by: Moreh ben Friedman
Household of Orthodox Nazarene Judaism
The household of Israel has committed a grave sin and changed her YHVH for a YHVH that she had not previously known, and she will reap her due reward. There is one commandment that encompasses the whole reason why Israel as a whole has lost her identity. She has lost all connection with YHVH and his ways and commands and why is this I ask? Just why have we adopted Pagan ways and customs and forsaken they ways of YHVH, which is the Torah for a Torah-less Messiah and YHVH’s feasts for Pagan feasts, well lets read the answer for ourselves.
Numbers 15:39 And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring.
Tsiytsith, fringes. Alternatively, the word refers not to the fringes themselves, but to what they call upon their wearers to do and as stated in verse 39, one should look at the tzitzis in order to remember all the commandments (Rashi).
Tekeleth, blue thread. One of the strings of each fringe is to be dyed turquoise with the blood of an aquatic creature known as chilazon (Rashi). The techeiles thread helps its wearer focus on his duty to YHVH because, as the Sages put it: Techeiles is similar to [the color of] the sea, the sea to the sky, and the sky to [YHVH’s] Throne of Glory. Also according to the “Katan” system of Gematria the Hebrew word ,kf, =13 which is the numerical value of the Hebrew word rjt -- echad (Menachos 43b).
This roundabout means of focusing on YHVH’s Throne teaches that people should look for ways to direct their attention toward higher aspirations.
That you may see it…The Sages interpret this phrase that you may see him, i.e., God (Menachos 43b)
And the Rabbis said: Why does the Torah enjoin us regarding tekhelet? Because tekhelet resembles sapphire, and the Tablets were of sapphire, to tell you that so long as the people of Yisrael gaze upon this tekhelet they are reminded of that which is inscribed on the Tablets and they fulfill it, and so it is written, 'And you shall see it and remember.'
(Mishnat Rabbi Eliezer, ch. 14).Zakar, And remember. The numerical value of the word ,hmhm is 600, and there are eight threads and five knots, for a total of 613, the number of the Scriptural commandments (Rashi). Alternatively, the fringes are like a royal insignia, reminding their wearers that they are always in the service of the King (Sforno). According to Ramban, the reminder is provided by the symbolism of the turquoise thread, which is reminiscent of the Throne of Glory, as noted above.
So what we can learn from the above is that by looking at them (tzitzit) we are looking at “YHVH, as Menachos 43b puts it, when we look at “him.” We can also gain the understanding that it represents the 613 mitzvot of the Torah, which then would be saying, in effect that the Torah represents YHVH and that the sacred name of Yud Hey Vav Hey is bond together by the techles which represents the blue Techles also represents the Servant Moshiach. So what does all of this have to do with the stronghold that Paganism has gained in most of our Church lives in the past?
I’ll give you a hint, it has to deal with the 2nd Commandment…
Still thinking, ok..ok..here it is as follows.
Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
The Hebrew word for “before” here is as follows:
`al, Hebrew 5921, Strong’s
`al, al; properly the same as Hebrew 5920 (`al) used as a prepostion (in the singualr or plural, above, over, upon, or against.
Another Hebrew word was also translated from the autograph/original text as before, it is as follows.
paniym, Hebrew 6440, Strong’s
paniym, paw-neem'; from Hebrew 6437 (panah); the face also (with prepositional prefix) as a prepostion before, countenance, shewbread.
So the text would be better read as follows:
Exodus 20:3
No gods in my face.Because as our Sages have taught us the scripture regarding the tzitzit can also be interpreted as… That you may see it…The Sages interpret this phrase that you may see him, i.e., God (Menachos 43b)
So as a result of wearing the tzitzit bound together by the techlet we have literally put YHVH in our face, butwhen we don’t not wear the tzitzit with the blue techlet (which means servant),which represent the Moshiach, we do not have YHVH in our face. Therefore as a consequence of not having YHVH before us we will have put the Torahless Jesus in YHVH’s face as well as ours. And as a result we go whoring around with another Jesus. We will also have put a god or idol in between us and him and have literally put it in his face. This makes a lot more sense because as we read further down we see that it says…that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: Numbers 15:39
Because what the eyes see the heart desires and the flesh then acts it out. This agrees right along with what the brother of Yahoshua had to say on this very subject.James 1:13-15 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of YHVH: for YHVH cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: [14] But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. [15] Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Therefore as a consequence of not wearing our Israelite identity, we have lost touch with YHVH and his Torah and put the Torahless Jesus between us and YHVH and as a result have thrown YHVH’s Torah behind us.
Neh. 9:26a Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs…
Unfortunately this is also a case where not only has the Church lied to us, but also our Rabbis. Listen to what the Rabbis say concerning the blue thread that YHVH tells us to wrap around the tzitzit.
It shall constitute tzitzis for you. The white threads and the techeiles shall combine to form a single fringe, for the two elements in combination constitute a single mitzvah. If techeiles/blue threads are unavailable, however, this absence does not prevent the performance of the commandment with all white threads (Rambam, Hil. Tzitzis 1:5). Thus, because it is not dependent on the presence of the blue thread, the commandment of tzitzis remains in effect nowadays even without techeiles.
But we must also remember what one of greatest Kabbalistic/Jewish Sages said in prayer and that was this.
"Have mercy on us and rebuild Your city speedily in our days, and bring us to peace, to our Holy Land, and let us merit the return and revelation of the Chilazon, that we may be privileged to fulfill the commandment of tekhelet in tsitsit."
(from the prayers of Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav)How was the blue thread lost, it was lost through the persecution of the Israelite nation as a whole.
Below you will find a timeline of the events that led to the eventual eradication of the blue dye.
100 BCE –14 CE Dye Use Restriction. Caesar (100-44 BCE) and Augustus (63 BCE -14 CE) restricted the use of the dyes to governing classes.
37-68 CE Dye Use Restriction. Nero issued a decree that gave the emperor exclusive right to wear purple or blue garments.
337-362 CE Dye Use Restriction. Under Constantius the restrictions against the use of tekhelet were strictly enforced.
383 CE State Monopoly on Dye An edict by Gratian, Valentinian, and Theodosius deemed the manufacture of higher quality purple and blue a state monopoly.
500-570 CE Last Use of Dye by Jews Tekhelet was brought from Israel to the Babylon in the days of R. Achai (506CE) - the last positive indication of the use of tekhelet . One can assume that tekhelet was available until the redaction of the Talmud, as no allusion to its discontinuance is recorded.
638 CE End of Dye Industry The Arab conquest of Israel is believed to have brought an end to the dyeing industry.
750 CE Lament at no Tekhelet The Midrash Tanhuma laments "and now we have no tekhelet, only white."
760 CE No Tekhelet In the work Sheiltot D’rav Achai there is no mention of tekhelet.
Dr. Baruch Sterman, The Science of Tekhelet, Tekhelet: Renaissance of a Mitzvah, YU Press, 1996.
What must we do now though after nearly 1,500 years of not having the techlet, that as Rabbi Nachman says … “we may be privileged to fulfill the commandment of tekhelet in tsitsit.”
We must wear the blue techelet least we once again lose the ability to truly fulfill the mitzvoth of tzitzit. Or else we will once again go whoring after our own heart and desires of our flesh and eyes! If we dare forget the commandment of tzitzit.
You may still not be altogether convinced that this is why we as a people have fallen into Paganism and fallen for the Torahless Jesus. But lets read as follows.
Let me ask you a question, what sin was committed just before YHVH gave the commandment of tzitzit?
I’ll give you a hint, it has to do with Shabbat…still don’t know, well here it is.
Deu. 15:32. The Children of Israel were in the Wilderness and they found a man gathering wood on the Sabbath day:
The above has been one of the 2 greatest sins that have lead to the Paganization of YHVH’s people and the blindness of our people. We can see from the following verse what will happen to the one that keeps not the Sabbath.
Exodus 31:14 Ye shall keep the Sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
Our Sages also teach us that the statement…Shall be put to death means as follows:
We can also learn from our Sages why the Tabernacle was destroyed.
…for one who desecrates the Sabbath is unworthy of having a Sanctuary for God's Presence. (Sforno)
Shall be put to death ... shall be cut off. These are two different, mutually exclusive penalties. One who violates the Sabbath despite a warning from witnesses that he is committing a capital offense is liable to the death penalty imposed by the court. But one who does so intentionally, without being warned or witnessed, is punished by God with kareis, i.e., his soul is cut off from the nation (Rashi).
Another words one that desecrated the Sabbath intentionally would be killed, but one who in essence “puts an idol/Torahless Jesus before YHVH” has treated YHVH high handedly by breaking his Shabbats knowingly his soul is cut off. This leads us right back to the concept that… the 3rd group was "swallowed in that they have totally forgotten their Israelite identity , as if it has been "swallowed" by some external force.
Could this external force have been the Spirit of Disobedience or Lawlessness? As in the following verse:
2 Cor. 11:4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
1 Tim. 4:1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
1 John 4:1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Could this “other Jesus” be the Torahless Jesus of the Household of Christianity? And could this “other spirit” be the spirit of disobedience and lawlessness?
The 2nd sin of Israel is as follows also:
The Shabbat of the Land… Leviticus 26:32-35 And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it. [33] And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste. [34] Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths. [35] As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it.
And why is this because they didn’t heed the commandment of… At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release. Deut. 15:1
This is applying to actual Sabbath cycles and not years, we will deal later on with this also. And we read that YHVH said that he would… And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it. [33] And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste! If we didn’t keep the Sabbath of the land.
This leads us right back to the concept that… the 3rd group was "swallowed in that they have totally forgotten their Israelite identity , as if it has been "swallowed" by some external force.
As we have very well seen up until this point this force is what the household of Judaism calls the evil eye. Which leads us as our Sages have taught us to ultimately question YHVH and his Torah and will lead us after our own eyes, which has ultimately lead us to the Torahless Jesus of Christianity.
And not explore.... The heart and eyes are like the body's spies, brokering for it the sins sought by its animal nature. The heart covets and the eyes seek out, and the body sins (Rashi).
We are enjoined to avoid any thought that could entice us to uproot a fundamental of the Torah. Human intelligence is limited and not everyone can ascertain the truth, so that a person can destroy his world if he follows his random thoughts. For example, if a person ruminates on whether or not there is a God, whether the prophecies are true, or whether the Torah is of Heavenly origin -- and he does not have the degree of knowledge and judgment to find the clear truth -- he will be opening himself to heretical beliefs. Therefore, the Torah commands that one not explore after heart and eye lest he come to stray from belief in God (Rambam, Sefer HaMitzvos).
So as we can see from what our Sages teach us, when we follow the own heart or eyes. It will ultimately lead us to question the divine essence of Torah and ultimately opens us up to Heretical beliefs!
In conclusion as I have said previously we must obey the commandment of Tzitzit and Techeles, that we may have always have YHVH set before us, as our Sages teach us when we look at the Tzitzit we are looking at “Him” (Menachos 43b).
That we may never again go astray after the harlotry of our own hearts and eyes!
Shalom...
Moreh ben Friedman