The Teaching of Balaam

Excerpt from Monte Judah of The Lion and Lamb Ministries:

Jesus says:

But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit acts of immorality.

Revelation 2:14

In particular, Yeshua speaks of a teaching of Balaam that is a stumbling block before the sons of Israel. What exactly is the teaching of Balaam and how is it a stumbling block before the sons of Israel. Who exactly are the sons of Israel He is referring to?

If you recall, Balaam was a prophet hired by Balak to curse the children of Israel under the leadership of Moses. The teaching of Balaam was to get the sons of Israel to marry foreign daughters. This would cause Israel to loose their distinctive definition as being the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This would mix other customs with theirs and thus diminish the value of their heritage. This would change the teaching so that Moses was just one of their teachers and move them gradually to a different point of view. In the end, the counsel was to assimilate Israel and make them just like anyone else, by separating them from one another and removing their identity.

The teaching of Balaam is to tell the sons of Israel that they no longer have a covenant with God through Moses. The teaching of Balaam diminishes and removes the Torah (the teaching of Moses).

Today, the teaching of Balaam is rampant. It comes in the form of the following precept: Jesus Christ came with the purpose to do away with (fulfill?) the temple service, the Torah (Law), and alter the customs of Moses. The teaching of Balaam is to replace (at a minimum to diminish) Israel's identity as the chosen people, the teaching of Moses in the Torah, and to alter the customs of Sabbath and Biblical holidays. Today, a new Christian believer will run right into these stumbling blocks with churchmen disputing Sabbath, holidays, and the idea of keeping the Torah.

The spiritual reality is that holding to Moses and the Torah is in direct conflict with the teachings of Balaam. It follows that those holding to the teachers of Balaam even take issue with the Messiah when He speaks of Moses and the Torah.

Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished.

Matthew 5:17-18

The Messiah has said that the Torah is still with us and valid. However, this is not enough to convince the followers of Balaam. They dispute the meaning of the word "fulfill." However, it is clear from the context and any basic dictionary that the word "fulfill" is not a synonym for "abolish." The teachers of Balaam teach the opposite of Messiah Yeshua and forms new meanings for words on this point.

Yeshua emphasized that not one part, down to the letters and strokes of letters, would diminish prior to heaven and earth passing away. I would remind everyone that heaven and earth are still with us, therefore, every part of the Torah is still valid and with us. All has not been accomplished yet. That is clearly evident with the subject of the second coming. There is more Scripture about the second coming in the Old Testament than in the New Testament. All has not yet been accomplished.

"Works of the Law" and "Under the Law"

Is the Torah Legalistic?

The Greek phrases "erga nomou" and "upo nomon" were coined by Paul and used by him in three of his letters - Romans, Galatians, and 1 Corinthians; each appears ten times in the New Testament. They are usually translated "works of the law" and "under the law", respectively. This often causes the reader to infer that keeping the Torah is bad, and that being within the framework of Torah observance is bad. The CJB's B'rit Hadashah takes these phrases as referring not to the Torah itself but to mans legalistic perversion of it. Therefore "erga nomou" is rendered, "legalistic observance of Torah commands", and "upo nomon" is "in subjection to the system which results from perverting the Torah into legalism." The reader can then infer, correctly, that according to the New Testament teaching of Paul, legalism - whether Jewish, Christian or other -- is bad, but living according to G-ds Torah is good.

RESTORING THE FOUR LEVELS OF TORAH UNDERSTANDING

The Four Levels of Torah understanding:

1. Peshat - the simple, literal, direct meaning. We were taught as Christians this is the greek - LOGOS. i.e. God literally spoke to a tree.

2. Remez - Through its hint of allusion... the allegorical meaning.

3. Derash - inquire, seek.. Midrashic - through the Rabbinical Sermons comparison, or illustrations, the metaphorical meaning

4. Sod - "secret" or "mystery" - this is the Torat ha Sod - mentioned where we should be by now. This is the MEAT. - through the secret or mystery, the hidden meaning. The mystical or highest part.

Acronym for these 4 levels is P R D S. or PaRDes meaning "Paradise, Orchard"

Torat ha Sod - is the mystical allegory. All visible things , including natural phenomenon have TWO realities.
1. Exoteric Reality - the natural reality....what we see
2. Esoteric Reality - instructs man in that which is invisible....

To the natural mind - anyone on a level ONE understanding of scripture - would think the level FOUR understanding was Foolishness. Each level can only be made GRADUALLY. You can not obtain a LEVEL FOUR (Sod) understanding without first obtaining the Peshat, then the Remez, then the Derash levels. i.e. you can not perform calculus without having first an understanding of mathematics, then of prealgebra, then of algebra. It would be "foolishness" to you.

To get to level four understanding - the mind has to obtain FOUR stages of knowledge - For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. (1 Cor. 13:12) Jews understood the language of the "mirror" they were taught that there are FOUR stages of knowledge:

1. The knowledge of the exterior aspects of things. i.e. the literal view. What you SEE in the natural is all there is to it.
This is considered to the Jews as "The vision through the mirror that projects an indirect light"

2. The knowledge of the ESSENCE of things. "The vision through the mirror that projects a direct light"

3. The knowledge through INTUITIVE REPRESENTATION

4. The knowledge through LOVE. Since the Torah reveals its secrets only to those who love it. The mysteries of God are hidden from the unbeliever. An unbeliever can not read the Torah and get the "Power from the Word" - only someone that loves Gods word can hope to obtain this level of revelation.

THEN... after the knowledge of LOVE..... comes the ECSTATIC states (another 12 levels ha ha ) - which is applied to the MOST HOLY VISIONS - but the point of all this is this is the perspective which Ezekiel, Isaiah, and John, etc, were writing from.

To understand the Jewish writings of our Jewish God - we've got to start looking at the writings from a Jewish Perspective.

Restoring the Oral Torah

Torah as we have it today:

1. TANAKH (BIBLE)

Tanakh - the Bible used in Judaism.

Originally, this was the Written instructions taught alongside the Oral instructions.

Tanakh is a Hebrew acronym for the three subdivisions of the bible. T N K
1. T - Torah - "Instruction or Teaching" (i.e. NOT law) the Five Books of Moses
2. N - Nevi'im - "Prophets"
3. K - Ketuvim - "Writings"

Tanakh is often referred to also as the Mikra.
Mikra - "that which is read". because since the time of the Second Temple - the three parts were read publicly. This is the origin of the term, "that which is written".

IMPORTANT NOTE: The chapter divisions and verse numbers were not part of Jewish Tradition. They originated during the Spanish Inquisition, from forced clerical debates which took place against a background of harsh persecutions.
Three problems with this:
1. The divisions reflect a Christian Exegesis of the bible. (they are looking at the bible in a LITERAL sense)
2. Chapters/verse references are dividing the biblical text at numerous points where it is deemed inappropriate.
3. They ignore the accepted closed and open space divisions which are based on the MESORAH (the tradition used in determining the precise text of the Tanakh)

Masoretic Text - the Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible. It defines not just the books of the bible, but also the precise letter text of the biblical books. It also defines the vocalization and accentuation for both public reading and private study. A deviation in a single letter would make the entire Torah scroll invalid. Nothing was allowed to be added and nothing could be taken away. So ADDING chapters and verse numbers to the word of God was considered a big NO NO.

The Greek Translation - the Septuagint - has numerous differences, both of greater and lesser significance.

2. TALMUD - Basic outline of ORAL TORAH

Talmud - record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs and history. It is a central text of Judaism, second only to the Hebrew Bible in importance.

The talmud has 2 components:
1. the Mishnah - the first written collection of the oral torah - the "core text" of the Talmud (mishna studies began at the age of 10). i.e. the Outline
2. the Gemara - the analysis of the Mishnah and expounds greatly on the Tanakh. (Gemara studies began at the of 15)

The Mishnah - divides the torah into six categories.
1. Zeraim - ("seeds") - for agricultural laws and prayers
2. Moed ("festival") - for the Sabbath and the Festivals
3. Nashim ("women") - dealing primarily with marriage and divorce
4. Nezikin ("Damages") - for civil and criminal law
5. Kodashim ("Holy Things") for sacrifices and the dietary laws
6. Tohorot ("Purities") - for ritual purities

(from the talmud): The Mishna is the authorized codification of the oral or unwritten law, which on the basis of the written law contained in Pentateuch, developed during the second Temple, and down to the end of the second century of the common era."

The authorities mentioned in the Mishna and Boraitha 2 as having transmitted and developed the oral law belong to three different periods; namely: (1) The period of Sopherim. (Scribes); (2) The period of Zugoth; (3) The period of Tanaim.

(a) Sopherim or Scribes were the learned men who succeeded Ezra during a period of about two hundred years. To them many institutions and extensions of the Mosaic law are ascribed. The Sopherim. are also called collectively "the men of the Great Assembly (Synod)." According to tradition, this Synod consisted of 120 members, but we have no record of their names with the exception of Ezra, its founder, and of Simon the Upright (Just), (the high priest Simon I., between 310-292, or his grandson Simon II., between 220-202 B.C.), who is said to have been one of the last members of the Great Assembly.

The Gemara - (means to study or learning by tradition) - takes every aspect of the Mishnah and aims to do an exhaustive explanation of the full meaning for each. It is a written argumentation and debate for each mishnah. Each "debate" covers the following categories"
1. Language - why does the Mishna use this word instead of that word? The Gemara seeks to clarify the intention of Mishna.
2. Logic - explores the logical principles of each Mishna statement and shows the practical application.
3. Legal - If a principle is presented as a generalization, the gemara clarifies how much is included; if an exception, how much is excluded.
4. Biblical exposition - demonstrates how the Mishna's rulings derive from Biblical texts. The gemara will often ask where in the Torah the Mishnah derived a particular law.

3. The Midrashim

Midrashim - "to investigate" or "to study"
ancient Rabbinical expositions of the Oral Torah. This is the illustrations and the explanations of the Tanakh (bible). They are not literal interpretations, but figurative and allegorical. These are considered to be as binding as the written law of Moses itself.

The Midrash concentrates somewhat on the Remez level (LEVEL 2 TORAH UNDERSTANDING - THE DEEP MEANING, "HINTS"), but mostly it focuses on the Derash level (Level 3 of Torah understanding- thru comparitive meaning, "to inquire" , to "seek")

The term Midrash occurs twice in the Hebrew Bible. 2 Chronicles 13:22 and 24:27

"and the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and his sayings, are written in the MIDRASH (KJV: "story") of the Prophet Iddo." 2 Chronicles 13:22

"Now concerning his sons, and the greatness of the burdens laid upon him, and the repairing of the house of God, behold they are written in the MIDRASH (KJV: "story") of the book of the kings. 2 Chronicles 24:27

In general, each Midrash subject matter focuses on either the :
1. Halakha (legal) aspect, or
2. Aggadic (non legal) aspect;

Both were preserved only orally, but now they exist mainly in commentaries on the Tanakh (Hebrew bible)

The Midrash Halakha - tells the sources of the commandments in the bible. It will support the commandments and give its reason for existence.

The Aggadic Midrashim - interprets the non legal portions of the bible. Explanations are philosophical or mystical and concern the angels, demons, paradise, hell, feasts, fasts, parables, idols, etc..

Examples of Classical compilations of Midrashim:

Mekhilta - a commentary on the book of Exodus; two versions
1. Mekhilta de Rabbi Ishmael - halakhic commentary
2. Mehilta de Rabbi Simeon bar Yohai - Aggadic commentary

Sifra - on Leviticus.
Sifre - on Numbers and Deuteronomy
Sifre Zutta - halakhic commentary on the book of Numbers, etc...

4. The Halakha

Halakha - the collective body of Jewish religious law, including biblical law ( the 613 mitzvot) and the talmudic and rabbinical law, as well as customs and traditions.
It said that the Halakha is the REVEALED will of God.

Judaism has no distinction between religious and non-religious life. So Halakha guides not only the religious practices and beliefs, but numerous aspects of day to day life.

It is often translated as "Jewish Law", but a more suiting translation is "the path or way of walking". The word is derived from the Hebrew root that means TO GO or TO WALK.

Historically, Halakha served as the enforceable avenue of civil and religious laws. Today, Jews are only bound to Halakha by voluntary consent.

In todays Israeli Laws, many of the family and personal status laws are governed by the Halakha.

Halakha is a comprehensive guide to all aspects of human life, both corporeal and spiritual. Its laws, guidelines, and opinions cover a vast range of situations and principles. It is first and foremost for its judicial opinions, legislation, customs, and recommendations, which have been passed down over the centuries.

The Halakha was relayed to each generation beginning the moment a child first starts to speak.

The Halakha is the practical application of the Written Torah's 613 mitzvots. It divides the Mitzvots into positive and negative. There are 248 positive mitzvots that require and action to be performed, and thus bring one closer to God. There are 365 Negative commandments that forbid a specific action; thus violations create a distance from God.

It is further divided between the
1.Chukim ("decrees" ) - laws without obvious explanations, i.e. the dietary laws)
2. Mishpatim ("judgments") - laws with obvious social implications
3. Eduyot ("testimonies" or "commemorations") - such as Shabbat and holidays

Then another division is:
1. Laws in relation to God
2. Laws about relations with other people.

Halakha violations of people are more severe, in certain ways, because of the requirement one must obtain forgiveness both from the offended person and from God.

Also - some mitzvot are revelant only in the Land of Israel. Many laws pertaining to holiness and purity can no longer be performed without the holy Sanctuary in Jerusalem. Some laws require a Jewish Court that no longer exist.

The Orthodox Jews of today still hold Halakha as the divine law of the Torah, rabbinical laws, rabbinical decrees, and customs combined.

5. KABBALAH - ADVANCED JUDAISM

Kabbalah - means "receiving" - it is a discipline and school of thought, discussing the mystical aspects of Judaism. It is the ESOTERIC (part of Sod understanding - instructs man in that which is invisible) teachings meant to define the inner meaning of both the TANAKH (the Hebrew Bible) and the traditional Rabbinic Literature, as well as to explain the significance of Jewish observances.

It is considered to be a necessary part of the study of TORAH, and a duty of observant Jews.

The Kabbalistic tradition was knowledge that was transmitted orally by the Patriarchs, prophets, and sages. It was "interwoven" into Jewish religious writings and culture. It was open knowledge practiced by over a million people in ancient Israel. They were the revelations from God to Abraham, Moses, and the other ancient figures, but were never written until the time of the Roman persecution.

Kabbalah - is considered to be Advanced Judaism. Traditionally Kabbalah is not taught until the age of 40, when Torah and Talmud education has been completed.

Originally, only Jewish men who were at least 40 years old could study Kabbalah, and by extension read the Zohar, because they were believed to be too powerful for those less emotionally mature and experienced.

Foreign conquests drove the Jewish spiritual leadership of the time (the Sanhedrin) to hide the knowledge and make it secret, fearing that it might be misused if it fell into the wrong hands. As a result, the Kabbalah became secretive and esoteric. What was once open knowledge to all of Gods people, became the "hidden mysteries" or the "Torat Ha'Sod".

The Talmud contains vague hints of a mystical school of thought that was taught only to the most advanced students and was not committed to writing. There are several references in ancient sources to ma'aseh bereishit (the work of creation) and ma'aseh merkavah (the work of the chariot [of Ezekiel's vision]), the two primary subjects of mystical thought at the time.

Jesus studied Kabbalah. He performed his miracles using Kabbalistic techniques learned from the Essenes, a Jewish sect at that time that studied the Torat ha Sod, Jewish Mysticism.

WARNING: If you see any books on the subject of "practical kabbalah," you can safely dismiss them as not authentic Jewish tradition because, as these stories demonstrate, this kind of knowledge was traditionally thought to be far too dangerous to be distributed blindly to the masses.


"They that understand shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they who turn or lead many into the right path of knowledge as the stars forever and ever." (Dan. xii. 3.)

Understand - Tarot ha Sod - the 4th level of Torah Understanding
The Hebrew word for BRIGHTNESS - is ZOHAR.


ZOHAR

Zohar - means Splendor or Radiance. It is considered to be the most important work of Kabbalah - the Tarot ha Sod, i.e. Jewish Mysticism.

It is the mystical commentary on the Torah. It discusses the nature of God, the origin and structure of the universe, the nature of souls, sin, redemption, good, evil, and the relationship between God and man.

The Zohar is a group of books that discuss the Tarot ha Sod, the highest level of scripture understanding.

It contains the oral teachings starting from the second century. Judaism was taught from teacher to teacher, in a long and continuous chain.

Just like the Talmud, the Zohar was an oral tradition, reapplied to changing conditions, and eventually recorded during the Roman persecution.

Restoring the Jewish Torah

TORAH - "instructions" and "teachings" - this includes both the written instructions and the oral teachings .

Tanakh (The Hebrew Bible) - contains the written Torah instructions;
Talmud - contains the oral teachings of the Torah.

Exegesis - the modern way of studying Biblical text. This takes the most LITERAL context of the scriptures. i.e. God spoke to the tree. Exegesis study takes it literally - God spoke to the actual tree. However, many places in the bible - people are referred to as trees. The Hebrews knew this. So when they see the word TREE - they take it to a deeper level - that PEOPLE represent the tree.... i.e. the jews are compared to an olive TREE, the gentiles are the TREE branches grafted into that TREE.

The authors of the bible - were JEWS, meaning they studied the Torah, they lived the Torah, and they were trained to have most of the Torah memorized by the age of 13. So any 13 year old Jew seeing the word TREE - knew it had a deeper meaning that just the literal meaning.

However, Judaism became illegal and Jews were declared the enemy of the church during the Council of Nicea. So all Christians were FORCED to create a new... TREE, separating themselves from the original Tree. We have been left with looking at the Hebrew bible (what was left of it after the council of Nicea) , a bible that was written by Jewish Authors, about a Jewish God and a Jewish Messiah from a gentile (Pagan) perspective. I.e. from a kindergarten perspective.

1 Corinthians 3:2 - "I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able"

The bible talks about "drinking milk" - that is the beginning level of scripture.
Then implies you should now be "eating meat" - you should have the deeper meaning of scriptures by now.

BUT - the Hebrew meaning to that verse - "Drinking Milk" means the beginning level of TORAH study AND observance. This is Judaism 101 - Studying the Torah and DOING what it says. i.e. Keeping the Sabbath AND the festivals, etc.. Every Jew knows this is LEVEL ONE of Jewish Study. i.e. what they learned, for example, in the First Grade.

The Hebrew meaning for "Eating meat" is Torat ha Sod - which means you should be at stage FOUR by now in your studies of the Torah. Every Jew knew this meant the ADVANCED level of Judaism- of studying the scriptures. This is to us like the College levels of the Torah. This is the level that ALL the authors of the bible were writing from - LEVEL FOUR. Jesus was a LEVEL FOUR Jew, John, Paul, Peter, etc... They were raised as Jews, they studied like all the Jews were taught to study, they lived the Torah, they followed the Sabbath, and therefore - every JEW - by adult hood - were capable of a Level FOUR understanding.

SO what is Torat ha Sod??? It is the fourth level of Torah understanding.

To understand the Jewish writings of our Jewish God - we've got to start looking at the writings from a Jewish Perspective.

ORAL TORAH

In the beginning..... Gods word was ORAL.... it was taught from generation to generation. TAUGHT - being the key word.. it was teachings and instructions about us and our God ... (i.e. not a LAW - that was the Greek word for it, also not COMMANDMENTS - they were "Statements") . Torah - means teaching.

God's word is intended to be a LIFESTYLE. It encompasses all of a human's life. "In all your ways you shall you know Him, and He will straighten your paths." "Love the Lord your God, with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your soul".

Jews are taught that Hashem created the Torah 2000 years before He created the universe. This refers to the Written and the Oral Torah. The Oral Torah is the extended "lecture" and the Written Torah contains the brief notes that make certain that we do not forget the "lecture". Thus, the Oral Torah gives us the context for the Written Torah.

(per talmud history of talmud) Still, because it is written Velimdo (Deut. xxxi, 19), and teach it to the children of Israel (put it in their mouths; that is to say that the teacher's duty was to explain and comment on the laws and ordinances until the children understood them thoroughly and were conversant with them by heart)--the name "Talmud" was applied to what was styled by a long phrase "Oral Law" (Torah-she b'al-Peh).

In Job 11:9 - one of Job's friends says that the wisdom of God, the Torah, that "its measurement is longer than the land, and wider than the sea". But if you unroll a copy of every book of the Torah and stretch them out from end to end, starting from the 5 books of Moses until Malachi, the entire length is not likely to reach even one mile. Tzofer (Job's friend) was not referring to the books of the Written Torah, which have a specific limit, but to the wisdom of Hashem (God) as manifested in the ORAL TORAH, and as alluded to in the Written Torah.

The Written Torah contains hidden and concealed allusions that are explained in the Oral Torah.

The Written Torah has the general rules, the Oral Torah has the details.

The Oral Torah is vast, and the Written Torah is small. Concerning the Oral Torah, it says, "Its measurement is longer than the land, and wider than the sea."

The Oral Torah is limitless. The greatness of the Oral Torah is that no matter how much is taught, no matter how much is learned, there is always more true Torah to be discovered. Hashem created the Torah that way.

And absolutely every single element of the Oral Torah is alluded to in the Written Torah.

This is why the Written Torah had to be written in Hebrew, that language that Hashem created specifically for that purpose.

The Written Torah needs the Oral Torah to make certain that the correct meaning is conveyed and understood.

The Written Torah therefore exhorts each of us, "Ask your father and he will relate it to you; your elders and they will tell you" (Deut. 32:7)

Examples of WHY you need the ORAL TORAH with the WRITTEN TORAH:

Lev. 7:26 - ""Ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of foul or beast" - but how would you know how to purge the meat of the blood?

Exodus 13:16 - "And it shall be for a token upon thine hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes" How would you know that is talking about Tefillin, and what Tefillin is, and how they are made, and how they are to be bound upon your hand?

"You shall not cook a young animal in its mothers milk" WHY??? The Oral Law explains why and exactly what that means.

Exodus 21:24 - the Written demands an "eye for an eye". Going by just the written you would be putting each others eyes out - but if you had the ORAL torah also, you would understand the VALUE of an eye must be compensated, with money.

The Written Torah alludes to the Oral Torah in numerous places:

The Torah says: (Deut. 12:20) "When G-d expands your borders as He promised you, and your natural desire to eat meat asserts itself, so that you say; 'I wish to eat meat', you may eat as much meat as you wish... you need only slaughter your cattle and small animals... in the manner I have commanded you." Nowhere in the Written Torah is such a manner described. So what is the manner in which we are supposed to slaughter cattle?

The laws of slaughtering cattle are described in detail in the Oral Law.

it was prophesied that the COMPLETE TORAH would come back in the end days:

“Now it will come about that in the last days... many people will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us concerning His ways, and that we may walk in His paths.’ For the Torah will go forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 2:2–3)

Also in Revelations - those that have faith in Yeshua AND the torah -
"Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the mitzvots of God AND their
faith in Yeshua."

Oral Law teachers were referred to as the Tannaim.

For centuries, Jews passed the oral law down through the generations. Jews knew that passing it orally was a better transmission method then passing it through the books.
However, by 200 C.E. millions of Jews were being killed and the number of knowledgeable Jews were rapidly declining. Rabbi Judah made the call to begin the process of writing the Oral Law.

Writing the oral law : (from the Talmud: History of the Talmud)
At the end of the first century it was to them a substitute for their destroyed Temple; it was their stronghold, their entertainment by day and by night. It was only when they were occupied with it that they forgot all the calamities past and present; it was the sole bond which kept together the scattered colonies of Israelites, which strengthened them to bear the yoke of the Romans, to hope for brighter days, to be patient unto the end.

These elements taught all together..... (today in written form known as..)

1. Tanakh ("bible") - this was the written instructions that was taught alongside the oral traditions

2. Talmud ("learning") - oral instructions that went alongside the Tanakh - it is not the entire Oral Law - it is a basic skeleton of the Orah Torah. As much was possible was written for the preservation of the Torah. But it is by far not the entire Oral Torah. That would not be possible.

3. Midrashim (Intrepretations) - this is the interpretation of the ORAL TORAH - this is considered to be the authoritative reading of the Written Torah.

4. Halakha (Path) - considered to be the Jewish Law - it is based on the written instructions together with the oral instructions.

Jewish tradition was NOT based on a literal reading of the Tanakh (bible) , but it was a combined oral and written tradition.

"For faith comes by HEARING, and HEARING by the Word of God." Gods Word was never intended to be a read only....

Deut. 4:6 - Torah states, "You shall be careful and do the Commandments (Mitzvohs), because that is your wisdom and knowledge as the Gentiles see it; when they HEAR all about ALLLLLLL these Mitzvohs, they will say, "this great nation is surely a wise and sage nation"

"The Torah of Hashem is perfect, it restores the soul.
The testimony of Hashem is trustworthy, it makes simple people become wise.
The instructions of Hashem are proper, they make one's heart happy;
The commandments of Hashem is clear, it enlightens the eyes.
The fear of Hashem is pure, and endures forever.
The judgments of Hashem are true, consistently righteous.
They are more desirable than gold, even more than the purest gold!
Sweeter than honey that drips from the honeycombs." King David, Psalm 19

Hes not just talking about the 613 commandments of thou shalt nots.....

God wants us to study the COMPLETE Torah, in Deut. 6:7 - "SPEAK of them: when you sit at home, when you travel, when you get ready for sleep, and when you wake up". He told the prophet Joshua, " Torah must not depart your MOUTH. You must study it day and night". (Joshua 1:8)

For all of the 1,400 years from the days of Moses to the days of Jesus, the Torah was the rule of life and standard of godliness for God's chosen people Israel.

When we see reference to the "Scriptures" in the New Testament the author is referring to the Torah. They never understood or considered it to be the Old Testament canonized; they referred to is as the Torah. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Paul's states that the Torah "trains in righteousness" and then summarizes it in the following manner.

* The Torah is good for--Teaching (showing the believer about God and His ways)

* The Torah is good for--Rebuking (showing how we have walked off the path)

* The Torah is good for--Correcting (showing how to get back on the path)

* The Torah is good for--Instructing in Righteousness (showing us how to be consistent)