In ancient Rome, before forensic medicine, when someone wanted to “take out” somebody, and I don’t mean go on a dinner date, they would poison them with a slow-acting poison, putting just a little at a time in their food, so that the person would think they were getting sick and eventually die, never knowing they were murdered.

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I am telling you this because what is worse than a physical poisoning is a spiritual one.

After all, this mortal existence is but a fleeting moment in time, whereas eternity goes on and on, forever, and that is the life we want to share in. Anyone who claims to worship God must be looking forward to eternity, not in the hot seat, but with God in Paradise. As such, what could be worse than to slowly, unknowingly, find yourself being spiritually poisoned, leading you not on the pathway to paradise, but the road to perdition?

And that is exactly what almost every religion is doing, especially the Christian ones.

There can be no denying that the only place in the entire Bible where God, himself, tells us how to worship him and how to treat each other is found in the first five books, called the Torah. Nowhere else, from Joshua through Revelation, does God, himself, say what to do with regards to worship.

He does talk to prophets, but that is only to tell them to get the people back on track with proper worship.

He did send Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah , but -again- that was to teach the deeper, spiritual meaning of what he has already told us to do, and (even more important than that) to provide a way for people to find forgiveness of sin, because God knew that soon enough the temple would be destroyed and, without the place where God put his name, no sin sacrifice would be acceptable, except the one that Yeshua made.

Christianity has taught, in so many different ways, that the instructions God gave to us so we could know righteousness from sinfulness are not relevant to Christians. As such, God-fearing Gentiles who are members of any one of the multitudes of Christian religions, are being led astray; they are slowly being poisoned- spiritually- by those who are teaching them how to reject God, all the while telling them this is good for their souls.

So, nu? What is someone to do if they don’t know they are being poisoned?

My answer is that they need to cook their own meals; what I mean by that is they need to read the Bible, forget what they have been told it means, ignore their religious training, and determine for themselves what God wants from them.

And I am not just talking about Christianity: in Judaism, we have also added many requirements, called Halacha, which are not God commanded but man-made doctrines that add to God’s commandments, which he specifically said we shouldn’t do (more than once).

Fortunately, God is able to heal any disease, and if you are concerned that you may be subject to spiritual poisoning (and if you aren’t concerned, I respectfully submit that you might already too sick to know) then start today to read your Bible, beginning at Genesis and going all the way through to Revelation. See, for yourself, how God describes himself, what he says we are to do, how he has treated people who worship him correctly and those who don’t.

Consider how he told Abraham the world would be blessed by his progeny, which led to the Messiah, and that God told Moses (Ex. 19:6) the Jews would be God’s kingdom of priests, then immediately after that gave us the Torah (Ex. 20), so that as priests for God, we could take God’s instructions for righteousness and bring it to the world.

Here is your first anti-poisoning treatment: the Torah is not just for Jews! It was given to the Jews to bring to everyone else.

Please consider continuing to treat yourself to more truth only from the Bible, and not by a man-made religion.

God has no religion, only his instructions for how to worship him
and how to treat each other.

Thank you for being here and please remember to share these messages with everyone you know, to help this ministry continue to grow.

That’s it for today, so l’hitraot and Baruch Ha Shem!

Being comfortable is not a bad thing. In fact, it is something that we all strive for in our life- we want to be comfortable in our homes, in our jobs, with our friends and family, and financially, as well.

But when you get so comfortable with life that you don’t feel a need to learn anything else, you’re in trouble.

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I know so many people who are totally fine with not knowing the Bible, or what Yeshua really taught, or why their religion is steering them down the road to perdition instead of putting them on the pathway to salvation. And when I try to explain it to them, I get the hand.

Sometimes it isn’t the whole hand, just a single finger.

That is what I call being in your comfort zone to the point where it isn’t really comfortable, it just feels that way; sadly, you won’t come to realize just how uncomfortable you really are until the time comes when it will be too late for you to do anything about it.

When I was working, the majority of my career was in a position of management, and when I heard someone tell me that “This is how we’ve always done it.”, I would reply that that alone is reason enough for me to revue it, and most likely, change the way we’re doing it.

Why would I do that? Because I know from experience that when something has been done for so long that the only reason people give for why they do it that way is because they’ve always done it that way. Well, that isn’t really a comfort zone, that is what we call stagnation.

So, you learned about the Bible in church, or synagogue, or maybe you went through Catholic school or attended Hebrew school (after public school), and now that you are an adult, you don’t need to do that anymore. You believe in God, you know (or don’t yet accept) that Yeshua (Jesus) is the Messiah God promised to send, and that is all you need.

Or maybe you are one of those Believers who buy into the lie that the Torah is only for Jews, and all you have to do is “believe in Jesus” (whatever the heck that is supposed to mean) and love people, and you’re golden.

Well, sorry to say, that is not going to get you where you think you are going to.

I am not going to try to convince anyone that your religion has misled you or that you need to convert or change your lifestyle, or anything else other than this: all I want to say today is PLEASE don’t trust what you think you know and keep learning. Read the Bible and don’t automatically accept anything you are told- not even by me- and check out everything you have ever been told about Yeshua, salvation, and God’s instructions in the Torah.

Your spiritual comfort zone is going to kill you, so never settle for comfortable when it comes to God. Always keep learning and being open to what others say, but- and this is VERY important- verify it all against what you read in the Bible, and I am not talking about letters written by men (although they have much wisdom and can be edifying), but instead verify what you hear against the commandments and instructions that come directly from God.

And the only place you will find those is in those first 5 books, called the Torah.

I completely believe that when you have to face God, I don’t think he will care one little bit about what someone told you because it is what HE says that counts.

Thank you for being here, and please remember to share these messages with your entire contact list. That’s it for today, so l’hitraot and Baruch Ha Shem!

In the Bible, we are told three very important things about our relationship with God: one is that we must not test the Lord, our God (Deuteronomy 6:16), we must trust the Lord, our God (Proverbs 3:5), and that we are to walk in faith, as Abraham did (2 Corinthians 5:7).

Yet, I believe there is a fine line between asking God for something and maintaining your faith whether or not you get it, or asking God for something and basing your faith on whether or not you get it.

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In the Gospels of Mark (11) and John (16) we are told that whatever we pray for in Yeshua’s name, we will receive. One significant difference is that in John, we are told that we will receive it from God, but in Mark we are told that if we trust we will receive it, and it will be ours.

They sound like the same thing, but they aren’t: John says what we ask for we will receive, but in Mark, there is the element of doubt that may prevent our receiving that thing we prayed for. Now, both of these statements are to have come directly from Yeshua, so why the difference? Well, the difference is because no two people can give the exact same witness unless they rehearse it.

The point I want to make is that when we pray for something, whether or not we receive it, our faith should be based on our choice to believe and not what happens after we pray. There is the not-so-obvious element in prayer that if our prayers are not for the right things, then God will not answer them, or his answer will be “No!”, whether we pray in Yeshua’s name or not. Our prayers have to be within God’s will, right?

At what point do our expectations for an answer change from trusting that God will do as we ask, or expecting God to do it, and if he doesn’t, allowing our faith to be weakened?

How many times have we known or heard of people who have lost faith because a loved one died, after praying that they survive? Or losing faith because what they asked for they haven’t received?

The truth is, as far as I see it, that they didn’t really trust in God, they were testing him!

They may have prayed for healing or for strength or maybe for protection, but in their heart, they were thinking, “I am supposed to trust in God, and I am asking in Yeshua’s name, so I should get this. If I don’t, then maybe God doesn’t really exist, or maybe Yeshua lied.”

We need to be faithful, and that means whether or not our prayers are answered as we want them to be answered. I believe God always hears our prayers, and he chooses when to answer them, and in which way, and his way is always the best way for us, whether or not we agree. He may say “Yes, here you are” or he may say “Yes, OK, but not just yet”, or “Yes, OK, but not it’s not going to be what you expected”, or he may just say “Nope- not gonna happen.”

Our trust in God should not be based on the belief that he will answer our prayers as we asked because we are weak and self-centered, and our prayers will reflect that more often than we care to admit. If our trust is based on receiving answers to prayers, we aren’t really trusting in God, we are testing him: I don’t think that will work out well.

Our trust in God should be that he knows best what is best for us, and when we pray, whether we receive the answer we asked for or not, we must continue to faithfully believe God knows what he is doing.

So, nu! Next time you pray, think about this: while your prayers are being heard, your heart is being evaluated to see if you are trustfully going to accept whatever answer God gives you, or you are basing your faith on whether or not he does as you asked.

Thank you for being here. Don’t forget to check out my newest book, “Not the Holy Bible: Learn the Bible Without Having to Read It” – you can get it through Amazon or use the link on my website.

That’s it for this week, so l’hitraot and let me wish you (an early) Shabbat Shalom!

We have been told, more than once, that God knows our heart; we are told that David was a man after God’s own heart, and we have been commanded to love the Lord, our God, with all our heart (Deuteronomy 6:5).

But is having a heart for God enough?

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I think most people who have been Believers for a while have heard that Abraham was saved by faith, but what they almost never hear is that later on, when God was confirming the promises he made to Abraham with Isaac, God added that not only did Abraham believe God, but that Abraham also did everything that God told him to do (Genesis 26:5).

In other words, faith is fine, and a heart for God is fine, but (as James said) without works- in other words, actions that demonstrate how we feel about God- faith means nothing.

That’s right! Even if you profess to love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and that you have a heart for God, and that you believe Yeshua (Jesus) is the Messiah, BUT you don’t change how you worship or live, then all that rhetoric is nothing more than a bunch of drek (Yiddish for garbage).

Too many Christians, across the many different Christian religions (all man-made) have been taught they can reject almost every commandment, law, regulation, and celebration God commanded us to obey and observe, all of which are found in the Torah.

That means this: when someone obeys a religion that rejects God’s Torah, they are following a religion that rejects God.

WHAT? You saying that because I am a good Catholic, or Protestant, or Methodist, or Episcopalian, or Baptist, or Mennonite, or Amish, or…well, you get the idea…that because I have been taught the Torah is just for Jews, I am doing all these masses, services, holidays, and ceremonies for nothing? All my attempts to be a good (fill-in-the-blank religion) are not pleasing to God, but (in fact) are displeasing to him?

I guess I should say here that I cannot, and will not, speak for God; I remember how God was so teed off with Job’s friends when they did that. So, instead let’s do this this: God gave Moses the Torah to teach to the Israelites, who God said would be his kingdom of priests (Ex. 19:6). Now, obviously, the job of a kingdom of priests is that they should take God’s Torah (meaning “teachings”) to the Goyim (Nations), in order to teach them how to live a righteous life (by obeying the Torah) so that they can be with God, eternally.

With me so far?

Okay, good – here is what I am asking you to consider: let’s say you’re God, and you give the Jews your Torah for them to learn and bring to everyone else so they, too, can be found righteous because, as you told Ezekiel (Ezekiel 18:23), you aren’t pleased with anyone’s death, and that you would rather they do t’shuvah and live. We don’t really get to see this teaching of the Torah to the Goyim until after Yeshua, but instead of following what you have said to do, instead, these Gentiles pretty much ignore everything in your Torah, creating their own Torah with their own man-made holidays, ceremonies, regulations, and laws.

So nu?… how would you feel about that?

I believe that even if you have a heart for God, that won’t mean much at Judgment Day (yes, even if you are a Believer!) if during your life you didn’t even try to be obedient to what God said to do, instead following the religions of men.

And, as I said, I won’t speak for God, but when someone goes before God and says, “I just did what they told me I should do.”, I think God may reply with something to the effect of…

“I understand that you did what they told you to do, but it’s what I say that counts.”

Thank you for being here; that’s it for today, so l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!

I know, I know- who can believe that being rebellious would be helpful when it comes to obedience to God?

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But I am not speaking about being rebellious to God; rather, I am thinking that the stubbornness and rebellious nature of my people (that is, the Jews) has helped us to overcome the constant harassment and persecution that we have suffered since the day Sarah kicked Hagar and Ishmael out of the camp.

We refused to allow the Hasmoneans to conquer our spirit, or the Assyrians to destroy our worship of God, even when we were disbursed throughout the Diaspora. The Babylonians destroyed our cities and our temple, the only place we could sacrifice to God, yet even in their pagan land, we maintained our worship and belief in God.

The Nazi’s came close to genocide of our people, but those in the camps maintained their faith, and stubbornly refused to be broken. Starved, sickly, and always just a step away from death, they survived, and when they were brought back into the Land, they flourished!

In order for these things to have happened, there must have been a pretty strong spine and will to overcome within those people, and that usually translates to being just a little rebellious. If not for that “Don’t tell me what to do!” attitude, we would have been assimilated into the other religions of the world. In fact, we see that did happen to the Samaritans, which is why they were looked down upon by the Judeans.

Now for the bad news: I believe this rebellious attitude is slowly disintegrating within Judaism.

I have seen some Conservative and Reform congregations not just accept homosexuality as normal within their congregations, but actually support it by allowing same-sex marriages in the synagogue!

There are more and more mixed religion marriages where the Jewish partner converts to the other religion, instead of insisting (as it used to be) that the Gentile convert to Judaism. I am also in a mixed religions marriage, which existed just before I accepted Yeshua as my Messiah, and even though Donna has not converted to Judaism, she is completely supportive of everything Jewish in our marriage. She bought the mezuzah for our doors, she makes a matzo Ball Soup just like Bubbe used to make, and she joins me in having a Passover seder every year. She also looks forward (as do I) to breaking fast after Yom Kippur.

I pray that this assimilation with the Gentile world is only a temporary situation, and that as we get closer to the Acharit haYamim (End Days) my people will not only reject the non-Torah teachings of the Gentile world, but accept Yeshua as their Messiah (which, for the record, I absolutely know he is) and there will be a resurgence of faith within Jews, everywhere.

In the meantime, we need to refocus our attention to obedience to God, through obedience to his instructions in the Torah, and not allow our rebellious nature to be subdued by the “easy” ways of worship and lifestyle that most non-Jewish religions teach (which is even found, to a degree, within some Jewish sects).

You know, just about everyone agrees that anything worth having is worth working for, yet when it comes to salvation, well… it seems to me that salvation isn’t worth it to most Christian religions because they prefer the easy way to God’s way.

Thank you for being here and supporting this ministry with your presence. You know I never ask for money, but if you buy my books, I certainly won’t complain about a few royalty checks.

That’s it for this week, so l’hitraot and (an early) Shabbat Shalom!