Holy Language Institute: Biblical Hebrew Messianic Jewish Studies

Every translation is an interpretation and Romans 10:4 is no exception. People read "Christ is the end of the Law" and assume Jesus did away with the Torah...except he said not to think that. So what gives? Let's look at how the Greek word for "end" is used elsewhere in the NT. Maybe we can find an interpretation that actually agrees with the rest of the Bible. This is a takeaway from my newest Hebrew Verses study. We also talked about the differences in meaning and pronunciation between "Yeshua" and "Yeshuah", how to turn your jealousy into a positive force, and how Paul totally quoted verses out of context and whether that was ok, and tips for doing your own in-depth studies. Watch the full lesson and check out this ongoing series by clicking through this episode or by going to holylanguage.com > learn > hebrew verses.

The Torah says Aviv in the springtime is the first month of the year, but the Jewish New Year is on Tishrei in the fall. The Torah also calls the first of Tishrei "Yom Teruah", but Jewish people today call it "Rosh Hashanah". What gives, is Judaism wrong? Let's look at all the verses, and you'll see that Rosh Hashanah is actually 100% Biblical. This is a takeaway from my newest Mishnah Snapshots study. We also talked about these questions: ~Upon which dates is it believed that God decides for food, water, and physical life? ~Women, gamblers, and traffickers couldn't testify, what did Yeshua think? ~Imagine carrying a staff to fight thugs en route to Jerusalem! ~How were the Lubavitch Rebbe's emissaries similar to Yeshua's apostles? Watch the full lesson and check out this ongoing series by clicking through this episode or by going to holylanguage.com > learn > mishnah snapshots.

If you like rants you'll enjoy me tearing apart the "say the sinner's prayer and you'll go to heaven" mentality as a false gospel. Because confessing Yeshua is the consuming pursuit of a lifetime, not a pat one-time formula. Along the way I also go on several 'rabbi trails' to explain why approaching the Scriptures as a story can save you from a faith crisis, how you can only think about one thing at a time, and how Evangelical complexes may be wrecking your relationship with the Jewish community unawares. This is a takeaway from my newest Hebrew Verses study. We also talked about these questions: ~What should a Jewish person do/not do to confess Yeshua? ~Why does the Hebrew word for thanks literally mean to throw stuff? ~How is Middle Eastern honour culture different than Western culture? ~The Gospel is a story and it's time to recover the art of storytelling. Watch the full lesson and check out this ongoing series by clicking through this episode or by going to holylanguage.com > Learn > Hebrew Verses.

Did you know the Hebrew words for rope and Christ come from the same verb? Are these concepts "tied" together on a deeper level or "knot"? Let's look at how tzitzit symbolize Messiah, the "thread" running from Genesis to Revelation. We'll also talk about why Jews believe in two Messiahs and imagine how the New Moon signal fires foretold the message spreading "from Jerusalem and Judea..." This is a takeaway from my newest Mishnah Snapshots study. We also talked about these questions: ~How did New Moon signal fires picture the early Yeshua movement? ~Did Jesus speak Hebrew or Aramaic or BOTH? ~Did you know "serpent" and "Messiah" have the same numerical value? ~These year-long performances will inspire you to view your life as art. ~Are relationships more bondage or freedom? Watch the full lesson and check out this ongoing series by clicking through this episode or by going to holylanguage.com > Learn > Mishnah Snapshots.

This is probably the closest I've come to crying on film. Yeshua and his Jewish people both experienced pain, rejection, and failure for the same reason - so the world could be reconciled, brought to life, and enriched. And that's not the end of the story for Israel either; the best is yet to be! All of this relates to a secret Jewish belief that the sufferings of the righteous atone for the wicked and that Isaiah 53 could indeed be about the Messiah. This is a takeaway from my newest Hebrew Verses study. We also talked about these questions: ~Will 'The Art of Biblical Cursing' be the next Christian best-seller? ~That shalomy feeling you get when you're finally debt-free ~How do you provoke the Jews without bugging them or being a jerk? ~Does Judaism acknowledge the possibility of vicarious atonement? YES. ~What's the Torah's special name for the Festival of Sukkot? Watch the full lesson and check out this ongoing series by clicking through this episode or by going to holylanguage.com > Learn > Hebrew verses.

In Yeshua's time the Mount of Olives had come to be called by another name which pointed to Messiah in startling ways. Was it any surprise he had so many special experiences there, including one which hasn't happened yet? This is a takeaway from my newest Mishnah Snapshots study. We also talked about these questions: ~Setting the NT in its Semitic context is hard work! Here's an example. ~Which directions can you go in the fifth dimension you can't in the four? ~Here's how the title "midwife" is one of Hebrew's highest compliments. ~John the Baptist's most cryptic statement was Hebrew wordplay, that's why. ~Why is Ramadan at a different time every year but Passover isn't? Watch the full lesson and check out this ongoing series by clicking through this episode or by going to holylanguage.com > Learn > Mishnah Snapshots.

Why do Jewish boys grow up with their dads telling them every weekend they hope they'll be more like Joseph's boys? And why did Paul use that phrase "the fullness of the nations" that Jacob used for Ephraim? And if the hardening was only partial and temporary, what did God's relationship with the Jewish community and their leaders look like? This is a takeaway from my newest Hebrew Verses study. We also talked about these questions: ~Did you know there were two 10% tithes and a 1% tithe? ~There are two words for grafting in and one also means to bless! ~Is it just Gentiles, or do Jews need to be grafted in too? ~Once again, Paul speaks with overwhelming hope for the future of Israel. ~How does it change things to know the hardening was partial and temporary? Watch the full lesson and check out this ongoing series by clicking through this episode or by going to holylanguage.com > Learn > Hebrew verses.

Why are the Hebrew words for "neck" and "commandment" related? Because just as the neck connects the body to the head, God's traditions are opportunities to connect with him. You might not be "Torah-observant", but how could you allow this principle to rekindle the love in your relationship with God? What if you just whispered "I love you" every time you…? This is a takeaway from my newest Mishnah Snapshots study. We also talked about these questions: ~Fights about the calendar are nothing new, so what did the sages do? ~A beautiful story about the relationship between rabbi and disciple ~Why does the Hebrew word for Torah-observance also means Exodus? ~"Our Father who art in Heaven", is that a Christian or a Jewish prayer? ~How much of the synagogue service is from Yeshua's time and WWJD? Watch the full lesson and check out this ongoing series by clicking through this episode or by going to holylanguage.com > Learn > Mishnah Snapshots.

If I walked up and said "I chose you!" what would you say? "Um, ok...what am I chosen for?" So what does that look like with God choosing Israel? And when Paul says they're enemies and loved, what does that mean now? This is a takeaway from my newest Hebrew Verses study. We also talked about these questions: ~What do you feel when you hear that "all Israel will be saved"? ~What's the concrete physical action behind forgiveness? ~Old covenants were made in blood and gore, and so was the new ~How did early Christian antisemitism become a thing? ~Do you really believe that everything is from God and is though and for him? Watch the full lesson and check out this ongoing series by clicking through this episode or by going to holylanguage.com > Learn > Hebrew verses.

Have you ever noticed what we do in the rain? Either we scrunch up and run for cover or we throw our hands in the air and start laughing and jumping around! Let's look at pictures of people in the rain, imagine what we'll be doing right after we get raised from the dead, and talk about why an ancient Jewish prayer smunches rainfall and the resurrection together. This is a takeaway from my newest Mishnah Snapshots study. We also talked about these questions: ~Did you know Israel gets about as much rain as Sudan? ~When are the "early and latter rains", anyway? ~How long did it take to hike from Babylon to Israel? ~Why did Yeshua say to anoint yourself when fasting? ~The bittersweet experience of walking the spiritual path. Watch the full lesson and check out this ongoing series by clicking through this episode or by going to holylanguage.com > Learn > Mishnah Snapshots.