This will be the first post of the Torah bites series. I want to do a short introduction to Torah and why it is important to study it.
First things first - I want you to know:
I will try to keep the posts to a length of a '10 min' read. This will make it easier to digest on the one hand, but we are going to take a VERY long time to just get through Gen 1, which has an enormous amount of information. But we are not in a hurry...
My goal is to question things and search for possible answers in the text and Hebrew. This is not pure theology - we are not going to search for knowledge according to the letter but rather revelation according to the Ruach.
The more I study the Word, the less I feel I know... It is so deep and rich and wonderful! There might be points where you will have a different interpretation and understanding than me, and that is okey. We are different people and will not always agree on everything. Please do not quite the journey because of differences. We are going to explore together.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.
Meaning of the Word Torah:
If you google the definition of the word Torah, it will define it as: 'to teach', 'to guide' or 'to instruct'. The word Torah is also translated as law in most instances. All of the above is correct, but there is so much more to it!
Torah (H8451) comes from the Hebrew root word Yar (Yad, Resh) which has an action meaning of throw and an abstract meaning of fear.
The letter Yad is a picture of a hand and Resh is a picture of a mans head and can imply chief, authority, first or prince.
We use our hand to throw, work, worship and to point in a direction to walk or live. The hand is also used in fighting and to throw an arrow. It can also mean awe or fear where one throws self to the feet of one in authority (AHLB).
Torah is spelled Tav, Vav, Resh, Hey.
If we interpret these pictures, it reveals "The covenant that secures the revelation of the Prince/Authority" OR "Behold, the covenant of the nailed Prince". Wow, what an amazing revelation.
The purpose of the Torah is to guide us, to protect us, but more than anything else, to reveal to us the Messiah. He is the living Word (Torah) and our example (goal) how we should live our lives. The Torah is the throwing of a hand, pointing to the goal (Yahusha ha Mashiach).
Now that you understand this, you can get a better understanding of one of the most misunderstood and poorly translated verses of all time - Rom 10:4, which reads in the King James: "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth." If you read this, it seems that it is saying that if you believe in Jesus, you must also believe that Jesus ended obedience to the law. But now that we have a better foundation and understanding of the Hebrew, you would rather translate and interpret the verse as, "For Messiah is the goal (aim) of the Torah unto righteousness to everyone who believes."
If you believe and are saved and desire to live a life of righteousness, as He did, the Torah will point you in that direction.
Psalm 119: 97-98 "MEM O how I love your Torah! It is my study all day long. Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies; for it is ever before me." TS2009
This should be the inclination of our hearts towards the Torah of YHUH. Believe it is good and that its purpose is to teach you, even if you do not understand a certain law or think it is no longer applicable - in time the Ruach will show you the deeper meaning of the principle. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 states that "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" To me that is what it means to believe like a child - to obey without understanding!
The books of the Torah:
You have to remember that when the Bible refers to the WORD of God, it mostly refers to His Torah and not to other books. The other books were only written centuries later. The disciples did not have a 'new testament'. When Abba gave Moshe His commandments and teachings, He gave them the Torah. The Torah even has an honorary position in the Most Set-Apart place in the Tabernacle. It was placed beside the Ark of the covenant. The lid of the ark is known as the mercy seat and implies that it is the throne of YHUH. Who is seated next to YHUH in the heavenly realms? The Messiah!
He is the living Torah of Yah!
The Torah contains 5 books. In Hebrew each letter has a numerical value and and these values has symbolic meaning. The number 5 refers to 'the priestly order of Melchizedek' which is all about a balance between grace and obedience.
The fifth letter in the Hebrew alphabet is the letter 'Hey'. In ancient Hebrew it is a pictograph of a man with his hands raised, beholding a great sight. The letter can mean behold, look, breath, sigh, revelation, spirit man and repentance. The Torah says. "Behold, look at the spiritual revelation of the breath of YHUH (life) that leads you to repentance, and guides you to walk according to the priestly order of Melchizedek."
If this does not get you excited about the Torah, I don't know what will!
The five books are:
Be'reshit (Genesis) - In the beginning
Shemoth (Exodus) - Names
Vayikra (Leviticus) - And He called (Out) to
Ba'midbar (Numbers) - In the wilderness
Devarim (Deuteronomy) - Words
The Tabernacle and the journey out of Egypt
To end of today's piece, I want us to quickly look at the Yisraelites journey of of Egypt as well as the Tabernacle blueprint. These are important patterns to understand.
The image below shows the Tabernacle plan ono the right and the Yisraelites journey on the left. If we glance back at the Torah book names, we see that it is all about how He calls us out (of Egypt) by name and into the Wilderness where He can reveal His Word (Messiah) to us! How romantic! It reminds me of this verse in Hosea 2:14-15 "Therefore, see, I am alluring her, and shall lead her into the wilderness, and shall speak to her heart, And give to her vineyards from there , the Valley of Achor as door of expectation. And there she shall respond as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Mitsrayim." TS2009
I believe each believer hears two calls in their lifetime. A call to come out (of the camp, Ex 33:1-11) and a call to come up (the mountain, Ex 19:20, Ex 20:19-21, Ex 24:12). He first calls us out of Egypt. At this point we are born again and saved. This salvation was paid for by the blood of the Lamb. It is precious and it is free. This call leads us into the outer court of the Tabernacle. Praise Yah that many respond to this call! Unfortunately, plenty of believers are deaf to the second call to come up to the mountain. This second call draws you deeper into the Tabernacle and into a wilderness season where you are supposed to get to know Him and learn His ways (obedience). Only time spend on His mountain will change you into His likeness and set you apart for a higher calling.
Have a blessed day, I hope you enjoyed this short introduction.
Next time we will look at Gen 1:1.
Shalom,
Deborah Stefani Ernst
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