The Real Yeshua

In the past few blogs we have learned what the words that have been translated jot , tittle and verily meant to Yeshua. Go back and read those blogs if you haven’t do so yet. In the last blog, we also learned how to recognize the three-fold teaching pattern Yeshua used to make his points. We are examining Matthew 5:17-18. 1. Significant statement -- Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets ; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them . 2. Amen! 3. Added statement strengthening the Amen -- I tell you till heaven and earth pass, not one yod or one qotz shall pass from the Law till all be fulfilled . Now let’s discover what “ the Law or the Prophets ” meant to Yeshua. The transliterations of the Hebrew words he used were – TORAH or NEVI’IM . Today, the TORAH (Law) and NEVI’IM (Prophets) are two sections of the Tanakh ,   the Jewish Bible . It also has a third section called KETUVIM (Writings). Click here to view a Tanakh on...

We have unlocked the original meanings of two of Yeshua’s words in the verse below. We used them to replace “jot” and “tittle” in the following translation: For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one yod (the smallest Hebrew letter) or one qotz (the smallest part of the smallest letter) shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. (Matthew 5:18) Now let’s turn our attention to the word “ verily .” If we look it up in a dictionary we find the following definitions: i n truth; really; indeed . Did Yeshua mean: ● “For in truth I say unto you . . .” ● “For really I say unto you . . .” ● “For indeed I say unto you . . .” As pointed out before, Yeshua didn’t teach in English, so our first step to discovering what he did say is to examine the Greek word that is translated “verily” – amhn . Before we find out what it means, let’s review the options that translators have when they are working with ancient Greek and Hebrew manuscripts. Tr...

For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one yod or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. (Matthew 5:18) In the last blog we learned that a “jot” was really “ yod ,” the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet. So, now let’s turn our attention to “ tittle ” and see what it means. It is another one of those words you never hear or use in everyday conversations. First, let’s see look up tittle in an English dictionary and see if we can find a definition. There is a definition and it is: “a dot or other small mark in writing or printing, used as a diacritic, punctuation, etc.” However, when we look at a yod we do not find any dots or small marks.  Follow the arrow and look at the very upper left tip of the  yod . ↓  י   Do you see the small  point? When we turn to the Jewish culture of Yeshua we find that the scribes had a name for it --  קוץ  ( QOTz ). The translation of the word ...

For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. (Matthew 5:18) Have you ever been reading the Bible and noticed the word “ jot ” before? What is a “ jot ”? When was one of the last times you used “ jot ” in everyday conversation with a friend or heard anyone else use it? I would guess that a whole lot of the people who see the word “ jot ” in their Bibles do not know what it means.   There is an English word “ jot ” that is used this way – Take time to jot it down . But Yeshua wasn’t speaking English, so I don’t think that is what he meant in the verse above. There is also an app you can get for smartphones and iPads called “ Jot ,” but I am very sure that wasn’t what Yeshua meant. Discovering the meaning of “ jot ” reveals much more than just helping us understand what Yeshua said – it also reveals what language he taught in and the language of those hearing him . In order...

All of the Gospel provide multiple references to Yeshua going to the Temple, on many of those trips he also taught there daily too -- Matthew 26:55; Mark 14:49; Luke 19:47, 22:53; and John 7:28. If you haven’t read our earlier blog – Experiencing the Temple that Yeshua Knew – and watch the videos at end, it will make this study much more meaningful if you take time to do it now. Go to -- http://therealyesua.blogspot.com/2013/08/experiencing-temple-that-yeshua-knew.html Ritual impurity was a subject that Yeshua would have been much aware of, as were his fellow Jews. Ritual impurity has nothing to do with being physically clean. It is impurities defined by the Torah, the Laws of Moses. During Second Temple Judaism (c. 300 BCE to 70 CE), Jews were very concerned with obeying the developing requirements of ritual purity. . . “The Temple Mount played as important a role in Jesus’ life in Jerusalem as it played in Jewish life altogether.” It is certain that almost all the puri...

Twenty-five days after Yeshua was circumcised and named in Nazareth, we find him at the Temple in Jerusalem. If you haven’t read our earlier blog – Experiencing the Temple Yeshua That Knew – go back and read it & watch the video so you will be able to picture what happened in the verses below: When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses,   Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. As it is written in the Law of the Lord, “ Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord ,”   and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord; “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.” (Luke 2:22-24) Luke refers to two laws from “the Law of Lord” – the purification of the mother & the redemption of the first born son. The laws concerning the purification of the mother are found in Luke is Leviticus 12: Then the woman must wait thirty-three days to be purified from her bleeding. She must n...

The Gospel of Luke provides us with an important clue that reveals what took place on the eighth day of Yeshua’s life. And when eight days had been fulfilled for circumcising, his name was called Yeshua. (Luke 2:21a) Yeshua’s Jewish culture provides more clues that will help us understand what happened and what those acts meant. Circumcision is a religious rite performed on male children of Jews on the eighth day after birth; also on their slaves, whether born in the house or not. It was enjoined upon Abraham and his descendants as "a token of the covenant" concluded with him by God for all generations, the penalty of non-observance being "karet," excision from the people. [i] This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep. Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. For the generations to come every male among you who...

In the second month of the second year (535 BCE), amid great public excitement and rejoicing, the foundations of the Second Temple were laid.   After several delays, the Second Temple was ready for consecration in the spring of 516 BCE. It would stand as the center of worship for the Jewish people for the next 586 years -- until it was destroyed by the Roman armies in 70 CE. [i] Judaism has now existed 1,943 years without a Temple. During the 586 years it existed, the Second Temple was the center of Jewish life and the focus of many of the thoughts of the Jewish people. Whenever Jews prayed, they faced the Temple in Jerusalem, no matter where they were in the world. They built their synagogues facing the Temple whenever possible. Jews from around the world sent their offerings (money & gifts) to the Temple. In addition to the religious functions of the Temple, it was also the seat of government, heart of the justice system and the financial center of the nation. To t...