*Law #22 thru 23 ~ BOOK ONE: THE BOOK OF KNOWLEDGE (Laws of Torah Study)

*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***No Longer Kept (No longer applicable today)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 #22 To learn the Torah

Deut. 6:7 “And thou shall teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou rise up.”

It is the responsibility of every Israelite descendant to teach the Torah, particularly to our children. This means that we are required to learn the Torah in order to carry the responsibility of teaching it. This is how knowledge of the Commandments is passed on from generation to generation. When Israelites were enslaved in Africa they were advertised to the Europeans as the “Yahoodee” or the Tribes of Israel. Surely, even while enslaved in Africa they knew who they were. However, one of the greatest strategies of the founders of America was killing off the older generation of the Israelite nation in America, leaving only the young naïve Israelites lacking knowledge of self identity and family ancestry. Those descending from these naïve slaves had no idea they were Israelites and no idea that they were to keep the Commandments. Today, we have a world full of Israelites held accountable to a Law that they know not of because they do not know who they are. Therefore they disregard the Law. This must not happen again. Deut. 6:7 stresses that we are to teach the Commandments to our children at every opportunity possible, rather sitting or walking, rather morning (rising up) or night (lying down). Hosea 4:6 proclaims the Israelites have been destroyed for lack of knowledge. Do not let this destruction continue. Even if you are in the process of learning, teach what you know. Even if you think you know it all, continue to learn what you do not.

One more point, bible study is not a one hour session where we meditate on a bunch of Pauline scriptures about love, joy, gifts and favor and at the end of the session we feel better about ourselves and our personal lives. We should never walk out of a bible study having not learned any aspect of the Torah. It is the most essential part of our obedience and the foundation of the Word of the Most High. It is what the bible is all about, even to the book of Revelations 22:14 “Blessed are those who do His Comandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.”

Law #23 To honor those who teach the Torah

Lev. 19:32 “Thou shalt rise up before the gray headed and honor the face of
the old man, and fear thy God: I am the Lord.”

The elder Israelite is expected to be a leader among us, full of wisdom of the knowledge of Torah. This is what Lev. 19:32 implies. However, not every older Israelite is respectable. Not every older Israelite has knowledge of the Commandments. Likewise, we’ll be surprised at the younger ones the Most High is raising up to teach the Torah. In this season the Almighty is using whoever is willing and ready to be led. The commandment here is to honor the elderly among us. But how can one who is not worthy of honor be given honor? It is not possible. Therefore there is an unspoken implication in this commandment; the elderly must be worthy of honor in order to receive it. Otherwise, we compromise the integrity of the Most High, calling what is unrighteous, righteous and calling what is unholy, holy. The elderly are expected to walk in righteousness and the wisdom of the Word of the Most High. We must hold them accountable to this expectation and uphold them to it because it is clear here that the Most High desires for them to be honorable. Therefore, they must walk in the light of an honorable individual. Then we can truly keep this commandment of honoring them as an elder.