Yeast (or leaven) of the Pharisees (or Prushim), and the Samaritans

RABBI  is a term which the Pharisees were known by.  This sect grew very powerful after the city and Temple of Yahuah was destroyed in 70 CE.  The most powerful "rabbi" within Pharisaism arose in the early 2nd century, and he took it upon himself to put the "oral law" into a written form, called the Talmud.  His name was AKIBA.  He perceived the Yahudim who followed Yahushua to be a serious threat, so he promoted a false Messiah (Bar Kochba) as a scheme to legally kill the Natsarim, the followers of Yahushua.  As Bar Kochba rose-up as the false Messiah, his followers challenged the Roman occupation.  The Natsarim would not fight Rome over this false Messiah, and so this gave Bar Kochba (and the instigator, AKIBA), the legal authority to execute them - at least in their eyes.  So, many Natsarim were killed, and even more driven away.  Thus, Rabbinical Judaism (Pharisaism) took complete control over the early development of the post-Temple era, and it is still alive and well as an apostate form of religion, mostly due to this "Talmud", begun by AKIBA.  In it there are fabulous tales of AKIBA's greatness, and horrendous tales about Yahushua.  The concept of "RABBI" is central to the Talmud's idea of eternal life.  Without a "RABBI", one cannot possibly acquire eternal life, according to Talmud!  And, all Rabbis are infallible.  AKIBA's Talmud also declares that YAHUAH is but one of 70 rabbis, and He must go along with what the majority says.  Many Messianic leaders quote from this Talmud, unwittingly using AKIBA's rationalizations in their own teachings.  Since Yahushua was called a "RABBI" (my Teacher), it is likely that He was mistakenly thought to be a Pharisee, or the dominance of Pharisaism was so great that all who taught were customarily referred to by this term.  The word "RABBI" is not found in the TaNaKh  (commonly known as the O.T.).

     Did you know that the Samaritans  (those of the apostate, rebellious 10 tribes in the north of the land of Israel, in Samaria) had ELEVEN COMMANDMENTS in their system of observance?    The first Ten Commandments were the same, but the 11th was a man-made command that they were to assemble only at Mt. Gerizim, NOT YERUSHALIYIM.   They "puffed it up".  Well, it's interesting that Catholicism made some changes too.    Other Christian denominations restored some things, but the denominations have been making excuses about which Commandments apply to them.  

      We are going to see individuals within many Christian congregations learn they are the lost sheep of the House of Israel in the coming years, as they move toward the Torah, learn the Name, and realize who they are in Yahushua.  They will receive a love for the Torah (the Truth, YHWH's Word), which is inviting Yahushua to write the 10 Commandments on their heart, which is the New Covenant (or re-newed Covenant).   They will engraft into Israel, by being immersed into the New Covenant (or re-newed Covenant), and know they are branches (Natsarim) in the olive tree  (the natural olive tree, ISRAEL - Romans 11 - we don't remain "wild" olive branches, but are engrafted into the natural one.  see bottom for more detail on Romans).    

     Scripture calls the lost tribes of Israel by several terms.   They are called "Israel", and sometimes "Ephraim" as we see at Jeremiah 31.   They were also called "Samaritans", since they lived in the region called Samaria.   The House of Israel (the 10 tribes in the north, in Samaria) was carried away by the Assyrians over 120 years BEFORE the House of Yahudah was taken away by the Babylonians in 586 BCE.   The "House of Israel" is distinguished from the "House of Yahudah" when you study Jeremiah chapter 3, and these 2 "houses" are called "sisters".  This is why we have two "olive trees" discussed in various places.  They will be restored to ONE STICK (or more accurately, TREE, from the word etz), Ezekiel 37.   For now, Ephraim, or the House of Israel, is dispersed among the NATIONS (Amos 9:9).   They can legitimately be called Samaritans, and this is why Yahushua gave the parable about the "Good Samaritan".   The parable about the prodigal son (Luke 15) was also about these lost sheep dispersed among the nations (Amos 9:9).  While the "houses" are called "sisters" in Jeremiah 3, the parable of the prodigal son describes them as two brothers.  They are the "sheep who are not of this fold" (as distinguished from the Yahudim), but still very much of Israel!   As it was when the 12 tribes of Israel left Egypt, today there are those of a "mixed multitude" among believers, but all who engraft into Israel become as native-born Israelites.  We are of every race, so we cannot tell by outward physical appearance who is an Israelite;  those born of Father YHWH obey His Torah, and by this we know who is our brother and sister.

     The 10 northern tribes were known by the dominant "first-born blessing" tribe, Ephraim.  Ephraimites, the lost tribes of the House of Israel, or the Samaritans, are coming back to Father YHWH's Covenant 10 Words (Torah), and the Hebraic Roots movement is growing rapidly  --  Christians are becoming "Messianic" more and more.  As you know, there is simultaneously a growing interest in the Talmud (oral law, Mishnah/Gemara) among Messianic Natsarim.    The Talmud costs several thousand dollars for a complete set of its volumes.   Many defend it's validity for study, since it does provide a great deal of insight into what certain things meant to those living long ago.   I, for one, understand that it was over the "oral laws" that Rabbi Yahushua had many disputes with the Pharisees, although they were close in so many other ways.    These "customs of the elders" which added to the Torah conflicted with the Torah, replaced it, and added burdens to the "light yoke".   When the Temple was completely destroyed by the army of Titus in 70 CE, the control (power, authority) over how to function religiously shifted from the Sadducees to the Pharisees, because they held the hearts of the common people in the out-lying synagogues.   The Pharisees held closely to Torah, but they revered the "traditions" of the fathers to be almost as important  --  this is the "oral law", commonly known as the TALMUD.

The Talmud is not a book;  it's a record of questions, debates, and decisions over a 1200-year period.   One could think of it as if there were a board of directors making decisions over a 1200 year-long corporate meeting, and the Talmud is the "minutes" of that meeting.  There is a Babylonian Talmud, and a Jerusalem Talmud.  The former is usually the one that is quoted, and is magnitudes larger.   It is entirely of human invention, and definitely not to be confused with inspired Scripture, the Words of YHWH.   In it you will find how to best (in man's view) tie tsitsith, rest on Shabbath, and pray.   But, the Talmud will tell you to never pronounce the Name of YHWH aloud  -- and proclaims the death penalty for doing so.   It claims Yahushua's mother was a whore, and He is the offspring of a Roman soldier.   It says both Yahushua and His mother Miryam are being punished in a very unsavory place.    Talmud says that a man who has sexual intercourse with a young girl who is not mature is the same as the girl hurting herself on a stick  -- and that it is as nothing at all.   This body of work is filled with things we could gain insight from, but at the same time it is a very poor guide to consult for definitive answers as to how we should live  --  the Torah is our sole resource for how to live a pleasing life for YHWH, not Talmud. 

Consider this observation as you listen to men teaching from the Talmud or other sources outside the Torah, Nebi'im, and Kethubim.  No prophet of Scripture ever referred to the Talmud, or turned to the "numerical significance" of certain words in relation to other words for insights.  This is why Yahushua told the teachers of His day that one had to enter the Reign of Yahuah as a little child -  in other words the way is that simple.  Men tried to make it difficult, and the Talmud is a monumental example of that.  The Talmud is not what we live by, and it is packed with all kinds of issues we could argue over.    I'm sure if we pleased Talmud promoters in one area, there would be hundreds of new issues from it to argue over, enough to last us thousands of years.  (SEE MORE ABOUT TALMUD AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE)

     So, we need to also be careful to note the "yeast" and puffing-up which we may observe in others as they grow in knowledge.   The Talmud seems to be the best candidate among us for being this "yeast of the Pharisees", since from these early Pharisees (Prushim) all of Rabbinical Judaism sprang forth.  The Torah is a light "yoke", but the Talmud certainly isn't light.   Our "older brothers" in Rabbinical Yahudaism have traditionally been steeped in the Talmud, but our love of the "older brother", those of Yahudah, must be ever present with us, because anyone who does not love his brother does not have the love of YHWH.   That doesn't mean we have to love the yeast / teachings of the Talmud also.  The reason this is so much of an issue to me is because I visited 3 brothers whom I assisted in immersion over 15 years ago;  they were studying the Talmud when I walked in, and the Torah was nowhere to be seen.  I couldn't persuade them to see what was happening.  If this goes on with others, then the Talmud will be spreading among us so fast it will cause division among us.

SHEMONEH ESREH:  (Traditional "18 prayers") found in Rabbinical Judaism.  These prayers are traditional, that is all.  Also, the 13^th prayer of these 18 prayers is a CURSE upon the MINIM, the term used to refer to we Natsarim.  Like the Talmud, these prayers are not any part of our daily walk.  Rabbinical Judaism is a religion started by “rabbi” Akiba of the second century, as the Pharisees took complete control over the religious matters of that time.  It is fine to pray at set times of the day, however we are ideally to “pray without ceasing”.  This means we are constantly in prayer in our thoughts, connected to Yahushua.

 Beware of the leaven (puffing up of the teachings) of the Pharisees.  Modern Rabbinical Judaism is Pharisaism.  The sect of the Pharisees were alternately referred to as “rabbis”, a word not found anywhere in the TaNaKh.  We have one teacher (Rabbi), and that is Yahushua. 

    I feel Rabbi Yahushua gave us the warning to beware of this yeast.    His students thought He was talking about bread, and at first didn't understand what He meant.   We all need to stay vigilant and not be deceived or misled by teachings from the Talmud.   The prohibition of uttering the Name comes from the Talmud.  It adds to the words of Torah.  It's human error disguised as Truth.   Oddly, most try to justify using the spelling "Yahweh" by citing the Jewish Encyclopedia, yet it is obvious this is just a shade away from the actual sound because the TALMUD prohibits the utterance of the Name, and the Jewish scholars revere Talmud.  (I don't mean to be critical of those who believe "Yahweh" is the most correct sound!  It's just that there should be 3 syllables, and the "litmus test" is another Hebrew word, YAHUDAH -- the same letters in the same order, with an added "dalet".  The word YAHUDAH is the doorway to the actual sound).  The 3 syllables reflect the meaning of the Name;  "I was, I am, and I will be".   Revelation 1:8 identifies the meaning as "Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty".   He is "omnitemporal", since He exists in all of time, or "at all times".   This unique Hebrew word, yod-hay-waw-hay, contains all 3 "tenses".

An example of the Talmud:

"Now, there was in the Temple a stone on which was engraved the Tetragrammaton [YHWH] or Schem Hamphorasch, that is to say, the Ineffable Name of God; this stone had been found by King David when the foundations of the Temple were being prepared and was deposited by him in the Holy of Holies.  Jeschu (YESHU), knowing this, came from Galilee and, penetrating into the Holy of Holies, read the Ineffable name, which he transcribed on to a piece of whom parchment and concealed in an incision under his skin.  By this means he was able to work miracles and to persuade the people that he was the son of God foretold by Isaiah.  With the aid of Judas, the Sages of the Synagogue, succeeding in capturing Jeschu, who was then lead before the Great and Little Sanhedrim, by whom he was condemned to be stoned to death and finally hanged."   Such is the story of Christ according to the Jewish Kabbalists ..."  (treatise Sabbath, folio 104, treatise Sanhedrim, folio 107, and Sota, folio 47).

     In my humble opinion, anything that adds to the Torah is leaven, and is dangerous.   The oral law became the "Babylonian Talmud" and the "Jerusalem Talmud", made up of the Mishnah, and the Gemara.   These Pharisaical sources were the seeds of Rabbinical Judaism.