Money is art, and it tells stories. We put people's faces on it, and little phrases that say big things. Israeli money is no different, especially the new "holy half-shekel" coins! Let's look at Israeli money together! This is a takeaway from my newest Mishnah Snapshots study. We also talked about whether Purim was celebrated in the time of Jesus, why the "two-drachma tax" story is my personal favourite, the historical context of "sounding the trumpet" when giving to the poor, the Hebrew expression 'to have the upper hand', a fight between the sages about Hebrew and Greek letters, the principle of satisfying God and people, fifteen jobs people held in the Temple and their Hebrew names, and Hebraisms like "mammon" in the Greek New Testament. Watch the full lesson and check out this ongoing series by clicking through this episode or by going to holylanguage.com > learn > mishnah snapshots.

In our previous discussion, I explained how Sacred Name teachings drastically misinterpret Scripture. In this talk you're going to see how these teachings are also based on a misunderstanding of language and how it works. We're going to get a little analytical here for a minute, so hang on to your hat. The first thing Sacred Name teachings don't understand is that language is a representative system of communication. In other words, a word represents a thing. The word isn't the thing itself, the word just represents the thing. Another way of saying this is that words are not reality. At their best, words are just vague reflections of reality. This is true of names also. Your name isn't you. It just represents you. Similarly, the name of God isn't God. It just represents him. Of course that doesn't mean we treat the Sacred Name in an irreverent way, but it's important to understand that God's name isn't God himself...To watch this whole series, go holylanguage.com > resources > translation reviews.

Did you know there's Hebrew wordplay in the book of Matthew? Not surprising, considering the early church fathers said it was originally written in Hebrew. There's a beautiful instance of this in Yeshua's words about the end of the age, hearkening back to the Song of Songs and the bridegroom's famous words "winter has past, so come away with me". This is a takeaway from my newest Hebrew Verses study reading through Genesis 50. We also talked about Hebrew insights into funerals, elegies, comfort, and mourning, the difference between healthy boundaries and a grudge, the fact that the book of Hebrews quotes the Greek Septuagint, and we finished with a MAZAL TOV on finishing the book of Genesis! Watch the full lesson and check out this ongoing series by clicking through this episode or by going to holylanguage.com > learn > hebrew verses.

This is going to be our shortest discussion in this series, but it's very serious. We already talked about how Sacred Name teachings say that if you don't try to pronounce God's name you're sinning. Let's talk about that a little more. Because it's actually an accusation, and a very serious one at that. Have the Jewish people been breaking the Torah for the last couple thousand years by saying "Adonai" instead of saying God's name? Are hundreds of millions of sincere Christians offending God daily by calling him "Lord"? You know the Jehovah's Witnesses would say the answer to these questions is "yes". Are they right?...To watch this whole series, go holylanguage.com > resources > translation reviews.

We all know Yeshua's teaching about giving charity in secret. But did you know there was a room in the Temple especially dedicated to giving in secret? This is a takeaway from my newest Mishnah Snapshots study. We also talked about how the Jerusalem Temple and Messianic Community both had seven "deacons", the account of a Priest who found the Ark and died before he could tell anyone, an example of how the "takanot and ma'asim of the Rabbis" aren't evil, and about holiness and how it's all about accomplishing your mission in concrete ways. Watch the full lesson and check out this ongoing series by clicking through this episode or by going to holylanguage.com > learn > mishnah snapshots.

Sacred Name teachings always cause trouble. The same goes for when you have somebody in a congregation who starts using a Sacred Name Bible. I've seen this happen many times on both a local fellowship level, and on a movement level. In fact, if I could pick one phrase to sum up the fruit of Sacred Name teachings, I'd say "fights about words". What's crazy about this is that Messiah explicitly commanded us through his apostle not to fight about words! Remind everyone about these things, and command them in God's presence to stop fighting over words. Such arguments are useless, and they can ruin those who hear them." (2 Timothy 2:14)...To watch this whole series, go holylanguage.com > resources > translation reviews.

God is more fiercely devoted to you than anyone else could ever be. His commitment is so strong it could never be broken. And it's because of this intense loyalty that he feels towards you, that he shows you grace and kindness. Join me in this meditation on Messiah's devotion to God, and God's to us. This is a takeaway from my newest Hebrew Verses study. We also talked about why "Ben Adam" was Yeshua's favourite title for himself, the surprisingly prophetic meaning behind the name Jacob, how storytellers define culture and why I'm so passionate about Yeshua Groups, how bitterness and rebellion are the same Hebrew word and we've all been there, how innocence is one of the most powerful forces in the universe, the question of whether the Law was given for one reason or many, and how 'eternal life' is way too cliched and that's why you should learn Hebrew. Watch the full lesson and check out this ongoing series by clicking through this episode or by going to holylanguage.com > learn > hebrew verses.

Thank you for joining me for this discussion. It's definitely the one that's closest to my heart. I know it's very close to the heart of Yeshua also, because it's about his relationship with his flesh and blood family, the Jewish people. Scripture explicitly says that the Gospel is first for the Jew. That mean when it comes to our mission to tell the story of Yeshua and represent him to the world, the Jewish people should always be our first priority. Not that the rest of humanity doesn't matter, but God has a strategic order, and this is what it is: "I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." (Romans 1:16)...To watch this whole series, go holylanguage.com > resources > translation reviews.

Jewish history tells us that in 30 A.D. the Sanhedrin was forced out of the Hall of Hewn Stones and stopped judging capital cases. What happened to caused this?? And did you know the Sanhedrin is back in Israel today? This is a takeaway from my newest Mishnah Snapshots study. We also talked about why Jews call God Hashem and the age of that tradition, the question of whether non-Jewish believers are Gentiles or if that's a dirty word, how the "takanot" of the Rabbis were "tikkun olam" and not evil, what to do when you hit rock bottom, and what they kept bringing to Jerusalem even after the Temple was destroyed. Watch the full lesson and check out this ongoing series by clicking through this episode or by going to holylanguage.com > learn > mishnah snapshots.

In our last discussion, I explained how Sacred Name teachings will wreck your testimony to the Jewish community, probably without you even realizing it. This talk with be something of a continuation of that theme, about a pernicious mindset that has infected certain sectors of the church, and is now taking a new form in the Sacred Name and Hebrew Roots movements...To watch this whole series, go holylanguage.com > resources > translation reviews.