The Master taught that all the Torah and Prophets are derived from two mitzvot, V’Ahavtah et Adonai Eloheicha, and V’Ahavta L’Reahcha Chamocha. These two aren’t listed in any list of the Sheva Miztvot (and there have been different lists throughout the ages, the most popular one being promoted by the Rambam). Yet this does not mean the Sheva Mitzvot (7 Noachide Laws) do not exist as a standard by which the Gentiles are judged, nor does it mean that the Torah is not teaching a separate standard of holiness for a Jew compared to the nations.

According to the Targumim, the Torah was given to Adam in the Garden for him to avdah and shamrah. It was this covenant that he broke (Hoshea 6:7), and it was this covenant that Messiah keeps and thus merits for himself and for the rest of us, eternal life (Tehillim 133:3). Therefore we who have faith in the Word of HaShem will also receive Mashiach’s blessing which is his inheritance of eternal life (Gen 12:3) based on his perfectly righteous merit alone.

It is this Messiah, by the Ruach HaKodesh, who desires to live through all of his disciples, Jew or Gentile.

So then our position on Gentiles and Torah is taken from the Torah:

Just as HaShem did not force the Torah on the nations but rather gave it as a gift to those who would say “all that you say we will do,” we believe that the Torah should not be forced on any Gentile who does not want it, for one who is forced is not walking in love of HaShem. It is love of HaShem, we believe, that prevents one from engaging in avodah zarah (the first mitzvah of the Sheva Mitzvot in any list). Gentiles who engage in avodah zarah will be judged just as any Jew who does.

The Torah is a beautiful gift, like a bride for her groom (as Shir HaShirim puts it), and though is meant to be shared with the nations, it requires one to make the covenant commitment to be intimate with her and thus receive all that she offers. We believe that this commitment (conversion out of love for HaShem and his Living Torah, the Mashiach) is one that one must make in order to be intimate with Torah, and is just another step of obedience in one’s walk of discipleship to the Master – the Master himself who models that intimacy with Torah for us, and who desires to live Torah through us every step of The Way.

Therefore we encourage nurturing one’s love for HaShem and the Messiah in order to draw one’s soul deeply to Torah and mitzvot, to which end the blessing, commitment, and responsibility of full conversion is offered to one who is not absolutely certain of their status as a Jew. This then becomes just another step of full discipleship to Messiah Yeshua, one even which then one may partake of the Pesach meal “in rememberance of” him.

At the same time, we discourage turning Torah into dogma against traditional Christianity, since such an approach to Torah does not draw people to Torah out of love for HaShem and others, but chases them away in fear and condemnation. There is no condemnation to those in Messiah Yeshua, so therefore the Torah is truly offered as a gift in knowing Mashiach intimately without fear, without condemnation,  and in deep intimate love with HaShem and in what he desires for us as his beloved.

Yet Torah is something a Gentile has to want before HaShem will separate them from the nations in order to serve Him. If a Gentile truly desires all that HaShem has for them through Torah and mitzvot, and also desires the special calling HaShem has for the Jewish people to teach Torah to the nations, then we should certainly offer them a speedy and sincere means to full conversion to Judaism so as to help them fulfill that desire, to HaShem’s glory, and for the benefit of all.

I hope this answer is what agrees with your knowledge of Torah, and halacha, and is therefore also agreeable with the Spirit of HaShem, and with your heart.

• G-d is not a man. (Num 23:19)
• HaShem is a man. (Ex 15:3)
• Yehoshua is the name of HaShem (Ex 33:11-23)
• We have have no other King, Savior, or Redeemer than HaShem. (1 Saml 8:7, Ex 15:2, Ex 6:6)
• Yehoshua/Yeshua is the Messiah, and he is our King, Savior, and Redeemer. (Matt 1:16, Acts 13:23, Gal 3:14)

Outside of these statements, we can not say anything more, for we would be saying something that G-d in his wisdom never thought to put explicitly in the scriptures. And we are not G-d, so we are not going to say that which he didn’t say and make declarations that He never did. We can acknowledge the divine mission of Messiah from the Torah,  and that he is called HaShem, and that HaShem is divine, and we can declare with scripture that HaShem is our King, Savior, and Redeemer, but if we want to have an answer to this question that is purely scripture, we can not make such a declaration that “Yeshua is divine,” or that “Yeshua is G-d.” We can say, however, that “Yeshua is the Word of HaShem,” and we can say that “the Savior of Israel is HaShem.” Beyond that, we are in danger of adding to the Torah, and of leaping into idolatry.

Please see the article on Trinitarianism for more information regarding why it is wrong to expose or demand conformity to an imagined nakedness of G-d that he never revealed to us.

G-d is not a man.

Numbers 23:19:
G-d is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent;
Has He said, and will He not do it?
Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

HaShem is a man.

Exodus 15:3:
HaShem is a man of war;
HaShem is his name.

We have have no other King, Savior, or Redeemer than HaShem.

Numbers 23:21
He has not observed misfortune in Jacob;
Nor has He seen trouble in Israel;
The LORD his G-d is with him,
And the shout of a king is among them.

1 Samuel 8:7
And the LORD told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.

Exodus 15:2
The LORD is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
He is my G-d, and I will praise him,
my father’s G-d, and I will exalt him.

Isaiah 43:11
I, even I, am the LORD,
and apart from me there is no savior.

Exodus 6:6
Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.

Psalm 31:5
Into your hands I commit my spirit;
redeem me, O LORD, the G-d of truth.

Yehoshua is the name of HaShem.

Exodus 33:11-23:
11 HaShem would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Yehoshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.

12 Moses said to HaShem, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ 13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” 14 HaShem replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

17 And HaShem said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” 18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” 19 And HaShem said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, HaShem, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” 21 Then the LORD said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”

Yeshua is the Messiah, and he is our King, Savior, and Redeemer.

Matthew 1:16
and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Yeshua, who is called Messiah.

Acts 13:23
From this man’s descendants G-d has brought to Israel the Savior Yeshua, as he promised.

Galatians 3:14
He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Messiah Yeshua, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

We hope these verses help you understand how we approach the identity of Messiah on this website. If you have questions, feel free to ask below. Shalom.

What language in Scripture suggests this to you? Where do any of the apostles ever say, “Believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is G-d, and thou shalt be saved”?

It is my view that there are other formulations that capture the concept of Messiah being a manifestation of HaShem (like the Angel of HaShem who is separate from HaShem but has His Name in him), without resorting to trinitarian statements. The bald assertion, that “Jesus is G-d”, glosses over the nuances of the situation, and leads one dangerously close to making an assertion that borders on idolatry.

The sufficiency of scripture apparently is not enough for most of our friends in Christendom. There is an inherent danger when one adds to scripture something that it doesn’t say… especially when it’s concerning who G-d is. It took me years to realize this. Yes, according to scripture (Gen 31:13, see Messiah is called HaShem, the Beit El), the Messiah is “HaShem” (the one who works what He does), the LORD, -Y-H-V-H. Saying “Messiah is HaShem,” though,  somehow isn’t enough some of our more demanding brothers in the faith demanding to know who we believe Messiah to be. Demanding a answer that is is addition to what is given here, seems to me to be a surrendering to one’s evil inclination in their attempt to control G-d by a man-made declarative definition. People have died for this. The desire to define G-d apart from precisely what scripture says, is the basis of idolatry.

To say that “Jesus is G-d,” or even “Messiah is just a man,” compromises the truth of scripture with the evil inclination.  Such a statement is an oversimplification of the identity of Messiah to our own detriment. Such oversimplification leads to the deification of a man, and thus idolatry; or to the profaning of the holiest messenger sent by HaShem himself, and thus blasphemy.  I believe the great Christian overemphasis on the divinity of Messiah has spawned an unhealthy bent toward defining Messiah Yeshua as the totality of G-d, usually at the cost of his humanity, and certainly contrary to the scriptures that say that G-d is not a man; and I believe the Jewish overemphasis on the manhood of Messiah to the exclusion of his divine mission, has spawned an unhealthy bent toward defining him as a mere man, at the cost of his divine mission to redeem all Israel, and contrary to the scriptures that say he is (only) born of a woman. Both attempts to define G-d, and define the Messiah apart from scripture, only leads to a corruption of the truth and integrity of the scripture that G-d himself saw fit to not add any additional details.

Some desire to define G-d in order to control him and thus get him to respond to their prayers “in Jesus name” – as they willfully continue to break his commandments; and some desire to define Messiah as just a man, so as to have no reason to submit to him and his authority as the King of Israel – as they too willfully continue to break his commandments. Both answers to the question are in error, and both answers lead to idolatry, one to the immediate idolatry of a man, the other to the eventual idolatry of self.

To say that Yeshua is both G-d and human, is an overly simplistic approach to understanding G-d that borders on adding to scripture in a way that it doesn’t intend. I find it amazing that the sufficiency of scripture is somehow not sufficient to those who want to jump to the claim that Jesus is the totality of G-d, when it is far more accurate to agree with the written scriptures (and not men’s imaginations) and simply say that he is HaShem, and leave it at that.

This then is who Yeshua is: He is not just a man, and as a man, he is not from Adam, but from G-d. He is the Word of HaShem, the Memra, the Davar, the Righteous One, he didn’t become righteous, he is righteous. He is called G-d’s Son, he is the agent of HaShem called HaShem, and he is “HaShem” who we interact with and not die. What scripture says is sufficient for me in this regard. I need not peer under the clothing of scripture and expose an imagined nakedness to glory of G-d that is created by our own yetzer hara (evil inclination).

“Show me where we are to limit anything to the Torah only?”

I didn’t say we are to limit anything. I said we can trust that the Latter Writings are inspired, because everything that they teach, and show, can be derived from the boundary of the Torah (and from the Prophets, which their teachings are also derived only from the Torah). And how do we know their teachings must be within the boundaries of Torah? It is written:

“All this Word which I command you, that shall ye observe to do; thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.” (Deut 12:32 in your Catholic/Protestant bible or Deut 13:1 in your Jewish bible).

In the Hebrew:
Deuteronomy 13:1
אֵת כָּל-הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם אֹתוֺ תִשְׁמְרוּ לַעֲשׂוֺת לֹא-תֹסֵף עָלָיו וְלֹא תִגְרַע מִמֶּנּוּ

Et chal ha-Davar asher anochi mitzvah et-chem oto tishmeiru la-asot lo tosef alaiv v-lo tigrah mimeinu.

Et (Aleph-Tav, this we know the following is about the Messiah who is the ‘Alpha’ and the ‘Omega,’ the Aleph and the Tav, the first and last, thus the entire Torah is about Messiah (we find this “word” “in the Beginning” with G-d)) chal (all) ha-Davar (the Word, now Messiah is introduced, the Torah equated with Messiah) asher (which) anochi (I have) mitzvah (command) et-chem (to you) oto (shall you) tishmeiru (observe, from the root shamar, which also means to guard – like in the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were to shamar/guard the Torah) la-asot (to do, from the root asah, which means to serve/worship/work like in the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were to asah/serve/work the Torah, also as in let my people go so that they may asah/serve Me) lo tosef (not)(to add or augment/exceed/get more/increase) alaiv (to it (or)) v-lo tigrah (not)(to scrape off/to shave/remove/lessen/withold/abate/diminish/do away/keep back/restrain/make small/withdraw) mimeinu (from it (all)).

We can see from the above, that if one adds to or takes away from, anything of HaDavar – the Word that HaShem commanded (mitzvah) (In the singular, this is referring to the “singular” Mitzvah of Ex 24:12 where it is written that HaShem gave Moses “the Tablets, the Torah, and the Mitzvah for their instruction” which means to include all three since the Mitzvah is the final instruction/explanation of the Torah, as the Torah is the instruction/explanation of the Tablets), that one adds to or takes away from the Messiah. Therefore, since the entire Torah was given to Moses (as well as the Tablets and the Mitzvah for their instruction), we can understand that the Torah is warning us of even adding or taking away to or from the Mitzvah, that is, the individual instruction or right way of doing a instruction, which itself (the Torah) is an instruction on the 10 Words, all given by HaShem to Moses. For if one adds to or takes away from even the application of the Torah from the Tablets, Torah, and Mitzvah, one diminishes Messiah, and leads another to walk not in the Way (as in yes, THE Way, the Messiah) contrary to Torah, as the rest of the proceeding verses of Deut 13:1-5 seek to warn us about such false prophets doing.

Deuteronomy 4:2 also has this same commandment given:

1 Hear now, O Israel, the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live (have eternal life) and may go in and take possession of the land (in the World to Come) that the LORD, the G-d of your fathers, is giving you. 2 Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your G-d that I give you. (for by adding to or subtracting from the Messiah, we accept a false Messiah – a false Master, a false Baal)

3 You saw with your own eyes what the LORD did at Baal Peor (case in point). The LORD your G-d destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor, 4 but all of you who held fast to the LORD your G-d are still alive today (and so too this will be repeated at the End of the Age).

We are to limit the our understanding about the Messiah and what he taught, to the boundaries of HaDavar – the Word that HaShem commanded (mitzvah), that is, the Tablets, the Torah, and the Mitzvah. Anything else in addition, or subtraction of that, and thus of the Messiah, is according to Hashem equatable to those who engaged in fornication in the incident of Baal Peor.

It is a sign of the Covenant, in that it is a sign as to Who the Messiah is, in that he does not come by human effort, and that He is the “seed of the woman” prophesied in Genesis 3:15.

It is also required of all males who wish to eat of the Passover. Yeshua commanded “do this is remembrance of me,” that is, the Passover. Those males who desire to follow his charge concerning Passover, must also submit to the Torah’s requirements for keeping it, which includes circumcision.

Circumcision has been misunderstood by the traditional Christian community for nearly two millennia. Neither the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15, nor Paul in any of his letters ever prohibited circumcision. It was cautioned against, but not prohibited. It was cautioned against because “circumcision” meant more than just the surgical procedure during that time (as it does to this very day). It was cautioned against because of the prevalent view of those promoting it to the community of believers, that it was seen as a means to secure a portion in the World to Come by becoming a Jew. The term “circumcision” was synonymous with Jewish conversion, and was a term that was often used as shorthand to define a Jew. The whole process associated with the the term included getting circumcised, accepting the Torah, presenting a sacrifice, and immersing in a mikvah. After the destruction of the Temple, the sacrificial requirement was dropped.

Jewish conversion, in itself, was not what was cautioned against, but rather the reasons for conversion were. Conversion to Judaism was being preached by certain individuals to Gentile converts to HaDerech as the means by which a Gentile could secure a portion in the World to Come. Obviously, when Yeshua preached repentance (that is, to return to the Torah), he clearly preached that it was not by being born a Jew did one receive a place in the World to Come, but by being “born again” of the Spirit of G-d would eternal life be given as an inheritance. The disciples of Yeshua understood this. So did Rav Shaul (Paul). A place in the World to Come, is only secured when one has faith, like Abraham, in the Promised Seed, the Messiah, Yeshua.The evidence for this faith, however,has always been obedience to G-d’s Torah, that is, keeping the Covenant.

It naturally follows that one who desires to keep the Covenant, is one who will also desire to get circumcised, commit to do the Torah, and even go through a mikvah of conversion!

Repentance to the Torah, then, is given even to the Gentiles! That a place in the World to Come is available even to the Gentiles is without dispute. Most sects of Judaism would have you believe that this security is acheived by keeping the Noachide laws, a set of seven commandments derived from the Torah up until the time of Noah. The insistence that the Torah is for Jews only, is only out of understanding that the Torah is for Covenant members only. If a Gentile does not return to the Covenant that G-d made “with those who are not here today” (Deut 29:15), then what good is the Torah for one in rebellion against G-d anyways? It would only serve to condemn them. However, unlike all other sects of Judaism, we view all believers in Yeshua as full-fledged Covenant members the moment they accept Yeshua as the Messiah, and submit to Him which means to also submit to his Torah teaching. Those who do, have a right (and responsibility) to fully participate in the Torah that G-d gave to Israel; and as a new convert to HaDerech aligns his lifestyle with that of the Torah, circumcision (if a male), comittment to the Torah, and even going through a mikvah in Yeshua’s name will eventually be the fruit.

Conversion into all other sects of Judaism require that circumcision come first. HaDerech has no right to change this universally accepted community requirement, and this site does not intend to do so either. We recognize one who is a Jew as one who has been circumcised according to orthodox halakha. This does not mean, however, giving up the belief that Yeshua is the Messiah, and the Word of HaShem, since to do so would be to rebel against HaShem and His Torah, for which the Torah warns we will not be forgiven if we do so.

As disciples of Yeshua, our responsibility is to add to Jewish conversion, the requirement of faith on Yeshua the Messiah for one’s redemption into the World to Come, in accordance with the Torah. One must accept that one only inherits a portion in the World to Come by faith in Messiah’s work of redemption alone, evidenced by our obedience to Him as our King (keeping the Covenant). We must deny any request to witness a conversion to Judaism of anyone converting for the purpose of securing a place in the World to Come, since it is not by Jewish identity one has eternal life, but only by the same faith of Abraham who believed on the Word of HaShem, and was credited righteousness, does one have eternal life. Obedience to the Covenant is simply the evidence of this, and certainly following through the process of conversion to the Jewish sect of HaDerech (getting circumcised if male, committing to do Torah, and going through a mikvah in Yeshua’s name) is such evidence, but it is not absolute proof of a changed (circumcised) heart.

Turning your heart toward obedience to HaShem is the first act of obedience that is required for conversion (and all other sects of Judaism agree!). To convert to the Jewish sect of HaDerech, accepting Yeshua as your King is the first act after one’s heart turns toward HaShem and His Torah – as one can not obey a commandment of G-d if they first do not love G-d, and we love G-d by following his Messiah.

Without first accepting Yeshua as the King and thus obeying Him, then getting circumcised for the purpose of Jewish conversion only gains you access to the Jewish community. It means nothing when it comes to inheriting a place in the World to Come. Conversion through other sects of Judaism makes you Jewish in the eyes of all Judaism, most certainly! But at what cost? To get accepted into the majority of Jewish communities, you must include in your conversion the denial that Yeshua is the Messiah, the Word of HaShem – a vetting out process that orthodox halacha demands for any potential converts to Judaism! When one submits to this process, one must ask why. Is it to secure a portion in the World to Come? When it comes to a portion in the World to Come, circumcision and uncircumcision both mean nothing! What matters is faith in Messiah Yeshua for your redemption from the sin of rebellion against HaShem, without which your name is blotted out of HaShem’s book. Until you understand this, we repeat the words of Rav Shaul: do not convert to Judaism for any other reason than as an act of obedience to the Messiah, for if you do, then you will have indeed fallen from the grace of G-d offered by the Messiah’s work of redemption, and forfeited your right to a portion in the World to Come for then your hope is not in Messiah’s work of redemption, but in your flesh.

Getting circumcised apart from desiring to be obedient to HaShem, and apart from accepting Yeshua as your King, is nothing but a surgical procedure, or worse, could lead to you believe that Jewish identity grants you a portion in the World to Come – at which point, what good is Messiah Yeshua, the Word of HaShem to you? He would have died for nothing!

Circumcision is one of the most obvious signs of a “circumcised heart” yet it is not proof of one. We view circumcision as we view any other commandment in the Torah: a standard of obedience to the Messiah who himself was circumcised and commands us to do the same. If ones does not get circumcised, then they are not obeying the Messiah in this regard, and thus not obeying HaShem, and thus have not made true teshuvah – repentance to the Torah; and all are called to repentance!

As a convert from the nations, part of your obligation in keeping the Covenant, if you are a male, is to get circumcised in fulfillment of the commandment regarding circumcision. Circumcision is not an absolute requirement of being a Covenant member (that is, being made righteous before HaShem, and thus obtaining eternal life), but it is a requirement of obedience to G-d’s commandments, because circumcision is commanded for those who are of the seed of Abraham, whether born into the family, adopted, or converted.

As mentioned above, circumcision reminds us that the Messiah came not through human effort, but by G-d’s providence through supernatural means.

If after reading all of this you understand what circumcision is, and that is an act of obedience, rather than an act of gaining favor before HaShem for the purpose of receiving eternal life, then if you are male believer in Yeshua the Messiah for the redemption from death, the consequence of your sin of rebellion against Him, then pursue circumcision, and thus conversion into Judaism, as an act of obedience to the Messiah.

• They believe that Israel’s King, Savior, and Redeemer is HaShem, alone.
• They believe that the Messiah is this King, Savior, and Redeemer of Israel, and that to reject the Messiah is to also reject HaShem and his Torah which he gave to Israel for safekeeping, and and that such a rejection is to be in rebellion against him.
• They live out their lives in total obedience to Rabbi Yeshua and his teachings, and imitate his Torah observance out of love for G-d and others.
• They believe Rabbi Yeshua is alive, risen from the dead, after having been executed by the Roman Empire during Mincha (afternoon prayers) on Erev Pesach (afternoon before Passover) by means of crucifixion and being hung from a tree.
• They believe Rabbi Yeshua rose to life from the dead after Havdalah on the weekly Sabbath (the time after the Sabbath ends on sundown), during Maariv (evening prayers) and that night was also the start of Bikkurim (Firstfruits).
• They believe Rabbi Yeshua ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives ten days before Shavuot (Pentecost).
• They believe he will return to the Mount of Olives, on Yom Terurah (Feast of Trumpets) at some time in the future, and will usher in the Messianic Age, whereby he will rule and reign from King David’s throne, as King of Israel and the world, from Jerusalem, Israel, forever.
• Like other forms of Messianic Judaism, such as Chassidism, those who follow HaDerech believe their Rabbi is their tzaddik (righteous one), and believe that he is their physical interface between G-d and man.
• Messianic Jews believe that Rabbi Yeshua did not sin, and was perfect, and when Rabbi Yeshua died the death of the righteous, that he atoned for all Israel – a feat that not even Moses could do because he was not righteous enough.
• They believe that Rabbi Yeshua is the Davar HaShem (Word of the LORD), spoken of throughout the Torah.
• They believe Rabbi Yeshua is a man – a man born of a woman, in accordance with the teaching of the Torah.
• They do not believe G-d is a man, also in accordance with the Torah.
• They believe that Messiah is the beit (“tent” or “house”) of G-d, not made with human hands, wherein all the fullness of the G-dhead dwells in bodily form, but just as the Temple can not contain the fullness of G-d, so too Rabbi Yeshua can not contain the fullness of G-d.
• Adherents to Messianic Judaism consider themselves to be talmidim (disciples) of Rabbi Yeshua, a faith they believe is evident by their obedience to the Torah, which Rabbi Yeshua himself taught them to keep and do.
• Messianic Judaisim’s obedience to the Torah is done so by means of chesed (loving kindness, unmerited favor), a concept Rabbi Yeshua taught by example, and when he taught concerning “weightier matters of the Torah, such as justice, mercy, and faithfulness.”
• Other Messianic Jewish teachings center on the idea of having a changed, or circumcised heart – a phrase used to describe one in whose heart is the desire to do what is right- a desire Messianic Judaism teaches only comes from G-d. This is in contrast to following one’s yetzer hara (evil inclination) – a desire to do what is wrong, which they believe everyone has since their youth.
• In addition to expressing Torah obedience through chesed (loving kindness), and the emphasis on having a changed heart (a desire to do what is right), Messianic Jews will therefore observe the Sabbath, and Festivals, keep kosher, wear tzitzit, and accept orthodox, and even Chassidic halacha as a standard way of walking out the Torah, with the teachings and halacha of Rabbi Yeshua being the final authority for any halacha that may contradict his halacha.