Love
Sh'ma, Yisra'el! Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad! The ayin in the word Sh'ma and the dalet in the word echad are bold in the Hebrew text. They form the Hebrew word "ad" meaning "witness". Stand and witness as you chant the Sh'ma.
The invitation is out there! Planning on attending? I sure hope so! I cannot wait to be
dressed up as the Royal Bride before the Father, before My Beloved Bridegroom Yeshua! Can you imagine it? So in preparation, Today, we can add to the directions on how to get to the Wedding!
**When the crowds heard how he (Yeshua) taught, they were astounded;
but when the P’rushim (Pharisees) learned that he had silenced the Tz’dukim (Sadducees) , they got together,and one of them who was a Torah expert ask a sh’eilah to trap him:
Rabbi, which one of the mitzvot in the Torah is the most important?”
He told him, “‘You are to love Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.’This is the greatest and most important mitzvah. And a second is similar to it, ‘You are to love your neighbor as yourself.’ All of the Torah and the Prophets are dependent on these two mitzvot.”
Let’s clarify a few things first. The Pharisees and the Sadducees were the two main components of the religious establishment in Yeshua’s time. The Pharisees focused on the Torah and what it required of ordinary people, rather than on the temple ritual. The Sadducees tended to be richer, more skeptical, more worldly, and more willing to cooperate with the Roman conquerors than the Pharisees. When the temple was destroyed in 70 C.E., the Pharisees were in a position to develop their tradition into the foundation for Jewish life everywhere, and the Sadducees (who’s emphasis was on Temple ritual), their viability was then destroyed. Remember in Matthew 3:7-10, the Pharisees and Sadducees came to John to be immersed by him. John said to them, “You snakes! Who warned you to escape the coming punishment? If you have really turned from your sins to God, produce fruit and that will prove it! ….Already the axe is at the root of the trees, ready to strike, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire!”
So the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the religious leaders, got together. The scripture says they were astounded! Shocked, dumbfounded, and astonished may have been a few more emotions they might have been feeling. These were leaders, may I remind you. They had all the power, influence, and money. Now here comes One who might take their authority away. So they have the Torah genius ask Yeshua a question about the “law”, trying to trap him.
Just a thought here…. has the Word of the Lord, any part of The Bible ever astounded you? How about the “Law” or “Torah”? Do the ideas of a Kosher lifestyle, observation and celebrations of the Feast days, or how about the Sabbath being the 7th day of the week (not Sunday) leave you feeling skeptical, overwhelmed, or threatened? Does even reading this make you want to stop reading or question my thoughts? The Pharisees and Saduccees had no covenant relationship with the God they portrayed to serve. These, beloved, were the religious leaders of that time. Sound familiar? No pointing fingers, just think about it.
And the question, the trap, “Which of the mitzvot in the Torah is the most important?”
Mitzvot, plural form of mitzvah are translated in our English bibles as “command” or “commandment”; more broadly meaning general principle for living, good deed. *see Matthew 5:19
Yeshua answers, quoting the words of Moses and the Sh’ma, “Hear, Israel! Adonai our God, Adonai is one, and you are to love Adonai your God with all your heart, all your being and all your resources…”- Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and You are to…. love your neighbor as yourself. I am Adonai.”– Leviticus 19:18.Lovingly, Our Bridegroom lets us know in the very last verse of todays reading, “All of the Torah and the Prophets are dependent on these two mitzvot.” Please feel free to read that one again. Meditate on it. Check out Psalm 119.
Beloved, add these mitzvot to your entire being! These are two very important directions to the banquet in the Kingdom! ( I believe if you are still reading this, you really want to be there!) Let The Father’s loving instructions lead you to Him! In the beginning was the Word and the Word was God. (John 1:1) Yeshua is the Word, the Living Word, the Torah made flesh! Get to know your Bridegroom, after all its why you were created
Happy Day!
**Matthew 22: 33-40 s