah is that of integrity and has no concern for how we feel about it. In my opinion, if keeping the commandment of rebuking one in sin means possibly embarrassing them, I choose to keep the commandment. Lev. 19:17 says “and not to suffer sin upon him.” It does not say to not suffer embarrassment upon him. It is more important to the Almighty to hold our brother accountable to sin rather them to spare him for the sake of his self-image.
That being said, when you do rebuke, be wise in your delivery. Be bold but respectful, not degrading. You represent the Most High. Remember, the right message can be rejected with the wrong delivery.
However, if you should have to choose between the two…in obedience, REBUKE and do not suffer sin upon him, do not bare their sin.
One more point, as you can see this law was added to the Commandments of Yah, so already the claim that there are 613 Laws CANNOT be true but as I continue to go through the laws we’ll discover how many there really are, as well as how many are still in effect, how many are already fulfilled, and how many can no longer be kept outside of Israel and a physical Temple.
Law#18 Exodus 21:22 “If men fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her (she gives birth prematurely), yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished according as the woman’s husband imposes on him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.”
There’s a command here to ensure that the one who causes harm to a woman with child such that the child is born prematurely, shall be held accountable for their actions. This is a legal matter that would be imposed by the government of the nation of Israel. We see the husband is given the authority to determine that person’s punishment, while the judges have the authority to determine his and/or his wife’s monetary damages or what fine the accused should pay. This is different from the society most of us reside in today where the husband has NO say, only the judge. Clearly, Yahuah feels the husband should have a say as to what happens to the one who’s harmed his wife. Now, the restrictions on the husband’s authority are not clear.
However, the key idea here is accountability to those you cause physical harm. Rabbi’s have interpreted this commandment as “Do not oppress the weak.” But that is only one aspect of this commandment. We don’t always cause harm to someone weaker than us. It could be to someone stronger, rather on purpose or accidental. This command is ensuring that the convicted are held accountable for our actions towards a woman with child and also ensures the spouse of the woman harmed is not just a mute bystander in the judicial process. We all know that at one point in biblical times people were stoned to death and upon the ministry of the Messiah grace entered in and altered that punishment. Many of us deserve to be punished but all praises be to the Most High, for his grace is sufficient for us.
Law #19 Lev. 19:16 “Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbor: I am the Almighty.”
The command here addresses our character in how we treat one another. We’re commanded not to behave as a “talebearer.” The definition of talebearer is one who spreads gossip or rumors. Neither are we to go against the blood of thy neighbor.
Rabbi’s teach this command differently. Their interpretation is to not speak “derogatorily” of one another. The definition of derogatorily is to detract from another’s character, express low opinion of, to belittle, to demean and depreciate the character of another.
Again, we see that Rabbi’s are more concerned with image then they are with the true command of Yah. So, the conflict here exists between the 1611 KJV word “talebearer” and the Rabbi’s choice word “derogatorily.” The Torah commands us not to be talebearers, spreading gossip and lies. It does not address depreciating another’s character. When we expose the lies of false prophets and those who teach against the words of the Most High, we DO speak derogatorily against them, we DO demean their character, we DO belittle them because they’re false. Their character needs to be detracted because they go against the truth of Yahuah. Now, this is different from being a “talebearer.” A talebearer is one who gossips or spreads lies, things that are not true. We’re not being commanded to not demean the character of our neighbor if they are truly false or out of order. We are commanded not to spread rumors or gossip about our neighbor that are not true.
It’s important that we pray for one another and ask for the wisdom to know the difference. We don’t want to denounce someone who seeks truth but lacks some knowledge. We want to pray for them and help them to understand. However, we DO want to denounce people who are not open to the truth but are devoted to spreading lies about the truth of the Most High and are in ministry, teaching and preaching for the sake of financial gain or fame. They DO need to be denounced. Their character needs to be demeaned. This is not talebearing. This is upholding the righteousness of the Most High.
Law #20 & Law #21 Lev. 19:18 “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people…”
There are two commands found in this scripture. Law#20 is to not avenge against the children of thy people. Law #21 is to not bear any grudge against the children of thy people. To bear a grudge means to bear ill will towards another. To avenge means to take revenge against another. Bearing a grudge deals with our mentality while avenging deals with our actions. In these two commands the Most High is instructing us that it is not enough to avoid taking revenge against our brother or sister. He deals with the matters of the heart and mind as well. We are not to meditate on taking revenge on another either. Our actions begin with a thought process. Likewise, our actions of obedience begin with obedient thoughts. What’s in our heart will eventually manifest in our actions. That being said, there is a unity the Almighty expects within His chosen people such that we should forgive each other and not hold past conflicts or differences against one another, rather they be with our immediate family or with an Israelite fellow brother or sister. There’s a great work to be done among us and a great growth expected of us. There is no time to think on or act on revenge for past faults. It is not the will of the Most High and we are commanded to let it go. If there is a conflict between any of you I urge you to make amends fo rthe sake of the Most High and the work He’s called us to do as His chosen, even if you must agree to disagree.
