1. In the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth.

1. At the beginning (min avella) the Lord created the heavens and the earth.

[JERUSALEM TARGUM. In wisdom (Be-Hokhma) the Lord created.]

2. The earth was unformed and desolate, and darkness covered the surface of the abyss. The breath of Elohim hovered above the surface of the water.

2. And the earth was vacancy and desolation, solitary of the sons of men, and void of every animal; and darkness was upon the face of the abyss, and the Spirit of mercies from before the Lord breathed upon the face of the waters.

[JERUSALEM TARGUM. And the earth was vacancy and desolation, and solitary of the sons of men, and void of every animal; and the Spirit of mercies from before the Lord breathed upon the face of the waters.]

3. Elohim said, "Let there be light." and there was light.

3. And the Lord said, Let there be light and to enlighten above; and at once there was light.

4. Elohim saw that the light was good, and Elohim divided the light from the darkness.

4. And the Lord beheld the light, that it was good; and the Lord divided between the light and the darkness.

5. Elohim called the light day, and the darkness He called night. It became evening and it became morning, one day.

5. And the Lord call the light Day; and He made it that the inhabiters of the world might labor by it: and the darkness called He night; and He made it that in it the creatures might have rest. And it was evening, and it was morning, the First Day.

[JERUSALEM TARGUM. And it was evening, and it was morning, in the order of the work of the creation, (or of the beginning,) the First Day.]

6. Elohim said, "Let there be a canopy in the midst of the waters, and let it divide between waters and waters."

6. And the Lord said, Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate between the waters above and the waters beneath.

[JERUSALEM. And let there be a separation between the waters above and the waters below.]

7. Elohim made the canopy, and divided the waters which were beneath the canopy, from the waters which were above the canopy, and it was so.

7. And the Lord made the expanse, upbearing it with three fingers, between the confines of the heavens and the waters of the ocean, and separated between the waters which were below the expanse, and the waters which were above, in the collection (or covering) of the expanse; and it was so.

8. Elohim called the canopy heaven. It became evening and it became morning the second day.

8. And the Lord called the expanse the Heavens. And it was evening, and it was morning, the Second Day.

9. Elohim said, "Let the waters beneath the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dryness be seen." It was so.

9. And the Lord said, Let the lower waters which remain under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and the earth be dried, that the land may be visible. And it was so.

10. Elohim called the dryness, "earth", and the gathering of the waters, He called "seas", and Elohim saw that it was good.

10. And the Lord called the dry (land) the Earth, and the place of the assemblage of waters called He the Seas; and the Lord saw that it was good.

11. Elohim said, "Let the earth sprout grass, seed-yielding herbs, fruit trees bearing fruit of its own kind, with its seed within it, upon the earth." And it was so.

11. And the Lord said, Let the earth increase the grassy herb whose seed seeds, and the fruit-tree making fruit after its kind, whose seed is in itself upon the earth. And it was so.

12. The earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed of its kind, and trees bearing fruit which has in it seeds of its kind; and Elohim saw that it was good.

12. And the earth produced grasses (and) herbage whose seed seeds, and the tree making fruit after its kind. And the Lord saw that it was good.

13. It became evening and it became morning, the third day.

13. And it was evening, and it was morning, the Third Day.

14. Elohim said, "Let there be lights in the canopy of heaven to divide between the day and the night, and they will serve for signs for seasons, for days and for years.

14. And the Lord said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens, to distinguish between the day and the night; and let them be for signs and for festival times, and for the numbering by them the account of days, and for the sanctifying of the beginning of months, and the beginning of years, the passing away of months, and the passing away of years, the revolutions of the sun, the birth of the moon, and the revolvings (of seasons).

[JERUSALEM. And let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for the sanctifying by them of the beginning of months and years.]

15. They will be for lights in the canopy of heaven to illuminate the earth." And it was so.

15. And let them be for luminaries in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth. And it was so.

16. Elohim made the two great lights, the large light to rule the day, and the small light to rule the night, and the stars.

16. And the Lord made two great luminaries; and they were equal in glory twenty and one years, less six hundred and two and seventy parts of an hour. And afterwards the moon recited against the sun a false report; and she was diminished, and the sun was appointed to be the greater light to rule the day; and the moon to be the inferior light to rule in the night, and the stars.

17. Elohim set them in the canopy of the heaven to illuminate the earth,

17. And the Lord ordained them unto their offices, in the expanse of the heavens, to give forth light upon the earth,

18. to rule in the day and the night, and to divide between the light and the darkness; and Elohim saw that it was good.

18. and to minister by day and by night, to distinguish between the light of the day and the darkness of the night.

19. It became evening and it became morning, the fourth day.

19. And the Lord beheld that it was good. And it was evening, and it was morning, Day the Fourth.

20. Elohim said, "Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth, in the open canopy of the heaven."

20. And the Lord said, Let the lakes of the waters swarm forth the reptile, the living animal, and the fowl which flies, whose nest is upon the earth; and let the way of the bird be upon the air of the expanse of the heavens.

21. And thus Elohim created the great whales, and every living creature that creeps, with which the waters teem, of its kind, and every winged bird of its kind; and Elohim saw that it was good.

21. And the Lord created the great tanins, the levyathan and his yoke-fellow which are prepared for the day of consolation, and every living animal which creeps, and which the clear waters had swarmed forth after their kind; the kinds which are clean, and the kinds which are not clean; and every fowl which flies with wings after their kinds, the clean and the unclean. And the Lord beheld that it was good.

22. Elohim blessed them saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, fill the waters of the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth."

22. And He blessed them, saying, Increase and multiply, and fill the waters of the seas, and let the fowl multiply upon the earth.

23. It became evening and it became morning, the fifth day.

23. And it was evening, and it was morning, Day the Fifth.

24. Elohim said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures, each of its kind, animals [of pasture], creeping things, and beasts of the earth, each to its kind." And it was so.

24. And the Lord said, Let the soil of the earth bring forth the living creature according to his kind; the kind that is clean and the kind that is unclean; cattle, and creeping thing, and the creature of the earth, according to his kind. And it was so.

25. And thus Elohim made the beasts of the earth, each of its kind, the animals [of pasture] each of its kind, and everything that creeps on the ground, each of its kind, and Elohim saw that it was good.

25. And the Lord made the beast of the earth after his kind, the clean and the unclean, and cattle after their kind, and every reptile of the earth after its kind, the clean and the unclean. And the Lord saw that it was good.

26. Elohim said, "Let us make man in our image, as our likeness, and let him dominate the fish of the sea, the birds of the heaven, the animals, all the earth, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."

26. And the Lord said to the angels who ministered before Him, who had been created in the second day of the creation of the world, Let us make man in Our image, in Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl which are in the atmosphere of heaven, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every reptile creeping upon the earth. And the Lord created man in His Likeness: [JERUSALEM. And the Word of the Lord created man in His likeness, in the likeness of the presence of the Lord He created him, the male and his yoke-fellow He created them.]

27. And thus Elohim created man in His form. In the form of Elohim, He created him, male and female, He created them.

27. In the image of the Lord He created him, with two hundred and forty and eight members, with three hundred and sixty and five nerves, and overlaid them with skin, and filled it with flesh and blood. Male and female in their bodies He created them.

28. Elohim blessed them, and Elohim said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it, and dominate the fish of the sea, the birds of the heaven, and every living thing that moves upon the earth."

28. And He blessed them, and the Lord said to them, Increase and multiply, and fill the earth with sons and daughters, and prevail over it, in its possessions; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the heavens, and over every creeping animal that creeps upon the earth.

29. Elohim said, "Behold, I have given you all seed-yielding herbs that are on the surface of the earth, and every tree that has seed-yielding fruit; to you it shall be for food.

29. And the Lord said, Behold, I have given you every herb whose seed seeds upon the face of all the earth, and every unfruitful tree for the need of building and for burning; and the tree in which is fruit seeding after its kind, to you it will be for food.

30. And for every animal of the earth, for every bird of the heaven, and for everything that creeps on the ground, in which there is a living spirit, all vegetational herbs shall be [their] food." And it was so.

30. But to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the heavens, and to every reptile upon the earth in which is the living soul, (I have given) all green herbs. And it was so.

31. Elohim saw all that He had made, and behold it was very good. It became evening and it became morning, the sixth day.

31. And the Lord beheld everything He had made, and it was very good. And it was evening, and it was morning, the Sixth Day.

1. The heavens and the earth were completed, and [so were] all their conglomerations.

1. And the creatures of the heavens and earth, and all the hosts of them, were completed.

2. Elohim completed by the seventh day His work which He had made, and He abstained on the seventh day from all His work which He had made.

2. And the Lord had finished by the Seventh Day the work which He had wrought, and the ten formations which He had created between the suns; and He rested the Seventh Day from all His works which He had performed.

3. Elohim blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, for on it He abstained from all His work, which Elohim had created to do.

3. And the Lord blessed the Seventh Day more than all the days of the week, and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His works which the Lord had created and had willed to make.

1. The praises of a man are that he did not follow the counsel of the wicked, neither did he stand in the way of sinners nor sit in the company of scorners.

1. Happy the man who has not walked in the council of the wicked, or stood in the paths of sinners, or taken a seat in the band of mockers.

2. But his desire is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.

2. Instead his pleasure is in the Law of the LORD, and in his Torah he meditates day and night.

3. He shall be as a tree planted beside rivulets of water, which brings forth its fruit in its season, and its leaves do not wilt; and whatever he does prosper.

3. And he will be like a living tree planted by streams of water, whose fruit ripens in due course, and its leaves do not fall, and all its branches that grow ripen and flourish.

4. Not so the wicked, but [they are] like chaff that the wind drives away.

4. Not so the wicked; instead, they are like the chaff that the storm-wind will drive.

5. Therefore, the wicked shall not stand up in judgment, nor shall the sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

5. Therefore the wicked will not be acquitted in the great day, nor sinners in the band of the righteous/generous,

6. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked shall perish.

6. Because the path of the righteous/generous is manifest in the LORD's presence, but the paths of the wicked will perish.

Rashi

Targum

1. Behold My servant, I will support him, My chosen one, whom My soul desires; I have placed My spirit upon him, he shall promulgate justice to the nations.

1. Behold my servant, I will bring him near, my chosen in whom my Memra is pleased; I will put my Holy Spirit upon him, he will reveal my judgment to the peoples.

2. He shall neither cry nor shall he raise [his voice]; and he shall not make his voice heard outside.

2. He will not cry or call or lift up his voice outside.

3. A breaking reed he shall not break; and a flickering flaxen wick he shall not quench; with truth shall he execute justice.

3. The poor who are like a bruised reed he will not break, and the needy who are like a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will bring forth judgment for his truth.

4.  Neither shall he weaken nor shall he be broken,    {P}

4. He will not tire or be weary till he has established judgment in the earth; and islands wait for his law. {P}

5. ¶  Thus says God the LORD, He that created the heavens, and stretched them forth, He that spread forth the earth and that which comes out of it, He that gives breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:

5. ¶ Thus says the everlasting God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, founded the earth and its residents, gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it:

6. I the LORD have called you in righteousness/ generosity, and have taken hold of your hand, and kept you, and set you for a covenant of the people, for a light of the gentiles;

6. I am the LORD, I have exalted you in truth, I have taken you by the hand and will establish you and give you as a covenant to people, a light to the peoples,

7. To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house.

7. to open the eyes of the house of Israel who are as blind to the law, to bring out their exiles, who resemble prisoners, from among the Gentiles, to deliver from the slavery of the kingdoms those who are jailed as prisoners of darkness.

8. I am the LORD, that is My name; and My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images.

8. I am the LORD, that is My Name; My glory-that I am revealed upon you-I will give to no other people, nor My praise to those who serve images.

9. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.

9. Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they come I will announce to you.

10, Sing unto the LORD a new song, and His praise from the end of the earth; you that go down to the sea, and all that is therein, the isles, and the inhabitants thereof.

10, Sing before the LORD a new song, speak of His praise from the end of the earth, those who go down to the sea and all that fills it, islands and their inhabitants'

11. Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar does inhabit; let the inhabitants of Sela exult, let them shout from the top of the mountains.

11. Let the desert and the cities that dwell in it praise, let open cities inhabit the desert of the Arabians; let the dead sing for joy when they come forth from their tombs, from the lop of the mountains let them lift up their voice.

12. Let them give glory unto the LORD, and declare His praise in the islands.

12. Let them give glory before the LORD, and declare His praise in the islands.

13. The LORD will go forth as a mighty man, He will stir up jealousy like a man of war; He will cry, yes, He will shout aloud, He will prove Himself mighty against His enemies. {S}

13. The LORD is revealed to do prodigies, to do prodigies He is revealed in anger, in speech, even with quaking, He is revealed in His might against His foes.

14. I have long time held My peace, I have been still, and refrained Myself; now will I cry like a travailing woman, gasping and panting at once.

14. For a long time I have given them respite, that if they repented to the law ... but they did not repent! Like pangs upon a woman in travail my judgment will be revealed upon them, they will be devastated and come to an end together.

15. I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and will dry up the pools.

15. I will lay waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbage; I will turn their rivers into islands, and dry up pools.

16. And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not, in paths that they knew not will I lead them; I will make darkness light before them, and rugged places plain. These things will I do, and I will not leave them undone.

16. And I will lead those who are as blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not learned I will guide them. I will turn darkness before them into light, and uneven ground into a plain. These are the things I will do, and I will not forsake them.

17. They will be turned back, greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say unto molten images: ‘You are our gods.’ {P}

17.  They shall be turned back and utterly put to shame who serve images, who say to a cast image, "You are our idols."    {P}

18. Hear, you deaf, and look, you blind, that you may see.

18. You wicked who are as deaf, have you no ears? Hear/ And you sinners who are as blind, have you no eyes? Consider and see!

19. Who is blind, but My servant? Or deaf, as My messenger that I send? Who is blind as he that is wholehearted, and blind as the LORD'S servant?

19. If the wicked repent, will they not be called My servant, even the sinners, against whom I sent My prophets? But the wicked are about to be repaid the retribution of their sins, except that if they repent they will be called the servants of the LORD.

20. Seeing many things, you observe not; opening the ears, he hears not.

20. You see many things, but do not observe them; your ears are open, but you do not listen to teaching.

21. The LORD was pleased, for His righteousness'/ generosity’s sake, to magnify the Torah and make it honourable.

21. The LORD is pleased in order to Justify Israel, He will magnify those who perform His law and strengthen them.

22. And it is a robbed and pillaged people; all their youths are grieved, and they are hidden in dungeons; they are subject to plunderers, and none rescues [them], to pillagers, and no one says, "Return."

22. But this is a people plundered and robbed, young men are all of them covered with shame and their confinement is in prisons; they have become booty with none to rescue, spoil with none to say, "Restore!"

23. Who among you will hearken to this, will listen and hear for the future?

23. Who among you will give ear to this, will listen and apprehend to the end!

24. Who subjected Jacob to plunder and Israel to spoilers? Was it not the Lord? This, that we sinned against Him, and they did not want to go in His way and did not hearken to His Torah.

24. Who handed over Jacob for booty, and Israel to spoilers? Was it not the LORD, before whom they sinned and did not wish to walk in ways that were correct before Him and did not listen to the teaching of His law?

25. And He poured out upon them the fury of His anger and the strength of battle, and it blazed upon them all around and they did not know, and it burned among them and they did not take heed.

25. So he poured out upon him the heat of his anger and the strength of his war-makers he brought upon them; they killed among them, round about them, but they did not understand; they ruled them, but they did not take his fear to heart.

ἀνήρ

man

Psa 1:1 

Lk. 1:27
Lk. 1:34

ἄνθρωπος

man

Gen 1:26
Gen 1:27

Lk. 1:25

ἀνίστημι

rise up

Psa 1:5 

Lk. 1:39

ἀρχή

beginning

Gen 1:1 
Gen 1:16

Isa 42:9

Mk. 1:1

Lk. 1:2

ἄρχομαι

begin,control

Gen 1:18
Gen 1:26
Gen 1:28
Gen 2:3

Acts 1:1

γῆ

earth, land, ground

Gen. 1:1
Gen. 1:2
Gen. 1:10
Gen. 1:11
Gen. 1:12
Gen. 1:15
Gen. 1:17
Gen. 1:20
Gen. 1:22
Gen. 1:24
Gen. 1:25
Gen. 1:26
Gen. 1:28
Gen. 1:29
Gen. 1:30
Gen. 2:1

Isa. 42:5
Isa. 42:10

γινώσκω

knows

Psa 1:6 

Lk. 1:18
Lk. 1:34

δίδωμι

set, give, gave

Gen. 1:17
Gen. 1:29

Ps. 1:3

Isa. 42:5
Isa. 42:6
Isa. 42:8

Lk. 1:32

δίκαιος

just, righteous

Psa 1:5
Psa 1:6

Lk. 1:6
Lk. 1:17

δύναμις

forces, power

Isa 42:13 

Lk. 1:17
Lk. 1:35

ἔθνος

nations

Isa 42:6

εἴδω

beheld

Gen 1:4
Gen 1:8 
Gen 1:10 
Gen 1:13 
Gen 1:18 
Gen 1:21 
Gen 1:25 
Gen 1:31

Lk. 1:12
Lk. 1:29

εἷς

one

Gen 1:5
Gen 1:9 

ἐξέρχομαι

go forth

Isa 42:13

Lk. 1:22

ἔπω

said

Gen. 1:3
Gen. 1:6
Gen. 1:9
Gen. 1:11
Gen. 1:14
Gen. 1:20
Gen. 1:22
Gen. 1:24
Gen. 1:26
Gen. 1:28
Gen. 1:29

Isa. 42:5

Lk. 1:13
Lk. 1:18
Lk. 1:19
Lk. 1:28
Lk. 1:30
Lk. 1:34
Lk. 1:35
Lk. 1:38
Lk. 1:42
Lk. 1:46

εὐλογέω

blessed

Gen 1:22
Gen 1:28 
Gen 2:3

Lk. 1:28
Lk. 1:42

ζάω

living, alive

Gen 1:20
Gen 1:24 

Acts 1:3

ζωή

life

Ge 1:30 

ἡμέρα

day

Gen 1:5
Gen 1:8
Gen 1:13
Gen 1:14
Gen 1:16
Gen 1:18
Gen 1:19
Gen 1:23
Gen 1:31
Gen 2:2
Gen 2:3

Psa 1:2 

Lk. 1:5
Lk. 1:7
Lk. 1:18
Lk. 1:20
Lk. 1:23
Lk. 1:24
Lk. 1:25
Lk. 1:39

Acts 1:2
Acts 1:3

θεός

God

Gen 1:1
Gen 1:2 
Gen 1:3 
Gen 1:4 
Gen 1:5
Gen 1:6 
Gen 1:7 
Gen 1:8 
Gen 1:9 
Gen 1:10 
Gen 1:11 
Gen 1:13 
Gen 1:14 
Gen 1:16 
Gen 1:17 
Gen 1:18
Gen 1:20
Gen 1:21
Gen 1:22
Gen 1:24 
Gen 1:25
Gen 1:26
Gen 1:27
Gen 1:28
Gen 1:29
Gen 1:31
Gen 2:2
Gen 2:3

Isa 42:12
Isa 42:13
Isa 42:21

Mk. 1:1

Lk. 1:6
Lk. 1:8
Lk. 1:16
Lk. 1:19
Lk. 1:26
Lk. 1:30
Lk. 1:32
Lk. 1:35
Lk. 1:37
Lk. 1:47

Acts 1:3

ἰδού

behold

Gen 1:29
Gen 1:31

Isa 42:9 

Mk. 1:2

Lk. 1:20
Lk. 1:31
Lk. 1:36
Lk. 1:38
Lk. 1:44
Lk. 1:48

ἵστημι

stood

Psa 1:1 

Lk. 1:11

καιρός

season, time

Gen 1:14

Psa 1:3 

Lk. 1:20

καλέω

called

Gen. 1:5
Gen. 1:8
Gen. 1:10

Isa. 42:6

Lk. 1:13
Lk. 1:31
Lk. 1:32
Lk. 1:35
Lk. 1:36

καρπός

fruit

Gen. 1:11
Gen. 1:12
Gen. 1:29

Ps. 1:3

Lk. 1:42

κύριος

LORD

Ps. 1:2
Ps. 1:6

Isa. 42:5
Isa. 42:6
Isa. 42:8
Isa. 42:10
Isa. 42:12
Isa. 42:13
Isa. 42:21

Lk. 1:6
Lk. 1:9
Lk. 1:11
Lk. 1:15
Lk. 1:16
Lk. 1:17
Lk. 1:25
Lk. 1:28
Lk. 1:32
Lk. 1:38
Lk. 1:43
Lk. 1:45
Lk. 1:46

λαός

people

Isa 42:5 

Lk. 1:10
Lk. 1:17
Lk. 1:21

λέγω

says, saying

Gen 1:22
Gen 1:28

Isa 42:5 

Lk. 1:24

Acts 1:3

μακάριος

blessed

Psa 1:1 

Lk. 1:45

μεγαλύνω

magnify

Isa 42:21

Lk. 1:46

μέγας

great, greater

Gen 1:16
Gen 1:21

Lk. 1:15
Lk. 1:32
Lk. 1:42

ὁδός

way

Psa 1:1

Mk. 1:2

οἶκος

house

Isa 42:7 

Lk. 1:23
Lk. 1:27
Lk. 1:33
Lk. 1:40

ὄνομα

name

Isa 42:8
Isa 42:10

Lk. 1:5
Lk. 1:13
Lk. 1:26
Lk. 1:27
Lk. 1:31
Lk. 1:49

ὁράω

appear

Gen 1:9 

Lk. 1:22

ὄρος

mountain

Isa 42:11

οὐρανός

heavens

Gen. 1:1
Gen. 1:8
Gen. 1:9
Gen. 1:14
Gen. 1:15
Gen. 1:17
Gen. 1:20
Gen. 1:26
Gen. 1:28
Gen. 1:30
Gen. 2:1

Isa. 42:5

πληρόω

fill

Gen 1:22
Gen 1:28

Lk. 1:20

πνεῦμα

spirit, wind, breath

Gen. 1:2

Ps. 1:4

Isa. 42:5

Lk. 1:15
Lk. 1:17
Lk. 1:35
Lk. 1:41
Lk. 1:47

Acts 1:2

ποιέω

made, make, do, did, done

Gen. 1:7
Gen. 1:11
Gen. 1:12
Gen. 1:16
Gen. 1:25
Gen. 1:26
Gen. 1:31
Gen. 2:2
Gen. 2:3

Ps. 1:3

Lk. 1:25
Lk. 1:49
Lk. 1:51
Lk. 1:25
Lk. 1:49
Lk. 1:51

Acts 1:1

πορεύομαι

went

Psa 1:1 

Lk. 1:6
Lk. 1:39

πρόσωπον

face

Psa 1:4 

Mk. 1:2

φαίνω

shine

Gen 1:15
Gen 1:17

φῶς

light

Gen. 1:3
Gen. 1:4
Gen. 1:5
Gen. 1:18

Isa. 42:6

ψυχή

lives, life, breath

Gen 1:20
Gen 1:21
Gen 1:24
Gen 1:30

Lk. 1:46

School of Hakham Shaul

Tosefta

(Luke 1:1 – 2:50)

School of Hakham Tsefet

Peshat

(Mark 1:1-2)

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to repeat the liturgical^[33] narrative of the events that are fully known^[34] among us,^[35] just as they were orally^[36] handed down (Mesorah)^[37] to us from those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning,^[38] (from the) Hakhamim^[39] (Sages) of the Torah.^[40] So I, carefully following every teaching, which has been (orally)^[41] transmitted from the beginning, am writing a liturgical account for Your Excellency Theophilus, that you may know the truth concerning the things which you have been catechized.^[42]

And now it happened in the days of Herod, king of Y’hudah, that there was a Kohen (priest) named Z’kharyah, of the (priestly) division of Aviyah.^[43] And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisheba.^[44] And they were both righteous/generous before God, walking blamelessly (sinless) in all the mitzvoth (commandments) and statutes^[45] of the Lord. But, they had no child, because Elisheba was barren, and both were advanced in years.

And now it happened when he (Z’kharyah) was serving in the order of his priestly division before God (at the Temple), he was chosen by lot according to custom of the priesthood to enter the Temple (Holy Place) to offer incense. Now at the time of the incense offering, the whole assembly prayed in the outer (courts).^[46] And the angel of the Lord appeared to him^[47] (Z’kharyah) standing at the right side of the altar of incense.^[48] And seeing the angel Z’kharyah was overwhelmed

 ¶ The chief part of the Masorah (Tradition/Oral Law) is Yeshuah ‎the Messiah, the Son of God (i.e. Ben Elohim = the King/Judge); ‎as it is written in the prophets, “Behold, I send My messenger before your face, which will ‎prepare your way (Hebrew: Derekh/Halakha) before you” (Exodus 23:30; & Malachi 3:1).

ב  And as it is said: “Mosheh received the Torah from Sinai and gospelled it down to Yehoshua, and Yehoshua gospelled it down to the Elders, the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets gospelled it down to the Men of the Great Assembly. They (the Men of the Great Assembly) emphasized three things; Be deliberate in judgment, make stand many disciples, and make a fence around the Torah” (P. Abot 1:1).

with awe^[49] and trepidation. But the angel said to him, “Z’kharyah do not be afraid because your supplication has been heard. Your wife Elisheba will bear a son and you will call his name Yochanan. You will have joy and gladness, and many will delight in his birth, for he will be outstanding in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or anything intoxicating; and even from his mother’s womb, he will be filled with the spirit of prophecy.^[50] And he will return^[51] many of the B’ne Yisrael to the Lord their God. He will go before Him (the Lord) with the neshamah (spirit–soul) and power of Eliyahu (Elijah)”, as it is written, “And he will turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers; lest I come and smite the land with utter destruction (Mal 3:23–24 (4:5–6).” [Or in paraphrase:] (He) will turn the disobedient to the Hakhamim^[52] (Sages– personification of wisdom) of righteous/generosity to establish a people^[53] for the Lord.

And Z’kharyah said to the angel, "How will I know this (is true)? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years." And the angel answered him, "I am Gabri’el. I stand and serve the Shechinah (Divine presence), and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this message. And behold, because you were not persuaded by my words, which will be fulfilled in their (appointed)^[54] time, you will be mute and unable to speak until the day that these things take place."^[55] And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple (holy place), and kept making signs to them. And now it happened when his time of service (at the Temple) was ended, he went to his home.

After these days his wife Elisheba conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, "This is what the Lord has done for me in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among my people."

In the sixth month (of Elisheba’s pregnancy), the angel Gabri’el was sent from God to a city of Galil named “City^[56] of Branches” (Notsri),^[57] to a young girl^[58] betrothed to a man whose name was Yosef, of the house of David. And the young girl’s name was Miriam (Mary). And he came to her and said, "Shalom, O favored^[59] woman, the Lord be with you!" But she was greatly perplexed at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Miriam (Mary), for you have found favor with God. And behold, you are going to conceive^[60] in your womb and bear a son, and you will call his name Yeshua. He will be great and will be called the son of the Most High.^[61] And the Lord God^[62] will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Ya’aqov forever, and of his kingdom (governance) there will be no end." And Miriam (Mary) said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a young girl (yet to marry)?" And the angel answered her, "You will^[63] be clothed with the Ruach HaKodesh (Spirit of holiness), and the Shechinah (Overshadowing Presence) and power of the of the Most High;^[64] therefore the child will be born holy^[65] (separated to specific purpose) and will be called the son of God. And behold, your relative Elisheba in her old age conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. Because no word (breathed) from God will be powerless." And Miriam (Mary) said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to the word you (breathed)." And the angel departed from her.

In those days Miriam (Mary) rose and zealously went to the hill country, to a city^[66] in Y’hudah, and she went to the house of Z’kharyah and greeted Elisheba. And now it happened when Elisheba heard the greeting of Miriam (Mary), the baby leaped in her womb. And Elisheba was filled with (the) spirit of prophecy^[67], and she cried out with a loud voice, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed will be^[68] the fruit of your womb! And why am I (granted the pleasure) that the mother of my master (Messiah) should come to me? For behold, when I heard the sound of your greeting, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord."

And Miriam (Mary) said, "My soul (declares) the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has looked on the humility of His servant. Because, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty (One) has done great things (for) me, and Holy is His Name. And His chesed (mercy) is for those who reverence Him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble; He has satiated the hungry with good, and the rich (He has sent away) empty-handed. He has helped His servant Yisrael, in commemoration of His mercy, as He spoke (promised) to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever."

And Miriam (Mary) remained with her (Elisheba) about three months^[69] and returned to her home.

Now the time came for Elisheba to give birth, and she bore a son. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown chesed (mercy) to her, and they rejoiced with her. And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have named him (the child) Z’kharyah after his father, but Elisheba (his mother) objected saying, "No; he shall be named Yochanan." And they said to her, "None of your relatives is called by this name."^[70] And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be named. And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, "His name is Yochanan." And they were all amazed. And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue (freed), and he spoke, blessing God. And all their neighbors were awed. And all these things were discussed all through the hill country of Y’hudah, and all who heard them pondered these things in their hearts, saying, "What then will this child become? For the hand of the Lord was with him.”

 And his father Z’kharyah was filled with the spirit of prophecy and prophesied, saying, "Blessed be the Lord God of Yisrael, for He has visited^[71] and brought forth (the) redemption of His people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, as He spoke through the mouth of His holy prophets from antiquity,^[72] that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the chesed (mercy) promised to our forefathers and to remember His holy covenant, the oath that He swore to our father Abraham, to give us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, (that we) might be of priestly service to Him without fear, in holiness and righteous/generosity before Him all our days.

And you, child (Yochanan), will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the atonement of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the dawn shall be watchman^[73] to us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." And the child (Yochanan) grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Yisrael.

 And now it happened in those days^[74] that Emperor Augustus issued a decree^[75] for a census^[76] to be taken throughout the Empire.^[77] This census started before^[78] Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone went (every male – Royal Ish, was required to go) to his own city for the census. Yosef also went up from Galil, from the City of Branches,^[79] to Y’hudah, to the city of David, which is called Bet-Lechem, because he was a descendant of David’s house (lineage). [He went to be] registered with Miriam the wife of his betrothal^[80] who was now pregnant. And now it happened while they were there, the day of her delivery arrived. And she gave birth to their firstborn son and wrapped him (with strips of cloth) and laid him in a feeding trough because there was no place for them to lodge.

And nearby there were shepherds^[81] abiding in their fields who (guarded) over their flocks in night watches. And the messenger (angel) of the Lord stood before them and the Kabod (glory) of the Lord shined around them and they were in great reverential awe. And the messenger (angel) said “do not fear I bring a message of great joy for all people (Yisrael):^[82] today a redeemer (like Moshe) is born for you in the city of David who is the Anointed (Messiah) of the Lord.^[83] And this is a sign^[84] for you: you will find an infant wrapped (with strips of cloth) laying in a feeding trough.” And now it happened suddenly that there was a multitude of the heavenly army with the messenger (angel) praising God and saying “Glory to the Most High God, and Shalom (peace)^[85] on earth to His favoured^[86] (Segulah – i.e. Yisrael).”

And now it happened when the messengers (angels) departed into the heavens the shepherds said to each other “let us now go to Bet-Lechem (the city of David) and see this thing^[87] which has happened and has been made known to us by the Lord. And they came with haste and found Miriam, Yosef and the infant was lying in a feeding trough. And when they saw this they declared to (Yosef and Miriam)^[88] what had been told to them about this child. And everyone who heard them were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Miriam kept these words to herself (remembered) and gave careful consideration^[89] to them in her mind.^[90] The shepherds returned magnifying and praising God (by singing Psalms)^[91] because all they had seen was as the (angelic messenger) had told them.

ח: בAnd after eight days passed (it was time for) his Brit Milah (circumcision)^[92] and he was named Yeshua, the name (he was called) by the messenger (angel) before he was conceived in the womb. And when day came for her^[93] (Miriam’s) purification according to the Torah of Moshe^[94], and they brought him (Yeshua) up to Yerushalayim to redeem (i.e. pidyon ha-ben) him to the Lord. As it is written, “you will set apart to the Lord all that opens the womb; every firstling that is a male, which you have coming from a beast, will be the Lord's (Exo. 13:12)^[95]. And they offered the sacrifice required in the Torah of the Lord, [as it is written:] “^If, however, her means do not suffice for a sheep, she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. The priest will make expiation on her behalf, and she will be clean” (Lev. 12:8).^[96]

And behold there was a man (Royal Ish) in Yerushalayim whose name was Shimon;^[97] this man (royal ish) was a Tsaddiq and Shomer Shabbat/Nazar,^[98] anticipating^[99] the Comforter of Yisrael (the Messiah) because the spirit of prophecy rested on him. And the spirit of prophecy revealed to him that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. And he was guided by the spirit of prophecy to come into the Bet Mikdash; and they (Yosef and Miriam) brought the child Yeshua according to the Oral Torah,^[100] Shimon took him in his arms and blessed God (with the appropriate blessing)^[101] and then said, Master of the Universe, now you are dismissing your servant (from Yerushalayim) in shalom (peace) according to Your prophecy:^[102] for my eyes have seen Your shalom (tikun), which You have provided before all peoples, a light of truth for the Gentiles and for the exoneration of your people (Yisrael.) And his father and mother were amazed and marveled at what (Shimon) said about him. Then Shimon blessed them^[103] and said to his mother Miriam, “this child is appointed for the rise and fall of many in Yisrael, to be a sign of opposition so that the thoughts of many will be brought to light and a sword will pierce your own soul.

And there was a prophetess, Channah bat P’nu’el of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in age she live with her husband for seven years after marriage, and then she was widowed to the age of eighty-four. She never failed to attend the Temple worship fasting and praying night and day. And at that moment she came, and began giving thanks to God and spoke about the child to everyone who was looking for the redemption of Yerushalayim. When they finished everything required by the Torah of the Lord they returned to Galil to the city of Branches. The child grew and became strong filled with hokhmah (wisdom) [Binah (understanding) and Da’at (knowledge)] and the chesed (loving-kindness) of God was upon him.

And every year his parents made aliyah to Yerushalayim for the festival of Pesach. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to the Oral Torah.^[104] When the days (of the festival) ended while they returned the young man Yeshua stayed behind in Yerushalayim and his parents did not know. But they thought that he was in the group, and went a day’s journey. And they looked for him among relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Yerushalayim to find him. And now it happened after three days found him in the Bet Mikdash, studying among the Rabbis^[105] listening to them and asking pressing questions. And all who heard him^[106] were astonished at his understanding (ability to accept something by hearing and to follow it to its logical connection)^[107] and answers.^[108] And (when his parents) saw him they were stricken with shock and his mother said to him, “child why have you dealt with us like this? Behold your father and I have been searching for you sick with fear.” He said to them “why were you searching for me? Did you not know that it is proper for me to be doing the things of my Father?”  And they did not understand what he said to them. And he went with them and came to (the city of) Branches, and was obedient and subject to them. His mother carefully guarded all these things in her heart. And Yeshua increased is hokhmah and in maturity and in divine and human favor.

School of Hakham Shaul

Remes

(Acts 1:1-22)

ACTS 1:1-4

In the first account I (Luke) made O Theophilus, I indeed constructed a narrative ‎concerning all the work ‎ that Yeshua did and taught from the beginning till the day he was taken ‎up^[109] (into the heavens) after giving his Oral Torah^[110] ‎ through the spirit of prophecy to his chosen ‎emissaries. After his suffering he showed himself alive to them in many infallible proofs appearing ‎to them for forty days^[111] and giving discourse about the governance (kingdom) of God (through ‎the Hakhamim and Bate Din as opposed to human kings). And staying with them and commanded ‎them not to leave Yerushalayim, but to wait for what the Father proclaimed which you heard from ‎me (Yeshua).‎^[112]

Acts 1:5-11

 “For Yochanan indeed immersed in water but you will be immersed in the Ruach HaKodesh not many days from now.” So when they had assembled they asked him (Yeshua) saying, will you restore the kingdom (Governance) of Yisrael? He answered “It is not for you to know the times and seasons that the Father has established with His own authority. But, you will receive power when the Ruach HaKodesh (Nefesh Yehudi)^[113] has come upon (clothes) you and you will be my witnesses in Yerushalayim and in all Y’hudah and Shomron and to the ends of the earth.”^[114] And when he had said these things, as they were watching he was lifted up and a cloud enveloped him out of their sight. While he was ascending, they watched intently looking towards the heavens, and suddenly two men clothed in white stood next to them. They said, “Men of Galil, why do you stand watching the heavens? Yeshua who was taken from you into the heavens, will come the same way as you saw him go into the heavens.”

Acts 1:12-14

They returned to Yerushalayim from Har Zeytim (Mount of Olives) which is near Yerushalayim, a Sabbath day’s journey away. When they entered the city they went to the upstairs room where they were staying, Hakham Tsefet, Yochanan, Yaakov Adam, Palatiel and T’oma, Bar-Talmai, Mattiyahu Yaakov Ben-Chalfai, Shimon the Zealot and Y’hudah Ben-Yaakov. All these men were united devoting themselves to the Prayer (Amidah),^[115] with certain women, including Miriam the mother of Yeshua and his (Yeshua’s) brothers.

Acts 1:15-26

 And in those days Hakham Tsefet stood up among the Talmidim with the faithfully obedient (congregation of about one hundred and twenty)^[116] and said, “men (and brothers) Scripture is fulfilled, which the spirit of prophecy through the mouth of David, who prophesied concerning Yehudah (Ish Keriyoth),^[117] who was the one who lead those (the Kohen Gadol and temple guards) to arrest Yeshua, for he was considered one of us (Yeshua’s Talmidim) and was appointed his part in the (Master’s) service. Now he (Yehudah Ish Keriyoth) purchased a field with his payment for his lack of righteousness/generosity^[118] (from the Kohen Gadol); and (his body) swelling,^[119] burst open in the middle and his bowels gushed out. All the residents of Yerushalayim knew this, so that the field was named in the dialect (Mishnaic Hebrew) the “Chakal-D’ma” meaning the “field of blood.” For it was written in Sefer Tehillim (the book of Psalms), Let their encampment be desolate; let none dwell in their tents. (Ps. 69:26 [25]) and Let his days be few; let another take his charge (office)^[120] (Ps. 109                                                                                                                                   :8). So one of the men (Paqidim) of our Haberim^[121] (companions in study) during the time that the Master Yeshua went in an out among us, beginning with the immersion of Yochanan until the day he (Yeshua) was taken up from us, a witness to the resurrection, one must become like us”

Commentary to Hakham Tsefet’s School of Peshat

It was the custom in ancient libraries to recognise ‎the title and contents of a book by the first few ‎words of that book at the beginning of said scroll. ‎Therefore Mishnayot.1-2 describe to any ancient Librarian ‎the title of the book and a small description of its ‎contents. This technique will become clearer after ‎we make sense of every word contained in these ‎two initial verses.‎

I. Mordechai (Mark) 1:1‎

Arch (Arkhi) - this Greek term corresponds to ‎the Hebrew “Resheet,” meaning “chief part” ‎as in:‎

רֵאשִׁית חָכְמָה, יִרְאַת יְהוָה‎ Resheet Chokhmah ‎Yir’at Adonai (Psalm 111:10)‎

‎"Arch sofiaz foboz Kuriou” ‎‎(Septuagint – Psalm 110:10)

‎

‎“The chief part of Wisdom is ‎the reverential fear of Ha-Shem.” ‎

The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament^[122] ‎defines the Hebrew term “RESHEET” to mean ‎‎“First,” “beginning,” “choicest,” “first/best of a ‎group.” The same source continues stating:‎

‎“A feminine noun derived from the root ‎‎“ROSH,” and appearing fifty times in ‎nearly all parts of the OT. The primary ‎meaning is “first” or “beginning” of a ‎series. This term may refer to the initiation ‎of a series of historical events (Gen.10:10; ‎Jer. 26:1) but it also refers to a ‎foundational or necessary condition as the ‎reverence or fear of G-d (Ps. 11:10; ‎Prov.1:7) and the initiation, as opposed to ‎the results, of a life (Job 8:7; 42:12). It is ‎used frequently in the special sense of the ‎choicest or best of a group or class of ‎things, particularly in reference to items to ‎be set aside for G-d’s service or sacrifice. ‎The “first fruits” (Lev. 2:12; 23:10; Neh. ‎‎12:44) and “choicest” (Num. 18:12) fruits ‎are so distinguished. Difficult usages of ‎the term occur in several passages. In Deut. ‎‎33:21 the KJV reads “first part” which is ‎followed by JPS, however the RSV, “best ‎of the land” is preferred. In Dan.11:41 the ‎KJV reads: “chief of the children of ‎Ammon,” but the RSV reads “main part of ‎the Ammonites.” ‎

When translating Mark back into Hebrew most translate the first word as: “The beginning” i.e. ‎תְּחִלַּת‎ (T’Chilat) rather than ‎רֵאשִׁית‎ (Resheet) as ‎Prof. Delitzsch originally did following the translation to Hebrew of Elias Hutter (circa 1600 c.e.) as shown below:

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Now T’CHILAT is ‎better translated to English as “commencement” – ‎i.e. “beginning” in time. But this seems redundant, ‎since we expect that a story or narrative starts with ‎the beginning or from the beginning. Thus, to state in the opening words ‎‎“This is the beginning of ...” seems to be ‎somewhat clumsy, as we expect the narrative to ‎start with or from the beginning.  ‎

This is also in agreement as well with Rashi’s^[123] ‎ ‎comment as to the import of the first words of ‎Genesis 1:1 where he states:‎

‎‎בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא‎ IN THE BEGINNING ‎GOD CREATED — This verse calls aloud ‎for explanation in the manner that our ‎Rabbis explained it: God created the world ‎for the sake of the Torah which is called ‎‎(Prov. 8:22) "The beginning (‎רֵאשִׁית‎ - RESHEET) of ‎His (God's) way", and for the sake of ‎Israel who are called (Jer. II. 3) "The ‎beginning (‎רֵאשִׁית‎ RESHEET) of His (G-d's) increase". ‎‎[The Rabbis translated thus: For the sake ‎of (‎בּ‎) the Torah and Israel which bear the ‎name of ‎רֵאשִׁית‎ (RESHEET) G-d created the heavens ‎and the earth.”‎

In other words, this introductory verse is telling us ‎something critical about the Messiah and which ‎forms the central argument of this book – i.e. that ‎the Messiah is the chief part or “the heart” of ‎something which will be explained throughout the ‎book and for which sake creation took place (cf. Prov. 8:22 for a hint), and ‎not just merely telling us that at the beginning of ‎the book is the beginning of the so called “gospel,” ‎a very clumsy and redundant statement indeed.  ‎

A further and most important reason as to why RESHEET is to be preferred to T'CHILAT is found in the mechanism of verbal tally governing both the Annual and Triennial Torah Lectionaries. If we use RESHEET in Mark 1:1 then we surely have a verbal tally with the first Torah Seder – ie. BERESHEET. Support for this line of reasoning is found in John 1:1 which also starts with the term “BERESHEET” and thereby indicating a verbal tally with the first Torah Seder starting in Genesis1:1.^[124]

In a similar vein, Rabbi Sh’muel ben Meir, also known as the Rash’bam (Troyes, France, c. 1085 – c. 1158), a specialist of Peshat comments on Genesis 1:1 as follows:

“As to these scholars who understand the word BERESHEET as equivalent to the word TECHILAT in Hos. 1:2 – i.e. so that it would mean “at the beginning G-d created the heaven,” i.e. before He created heaven and earth there was chaos, darkness in the face of the waters, etc., so that it emerges that water had been created first, this too is nonsense. How could the Torah refer to a state of the earth prior to creation of the heaven?”^[125]

Here, clearly the Rashbam understands that Techilat deals with chronological time, while RESHEET deals with order or priority in a list of things. This why it is clumsy and unnecessary to state at the beginning of a chronicle: “This is the beginning of this chronicle,” since we expect chronicles to start at the beginning of some epoch or period of time.

Finally, we may bring the testimony of the Peshitta which is written in Aramaic, a sister language of Hebrew (much like Spanish is to Italian or French – i.e. sharing many root words in common). In Mark 1:1 the Peshitta has:

רשׁא דאונגליון – RISHA D’EUANGELION

The Aramaic term “RISHA” is the equivalent to the Hebrew RESHEET, which supports our contention that the original word at the beginning of Mark 1:1 is RESHEET and not T’CHILAT as modern Hebrew versions of the Nazarean Codicil have.

tou euaggeliou (Tu Euageliou) – where “Tu” ‎means “of the,” and “Euageliou” is translated as ‎‎“Gosphael.”‎

The definition that modern Christians usually ‎provide for the term “Gospel” is as they say, ‎encapsulated in the words of Hakham Shaul: ‎

‎"For I delivered (gospelled) unto you first of all that ‎which I also received, how that Messiah ‎died for our sins according to the ‎Scriptures; and that he was buried, and ‎that he rose again the third day according ‎to the Scriptures.” (1 Cor. 15:3-4)‎

In fact, Stern^[126]‎ echoing much of modern of ‎evangelical theology writes concerning these two ‎verses:‎

‎”The essence of the Gospel is contained in ‎these two verses, as we shall see, but the ‎key point for Jewish people to grasp and ‎Messianic Jews to stress is that the Gospel ‎is in accordance with what the Tanakh says ‎‎(as Shaul himself emphasises by saying it ‎twice). That is, every major point of the ‎Good News set forth in the New Covenant ‎with Israel is spoken of or prophesied in ‎the Hebrew Scriptures.”‎

Whilst in some points Dr. Stern’s words are true, ‎we disagree with this “Christian” and rather ‎foreign (from a Jewish perspective) interpretation, ‎and therefore must rather propose a complete ‎different and radical Judaic approach to the ‎meaning of the term in question.‎

Most Christian Hebraists point to the Hebrew ‎word “B’SORAH” as the equivalent term and ‎original word from which it was translated to ‎Greek as “EUANGELION.” However, those that ‎have proposed and still propose this idea seem to ‎be ignorant of the following difficulties.‎

‎1. The awkwardness of the term – ‎

In commenting upon the term B’SORAH the ‎Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament^[127] ‎states:‎

‎"The root is a common one in Semitic, ‎being found in Akkadian, Arabic Ugaritic, ‎Ethiopian, etc. The root meaning is “to ‎bring news especially pertaining to military ‎encounters.”  Normally this is good news, ‎but (contra Friedrich, Theological ‎Dictionary of The New Testament, vol. II, ‎p. 707) it need not necessarily be so (I ‎Sam. 4:7; II Sam. 18:20 where “TOV” is ‎specifically appended). The Akkadian ‎bears this out, for the word is largely ‎neutral there."‎

In other words, the term “B’SORAH,” still to ‎this very day means simply “NEWS” and one ‎needs to specify by means of the addition of ‎an adjective (good/bad) so that anyone may understand us.‎

‎2. The term lacks antecedent and cultural or ‎contextual validity –‎

Whilst most terms utilised throughout the ‎Nazarean Codicil can be traced to and seen in ‎use in Rabbinical literature of that period and ‎after that period, the term “B’SORAH” lacks ‎any use in a religious or legal sense by Jewish ‎scholars pre and post 100 c.e. We do have ‎terms like “justice,” “righteousness,” “born ‎from above,” etc. etc. commonly used in ‎Jewish religious and legal literature, but this is ‎not the case with the term “B’sorah”.‎

In fact, when the Rabbis of the Talmud ‎wanting to show the foreignness of ‎Christianity and Christian teachings to ‎normative Judaism, and Jewish ‎culture/language (pre and post Christian) show ‎this by employing a “pun” on the Greek term ‎‎“EUANGELION.”  The Greek word ‎‎“EUANGELION” is transliterated to the ‎Hebrew as “AVEN GILAYON” meaning “the ‎falsehood of blank paper” (R. Meir) or AVON ‎GILAYON” meaning “the sin of blank paper” ‎‎(R. Yochanan) – see editorial footnotes on ‎Shabbat 116a in the English translation of the ‎Soncino Talmud.‎ ^[128]‎ ‎

All Christian commentators and also all so ‎called modern “Nazarene” and “Messianic” ‎commentators in unison state that this shows ‎but a malicious deed on the part of Jewish ‎Rabbis against the so called “Jewish ‎Christians” of that day. This is reflected in the ‎rhetoric for example, of the anti-Semite ‎Friedrich Kittel ‎ in his article in the ‎Theological Dictionary of the New Testament^[129], ‎where he states:‎

‎"This seems to be contradicted by the fact ‎that EUAGELION appears to be a loan-‎word introduced into Judaism to describe ‎the New Testament Gospel. In Shab., ‎‎116a, we have the malicious conversion of ‎Gospel into AVEN GILAYON, gloss of ‎destruction, or AVON GILAYON, gloss ‎of sins: “R. Meir (c. 150) called it (the ‎book of the Minim, i.e. of Jewish ‎Christians, and therefore the Gospels) ‎AVEN GILAYON, gloss or writing of ‎destruction, and R. Yochanan (c. 279) ‎called it AVON GILAYON, gloss or ‎writing of sins.” From this passage we may ‎conclude that the Jewish Christians had ‎adopted the Greek EUAGELION, since ‎there is no real equivalent in Aramaic. The ‎pun is possible only in respect of the ‎Greek. On the other hand the passage does ‎not prove what has been deduced from it. ‎Palestinian Judaism was bilingual. Aramaic ‎might be spoken, but Greek was ‎understood. It was known that ‎BESORAH would be EUANGELIUM in ‎Greek. The Rabbinic propensity for puns ‎enabled them to seize on the Greek word ‎for BESORAH and to bring it into ‎disrepute, thus making the hated heretics ‎ridiculous.”  ‎

However, Green, et al.‎^[130], ‎ make a very strange ‎statement regarding this term:‎

‎"The reader of the Gospels must be wary in ‎reading a post-Easter definition into the ‎Evangelists’ use of the term gospel (such as ‎is found in Pauline writings, 1 Cor. 15:1-4; ‎Rom. 1:2-4). In the Synoptics it is found in ‎the mouth of Jesus at the beginning of his ‎ministry: “The time is fulfilled, and the ‎Kingdom of G-d is at hand; repent, and ‎believe in the Gospel (Mk. 1:14-15; cf. Mt. ‎‎4:17,23; Lk 4:18,43). They use the term to ‎designate Jesus’ message without prior ‎definition, implying that it was a term ‎known to their audience.”‎

Despite this statement, the only source pre or ‎post 70 c.e. where we read about the term ‎‎“Gospel” as being a Hebraic term to define a ‎specific message or genre of literature is in the ‎various Greek renditions of the Nazarean ‎Codicil or parts of it. Yet, the undisputed fact ‎remains that we have no evidence whatsoever ‎that the term “Gospel” (Heb. B’SORAH) was ‎used with any religious or legal significance by ‎the Jewish people, prior to, during, and after ‎the death of His Majesty King Yeshuah the ‎Messiah. If the term was well known to His ‎Majesty’s audience as Mordechai 1:14-15; ‎Matityahu 4:17,23; and Luqas 4:18,43 makes it ‎abundantly clear, then of necessity it must ‎have been some other Hebrew word rather ‎than that advance by Christianity – ‎‎“B’SORAH.” ‎

Perhaps, and from our view, most certainly the ‎Sages of the Talmud are alerting us in veiled ‎language to a sad event in history, which has ‎remained unreported but for which evidence is ‎abundantly mounting, where a heresy rose ‎amongst Jews and Gentiles which gave rise to ‎the destruction of almost all original Hebrew ‎manuscripts extant of the Nazarean Codicil or ‎parts of it and reworked them into the Greek ‎to justify the beliefs and theological dogmas of ‎this sect, and which unfortunately unleashed a ‎systematic destruction of anything or anyone ‎identifying as Nazarean.  The wise sages of the ‎Talmud are alerting us to the fact that Greek ‎Manuscripts so called “GOSPELS” are ‎reworked partial forgeries^[131] of the authentic writings of ‎the Jewish Nazarean writings, who in fact ‎never used the word “GOSPEL – ‎EUANGELION – B’SORAH.”  ‎

If the term “B’sorah” (Gospel) was wide ‎known and understood by all in Yisrael, as the ‎so called Gospels themselves state (Mk. 1:14-‎‎15; cf. Mt. 4:17,23; Lk 4:18,43), then why is it ‎that we find no Jewish record either in Hebrew ‎or Aramaic showing that the term was widely ‎used and known to the Jewish people and to ‎Jewish Scholars of that epoch? No doubt we ‎must conclude that the term “Gospel” lacks ‎any cultural or legal antecedent, or for that ‎matter contextual validity and we must reject ‎or at least hold in high suspicion the view that ‎such term was ever used by His Majesty King ‎Yeshuah the Messiah himself or his Talmidim.

Further, in the Aramaic, a sister language of Hebrew (much like Spanish is to Italian or French – i.e. sharing many root words in common), of the Peshitta at Mark 1:1 has the word EUANGELION without any translation. Why? If GOSPEL = BESORAH as modern Christian Scholars teach, then the Peshitta should have had the word TEBA which means “news” or “report,” and corresponds to the Hebrew BESORAH. The first verse of Mark in the Peshitta reads:

רשׁא דאונגליון – RISHA D’EUANGELION

Lastly, the Vaticanus Hebraica^[132], a translation of the four so called four gospels into Hebrew by an anonymous scholar under duress, starts in Mark 1:1 with the word ZEHU HA-EUANGELION MI YESUS ...  In other words, this Hebrew Scholar could not find a Hebrew equivalent for the Greek term EUANGELION, even when under duress at the hands of catholic authorities, much as the Aramaic Peshitta translators before him also could not find one in Aramaic.

So, where does this leave us? Is there any other ‎term in the Hebrew language that we can ‎reasonably suspect was used, before it was ‎substituted by the Greek term EUANGELION? ‎And does the Nazarean Codicil itself suggests any ‎other possible Hebrew/Greek word that might ‎have been used by the original writers of the ‎Nazarean Codicil before it was substituted by the ‎Greek term EUANGELIUM? ‎

In our view the shortest answer to all of the above ‎questions is simply “YES!” However before we ‎state our case, we would like to let the Nazarean ‎Codicil speak for itself and explain to us what a ‎‎“gospel” is, and when it was proclaimed for the ‎first time in history.‎

a)      Hakham Shaul in Bereans (Hebrews) 4:2ff. ‎states that the so called “Gospel” was first ‎proclaimed at Har (Mount) Sinai in connection with the ‎laws regarding Shabbat which must be ‎appropriated by means of EMUNAH (Faithful ‎Obedience):‎

“For indeed we have had ‎EUIGELISMENOI (gospel) [announced ‎to us] even as also they; but not did profit ‎them the word of the report, not having ‎been mixed with faith in those who heard ‎‎– For unto us was the gospel proclaimed, as ‎well as unto them, but the word proclaimed ‎did not profit them, not being mixed with ‎faithful obedience in them that heard it.”‎

Or, as the Literal English Translation Bible by ‎Morris with Strong’s numbers added puts it:‎

‎"|2532| indeed |1063| For |2070| we are ‎having |2097| had the Good News ‎preached |2509| even as |2548| those also. ‎‎|0235| But |3756| did not |5623| profit ‎‎|3588| the |3056| word |0189| of hearing ‎‎|1565| those, |3361| not |4786| having been ‎mixed |4102| with faith |3588| in those ‎‎|0191| hearing.”‎

It is most interesting that a self-confessed ‎Nazarene, Dr. James Trimm in his commentary ‎on the so called Epistle to the Hebrews^[133] ‎ leaves ‎very conveniently this key passage ‎unexplained.  However Dr. Stern^[134],‎ ‎ a Messianic ‎teacher does go on to make some ridiculous ‎comment which is completely out of order ‎with the P’shat (plain literal meaning)  of this passage. He states:‎

‎”The Good News the Israelites heard was ‎the promise of entering His rest in the ‎Promised  Land; the Good News which ‎has been proclaimed to us is, of course, ‎that we enter the rest that comes from ‎knowing that our sins are forgiven.”

It is obvious, that we need a much better and ‎logical analysis of this verse at least at the ‎P’shat (plain meaning) level. To do this let us look at the ‎clauses:‎

a)‎         For indeed we had gospel proclaimed to us ‎even as they (them);‎

b)‎         But it did not profit them the LOGOS ‎‎(Torah) proclaimed (of the report);‎

c)‎         Not having been mixed with faithful obedience in those ‎who heard.‎

We start by asking who is Hakham Shaul ‎describing with the pronouns “us” and “them” ‎in the first clause? Christians and Messianics ‎will readily say that the “us” refers to ‎Christians and that the “them” refers to Jews, ‎particularly those at Har Sinai. However, such ‎interpretation depends on an illegitimate ‎straight-jacket approach imposed by Christian ‎Theology and not justified by the text. At best ‎it can be said that Hakham Shaul is making a ‎distinction between the same people (Jews) ‎living at Har Sinai and Jews living when he ‎wrote this Epistle – thus, the difference ‎between the “us” and “them” is one imposed ‎by the distance in time and not a difference of ‎ethnicity.  From this perspective, the “gospel” ‎is the same, and the difference is not one of ‎ethnicity or religion but one of generations ‎amongst the same people.‎

Delitzsch^[135] ‎ schooled evidently on a diet of ‎Replacement Theology proposes that the text ‎should read: “We have a message of salvation, ‎as even they had such a message.” This ‎rendition thus favours two messages of ‎salvation as proposed by replacement theology ‎one of salvation by works (that of our ‎apparently ignorant Jewish people) and that of ‎salvation by faith (whatever that means) which ‎is superior and belonging to Christians. This ‎replacement theology view is reflected in the ‎RSV translation of this verse:‎

‎”For good news came to us just as to them; ‎but the message which they heard did not ‎benefit them, because it did not meet with ‎faith in the hearers.” ‎

Enough to say that this view is increasingly ‎being rejected by Gentile Theologians, and has ‎no place in our proposition which advocates ‎virtually no or at best very minor differences ‎between Nazareans and Jewish Orthodoxy. ‎This view for example is found in the rendition ‎of this verse by the Catholic New Jerusalem ‎Bible which puts it:‎

‎”We received the gospel exactly as they ‎did; but hearing the message did them no ‎good because they did not share the faith ‎of those who did listen.”‎

And the Aramaic Peshitta (Lamsa, 1987) ‎translates:‎

‎”For the gospel was preached to us as it ‎was to them also, but the word they heard ‎did not benefit them, because it was not ‎mixed with faith in those who heard it.”‎

Consequently, we are left at this point using ‎strictly a P’shat (plain leteral meaning) mode of interpretation with ‎the idea that the this “gospel” being ‎proclaimed by Hakham Shaul and being ‎accepted by these converts to Judaism in Berea ‎is the same which was proclaimed at the foot ‎of Har Sinai to the people of Israel. What this ‎‎“gospel” consisted of is not explained in this ‎first clause of this verse.‎

The second clause: “But it did not profit them ‎the LOGOS (Torah) proclaimed (of the ‎report)” needs further elucidation. The Literal ‎English Translation Bible by Morris renders the ‎Greek “LOGOS TIS AKOIS” as: “|3056| ‎word |0189| of hearing.”  Similarly the Douay-‎Rheims Bible renders this verse as follows:‎

‎”For unto us also it hath been declared, in ‎like manner as unto them. But the word of ‎hearing did not profit them, not being ‎mixed with faith of those things they ‎heard.‎"

The Latin Vulgate has “sermo auditus” – lit. ‎‎“auditory sermon” when translating “the word ‎of hearing” clause.  So, let us ask a critical ‎question at this juncture, do the Jews ‎distinguish between the LOGOS (Word) of ‎writing and the LOGOS (Word) of hearing? ‎And the answer of course is a resounding ‎YES! The “LOGOS of Writing” we call ‎‎“Torah Shebiktav” – Written Torah, and ‎widely known as the Pentateuch, and the ‎‎“LOGOS of hearing” we call “Torah Shebeal ‎Peh” – lit. “Torah from the mouth,” that is the ‎‎“Oral Torah.” Second, does the Oral Torah of ‎the Jewish people itself records its genesis or ‎origins? The answer of course is a resounding ‎YES! And any Jewish Orthodox child will ‎direct one to Pirqe Abot 1:1 where we read: ‎משה קיבל תורה מסיני‎ “Mosheh Qibel Torah ‎MiSinai – Mosheh received the Torah from ‎Sinai, ‎ומסרה ליהושע ‏‎ UM’sarah LiYehoshua – ‎and handed it down (gospelled it down, or, ‎rehearsed it in the ears) of Yehoshuah …”‎

The second clause of this verse, then ‎identifies the nature of the so called “gospel” ‎as stated in the first clause. In other words, the ‎second clause of this verse acts as a ‎circumstantial clause subject to the first clause ‎and which object is twofold. First, to explain ‎what the “gospel” is, and second to inform us ‎that this so called “Gospel” did not profit them ‎at Har Sinai. The reason for this is given to us ‎in the third clause – “Not having been mixed ‎with faithful obedience in those who heard.”  Now the ‎Greek term used here for “FAITH” is ‎‎“PISTEI” and which answers to the Hebrew ‎‎“EMUNAH” meaning “Faithful Obedience” ‎and not just as Christians teach: “the firm ‎conviction that G-d exists and is the creator ‎and ruler of all things, the provider and ‎bestower of eternal salvation through ‎Messiah,” or even “a strong and welcome ‎conviction or belief that Yeshuah is the ‎Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal ‎salvation in the kingdom of G-d.” No, ‎‎“EMUNAH” is the perfect union of “believing ‎what is said as being the truth” and then ‎‎“doing what is commanded in what was said.” ‎In fact the whole of Chapter 12 of Bereans ‎‎(Hebrews) is replete with the phrase “By ‎‎(through) faith” that is, by and through ‎EMUNAH so and so did such and such. Thus ‎Emunah is not just believing but rather ‎something more profound and meaningful – ‎FAITHFUL OBEDIENCE! – Something that ‎must be believed and faithfully obeyed.‎

Now, note that in Pirqe Abot 1:1 the Hebrew ‎term “M’SORAH” is interpreted as that which ‎is privately handed down from one generation ‎to another, from the mouth of one Torah ‎teacher to the ear of his Talmid (disciple), and ‎so on, throughout the generations. It is but a ‎logical deduction, from what we expounded ‎above, then that the original word in the ‎Nazarean Codicil, replaced later by the Greek ‎EUANGELION, was none other than the ‎Hebrew M’SORAH which in the Greek is ‎translated mainly as PARADOSIS and ‎meaning “a giving over which is done by word ‎of mouth or in writing, i.e. tradition by ‎instruction, narrative, precept, etc. – (a) ‎objectively, that which is delivered, the ‎substance of a teaching; and/or (b) of the body ‎of precepts, which were orally delivered by ‎Moses and orally transmitted in unbroken ‎succession to subsequent generations, which ‎precepts, both illustrating and expanding the ‎written law, as they believed and obeyed them ‎with equal reverence.”  We have traces of this, ‎for example in 2 Thessalonians 2:15, where we ‎read: ‎

‎”Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold ‎the traditions which you have been taught, ‎whether by word, or our epistle.” ‎

However we need to examine other definitions ‎given in the Nazarean Codicil of the term ‎‎“Gospel” to see if we obtain a similar pattern ‎and consistency throughout.‎

‎ ‎

b)     Hakham Tsefet (Peter) states that the “word of ‎Ha-Shem abides forever, and this is the word ‎which was EUAGELISTHEN (gospelled) to ‎you” (1 Peter 1:25), thus equating the word of ‎Ha-Shem with the so called “GOSPEL.”‎

The Literal English Translation Bible with ‎Strong’s numbers renders this verse as follows:‎

‎”|3588| the |1611| but |4487| word of |2962| ‎‎{the} Lord |3306| remains |1519| to |3588| ‎the |0165| age. |5124| this |1161| And |2076| ‎is |3588| the |4487| word |2097| preached as ‎Good News |1519| to |5209| you.” ‎

Similarly, the Catholic New Jerusalem Bible ‎renders this pasuk:‎

‎”But the Word of the Lord remains ‎forever. And this Word is the Good News ‎that has been brought to you.”‎

The Greek term used here for “WORD” is ‎‎“RHIMA” (Strong’s # 4487) and meaning ‎basically “that which is or has been uttered by ‎the living voice.” In other words, this is the ‎‎“Oral” and not the “Written” Word of Ha-‎Shem, this is nothing but Torah Shebeal Peh – ‎the Oral Torah!  Therefore this verse is much ‎better translated from a Rabbinical perspective ‎as:‎

‎”But the Torah Shebeal Peh of Ha-Shem ‎abides forever, and this is the Torah ‎Shebeal Peh which was MASARAH ‎‎(handed down, gospelled down) to you.”‎

Here we find three things. First, a ‎harmonisation and complete agreement of ‎Hakham Tsefet’s (Peter’s) words with the ‎Mishnah Tractate Pirqe Abot 1:1. Second, the ‎Greek term EUAGELISTHEN translated by ‎Christians as “preach as Good News” or “has ‎been brought” was most probably changed for ‎the original Hebraic term “MASARAH” ‎‎(handed down, gospelled down - ‎PARADOSIS) sometime after the destruction ‎of the Second Temple in the year 70 c.e.  ‎Thirdly, we have here the Oral Torah (Greek: ‎RHIMA) – Oral Word of Ha-Shem being ‎equated with the so called “Gospel,” which no ‎doubt in the original was M’SORAH and not ‎B’SORAH as Christians and Messianics teach.‎

If as we propose the original Hebrew word ‎‎“M’SORAH” in the Nazarean Codicil was ‎later replaced for EUANGELION / ‎B’SORAH, it clearly explains the claim made ‎by Green, et al.^[136]‎ ‎ that:  “In the Synoptics it is ‎found in the mouth of Jesus at the beginning ‎of his ministry: “The time is fulfilled, and the ‎Kingdom of G-d is at hand; repent, and ‎believe in the Gospel (Mk. 1:14-15; cf. Mt. ‎‎4:17,23; Lk 4:18,43). They use the term to ‎designate Jesus’ message without prior ‎definition, implying that it was a term known ‎to their audience.” The more, we might add, ‎particularly since most of His Majesty’s Jewish ‎audience were conversant with Mishnah ‎Tractate Pirqe Abot 1:1.‎

c)      Hakham Yochanan in his Apocalypse states ‎that the so called “Gospel” is “ever-lasting” ‎and about “fearing G-d” – ie. at least ‎observing the 7 Noachite Laws which renders ‎a Gentile a “G-d fearer” (see Rev. 14:6-7).‎

The two verses in question are rendered by ‎Morris Literal English Translation Bible with ‎Strong’s numbers as:‎

‎”6. |2532| And |1492| I saw |0243| another ‎‎|0032| angel |4072| flying |1722| in |3321| ‎mid-heaven, |2192| having |2098| Good ‎News |0166| everlasting |2097| to preach ‎‎|3588| to those |2730| living |1909| on ‎‎|3588| the |1093| earth, |2532| even |3956| ‎every |1484| nation |2532| and |5443| tribe ‎‎|2532| and |1100| language |2532| and ‎‎|2992| people,‎

‎7. |3004| saying |1722| in |5456| a voice ‎‎|3173| great, |5399| Fear |3588| - |2316| ‎God, |2532| and |1325| give |0846| to Him ‎‎|1391| glory, |3754| because |2064| came ‎‎|3588| the |5610| hour |3588| of the |2920| ‎judgement |0846| of Him. |2532| And, ‎‎|4352| worship |3588| Him |4160| having ‎made |3588| the |3772| heaven |2532| and ‎‎|3588| the |1093| earth |2532| and |3588| the ‎‎|2281| sea |2532| and |4077| fountains ‎‎|5204| of waters.” ‎

And the Catholic New Jerusalem Bible renders ‎it:‎

‎6. Then I saw another angel, flying high ‎overhead, sent to announce the gospel of ‎eternity to all who live on the earth, every ‎nation, race, language and tribe. ‎

‎7. He was calling, "Fear God and glorify ‎him, because the time has come for Him to ‎sit in judgement; worship the maker of ‎heaven and earth and sea and the springs ‎of water.

At this point, Stern^[137] ‎ comments on this section ‎as follows:‎

“The three angels exhort G-d’s people to ‎remain faithful (vv. 6-7, 12; compare ‎‎13:9b, 10b), so as to avoid the judgement ‎against Babylon the Great (vv. 8-11). ‎They must persevere, observe G-d’s ‎Mitsvoth (commandments) and exercise ‎Yeshuah’s faithfulness (v.12), the same ‎faithfulness Yeshuah had (see Romans ‎‎3:22; Galatians 2:16). Note that works and ‎faith go hand in hand (Romans 3:27-28; ‎Eph. 2:8-10; James 2:14-26), and that the ‎works of the righteous go with them for ‎reward (v.13; compare Romans 2:6-16; 1 ‎Cor. 3:8-15). Verse 13 is a reassurance ‎when any believer dies.”

Most interesting quote indeed, if we translate ‎Stern’s “Yeshuah’s faithfulness” for ‎‎“Yeshuah’s EMUNAH” or “Yeshuah’s ‎Faithful Obedience.” He even prefaces this ‎EMUNAH of His Majesty with the clause ‎‎“observe G-d’s Mitsvoth (commandments),” and going at length ‎in the last sentences to explain that “works and ‎faith go hand in hand.” So, then, according to ‎Stern this “Good News Ever-lasting” or the ‎‎“gospel of eternity” is about “persevering in ‎observing G-d’s Mitsvoth (commandments) ‎and exercising Yeshuah’s faithfulness [in ‎observing the mitzvoth].”‎

Whilst this may well be true, yet the very text ‎from a P’shat (plain literal meaning) perspective states that the ‎‎“Good News Ever-lasting” or “gospel of ‎eternity” as proclaimed by this angel to all the ‎Gentiles is about “Fearing G-d and glorifying ‎Him.” Now, Stern^[138] ‎ commenting on 2 Luqas ‎‎(Acts) 10:2, states:‎

‎”A “G-d-fearer” – Greek Phoboumenos ‎ton Theon, “one who fears G-d,” is ‎regarded by most scholars as a technical ‎term describing a Gentile who attached ‎himself to Judaism but chose not to ‎undergo formal conversion, which ‎included circumcision and public ‎immersion (proselyte baptism). This class ‎of Gentiles, known in Judaism as ‎‎“proselytes of the gate,” was quite large at ‎this time. They were attracted to the ‎nobility of Jewish worship and to the truth ‎of the one G-d Who had revealed Himself ‎in the Bible, but for various reasons did not ‎become Jews.”‎

So now, back to Revelation 14:7, what is the ‎first thing the angel proclaims in Greek to the ‎Gentiles from the “Gospel of Eternity? The ‎Greek has: “PHOBITHITEN TON THEON.” ‎We see now that the only difference between ‎‎“PHOBOUMENOS TON THEON” of 2 ‎Luqas 10:2 with the “PHOBITHITEN TON ‎THEON” is a matter of Grammatical accident ‎of the same Greek verb “PHOBEO” – to fear, ‎to reverence. Thus the command of the angel ‎as contained in the “Gospel of Eternity” to the ‎Gentiles is “Fear/Reverence G-d” = “Become a ‎G-d Fearer,” that is, a Noachite (observing the ‎seven Laws of Noach). ‎

Therefore, according to Yochanan the so ‎called “Gospel” is about “fearing G-d and ‎glorifying Him,” which to Gentiles is ‎translated as observance of the Seven Laws of ‎Noach and for Jews as observance of the 613 ‎Commandments of the Torah as explained and ‎mandated by the Oral Torah. Now, we may ‎ask, is this not what our wise sages of old and ‎our Jewish people of all generations have ‎known as M’SORAH? And have we not ‎established above in 1 Tsefet (Peter) 1:25 that ‎‎“the Torah Shebeal Peh of Ha-Shem abides ‎forever”?

Please note that we have selected three simple ‎definitions of the term “M’SORAH” and later ‎substituted for the term “EUAGENLION” from ‎three distinct authors of the Nazarean Codicil ‎‎(reflecting the three distinct Nazarean traditions of ‎the Mishnaic School of Hakham Tsefet and his ‎scribe Mordechai, the Gemarah School of Hakham ‎Shaul and his scribe Dr. Luqas; and the ‎Kabbalistic School of Hakham Yochanan) and ‎whilst we could cite more cases similarly ‎confirming our hypothesis, we are content to ‎follow the venerable and just Torah principle that ‎‎“at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of ‎three witnesses, shall the matter be established” ‎‎(D’barim 19:15).‎

However, for the sake of internal validity and ‎internal consistency, seeing that as we have ‎observed, the Nazarean Codicil’s definition of the ‎so called “Gospel” (originally M’SORAH) is in ‎consonance with the Oral Torah  (cf. Pirqe Abot), ‎we need to explain what this same Jewish source ‎says is the function of M’SORAH, then go on to ‎review the passage of 1 Cor. 15:1-4 and its ‎relevance or connection to the concept of ‎M’SORAH, and finally offer a possible ‎explanation how M’SORAH became B’SORAH. ‎

THE PURPOSE OF THE MASORAH

In Pirqe Abot 3:17 we read:‎

‎Rabbi Akiba said: jesting and levity ‎accustom a man to lewdness. The ‎transmitted Oral Torah (Heb. ‎MASORAT) is a protective fence (Heb. ‎S’YAG) about the Torah, the tithes are a ‎fence (Heb. S’YAG) for riches; vows are a ‎fence (Heb. S’YAG) for abstinence; a ‎fence (Heb. S’YAG) for wisdom is ‎silence.”

‎ ‎

In other words, we find in Pirqe Abot that the ‎purpose of the Oral Torah Heb. M’SORAH (and ‎replaced by the Greek EUANGELION/Gospel in ‎the Greek Nazarean Codicil) is to be a protective ‎fence about the Written Torah, in the same way as ‎tithes are a protective fence for wealth. Or, simply ‎put, the Oral Torah prevents the Written Torah ‎from it being misunderstood or misused as well as ‎protecting its practitioners from serious breaches ‎of the Written Torah or even deviating from the ‎Torah. Translating this into a language which ‎novices can understand, the so called “Gospel” ‎prevents the Written Law of the Bible from being ‎misrepresented or misused, as well as protecting its ‎practitioners from serious breaches of the Written ‎Law of the Bible or from deviating from a ‎righteous/generous walk according to Torah, and ‎as understood by THE faith (ie. Judaism). Or more ‎precisely, as Hakham Hirsch^[139] puts it: “The ‎traditional text of the Written Word of G-d guards ‎the Scriptures against falsification, and the ‎traditional interpretation of the content of the Law ‎protects the latter from distortion.”‎

Since, the MASORAH is uniquely welded to the Written Torah, then the text of Genesis 1:1 opens us to further understanding. Midrash Tanhuma Yelammedenu^[140]‎ commenting on the words: "With the beginning" – Geneis 1:1, states:

This is what Scripture means when it says: The LORD with wisdom^[141]founded the earth (Proverbs 3:19). That is, when the Holy One, blessed be He, was about to create this world, He consulted the Torah^[142] before embarking upon the work of creation, as it is said: Counsel is mine and sound wisdom; I am understanding, power is mine (Proverbs 8:14).

Thus we have translated Mark 1:1 as “The chief part of the Masorah (Tradition/Oral Law) is Yeshuah ‎the Messiah, the Son of God (i.e. Ben ‎Elohim = the King/Judge)‎." Yet, based upon the above Midrash we could also translate this verse as: "The wisdom (i.e. Resheet is synonimous with Hokhmah = Wisdom) of the Masorah is Yeshuah the Messiah, the Son of God (i.e.  Ben ‎Elohim = the King/Judge)‎." This does not mean that Chistianity is therefore superior to Judaism, G-d forbid! To the contrary, what it means is that anyone studying the Masorah (Oral Torah) is acquiring the wisdom of Messiah who is the very embodyment of the Torah! It is therefore obvious that the creation of the Messiah as the embodyment of the Torah (Written and Oral) precedes the creation of this world, as the Targum Yerushalmi reads: "Be-Hokhmah (With Wisdom) the LORD created ...” Thus, the Masorah in creation, which was done in strict justice/perfection, kept that strictness and perfection in check so that strict justice/perfection did not exceed the boundaries placed by Wisdom. Much more could be said regarding the purpose of MASORAH but suffice to say that it is a most powerful creative and innovative force which is personified in the person of G-d’s Messiah.

HOW MASORAH FITS INTO 1 COR. 15:1-4‎

The Literal English Translation Bible by Morris ‎with Strong’s numbers renders this passage as ‎follows:‎

‎1. |1107| I make known |1161| And |5213| ‎to you |0080| brothers, |3588| the |2098| ‎Good News |3739| which |2097| I preached ‎‎|5213| to you, |3739| which |2532| also ‎‎|3880| you received, |1722| in |3739| which ‎‎|2532| also |2476| you stand,‎

‎2. |1223| by |3739| which |2532| also |4982| ‎you are saved, |5101| to what |3056| word ‎‎|2097| I preached |5213| to you |1487| if ‎you |2722| hold fast, |1623| unless |1508| - ‎‎|1500| in vain |4100| you believed.‎

‎3. |3860| I delivered |1063| For |5213| to ‎you |1722| among |4413| the first |3739| ‎what |2532| also |3880| I received, |3754| ‎that |5547| Christ |0599| died |5228| for ‎‎|3588| the |0266| sins |2257| of us |2596| ‎according |3588| to the |1124| Scriptures,4. ‎‎|2532| and |3754| that |2290| he was buried, ‎‎|2532| and |3754| has been |1453| raised ‎‎|3588| the |5154| third |2250| day |2596| ‎according |3588| to the |1124| Scriptures.‎

And the Catholic New Jerusalem Bible translates ‎this passage:‎

‎1. I want to make quite clear to you, ‎brothers, what the message of the gospel ‎that I preached to you is; you accepted it ‎and took your stand on it, ‎

‎2. and you are saved by it, if you keep to ‎the message I preached to you; otherwise ‎your coming to believe was in vain. ‎

‎3. The tradition I handed on to you in the ‎first place, a tradition which I had myself ‎received, was that Christ died for our sins, ‎in accordance with the scriptures, ‎

‎4. and that he was buried; and that on the ‎third day, he was raised to life, in ‎accordance with the scriptures;‎

Note the connection woven in the tapestry ‎amongst these verses of the following concepts: ‎

EUAGELION – Good News / Gospel ‎‎(Strong’s # 2098) – Originally in Heb. = ‎M’SORAH

PARALAMBANO – Receive (Strong’s # ‎‎3880 – Hebrew = QIBEL

PARADIDOMI (from PARADOSIS) – hand ‎down (Strong’s # 3860) – Hebrew = ‎M’SARAH

‎ ‎

This “Gospel” which the New Jerusalem Bible ‎correctly identifies in v.3 as “tradition” (Hebrew: ‎M’SORAH) is the Oral Torah as we described ‎earlier in dealing with the genesis of the Oral ‎Torah as found in Pirqe Abot 1:1 – “Mosheh ‎‎(Moses) Qibel (received) Torah MiSinai (Torah ‎from Sinai) UM’sarah (and handed it down / ‎gospelled it down) to Yehoshuah.” So, what ‎connection is there between a death for sins, being ‎buried, and being raised to life on the third day? ‎

First of all, let us say that Hakham Shaul in this ‎Gemarah treatise of 1 Corinthians is alluding to ‎Pirqe Abot 1:1 since the key words in this section ‎as explained above point to this connection. ‎Second, that the significance and explanation of ‎the 1st Akedah (binding of Yitschaq) as pertaining ‎the Jewish peoples and the 2nd Akedah (binding of ‎Mashiach ben Yosef to the tree) by and for the ‎Gentiles can only be found in the MASORAH or ‎Torah Shebeal Peh (Oral Torah). This is not the ‎place to dwell on the parallels between the TWO ‎BINDINGS, but suffice it to say that the ORAL ‎TORAH both in the Talmud and in the Midrash ‎make this abundantly clear.‎^[143]

In other words, Hakham Shaul makes a connection ‎between, or more precisely, firmly anchors the ‎Oral Torah in both the Aqedah of Isaac (for the ‎Jews) and the Aqedah of Mashiach ben Yosef (for ‎the Gentiles). Thus the connection is established ‎between M’SORAH (Oral Torah) and the ‎Akedah. ‎

POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS OF HOW ‎M’SORAH BECAME B’SORAH

Two plausible explanations fit this riddle. First ‎from a benign point of view, the error was ‎introduced by an unlearned scribe who read a ‎‎“Bet” for a “Mem” and thus M’SORAH became ‎B’SORAH, however whilst this may explain the ‎genesis of the error, it does not explain why ‎EUANGELION became so widely adopted in the ‎literature without protest. To answer this question ‎we need to think of a more sinister scenario, one ‎which combines pagan mythology with Biblical ‎terms. We all know that the “EUCHARIST” ‎which in the Nazarean Codicil when viewed from ‎a Hebraic perspective is identified readily by the ‎Jewish blessings over bread and wine (HaMotsi & ‎HaGefen) at the beginning of a meal, and the ‎blessings after the meal (Birkat HaMazon), the ‎Gentiles reworked this term to fit the ritual of ‎Mithraism where a “communion” or “mass” was ‎celebrated with water and bread by their priests ‎‎[please note that most of the Roman Legions were ‎followers of the Mithraic cult.] ‎

Similarly, if by error or intention M’SORAH was ‎changed into B’SORAH and B’SORAH being ‎translated into the Greek by EUAGELIUM it ‎would have suited the Roman authorities and ‎pagan priests and finding it relatively easy in ‎accommodating Nazarean Judaism to their pagan ‎beliefs, if we take into account that according to ‎Kittel^[144] the Greek word EUAGELION was used ‎for “news of victory” which was accompanied by ‎sacrifices to pagans gods, and also the term was ‎used of an “oracular saying” which were ‎accompanied by thank offerings to pagan gods, as ‎well since imperial rulers were held as appearances ‎on earth of a deity in human form, his words and ‎laws were held to be EUAGELION. With this ‎background to the Greek word EUAGELION and ‎its usage among the pagans it is not difficult to see ‎how the accidental or most probably intended ‎mistake of replacing M’SORAH for B’SORAH ‎and weaving a web of deceit whereby this term is ‎translated to the Greek as EUAGELION and ‎illegitimately linking the “good news” spoken by ‎the Prophet Yeshayahu to the pagan concept of ‎EUAGELION from the imperial cult. Thus we ‎have a clever substitution which allowed them to ‎anchor their pagan religion and concepts ‎camouflaged in respectable Biblical terminology. ‎What is new under the sun?   ‎

υιου του θεου - Fiu Tu Theu – this is equivalent to the ‎Hebrew expression “Ben Elohim” a title reserved ‎for Jewish Kings Priests and Judges, and ‎according to G-d’s Torah a calling/vocation of ‎every single Jew. ‎

To make this point clear let us start by saying that ‎the Exodus from Egypt was predicated upon G-‎d’s calling of all of His chosen and noble people ‎Israel to become collectively and individually ‎‎“MAM’LEKHET (a kingdom) KOHANIM (of ‎priests) V’GOI QADOSH (and a holy people)” ‎‎(Sh’mot/Exodus 19:6). These same words but ‎interpreted in the P’shat are repeated by Hakham ‎Tsefet (Peter) in 1 Tsefet (Peter) 2:9:‎

‎|5210| you |1161| But |1085| a race |1588| ‎chosen, |0934| a royal |2406| priesthood, ‎‎|1484| a nation |0040| holy, |2992| a people ‎‎|1519| for |4047| possession, |5620| so as ‎‎|3588| the |0703| virtues |1804| you may tell ‎‎|1537| out |3588| of the |1537| {One} from ‎‎|4655| darkness |5209| you |2564| having ‎called |1519| into |3588| the |2298| ‎wonderful |0846| of Him |5457| light. ‎‎(Literal English Translation Bible by Morris ‎with Strong’s numbers)‎

Or, as the Catholic New Jerusalem Bible puts it:‎

‎But you are a chosen race, a kingdom of ‎priests, a holy nation, a people to be a ‎personal possession to sing the praises of ‎God who called you out of the darkness ‎into his wonderful light. ‎

Here, Hakham Tsefet (Peter) wants us to recognise ‎that even today the calling is as fresh, as powerful, ‎as penetrating, as invigorating, and as awe ‎inspiring today as when it was given at Har ‎‎(Mount) Sinai, three thousand three hundred and ‎something years ago! And it is this context that the ‎Kings of Israel and the Messiah being the ‎embodiments of the calling and aspirations of the ‎noble nation of Israel are called by the title “Ben ‎Elohim” (son of G-d) – see Psalms 2:7. But the ‎Psalmist goes even further and extends this title to ‎all Jewish judges (cf. Psalms 82:1) and renews this ‎calling to all B’ne Yisrael (Psalms 82:6). This again ‎is echoed in the Qabalistic treatise of Hakham ‎Yochanan in Yochanan (John) 10:31-38, ‎particularly in vv.34-36, which again is an echo of ‎Sh’mot/Exodus 21:6. Hakham Yochanan extends ‎this invitation once again in his first epistle ‎Chapter 3 and v. 1 (1 John 3:1) where we read:‎

‎|1492| See |4217| what type |0026| of love ‎‎|1325| has given |2254| us |3588| the |3962| ‎Father, |2443| that |5043| children |2316| of ‎God |2563| we may be called [to be]. |1223| ‎Therefore |5124| - |3588| the |2889| world ‎‎|3656| not |1097| knows |2248| us, |3754| ‎because |3756| not |1097| it knew |0846| ‎Him.

If we read the above verse in the context of what ‎we have explained to mean the term or title “Ben ‎Elohim” we will start to taste some of the depth of ‎this holy calling (vocation) from a Qabalistic ‎perspective/level. This whole line of reasoning, as ‎we have abundantly demonstrated so far, ‎completely demolishes the Christian interpretation ‎‎(or sacred cow) that the title “Ben Elohim” = Son ‎of G-d = the third person of a 3nity or the second ‎person of a binity. In fact such a teaching would ‎be utterly repugnant to the teaching of Torah both ‎Written and Oral.    ‎

So, let us join all our discoveries so far and see ‎that we should read Mordechai 1:1 as: The chief part of the Masorah (Tradition/Oral Law) is Yeshuah ‎the Messiah, the Son of God (i.e. Ben Elohim = the King/Judge).  This Masorah, as we have found is both a fence against the transgression or abuses of the Written Torah.

II. MORDECHAI 1:2‎

v. 2 - as it is written in the prophets, “Behold, I send My messenger before your face, which will ‎prepare your way (Hebrew: Derekh/Halakha) before you” (Exodus 23:30; & Malachi 3:1).

As, any Jewish reader of Rabbinic literature can ‎observe, the phrase “as it is written” is a frequent ‎used Rabbinic phrase. And here Hakham Tsefet ‎‎(Peter) by the hand of his scribe Mordechai wants to ‎offer justification and clarification for the ‎statement made in the previous verse. That is, in ‎answer to the question, what was the need for the ‎coming Mashiach ben Yosef? The following quote ‎from Malachi 3:1 conflated with Sh’mot (Exodus) ‎‎23:20 is offered as a simple yet rich answer.    ‎

Now, we may well ask, is this conflation ‎warranted? And did Hakaham Tsefet in his ‎Mishnaic treatise have any precedent for this in the ‎deep well of the Oral Torah?‎

a)     Arguing From the Triennial Lectionary:‎

We note that Hakham Jacob Mann^[145]‎ lists as ‎Seder 61a (16a) of the Triennial Palestinian ‎Cycle of Torah readings a Torah Seder starting ‎at Sh’mot (Exodus) 23:20ff with a ‎corresponding Aslamatah (Prophetic reading) ‎from Malachi 3:1ff. Further, the Ashlamatah ‎for Shabbat HaGadol is none other than ‎Malachi 3:4-24. And since, the Torah Seder of ‎Gen. 1:1 – 2:3 is read on Shabbat HaGadol, it ‎is not then surprising to observe the genesis of ‎this conflation and how it came into being, ‎something which antedated Messiah and was ‎well established during that time. Please note, ‎that at that time, there were no Chapter ‎numbers nor verse numbers in the Bible (a ‎latter Christian invention), which meant that ‎everyone would cite the first verse of a given ‎Torah Seder (section of the Torah) and linked ‎to its corresponding Ashlamatah (reading from ‎the Prophets) via verbal tally, and as a way of ‎organising the Bible and quoting from it. ‎

Thus, we can now understand that (1) the ‎verbal tally of “Resheet” in Mark 1:1 with ‎‎“B’Resheet” in Gen. 1:1 places Mark 1:1-2 as ‎a commentary to our first Torah Seder; (2) the ‎connection with Malachi in Mark 1:2 comes ‎due to this Torah Seder being read in ‎connection with the semi/Festival Ashlamatah ‎for Shabbat HaGadol; and the conflation of ‎Mal. 3:1 with Sh’mot 23:20, comes to be as a ‎consequence of reading on the ordinary ‎Sabbaths in the Septennial cycle the Torah ‎Seder of Sh’mot 23:20 ff. and as its ordinary ‎Ashlamatah the text Mal. 3:1ff via verbal tally ‎of ‎הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ מַלְאָךְ, לְפָנֶיךָ‎ (Ex. 23:20) with ‎הִנְנִי שֹׁלֵחַ מַלְאָכִי, וּפִנָּה-דֶרֶךְ לְפָנָי‎ (Mal. 3:1). Thus ‎our Septennial Torah reading cycle explains ‎how the M’Sorah of Mordechai (Gospel of Mark) came to be ‎constructed and organized. ‎

b)     Arguing from the Oral Torah:‎

From Midrash Rabba^[146]:‎

‎BEHOLD, I SEND AN ANGEL. The ‎Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: ‎‎‘He who guarded the patriarchs will also ‎guard the children’; for so you find in the ‎case of Abraham that when he blessed his ‎son Isaac, he said: The LORD, the God of ‎heaven ... He will send His angel before ‎you (Gen. xxiv, 7). And what did Jacob ‎say to his children? ‘The angel who has ‎redeemed me from all evil, etc. (ibid. xlviii, ‎‎16). He has redeemed me from the hand of ‎Esau, from Laban, and he it was who fed ‎and sustained me during the years of ‎famine’ (referring all this to an angel – one ‎sent by God for that particular purpose). ‎God said to Moses: ‘Now also, He who ‎guarded the fathers will protect the ‎children,’ as it says, BEHOLD, I SEND ‎AN ANGEL. Wherever the angel ‎appeared, the Shechinah appeared, as it ‎says, And the angel of the LORD ‎appeared unto him in aflame of fire. (Ex. ‎iii, 2), and immediately after, it says, God ‎called unto him (ibid., 4). Moreover, ‎salvation comes to Israel wherever they cry ‎unto Him (whenever Israel cries unto God ‎and the angel appears, he is a herald of ‎salvation); at the thorn-bush – Behold, the ‎cry of the children of Israel is come unto ‎Me (ibid. V. 9); in the case of Gideon – ‎And the angel of the LORD came ... and ‎the angel of the LORD appeared …  and ‎the LORD … said: Go in this your might, ‎and save Israel (Judg. vi, 11-14). In the ‎millennium, likewise, when he (the angel; ‎he will be the herald announcing the ‎coming of the LORD and of true ‎salvation) will reveal himself, salvation will ‎come to Israel, as it says, Behold, I send ‎My messenger, and he will clear the way ‎before Me (Mal. iii, i).

But note, that the same Midrash^[147] ‎states:‎

‎The Holy One, blessed be He, told Israel: ‎‎'Take heed of the messenger, for he cannot ‎retract aught of My mission; BE NOT ‎REBELLIOUS AGAINST HIM (ibid.), ‎for he represents strict justice (the ‎messenger, unlike the sender, cannot make ‎allowances, but must faithfully fulfil his ‎errand, therefore if he is sent to punish he ‎cannot forgive). Heretofore one could say, ‎You have been rebellious against the ‎LORD (Deut. ix, 24), yet I could accept ‎‎[penitence] from you, but now BE NOT ‎REBELLIOUS AGAINST HIM, FOR ‎HE WILL NOT PARDON YOUR ‎TRANSGRESSION.' Another ‎interpretation of BE NOT REBELLIOUS ‎‎(TAMMER) AGAINST HIM. Do not ‎exchange (temirani) Me for him, nor treat ‎Me as his substitute (by ranking him as His ‎substitute). Do not say: 'Since he is our ‎guardian angel, we will worship him and ‎he will forgive our sins,' FOR HE WILL ‎NOT PARDON YOUR ‎TRANSGRESSIONS. He is not like Me, ‎of whom it is written, That pardons the ‎iniquity/lawlessness, and passes by the ‎transgression, etc. (Micah vii, 18), FOR HE ‎WILL NOT PARDON YOUR ‎TRANSGRESSIONS. Moreover, you will ‎be the cause of My Name being removed ‎from within him, for it says, FOR MY ‎NAME IS IN HIM (xxiii, 2I) [for his ‎greatness and glory lie in the fact that he is ‎My Messenger, but if you worship him, ‎you desecrate My Name and thereby ‎deprive him of his true glory]. Another ‎interpretation of FOR MY NAME IS IN ‎HIM. The angels are sustained only by the ‎splendour of the Shechinah (that is, their ‎only source of existence), as it says, And ‎You preserve them all, and the host of ‎heaven worshipped You (Neh. ix, 6). Why ‎is this expression used? Because, said R. ‎Haggai, 'You are their means of ‎sustenance.' Moreover, he will ever be held ‎guilty on their account (for not only is the ‎worshipper punished, but even the thing ‎worshipped is held guilty – Sanh. 93a). ‎BUT IF YOU WILL INDEED ‎HEARKEN UNTO HIS VOICE, AND ‎DO ALL THAT I SPEAK (xxiii, 22). It ‎does not say 'that he speaks', but THAT I ‎SPEAK, implying that if you receive his ‎words it will be like listening to Me. If you ‎will do this, THEN I WILL BE AN ‎ENEMY UNTO YOUR ENEMIES ‎‎(ibid.). Hence, BEHOLD, I SEND AN ‎ANGEL.

And from Midrash Tanchuma^[148] ‎we have:‎

‎The Holy One said: In this world I sent an ‎angel before them, and he destroyed the ‎peoples of the world; but in the world to ‎come, I am sending you Elijah, may his ‎memory be blessed. It is so stated (in Mal. ‎‎3:34 [4:5]): LO, I AM SENDING YOU ‎THE PROPHET ELIJAH BEFORE THE ‎COMING OF THE GREAT AND ‎AWESOME DAY OF HA-SHEM.

So, then, having shown that the conflation of ‎Sh’mot 23:20 with Mal’akhi 3:1, was well ‎established from antiquity amongst our people, it ‎only remains to ask, what is the meaning of this ‎verse, and what is the role of this angel, which ‎this document attributes to Mashiach?‎

In Mal’akhi 3:1 we read that this angel ‎‎(messenger) of G-d is to: “Upinah-Derekh ‎L’Panai” – “and he (the angel) will clear the way ‎before Me (G-d),” and in Sh’mot 23:20 we ‎likewise read: “LiSh’mar’kha BaDarekh ‎V’Lahaviakha El-Ha-Maqom Asher Havinoti” - “ ‎to guard you in the way, and to bring you to the ‎place which I have prepared.” In this regard, the ‎Ramban^[149] ‎comments:‎

‎BEHOLD, I SEND AN ANGEL ‎BEFORE YOU.” Here they were informed ‎that they would sin [by worshipping the ‎golden calf] and that the Divine Glory ‎would be saying to them, For I will not go ‎up in the midst of you (cf. 33:3). FOR MY ‎NAME IS IN HIM. This is connected with ‎the beginning of this verse: Take heed of ‎him, for My Name is associated with him. ‎Our Rabbis explained (Sanhedrin 38b) that ‎the angel referred to is Metatron [This is the ‎great angel whose meaning of the word ‎being “the guide of the way.” Thus the ‎Rabbis have said in Sifre (Ha’azinu, 338): ‎‎“The Holy One, blessed be He, was the ‎metatron (guide) for Moses, and He ‎showed him the entire land of Israel.”] ‎whose name in numerical value is equal to ‎that of his Master, for the sum of the letter-‎numbers of the name Metatron is equal to ‎that of Sha-dai (Almighty) – the number of ‎each being 314. All this is the language of ‎Rashi. In Eileh Shemoth Rabbah (32:7) I ‎have likewise seen that one of the Sages ‎interprets the verse in this way, referring to ‎the worshipping of the calf.‎

But one must ask that [we find that] this ‎decree of “I send an angel before you” did ‎not actually take place, for the Holy One, ‎blessed be He, had said to Moses, And I ‎will send an angel before you ... for I will ‎not go up in the midst of you, (33:2-3) but ‎Moses pleaded for mercy on this and said, ‎If Your presence go not, carry us not up ‎hence. For wherein now will it be known ‎that I have found grace in Your sight, I and ‎Your people? Is it not in that You go with ‎us?  And the Holy One, blessed be He, ‎consented to him and told him, I will do ‎also this thing that you have spoken. Thus ‎also did the Rabbis interpret it (Sanhedrin ‎‎38b): “Even as a guide we refused to ‎accept him, as it is written, If Your presence ‎go not, carry us not up hence."‎

The answer according to this opinion of the ‎Rabbis is that this decree was not fulfilled ‎in the days of Moses, and it is with ‎reference to this that Moses said, So that we ‎are distinguished, I and Your people, and ‎G-d answered him, For you have found ‎grace in My sight, and I know you by name, ‎and He further said, And all the people ‎among which you are will see the work of ‎the Eternal [that I am about to do] ‎however, after the death of Moses our ‎Teacher He did send with them the angel. ‎It is with reference to this that Scripture ‎states: And it came to pass, when Joshua ‎was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes ‎and looked, and, behold, there stood a man ‎over against him with his sword drawn in ‎his hand, and Joshua went unto him, and ‎said unto him: Are you for us, or for our ‎adversaries? 'And he said: 'Nay, but I am ‎captain of the host of the Eternal; l am now ‎come (Joshua 5:13-14). And there you will ‎see that Joshua asked him, What says my ‎lord unto his servant? Now the angel did ‎not command Joshua anything in ‎connection with his appearance to him, but ‎merely told him, Put off your shoe from off ‎your foot (5:15), nor did he explain why he ‎came. But the vision was for the purpose of ‎informing Joshua that from now on there ‎would be an angel sent before them to go ‎out in the host in battle. It is with reference ‎to this that he said, I am now come. And so ‎did the Sages say in the Tanchuma ‎‎(Mishpatim, 18): "The angel said to Joshua: ‎‎'I am he who came in the days of Moses ‎your master, and he pushed me away and ‎did not want me to go with him.' " The ‎Rabbis have also said expressly (Shemoth ‎Rabba 32:4): "The promise that Israel ‎would not be turned over to 'a captain' all ‎the days of Moses now became void; thus ‎as soon as Moses died 'the captain' returned ‎to his position, for Joshua saw him, as it is ‎said, And it came to pass, when Joshua was ‎by Jericho ... And he said, 'Nay, but I am ‎captain of the host of the Eternal; I am now ‎come.'  This is why it is said, Behold, I send ‎an angel before you."‎

By way of the Truth, [the mystic teachings ‎of the Cabala], this angel they were ‎promised here is the redeeming angel in ‎whom is the Great Name, for in Y-a-h the ‎Eternal is an everlasting Rock (Isaiah 26:4). ‎This is [what He meant when] He said, I ‎am the G-d of Beth-el (Genesis 31:13), for it ‎is the custom of the King to dwell in His ‎Palace. He is called mal'ach (angel) because ‎the whole conduct of this world is by that ‎attribute. And our Rabbis have said that ‎this is Metatron, a name which signifies ‎‎"the guide of the road/way" – I have ‎already explained this in Seder Bo  - and ‎this is the sense of the phrase here, [Behold, ‎I send an angel before you,] to keep you in ‎the way. - And to bring you into the place ‎which I have prepared, referring to the ‎Sanctuary, as it is written, the Sanctuary, O ‎Eternal, which Your hands have established ‎‎(15:17). The meaning of the expression: ‎which I have prepared, is "for Myself, to be ‎My holy and beautiful house" (Isaiah ‎‎64:10), for there the Throne is perfect. I ‎will yet mention the Rabbis' meaning in ‎saying that Metatron's name [in the sum of ‎letter-numbers] is even as the Name of his ‎Master. His voice is thus the voice of the ‎living G-d, and it is mandatory upon us to ‎hearken to His voice by the mouth of the ‎prophets. Or the meaning may be that “they ‎should not mutilate the shoots” of faith ‎‎(seeking to undermine the principle of the ‎Unity) and thus come to abandon the Oral ‎Torah, just as the Rabbis have interpreted ‎‎(P’sichta Eichah Rabbati, 2): "And they ‎have spurned the word of the Holy One of ‎Israel (Isaiah 5:24) - this refers to the Oral ‎Torah." Thus the explanation of the ‎expression, and hearken unto his voice, ‎‎(v.21) is "to My words." Similarly He said, ‎But if you will indeed hearken unto his ‎voice, and do all that I speak (v.22). ‎Onkelos hinted at this, for he translated ['ki ‎sh'mi b'kirbo' - for My Name is in him]: "for ‎in My Name is his word," as he speaks with ‎it. He said, Then I will be an enemy unto ‎your enemies (v.22), for even with the ‎attribute of mercy I will be an enemy to ‎them; and an adversary unto your ‎adversaries - through him, [the angel], ‎through the attribute of justice. Hence He ‎explained, For Mine angel will go before ‎you, and bring you in unto the Amorite etc. ‎and the Canaanite etc. and I will cut him ‎off, when he will bring you to them, that we ‎may know that it is He [through the ‎attribute of justice] that will cut them off. ‎He mentioned them in the singular ["and I ‎will cut him off], for He will cut them all ‎off as if they were one man. Now when ‎this angel dwelled in the midst of Israel, ‎the Holy One, blessed be He, would not ‎have said, For I will not go up in the midst ‎of you - [for He said] for My Name is in ‎him, so He was in the midst of Israel! But ‎when they sinned by worshipping the ‎golden calf He wanted to remove His ‎Divine Glory from their midst, and that one ‎of His angels should go before them as His ‎messenger, and Moses pleaded for mercy, ‎and He again caused His Divine Glory to ‎dwell amongst them as before. There I will ‎explain the verses, with the help of G-d.‎

The Rabbis have also hinted to this in ‎Midrash Rabbah (Shemoth Rabbah 32:8) in ‎that section. Thus they said: "Behold, I send ‎an angel The Holy One, blessed be He, said ‎to Moses: 'The one who guarded the fathers ‎will guard the children.' And thus you find ‎with Abraham, that when he blessed Isaac ‎he said, He will send His angel before you ‎‎(Genesis 24:7). In the case of Jacob we ‎find [that he blessed Joseph's sons by ‎saying], The angel who has redeemed me ‎etc (Genesis 48:16. He said to them: 'He ‎redeemed me from the hand of Esau; He ‎redeemed me from the hand of Laban; He ‎fed me and sustained me in the years of ‎famine.' Said the Holy One, blessed be He, ‎to Moses: 'Now too, the one who guarded ‎the fathers will guard the children,' as it is ‎said, Behold, I send an angel before you. ‎Again the Rabbis have said there clearly ‎‎(Shemoth Rabba 32:4): "The Holy One, ‎blessed be He, said to Israel: 'Be heedful of ‎the messenger, for he does not go back on ‎his mission; he is the attribute of justice, be ‎not rebellious against him, etc.”‎

In any case, according to all authorities the ‎Midrash I have mentioned is true, that as ‎long as Moses lived the angel who was ‎captain of the host did not go with them, ‎for Moses filled his place, similarly to that ‎which is said, And it came to pass, when ‎Moses held up his hand, that Israel ‎prevailed. And in the days of Joshua it was ‎necessary that the angel captain of the host ‎of the Eternal come to him to fight their ‎battles, this being Gabriel who fights for ‎them, and this was why Joshua saw him ‎with his sword drawn in his hand (Joshua ‎‎5:13), because he came to execute ‎vengeance upon the nations, and ‎chastisements upon the peoples (Psalms ‎‎149:7). ‎

For he will not pardon your transgression; ‎for My Name is in him. He is saying: "Be ‎not rebellious against him, for he will not ‎pardon your transgression if you rebel ‎against his word, for he who rebels against ‎him, rebels against the Great Name which is ‎in him, and he deserves to be cut off by the ‎attribute of justice." It is possible that the ‎expression My Name is in Him, is ‎connected to the above verses: hearken to ‎his voice, for My Name is in him, and his ‎voice is the voice of the Supreme One.” ‎

Interestingly, before being murdered by the then ‎corrupt priests in Yerushalayim (Jerusalem), Stephen states in ‎his last address (2 Luqas (Acts) 7:30-38)‎

‎30. And when forty years were expired, ‎there appeared to him in the wilderness of ‎mount Sinai an angel of the Lord in a ‎flame of fire in a bush.‎

‎31. When Moses saw it, he wondered at ‎the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, ‎the voice of the Lord came unto him,‎

‎32. Saying, I am the God of your fathers, ‎the God of Abraham, and the God of ‎Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses ‎trembled, and durst not behold.‎

‎33. Then said the Lord to him, Put off ‎your shoes from your feet: for the place ‎where you stand is holy ground.‎

‎34. I have seen the affliction of My people ‎which is in Egypt, and I have heard their ‎groaning, and am come down to deliver ‎them. And now come, I will send you into ‎Egypt.‎

‎35. This Moses whom they refused, ‎saying, Who made you a ruler and a judge? ‎the same did God send to be a ruler and a ‎deliverer by the hand of the angel which ‎appeared to him in the bush.‎

‎36. He brought them out, after that he had ‎showed wonders and signs in the land of ‎Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the ‎wilderness forty years.‎

‎37. This is that Moses, which said unto ‎the children of Israel, A prophet will the ‎Lord your God raise up unto you of your ‎brethren, like unto me; him will you hear.‎

‎38. This is he, that was in the congregation ‎in the wilderness with the angel which ‎spoke to him in the mount Sinai, and with ‎our fathers: who received the lively oracles ‎to give unto us:” (Authorised Version)‎

This angel (Metatron) – the Chief of the Host of ‎the Eternal is no other than the Adam Kadmon ‎‎(Prototype Man), the very Mashiach himself who ‎has no authority of himself to forgive sins, and ‎whose role it is to: (1) “LiSh’mar’kha BaDarekh” – ‎‎“to guard (keep) you in the way,” and (2) ‎‎“V’Lahaviakha El-Ha-Maqom Asher Havinoti” - ‎‎“and to bring you to the place which I have ‎prepared.” [For a Nazarean perspective on this ‎identification, see Messiah’s discourse on the signs ‎of the end (Mordechai 13:26-27); his statement to ‎Hakham Tsefet in Matityahu 26:53; and ‎Revelation 19:1-16, particularly v.14.] ‎

No matter how much we Jews complain, and how ‎many crimes have been perpetrated against us by ‎the hands of the Goyim, which G-d, most blessed ‎be He, one day will punish most severely, still this ‎Metatron in whom G-d’s Name is on him, the ‎guardian of Yisrael, through many chastisements ‎and sufferings (since he cannot forgive but only ‎meets tempered justice) has surely kept us (the ‎noble people of Yisrael) “BaDarekh Ha-Shem” [in ‎the way (Halakha) of Ha-Shem] faithful to the ‎Written and Oral Torah.  Thus, we can say, that ‎the bitter and painful sufferings of the past ‎inflicted upon our people by the Gentiles, shows ‎us that the Shekhinah has always remained ‎amongst the noble people of Yisrael and with no ‎one else! Thus the crimes committed against ‎Yisrael and the Jewish people are in reality crimes ‎against Ha-Shem’s Shekhinah (Divine Presence) ‎for which there is no forgiveness (the ‎unpardonable sin mentioned by Mashiach – ‎Matityahu 12:30-32) and no apologies are ‎accepted.‎

Another interpretation on “to prepare the way ‎before you” (Malachi 3:1) is that offered by the ‎Rambam (Rabbi Mosheh Maimonides) in his ‎‎“Mishneh Torah: Hilchot Melachim ‎U’Milchamoteihem”‎ ‎ (The Laws of Kings and ‎Their Wars)^[150] where he states:‎

‎Can there be a greater stumbling block ‎than [Christianity]? All the prophets spoke ‎of the Messiah as the redeemer of Israel ‎and its savior, who would gather their ‎dispersed and strengthen their [observance ‎of] the Mitzvoth. [By contrast, Christianity] ‎caused the Jews to be slain by the sword, ‎their remnants to be scattered and ‎humbled, the Torah to be altered, and the ‎majority of the world to err and serve a god ‎other than the L-rd.‎

Nevertheless, the intent of the Creator of the ‎world is not within the power of man to ‎comprehend, for His ways are not our ‎ways, nor are His thoughts, our thoughts. ‎‎[Ultimately,] all the deeds of Jesus of ‎Nazareth and that Ishmaelite who arose ‎after him will only serve to prepare the way ‎for the Messiah's coming and the ‎improvement of the entire world, ‎‎[motivating the nations] to serve G-d ‎together, as [Zephaniah 3:9] states: “I will ‎make the peoples pure of speech that they ‎will all call upon the Name of G-d and ‎serve Him with one purpose.”‎

In other words, despite his justified rhetoric (Maimonides is writing this in the midst of a horrendous Catholic persecution against the Jews in Spain) the ‎Rambam is saying that His Majesty King Yeshuah, ‎even when the Gentiles have twisted his words, ‎yet he has been, despite the evil of man towards ‎man, “preparing the way [Halakha] before you” ‎‎(Malachi 3:1), that is, preparing the Gentiles for ‎the receiving of the truth of the Torah (Written ‎and Oral), and preparing the Halakha for our final ‎redemption. Nevertheless, a question may be ‎asked as to how does this apply to us who confess ‎without shame to be disciples of the Jewish ‎Mashiach?‎

This text of Mal’akhi, in fact, outlines and ‎delineates clearly our mission: ‎

a)      “LiSh’mar’kha BaDarekh” – “to guard (keep) ‎you (Yisrael) in the way [Halakha],” – that is, ‎it behoves every Nazarean Jew to make sure to ‎render all possible assistance so that our ‎Nazarean communities and all Yisrael remains ‎BaDerekh Ha-Shem (within the lawful ‎constraints of the Written and Oral Torah).‎

b)     ‎“LiSh’mar’kha BaDarekh” – “to guard (keep) ‎you (Yisrael) in the way [Halakha],” – that is ‎by bringing “the many” (ie. the ‎Goyim/Gentiles) “near to the Torah” we hasten ‎the coming of the Mashiach, as it is said in ‎Pirqe Abot 1:12 – “Hillel and Shammai ‎received the tradition (Oral Torah) from them. ‎Hillel says: Be of the disciples of Aharon, ‎loving peace and pursuing peace, loving your ‎fellow creatures and bringing them nearer ‎to the Torah.”‎

c)      ‎“V’Lahaviakha El-Ha-Maqom Asher ‎Havinoti” - “and to bring you (Yisrael) to the ‎place which I have prepared.” This is none ‎other than the heavenly Bet HaMiqdash, ‎which one day will descend upon ‎Yerushalayim after the 2nd coming of ‎Mashiach. This point is critical, since we are ‎not looking forward to the rebuilding of any ‎Temple by human hands, but our goal is to ‎bring every man be he Jew or Gentile (each in ‎their own covenant relationship) to this Holy ‎Place which will descend down from the ‎heavens as our Sages teach. This heavenly ‎Temple is the proto-type or model of which ‎Mosheh Rabbenu was shown, and from which ‎he produced a copy here on earth. And of this ‎Temple, the prophet says: “Khi Veiti (for My ‎house) Bet-Tefilah (a house of prayer) Yiqare ‎‎(will be called) LiKhol HaAmim (for all ‎peoples)” – Yeshayahu 56:7!  ‎

III. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MORDECHAI ‎‎1:1 AND MORDECHAI 1:2‎

Apart from providing reinforcement and ‎delineating the task of Messiah as presented in ‎Mordechai 1:1 and as indicated at the beginning of ‎v.2 – “as it is written”, that is, ‎offering support and/or structure for the claims ‎made in the previous statement of Mordechai 1:1, we ‎can still find further evidence for this intimate ‎nexus of these two p’sukim (verses).‎

If we compare the mission of the angel captain of ‎the host, that would lead Israel into the land: ‎‎“LiSh’mar’kha BaDarekh” – “to guard (keep) you ‎‎(Yisrael) in the way [Halakha],” with the role of ‎the M’SORAH – being identified in Pirqe Abot ‎‎3:17 as a “S’YAG” (fence) to protect the Written ‎Torah from being desecrated and misused, as well ‎as protecting Yisrael [that is, “to guard (keep) you ‎‎(Yisrael) in the way [Halakha]”], we find indeed a ‎complete harmonious overlap of roles.‎

This overlap is only possible if as Hakham ‎Yochanan (John) teaches, that this Mashiach is ‎none other than the Torah (Written and Oral) ‎made flesh (tabernacling in the flesh) – cf. ‎Yochanan 1:14. And it is this theme of the ‎M’SORAH being identified with the Mashiach ‎that is the parting point of the Mishnaic treatise of ‎Mordechai as elucidated in the first two introductory ‎verses. Further, then v.2 is stating that just as the ‎angel’s mission is “to guard (keep) you (Yisrael) in ‎the way [Halakha],” so too is the role of the ‎M’SORAH! Equally as well, the role of the angel ‎is said to be that of “and to bring you (Yisrael) to ‎the place which I have prepared,” and the same ‎could be said of the role of the M’SORAH.‎

Behold, then with what reverence does the author ‎of this Mishnaic treatise holds the Oral Torah of ‎the Jewish people which it equates with Mashiach ‎himself, and with the angel captain of the host of ‎Heaven, and further intimating quite clearly that ‎this Oral Torah in Israel’s possession will “guard ‎‎(keep) you (Yisrael) in the way [Halakha]” and ‎will ultimately bring its adherents, students and ‎practitioners to  “the place which I (G-d) have ‎prepared” (compare with Yochanan 14:2-4)! It is, ‎therefore with a great sense of disgust and shame ‎that we see false teachers instructing and ‎demanding that Mashiach’s true disciples throw ‎off the Heavenly yoke of the Oral Torah, or ‎replace it with some other foreign (aka pagan) Oral ‎Torah that our people never received by the ‎disposition of G-d’s angels.‎

On this wise, His Eminence Hakham Ya’aqov Culi ‎‎(Turkey 1689-1732) of blessed memory, in the ‎MeAm Lo’ez (Pueblo Ladinador) Sephardi ‎Commentary on the Tanakh^[151], on Sh’mot (Exodus) ‎‎23:2-22 writes:‎

Sh’mot 23:20‎

‎

"Behold, I will send a Messenger before ‎you, to safeguard you on the way, and to ‎bring you to the place that I have ‎prepared.”‎

G-d now told the Israelites that He would ‎send an angel before them. This angel ‎would watch them as they traveled, and ‎bring them to the place that He prepared. ‎G-d is referring to a definite place, where ‎the Holy Temple (Beth HaMikdash) would ‎be built. The place is prepared by G-d, ‎since the lower Temple is directly opposite ‎the Temple on high (cf. Rashi, Tanchuma).‎

Sh’mot 23:21‎

‎

Be careful before him and listen to his ‎voice. Do not rebel against him, for he will ‎not pardon your disobedience; My Name is ‎in him.”‎

The angel that G-d would send before the ‎Israelites would be the angel Metatron. The ‎name Metatron has [a numerical value of ‎‎314, which is the same as] the numerical ‎value of G-d's Name, Shaddai.‎

Since this angel is merely a messenger, he ‎does not have the authority to forgive any ‎sin. He cannot change in any way what he ‎has been appointed to do (cf. Rashi, ‎Tanchuma). Anyone who speaks against ‎him is counted as if he spoke against G-d. ‎Anything that the angel says, he says in G-‎d's Name, for G-d's Name is in him. The ‎Hebrew word for angel is malakh, which ‎literally means an agent or messenger. This ‎is because an angel is nothing more than a ‎messenger of G-d.‎