August 9th, 2026

In the first two installments we talked about that Torah will not pass away until Heaven and Earth pass away, and that we have Torah to both guide our lives and enable a better understanding of the author. Now let’s discuss another aspect, that of obedience. In John 14:15 Yeshua tells His disciples, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” A simple statement, but difficult for many. The issue comes down to what commandments did Yeshua give? Some would say “Love one another as I have loved you.” as is recorded in John 13:34. That is the only new commandment Yeshua gave while here in the flesh, but are there other commandments? When asked what was the greatest commandment Yeshua answered “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. (quoting Deut 6:5) This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. (quoting Lev 19:18) This interchange was recorded in Matt 22:37-39. What many today miss, is that the rabbis at that time understood that the law was made up of two parts, love the Lord, and love thy neighbor. The first four commandments teach us how to love the Lord and the next six show us how to rightly interact with our neighbors. The traditional 613 laws are merely the expansion of the Ten Commandments; they give more of the details. So, love the Lord and your neighbor is shorthand for the Ten Commandments, and they are shorthand for the 613. Thus, Yeshua is saying all of Torah is the greatest commandment.

Many would say that YHVH gave the Torah and Yeshua gave us the guidance of the Gospel. But is that true? Yeshua said in John 10:30 “I and the Father are one.” YHVH tells us in Deut 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:” Paul then clarifies that Yeshua was with them in the wilderness, 1 Cor 10:4 “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” Yeshua tells us Himself in John 6:46 “Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.” In Exodus 33:11 we are told “And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend…” It would appear that Moses did see God, but not the Father. That would lead us then to conclude that the entire Torah was given by the pre-incarnate Yeshua to Moses. That would totally invalidate the understanding that Torah is from the old, mean, controlling YHVH and only the New Testament is from the loving, compassionate Yeshua. 1 Colossians 1:15-16 shows us that Yeshua did it all: “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:”

If Yeshua is the author of Torah, how can those that say they worship Him follow their own man-made traditions and discard the beautiful gift of Torah that he gave to those that love Him?

In my next letter I’ll begin looking at some of the most important aspects of Torah, those that the normative Christian churches left behind so long ago. A study of the festivals of YHVH reveals their connection to Yeshua and the work that He has accomplished already and that which He will complete soon.

Shalom and Blessings,

Cornel the Elder