Calendar: Just 1-1/2-weeks out from Rosh haShanah presuming the barley is Aviv and the renewed moon is sighted over the land of Israel concurrently. Rosh haShanah is the Torah Observant Believer in Yeshua Messiah’s New Year Day! and signals the start of the Spring Feasts of Yahuah.

Barna Study Finds U.S. Pastors are Lacking in Credibility

Barna interviewed some 900-U.S. senior pastors via telephone and online between April and December of 2015 and some 1025-U.S. adults (over the age of 18) via web-based surveys, also between the same months in 2015.

The results of Barna’s survey is as follows:

• 24% of respondents had a very favorable opinion of their community’s pastors
• 28% of respondents had a negative opinion of their community’s pastors
• 23% of respondents held little regard for their pastors in their cities and neighborhoods, while
• 19% of respondents felt that their pastors were very influential in their cities and neighborhoods

The report was accompanied by a couple of short videos: one that summarized these findings through graphs and various other animated depictions while the other video was of three-pastors being interviewed about their thoughts on the results of this study.

Rebekah Layton—Pastor of Newsong Los Angeles Covenant Church—believes that pastors must:

• Not just talk but demonstrate the kingdom of God to their communities, citing that Jesus Christ was credible and thus pastors must also be credible.

Adam Edgerly—Pastor of Cherry Hills Community Church—believes that pastors must:

• Be out there in their communities which may include participating in protests and being the voice of the communities in which they serve; confronting injustices and taking businesses to tasks and holding politicians accountable.
• Show up and welcome businesses and community leaders.
• Renovate builders to meet community needs.

Mark Deymaz—Pastor of Mosaic Church—believes pastors must:

• Understand that credibility is what they say; what they think; and their theology.
• Recognize the lesson of Matthew 5:16 such that their respective communities sees their good works.
• Save their communities.
• Realize that they “Limit the gospel to soul salvation versus community transformation.”
• Ask: where’s the justice in their communities.
• Create jobs; commit to social justice, economic empowerment and development; work to reduce crime and the things that speak to their respective cultures; and repurpose buildings in their communities.

Not one of the three interviewees seemed at all concerned that they held any viable credibility with Yahuah. Their overriding concern as it related to credibility was the credibility they held with their respective communities and the world at large. Not one of them expressed any concern that they were operating within the will of Abba Father.

Is there no wonder why their is this so-called pastoral credibility crisis in the U.S.?

If pastors were to realize what their true calling was: to do the will of the Father; disciple and equip those in whom Master has entrusted them, then such foolishness as credibility would not be an issue. In the end, credibility with man is irrelevant and without merit.

Is a so-called pastor’s true calling and purpose to please and establish credibility in their respective communities? No. Here’s what Master and the Apostle Paul had to say about what it is they’re supposed to do:

“1aGo therefore and bmake disciples of call the nations, dbaptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, (Mat 28:19 NAU)

You therefore, my 1ason, bbe strong in the grace that is in cChrist Jesus.

2 And the things awhich you have heard from me in the presence of bmany witnesses, these centrust to dfaithful men, who will be eable to teach others also.

3aSuffer hardship with me, as a good bsoldier of cChrist Jesus.

4 No soldier in active service aentangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. (2Ti 2:1-4 NAS)

For you yourselves know, brethren, that our 1acoming to you bwas not in vain,

2 but after we had already suffered and been amistreated in bPhilippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God cto speak to you the dgospel of God amid much 1eopposition.

3 For our aexhortation does not come from berror or cimpurity or 1by way of ddeceit;

4abut just as we have been approved by God to be bentrusted with the gospel, so we speak, cnot as pleasing men but God, who 1dexamines our hearts.

5 For we never came 1with flattering speech, as you know, nor with aa pretext for greed– bGod is witness–

6 nor did we aseek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as bapostles of Christ we might have 1asserted our authority.

(1Th 2:1-6 NAS)

For am I now aseeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bbond-servant of Christ. (Gal 1:10 NAU)

5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on athe things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, bthe things of the Spirit.

6aFor the mind set on the flesh is bdeath, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,

7 because the mind set on the flesh is ahostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so;

8 and those who are ain the flesh cannot please God. (Rom 8:5-8 NAS)

I can find nothing in the Holy Writ that even remotely suggests that Abba’s appointed servants and those in whom He has entrusted His truths and message, should be out there attempting to transform their respective communities.

Any concern one has in terms of establishing credibility must always be that of establishing and maintaining credibility with our Creator.

Cooking on Sabbath–Does Torah Prohibit it?

This past week, Hilary and I began to discuss Exodus 35:3 and if you’re not familiar with the verse, allow me to read it for you.

And Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said unto them, These are the words which the LORD hath commanded, that ye should do them.

2 Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death.1

3 Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day. (Exo 35:1-3 KJV)

• The Hebrew term for “kindle” is “ba’ar (pronounced baw-ar), which means to burn; to consume; to kindle.
• The Hebrew term for “fire” is “esh” (pronounced aysh), which means fire.

In terms of our modern English language, the term “kindle” refers to the act of igniting or inflaming, which implies setting something on fire. Thus, to kindle is to cause something to gradually begin burning. The term also has figurative applications.

The Point of Contention

This verse has often been used to support the contention that Torah-keepers cannot cook nor prepare a meal anytime during the Sabbath simply because the Creator said we are not to kindle or spark or create a fire. Although the passage says nothing about cooking, many Torah-keepers read into the passage and apply reasoning to create laws within The Law–popularly referred to today in Hebrew Roots circles as takanot. But does this passage actually support this contention?

Sabbath–A Complete Day of Rest–What Does that Look Like? What Does that Mean?

My understanding of the Sabbath is that it is a day that Abba sanctified and blessed—the only day of the week to even be given a name—such that all servile work—labor–is to be discontinued on that day or rather, not performed on that day.

The Sabbath is of course of the foundations of our Faith and one of the identifying marks and practices of the true Israelite.

2 And by athe seventh day God completed His work which He had done; and bHe rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.

3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created 1and made. (Gen 2:2-3 NAS)

8 “Remember athe sabbath day, to keep it holy.

9a”Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it ayou shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who 1stays with you.

11a”For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. (Exo 20:8-11 NAS)

8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. (Exo 20:8-11 KJV)

We were instructed not to perform any physical labor on that day as illustrated in this passage of Jeremiah:

21 ‘Thus says the LORD, a”Take heed for yourselves, and bdo not carry any load on the sabbath day or bring anything in through the gates of Jerusalem.

22 “And you shall not bring a load out of your houses on the sabbath day anor do any work, but keep the sabbath day holy, as I bcommanded your 1forefathers. (Jer 17:21-22 NAS)

When we returned to the land after enduring 70-years exile in Babylon, we had to learn all over again the significance of abstaining from work on the Sabbath as exemplified in Nehemiah:

15 In those days I saw in Judah some who were treading wine presses aon the sabbath, and bringing in sacks of grain and loading them on donkeys, as well as wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, band they brought them into Jerusalem on the sabbath day. So cI admonished them on the day they sold food.

16 Also men of Tyre were living 1there who imported fish and all kinds of merchandise, and sold them to the sons of Judah on the sabbath, even in Jerusalem.

17 Then aI 1reprimanded the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing you are doing, 2by profaning the sabbath day?

18a”Did not your fathers do the same so that our God brought on us, and on this city, all this trouble? Yet you are adding to the wrath on Israel by profaning the sabbath.”

19aAnd it came about that just as it grew dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut 1and that they should not open them until after the sabbath. Then I stationed some of my servants at the gates that no load should enter on the sabbath day.

20 Once or twice the traders and merchants of every kind of merchandise spent the night outside Jerusalem.

21 Then aI 1warned them and said to them, “Why do you spend the night in front of the wall? If you do so again, I will 2use force against you.” From that time on they did not come on the sabbath.

22 And I commanded the Levites that athey should purify themselves and come as gatekeepers to sanctify the sabbath day. For this also bremember me, O my God, and have compassion on me according to the greatness of Thy lovingkindness. (Neh 13:15-22 NAS)

What is Work and Kindling a Fire as Defined by Torah and Exodus 35:3?

Who defines what constitutes work? Who defines what it means to “kindle a fire on the Sabbath?” The Rabbis? Our leaders in Hebrew Roots? The Pope? Bishops, pastors, ministers or teachers? Scholars?

Yahuah our Elohim defines what work is.

Work is defined as that which is considered labor—that which is occupational in nature.

When Abba Father concluded his creative work at the end of the 6th-day, Scripture tells us that He rested from his labors. Those labors—that work—is defined in terms of His creative efforts as described in the first chapter of Genesis.

The Scriptures, even the Torah, was written at a time and place that is completely foreign to those of our own. Yet many of us in 21st-century western society ignorantly read through the Holy Writ (generally rendered in Elizabethan English) and blindly adhere to and obey what is literally written on the pages of our Bibles without weighing the facts of the passages in question.

We must always ask:

• What was going on in and around the writer at the time the writer penned this passage? What was the culture like at the time the commandments and the stories were given?

• Do the words used to describe the various commandments and laws translate over to our 21st century language enough that we can gain a true understanding of what the Father was trying to get across to the people in question and to us today?

• Do we obey the specific commandment or instruction without question or further inquiry or do we attempt to gain an understanding of the intent and purpose behind the instruction?

• Do we rely upon our community’s teachers and preachers and leaders to interpret what the Scriptures are actually saying?

Friends, I will submit further that being a Spirit-filled Torah Observant Believer in Yeshua Messiah is NOT easy. At time, it is down-right impossible.

If we are going to please Yahuah our Elohim, we must devote ourselves to doing whatever it takes to find out and learn what it is He wants us to know and do and not rely upon others to figure all this out for us.

The rabbis would have us believe that work is anything that requires effort or that produces something. Work according to the Rabbis extends beyond one’s day-to-day job/occupation/chores.

Scripture tells us that Abba rested from his work on the 7th-day. That work was comprised of creating the heavens and the earth and all that are therein.

If we look to Abba to define what work is, then there is no mystery as to what constitutes work. In various other passages of Scripture, the term work is given a descriptor—servile—Hebrew: abowdah—which means labor or service.

Master told the woman at Jacob’s well that the true worshipers will be those who’d worship Yahuah in Spirit and in truth. No more would we simply follow-rote commandments as interpreted by man and simply because we’re too lazy to examine what the bigger, spiritual picture is.

I’m in no way advocating that we be disobey or drag our feet in obedience to Torah. I’m talking about keeping Torah as Abba intended us to keep it, not as man intends us to keep it.

As it relates to this passage and the issue of kindling a fire on the Sabbath, the ESV Study Bible opined that the kindling of fire was considered work. The writers linked the story of the man gathering wood on the Sabbath who ended up being executed by stoning as support for the contention that kindling a fire on the Sabbath was prohibited:

32 Now while the sons of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man agathering wood on the sabbath day.

33 And those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to all the congregation;

34 and they put him in 1custody abecause it had not been 2declared what should be done to him.

35 Then the LORD said to Moses, “The man shall surely be put to death; aall the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.”

36 So all the congregation brought him outside the camp, and stoned him 1to death with stones, just as the LORD had commanded Moses. (Num 15:32-36 NAS)

My question is: was it the prospect or assumption that the man’s gathering of wood would lead to him kindling a fire on the Sabbath? Or was there something more at play here? I would say there is more to this story that is not necessarily or clearly apparent in the verbiage. Was the issue:

• Carrying a load or burden?
• Gathering wood on the Sabbath to perform some type of work such as blacksmithing or some other vocation that required that wood be gathered to produce a fire?
• As one scholar postulated: could it have been known throughout the camp that such a practice as was seen being performed by this man was indicative of one about to light a fire in worship to a pagan god?

The kindlilng of a fire was of such importance to the people that Abba actually called it out as a prohibition.

Roland DeVaux in his work entitled, “Ancient Israel: it’s Life and Instructions,” in addressing the Numbers 15:32-36 passage, it is conceivable that this gentleman may have been a blacksmith working in the camp who, of course, required fire to conduct his work.

DeVaux further elucidates that the kindling of fire as noted in Exodus 35:3, could be referring to pagan fire-offerings and he refers us to Jeremiah as a possible support story for his contention:

18 “The 1children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they apour out libations to other gods in order to bspite Me.

19a”Do they spite Me?” declares the LORD. “Is it not themselves they spite, to 1their own bshame?” (Jer 7:18-19 NAS)

Numbers 16 hints at Korah and his band of wayward followers possibly dabbling in worshiping gods via the use of strange fire.

This goes back to an earlier point: when we examine such passages of Torah and the Holy Writ as a whole, we must be careful to consider contextual criticism in our studies. The Numbers 15 and Exodus 35 passages do not provide enough information to make a clear determination as to what the issue truly was. Was it cooking? Carrying a load? Pagan worship via the burning of sacrifices? Or were we simply to shut up and do what we’ve been told which can have extreme ramifications if we blindly follow our ignorance.

We have to start asking questions and not simply kowtow to the various interpretations and imaginations of man. I remember in times past that this passage of Exodus was being used to establish a prohibition against cooking on the Sabbath when it is clearly apparent that nowhere in this mitzvah is cooking or preparing meals on the Sabbath even mentioned. Nor is there any mitzvah to my knowledge in Torah prohibiting cooking or preparing meals on the Sabbath.

According to www.teshuvaministries.net, kindling a fire is “T’va’aru, the root of which is ba’ar, which is to kindle, burn (cf. Numbers 11:1; Judges 15:14; Esther 1:12; Psalm 2:12; Proverbs 6:21). As it relates to fire, in Hebrew the terms is “esh,” which can have literal as well as figurative applications—such as Father’s having a burning anger whenever we disobeyed Him. In terms of when it says in “all your dwellings,” the Hebrew term is “Moshab,” the root of which is “yashab,” which means to sit down as on a seat or in an assembly.

Would “kindling a fire” in a figurative sense, suggest that we are not to kindle the fires of anger, strife, or contention in our assemblies o gatherings?”

How Do People Interpret this Passage?

The most ultra-conservatives of our lot interpret this verse literally to mean that we are not to kindle or start or burn a fire on the Sabbath.

Ultra-orthodox—rabbinic Judaism and certain messianic Jewish sects of Hebrew Roots interpret this verse beyond the literal and apply Talmudic principles to it. This is where takanot comes into play. Takanot are rules, laws and practices that extend Torah beyond the that which is written by the writers of the Scriptures and the Word of Yahuah. This practice of creating another set of rules that would be used to augment and in many cases, supersede that which is written in the Bible, was created for purposes of erecting a fence around Torah.

Along the lines of ultra-orthodoxy, the rabbis have attributed the kindling of fire to the act of creating or building, which they contend is prohibited on the Shabbat. In other words, to spark or kindle a flame is to create fire, which is a form of work. God rested from His creative work on the Sabbath and passed on the work of creation and building as prohibited activity on the Sabbath. This understanding naturally spreads over to the switching on of light switches; the starting of car-engines; the use of an elevator; starting a computer; and the turning on of a gas stove. The striking of a match produces extreme heat (i.e., esh) which leads to the start of fire. Thus the mitzvah must be viewed from that of it being a “goal-oriented task” which means that one specific action would lead to various outcomes such as cooking. Yet, the rabbis have made provision to preserve the sanctity of life in their ruling that certain Torah Laws can be set aside for those general and specific purposes, e.g., turning on the furnance when it’s cold outside. Yoma 85a-b denotes those situations where Sabbath prohibitions can be suspended to preserve life.

The Mishnah thoroughly addresses the issue of the Sabbath and delineates a multitude of prohibitions, as found in Shabbat 7:2. Herein is found 39-prohibited acts of work which includes the kindling and extinguishing of fire.

Www.hebroots.org, Rabbi Modecai opines that there is to be no food prepared on the Shabbat involving fire whatsoever. Thus, Mordecai sees cooking as work.

In my preferred listing of translations (BibleWorks—the by hands down the best Bible Software product on the market) which includes the YLT AND LXX, the kindle is replaced by the terms “burn,” which translates into the Greek as “ka-u-sete,” the root seeming to be “kauo” which translates into the English as “burn.” The Friberg Lexicon translates translates it into the action verb “to light or ignite something.” The Friberg Lexicon continues: (2) passive be lit, burn (JN 15.6); figuratively, of fervent emotion burn, have strong feelings (LU 24.32); (3) of consuming by fire burn (up); passive be burned; καυθήσομαι in 1C 13.3 is understood as either martyrdom or voluntary burning of oneself .”

Whereas the Louw-Nida consider the term to mean to the process of burning – ‘to burn, burning, to be on fire.’ The Thayer Greek Lexicon sees the term as: 1. to set fire to, light: or 2. to burn, consume with fire: passive, John 15:6; 1 Cor. 13:3. The question that must be asked is: is the prohibition to “kindle a fire on the Sabbath” a prohibition on the act of sparking a flame which creates or leads to a fire; or is the prohibition on the end product which is to simply burn a flame. And if it is the end product, what then is the Father’s reason for doing putting forth such a Mitzvah. I contend that we should not shy away from questioning such things. (What’s the worse thing that could happen in questioning why Abba requires us to do a certain thing versus prohibits us from doing a certain thing? The worse thing could simply be that Father says in response: Because I said so. And that’s Abba’s purview to say so.

I found this interesting piece in Pseudo-Clementine Literature that addressed Jewish customs and was entitled: “The Recognition of Clement.” According to the piece, “…and that on every 7th-day they all rest (speaking of the Jews) wherever they may be, and do not go upon a journey, and do not use fire?” (Pulled from Schaff, Early Church Fathers) This was addressing the question of what the Jews customarily did during the Sabbath.

Commentators on the Book of Jubilees, 2:29, cited a tie in with Exodus 35:3.

So relevant was the subject of the Sabbath that the Cepher of Jubilees devoted almost an entire chapter on it.

Fundamental and charismatic Christians pay no attention to this passage apart from building upon their doctrine and belief that the Law was done away with by the death of Jesus Christ and that such mitzvah’s as the prohibition against kindling a fire on the Sabbath is yet another example of the unreasonableness and irrelevancy of Torah to the would-be Christian.

Many moderate sects of Hebrew Roots do not attribute such a prohibition on the Sabbath. In fact, cooking is big part of the Sabbath observance and celebration such that a great amount of attention is paid to preparing meals for fellowship purposes. Some sects will even go out to restaurants as a group to enjoy each other’s fellowship over a meal where no one in the congregation is burdened with having to prepare meals.

Does Torah Prohibit Cooking on the Sabbath? Is Cooking Considered Work According to Torah?

I would say “yes” and “no.”

‘aOn the first day you shall have a holy assembly, and another holy assembly on the seventh day; no work at all shall be done on them, except what must be eaten 1by every person, that alone may be 2prepared by you. (Exo 12:16 NAU)

This passage is addressing Passover and Unleavened Bread. Nevertheless, this verse serves as a comparison to the Exodus 35:3 whereby in this passage, Abba declares that food can be prepared on both side of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and those to ends of that week-long observance are deemed holy convocational days.

We know that the priests worked on the Sabbath as evident in this passage of I Chronicles:

31 And Mattithiah, one of the Levites, who was the first-born of Shallum the Korahite, had athe 1responsibility over the things which were baked in pans.

32 And some of their relatives of the sons of the Kohathites awere over the showbread to prepare it every sabbath.

(1Ch 9:31-32 NAS)

I propose four potential understandings to emerge from Exodus 35:3:

• No cooking is to be done during the Sabbath as would be the natural fallout from not burning a fire. This presumes a literal understanding and read of the passage and a cause and effect rationale.
• No fomenting of strife or contention during the Sabbath which presumes a figurative understanding and read of the passage.
• No burning of fire and offerings to pagan gods, again, as would be the natural fallout from not burning a fire. This would presume a literal understanding and read of the passage and a cause and effect rationale.
• No work is to be performed such that would be conducted through the use of fire.

Cooking can be considered work if one is employed as a cook and who engages in cooking as part of their job on the Sabbath. However, I would find it difficult to say anyone who chooses to prepare themselves or the members of their family and even members of their fellowship a meal is work. The Bible never classified cooking as work. It was the rabbis who did that.

Where Do I Fall-out on this Topic?

If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: (Isa 58:13 KJV) Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. (Isa 58:14 KJV)

I am cognizant to realize that we must be ever so careful not to use the excuse that certain things such as prohibiting cooking, taking a walk, entertaining, or whatever, robs us of the joy to be had on the Shabbat. Although the Shabbat was made for man and in its observance we find peace, joy, love, instruction, edification, respite, and all the rest, at the end of the day, we must bear in mind that it’s all about him and it’s not about us:

13 “If because of the sabbath, you aturn your foot From doing your own pleasure on My holy day, And call the sabbath a bdelight, the holy day of the LORD honorable, And shall honor it, desisting from your cown ways, From seeking your own pleasure, And dspeaking your own word,

14 Then you will take adelight in the LORD, And I will make you ride bon the heights of the earth; And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, For the cmouth of the LORD has spoken.”

(Isa 58:13-14 NAS)

If a Torah Observant Believer in Yeshua Messiah is hungry and desires to eat something on the Sabbath and they seek to prepare themselves something to eat, I would say that nothing in Torah prevents such a thing.

It is the glory of God to aconceal a matter, But the glory of bkings is to search out a matter.

(Pro 25:2 NAU)

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who acomes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. (Heb 11:6 NAU)

23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (Joh 4:23-24 KJV)

It would be best, however, to prepare meals before the start of Sabbath. The intent is to focus all of our attention on the Creator and our families and fellowships on the Shabbat and not be distracted by unnecessary tasks such as cooking that could have otherwise been done before the start of Sabbath.

Closing Thoughts and Call to Action

Let us search out that which is revealed in the Scriptures and not be afraid to query, question, meditate, reflect and seek after true understanding through the leading and revelation of the Ruach Kodesh.

Let us avoid falling into the trap of simply accepting the man made traditions and teachings of men over the teachings and truths of Yahuah. When such things as prohibiting cooking on the Sabbath emerges from a simple passage such as Exodus 35:3, when there is no evidence that cooking was the reason or the actual instructions given to us by Abba, then our understanding of the sacred Word is laced and filled with leaven. And we all know what leaven does: 9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. (Gal 5:9 KJV)