Joined To HaShem Ministries

We use the name HaShem, which literally means "The Name," to refer to our God, Creator of the universe, for several reasons. The first one is respect. For too long the world, and unfortunately the church have used the names of God in a manner that could be termed "in vain". Mankind has lost respect for the creator of the universe and for His name. God has many names that He has used thru the centuries to introduce Himself to mankind. With each name was another attribute of who He is. There is no doubt that we can not comprehend all that He is at one time. A favorite Jewish author said it like this, "If I understood all that He is, I would be Him". There is no way that man will ever comprehend the Almighty, yet man has through the centuries tried to bring Him down to our level, many times through familiarity of His names.

The use of the term HaShem is to encompass each of His names and give reverence to all that He is. The wonderful part that is added on though, is that I also have the right as one of His children to call Him Abba, Father, Daddy.

In other words, why does this ministry exist and on what scriptures do we stand?

Let me start with scripture, Isaiah 56: 6-8. I encourage you to read these words in your own Bible before going on.

Isaiah speaks of the "foreigner." In Hebrew this term is used for a people that are not related by blood, but are living among you, as one of you, obeying the laws of your land. Could this be the people that are being spoken of in Romans 11? Here are the responsibilities of these people:

1. Join themselves to God's family
2. Love God
3. Do His work
4. Keep and not profane Shabbat (Saturday)
5. Hold fast to God's covenants

1. Bring them to my holy mountain. Do you desire to go to Israel? Here is the promise of a way.
2. Make them joyful. Wow, could the church use an honest dose of this one.
3. Our offerings and sacrifices will be accepted. Now stay with me. Have you ever felt that what you were doing and giving was just not being noticed? Be truthful.
4. The house of God is not complete without the foreigner. It is an honor to be part of the family and His plans.

There is so much more within those words of Isaiah for each of us, but may each of us "sh'mah", (hear intelligently). The words of the Rabbis are so fitting here: "Through doing, comes understanding." Start to live the responsibilities and watch the promises flow.

Because I want to know what the original, Hebrew scriptures said, I study from several versions or translations that help me better understand the original language and meaning.

Our friends and clergy have seldom been taught much, if anything, about Hebraic roots. We live in a time of restoration, when God is restoring a hunger and thirst for His Truths to those earnest souls who seek to be closer to Him. In restoration, things that were lost are found, and recovered. Hebraic roots were lost by the church early in its history, nearly 2,000 years ago. They are currently being found and recovered.

Good question, but hard to answer not knowing where you are. If you live in a densely populated area, with, say, 50,000 people or more near you, you probably have one or more home study groups and maybe a congregation with a few like minded individuals. Word of mouth is probably the best way to find them. You might also call around to the various pastors near you and ask the question, "Do you have anyone in your congregation who is interested in Hebraic roots?" Of course, don't be discouraged if you get the response, "What do you mean?" Just use that as an open door to witness, and make the next phone call. And don't limit yourself to one denomination or group of denominations -- we minister to folks in most denominations. If, however, you live in a more sparsely populated area, you may have more trouble finding them.

Leadership (See the previous answer) is lonely, but rewarding. Although crowds aren't automatic, we do need to fellowship together. We pray, and hope you pray, that you as a leader will find like-minded folks nearby. We must trust God to work His way in our lives. If you don't find like-minded people around you, be a bright enough light that others will be attracted to you.

As Jeremiah 31:34 tells us, "No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me." As we move toward that day, I see folks transitioning to letting God teach them, to growing up and standing alone in their acquaintance with God, in their knowledge of Him, and in their obedience to His commandments. History and Scripture are replete with descriptions of leaders who were alone most of the time, meditating, thinking, praying, growing in leadership stature. Yeshua is a prime example. Folks often didn't understand them, and were often suspicious of them, but that was OK — they were leading and following Scripture.

Briefly, that is where it all started, and that is where it will end. "Many peoples will go and say, 'Come, let's go up yo the mountain of Adonai, to the house of the God of Ya'akov! He will teach us about His ways. and we will walk in His paths.' For out of Tziyon will go forth Torah, the word of Adonai from Yerushalayim." (Isaiah 2:3) Pray for shalom in Yerushalayim; may those who love you prosper. (Psalm 122:6) God's dwelling place is in Jerusalem (Ezra 7, Micah 4:2, Matthew 5:35, for example). The Lord will rule and reign over the earth from Jerusalem (Jeremiah 3:17, Joel 3:16-21, Zechariah 2:12, Revelation 3:12, 21:2, 10, for example).

So why not follow HaShem's lead and emphasis on Israel? To do otherwise would be to ignore His Word, His way, His people. To do so would be anti-Semitic, which is satanic!

Israel has been a forgotten place for many years. Describing her as "truly . . monotonous and uninviting," Mark Twain wrote in 1867, "Renowned Jerusalem itself, the stateliest name in history, has lost all its ancient grandeur, and is become a pauper village; the riches of Solomon are no longer there to compel the admiration of visiting Oriental queens; the wonderful temple which was the pride and the glory of Israel, is gone."

But no more! Jerusalem and all Israel bustles with the restoration of the land, of the nation, of the people, all in fulfillment of Scripture. HaShem is using restoration of things spiritual and of things political to focus His remnant on His foundational teachings, especially Torah and His "forgotten" commandments. Analogous to a person who revisits the place of his birth, from which he moved early in life, to relearn the place, the oldtimers, their manners, their customs, and their beliefs, so as to learn who he is, so are we revisiting our spiritual heritage and learning who we are. This restoration of our Hebraic roots benefits Israel, yes, but it benefits us tremendously and for eternity.

We believe the promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, " I will bless those who bless you, but I will curse anyone who curses you; and by you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

Far too little emphasis has been placed on the Scriptural requirements for receiving HaShem's blessings. Far too many Scriptures have been misinterpreted by the church, leading to gross misconceptions about Israel, things Hebraic, the teachings of Yeshua, His commandments, and therefore His blessings.

We are trying to do our part to come back to the real teachings of Yeshua, of the Torah, and of the whole Bible, "rightly divided."

For example, how can we understand the structural design of a building unless we know and understand the foundation, or first story, of that building? If we try to build from the top down, say build the second story first, the law of gravity doesn't allow success. This natural observation certainly applies to the spiritual.

Unless we know and understand the Torah, (First five books," we can't even know who Yeshua is! Knowing and understanding the Torah, Prophets and Writings is not over emphasis, but rather correct emphasis, as we pursue HaShem and His plan for our lives, including the Renewed Covenant. This total knowledge allows us to understand how Yeshua, Shaul (Paul), Ya'akov (James) and others built on the Torah. For example, as verse delineated in the Complete Jewish Bible, Shaul quoted from the Torah 84 times, and from the Torah, Prophets and writings combined 222 times.

By Yeshua's own words (Matthew 5:17), He came to complete (teach correctly) the Torah and Prophets, not to replace them, not to diminish their priority, but to detail for us the complete building, in our analogy, whose foundation and first story are described in the Covenant, and which completion is soon to come.

Another way to consider this concept is that it is impossible to have an anniversary without first having a wedding.

We have all become interested because, "It's God." It's something that He is doing in our day. To answer this question is akin to describing God. His ways are far above our ways. I often hear, "I wish I had known these things years ago." So do I, but that was not His plan. HaShem has looked on our hearts like He looked on David's, on the prophets', and disciples' and found vessels He could use. Why did He choose Abraham, for example? He is no respecter of persons, but He chose Abraham, Moses, etc. as leaders because He knew they would get the job done.

So why have you and I been called? Why have we been given the thirst and hunger? He has called us because He sees something in us that we don't see. He sees that we have abilities, from Him, of which He has need. Realizing that call on our lives is very humbling, realizing that we have been asked to serve in His ministry, in His Kingdom.

You are fulfilling prophecy. The Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) has led you into understanding, a closer walk, and a fuller life in HaShem. And I say that very sincerely. You are not alone, by any stretch of the imagination. Although few pastors and congregations appreciate our Hebraic roots, the numbers are increasing rapidly.

Zechariah 8:23 (CJB) reads "When that time comes, ten men will take hold -- speaking all the languages of the nations -- will grab hold of the cloak of a Jew and say, ‘We want to go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’” Your yearning for Hebraic understanding is a fulfillment of that prophecy.

If the church had been straight up about the entire Scripture and Hashem's chosen people throughout the centuries, things Hebraic would be a natural, pervasive part of our heritage. But such has not been the case. Therefore the prophecy in Jeremiah 16:19 (CJB), "Adonai, my strength, my fortress, my refuge in time of trouble, the nations will come to you from the ends of the earth, saying, “Our ancestors inherited nothing but lies, futile idols, completely useless."

No, they didn't write the Bible. But neither did Matthew Henry, Weirsbe, Scofield, or any of the multitude of non-Jewish commentators or writers we employ in our study. Underlying the question is a hint of anti-Semitism. Why should we even question the commentary, writings and thoughts of Rabbis who have spent decades studying the Word, and who may understand its deeper meanings better than we, because they interpret it from and in the Hebraic setting in which it was written.

Study of Scripture, and of early church history, reveals that "myriads" (Acts 21:20 NKJV) of Jews accepted Yeshua as Messiah. Many rabbis were undoubtedly among those numbers. Many Jews today accept Yeshua, including many rabbis. Why should we look down on Jews as a race just because the religionists among them couldn't see Yeshua because of the scales on their eyes? Remember they were blinded in part, for the benefit of Gentiles (Romans 10:25). As a Gentile, I am forever grateful for that grace, and love my Jewish brethern very deeply. While they are blinded in part, what they do see, they see very well. Their hearts and minds were and are more in tune with the history, culture and spirit of biblical days. They can teach us many insights.

I can see how my beloved Jewish brethern, with their blood lines and their devotion to HaShem, would be allowed to be part of His family. But for me, a foreigner (Exodus 12:43, 45; Leviticus 22:25; Deuteronomy 14:21), I had no right to be allowed into the family, until the "grafting in" policy was instituted by HaShem. If the word "adopted" had been around, I suspect Shaul would have used it here.

We are not adopted into Christianity, however, (important point!) but into the family of Abraham! Big difference! When a person is adopted into a family, he lays down the traditions of his previous family, and takes up the traditions of the new family into which he is adopted.

Christianity is not the religion of Abraham, of Moses and the Torah, or of Yeshua, but rather was formed sometime after 70 AD, when the Gentiles took over the group of people called "The Way," also termed Nazarene Israel, who followed the Torah and all that Yeshua taught about it. The Jews had evangelized the world so well that they were outnumbered by the Gentiles, who chose to depart from Torah (because of anti-Semitism) and from Yeshua's teachings on it, and instead to follow Greek and pagan practices, resulting in a church, first called Christians at Antioch (Acts 11:26), almost unrecognizable as deriving from Yeshua's ministry.

Paul used the term in Romans 11:17-24 to describe the relationship between Gentiles who come to believe in Yeshua and HaShem's chosen people, Israel.

See also Romans 2:28-29; 9:8; Galatians 3:7; 3:29; 4:28-31 for Scripture that describes how believing Gentiles become part of the spiritual nation of Israel.

By understanding that life is a journey, walking closely with HaShem, as His child, while learning from Him is not an event that happens instantaneously, but rather a process that happens over time. We take our lives where we are, and we move forward. We allow HaShem to teach us as we walk. Judaism teaches that the purpose of all that has happened in our lives until now was to bring us to the point of where we are in Him today. God has brought each of us to this point to lead us on, regardless of our past — sins, paganism, ignorance, unfaithfulness, disobedience are all history — we are to move on in His light.

We realize that, sad to say, most fellow believers and most pastors will have little, if any, interest in studying with you. We empathize with you. However, often the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) will reveal believers with similar interests. Home study groups are springing up in many localities. You may be able to start your own; we'll help you every way we can.

Several ways of learning more are possible, including:

Absolutely not! We should worship HaShem every day of the week! In our home. In our workplace. In every activity of our life.

What is scripturally wrong is to say that God has changed Saturday to Sunday. Believers in Yeshua have traditionally been erroneously taught that "Sunday is the Sabbath," a fallout of early Hellenization of the church. Sunday worshippers don't rest on Sunday; rather they often scurry to worship service, where the family is likely separated, followed by going out to eat, forcing restaurant workers to work, possibly followed by shopping (Scripture has plenty to say about work, buying and selling on the Sabbath), and maybe going visiting. That is not a day of rest! Nor are the activities of the day holy! Shabbat and the New Moon will be observed in the world to come (Isaiah 66:23) and I just don't believe it will be on Sunday, the first day of the week!

But biblically, the Sabbath was given by HaShem to man for rest. He even made it one of the ten commandments. Exodus 20:8-11 (NIV) reads: "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."

Yeshua and his early followers certainly worshipped on the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week. (Mark 1:21; Mark 6:2; Luke 4:16; Luke 4:31; Luke 13:10; Acts 13:14; Acts 13:42, 44; Acts 17:2; Acts 18:4) They followed the commandment, "Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you."

Long story. Sad story. Shortened version: Spiritual drifting from Torah. Failure to "hear" Romans 11.

The first century AD church, having sprung from the synagogue, following the message of Yeshua, proclaimed itself the fulfillment of Israel. (Matthew 10:6; 5:17; John 8:58) The synagogue looked upon the new movement as just another Jewish sect, and His followers hoped that all Israel would embrace Yeshua's teachings. The first "church" was a Jewish church in the leadership, membership and worship; it remained within the precincts of the Synagogue.

It soon became clear, however, that the majority of Jews would not follow Yeshua. This realization was disconcerting to His followers, whose beliefs were built on the Jewish scriptures and the Jewish Messiah. The Synagogue resented Yeshua's claims, especially that He announced Himself as the sole way to the Father, asserted His priority to Abraham (John 8:58), and instructed His followers to go and "make disciples of all nations." (Matthew 28:19) By 80 AD synagogues were weeding out His followers from services. In 130 AD a majority of Jews hailed Bar Kokba as the Messiah, finally dashing the hope of Yeshua's followers for unity.

By 100 AD the attitude of Yeshua's followers toward Judaism had stiffened. The hostility of the Synagogue and the refusal of the majority of Jews to follow their teachings despite the apostolic preaching was increasingly regarded as blindness and malice. "Church" leadership turned acrimonious in their refutation of Judaism. Of what to accuse the Jews? Saint John Chrysotom (344-407 AD) wrote they were men who are "lustful, rapacious, greedy, perfidious bandits. . . inveterate murderers, destroyers, men possessed by the devil" whom "debauchery and drunkenness have given them the manners of the pig and the lusty goat." "They have surpassed the ferocity of wild beasts, for they murder their offspring and immolate them to the devil." [What happened to Christian love?]

In the fourth century, Constantine came to power and the shape that human events were to take for another thousand years was rapidly crystallizing -- a century in ferment. Powerful in number and influence, the "Church" was now exalted as Church of the State, a role in which it exerted a dominant influence on the political and social as well as religious life.

Fourth century history convincingly demonstrates a threshhold across which Christian theological anti-Judaism is transformed into Christian anti-semitism. In other words, the principal source of Christian anti-semitism was the Church's theological anti-Judaism.

It is a scandal of Christian history that during the first half of the second millenium AD, while the Church and the Christian state were at the zenith of their power and influence, the sons of Israel reached the nadir of their unending oppression. Martin Luther in 1543 asked and answered in a damning way the question, "What shall we Christians do with this damned, rejected race of Jews?" The political, cultural and religious changes of the 16^th - 18^th centuries which led Europe from the medieval into the modern world had little immediate effect on the life of the Jews. The times changed, but their situation did not. Racial anti-semitism broke out in Germany in the 1870's, spread throughout Europe, then subsided before its bloody climax in Nazi Germany. The term antisemitism first appeared in 1879, in Germany.

The sin of anti-semitism contains many sins, but in the end it is a denial of Christian faith, a failure of Christian hope, and a malady of Christian love. And the ultimate scandal: that in carrying the burden of God in history, the Jewish people, HaShem's chosen people, did not find in the Christian churches an ally and defender, but one of their most zealous detractors and oppressors.

It is a story that calls for repentance.

Sad story. But true!

Because Yeshua did so. As the Lliving Torah, He came to teach correctly the written Torah, such that It is written on our hearts, and such that we live it out in our daily life, and therefore become a living Torah.

A concept of spiritual unity, beyond our natural understanding, pervades those around the world who read and study a common Scripture portion each week. Phone conversations, email messages, water fountain discussion, dinner conversation, children's teachings, guest speakers can all have a common ground when we each concentrate on the Torah portion for the week. That is our attempt and intent.