From: Rav Mikha'el [mikhael@sprynet.com]
To:  heb_roots_chr@hebroots.org
Subject: [parashah] Parasha Shelach


Parasha Shelach Bamidbar (Num) 13:1-15:41

Shalom Brothers and Sisters,

There is a very important community teaching contained in this week's
parasha, a teaching that has been neglected by Israel since the Babylonian
captivity, a teaching that caused no small controversy when preached by the
early Naztrim, a teaching that to this day results in division among those
who have in any way sought to combine Torah and Messiah in the community of
Israel. This essential part of the Torah is as follows:

Numbers 15:14 "An alien who lives with you, or who takes up permanent
residence among you, and wishes to offer an offering by fire, a pleasing
odor to the LORD, shall do as you do. 15 As for the assembly, there shall be
for both you and the resident alien a single statute, a perpetual statute
throughout your generations; you and the alien shall be alike before the
LORD. 16 You and the alien who resides with you shall have the same law and
the same ordinance."

This is certainly not the only place in the Torah where this is stated but
this is rather explicit. There is to be one law, one regulation, one way of
doing things for those who are native born and those who are not. The 'you'
in this verse were the descendants of Avraham, Yitzach and Ya'akov who were
promised the land. The 'alien' or 'sojourner' is the geyr, someone from the
'outside' who has chosen to dwell with the people.

You will notice that as the geyr continually appears in the Torah, his
'label' never changes. He is never called a 'child of Avraham', an 'adopted
son' or anything else that would indicate what modern Judaism understands as
conversion. A proselyte in Judaism since the Babylonian captivity means that
one becomes a son or daughter of Avraham through circumcision (if male) and
mikveh and one has all the rights and responsibilities that entails. And
after going through this process, the Talmud reminds the community that it
is forbidden to remind a convert he is a convert, so calling him a geyr, as
does the Torah, would be improper. Since the Torah recognizes the difference
and has no problem doing so, the Talmud must be talking about something that
developed later, something that was not part of the original plan for the
community.

The geyr, however, keeps his label, there is something that differentiates
him from the native born. Since there is that something, which could be his
lack of circumcision, the Torah wants to insure that he is not excluded just
because he does not have the right blood in his veins. When the geyr offers
a sacrifice, he is to do it just as the native born. The low wall around the
second temple that kept the gentiles out was not part of the original plan,
these was no such thing in the Mishkan. For the gentile who wants to be part
of the community, there is one teaching and one law. There are not the
'noachide' laws for the Gentiles and Torah for the Jew. There is one law and
one teaching and it is to be so throughout your generations.

An Israelite is not something that is determined by birth but by covenant
relationship, by becoming part of a religious and political entity in this
world we call Israel. An entity like that cannot exist in harmony when there
are different laws for different classes of people. G-d knew that, He knew
that if Israel was to fulfill her mission in being a light to the nations
and taking the truth to them, there had to be a place, an equal place, for
those who came in from those nations and embraced that truth. Therefore,
throughout the Torah, the native born are reminded that everyone who
embraces the covenant has the same rights and responsibilities. In our
parasha, Calev is a perfect example, Calev the Kennizzite (See Gen 15:19, it
is exactly the same word, he is not a descendant of Esav). Calev was a
leader among the tribe of Judah, a highly respected and distinguished man.
Today, Calev the Kenizzite would find himself on the outside looking in in
most Messianic, Nazarene and traditional Jewish communities. The Torah says
it is not to be so. Let us start judging people not on the basis of birth
but on the basis of covenant faithfulness.

For a more comprehensive treatment of this subject, see "Israel, the goyim
and the Eternal Destiny of Man"

Blessings in Yahushua,

Rav Mikha'el
www.rmikhael.com/ <http://www.rmikhael.com/>
Beit HaKadosh
Reading, PA
http://mikhael.home.sprynet.com/ <http://mikhael.home.sprynet.com/>

"Preaching Mashiyach, Teaching Torah"

***********************************************************************

   Comment from Eddie:

    BIBLICALLY, Israel = ONE PEOPLE who consist of the natural born
and those who are adopted into the family.

    The God of Israel has ONE FAMILY, ONE FAITH, ONE TORAH and ONE
KINGDOM. Those who are the CHILDREN of the God of Israel are
ISRAELITES whether you are natural born or adopted into the family.
Therefore, the more correct term for a non-Jew who is a believer in
the Jewish Messiah (Yeshua/Jesus) is a MESSIANIC (a believer in the
Messiah) ISRAELITE (an engrafted member of the family of the God of
Israel). Ephesians 2:11-13 tells us that we are members of the
commonwealth of Israel.  The term 'Gentile" means 'pagan'.  As we
embrace our Hebraic Heritage in Messiah, let us see ourselves as
Messianic Israelites and not 'Gentile Christians'. Jewish believers
in Messiah are Biblically MESSIANIC (a believer in the Messiah) JUDAH
(a Jew). As explained in the NT, the God of Israel has one family,
one faith, one hope, one kingdom, one Messiah and one Torah / Word
for His people to follow.

       Does God has an end-time plan for the natural born Jews of the
house of Judah? Absolutely, BIG TIME! His plan for the natural born
Jews of the house of Judah is CENTRAL to the coming of King Messiah
and the Messianic Redemption in the end of days.

     Eddie Chumney
     Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int'l