UFOs, UAPs, and the Unseen Realm: A Messianic Response to a World Looking Up

by | Aug 12, 2026 | Podcasts

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

Shalom and greetings, beloved Saints of the Most High. In this installment of the Messianic Torah Observer, we stepped into a subject that many in our Faith community either avoid altogether, casually dismiss, or hand over to the secular world to define for us: UFOs, UAPs, and what Scripture reveals concerning the unseen realm.

This discussion was not entered into for sensational purposes, nor was it offered as entertainment. Rather, it was approached as a necessary biblical and Messianic response to a confused world that is increasingly looking up and asking questions that governments, secular scientists, journalists, and religious institutions are struggling to answer. And beloved, if Yah’s covenant people remain silent when the world is asking spiritual questions, then the Kingdom of Darkness will gladly fill that vacuum with deception, confusion, and counterfeit narratives.

The central burden of this teaching is simple: the modern UFO/UAP phenomenon must not be interpreted through a secular, science-fiction, or alien-visitation worldview. It must be interpreted through the grid of Scripture, Torah, the prophets, the writings, the apostolic record, and our Master Yeshua’s warnings concerning deception, signs, wonders, and the spiritual conflict that marks this present age.

Episode Theme

The heavens are not empty space. The heavens are Yah’s created realm, ordered under His authority, populated with spiritual beings, and presently involved in a conflict that spills over into the affairs of humanity. Therefore, when the world speaks of “non-human intelligence,” the people of Yah must bring to the table the biblical categories of malakim, watchers, sons of God, principalities, powers, cherubim, seraphim, and the adversary and his hosts.

Key Takeaways

  1. Silence is not always spiritual maturity. There are times when silence is wisdom, especially when folks only want to argue, speculate, or engage in idle talk. But when genuine questions arise and we have a biblical answer, we are called to be ready to give that answer with meekness and reverence.
  2. The world is asking spiritual questions with secular vocabulary. Governments and pilots may use the term “non-human intelligence,” but Scripture has already given us categories for non-human beings that are neither extraterrestrial nor imaginary. They are spiritual, interdimensional, and subject to Yehovah’s sovereign authority.
  3. The alien narrative replaces biblical cosmology. The modern world has largely rejected the unseen realm, and because it has no spiritual language for what it is encountering, it defaults to theories of extraterrestrial civilizations, ancient aliens, and interplanetary visitors. But the Holy Writ does not present such a worldview.
  4. Scripture reveals a populated and contested heavenly realm. From Job, Daniel, the Psalms, the prophets, the apostolic writings, and Revelation, we see that the heavens are ordered, inhabited, and involved in spiritual conflict. The unseen realm is not myth. It is part of Yah’s created order.
  5. Deception is a major end-time strategy. Yeshua warned that false messiahs and false prophets would produce great signs and wonders if possible to deceive even the elect. Paul likewise wrote of powerful signs and lying wonders, while John described global deception connected to supernatural manifestations.
  6. Torah, Messiah, and the Ruach anchor us. We are not left to chase disclosure narratives, government admissions, or secular speculation. Torah grounds us in Yah’s order. Messiah centers us in the Kingdom. And the Ruach HaKodesh equips us with discernment.

Scriptural and Cited References

Matthew 5:13–14 — Yah’s people are called by Master Yeshua to be salt and light in the world, which frames why believers cannot abandon difficult cultural and spiritual questions to secular interpreters.

Got Questions Ministries, Got Questions? Bible Questions Answered — Cited in connection with the call for believers to be peacemakers, offer compassionate ministry, manifest Yehovah’s love, and point the nations to Yehovah through Yeshua HaMashiyach.

1 Peter/Kefa 3:15 — The apostolic charge to sanctify the Lord God in our hearts and always be ready to give an answer for the hope within us, with meekness and fear.

Genesis 1 — Establishes the heavens as part of Yah’s created order, providing the foundational structure for biblical cosmology.

Dr. Michael Heiser, The Unseen Realm — Referenced for the biblical category of the “unseen realm” and the scriptural reality of non-human intelligences operating within Yah’s created order.

Job 38 — Yah’s questioning of Job reveals that the morning stars sang together and the sons of God shouted for joy at the laying of earth’s foundation.

Daniel 10:13–20 — Provides a glimpse into conflict in the unseen realm, where spiritual princes resist Yah’s messengers.

Revelation 12:7–9 — Describes war in heaven, the dragon and his angels, and their being cast down to the earth.

Ephesians 6:11–12 — Identifies the believer’s struggle as being against rulers, authorities, world rulers of darkness, and spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Psalm 82 — Presents Yehovah standing in the divine assembly and judging among the elohim, showing order and accountability in the unseen realm.

Job 1:6–12; 2:1–7 — Shows heavenly court proceedings and the adversary appearing among the sons of God.

1 Kings 22:19 — Micaiah’s vision of Yahweh seated on His throne with the host of heaven standing beside Him.

Books of Jubilees and 1 Enoch — Referenced regarding traditions about malakim/watchers who abandoned their appointed station and were associated with the Nephilim narrative.

Daniel 4:13–23 — Mentions watchers and holy ones involved in observing and acting within Yah’s creation.

Genesis 6:2–4 — References the sons of God, the daughters of men, and the Nephilim, a key passage for discussing boundary-crossing spiritual rebellion.

Genesis 18–19 — Shows malakim appearing in physical form, eating, speaking, and interacting with Avraham and Lot.

Luke 1 — Records Gabriel’s physical appearance to Miriam concerning the birth of Yeshua.

Acts 12 — Records an angel physically freeing Peter from prison.

2 Thessalonians 2:9 — Warns of powerful signs and lying wonders associated with end-time deception.

Revelation 13:13 — Describes the false prophet performing signs, including calling fire down from heaven.

Matthew 24:24 — Master Yeshua warns of false messiahs and false prophets who will produce great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

Final Exhortation

Beloved, the heavens declare the glory of Yah. They do not declare the coming of alien saviors, interplanetary benefactors, or enlightened cosmic guides. The only Savior, Redeemer, King, and coming Judge is Yeshua HaMashiyach. So let us not be moved by fear, curiosity, speculation, or the world’s latest narrative. Let us be anchored in Torah, centered in Messiah, filled with the Ruach, and prepared to give an answer to every man that asks us for the reason of the hope that is in us. Amein and amein.

Re’eh: What Does It Mean To Truly See?

by | Aug 6, 2026 | Blog, Podcasts

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

Episode Title

Re’eh: What Does It Mean to Truly See?

Episode Overview

Beloved, this week’s Torah Reading is Parashat Re’eh, found in Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17. And the parshah opens with one simple, yet spiritually loaded admonishment from Moshe to the people of Yah: Re’eh. See.

But this seeing that Moshe calls us to is not a casual glance. It is not scrolling. It is not consuming information. It is not reacting to the latest headline, prophetic claim, social media post, or end-times rumor. No. Re’eh is a covenant command to perceive what Yah has placed before us with spiritual clarity, trained discernment, and a heart that is willing to obey.

In this teaching, we examine the blessing and the curse that Moshe sets before Yasharal/Yisra’el, the personal and communal responsibility embedded in the Hebrew grammar of Re’eh, and the sobering warning of Deuteronomy 13 concerning false prophets and dreamers of dreams. The great question before us is not merely whether something looks impressive, prophetic, or accurate. The greater question is this: where is it leading us? Toward YHVH and His covenant path? Or away from Him into fear, speculation, compromise, and destruction?

Primary Torah Reading

Parashat Re’eh: Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17. The portion begins with Moshe setting before the people a blessing and a curse, and it proceeds to address covenant obedience, centralized worship, idolatry, false prophets, dietary instructions, tithes, generosity toward the poor, release from debt, and the pilgrimage festivals.

Main Teaching Theme

Re’eh is Yah’s call for His covenant people to see rightly. To perceive Torah not as mankind has framed it, but as Yehovah Himself has revealed it: loving instructions in righteousness that lead to blessing, life, shalom, and covenant wholeness. And beloved, if we cannot see clearly what Yah has set before us, then we cannot rightly choose the halachah path that leads to life.

Key Teaching Points

  • Re’eh is personal. Moshe’s opening imperative, “See,” is addressed in the singular. Yah is not calling someone else to perceive His Torah for us. He is calling each son and daughter of Yasharal/Yisra’el to see for himself or herself.
  • Re’eh is communal. Immediately after the singular command, Moshe shifts into the plural. The individual must see, but what is seen must be walked out among the covenant people as a community.
  • Torah is set before us as blessing and curse. The issue is not whether Torah is relevant. Yah has already declared what it is. The issue is whether we will perceive it rightly and walk in it faithfully.
  • Biblical seeing requires stillness and discernment. We live in an overstimulated world of headlines, alerts, feeds, podcasts, opinions, and prophetic speculation. But Re’eh demands that we stop long enough to ask: what is Yah saying in this?
  • Deuteronomy 13 trains our eyes. A sign or wonder may come to pass, yet the messenger may still be false if that message leads Yah’s people away from Him, away from Torah, and away from covenant faithfulness.
  • The test is direction, not spectacle. The question is not simply, “Was the prediction accurate?” The question is, “Where is this voice taking me?”
  • Yeshua’s ministry echoes Re’eh. When our Master said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear,” He was calling His taught ones into the same covenant posture: open eyes, open ears, and a heart ready to respond.
  • Jerusalem’s failure was a failure to see. Yeshua wept over Yerushalayim because she did not recognize the time of her visitation. That failure to perceive carried devastating consequences.
  • Today is the day to respond. Re’eh presses upon us the urgency of “today.” Today is the day to see, choose, hear, obey, and walk the covenant path that leads to blessing and life.

Teaching Flow

  1. Opening Admonishment: Moshe begins with “Re’eh,” calling every covenant son and daughter to perceive what Yah has placed before them.
  2. The Question Before Us: How do we perceive Torah in a world that dismisses Yah’s instructions as irrelevant, archaic, or oppressive?
  3. The Grammar is the Teaching: The singular “see” speaks to the individual, while the plural “I set before you” speaks to the whole covenant community.
  4. The Discipline of Biblical Seeing: Re’eh is not passive observation. It is stillness, attentiveness, inner perception, and obedience.
  5. Yeshua and Spiritual Perception: The Master blesses eyes that see and ears that hear, connecting Kingdom understanding with covenant discernment.
  6. Jerusalem and Missed Visitation: Yerushalayim failed to perceive the time of her visitation, and that blindness led to devastation.
  7. The False Prophet Test: Deuteronomy 13 teaches that even fulfilled signs must be judged by whether they lead us toward YHVH or away from Him.
  8. Seeing in a Season of Fire: In a world filled with prophetic claims, wars, rumors, political disruptions, and cultural upheaval, Yah’s instruction remains: Re’eh. See.
  9. Closing Exhortation: Today is the day to see clearly, choose rightly, and walk in covenant faithfulness through Yeshua Messiah.

Listener Takeaways

  • You cannot choose rightly what you do not see clearly.
  • Torah must be perceived personally before it can be walked out communally.
  • Accuracy, signs, wonders, and prophetic fulfillment are not the final measures of truth.
  • The Word of Yah remains the plumb line for testing every voice, teaching, headline, and claim.
  • Yah’s people must resist fear, sensationalism, and speculation that pull them away from covenant faithfulness.
  • Re’eh is not simply the name of a Torah portion. It is a divine summons to open the inner eyes and walk in obedience.

Questions for Reflection

  • How do I currently perceive Torah: as Yah’s loving instructions in righteousness, or through the distorted lens of religious tradition, culture, or churchianity?
  • What voices have I allowed to shape my perception of current events, prophecy, and end-times expectations?
  • Do the teachers, ministries, and prophetic voices I listen to lead me closer to YHVH, Torah, and Yeshua Messiah, or away from covenant faithfulness?
  • Am I practicing the stillness necessary to truly see what Yah is placing before me?
  • Where is Yah calling me to choose blessing today?

Scripture and Reference Citations

  • Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17: The Torah portion Re’eh opens with the blessing and curse and includes instructions concerning worship, idolatry, false prophets, clean and unclean foods, tithes, charity, debt release, servants, and the pilgrimage festivals.
  • Deuteronomy 11:26–28: “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse”—the foundational covenant choice that frames the entire teaching.
  • Deuteronomy 13:1–5: Moshe’s warning that even if a sign or wonder comes to pass, Yah’s people must not listen to a prophet or dreamer who leads them after other gods.
  • Matthew 13:16: Yeshua blesses the eyes that see and the ears that hear, showing that spiritual perception is central to Kingdom understanding.
  • Luke 19:41–44: Yeshua weeps over Yerushalayim because she did not recognize the time of her visitation.
  • 2 Corinthians 6:2: “Now is the day of salvation,” reinforcing the urgency of responding to Yah’s call today.
  • Rashi on Re’eh: The singular imperative “see” emphasizes that the covenant demand is personally binding upon each Israelite.
  • Or HaChaim on Re’eh: Seeing is treated as spiritual perception through the inner eye, not merely natural sight.

Beloved, may this teaching encourage you to slow down, quiet the noise, and truly see what Yehovah has placed before you. May your eyes be trained by Torah, your ears tuned to the voice of the Master, and your steps ordered in the covenant path that leads to blessing, shalom, and life. Halleluyah. And Amein.

Hebrew Roots Versus Messianic Judaism: A Debate Every Torah-Keeper Needs to Understand

by | Aug 4, 2026 | Blog, Podcasts

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

In this installment of The Messianic Torah Observer, we take up a timely, necessary, and in some respects uncomfortable discussion surrounding the distinction between the Hebrew Roots Movement and Messianic Judaism. And beloved, this is not merely an academic exercise. This is not about defending religious labels, choosing sides, or proving that one movement is superior to the other. Rather, this discussion gets to the heart of how Torah-honoring disciples of Yeshua HaMashiyach understand identity, covenant membership, Torah obligation, Jewish distinction, Gentile discipleship, and our shared calling to walk uprightly before Yehovah in Spirit and in Truth.

 

Episode Background

 

The discussion begins with Rod’s interaction with the First Fruits of Zion article entitled “Hebrew Roots Is Not Messianic Judaism: How are they different, and why does it matter?” The article argues that Messianic Judaism and the Hebrew Roots Movement may appear similar on the surface, but are fundamentally different in origin, theology, practice, communal structure, and relationship to Judaism. Rod acknowledges that there is truth in this assessment, while also taking issue with certain broad generalizations and theological conclusions the article presents regarding Hebrew Roots believers.

 

Rod notes that Messianic Judaism is described by FFOZ as a Jewish movement rooted in Judaism, Jewish identity, Jewish tradition, and the continuity of Torah practice as understood through Jewish communal life. At the same time, he identifies points of departure, particularly around the idea of permanently distinct roles for Jews and Gentiles in the body of Messiah, the question of Rabbinic calendar authority, and the traditional reluctance to pronounce or use the Divine Name.

 

The article’s description of Hebrew Roots as decentralized, individualistic, anti-Judaism, anti-Christianity, prone to sacred-name disputes, DIY calendars, “paganoia,” supersessionism, and One-Law theology is addressed directly. Rod agrees that some of these traits may be found in certain corners of the broader Hebrew Roots landscape, but he rejects the implication that these descriptions fairly represent the entire movement or the vast majority of sincere Torah-honoring believers in Yeshua.

 

What Are We Actually Talking About?

 

Rod defines the Hebrew Roots Movement as a broad, mostly non-Jewish renewal movement that emerged out of denominational, evangelical, non-denominational, and interdenominational Christianity. It is not a denomination. It has no central governing body, no single creed, and no institutional hierarchy. Rather, it consists of believers who have been awakened to the Hebrew foundations of the Faith and who believe that the Torah given by Yah through Moshe was never abolished for disciples of Master Yeshua.

At the heart of Hebrew Roots is the conviction that Yah’s commandments — including Sabbath, the biblical feasts, the dietary laws, and other Torah statutes — remain relevant and applicable to all believers in Yeshua, Jew and Gentile alike. These practices are not viewed as legalism or an attempt to earn salvation, but as expressions of covenant faithfulness, sanctification, obedience, and love for our Heavenly Father.

Messianic Judaism, by contrast, is presented as a movement of Jewish believers in Yeshua HaMashiyach who continue to live as Jews, maintain Jewish identity, observe Torah within Jewish communal frameworks, and often gather in congregational settings marked by Jewish liturgy, tradition, and institutional structure. Rod identifies organizations such as the MJAA, UMJC, and IAMCS as representative institutional expressions of modern Messianic Judaism.

 

And here, beloved, is where the tension lives. Messianic Judaism generally maintains that Jewish believers in Yeshua are still Jews and should live as Jews, while Gentile believers are welcomed with certain boundaries and distinctions. Hebrew Roots, on the other hand, tends to emphasize the unity of all covenant members in Messiah and the continuing relevance of Torah for the entire household of faith.

 

Areas of Agreement

·        Both Hebrew Roots and Messianic Judaism affirm Yeshua of Nazareth as Israel’s Messiah.

·        Both affirm the authority and foundational importance of the Hebrew Scriptures, the Tanach.

·        Both recognize that the Church, to one degree or another, departed from its Hebrew foundations.

·        Both affirm that Torah is holy, righteous, good, and was not simply abolished or made irrelevant.

·        Both commonly honor the weekly Sabbath and the biblical feasts of Yehovah recorded in Leviticus 23.

·        Both reject replacement theology and the claim that the Church has replaced Israel as Yah’s covenant people.

·         

Rod stresses that these are not minor points of agreement. They are foundational. And because they are foundational, the conversation between Hebrew Roots and Messianic Judaism should not be framed as warfare between enemies, but as a needed family discussion among those who claim allegiance to the same Messiah and the same covenantal revelation of Yah.

 

Major Areas of Disagreement

 

The central disagreement comes down to identity and obligation. Messianic Judaism contends that Jewish identity is distinct and non-transferable. A Gentile who comes to Faith in the Jewish Messiah does not become Jewish. Rod agrees that non-Jews are not required to convert to Judaism, noting that Shaul spent much of his ministry resisting the efforts of believing Pharisaical influencers who sought to Judaize Gentile converts.

 

However, Rod also emphasizes that Gentile believers are not outsiders in Messiah. Through Yeshua, they are grafted into the commonwealth of Israel, made partakers of the promises, and brought into covenant relationship with the Elohim of Avraham, Yitschaq, and Ya’achov. Therefore, if Gentile believers are genuine covenant members of the household of Israel, then the Torah that governs that household cannot be treated as irrelevant to them.

 

Rod warns that both movements have sometimes failed in tone and framing. Messianic Jewish voices have sometimes dismissed Hebrew Roots believers as misguided Gentiles who need to go back to church. Hebrew Roots voices have sometimes unfairly characterized Messianic Judaism as an exclusive ethnic club that keeps the rest of the body at arm’s length. Rod rejects both caricatures as inaccurate, unprofitable, and harmful to the body of Messiah.

 

The Non-Jewish or Gentile Torah Question

 

A major flashpoint in this discussion is the question of whether non-Jewish believers in Yeshua are obligated to keep Torah. First Fruits of Zion and likeminded Messianic Jewish teachers often articulate what is known as bilateral ecclesiology — the view that the body of Messiah is one body made up of Jewish and Gentile disciples who have different covenantal expressions and obligations. Jewish disciples live as Jews under Jewish Torah obligation, while Gentile disciples relate to Torah as Gentiles and are encouraged toward its wisdom without being bound by the same halachic requirements.

The Hebrew Roots perspective, as Rod explains it, generally holds that Torah is for everyone in covenant with Yehovah through Yeshua. Acts 15 is understood not as the abolition of Torah for Gentiles, but as the Jerusalem Council establishing minimum standards for newly converted non-Jews, with the expectation that they would continue learning Moshe in the synagogues every Sabbath. From this perspective, Galatians does not teach freedom from Torah, but freedom from the false requirement that Gentiles must be circumcised and convert to Judaism in order to be saved.

Rod frames the matter carefully: salvation and sanctification must not be confused. We are not saved by Torah-keeping. We are saved by grace through faith in Yeshua Messiah. But once we are brought into covenant relationship, the question then becomes: How does Yah expect His redeemed people to live? And for Rod, the answer is clear — redeemed people are called to walk in covenant faithfulness, obedience, humility, and love.

 

Rod’s Personal Position

 

Rod identifies himself as a Torah-observant, covenant-keeping believer in Yeshua HaMashiyach. He keeps the weekly Sabbath, observes Yah’s feasts, adheres to the dietary laws, uses the biblically recorded Name of Yehovah, and anchors his faith in both the Tanach and the Brit HaDashah. Yet he is clear that these practices do not make him Jewish. They make him, in his words and understanding, a covenant-faithful disciple of the Messiah.

Rod describes himself as a Messianic, Netzer, or Nazarene Israelite — one who takes Torah seriously as the instruction of Yehovah, follows Yeshua as the Messiah of Israel, and recognizes that the body of Messiah is bigger than any single movement, title, organization, or institution. He acknowledges that he is not fully at home in institutional Messianic Judaism, nor is he fully at home in the wilder edges of Hebrew Roots. Instead, he seeks to stand where Spirit, Truth, Torah, Messiah, covenant, humility, and love meet.

 

Key Takeaways for Listeners

·        The distinction between Hebrew Roots and Messianic Judaism matters because it shapes how believers understand identity, Torah, covenant, and community.

·        Both movements share substantial common ground, especially regarding Yeshua, Torah, Sabbath, the feasts, and the rejection of replacement theology.

·        The major disagreement centers on whether Torah obligation is distinct for Jews and Gentiles or shared by all covenant members in Messiah.

·        Acts 15, Romans 11, Galatians 3, and Ephesians 2 remain central texts in this ongoing discussion.

·        Gentile Torah observance should never be framed as an attempt to become Jewish or earn salvation, but as covenant faithfulness and sanctification.

·        Jewish identity should not be erased, mocked, or dismissed by Gentile believers who have been graciously grafted into Israel’s commonwealth.

·        Both Hebrew Roots and Messianic Judaism have areas of strength, error, and needed correction.

·        The body of Messiah must reject pride, caricature, condescension, and divisive labeling.

·        The ultimate goal is not movement loyalty, but obedience to Master Yeshua and preparedness for His coming Kingdom.

 

Primary Scripture References

·        Acts 15:19–21 — The Jerusalem Council and the expectations placed upon newly converted Gentiles.

·        Romans 11:17–24 — The wild olive branches grafted into the cultivated olive tree of Israel.

·        Galatians 3:28–29 — Neither Jew nor Greek in Messiah, and all who belong to Messiah being Avraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.

·        Ephesians 2:11–14 — Gentiles brought near, the dividing wall broken down, and one new humanity formed in Messiah.

·        Leviticus 23 — Yehovah’s appointed times, the weekly Sabbath, and the biblical feasts.

·        Jeremiah 31:31–34 — The New Covenant made with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.

·        Hebrews 8:6–13 — The better covenant and the writing of Yah’s Torah upon the hearts of His people.

 

Questions for Personal Reflection and Fellowship Discussion

·        Have I allowed labels such as Hebrew Roots, Messianic, Netzer, Nazarene, Jewish, Gentile, or Torah-observant to become more important than my obedience to Yeshua?

·        Do I understand Torah observance as covenant faithfulness, or have I allowed it to become a source of pride, superiority, or contention?

·        Have I unfairly caricatured Messianic Judaism or Hebrew Roots without listening carefully to what sincere believers in each community are actually saying?

·        How do I honor Jewish identity and the Jewish people while also recognizing my covenant inclusion through Messiah?

·        How should Acts 15, Romans 11, Galatians 3, and Ephesians 2 shape my understanding of Gentile discipleship and Torah?

·        Am I walking in Spirit and Truth, or am I merely defending a movement, a title, or a camp?

·         

Closing Exhortation

Rod closes by calling the saints away from title-worship, factional pride, and the habit of constantly pointing out the splinters in the eyes of brethren. The charge is simple, but weighty: seek first the Kingdom and the righteousness of our Heavenly Father, imitate Master Yeshua at every conceivable level, love one another, pray without ceasing, walk uprightly before Yehovah, and do that which is right in His sight without veering to the right or to the left.

 

If Hebrew Roots and Messianic Judaism can humble themselves, repent where repentance is needed, and come together in obedience, covenant faithfulness, and love, then maybe — just maybe — the people of Yah will begin to function more fully as one stick and one Body in Mashiyach. Amein and amein.

 

The Commandments We Trample Underfoot: Eikev, Yeshua, and the Torah-Grace Question

by | Jul 30, 2026 | Blog, Podcasts

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

The Commandments We Trample Underfoot: Eikev, the Wilderness Test, and the Torah-Grace Question

Beloved, in this installment of The Messianic Torah Observer, we take up Parashat Eikev, our reading for this coming Shabbat, August 1, 2026, contained in Deuteronomy/Devarim 7:12–11:25.

And this is one of those Torah readings that, on the surface, may appear rather straightforward. But if we are willing to slow down, to dig a little deeper, and to let the text interrogate us instead of us always interrogating the text, we find that Eikev is a most convicting parashah.

The word Eikev carries the idea of “because” at the plain, contextual level of the text. But it also shares a root connection with the Hebrew word for heel. And through that shared root, we are forced to consider a sobering spiritual reality:

What are we doing with the commandments of Yehovah that we have deemed too small, too inconvenient, too cultural, too bothersome, or too beneath our notice to obey?

In other words, beloved:

What are the commandments we are trampling underfoot?

This discussion is not about legalism.
Nor is it about Torahlessness.
It is about Yeshua-focused Torah Living — covenant faithfulness flowing from a transformed heart, empowered by the Ruach haKodesh, and centered in our Master, Yehoshua Messiah.

What This Teaching Is About

In this teaching, we examine three essential threads in Parashat Eikev:

  1. The Heel Commandments — Those Instructions We Would Rather Ignore
  2. Israel Failed the Wilderness Test, But Yeshua Passed It
  3. What Does Yehovah Actually Require of Us? — Eikev’s Answer to the Torah-Grace Debate

These three threads together bring us to one piercing question:

Are we hearing, listening, and obeying the whole counsel of Yehovah, or are we selectively obeying only those instructions that fit comfortably into our existing religious frameworks?

The Setting of Parashat Eikev

As this episode is being recorded, we are in the midst of a remarkable season known in Jewish tradition as the Shiva d’Nechemta, the Seven Weeks of Consolation.

These seven Shabbatot follow Tisha B’Av, the Ninth of Av, a season of mourning in Jewish tradition. But after that season of mourning comes a series of seven Haftarah readings from Isaiah, each one filled with comfort, restoration, hope, and renewed covenant assurance.

And that becomes the backdrop for our Torah reading.

Yehovah is saying to His covenant people:

I have not forgotten you.
I have not abandoned you.
I am still your God.

And yet, in the midst of that consolation, Eikev presses us to examine whether we have remained faithful to the covenant expectations of the One who redeemed us.

Point One: The Heel Commandments — Those Commandments We’d Rather Ignore

The title Eikev comes from Deuteronomy 7:12, where Moshe says, in essence:

“And it shall come to pass, because you listen to these ordinances, and keep and do them, that Yehovah your God shall keep with you the covenant and the mercy which He swore unto your fathers.”

At the plain level, eikev means because or as a result of.

But the word shares the same Hebrew root as akev, meaning heel. This is the same root at work in Genesis 25:26, where Ya’akov grabs Esau’s heel at birth. It is also the root behind the reference to the heel in Genesis 3:15.

And so, at the drash or homiletical level, Jewish teachers have long connected Eikev with the commandments people are tempted to treat as lowly, minor, trivial, or heel-worthy.

These are the commandments people quietly trample underfoot.

Beloved, this is where the reading begins to press upon us.

Because covenant fidelity is not selective.

We do not get to love Yehovah on our own terms.
We do not get to pick and choose which of His loving instructions in righteousness we will honor and which we will ignore.

And this is exactly where our Master Yehoshua meets us in Matthew 5:17–19. He makes it abundantly clear that He did not come to weaken or destroy Torah, but to reveal it in its intended fullness and confirm it.

He then says that whoever breaks or weakens even one of the least commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven.

That phrase — least commandments — lands squarely in the world of Eikev.

Yeshua knew very well that there would be commandments people would treat as small, burdensome, cultural, optional, or inconvenient.

And He says:

Do not be that person.
And do not teach others to be that person.

Examples of Heel Commandments We Commonly Trample

In this teaching, we consider three examples of commandments or Torah principles that are often treated as heel-worthy.

  1. Biblical Calendar Observance

The appointed times — the Moedim of Yehovah — are not religious suggestions. They are covenant appointments. In Leviticus/Vayikra 23, Yah repeatedly identifies them as His appointed times.

Not man’s appointed times.
Not rabbinic convenience days.
Not church replacement observances.
But Yehovah’s appointed times.

And yet many within both the denominational Christian world and even the Messianic/Hebraic Roots community treat the calendar and the appointed times as optional, symbolic, inconvenient, or merely educational.

Beloved, when we do that, we are treating Yah’s moedim as heel-worthy.

  1. Tzedakah, Justice, and Structured Giving

Torah generosity was never intended to be reduced to spontaneous charity when we feel emotionally moved.

It was built into the covenant life of Israel.

The corners of the field.
The forgotten sheaf.
The tithe for the Levite, stranger, fatherless, and widow.
The care of the vulnerable.

These are not suggestions. They are part and parcel of Torah life.

And yet many of us have become quite skilled at debating calendars, dietary laws, pronunciations, and eschatology while neglecting the justice and mercy dimensions of Torah.

That too is a heel commandment trampled underfoot.

  1. Lashon Hara — Guarding the Tongue

Proverbs 18:21 tells us that death and life are in the power of the tongue.

Leviticus 19:16 commands us not to go about as a slanderer among our people.

And yet, beloved, gossip, slander, evil speech, suspicion, accusation, and reckless speech remain rampant in far too many assemblies and fellowships.

We can argue fine points of Torah.
We can parse Hebrew roots.
We can explain calendars and clean eating.

But can we control what we say about our brothers and sisters?

If not, then we have trampled a key Torah instruction underfoot.

Point Two: Israel Failed the Test, But Yeshua Passed It

The second major thread of this teaching is the connection between Deuteronomy 8 and Matthew 4.

In Deuteronomy 8, Moshe reminds the second-generation wilderness community that Yehovah led them through the wilderness for forty years in order to humble them, test them, and reveal what was in their hearts.

The wilderness was not merely punishment.

It was a test.

Yehovah fed them with manna so that they would learn that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of Yehovah.

And sadly, our ancient cousins often failed that test.

They murmured.
They doubted.
They craved Egypt.
They resisted Yah’s provision.
They pushed back against His leading.

Then we turn to Matthew 4, where our Master Yeshua is led by the Ruach haKodesh into the wilderness.

There He fasts forty days and forty nights.

And when the Adversary comes to tempt Him to turn stones into bread, Yeshua answers by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3:

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Beloved, this is no coincidence.

Forty years.
Forty days.
Wilderness.
Hunger.
Testing.
Bread.
The Word of Yah.

Where Israel failed, Yeshua succeeded.

Where we murmured, He quoted Torah.
Where we doubted, He trusted.
Where we craved bread we could see, He declared that the Word of Yehovah is the true bread humanity desperately needs.

Yeshua is the faithful Israelite.
Yeshua is the true Hebrew.
Yeshua is the walking, talking Torah of Yehovah.
Yeshua is the Bread of Life.

And that means our wilderness seasons are not evidence that Yah has abandoned us. They are often the classrooms in which He reveals what is truly in our hearts.

Point Three: What Does Yehovah Actually Require of Us?

The third thread brings us to Deuteronomy 10:12–13, where Moshe asks and answers one of the most important questions in all of Scripture:

What does Yehovah require of His covenant people?

And the answer is beautifully straightforward:

To fear Him.
To walk in all His ways.
To love Him.
To serve Him with all our heart and being.
To keep His commandments and statutes for our good.

Beloved, that is covenant life.

And that answer also cuts right through the Torah versus grace debate.

On one side, we have those who treat Torah as bondage and insist that Yeshua freed us from obedience to Yah’s instructions.

On the other side, we have those who become so Torah-obsessed that Yeshua becomes little more than a doctrinal footnote — a necessary ticket into the covenant, but not the living center of their faith and walk.

Eikev refutes both errors.

Fear without love becomes religious terror.
Love without obedience becomes sentimentality.
Commandment-keeping without love becomes legalism.
Walking in His ways without serving Him becomes self-focused religious pietism.

Eikev holds it all together:

Fear.
Walk.
Love.
Serve.
Keep.

That is Yeshua-focused Torah Living.

Not bondage.
Not lawlessness.
But covenant faithfulness from a transformed heart.

The Torah and Grace Question

This teaching also addresses the ongoing debate in Messianic and Hebrew Roots circles regarding whether Torah applies to non-Jewish believers grafted into the commonwealth of Israel.

Some point to 1 Corinthians 7:17–24 or Galatians 5:2–3 and claim that non-Jewish believers should not pursue Torah observance.

But these readings are taken out of context.

In 1 Corinthians 7, Shaul is dealing with marriage, calling, and social status in light of the present distress and the end-times urgency facing the Corinthian assembly.

In Galatians 5, Shaul is confronting Judaizing influencers who were attempting to require ritual conversion and circumcision as a basis for covenant inclusion and justification.

He is not forbidding Spirit-led obedience to Yehovah’s Torah.

The real question is not whether Torah applies to grafted-in believers.

The real question is:

How does Torah apply, and in what spirit is it being lived out?

Torah was never meant to be imposed by a religious system as a means of earning salvation.

Torah was meant to be written on our hearts.

It was always meant to become part of who we are as the redeemed, chosen, and elect people of Yehovah.

Key Takeaways

  • Eikev challenges us to examine the commandments we may be treating as beneath our notice.
  • Yeshua’s reference to the least commandments in Matthew 5:17–19 directly confronts selective obedience.
  • The wilderness test of Deuteronomy 8 reveals what is in the heart of Yah’s people.
  • Yeshua passed the wilderness test that ancient Israel failed by trusting Yehovah and quoting Torah.
  • Deuteronomy 10:12–13 provides the covenant framework for what Yah requires of us.
  • The Torah versus grace debate is answered not by lawlessness or legalism, but by Yeshua-focused Torah Living.
  • Torah observance without love is empty.
  • Grace preaching that tramples Yah’s instructions underfoot is incomplete.
  • The renewed covenant call is to fear, love, walk, serve, and obey from a transformed heart.

Reflection Questions

  1. What commandments or instructions of Yehovah have I treated as optional, cultural, inconvenient, or beneath my notice?
  2. Am I more committed to defending Torah intellectually than living Torah relationally?
  3. Do I guard my tongue as seriously as I guard my calendar, diet, and feast observance?
  4. When I am in a wilderness season, do I murmur like ancient Israel, or do I follow Yeshua’s example and cling to the Word of Yah?
  5. Is my Torah walk centered in Yeshua, empowered by the Ruach, and expressed in love, justice, mercy, humility, and obedience?

Closing Exhortation

Beloved, the message of Eikev is simple but piercing.

We do not get to trample underfoot the things Yehovah has called holy.

We do not get to pick and choose which of His instructions we will keep while ignoring the rest.

And we do not get to hide lawlessness behind grace, nor loveless commandment-keeping behind Torah zeal.

The call of Eikev is the call of covenant faithfulness:

Fear Yehovah.
Walk in His ways.
Love Him.
Serve Him.
Keep His commandments.

And do so with all your heart and with all your being.

This is not bondage.

This is not legalism.

This is Yeshua-focused Torah Living.

And this, beloved, is for our good.

Cited References

Torah and Tanakh References

  • Genesis/Beresheit 3:15 — The promise of enmity between the serpent and the woman’s seed, including the striking of the heel.
  • Genesis/Beresheit 25:26 — Ya’akov grasping Esau’s heel at birth.
  • Deuteronomy/Devarim 7:12–11:25 — Parashat Eikev.
  • Deuteronomy/Devarim 7:12 — The opening verse of Eikev and the use of the term “eikev.”
  • Deuteronomy/Devarim 8:1–6 — The wilderness test, manna, humility, and dependence upon every word from Yehovah.
  • Deuteronomy/Devarim 8:3 — “Man shall not live by bread alone…”
  • Deuteronomy/Devarim 10:12–13 — What Yehovah requires of His covenant people.
  • Leviticus/Vayikra 19:16 — Prohibition against slander among Yah’s people.
  • Leviticus/Vayikra 23 — The appointed times, the moedim of Yehovah.
  • Proverbs/Mishlei 18:21 — Death and life are in the power of the tongue.
  • Isaiah/Yeshayahu Haftarah readings associated with the Seven Weeks of Consolation — The prophetic backdrop of comfort following Tisha B’Av.
  • Jeremiah/Yirmeyahu 31:33 — Torah written on the heart in the renewed covenant.

Apostolic Writings References

  • Matthew/Mattityahu 4:1–4 — Yeshua’s wilderness temptation and quotation of Deuteronomy 8:3.
  • Matthew/Mattityahu 5:17–19 — Yeshua’s teaching that He did not come to destroy Torah or the Prophets and His warning concerning the least commandments.
  • John/Yochanan 6:35 — Yeshua as the Bread of Life.
  • John/Yochanan 16:13 — The Ruach haKodesh guiding Yah’s people into all truth.
  • Romans 11:17–18 — Grafted-in believers and the olive tree of Israel.
  • 1 Corinthians 7:17–24 — Shaul’s discussion of calling, circumcision, and social status.
  • 1 Corinthians 13:1 — Loveless expression as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
  • Galatians 3 — Commonly cited in Torah-versus-grace discussions.
  • Galatians 5:2–3 — Shaul’s warning concerning circumcision as a covenant-entry requirement under Judaizing influence.

Extra-Biblical and Study References Mentioned

  • Jeff A. Benner, Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible: Hebrew Letters, Words, and Roots Defined Within Their Ancient Cultural Context, VBW Publishing, College Station, Texas, p. 408.
  • Rashi / Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki — Commentary tradition connecting Eikev with commandments treated as “heel-worthy.”
  • Leonard Sweet, Giving Blood: A Fresh Paradigm for Preaching, Zondervan, 2014.
  • The JPS Guide: The Jewish Bible, Jewish Publication Society, 2008, p. 107.
  • The Lexham English Bible, edited by W. Hall Harris III et al., Lexham Press, 2012.
  • RSTNE — Restoration Scriptures True Name Edition, cited in the transcript for several rendered passages.

Suggested Episode Call-to-Action

If this teaching blessed, edified, or informed you, I invite you to share it with someone who is wrestling through the Torah versus grace question or seeking to better understand what Yeshua-focused Torah Living looks like in real life.

You can find more teachings and resources at themessianictorahobserver.org, and you may reach out to me directly at notasyouperceive@gmail.com.

Until next time, beloved:

Shabbat Shalom.
Shavu’tov.
Take care.

 

 

Tu B’Av: The Day Nobody Told You About

by | Jul 28, 2026 | Blog, Podcasts

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

Episode Title: Tu B’Av: The Day Nobody Told You About

And greetings, saints of the Most High. In this special installment of The Messianic Torah Observer, we take up a Jewish traditional memorial day that many in our faith communities have likely never heard taught, discussed, or even mentioned: Tu B’Av, better rendered the 15th day of the 5th biblical month.

Now, beloved, let me say from the outset: Tu B’Av is not one of the mandated Feasts or Moedim of Yehovah. We are not commanded in Torah to keep it as we are commanded to keep the weekly Sabbath, Passover, Unleavened Bread, Shavuot, Yom Teruah, Yom Kippur, or Sukkot. But that does not mean there is nothing here for the redeemed of the Most High to consider. On the contrary, when we look at the traditions, the history, and the spiritual themes attached to this day, we find a profound Messianic pattern that is hard to ignore.

Tu B’Av arrives just six days after Tisha B’Av, the 9th day of the 5th month, which our Jewish cousins remember as the darkest day on their traditional calendar. Tisha B’Av is associated with destruction, exile, calamity, national grief, and mourning. But then, just six days later, the tone shifts. The 15th of Av is remembered in rabbinic tradition as one of the most joyous days in Israel’s history.

And so, in this teaching, we ask the question: What is Tu B’Av, and why should Messianic and Hebrew Roots believers even care? The answer, saints, is found in the spiritual rhythm of Yehovah’s dealings with His people: judgment gives way to mercy; mourning gives way to dancing; death decrees are lifted; lost tribes are restored; barriers to worship are removed; martyrs are finally laid to rest; and the daughters of Jerusalem dance in borrowed white garments in the vineyards.

Episode Summary

In this installment, we explore Tu B’Av as a traditional Jewish day of joy that carries meaningful spiritual and Messianic resonance for believers in Yehoshua Messiah. We begin by distinguishing Tu B’Av from the commanded Feasts of Yehovah, making clear that this is not a mandated biblical appointment, but rather a Jewish memorial day rooted in historical remembrance and rabbinic tradition.

From there, we consider how the Mishnah describes the 15th of Av, together with Yom Kippur, as one of the happiest days for Israel. That statement alone should cause us to pause and ask why. Why would a seemingly obscure day on the Jewish traditional calendar be spoken of in such lofty terms? Why would a day that most believers know nothing about be remembered as a day of extraordinary joy?

The answer emerges through several historical traditions preserved in Talmud Ta’anit. Tu B’Av is associated with the ending of the wilderness death decree, the restoration of Benjamin to the covenant community, the lifting of restrictions that prevented the tribes from marrying across tribal lines, the removal of guards who had blocked northern Israelites from traveling to worship, the burial of the slain of Beitar, and the annual vineyard dances of the daughters of Jerusalem in borrowed white garments.

Beloved, when we view these traditions through Messianic lenses, they become more than interesting history. They form a prophetic-looking pattern of redemption: condemnation is lifted, the outcast is restored, worship access is reopened, the dead are honored, and the Bride appears clothed in white garments she did not provide for herself. That, saints, is the Gospel rhythm. That is the Kingdom pattern. That is the work of Yehovah through the Person and ministries of Yehoshua Messiah.

Key Discussion Points

  • Tu B’Av means the 15th day of Av, or the 15th day of the 5th biblical month.
  • It is a Jewish traditional memorial day, not one of the mandated Feasts or Moedim of Yehovah.
  • Tu B’Av comes six days after Tisha B’Av, moving the spiritual focus from mourning and destruction to joy and restoration.
  • Mishnah Ta’anit 4:8 identifies the 15th of Av and Yom Kippur as days of extraordinary joy for Israel.
  • The wilderness death decree connected to the sin of the spies came to its full end, signaling that the next generation could move forward toward the Land of Promise.
  • The tribe of Benjamin, nearly extinguished after the events of Judges 19–21, was restored to covenant standing among the tribes of Israel.
  • Rabbinic tradition connects Tu B’Av with the ending of tribal marriage restrictions rooted in inheritance concerns from Numbers 36.
  • King Hoshea ben Elah removed the roadblocks established by Jeroboam that had prevented northern Israelites from going up to worship.
  • The slain of Beitar were finally permitted burial, transforming prolonged dishonor and grief into mercy and closure.
  • The daughters of Jerusalem went out in borrowed white garments and danced in the vineyards, creating a picture of equality, joy, covenant hope, and bridal imagery.

Messianic Takeaway

The Messianic takeaway is this: Tu B’Av gives us a picture of what Yehovah does after the season of judgment has run its course. The decree does not last forever. The grave does not get the final word. The tribe that was almost lost can be restored. Worship that was blocked can be reopened. Those who were dishonored can be remembered with dignity. And the Bride, beloved, can be clothed in white garments that she did not weave, purchase, or earn for herself.

That is why this day matters to us. Not because we are commanded to keep it as a Feast. Not because we are trying to Judaize our faith walk. But because Tu B’Av quietly whispers the same Kingdom truth that Scripture thunders from Genesis to Revelation: Yehovah specializes in turning mourning into dancing, ashes into beauty, heaviness into praise, exile into return, and death into life through Yehoshua Messiah.

Practical Exhortation

So, saints, if you find yourself walking through a Tisha B’Av season, do not conclude that the story is over. If what you see around you looks like destruction, exile, loss, disappointment, or a decree that will never lift, I encourage you to look up. Your full moon is coming. Your Tu B’Av moment is approaching. Stay the course. Hold fast to Yehovah. Keep your eyes fixed on Yehoshua Messiah. And remember that those who mourn in Zion are promised beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.

Suggested Listener Reflection Questions

  • What “Tisha B’Av season” have I been walking through in my own life?
  • Where do I need to believe that Yehovah’s decree of discipline, delay, or hardship is not the end of my story?
  • What does it mean for me to be clothed in a righteousness that is not my own?
  • Have I written off a person, family member, fellowship, or tribe that Yehovah may yet restore?
  • Where has worship been blocked in my life, and what would restoration of access look like?
  • How can I better discern the difference between commanded observance and spiritually meaningful remembrance?

Call to Action

If this teaching has blessed, informed, challenged, or encouraged you, I invite you to share it with another saint in training who may be walking through a season of mourning and needs to be reminded that Yehovah is still in the restoration business. And if you have not already done so, consider subscribing to The Messianic Torah Observer so that you will not miss future teachings designed to help us walk out this beloved faith once delivered in Spirit and in Truth.

Cited References

  • Numbers/Bemidbar 14:26–35 — Yehovah’s decree that the unbelieving wilderness generation would fall in the wilderness.
  • Numbers/Bemidbar 26:63–65 — The census confirming that none of the condemned generation remained, except Caleb and Joshua.
  • Deuteronomy/Devarim 1:34–40 — Moses recounts Yehovah’s judgment against the generation that refused to trust Him at the border of the Land.
  • Deuteronomy/Devarim 2:14 — The passing of the generation of war from Kadesh Barnea to the crossing of the wadi of Zered.
  • Joshua/Yehoshua 5:5–12 — The transition of the wilderness generation into covenant renewal and life in the Land.
  • Judges/Shoftim 19–21 — The tragic civil war involving Benjamin and the tribe’s near destruction and later restoration.
  • 2 Kings/Melachim Bet 17:1–2 — The reign of Hoshea ben Elah.
  • 2 Chronicles/Divre Hayamim Bet 30:1–12 — Hezekiah’s call for Israel and Judah to come to Jerusalem for Passover.
  • Isaiah/Yeshayahu 61:1–3 — Beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.
  • Luke 21:28 — “Look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”
  • Mishnah Ta’anit 4:8 — Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel’s statement that there were no days of joy for Israel like the 15th of Av and Yom Kippur, including the daughters of Jerusalem going out in borrowed white garments and dancing in the vineyards.
  • Talmud Bavli, Ta’anit 30b — Rabbinic discussion of the joy of the 15th of Av, including the lifting of tribal restrictions, the restoration of Benjamin, the end of the wilderness death decree, and Hoshea ben Elah’s removal of Jeroboam’s roadblocks.
  • Talmud Bavli, Ta’anit 31a — Rabbinic discussion of the burial of the slain of Beitar, the cessation of woodcutting for the altar, and the borrowed white garments of the daughters of Jerusalem.
  • Lexham English Bible, edited by W. Hall Harris III et al., Lexham Press, 2012 — Biblical translation used in the quoted passages in the teaching.