To understand the whole, you first have to master the parts, one by one, on their own terms. Think of it like a machine: you can’t grasp how an engine works without knowing pistons, valves, and fuel injectors separately—how each moves, what each needs, where it fails. Only after you truly get every piece in isolation can you see how they lock together into something bigger.

It’s the same with ideas, systems, or even people. You study one element deeply, without letting the others bleed in and confuse it. Then the next. And the next. That’s the only way the full picture stops being fuzzy. Skip this step and you’re just guessing at connections that aren’t really there. Gotta earn the whole by earning each part first.

Here’s the full list of the 42 Stations from this week’s Torah portion:

1. Rameses (רעמסס) – The starting point of the Exodus, where evil began to melt away.
2. Sukkot (סוכות) – Temporary dwellings: our first taste of living in transition.
3. Eitam (אתם) – On the edge of the wilderness; a place of boldness and decision.
4. Pi Hahirot (פי החירות) – “Mouth of Freedom”; the place of true liberation.
5. Migdol (מגדל) – “Tower” or “Build up”; a time of strengthening.
6. Marah (מרה) – “Bitter”; the place of bitter waters and first tests.
7. Elim (אילם) – Place of twelve springs and seventy palms; abundance and rest.
8. Yam Suf (ים סוף) – By the Red Sea; site of the great miracle.
9. Midbar Sin (מדבר סין) – Wilderness of Sin; a place of emptiness and dependence.
10. Dofkah (דפקה) – “Beating” or “Striking”; a place of pressure and testing.
11. Alush (אלוש) – A place associated with gathering and preparation.
12. Rephidim (רפידים) – “Weak hands”- where Torah commitment weakened, and Amalek attacked.
13. Midbar Sinai (מדבר סיני) – The Wilderness of Sinai, where the Torah was given.
14. Kivrot Hata’avah (קברות התאוה) – “Graves of Lust”; where desire led to downfall.
15. Chatzerot (חצרות) – “Courtyards”: a place of community and order.
16. Ritmah (רתמה) – A place of binding or judgment.
17. Rimmon Peretz (רמון פרץ) – “Pomegranate Breach”; a place of breakthrough.
18. Livnah (לבנה) – “White” or “Purity.”
19. Rissah (רסה) – “Crushed” or “Broken.”
20. Kehelatah (קהלתה) – “Assembly”; a place of gathering together.
21. Mount Shefer (הר שפר) – “Beautiful Mountain.”
22. Charadah (חרדה) – “Trembling” or “Fear.”
23. Makhelot (מקהלות) – “Congregations”; place of community division or unity.
24. Tachath (תחת) – “Below” or “Low point.”
25. Terach (תרח) – A place of delay or wandering.
26. Mitkah (מתקה) – “Sweetness.”
27. Hashmonah (השמונה) – Associated with the number eight and strength.
28. Moserot (מסרות) – “Chains” or “Discipline.”
29. Bnei Yaakan (בני יעקן) – “Sons of Yaakan”; a place of heritage.
30. Chor Hagidgad (חור הגדגד) – “Cave of Gidgad,”; a place of revelation in darkness.
31. Yotvatah (יטבתה) – “A good place”; pleasantness.
32. Avronah (עברנה) – Place of crossing over.
33. Etzion Gever (עציון גבר) – “Giant’s Backbone”; a place of strength.
34. Kadesh (קדש) – “Holiness”; site of major events, including Miriam’s death.
35. Mount Hor (הר ההר) – Where Aaron died; a place of transition and loss.
36. Tzalmonah (צלמנה) – A place of shade or darkness.
37. Punon (פונן) – Associated with punishment or refining.
38. Ovot (אבות) – “Ghosts” or ancestral spirits.
39. Iyyei HaAvarim (עיי העברים) – “Ruins of Avarim”; wasteland on the border.
40. Divon Gad (דיבן גד) – Connected to fortune or betrayal.
41. Almon Divlatayim (עלמן דבלתים) – A place of many journeys or cakes.
42. Mount Nebo / Plains of Moab (ערבות מואב) – The final station before entering the Land, overlooking the Promised Land.

These 42 stations are Hashem’s loving record of every stop — the bitter ones, the sweet ones, and the quiet ones — exactly like a father recounting every stage of his child’s healing journey.

Matot-Masei The World We Create

In Parshat Masei, the Torah lists all 42 specific journeys the Jewish people took through the wilderness — forty-two deliberate stops. Many of them had no miracles, no drama — just a name and a location. Rabbi Goldstein points out: if Hashem records every single one of these stations in the Torah, it means He cares deeply about the small details of our lives.

This Shabbat, we read the double portion Matot-Masei. In his powerful lecture this week, Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein teaches that life is not linear. We all want the quickest, straightest path from where we are to where we want to be, but the Torah shows us something much deeper.

Last night at Beit Midrash, this truth came alive in a very real way. David came in frustrated, telling us how annoying his week had been. A bad storm broke two windows at his job. He had to order replacements, go pick them up, arrange installation — one frustration after another. When I asked him how this week’s Torah portion connected to his experience and whether he had asked Hashem why those windows broke, he said, “God is not concerned with small details like that.”

But Matot-Masei teaches exactly the opposite. If Hashem writes down every encampment in the desert, even the ones where nothing dramatic happened, then He certainly cares about the broken windows in our own lives.

This same message appears very early in the Torah. After Kayin kills his brother, Hashem asks him, “Why is your countenance fallen?” Then He says: “If you do well, will you not be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin crouches at the door — yet you can rule over it.” Hashem was telling Kayin, “You have your whole life to improve.” The journey itself is the point.

Da’at – Becoming Aware of the Soul (Rabbi Akiva Tatz)

Rabbi Akiva Tatz, in his lecture Da’at – Inner Knowledge, begins with a powerful and honest admission. He says it is “almost by definition impossible to find the words for this subject.”

Da’at (דעת) means intrinsic wisdom or inner knowledge. It is not information you collect or facts you memorize with your intellect. You learn a deeper way of knowing — something you know from within, through a faculty of the soul. It becomes the part of you that knows you exist, that knows right from wrong without external proof, that knows “now” is now, and that knows Hashem is real.

He explains the fundamental problem: “The words needed to transmit the subject, by definition, are inadequate. That means the subject cannot be put into words — yet the only medium we have is words.”

This is why, Rabbi Tatz teaches, if a fundamental concept has no word for it in the Torah, it is ultimately a human-created idea. For example, there is no biblical Hebrew word for “believe” in the Western sense of blind faith, nor is there a word for “doubt.” The common terms used today — safek for doubt and vadai for certainty — are later rabbinic coinages, not found in the Torah itself. In the Torah’s worldview, these are not primary realities.

In contrast, da’at is the inner eye of the soul. Rabbi Tatz illustrates this with the classic bicycle example. You can explain the physics of balance, the mechanics of pedaling, and steering for hours, but no amount of talking will teach you how to ride. The father holds the seat at the beginning — that initial support is a gift. But at a certain point, he lets go. You wobble, you fall, you get back up — and suddenly you feel it. That moment when balance becomes part of you is da’at. It cannot be explained. It can only be experienced through doing.

Da’at (דעת) means intrinsic wisdom or inner knowledge — not information you gather with your intellect, but something you know from within, through a deeper faculty of the soul.

He explains the paradox clearly: The words needed to transmit this subject are, by definition, inadequate. That means the subject cannot be put into words — yet the only medium we have to share it is words themselves. So the very first problem is that da’at is not readily expressible verbally. You can only understand it by having your own inner understanding.

The Garden

In Rabbi David Fohrman’s A Book Like No Other series on Eden, he points out how uniquely Eve describes the tree in Genesis 3:6.

God had described the trees as “pleasant to the sight and good for food.” But Eve flips the order—she sees the tree as first “good for eating,” then “a delight to the eyes,” and “desirable for gaining wisdom.” She turns pure appreciation into utility and lust, starting with the practical benefit instead of beauty. That’s what leads her to eat it. It’s a subtle but powerful shift in perspective.

Nechmad Lemar’eh Tov Lema’achal

In Genesis 2, God describes the trees as “pleasant to the sight and good for food.” But when Eve looks at the Tree of Knowledge, she flips that order: she sees it first as good for eating, then a delight to the eyes, and desirable for wisdom. That shift from beauty-first to utility- and craving-first is exactly what Rabbi Fohrman highlights as the key change in perspective. It turns appreciation into lust.

God describes the trees in Genesis 2:9 as nechmad lemar’eh — pleasant to behold — and then tov lema’achal — good for food. Beauty first, then utility.

Eve flips it in Genesis 3:6. She sees the tree as tov lema’achal first — good for eating — then a delight to the eyes and desirable for wisdom. She starts with craving and utility, turning appreciation into lust. That shift in perspective is what Rabbi Fohrman zeroes in on.

“This week’s double portion, Matot-Masei, lists the 42 journeys the Jewish people took through the wilderness. Not 40 years of constant wandering, but 42 specific stops—each one a deliberate stage. The Torah wants us to see that every stop mattered.

This mirrors exactly what we’ve been exploring with Adam and Eve. Hashem doesn’t push. He brings us to the edge, like a father holding the bike seat just long enough, then letting go. The command ‘do not eat’ brought them right to the moment of choice. Eating wasn’t rebellion—it was stepping into the wilderness of ups and downs, failures and heartaches, so we could learn what it means to truly live.

Just as those 42 stops weren’t random, neither was their choice. The path of knowing good and bad, tasting both life and death, is how we grow into who we’re meant to become. No shortcuts. No staying safe like angels in the garden.

The Torah never calls what Adam and Eve did a sin. It calls it a journey. And every journey has its stations.”

This process of becoming aware of the soul is exactly what our personal 42 journeys are for. Every stop, every broken window, every frustration is an opportunity to move from intellectual knowledge to inner da’at — from being carried to riding on your own.

Rabbi Goldstein on Becoming Aware of Your Soul

In another powerful teaching, Rabbi Warren Goldstein explores “Becoming Aware of Your Soul.” He challenges us to rethink our very identity and what it truly means to be human. The soul is not an add-on to the body; the body is the vehicle, and the soul is the essence. Becoming aware of it means learning to see life through that inner faculty — the same faculty Eve reached for in the Garden, the same one Kayin was being called to develop.

This awareness doesn’t come in a straight line. It comes through the detours, the falls, the seemingly insignificant stops. That is why Hashem records every single one of the 42 journeys. Each one is a love letter reminding us that the soul grows precisely in those moments we might otherwise dismiss as annoying or meaningless.

During our discussion last night, David became upset when I quoted verses also found in the Christian Bible. I explained that I do not recommend the Christian Bible as a spiritual guide. However, I do sometimes use it to help Christians see that their book is not independent — it constantly draws on the Tanakh.

One example I gave was “turn the other cheek” in Matthew, which echoes themes in Lamentations where Hashem reminds the Jewish people that the true source of their suffering was not Babylon but their own failure to follow Torah and keep the Shemitah. Another was from the book of James, chapter 4 — a midrash on the fight between Cain and Abel.

James writes: “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, carry on business and make a profit.’ Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”

Notice the Hebrew wordplay. Kayin comes from the root kinyan — to obtain, to acquire, to grab. Hevel means vapor, something here one moment and gone the next. James is describing the same brotherly conflict we see in Genesis — the arrogance of thinking we control tomorrow while chasing material gain.

This is why I wake up motivated every day. Since 2012, I’ve listened to Rabbi Tovia Singer daily. His teachings opened my eyes to a painful truth: 99% of Christians have never been shown what their Bible actually says in its original Jewish context. A foreign story has been laid over the text that simply isn’t there.

We are all one family. Adam and Eve are the father and mother of all humanity. After the flood, only Noah and his three sons — Shem, Ham, and Japheth — survived. Modern DNA confirms all males today trace back to three primary paternal lines. That means you and I are either brothers or cousins.

So why do brothers fight? Why do brothers murder? Why do we not show kindness to one another?

The whole world is connected. The Ten Commandments are the only way to fix this broken world — by realizing we are truly one family.

Every stop in your personal 42 journeys matters. Even the broken windows. Hashem is paying attention to all of them, and each one is an invitation to become more aware of your soul.

• Series: Part II That Which You Have Not Heard.
• The Eternal Struggle of Self: Reincarnation, the Expanding “I,” and the Soul’s Never-Ending Journey
• Creating a Vessel of Worship: The Midbar of Silence, the Question of Justice, and the Song of the New Generation
• Parashat Chukat 5786: The 38 Years of Silence and Singing Your Own Song
• Becoming Aware of Your Soul: The Tree of Life Blueprint Christianity Never Answered

A deep dive into the plain meaning of Scripture, inspired by Rabbi Tovia Singer’s powerful conversation with ex-pastor Justin (Deconstruction Zone)

“Context is king.” — Rabbi Tovia Singer, in the February 2025 interview on Isaiah 53

What if pastors opened their Bibles and simply let the text speak — without later theological overlays? What if they read the Tanach the way they claim to believe it: as the inspired, consistent Word of God?

Rabbi Tovia Singer recently sat down with Justin, an ex-pastor on a journey of deconstruction, for a remarkable conversation centered on Isaiah 53. Throughout the discussion, Singer repeatedly demonstrated a single, stunning reality: the Tanach never loses sight of its subject. That subject is Israel — the nation descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Israel is repeatedly called Hashem’s servant, witnesses, firstborn son, bride, and the people before whom He bares His holy arm for all the nations to see.

No other entity — no individual messiah figure detached from the nation, no later “church” or “body of Christ” — is ever given these titles in the Hebrew Scriptures. The Tanach is laser-focused. When read in context, the message is unmistakable.

This blog expands on the key passages highlighted in that conversation, broadens them with history, archaeology, and classical Torah commentaries (Rashi, Abarbanel, and insights aligned with Baal HaTurim’s textual precision), and invites every sincere Bible reader to do what the podcast title suggests: read the Bible as you believe it.

The Podcast’s Core Revelation: Four Servant Songs, One Consistent Subject

The interview focused on Isaiah 40–55 (often called Deutero-Isaiah or Second Isaiah). These chapters form a cohesive literary unit of comfort and redemption after the Babylonian exile. Within them are four “Servant Songs.” The fourth song (Isaiah 52:13–53:12) is famous in Christian circles. But as Singer emphasized, you cannot rip it from its context.

Here are the explicit identifications of the servant spoken about or directly referenced in the podcast and surrounding discussion:

Explicit Servant Passages in Isaiah 40–55

• Isaiah 41:8-9 “But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham My friend, you whom I have taken from the ends of the earth… and said to you, ‘You are My servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you.’”
• Isaiah 43:10 “You are My witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He.”
• Isaiah 44:1-2, 21 “But now listen, Jacob, My servant, Israel, whom I have chosen… Do not fear, Jacob, my servant… I have formed you; you are My servant, Israel; you will not be forgotten by Me.”
• Isaiah 45:4 “For the sake of My servant Jacob, and Israel My chosen one, I have called you by your name; I have given you a title of honor, though you have not known Me.” (Addressed to Cyrus, but for Israel’s sake.)
• Isaiah 48:20 “Go forth from Babylon… The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob.”
• Isaiah 49:3 “He said to Me, ‘You are My servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’”

These are not ambiguous. The prophet repeatedly names Israel/Jacob as the servant. The podcast highlighted how Christian readings of Isaiah 53 often skip these explicit markers and the entire preceding context of comfort to Jerusalem (Isaiah 40:1-2) and redemption from exile.

Rabbi Singer noted that, on his count, there are multiple direct instances in which the servant is identified as Israel in these chapters. The fourth song continues the same story: the servant who was despised and afflicted will be exalted, and the nations will be astonished.

The Holy Arm Bared Before All Nations — Isaiah 52:9-10

The podcast opened a key window with Isaiah 52:9-10:

“Break forth, shout together for joy, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord has bared His holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.”

This is the immediate prelude to the famous “servant” description in 52:13–53:12. The holy arm is not a new concept. It echoes the Exodus:

“Therefore, say to the children of Israel: I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians… with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm…” (Exodus 6:6)

Throughout the Tanach, when Hashem reveals His arm or mighty hand, it is to redeem Israel in the sight of the nations. The podcast connected this directly: the salvation the nations witness is Israel’s redemption and restoration. The “arm of the Lord” (Isaiah 53:1) is revealed in the vindication of the servant people.

Classical commentary connection: Rashi and others tie the “arm of the Lord” language to the visible, public redemption of Israel that causes the nations to reconsider their previous assumptions about Israel’s suffering.

Isaiah 53 in Context: The Nations’ Astonishment at Israel’s Vindication

When the full context is restored, Isaiah 53 becomes the nations’ stunned realization:

“Who would have believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” (Isaiah 53:1)

The “we” in verses 4-6 (“Surely our diseases he did bear… the chastisement of our peace was upon him…”) is the nations speaking. They confess that what they thought was Israel being punished by God for its own sins was actually part of a larger divine plan. Through Israel’s suffering and survival, the world comes to know the true God and, ultimately, peace and healing.

Rashi’s Commentary

Rashi’s commentary on Isaiah 53 (widely influential) reads the chapter as referring to Israel:

• Verse 3: The servant “was despised and forsaken of men” — Israel in exile.
• Verse 4: “Surely our diseases he did bear” — The nations admit that Israel’s afflictions brought atonement or peace to the world (or that they had misjudged the cause of Israel’s suffering).
• The servant “shall see offspring; he shall prolong his days” (v. 10) — The nation survives and thrives after seeming destruction.

Rashi’s approach was not isolated. While some earlier midrashim and Targum Jonathan lean toward a messianic or individual reading in certain verses, the plain contextual reading championed by Rashi, Ibn Ezra (in many passages), and later rationalists consistently identifies the subject as the people of Israel. Abarbanel, writing after the expulsion from Spain, frames these chapters within the grand arc of Israel’s national redemption and ingathering — even while engaging messianic hopes.

Baal HaTurim (Rabbi Yaakov ben Asher), known for his precise textual and gematria insights, would appreciate how the literary structure of Isaiah 40–55 creates unbreakable links between the named servant (Israel) and the suffering/exalted figure of chapter 53. The repetition of key roots and phrases binds the unit together — a chiastic or intertextual “hyperlink” style beloved in Torah study.

The servant survives (“prolong his days”), sees “offspring,” and is “exalted” (52:13). This does not describe a crucified individual who dies young without physical descendants in the plain sense. It describes a people who endure exile, appear destroyed, and are miraculously restored — exactly Israel’s story.

Broader Tanach: Israel Is Consistently the Subject

The podcast’s insight scales across the entire Tanach. Israel is:

• Firstborn Son: “Thus says the Lord: Israel is My son, My firstborn” (Exodus 4:22). Hosea 11:1 applies the same language to the nation’s exodus from Egypt.
• Bride / Wife: The prophets repeatedly portray the covenant as a marriage. Hosea is commanded to marry a wayward wife as a living parable of Hashem and Israel. Ezekiel 16 tells the story of Jerusalem as an abandoned infant whom God marries and adorns. Song of Songs is traditionally read as the love song between God and Israel (or the community of Israel).
• Witnesses: Isaiah 43:10 and 44:8 explicitly call Israel “My witnesses.” They are the living testimony to the one true God in history.
• Light to the Nations: “I will make you a light of the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6; also 42:6, 60:1-3). Zechariah 8:23 envisions ten men from the nations grabbing the cloak of a Jew, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”

Nowhere does the Tanach transfer these titles to another people, another religion, or an individual detached from the covenant nation as a replacement. The subject remains Israel — sometimes the whole nation, sometimes the faithful remnant — through whom the nations are ultimately blessed (Genesis 12:3; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14).

History and Archaeology Confirm the Narrative

The suffering-servant story is not abstract theology. It is Israel’s biography:

• Babylonian Exile and Return: Isaiah 45 names Cyrus as the one who would allow the return — a prophecy so precise that some critics claim it must be post-event. The Cyrus Cylinder (discovered in 1879) confirms the historical policy: Cyrus allowed exiled peoples to return to their homelands and rebuild temples. Judah’s return under Ezra and Nehemiah matches the prophetic hope.
• The Great Isaiah Scroll (Dead Sea Scrolls): Dated to approximately 125–100 BCE, this nearly complete manuscript of Isaiah is virtually identical to the Masoretic Text used today. There has been no Christian-era tampering with the text. The servant songs stand exactly as they have for over 2,000 years.
• Merneptah Stele (~1200 BCE): The earliest extra-biblical mention of “Israel” as a people in Canaan.
• Assyrian and Babylonian records corroborate the exiles of the northern and southern kingdoms.
• Modern era: The rebirth of the State of Israel in 1948, the ingathering of exiles from over 100 countries, the survival against overwhelming odds in multiple wars, and the astonishing technological and agricultural contributions to the world — all while facing global opposition — mirror the “who would have believed our report?” astonishment of Isaiah 53.

Archaeology and history do not “prove” theology, but they demonstrate that the Tanach’s subject — a specific people with a specific covenant and a specific land — has a continuous, verifiable story unlike any other.

What Changes When We Read with Israel as the Subject?

Everything.

• Atonement and Forgiveness: The Tanach teaches forgiveness through repentance, justice, and returning to God (Isaiah 1:27 — “Zion shall be redeemed with justice and righteousness”; Isaiah 55:6-9 — “Let the wicked forsake his way… for He will abundantly pardon”). The podcast contrasted this with later claims that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22), a principle absent from the Tanach’s plain teaching on repentance.
• Monotheism: Isaiah 45:5-7 declares that Hashem creates light and darkness, peace and evil (calamity) — radical ethical monotheism. No dualism or trinity.
• Afterlife and Resurrection: Rare but present (Isaiah 26:19; Daniel 12:2). Not used as threats of eternal torment in the same way later developed.
• Prophecy and Current Events: The ingathering, the survival of Israel, the nations’ mixed reactions — these are not footnotes. They are the continuation of the servant’s story.

Practical Invitation

Rabbi Tovia Singer’s conversation with the ex-pastor models intellectual honesty and textual fidelity. It does not attack faith — it calls people back to the text they claim to revere.

If you are a pastor, a Christian reader, or anyone who loves the Bible:

1. Read Isaiah 40–55 in one sitting.
2. Note every time “My servant,” “Jacob,” “Israel,” “Zion,” or “Jerusalem” appears.
3. Ask: Does the text ever change its subject?
4. Compare with classical Jewish commentaries on Sefaria (Rashi on Isaiah is eye-opening).
5. Watch the full interview: Search “Ex-Pastor Powerful interview with Rabbi Tovia Singer on Isaiah 53” on YouTube (Tovia Singer channel).

The Tanach is not a wax nose to be shaped into later theologies. It is a coherent revelation with a consistent protagonist: the people of Israel, through whom the knowledge of the one God and ultimate redemption flow to all humanity.

When pastors and believers read it this way — as they say they believe it — the beauty, the faithfulness, and the living reality of God’s covenant with Israel become unmistakable.

May we all merit to see the full vindication of the servant, when “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9).

• The Suffering Servant: Israel as the True Embodiment of Isaiah 53
• Milestone 19: The Lord Descending in Power upon Sinai on the Third Day
• The Torah: A Book Like No Other – October 7 Prophecy & The Tree of Life Blueprint
• The Fourth Commandment in Toldot: “Stay With Laban a Few Days” – The First Shabbat in Exile
• The Jewish Prophets Words

A War Is Coming – Purim Is Coming

In a powerful recent interview, Baba Baruch Abuhatzeira — son of the revered Moroccan-Israeli tzaddik and miracle-worker known as the Baba Sali (Rabbi Israel Abuhatzeira) — shared a dream message he received from his father about the current war and its trajectory.

The core message is stark and clear: The Jewish nation must stand alone. “Don’t trust anybody,” the dream conveyed. Even if political figures (explicitly including hopes pinned on leaders like President Trump) appear supportive for a time, betrayal or a new problem from elsewhere will arise. The Jewish people cannot ultimately rely on any human alliance or superpower. They must place their complete trust in God alone — echoing the words of the prophet Balaam in the Torah.

Baba Baruch emphasized that we are already in (or at the threshold of) the War of Gog and Magog. From this war, Mashiach will come. The current conflict with Iran and its proxies is not an isolated event or a pause that ends the story; it is part of a larger, divinely orchestrated process leading to the final redemption. “We’re at the very precipice. We’re at the very end. And it’s coming very quickly.”

A striking call to spiritual posture runs through the teaching: Calm down. Nobody should have fear. What is coming will be very scary, but fear itself is the wrong response. The key avodah (spiritual work) is emunah — perfect faith and confidence in God. The three-stage path outlined is Aleph (Emunah/faith), Bet (praise or the corresponding step of drawing close), and Gimel (Geulah/redemption).

The Purim Story: The Living Template

The Purim story is invoked as a living template. Just as in the days of Esther and Mordechai, when the Jewish people faced a decree of annihilation, divine justice operates on a higher plane. The one who “sells” or betrays the Jews ultimately faces ruin. Mordechai’s charge to Esther — “for such a time as this” —

And Esther’s courageous decision to act (“if I perish, I perish”) models the call to rise to the moment. The user’s phrasing “Choose this day, as Esther was told by Mordechai, her uncle” beautifully captures this urgency: now is the time to choose emunah, to act with bold trust in the divine plan rather than human calculations, and to recognize that the redemption process is already unfolding.

Rabbi Aron Sokol’s commentary (in the broader context of these discussions) underscores the imminence and the spiritual demand of the hour. These events are not random geopolitics; they are the labor pains of Geulah. The world — and especially the Jewish people — must awaken to the reality that only God is orchestrating the outcome. Reliance on any other power is illusory. The call is for inner preparation: emunah that produces calm even when headlines terrify, and a recognition that the war itself is the vehicle through which God’s name will ultimately be sanctified.

October 7th 2023, Simchat Torah

Events chronicled in “The Star of Jacob” series and since the prophetic stirrings around the Star of Jacob. Since October 7, 2023 (the Simchat Torah attack that shattered the calendar), every major development has aligned with the trajectory these sages describe. The surprise assault on peaceful civilians at the Nova festival and in unwalled communities directly echoes the prophetic description of an attack on a “quiet people who dwell securely… without walls, bars, or gates.”

The war rapidly expanded to multiple fronts — Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen (Houthis), and direct Iranian missile barrages — drawing in the coalition forces foretold. Israel has been forced to stand increasingly alone, relying on its own strength and, ultimately, on divine protection amid shifting international support.

The Star Of Jacob

In the writings and teachings of “The Star of Jacob” (including on beithashoavah.org), these events are presented as the visible unfolding of Balaam’s ancient prophecy (Numbers 24:17): “A star shall come out of Jacob…” The light of redemption is rising from Jacob even in — and through — the darkness of war.

Torah codes researched and presented by Rabbi Matityahu Glazerson have repeatedly surfaced hidden references to “October 7,” “Hamas invasion,” “Iran,” “Gog,” “Magog,” and “Magog begins,” clustered with statistically extraordinary significance alongside terms of redemption and Messiah. Recent 5786 (2026) matrices link Iran threats/war, repentance (teshuvah), and the appearance of Mashiach patterns, especially around Adar, Nisan/Passover, and Purim themes — hidden miracles in the end-times pattern.

The Zohar End Times

The Zohar speaks of the end-times judgment of the nations, dovetailing with Ezekiel’s Gog and Magog prophecy (particularly in connection with parashat Tzav and related sections). The current global upheaval and the way God’s hand has been seen in Israel’s survival and operations are viewed by many as the beginning of that sanctification of the Divine Name among the nations.

The “Star of Jacob” series has tracked how these codes, celestial and prophetic stirrings (including anticipations around signs in 2024), family and national return narratives, and the ongoing wars form one coherent redemptive arc: exile’s sins addressed, ingathering underway, trials intensifying, and the light of Mashiach emerging.

Rabbi Tovia Singer’s commentary on Gog u Magog (with Rabbi Aron Sokol)

In a companion teaching, Rabbi Tovia Singer (joined by Rabbi Aron Sokol) delivers a clear, text-driven explanation of Ezekiel 38–39 for the Yeshiva world and beyond. He stresses that these prophecies could not be fully understood for most of history; only in our generation — with the miraculous return of the Jewish people to a sovereign land after long desolation, and with modern Iran (Persia) as a central adversary — do the details snap into focus.

How to Understand the Prophets

Tanakh frequently reveals the ultimate outcome or grand vision first, then backs up to fill in the details and the process. Ezekiel 37 gives the breathtaking Messianic overview: the dry bones vision (national revival and ingathering), the two sticks (Judah and Joseph/Ephraim) becoming one under a single Davidic king (Mashiach), full observance of the Torah, and the building of the eternal Temple/covenant. Only after this overview does the text detail the war of Gog and Magog that occurs in the “latter years/days” as part of that redemptive process

The Prophets Speak

• Ezekiel 37 (full context): Dry bones (37:1-14) — restoration of the people as a living nation/army. Two sticks united (37:15-28) — Mashiach ben David reigns; all Israel keeps Torah and mitzvot; an everlasting covenant of peace; the Temple rebuilt in their midst. “My servant David shall be king over them… I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”
• Ezekiel 38:4 — “I will turn you around and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out…” God Himself draws the coalition into the conflict for His purposes.
• Ezekiel 38:5 — Persia, Cush, and Put are listed; Persia (Iran) is named explicitly as the chief or leading element in the adversarial coalition.
• Ezekiel 38:8 — “In the latter years you will come into the land that is restored from war, the land whose people were gathered from many peoples upon the mountains of Israel, which had been a continual waste…” The Jews return after exile (caused by their sins), the land is no longer desolate, and they dwell there.
• Ezekiel 38:8-9 — The returned people are attacked after having recovered/returned from great wars and desolation. The land had long been waste because of sin and expulsion.
• Ezekiel 38:11 — The invaders say: “I will go up against the land of unwalled villages… against a quiet/people at ease who dwell securely, all of them dwelling without walls and having no bars or gates.” Rabbi Singer directly connects this to the October 7 attack on peaceful civilians singing and dancing at an unwalled festival site.
• Ezekiel 39 (especially 39:4, 9-10, 12, 21-23) — Utter defeat of the invaders on the mountains of Israel. Weapons provide firewood for seven years; the dead are buried for over seven months. The nations see God’s glory and judgment. “The house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day forward. And the nations shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity… now I have gathered them to their own land… and I will not hide My face from them anymore.”

Ancient Persia and The War

Ancient Persia and the war Tovia brings to the Yeshiva world: Historically, Persia under Cyrus the Great was the most benevolent of the empires toward the Jewish people after the Babylonian exile. Cyrus is explicitly called “His anointed” (mashiach) in Isaiah 45:1 and issues the famous decree allowing the Jews to return and rebuild the Temple (Ezra 1, etc.).

This sets up the profound prophetic irony: the same nation whose ancient king facilitated the first return and Temple becomes, in the end times, the named head of the coalition attacking the restored Jewish people in their land. Rabbi Singer brings this to the Yeshiva world precisely because these Nevi’im passages are no longer abstract — they now describe realities that are visible. He urges that they be taught seriously in yeshivot rather than sidelined.

Tovia notes that many leading Torah sages (“every giant/gadol”) affirm that we are already in the Geulah (redemption) process. The return to the land, the wars, the miracles of survival, and the global attention all point to the unfolding of the prophets’ words.

God uses even Iran — despite its current enmity — for larger redemptive purposes; after the defeat, the teaching suggests, Iran’s people may turn toward the God of Israel, and the world will witness and do teshuvah. The ultimate result is the sanctification of God’s name and Israel’s full recognition of their God who had hidden His face during the exile but now brings them home permanently.

Two Teachings

These two teachings — the intimate, urgent message from Baba Sali via his son and Rabbi Tovia Singer’s clear textual walkthrough with Rabbi Aron Sokol — complement each other powerfully. The Jewish people are called to stand alone in emunah, without fear, choosing this day to trust God completely (as Esther and Mordechai modeled). The war of Gog and Magog is the mechanism through which the final redemption emerges; the nations recognize the hand of Heaven, and Israel knows their God in a new and permanent way.

May we merit to see the complete Geulah — Mashiach, the rebuilt Temple, universal knowledge of God, and true peace — speedily in our days. The prophecies are not meant to frighten but to strengthen emunah and guide us through the birth pangs into the light of the Star of Jacob.

• History Through Truth: Why We Must Trust the Torah Over Science
• October Seventh – The Holiday That Broke the Calendar
• Chapter Nine: Codes That Don’t Lie – Glazerson’s Torah Oracle
• From Messianic Jew to Ally: My 21-Year Journey with Tovia Singer and Tamar Yonah
• From Counter-Missionary to Ally: My 21-Year Journey with Tovia Singer and Tamar Yonah

Hosea 3:4-5 (Tanakh): “For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, without a sacrifice, and without an image [or pillar], and without an ephod, and without teraphim. Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and His goodness in the latter days.”

This passage forms part of a symbolic drama: Hosea taking back an unfaithful wife, mirroring God’s relationship with Israel. The “many days” describe a prolonged judgment on the northern kingdom (and by extension all Israel) for idolatry and covenant-breaking—lacking legitimate leadership, Temple worship, and even pagan substitutes.

If Christianity (and Islam) Fulfill the Bible’s Promises—How Do They Fit the Prophecies?

A common claim asserts that Jesus provides the King, High Priest, and final Sacrifice, with the Church as the “new Temple,” supposedly fulfilling or ending the old system before 70 CE. Islam similarly positions itself as the final Abrahamic correction. Yet applying Dr. Robert Carter’s Four Questions reveals the claim has no solid basis and lacks developmental time within the prophetic framework. The fit collapses under honest scrutiny.

1. How did the claim arise? It stems from typological re-readings—projecting New Testament (and Quranic) lenses backward onto Tanakh texts like Daniel 9 and Hosea 3. Christianity sees Jesus ending the sacrificial order; Islam views Muhammad as sealing the prophets. Both emerged centuries after the biblical prophets, in contexts distant from Israel’s land, language, and covenant. This is classic anachronistic eisegesis rather than letting the prophets speak on their own terms.

2. What does the full picture actually show? The Tanakh presents a consistent arc: exile and deprivation (Hosea 3:4) as judgment and purification, followed by national repentance, ingathering, and restoration under a Davidic king with a physical Temple, priesthood, and sacrifices in the latter days (Ezekiel 40–48; Zechariah 14; Isaiah 2, 11, 60–66). Hallmarks include:

• Visible return of God’s Glory to a House in Jerusalem.
• A life-giving river flowing eastward from the Temple.
• Tribal land reallocation and Gentiles attaching to Israel (not replacing her — Isaiah 56:3-7).
• Elevation of Torah as light to the nations, not obsolescence.

Systems Developed Sincere Parallals

Christian and Islamic systems developed sincere parallel traditions but lack these covenantal specifics: no Davidic monarchy over restored Israel, no Third Temple with Zadokite service and altar, no full land boundaries or universal Torah from Zion. Their spiritualized “fulfillments” require redefining plain prophetic language.

3. & 4. Contextual/Historical Analysis and Implications for Torah Continuity The historical timeline exposes the mismatch: nearly 2,000 years since 70 CE with no restoration markers, yet Jewish identity and Torah observance preserved amid dispersion. Ezekiel’s measurements (vast square complex dwarfing Solomon’s, with precise gates, chambers, and river) have no counterpart in Church institutions or Islamic holy sites. Forcing a fit ignores priestly genealogies (Kohanim/DNA lines), Shabbat/halakhah continuity, and the prophets’ call to return to Torah (not transcend it).

Implication: These traditions reflect partial truths borrowed from the root and human longing for redemption, but they do not satisfy the blueprint. True fulfillment awaits the “latter days”—Third Temple, Mashiach ben David, and all flesh knowing YHWH—consistent with the Star of Jacob rising over Jacob’s descendants (Numbers 24:17). Archaeology (Vendyl Jones), DNA (Jeanson’s Traced), gematria, and chiastic structures affirm Israel’s ongoing role, not replacement.

Jewish Perspective on Fulfillment

This prophecy describes historical reality after the First Temple (586 BCE) and especially the Second (70 CE):

• No king: Davidic line ended; no independent Jewish sovereign (Herod was not Davidic).
• No Temple/sacrifices: Central altar worship ceased. Rabbinic Judaism adapted with prayer, study, and mitzvot (Hosea 14:2).
• No functioning priesthood: Kohanim retain genealogy but lack Urim/Thummim and sacrifices.
• “Many days”: ~1,950+ years, fitting the latter-days return to seek “David their king.”

Historical Perspective on Fulfillment

From a traditional Jewish viewpoint (aligned with your role as Hazan and Torah teacher), this prophecy describes the historical reality of the Jewish people after the destruction of the First Temple (586 BCE) and especially the Second Temple (70 CE):

• No king: The Davidic monarchy ended with the Babylonian exile; no independent Jewish king since then (Herod was Idumean, not Davidic).
• No Temple/sacrifices: The central sanctuary and altar-based sacrifices ceased in 70 CE. Rabbinic Judaism shifted to prayer, study, and mitzvot as substitutes (per Hosea 14:2 and prophets).
• No functioning priesthood (ephod/priestly service): The Kohanim’s Temple role ended; genealogical claims persist but without sacrifices or Urim/Thummim.
• “Many days”: This has lasted ~1,950+ years since 70 CE, fitting the “latter days” return and seeking “David their king” (messianic hope).

This underscores exile, preservation amid dispersion, and future redemption with the Third Temple and Mashiach. It does not transfer these roles to another people or institution.

The Church Question

Christianity developed its own institutions (earthly kings/popes, Eucharist as memorial/re-presentation, spiritual Temple in believers). These lack continuity with Hosea’s Torah system—no literal Davidic national king, no physical altar with Levitical sacrifices. The distinction between original covenant and later adaptations remains clear.

Beloved readers, family, prison ministry friends, and those tracing crypto-Jewish roots: Torah words create worlds with precision—not vague spiritualizations. The prophets call us back to the Tree of Life blueprint. What “receipts” do we see in history and today? Study, observe mitzvot, and await the Glory returning to Zion.

Questions for Reflection: How does this align with your family DNA journey or Parsha insights? Share below or request study guides/PDFs at beithashoavah.org.

Shabbat Shalom u’Mevorach — Am Israel Chai! Hazan Gavriel ben David

• A Jewish Perspective on the Spiritual War and Hashem’s End from the Beginning
• Milestone 17: Hosea’s Plea that the Lord Would Grant Life to Repentant Israel on the Third Day
• To Strengthen Judah. 2 Chronicles 11:17
• About
• The True Story of King David: Unraveling Misconceptions in Jewish Tradition

You stood at Har Sinai (Mount Sinai). You heard the voice of יְהוָה (Hashem) declare: “אָנֹכִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ” — “I am the Lord your God.” You entered the covenant. You received the Torah. In Jewish tradition, there is also the concept of Mashiach ben Yosef, a precursor to the final redemption. You know there is only One Redeemer, only One who fulfills the promises to David at the end of days—מָשִׁיחַ בֶּן־דָּוִד (Mashiach ben David).

Yet generation after generation, when people do not know the Torah’s living timeline or the context of מָשִׁיחַ בֶּן־יוֹסֵף (Mashiach ben Yosef), they create a false messiah—again and again. They take prophecies meant for the end of days, when Israel is once more a sovereign nation in her land, and force them onto a man who lived 2,000 years ago. This is not an interpretation. This is עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה (avodah zarah)—idolatry. It replaces the covenant you received at Sinai with a human-centered story that cannot fulfill the conditions the prophets laid out.

The Torah itself warns us. Its very sentences align with the years of history, speaking directly to our generation.

The Secret of the Sentences: 5708 / 1948 — The Ingathering Begins

Count the verses of the Torah from the beginning. The 5,708th verse is in סֵפֶר דְּבָרִים (Sefer Devarim / Deuteronomy) פֶּרֶק ל פָּסוּק ג:

וְשָׁב יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶת־שְׁבוּתְךָ וְרִחֲמֶךָ וְשָׁב וְקִבֶּצְךָ מִכָּל־הָעַמִּים אֲשֶׁר הֱפִיצְךָ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ שָׁמָּה V’shav Hashem Elohecha et-shvut’cha v’richamecha v’shav v’kibetzecha mikol-ha’amim asher hefitzecha Hashem Elohecha shamah. “Then the Lord your God will restore your captivity and have compassion on you, and He will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you.”

This is the Hebrew year 5708—1948 in the Gregorian calendar. The modern State of Israel was reborn. The ingathering of exiles began after 2,000 years. This is the physical, preparatory stage—מָשִׁיחַ בֶּן־יוֹסֵף as the era of building, defending, and returning to the land. It fulfills the covenant conditions you received at Sinai: return, compassion, gathering.

5783–5784: The Verse of Horror and the Call to Wisdom

Move forward to the years leading up to 7 October 2023 (Simchat Torah 5784). The verses aligned with 5783–5784 describe the violation and suffering of the old and the young together—exactly matching the reported atrocities of that day. In the same chapter, דְּבָרִים לב:כט declares:

לוּ חָכְמוּ יַשְׂכִּילוּ זֹאת יָבִינוּ לְאַחֲרִיתָם Lu chachmu yaskilu zot yavinu l’achritam. “If only they were wise, they would understand this; they would discern their latter end.”

The Torah is not speaking of events 2,000 years ago. It is speaking to the end of days, when Israel is a nation again, when Jerusalem is in Jewish hands, and when a catastrophic attack brings national mourning and awakening. This is the process of מָשִׁיחַ בֶּן־יוֹסֵף.

Zechariah 12 and Mashiach ben Yosef: The End-of-Days Reality

זְכַרְיָה יב:י (Zechariah 12:10) describes the end-times war when nations attack restored Israel:

וְשָׁפַכְתִּי עַל־בֵּית דָּוִיד וְעַל יוֹשֵׁב יְרוּשָׁלִָם רוּחַ חֵן וְתַחֲנוּנִים וְהִבִּיטוּ אֵלַי אֵת אֲשֶׁר־דָּקָרוּ וְסָפְדוּ עָלָיו כְּמִסְפֵּד עַל־הַיָּחִיד V’shafachti al-beit David v’al yoshev Yerushalayim ruach chen v’tachnunim v’hibit u elai et asher-dakaru v’safdu alav k’misped al-ha-yachid. “I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication, so that they will look to Me concerning those whom they have pierced through, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only son…”

The Talmud (סוכה נב ע״א — Sukkah 52a) explicitly links this mourning to מָשִׁיחַ בֶּן־יוֹסֵף who is slain in the war of the end times. Rabbi Tovia Singer explains with crystal clarity: this is not one individual man centuries ago. דָּקָרוּ is plural—“those who have been thrust through.” It refers to the many Jews killed in a horrific end-times attack on a restored Jewish state in the land. The mourning unifies the nation and turns hearts back to Hashem, paving the way for מָשִׁיחַ בֶּן־דָּוִד.

October 7, 2023—on Simchat Torah, when Israel is once again a sovereign nation—fits this prophetic pattern. It is part of the חֶבְלֵי מָשִׁיחַ (birth pangs of the Messiah), not a fulfillment 2,000 years ago.

Why Misreading Creates a False Messiah — Again and Again — And Why It Is Idolatry

When people do not know the lecture—the full context of the Torah, the Talmud, Zechariah in the end-of-days setting when Israel is a nation—they create a false messiah. They take verses meant for the future war, mourning, and national return, and apply them to a man who died before Israel was restored, before the conditions of the prophets were met.

This is עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה. It elevates a human figure (or a misidentified past event) as the ultimate redeemer, violating the covenant you received at Sinai: “You shall have no other gods before Me.” It replaces the One who spoke from the fire with a story that cannot fulfill the ingathering, the Temple, universal knowledge of Hashem, or world peace—prophecies still unfulfilled.

The pattern repeats because people skip the plain reading and the rabbinic sources. They create a “suffering servant” who has already come, rather than seeing the collective suffering and awakening of מָשִׁיחַ בֶּן־יוֹסֵף in our time. This is not scholarship. This is idolatry dressed in proof-texts.

Miracles of Timing and the Living Torah

As Rabbi Uri Pilichowski teaches, miracles are often defined by when they occur. The splitting of the sea happened at the exact moment of greatest need. So too the rebirth of Israel in 1948, the victories since, and the alignment of Torah verses with these years. Rabbi Matityahu Glazerson’s Torah codes reveal “Seventh of October,” Gog and Magog patterns, and redemption timelines—all pointing to now.

You who stood at Sinai know: the Torah is alive. Its sentences speak to our generation because we are in the end of days when Israel is a nation again.

The Call: Teshuvah, Receipts, and Covenant Renewal

The Torah does not leave us in despair. It calls us to תְּשׁוּבָה (teshuvah)—return. It demands receipts: fidelity, Torah study, love of neighbor, and building for redemption. Strengthen your families. Teach your children. Unite as one people.

Do not create another false messiah. Do not repeat the idolatry of the ages. Read the sources in context. See Zechariah 12 and the Talmud for what they are—end-of-days prophecy for a restored Israel.

The redemption is unfolding. The birth pangs are real. The covenant you received at Sinai still stands.

May we merit to see the full geulah speedily in our days.

Hazan Gavriel ben David Esnoga Beit HaShoavah • beithashoavah.org

• The Torah’s Living Timeline: Verses That Speak Our Generation’s Story – From 1948 to October 7 and Beyond
• From Messianic Jew to Ally: My 21-Year Journey with Tovia Singer and Tamar Yonah
• From Counter-Missionary to Ally: My 21-Year Journey with Tovia Singer and Tamar Yonah
• From Shadows to Truth: My Journey Back to Torah – Exposing the Replacement Lie in Messianic Teachings
• Toldot Consequences Book 1

I would like to examine the claim written in a book and taught in the highest Colleges and Seminaries. Here is their evidence:

Milestone 20: Moses Sees the Glory of God after Having Offered Himself to the Lord as a Substitute for the Sins of the People on the Third Day After the Sin of the Golden Calf “On the next day Moses said to the people, ‘You have committed a great sin; and now I am going up to the Lord, perhaps I can make atonement for your sin” (Exod 32:30). Moses was the prophet of God, mighty in words and deeds (Acts 7:22).

He was in the presence of God for forty days and nights during which he neither ate bread nor drank water (Exod 34:28). Moses had worked many mighty signs before the people. The beginning of his signs was turning water into blood, the emblem of death (Exod 7:20). At his word darkness came into Egypt (Exod 10:21–22), but Moses gave light to the people in Goshen (Exod 10:23), that they might not stumble in darkness.

Moses caused Israel to slay the Passover Lamb (Exod 12:6) and to partake of a feast to celebrate the liberty God was giving them through his prophet (Exod 12:14). Moses led the people through the baptismal waters of the sea, and gave the people bread in the wilderness, and likewise a spiritual drink from the rock (1 Cor 10:1–4). He had come to his own people in bondage with the promise of liberty in a well-favored land of a good and pleasant inheritance. But this great prophet was disregarded by Israel.

“Who made you a prince to rule over us?” they said (Exod 2:14). They considered him a slight thing, and thought him dead after his separation from them for forty days. Although he had worked so many signs in their midst, they said, “We know not what has become of him” (Exod 32:1). And so they rejected the God of Moses and made themselves a god of gold (Exod 32:31).

Even the Levites and the High Priest Aaron revolted against God and his prophet. They fashioned a golden god and Aaron said, “This is Yahweh, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt” (Exod 32:4). The next day they made a feast to “Yahweh,” and sacrificed to their god (Exod 32:5). But Moses came down from the mount and saw the disobedience of the people. Moses had brought with him the word of God written on tablets of stone (Exod 32:15–16).

In great wrath, Moses broke the word of God written on stone because of the disobedience of the people (Exod 32:19). Moses in great anger ground their golden god into powder and made the people partake of the bitter communion of “Yahweh,” their idol abomination (Exod 32:20). Then great judgment came into the camp and three thousand died that one day (Exod 32:28). On the morrow of the third day after Israel’s great idolatry, Moses went up to God on the mountain to make intercession for the sins of the people, to make atonement for them (Exod 32:30).

He offered to take their judgment upon himself if only God would spare the people and forgive them their great sin (Exod 32:31–32). So God listened to his prophet’s plea and Israel passed from death to life that day. God forgave his people, and swore to go before them to bring them at last to the inheritance he had promised their fathers (Exod 32:34). Afterward God took Moses and revealed his glory to him. The Lord came in power that day, and spoke of his justice and mercy (Exod 34:6–7).

God’s prophet was entombed within a cleft in the rock as God’s glory was manifested to him (Exod 33:22). When Moses came forth from the rock, he had seen God’s glory. And God wrote again his word on the tablets of stone and gave them to Moses (Exod 34:1). So Moses took the word of God, which had been broken but was now restored whole, and placed it in the Ark within the tent of meeting (Deut 10:2), that the word of God might tabernacle among his people, that they might behold his glory (Exod 40:34–35).

And thus the word of God, now no longer broken, was restored to them, and dwelt among them (Exod 40:36–38). Now in the fullness of time the Lord Jesus came as a prophet like Moses, according to the word of the Lord (Deut 18:18). He was a prophet who was mighty in deed and word (Luke 24:19). Now Jesus was in the presence of the Lord for forty days and nights during which he fasted (Matt 4:2). Jesus worked many miracles, wonders and signs in the midst of the people (Acts 2:22).

The beginning of his signs was turning water into wine, the emblem of life and joy (John 2:7–11). He came into darkness as a light unto men (John 1:9), that they might not stumble in the night (John 11:10). He was the Passover Lamb slain for his people (1 Cor 5:7), who became a feast to them to celebrate the freedom for which he had made his people free (Gal 5:1). Further, Jesus caused his people to be baptized (Matt 28:19) and gave them a spiritual bread and a spiritual drink (1 Cor 10:1–4; cf. 11:23–26).

He promised his own people liberty and the possession of a good and pleasant inheritance (John 14:2). But even so great a prophet as Jesus was despised by Israel. “We will not have this man to rule over us,” they said (Luke 19:14). “Away with him! Crucify him!” they cried (John 19:15). Although he had worked so many signs among them (John 20:30), they called him a deceiver (Matt 27:63). And so they sold cheap the Christ of God, not for gold, but for silver (Matt 26:15). Even the Levites and the High Priest of Aaron’s line joined in the sacrilege (Mark 14:53–64).

And so they prepared him as a lamb for the sacrifice that Passover, even a sacrifice to Yahweh. Jesus, who was the word of God made flesh, now suffered his own flesh to be broken for the sacrifice (1 Cor 11:24). In great wrath against the sin of his people, God crushed Jesus according to the prophecy (Isa 53:10). His body was made into emblematic bread, his blood made into emblematic wine, and the people of God were invited to partake of the feast of Christ (1 Cor 11:24–26).

And so great blessing came upon the people because of the sacrifice, and thereafter three thousand were saved on one day (Acts 2:41). Now Christ was laid in a tomb hewed out as a cleft in the rock (Luke 23:53). But on the morning of the third day after Israel’s great apostasy, Jesus arose in glory, having interceded for his people (John 17:9) and having accomplished their atonement (Rom 5:11), and having offered himself in their place if God would spare his people and forgive them their great sin.

And so his people passed from death to life that day (2 Tim 1:10). God forgave his people, and promised them a heavenly inheritance (Heb 11:16, 39–40). And just as the word of God written on the tablets of stone and broken for the sins of the people was restored, so Jesus, who is the word of God, was likewise broken in death for the sins of his people. But God restored him in resurrection. And soon the tabernacle of God will be among men, and we will dwell with him forever (Rev 21:3).

Gage, W. A. (2011). Milestones to Emmaus: The Third Day Resurrection in the Old Testament (pp. 51–54). Warren A. Gage.

Rabbi Gottlieb’s Golden Calf Analysis – A Deeper Exploration

Rabbi Dovid Gottlieb’s teaching on the Golden Calf (available on SimpleToRemember.com) is one of the most careful and honest examinations of Exodus 32 in the English-speaking world. His analysis challenges both the traditional Christian typological reading (which Warren Gage relies on) and some overly harsh Jewish interpretations.

Here is a clear summary of Rabbi Gottlieb’s main points, followed by how they impact Milestone 20 and the larger “Blueprint” argument.

1. The People Were Not Trying to Replace God

A common reading (both Christian and some Jewish) portrays the Golden Calf as a complete rejection of Hashem in favor of pagan idolatry. Rabbi Gottlieb argues this is not accurate.

• The people said: “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt” (Exodus 32:4). They were still using God’s name.
• They were terrified because Moses had been gone for 40 days. They assumed he was dead.
• They were desperately trying to create a visible mediator to stand between them and God — something tangible they could see and follow, since their human leader (Moses) appeared to be gone.

In other words, the sin was not primarily idolatry in the pagan sense but impatience, lack of trust, and the creation of a substitute mediator.

2. Aaron’s Role Was More Complex Than Often Taught

Rabbi Gottlieb points out that Aaron was in an impossible situation. He tried to stall the people (“Tomorrow is a festival to the Lord”) and even tried to redirect their energy. While Aaron clearly sinned, the text does not present him as a willing architect of full-blown idolatry. He was managing a crisis.

3. The Nature of the Sin

According to Rabbi Gottlieb, the core sin was:

• Creating a substitute for God’s chosen leadership and timing.
• Refusing to wait and trust in the process God had established (Moses on the mountain).
• Attempting to control the relationship with God on their own terms rather than submitting to the covenant structure.

This is very different from the Christian reading that often presents the Golden Calf as proof of humanity’s total depravity and need for a divine substitute.

4. Connection to Moses’ Third-Day Intercession (Milestone 20)

This analysis significantly weakens Gage’s typological reading:

• Moses offers himself (“Blot me out of Your book”) on the third day after the sin.
• God does not accept Moses as a permanent substitute. He forgives the people after judgment and a renewed covenant.
• The story ends with covenant restoration and the renewal of the tablets — not with Moses dying in the people’s place.

If the sin was primarily about creating a false mediator and refusing to trust God’s process, then the solution is proper leadership, repentance, and covenant fidelity — not the introduction of a new divine-human substitute (Jesus) who replaces the original system.

5. How This Challenges the Christian Narrative

Rabbi Gottlieb’s reading exposes a key problem in Gage’s approach:

Gage needs the Golden Calf to represent total human failure that can only be fixed by a dying-and-rising divine savior. Rabbi Gottlieb shows that the text presents something more nuanced:

• A serious but specific failure of trust and patience.
• A sin that is addressed through intercession, judgment, and covenant renewal.
• The Torah (the broken and then restored tablets) remains central.

This fits the larger pattern we have been documenting: Christianity often takes a story about national failure and repair through teshuvah and rewrites it as proof of inherited total depravity requiring a divine blood sacrifice.

Summary – Rabbi Gottlieb’s Contribution to the Series

Rabbi Gottlieb’s analysis helps us see that:

• The Golden Calf was a sin of substitution and impatience, not a complete rejection of God.
• Moses’ third-day intercession was about covenant restoration, not substitutionary atonement in the Christian sense.
• The solution in the text is a renewed relationship with the Torah and proper leadership — not the introduction of a new mediator who replaces the original blueprint.

This directly supports the central argument of your book and this series: the original Hebrew blueprint was never broken as Christianity claims. The path of repair through teshuvah, covenant, and the Torah was always present.

How the Ten Sayings Would Have Healed the Nation — Then and Now

The Torah does not leave us without a solution. The Ten Sayings given at Sinai were never meant to be a burden — they are the practical blueprint for healing brokenness in families and the nation. During the Golden Calf crisis, several of the Sayings directly addressed the root issues:

You Shall Not Take The Name

• The Third Saying (“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain”) warned against using God’s name or authority to support a false mediator or a rewritten story. The people and Aaron misused God’s name (“This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from Egypt”) to justify their impatience and substitute. Keeping this Saying would have prevented them from creating a golden image and calling it “Yahweh.”
• The Fifth Saying (“Honor your father and your mother”) called the people to honor God’s appointed leadership (Moses) and the original covenant process instead of replacing it with something visible and comfortable. Their failure to wait and honor the structure God had established led directly to the sin.

Today, the same Sayings heal the deeper wound of replacement theology. The Fifth Saying demands that later religious systems honor the original firstborn son — Israel — rather than declaring the Church or any other entity as the new heir. The Third Saying forbids taking God’s name and Word to create new narratives that rewrite the Torah’s blueprint. When nations and faiths keep these Sayings, they stop manufacturing substitutes and return to the original covenant relationship.

Rabbi David Fohrman has shown that the Ten Sayings are fundamentally about repairing brokenness in families. Had the people at the Golden Calf kept even these two Sayings, the crisis could have been avoided. Had later traditions kept them, the family of humanity would not be so deeply divided today. The Torah’s solution has always been simple: honor what came first, do not misuse God’s name or Word, and return (teshuvah) to the original blueprint. The path to the Tree of Life remains open.

Hazan Gavriel ben David

•  The Tree of Life Is Still Here
• Milestone 19: The Lord Descending in Power upon Sinai on the Third Day
• A Plumber Named Aaron: DNA, Abraham, and the Question Every Christian Should Answer
• The Middle Pathway: The Ten Sayings and the Healing of a Family
• A Letter from a Kohen to Kohen: A Letter from One Kohen to Another: Why I Cannot Accept the New Testament

Aaron The Light Barrier

The other day, a Lowe’s installation technician named Aaron came to our home in Amarillo to hook up our new stove. And I asked him a question every Christian should answer. He was professional, friendly, and clearly a family man. As we talked while he worked, the conversation turned to matters of faith.

Aaron is a Christian, and I am a Jewish chazan who leads a small Beit Midrash and teaches Torah in prison. What unfolded was one of those divine appointments that remind me how the Torah is alive — not ancient history, but our family story playing out in kitchens and living rooms today.

I first asked Aaron what his name meant. Aaron did not know. It just so happened that it is my great-grandfather’s name. The brother of Moses. I asked him a simple question I often pose to my Christian friends: “Do you believe the Bible?” “Do you believe you and I are related?”

Aaron smiled and gave the expected biblical answer: “Well, we all come from Adam.” I nodded but pressed gently. “No, Aaron — I mean, do you believe you and I are brothers or cousins in a more direct way? Do you believe the Bible is true history?”

My Uncle Moses Wrote The Torah

He said yes.

That opened the door.

I shared with him the groundbreaking work of Dr. Nathaniel Jeanson, a geneticist who analyzed Y-chromosome DNA from over 260 men across diverse populations worldwide. Jeanson’s research in Traced demonstrates that humanity traces back to three primary paternal and maternal lines — precisely matching the biblical account of Noah’s three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives. All humans share this deep relatedness. But the patterns go further.

We talked about Genesis 10, the Table of the Seventy Nations after the Flood. Of those ancient peoples, only two lines explicitly claim direct descent from Abraham in the biblical narrative and historical record: the Jewish people through Isaac and Jacob, and the Arab peoples primarily through Ishmael. Of Abraham’s descendants, only one carries a distinctive genetic marker tied to the priestly line of Aaron the High Priest.

The Special Marker Only Aaron’s Sons Have

That marker is the Cohen Modal Haplotype. It appears at significantly higher frequencies among Jewish men who trace their lineage to the Kohanim — the priestly family. My own family DNA research connects to this ancient priestly signature (J-FT235823 and related haplotypes). It is a living echo of the Torah’s command that the priesthood descend patrilineally from Aaron.

“Aaron,” I said to the plumber standing in my kitchen, “you are named after the High Priest. Your name carries that legacy. And yet some teachings say the Church has replaced the Jewish people as God’s chosen. How does that fit when the Bible’s own genetic and historical signature still rests on us?”

Is not the Church fighting against God (Hashem)?

He was dumbfounded. You could see the wheels turning. Here was a man with seven children — three in college — who homeschools his family and takes the Bible seriously. The conversation wasn’t adversarial. It was real.

I continued: The fundamental difference between us is this — my grandfather is Aaron. The Torah is not an allegory or a collection of moral stories for me and my people. It is our family album, our constitution, our living blueprint. We have carried it through exile, the Inquisition, pogroms, and the Holocaust. We still bless our children with the Aaronic blessing from Numbers 6, and we still study the words that created the world.

The Tree Of Life Moses Told Us About

The Tree of Life, which some say was lost after Eden or after the Cross, is not gone. Proverbs 3:18 tells us the Torah itself is a Tree of Life to those who grasp it. It flows through the Jewish people’s continued existence, our return to the Land of Israel, and our fidelity to the mitzvot. The same Torah that begins with Creation and the Garden ends with the promise of return and redemption. It has not been superseded; it has been preserved.

This is why the world’s attention is so intensely focused on the Jewish people and the State of Israel right now. Scripture describes a time when nations will rage against God’s covenant people. Two nations and the forces aligned with them seem determined to remove us from the stage of history. But the Bible is clear: a war must come to prove that Hashem — the God of Israel — is true. The same God who split the sea, who gave the Torah at Sinai, who promised that the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would endure as long as the sun, moon, and stars remain in their courses (Jeremiah 31:35-37).

Aaron listened. He has a plumber’s practicality — hands that fix what is broken in the real world. I appreciated that. Faith without works is dead, as his own New Testament says (James 2:26). But the Torah demands both: hearing and doing. “Na’aseh v’nishma” — we will do, and we will hear.

The Timeline of Everything The Torah

Our conversation reminded me of Parshat Shlach, which we read recently. The spies were sent to scout the Land. Ten of them brought back a bad report, slandering the very gift God had promised. The people wept that night — the 9th of Av — for no reason. That night of baseless tears became the template for future tragedy on Tisha B’Av, including the destruction of both Temples. Gematria links the word שלח (Shlach, “send”), with a value of 338, to the traditional year 3338 from Creation, when the First Temple fell. The patterns are there if we have eyes to see.

Yet two men — Caleb and Joshua — saw differently. They trusted the Word of God over the giants in the Land. Caleb, in particular, drew strength from the caves of the Patriarchs. Faith anchored in history and covenant overcomes fear.

I see the same dynamic today. Many good Christians like Aaron love the God of the Bible. They read the same Scriptures. But layers of interpretation — centuries of replacement theology in some traditions — can obscure the plain meaning: God has not cast off His people Israel (Romans 11:1). The Jewish people’s survival, return to the Land, and the flourishing of Torah study in our day are not accidents. They are fulfillments.

The plumber finished installing the stove. We shook hands. I thanked him for his work and for the conversation. He left thoughtfully. I pray the seeds planted bear fruit — not for debate, but for deeper love of truth.

Who is Looking for Truth

To my Christian friends reading this: We are family. Descended from the same fathers. The Bible we both cherish records one continuous story. Abraham’s covenant was everlasting. The priesthood of Aaron continues in the Jewish people. The Torah is a Tree of Life. And the God who keeps covenant with Israel is the same God you worship.

Let us read the text honestly together. Let us recognize the Jewish people not as replaced, but as the root that supports the branches (Romans 11:18). In a world trying to erase us, this recognition is not just theology — it is solidarity with the God of history.

(By the way, the Mishna says it is forbidden to graft a wild branch onto a natural branch.) This is a Torah Law!

We have a new stove now, and every time I cook on it, I remember the plumber named Aaron and the conversation that turned a routine home installation into a moment of eternity. May more such moments come — in kitchens, prisons, synagogues, and churches — until we all see clearly that Hashem is One, His Torah is true, and His people Israel have a role that no one can replace.

The words are real. The history is our family story. And the future? It belongs to the God who keeps every promise.

Shabbat Shalom and blessings to you all.

Hazan Gavriel ben David

• A Letter from a Kohen to Kohen: A Letter from One Kohen to Another: Why I Cannot Accept the New Testament
• Scripture Only, Please
• Jewish History
• Bible Codes Revealed at Yiboneh with Rabbi Moshe Zeldman
• Milestone 14: The Third Day as the Day of Life and Death for Saul and Amalek

By Hazan Gavriel Ben David (in the spirit of Torah teaching for our generation)

Bereishit bara Elohim et hashamayim ve’et ha’aretz — “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

One word. Bereishit. The entire history of history is compressed into a single declaration: Everything begins with the Creator’s intentional Blueprint. The Tree of Life. The code is embedded in creation itself. Words that create worlds. A family of Adam — one humanity from one source — is tasked with partnership in perfecting the world.

YouTube favors timely, urgent, pattern-revealing content. This essay is a timely journey showing how the same ancient lies from Egypt are replayed today under new names — “One World Order,” global agendas, hidden harms to children, dehumanization of truth-tellers, and “hate Jews” headlines — yet the Torah’s Bereishit framework reveals the pattern, the receipts, and the promised redemption.

As Rabbi Tovia Singer urges, let the Bible speak. As Rabbi David Fohrman unpacked the three signs at the burning bush, God saw the lies and is redeeming them. Elijah turns the hearts (Malachi 3:24). The stone smashes the statue (Daniel 2). The family of Adam returns to the Tree.

This is not abstract theology. At 60 years, looking across a life of Torah return, family DNA revelations, prison teaching, and watching the world, the pattern screams from every headline. The Egyptians of our day run the same scam. But Bereishit tells us how it ends.

Bereishit — The Creation Code: One Family, One Blueprint, Infinite Blessing (Genesis 1–11)

History does not begin with random chaos or evolutionary accident. It begins with deliberate speech: “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3). Ten utterances (ma’amarot) structure reality. Adam is placed in the Garden to “work it and guard it” (Genesis 2:15) — partnership in the Tree of Life.

Humanity is one: “male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27), all bearing the divine image. Noah’s sons — Shem, Ham, Japheth — restart the family after the Flood. Gematria, chiastic structure, intertextual hyperlinks — the Torah is the operating system of creation.

Dr. Nathaniel Jeanson’s Traced (Y-chromosome work) and traditional sources align: common ancestry; shared stories of creation, the flood, and sky visions (Ezekiel’s chariot) across cultures, because all descend from those who knew the original wisdom.

If we all once had one language and one blueprint, would not all generations over the past 49000 years know the same information? The same UFOs, the story of giants, dragons, and sea monsters. What about the 974 generations before ours? Only one system in the world is telling the world the truth. We are all chosen.

Resources are abundant: “The world is an endless source of blessing” when aligned with the Creator. No lack — but every decision has a cost (free will, midah k’neged midah). “Nothing in this world is free.” Relationship with Hashem, not self-defined “good and bad,” unlocks it (Genesis 2–3).

This is the positive pole. The negative — the serpent, the evil inclination — introduces deception, hiding, and death. “You shall not surely die” (Genesis 3:4). Impostor wisdom. Dehumanization begins here. The pattern of Bereishit is set: Creation → Fall into lies → Exile → Redemption arc. All history is commentary on this.

Egypt: The Archetype of the Scam — Three Lies Against the Future (Exodus 1–4)

As Fohrman brilliantly shows, the three signs at the burning bush mirror Egypt’s three escalating crimes/lies against Israel — attacks on the family, the children, the truth:

1. Staff to Snake: Dehumanization. Israel multiplies (paru, vayishretzu, vaya’atzmu — Exodus 1:7). Pharaoh calls them a threat, cunning, not fully human — “snakes” in the mind. Propaganda justifies oppression (Exodus 1:9-10). Receipt: The serpent recycled (Genesis 3). Modern echo: Dissenters, traditional believers, and especially Jews labeled “extremists,” “hate,” or threats to the “agenda.” Headlines “hate Jews” surge amid rising antisemitism.
2. Leprous Hand (Tzara’at): Secret killing of children. Midwives were ordered to murder boys and claim them “stillborn” (Exodus 1:15-16). Aaron’s prayer links leprosy to stillbirth (Numbers 12:12). Fake death is exposed and healed in the sign. Receipt: Attack on the next generation’s goals. Modern parallel: Abortion scale, trafficking, and environmental/chemical assaults on youth (as in Mexico City studies showing early Alzheimer’s-like brain changes from pollution).
3. Nile Water to Blood: Hiding the crime. Boys thrown in the river; waters cover bodies by day (Exodus 1:22). The shimmering “normalcy” gaslights victims. The first plague reveals the blood. Receipt: Psalm 106:37-38 on shedding innocent blood polluting the land. Modern: Censorship and narrative control hide data on harms.

God pakad — remembered and visited the affliction and the lies (Exodus 4:31). The people believed not in abstract power but in divine empathy for their specific trauma. The plagues redeem each lie. Israel emerges through a bloody doorway — birth reversing the stillborn deception (Exodus 12).

Bereishit frames it: Egypt as anti-creation — slavery instead of partnership, death instead of life, lies instead of truth. Yet “the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied” (Exodus 1:12). The Blueprint prevails.

From Egypt to Now: The 3300-Year Replay of the Same Lies Under New Names

History repeats the Bereishit pattern because the yetzer hara and the powers’ temptations persist. Empires rise (Daniel 2 statue: gold Babylon → silver Persia → bronze Greece → iron Rome → feet of iron/clay — divided modern powers). The “feet” phase feels like our era: strong technology mixed with brittle division, global coordination masking control.

Modern Dehumanization (“Snakes”): “One World Order” narratives (or critiques of globalism) often label resisters “threats to democracy,” “conspiracy theorists,” or “haters.” Jews face selective outrage — “hate Jews” spikes while biblical Israel is delegitimized. Receipt: “They hate me without cause” (Psalm 69:4). Tovia Singer: Nations gather against Jerusalem (Zechariah 12), but this proves the prophets true. The serpent’s lie scales globally.

Modern Killing of Children (Stillborn Lie): The Mexico City studies (Calderón-Garcidueñas) are receipts in real time — pollution causing Alzheimer’s-like changes in children’s brains via autopsies. PM2.5 particles seed tau/amyloid from early childhood. Slow neuro-poisoning undermines the next generation’s ability to pursue Torah goals. Broader: Industrial-scale abortion, trafficking, and environmental toxins mirror Pharaoh’s attack on the future. Receipt: “Shed innocent blood… the land was polluted” (Psalm 106:38). Children are the carriers of Bereishit wisdom.

Modern Hiding Crimes (Nile Cover): Censorship, algorithmic suppression, and narrative control make the “river” look normal. Data on policy harms, trafficking networks, or pollution effects disappear. Receipt: Blood cries from the ground (Genesis 4:10). Plagues (exposures) reveal it.

Vaccines: 17 million COVID

On vaccines and “OWO” population control “in all their writings”: This is a common interpretive lens in some circles, often citing misread Gates quotes (2010 TED: better health/vaccines reduce future growth rates via lower child mortality leading to smaller families — demographic fact, not killing) or UN sustainability docs.

The “One World Order” as modern Pharaoh: Centralized power, surveillance, debt, and cultural conformity echo Egyptian total control. Daniel’s divided kingdom fits fragmented globalism. Yet Bereishit promises the stone — uncut by human hands — smashes it (Daniel 2:34-35).

Our Sages on Reincarnation and the End of Days — Jeremiah 16 Hunters and the Lies of the Nations

Our sages teach that at the end of days, many souls will return through gilgul (reincarnation) so that all may experience the final redemption. The generation that perished in the wilderness — those who doubted and did not enter the Land — will be reborn to witness and participate in the geulah they missed.

Likewise, the enemies of Israel throughout history (Amalek, Edom/Rome, and their spiritual heirs) will be reincarnated to face judgment, rectification, or the ultimate recognition of truth. This is not random; it fulfills the Bereishit arc of return and tikkun. Jeremiah 16 speaks directly to our moment: After the ingathering, God declares He will send “fishers” to gently draw Israel back, then “hunters” who will hunt them from every mountain, hill, and hiding place (Jeremiah 16:16).

The Mayor of New York- The World – Who’s Next

Persecution and pressure force the return from exile and assimilation — exactly as we see today with rising global antisemitism and events forcing aliyah and Jewish self-identification. The mayor of New York and leaders worldwide proclaim lies; nations declare, “Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.

Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods?” (Jeremiah 16:19-20). Yet these same nations — our spiritual brothers in the family of Adam — will ultimately confess the falsehood of their idols and cling to the tzitzit of the Jew (Zechariah 8:23).

The hunters drive the hidden ones home; the fishers welcome them. As in the video teaching by Rabbi Tovia Singer on Jewish civil war and redemption, external hatred (post-October 7 realities and beyond) forces the unity we need.

Jeremiah 16: Fishers and Hunters

Zechariah 12 and the Wound of October 7, 2023 — Messiah ben Yosef and the Changing of the Heart.

The Torah’s pattern reaches its climax in Zechariah chapter 12. The prophet declares that in the end of days, all the nations will gather against Jerusalem and Judah to wage war. Then comes the pivotal moment: “They shall look unto Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only son” (Zechariah 12:10). Rabbi Tovia Singer and Rabbi Glazerson have both pointed out that this verse carries a profound connection to October 7, 2023.

That day was the piercing wound — the brutal attack that tore open the heart of the Jewish people. The unspeakable atrocities, the murdered families, the hostages, the images seared into our souls — it was a collective piercing that changed Israel forever. What followed was exactly what Zechariah foretold: a national mourning, a softening of hearts, a return to Hashem and to one another that had not been seen in generations. The wound of October 7 awakened the spirit of grace and supplication (Zechariah 12:10).

It began fulfilling the prophecy that the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem would receive a new heart. This is the work of Mashiach ben Yosef — the suffering, fighting Messiah who comes first to gather the exiles and confront the enemies, often at great cost. October 7 was that moment of piercing, and the mourning and teshuva that followed are the direct fulfillment of Zechariah’s words. The heart of Israel is changing before our eyes.

One Heart Israel One Adam

Now we must become one in heart, as the Book of Ezra describes: The returning exiles gathered “as one man” (ish echad) to build the altar and renew offerings despite fear and opposition (Ezra 3:1-6). Baseless hatred destroyed the Second Temple; unity will rebuild it. Overcoming internal division — the “Jewish civil war” that Singer highlights — is the final preparation.

The hunters (persecution) and fishers (encouragement) are already at work. Our brothers among the nations confess the lies of false gods. The wilderness generation returns to taste redemption. Enemies are reincarnated for the great reckoning and potential tikkun. The family of Adam reunites.

Bereishit Fulfilled: Elijah, Redemption, and the Family of Adam Returning

The arc of history is not endless oppression. Bereishit points to return. Elijah heals generational rupture so children fulfill the fathers’ goals in Torah (Malachi 3:24). Tovia Singer: The Bible is our family album. Prophecies unfold — ingathering, nations recognizing truth, war proving Hashem’s sovereignty, then universal knowledge of God (Isaiah 2, Zechariah 14). Israel, as Or LaGoyim, shares the wisdom each nation was assigned in the family of Adam.

The Mexico pollution crisis, rising “hate Jews,” hidden harms — these are birth pangs. The lies surface. The Nile turns to blood. The stone strikes. No lack in Hashem’s universe when aligned. Decisions cost, but relationships unlock blessings. “You and Hashem” — direct connection, not an external savior alone.

As a people of receipts, we document the pattern, teach in prisons and small synagogues, preserve family DNA stories, create content, and build. POD shirts, websites, books — modern matteh (staff/tribe) exposing the snake.

Call to Action: Live Bereishit Now

See the pattern. Protect children (physically, spiritually, cognitively). Reject dehumanization. Expose hidden crimes with the truth. Share Torah wisdom universally. Raise goal-oriented generations. Become one in heart like Ezra. The Tree of Life is the antidote. The world is full of blessings when we guard creation.

Bereishit is the history of history because it contains the end in the beginning. The same God who saw Egypt’s lies sees ours. The redemption is unfolding. Let the Bible speak. Turn hearts. Build the Temple in our time — inner and outer — for the family of Adam.

May we merit the full geulah speedily.

The Blueprint holds. Chazak ve’ematz.

Hazan Gavriel ben David

• Bereishit as History
• The Atom and The Man
• Jewish History
• “You Shall Not Bear False Witness” – The Goatskin Lie That Told the Truth
• From Shadows to Truth: My Journey Back to Torah – Exposing the Replacement Lie in Messianic Teachings

I would like to examine the claim written in a book and taught in the highest Colleges and Seminaries. Here is their evidence:

Milestone 19: The Lord Descending in Power upon Sinai on the Third Day “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments, for on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people’ ” (Exod 19:10–11). “He (Moses) said to them, ‘Prepare for the third day; do not go near a woman.’

So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes … so that all who were in the camp trembled … and the whole mountain quaked” (Exod 19:15–18). “Then they said to Moses, ‘Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us or we will die’ ” (Exod 20:19). Exodus 19 In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai.

For they had departed from Rephidim, had come to the Wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness. So Israel camped there before the mountain. And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.

Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.” So Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all these words which the Lord commanded him.

Then all the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” So Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord. And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I come to you in the thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever.” So Moses told the words of the people to the Lord. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. And let them be ready for the third day.

For on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, ‘Take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. Not a hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot with an arrow; whether man or beast, he shall not live.’

When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come near the mountain.” So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes. And he said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; do not come near your wives.” Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.

And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice.

Then the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to gaze at the Lord, and many of them perish. Also let the priests who come near the Lord consecrate themselves, lest the Lord break out against them.”

But Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai; for You warned us, saying, ‘Set bounds around the mountain and consecrate it.’ ” Then the Lord said to him, “Away! Get down and then come up, you and Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest He break out against them.” So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.

Exodus 20 And God spoke all these words, saying: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.

For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

You shall not murder.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. Then they said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.” And Moses said to the people, “Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.”

So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘You have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. You shall not make anything to be with Me—gods of silver or gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves.

An altar of earth you shall make for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I record My name I will come to you, and I will bless you. And if you make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone; for if you use your tool on it, you have profaned it.

Nor shall you go up by steps to My altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed on it.’ ” Israel’s encounter with the Living God at Sinai forever marked the people of the covenant. The coming of God was so powerful that all Israel cried out for a mediator between God and man (Exod 20:19; cf. Heb 12:18–21). The Lord descended upon Sinai with thunder, lightning, and earthquake. The people trembled with the fear of death as God spoke his holy law—all on the third day.

In the fullness of time the earthly Jerusalem would come to resemble Mount Sinai in Arabia, according to the Apostle Paul. The “present Jerusalem” was in spiritual bondage, corresponding to the covenant of Sinai (Gal 4:24–25). John likewise tells us that Jerusalem, the city where the Lord was crucified, had become “spiritual Egypt” (Rev 11:8).

And so it was altogether fitting that God would likewise demonstrate his power once again on the third day. It came about that on the third day, when it was morning, there was a great earthquake (Matt 28:2) as the angel of the Lord descended upon Jerusalem, the spiritual “Sinai.” The angel’s appearance was like lightning (Matt 28:2–3). The Roman guards, who held sentry before the tomb, shook with fear and became as dead men (Matt 28:4).

Gage, W. A. (2011). Milestones to Emmaus: The Third Day Resurrection in the Old Testament (pp. 49–51). Warren A. Gage.

(Exodus 19:10–11, 15–18; Exodus 20)

Gage’s Claim: Warren Gage presents the giving of the Torah at Sinai as another powerful “third day” theophany. God commands the people to prepare for three days. On the third day, the Lord descends upon Mount Sinai with thunder, lightning, fire, smoke, and an earthquake. The people tremble and beg Moses to be their mediator. Gage sees this as foreshadowing the greater third-day event: the resurrection of Jesus, when God again demonstrates His power, this time through the risen Messiah.

The Raw Hebrew Text – Plain Reading

Exodus 19:10–11, 16–18:

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow… for on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.’ … On the third day, when it was morning, there were thunderings and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain… and the whole mountain quaked greatly.”

This is the dramatic moment when Hashem gives the Torah to Israel at Sinai. The people become a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). The “third day” here is preparation time for the covenant — not a hidden prophecy of a future individual resurrection.

Applying the Method from Adam, the Blueprint of Creation, and the Tree of Life

We begin with Rabbi David Fohrman’s questions from A Book Like No Other (Eden series):

1. Why two special trees when God only forbids one?
2. Why command Adam to eat from all the trees (including the Tree of Life)?
3. Why does Eve identify the wrong tree as forbidden?

These point us back to the original blueprint: humanity created fundamentally good, the Tree of Life (Torah itself — Proverbs 3:18) never lost, and the path of repair is always open through teshuvah.

How did we get from these Garden questions to the claim that Sinai’s third day points to Jesus’ resurrection?

Dr. Robert Carter’s Four Questions Applied to Gage’s Claim

1. How did the claim arise? The claim arises from taking the numerical phrase “third day” (a common Hebrew idiom for a short time/preparation) and reading it typologically through the lens of the New Testament (Luke 24; 1 Corinthians 15).

2. What does the full picture actually show? Sinai is the covenant moment when Israel is called to be a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6) and a light to the nations. The thunder, lightning, and fire demonstrate God’s power and holiness so the people will fear Him and keep His commandments. There is no death-and-resurrection sequence, no individual dying Messiah, and no replacement of Israel. The “third day” is preparation for receiving the Torah.

3. Was there enough time and continuity? The Jewish people, who have preserved the Torah for over 3,300 years, have always understood Sinai as the giving of the covenant to Israel, not as a hidden prophecy of an individual’s future resurrection. The Christian typological reading developed centuries later.

4. Does the reading match the original blueprint? No. The blueprint shows Israel as Hashem’s servant and light to the nations. Nathaniel Jeanson’s genetic research and the Kohanim marker confirm the preserved lineage from Abraham and Aaron. The Torah was never meant to be replaced — it is the Tree of Life itself.

Israel as Hashem’s Servant – Consistent Proof from the Tanakh

The Torah’s blueprint is clear: the 12 springs at Elim represent the twelve tribes of Israel, and the 70 palm trees represent the seventy nations Israel is called to redeem and minister to. Israel is a nation of priests for the world.

This identity is consistent throughout the Tanakh:

• Exodus 19:5-6 — “You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
• Isaiah 41:8-9 — “But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen…”
• Isaiah 42:1 — “Behold My servant, whom I uphold…”
• Isaiah 43:10 — “You are My witnesses… and My servant whom I have chosen.”
• Isaiah 43:21 — “This people I formed for Myself; they shall declare My praise.”
• Isaiah 44:1 — “Jacob My servant, Israel, whom I have chosen!”
• Isaiah 49:3 — “You are My servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”
• Isaiah 49:6 — “I will make you as a light for the nations…”
• Deuteronomy 32:8-9 — The nations are divided according to the sons of Israel; “Jacob is the portion of His inheritance.”
• Genesis 12:3 — “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Israel is not replaced. She is the servant through whom the nations are blessed.

Verdict on Milestone 19

Sinai is the majestic moment when Hashem gives the Torah and establishes Israel as His kingdom of priests. Gage turns the “third day” preparation into a foreshadowing of Jesus’ resurrection. The raw Hebrew text, the consistent witness of the Tanakh, and the preserved blueprint do not support this reading.

The original blueprint stands. Israel remains Hashem’s servant and light to the nations. The Tree of Life (the Torah) was never lost. The path of teshuvah remains open.

The silence when asked for clear, plain-text receipts from the Tanakh continues to speak.

1. Israel as Hashem’s Son / Firstborn Son

• Exodus 4:22 — “Thus says the Lord: Israel is My son, My firstborn.”
• Hosea 11:1 — “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son.”
• Jeremiah 31:9 — “For I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is My firstborn.”
• Deuteronomy 32:6 — “Is He not your Father, who created you?”
• Deuteronomy 14:1 — “You are the children of the Lord your God.”

2. Israel as Hashem’s Bride / Wife

• Jeremiah 2:2 — “I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, when you followed Me in the wilderness.”
• Isaiah 54:5 — “For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is His name.”
• Hosea 2:19-20 — “I will betroth you to Me forever… in righteousness and justice, in steadfast love and mercy.”
• Ezekiel 16 — The entire chapter is an allegory of Israel as God’s bride (from infancy to unfaithfulness and eventual restoration).
• Song of Songs — Traditionally read as the love between God and Israel.

3. Israel as Hashem’s Servant

• Isaiah 41:8-9 — “But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen…”
• Isaiah 43:10 — “You are My witnesses, declares the Lord, and My servant whom I have chosen.”
• Isaiah 44:1-2 — “But now hear, O Jacob My servant, Israel whom I have chosen!”
• Isaiah 49:3 — “You are My servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”
• Isaiah 42:1 — “Behold My servant, whom I uphold” (often understood collectively as Israel).

4. Israel as Hashem’s Witness

• Isaiah 43:10 — “You are My witnesses, declares the Lord…”
• Isaiah 43:12 — “You are My witnesses, declares the Lord, that I am God.”
• Isaiah 44:8 — “You are My witnesses! Is there a God besides Me?”

5. Other Relational Titles

• Kingdom of Priests & Holy Nation — Exodus 19:5-6
• Treasured Possession — Exodus 19:5, Deuteronomy 7:6, 14:2, 26:18
• Light to the Nations — Isaiah 42:6, 49:6
• Portion / Inheritance — Deuteronomy 32:9

Summary

The Tanakh consistently portrays Israel in an intimate, covenantal relationship with Hashem:

• Son / Child — ~15+ references
• Bride / Wife — ~20+ references (especially in the Prophets)
• Servant — ~30+ references (especially in Isaiah)
• Witness — Multiple strong declarations

This is not occasional language. It is the dominant relational framework of the Hebrew Bible. Israel is not replaced or superseded — she is the servant, the witness, the beloved child and bride through whom the nations are to be blessed (Genesis 12:3).

This directly contradicts the Christian claim that the “true Israel” is now the Church. The original blueprint preserved in the Tanakh is clear: Israel remains Hashem’s chosen servant.

Hazan Gavriel ben David

The Three Days

I would like to examine the claim written in a book and taught in the highest Colleges and Seminaries. Here is their evidence:

Milestone 18: God Reveals the Tree which after Three Days Can Make Our Bitter Waters Sweet “Then Moses led Israel … and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah (bitter).

So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” Then he cried out to the Lord and he pointed out to him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet.” (Exod 15:22–25 NASB) The Creator God first brought forth the trees out of the earth on the third day. What wisdom he showed to create nature to teach us about grace! The trees become the emblems of our destiny (Matt 7:17): Adam’s tree becomes the tree of death (Gen 2:17); Christ’s tree becomes the tree of life (Rev 2:7).

The account of Israel at Marah’s waters of bitterness is full of the gospel. The people had been “baptized unto Moses” at the Red Sea according to Paul (1 Cor 10:2). “Baptism,” as we have discussed, is an emblem of death. After the deliverance at the Red Sea the people went through the wilderness and suffered a great thirst for three days (Exod 15:22). When they came to Marah, they found water, but it was bitter, and so they cried out against Moses.

Moses then cried out to God, and the Lord showed him a tree. When Moses threw the tree into the bitter waters, they were made sweet (Exod 15:25). So on the third day after Israel’s emblematic death they were delivered from their thirst by the Lord’s tree. Who is unable to foresee in Marah’s tree another tree where the Lord himself would know the bitterness of the cup of gall (Matt 27:34) and would cry out, “I thirst” (John 19:28)?

Yet after three days our Lord came forth from the earth to make all our bitter waters become sweet, for he is our Fountain of Living Waters, and his Tree of Death becomes our Tree of Life. Symbol: The Cross as the Tree of Suffering Bearing Glorious Fruit The trees in the Bible are often made symbols of Christ, particularly of the “Branch” which, when grafted into the cross, becomes the tree of cursing and yet on the third day comes forth from the earth as the tree of blessing.

Is it not evident that the Creator made the trees to teach us about the possibility of grace? The Savior himself taught that there were two kinds of tree: those bearing good fruit and those bearing evil fruit. By such an example he teaches us about the two destinies of life and death. And yet there are other symbols of salvation found in the nature of trees. What was the design of the Creator, for example, in bringing forth the myrrh tree from the earth?

The trunk of this tree, which is deeply wounded by the harvester’s knife, causes its resin to bleed beads which are called “tears” and trace the gashes made in its bark. Those resinous tears, when dried and gathered and crushed and mixed with oil, yield a magnificent fragrance to delight and refresh the heart of man. Similarly the maple tree pours forth abundant sweetness from its own piercing.

What fragrance and what sweetness come forth from the wounding of these trees! God brings forth the olive tree from the ground, the tree that when beaten yields its fruit (Deut 24:20). This fruit is then gathered up and crushed under the press to yield the precious oil that shares its light and warmth and becomes a balm to heal our wounds. Only the Redeemer-God could have conceived of a tree of healing to bring forth by such suffering so beautiful a light to the world!

In a great mystery of redemption God brings out of the earth the trees bearing bad fruit as well (Matt 7:17), all to teach us that the tree of blessing (Psa 1:3) is planted alongside the tree of cursing (Deut 21:23), just like he planted the tree of knowledge in the midst of Eden alongside the tree of life (Gen 2:9). All of this was to anticipate the tree he would one day plant on the hill called Golgotha.

This greatest of all trees was to become the tree of cursing for the Redeemer in order that it might become the tree of blessing for us. Jesus would partake of the tree of death (Gal 3:13) that we might partake of the tree of life (Rev 22:2). His tree of wounding was to bring forth a fragrant sacrifice full of sweetness and light once he, like the trees, had come forth from the earth on the third day.

Gage, W. A. (2011). Milestones to Emmaus: The Third Day Resurrection in the Old Testament (pp. 48–49). Warren A. Gage.

Warren Gage transitions in this section to “third day theophanies” — moments when God manifests in great power on the third day. He builds on previous milestones to argue that the third day is the climactic day when God acts decisively. Ultimately, this is fulfilled in Christ’s resurrection.

Response:

The Claim Being Examined

Gage asserts that the recurring “third day” pattern across the Tanakh (deliverance, decision, theophany) culminates in the resurrection of Jesus as the ultimate display of God’s power. In other words, this is the day God “comes in great power” to vindicate His Son. Furthermore, it is the day He offers life to the world.

This fits the larger Christian premise: “Jesus is on every page of the Hebrew Bible.”

Applying the Method from Adam, the Blueprint of Creation, and the Tree of Life

We begin where the Torah itself demands — with Rabbi David Fohrman’s questions from A Book Like No Other (Eden Part 1 & 2):

1. Why two special trees when God only forbids one?
2. Why command Adam to eat from all the trees (including the Tree of Life), then suddenly guard the Tree of Life?
3. Why does Eve identify the wrong tree as forbidden?

These anomalies show the blueprint was never broken. The path to the Tree of Life (Torah itself — Proverbs 3:18) was never lost. Humanity was created fundamentally good (99% good). Repair is always possible through teshuvah.

How did we get from these Garden questions to the claim that every “third day” event points to Jesus’ resurrection?

Dr. Robert Carter’s Four Questions Applied to the Claim

1. How did the claim arise? The claim arises by selecting numerical coincidences (“third day”) across unrelated narratives (Joseph, Exodus, Hosea, etc.). Scholars then read them through the lens of Luke 24 and 1 Corinthians 15. This assumes a unified “third day doctrine” that the original Hebrew text does not present.

2. What does the full picture actually show? In the Tanakh, “third day” is a common Hebrew idiom for a short period of time. It signifies travel, waiting, battle preparation, or decisive action. It is not a unified resurrection code. The theophanies (God appearing in power) on or around the third day are moments of judgment, deliverance, or covenant confirmation for Israel. However, these are not hidden predictions of a dying-and-rising individual Messiah.

3. Was there enough time and continuity for this interpretation? The typological reading developed centuries after the events, primarily in the New Testament and early Church Fathers. The Jewish people, who preserved the Hebrew text for over 3,300 years, never read these passages as pointing to a divine Son dying for original sin. Moreover, they never saw the Messiah rising on the third day.

4. Does the reading match the original blueprint? No. The Torah teaches that humanity was created in the image of Hashem according to a precise design. Nathaniel Jeanson’s work on population genetics and lineage tracing (Answers in Genesis) shows distinct family lines preserved from Noah’s sons — consistent with the Torah’s blueprint. Additionally, the Jewish people exhibit both textual and genetic continuity (as evidenced by the Kohanim marker and Abrahamic DNA). The Christian claim requires rewriting the problem (from choice/covenant to inherited total depravity). It also requires rewriting the solution (from returning to the Tree of Life to a one-time blood sacrifice).

The Parallel with Islam (Jay Smith Method)

Dr. Jay Smith’s rigorous analysis shows that Islam was created around a man (Muhammad), a book (the Quran), and a land (Mecca/Medina) that do not align with the earliest historical and archaeological evidence. Christianity followed a similar pattern: it took the Hebrew blueprint and created a new narrative with a man (Jesus), a new covenant document, and a spiritual “land” (the Church replacing Israel). In the end, both systems ultimately position themselves as the fulfillment or replacement of the original Torah blueprint.

The Original Blueprint

Adam was created in the image of Hashem according to a precise design that traces throughout the Torah. The Hebrew language and structure function as both code and chemistry. Israel and the Land of Israel are not inventions — they are part of that original design. Every other religious system that claims to supersede the Torah is, at root, humanity attempting to be God.

The world is one giant family. Our assignment is to fix our family through the Torah and the Ten Commandments. As Rabbi David Fohrman shows in his Shavuot series Chosen, the Ten Sayings are fundamentally about repairing family brokenness. For example, see especially his teaching on Genesis 27 — Isaac, Rebecca, Esau, and Jacob.

Verdict on Milestone 18

The “third day theophanies” in the Tanakh are moments when God acts powerfully in history for Israel — judgment, deliverance, covenant confirmation. Gage turns them into hidden predictions of Jesus’ resurrection. However, the raw Hebrew text and the preserved blueprint do not support this reading.

The original blueprint stands. The Tree of Life was never lost. The path of teshuvah and tzedakah u’mishpat remains open.

The silence when asked for clear, plain-text receipts from the Tanakh continues to speak.

• A Series of Lectures on Truth.
• Hashem Chose a Family: The Tree of Life Blueprint Was Given to Protect All of Humanity
• Who Rejected the Messiah? It Is Not Who You Think.
• How Can Christianity and Judaism Be “Two Sides of the Same Coin” When One Looks Nothing Like the Original Blueprint?
• The Tree Of Life: Things Are Not the Way They Should Be

Hazan Gavriel ben David

Shalom, friends.

We continue our series exploring how Christianity and Islam function as two sides of the same coin — derivative traditions that rework the original Hebrew/Torah blueprint given to Adam and clarified at Sinai. In Part 3, we applied Dr. Jay Smith’s rigorous historical-critical method to both faiths.

Today, in Part 4, we ground that analysis in Tanach prophecy, the teachings of Rabbi Tovia Singer, fresh insights from Dr. John Dominic Crossan on how Luke remade Paul for a Roman audience, and the profound perspective of anthropologist Francisco Gil-White on the pro-semitic (freedom/Torah) versus antisemitic (domination/control) ways of ordering the world.

The YouTube live stream (from History Valley, ~June 25, 2026) features Dr. John Dominic Crossan discussing his book Paul the Pharisee: A Vision Beyond the Violence of Civilization. The core thesis: Luke-Acts is not straightforward history but a carefully crafted two-volume narrative that remakes/reimagines Paul to fit Luke’s broader socio-political and theological goals.

Key points from Crossan (drawn from the transcript and related discussions):

• Luke-Acts as one unified work: Designed as a two-scroll set from the start (practical constraints of ancient scrolls + deliberate literary structure). Reading Luke or Acts in isolation misses Luke’s agenda.
• Preface signals “security” (asphaleia), not just “truth”: Luke promises an “orderly account” for “security/safety” regarding what Theophilus has been taught. Crossan sees this as socio-political reassurance: It’s safe to be a Christian in the Roman Empire. Luke portrays Romans favorably and shifts the tension toward Jewish opposition.
• Luke remakes Paul: Acts presents a smoothed-out, more “Roman-friendly” Paul that diverges from the raw, contentious Paul of the authentic letters (e.g., apostleship, conflicts, Jewish identity). Scholars often prioritize Paul’s letters when they conflict with Acts—but still sneak Luke back in. Crossan urges focusing on what Luke is doing with Paul as a character in his story.
• Broader context: This aligns with Crossan’s emphasis on Paul as a Pharisee with a vision opposed to the “normal violence” of civilization, in contrast to Luke’s narrative adjustments.
• Derivative Reworking of the Blueprint: I highlight how Christianity and Islam adapt (and sometimes sideline) the original Torah/Tree of Life framework. Crossan shows Luke reworking Paul—turning a complex, Pharisee-rooted Jewish apostle into a figure that serves Luke’s vision of a safe, orderly faith within the Empire. This is classic “two sides of the same coin”: both traditions reshape the source material.

The Tanach does not treat these later religions as random developments. It frames their ancestral lines — Ishmael (associated with Arab and Islamic peoples) and Edom/Esau (rabbinically identified with Rome and broader Christendom/Western imperial patterns) — as recurring spiritual and historical forces that test Israel’s faithfulness at the end of days.

Rome Is The Head of the Empires: The British

Map illustrating the Psalm 83 confederacy, including Edom and the Ishmaelites — a prophetic prototype of end-time opposition to Israel.

Tanach Prophecy: Ishmael and Edom as End-Time Patterns

The Hebrew Scriptures contain a consistent thread: the descendants and spiritual heirs of Ishmael and Esau/Edom appear as adversaries or confederates against Israel, especially as history moves toward redemption.

• Psalm 83 describes a coalition that includes “the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,” along with other nations, forming a pact against God’s people and inheritance. Many readers see this as a template for later end-time alliances.
• Obadiah delivers a searing oracle against Edom for violence toward “his brother Jacob,” standing aloof while enemies attacked, and prideful betrayal. The judgment is framed as ultimately eschatological.
• Daniel’s visions of successive kingdoms culminate in a fourth power, often traditionally linked to Rome/Edom (with “iron and clay” elements sometimes associated with later mixtures or alliances).
• Rabbinic literature and the Zohar describe Ishmael and Edom alternately or jointly oppressing Israel before the final redemption. The current exile is frequently called the “exile of Edom,” with Ishmael playing a parallel or complementary role in the final stages.

These are not mere ancient grudges. They form a prophetic map. The family dynamics that began with Abraham’s sons and Isaac’s twins replay on the world stage, testing who remains faithful to the original covenant and who seeks to supplant or control it.

Tovia Singer on the End of Days: Connecting the Dots

Rabbi Tovia Singer, in videos such as “How Is Christianity Connected to Ishmael and Esau?” and “Edom is Rome and Christendom,” makes these connections explicit and accessible. He traces Christianity’s historical and theological links to Edom/Rome patterns while locating Islam within the Ishmaelite line. Singer reads current events — wars, shifting alliances, attitudes toward Israel and the Jewish people — against this ancient biblical backdrop.

He emphasizes both the reality of conflict rooted in these ancestral lines and the possibility of ultimate recognition or reconciliation under divine sovereignty. The drama is not random antisemitism; it is a spiritual contest centered on the Land, the Torah, and who carries (or distorts) the covenantal light. His End of Days discussions highlight how these prophecies continue to unfold and why clarity about origins matters.

Jay Smith’s Method: The Man, the Book, and the Land — Strengthening the Case for Roman Influence

Dr. Jay Smith’s approach demands early, independent, contemporary evidence for claims about the central figure (“the man”), the scripture (“the book”), and the geographical/historical setting (“the land” or place). When we apply this consistently:

To Islam (as Smith demonstrates): The traditional 7th-century narrative of Muhammad in Mecca shows significant evidential gaps. The Quran exhibits later layers of compilation, anachronisms, and substantial borrowing from earlier Syriac Christian and Jewish sources (including embedded Aramaic hymns). Archaeology for a major 7th-century Meccan center is weaker than the narrative requires. A French revisionist school and German scholarship further illuminate Jewish-Christian influences in the Quran’s formation.

To Christianity (extending the same method):

• The Man: The historical Jesus operated in a Jewish context, yet the later theological construct — especially the portrayal of Paul — diverges. In the recent History Valley livestream, Dr. John Dominic Crossan shows how Luke systematically remakes Paul in Acts to serve a broader agenda: smoothing conflicts, emphasizing Roman order and safety, and presenting Christianity as compatible with (or non-threatening to) imperial authority. Paul’s authentic letters reveal a more raw, Pharisaic, Torah-engaged figure; Luke’s two-volume work reshapes him.
• The Book: The Gospels and Acts were composed decades after the events, with clear redactional layers and adaptation to Greco-Roman audiences. Early contemporary corroboration for the full canonical portrait is limited.
• The Land/Place (Roman imperial context): After the 70 CE destruction of the Second Temple and the suppression of Jewish revolts, a version of the messianic movement emerges that spiritualizes the Kingdom of God, discourages political resistance, and promotes themes of order and loyalty. This functional shift helped stabilize the empire by redirecting messianic energy into an otherworldly, individual-focused faith less likely to fuel further Jewish national uprising.

Dr. John Dominic Crossan – The Rewriting of The Blueprint

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Because you can’t put Luke back in the the 80s and Acts in the 110s, 120s. Luke Acts was composed at the beginning of the second century. And by then, Rome had its own quite correct, by the way, story about who these weirdos Christians are.

They had at the end of the first century they had the summary in Josephus and good old Tacitus at the beginning of the second century said okay you want to know who Christians are over there in Judea there was a guy called Jesus or the Christ and we crucified him because he started the movement and sort of dog gone it that didn’t work it didn’t stop the movement so it spread everywhere

and Josephus said because those who were loyal to him in the beginning stayed loyal and Tacitus says well it was a disease and diseases spread everywhere but at the beginning of the first century if you were an educated Roman and you were thinking about this thing called Christianity or you were a godfearer or a god worshipper and you know you maybe have one foot in Rome and foot in Christianity and you’re thinking this is kind of a dangerous thing. I I’m the follower of a crucified leader.

I mean, all Rome have has to say to me is you’re a follower of a crucified guy. We don’t know what you’re up to, but just for safety, we think we’ll crucify you, too. So, I think the function then of Luke Acts is to write a gospel.

He he he knows the other he knows a lot of material. He really has good sources. There is absolutely no problem with his sources. It’s his interpretation that’s the problem. He He could even have read

all of Paul’s letters. I don’t know that for sure, but it wouldn’t make any difference because he’s tailoring Paul tailoring Paul for a pro- Roman audience.

So you were saying that Acts is Luke and Acts is tailoring Paul for a Roman audience.

Luke and Acts 2nd Century Scroll

In the recent History Valley livestream with Dr. John Dominic Crossan, we see a clear example of how scribes and early Christian authors rewrote history to serve theological and socio-political ends. Crossan demonstrates that Luke-Acts is not straightforward history but a deliberately crafted two-volume narrative designed as one unified work.

Luke remakes the Apostle Paul — smoothing out conflicts from the authentic letters, downplaying tensions with the Jerusalem leadership, and portraying a more Roman-friendly version of the early movement. The preface’s emphasis on “security” (asphaleia) rather than unvarnished truth signals Luke’s goal: to reassure readers (such as Theophilus) that it is safe to be a Christian within the Roman Empire.

Shifting the Blame -The Jews

By shifting blame toward Jewish opposition while depicting Romans as relatively receptive or neutral, Luke presents a narrative that helps integrate the faith into imperial structures. This is classic scribal rewriting — not outright fabrication from nothing, but selective shaping, redaction, and adaptation of sources to fit a new context after the destruction of the Temple and amid the need for stability.

When held to rigorous standards like Dr. Jay Smith’s historical-critical method, this reveals the same pattern seen in other derivative traditions: later layers reshape the original to serve the needs of the emerging system, further illustrating how Christianity and Islam function as “two sides of the same coin” diverging from the unchanging Torah blueprint.

en.wikipedia.org

Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE) – Wikipedia

The destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE by Roman forces was a pivotal moment after which new religious narratives took shape in an imperial context.

This does not deny the sincerity of millions of Christians or the ethical fruits found in Christian lives. It does, however, reveal structural fingerprints of Roman-era adaptation. When held to the same historical-critical standard Smith applies to Islam, Christianity shows parallel patterns of later development and reworking of earlier Hebrew material. Both traditions become “two sides of the same coin” — systems that often sideline or redefine the original keepers of the code while claiming continuity or supersession.

Gil White’s Insight: Pro-Semitic (Freedom) vs. Antisemitic (Domination) Paradigms

Anthropologist Francisco Gil-White (Mexican-born, deeply engaged with Israel and Jewish history) offers a clarifying lens. Antisemitism, in his analysis, is frequently not mere prejudice but ideological opposition to the Jewish contribution of freedom — the Torah’s revelation of one God, moral law, human dignity, and covenantal responsibility that resists tyranny and arbitrary power. Moses and Sinai planted seeds of liberty under law that authoritarian systems throughout history have sought to uproot or co-opt.

• The pro-semitic way (aligned with Israel’s role) upholds the original Blueprint: Torah as Tree of Life, chosenness as light and responsibility, actions (“receipts”) over narrative control, and family/DNA legacy as priestly witness. This fosters genuine human flourishing and resistance to total domination.
• The antisemitic way prioritizes domination and control — whether imperial (Rome/Edom-style) or expansionist/jihadist. These systems often co-opt, redefine, or attack the source tradition to consolidate power.

Christianity’s Roman-shaped elements and certain developments within Islamic history can function within or enable such dynamics by presenting alternative “final” narratives that diminish Israel’s unique covenantal position. Defending Israel and the Jewish people, therefore, defends foundational values of freedom against authoritarian models. Gil-White’s work helps us see the larger contest of paradigms behind the religious and geopolitical surface.

Returning to the Original Tree of Life Blueprint

The Tanach, supported by archaeology, DNA studies tracing priestly and broader lineages, gematria, chiastic structures, and unfolding prophecy, consistently points back to one eternal source: the Tree of Life given to Adam, clarified at Sinai, and preserved by Israel as a light to the nations.

Ishmael and Edom/Rome appear in prophecy not as random historical accidents but as part of the drama that tests faithfulness to that original code. The “two sides of the same coin” ultimately point to the urgent need for Jews to return to deeper Torah observance and for all peoples to align with the unchanging revelation rather than later rewrites.

Signs of this return are visible: the ingathering of hidden Jews (crypto-Jewish lines awakening through DNA and family stories), growing interest in authentic Hebrew sources, and the exposure of historical layers through rigorous scholarship. As I emphasize in my book, Adam, the Blueprint of Creation and the Tree of Life and the Star of Jacob prophecy series, words create worlds, actions matter more than claims, and we are one extended family from three fathers with a shared path home.

Practical Steps and Resources

• Study the sources: Watch Tovia Singer’s teachings on Edom/Rome and Ishmael (search his channel for the titles linked above). Review Dr. Jay Smith’s historical-critical presentations and the Crossan discussion on Luke-Acts.
• Return to the Blueprint: Download the free first chapter of Adam, the Blueprint of Creation, and the Tree of Life at beithashoavah.org. Explore our weekly Torah study guides and Parsha teachings.
• Support the mission: Our POD T-shirts (GenesisFrequency on Etsy) and website resources help sustain full-time Torah teaching, prison chaplaincy, and content creation as I transition toward retirement from hospital work.
• Engage the prophecy: Follow unfolding events through the lens of Tanach rather than media narratives alone. The Tree of Life is not abstract — it is the living code for redemption.

The pattern is clear. The invitation is open. The original Blueprint still stands.

May we all merit to see the full revelation of the Tree of Life in our days, with Israel secure in her Land and all nations blessed through the eternal covenant.

Hazan Gavriel ben David Esnoga Beit HaShoavah | Amarillo, Texas beithashoavah.org

• A Jewish Perspective on the Spiritual War and Hashem’s End from the Beginning
• How Can Christianity and Judaism Be “Two Sides of the Same Coin” When One Looks Nothing Like the Original Blueprint?
• Two Sides of the Same Coin – Part 3: The French Revisionist School and the Christian Roots of the Quran
• The Two Messiahs and World War III: A Jewish Perspective on Christianity, Islam, and Biblical Prophecy
• Two Sides Of The Same Coin: Christianity and Islam (Part 2)

This Shabbat (12 Tammuz 5786 / June 27, 2026), Jews around the world read the powerful double Torah portion Parshat Chukat-Balak (Numbers 19:1–25:9). At the same moment, timely teachings from Rabbi Tovia Singer and Rabbi Matityahu Glazerson illuminate exactly what the Tanakh says about the events unfolding in our world.

From physical and spiritual enemies to Shabbat as divine protection, from purification after loss to prophetic blessings that cannot be cursed — the Torah is not ancient history. It is a living blueprint speaking directly to October 7th, ongoing conflicts, the ingathering of exiles, and the path to redemption.

As Hazan Gavriel ben David, leading a small synagogue in Amarillo, Texas, teaching Torah in prison, and writing on family history and prophecy, these messages resonate deeply. Let’s explore them together.

Rabbi Tovia Singer: The Tanakh as Our Lens for Current Events

In his recent podcast interview, Rabbi Tovia Singer — a leading voice in Jewish outreach and counter-missionary work — emphasizes that the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) provides the clearest framework for understanding our historic moment.

Singer discusses how October 7th clarified many things: the reality of existential threats, the ingathering of exiles (Aliyah), and the unfolding of prophecy. He points to passages such as Zechariah 12, where Jerusalem becomes a “burdensome stone” for the nations, and notes that Jews will return to the Land before the complete peace of Mashiach. Wars continue, yet divine protection endures. He also highlights the detailed vision of the Third Temple in Ezekiel chapters 40–48.

The core message? Return to the plain meaning of the Tanakh. Study it deeply, free from later interpretations that distort its plain sense (peshat). This call aligns with the urgent need for authentic Torah education in our generation.

Parshat Chukat: Purification, Loss, and Leadership in Crisis

Chukat opens with the mysterious statute of the Red Heifer (Parah Adumah). Its ashes purify those contaminated by contact with death (Numbers 19). Shortly after, Miriam dies; the people complain about water; Moses strikes the rock instead of speaking to it (resulting in his punishment); and Aaron passes away. Victories follow over Sihon and Og, followed by the bronze serpent (Nehushtan) that heals snakebites when the people look toward it.

These stories speak to our time. After immense loss — whether personal tragedies or the national mourning since October 7th — the Torah provides a path to purification and renewal. The red heifer reminds us that even in the shadow of death, holiness and life can be restored. Modern interest in red heifers for potential Temple use echoes this ancient statute.

Moses’ error at the rock teaches accountability in leadership and the power of speech. In an era of rapid news and emotional reactions, the lesson is clear: trust God’s precise instructions rather than reacting from frustration.

The bronze serpent offers profound hope: healing comes when we turn our gaze to Hashem’s provision amid affliction.

Parshat Balak: Bilam, Balak, and Enemies Turned to Blessings

In Balak, the Moabite king Balak fears the Israelites after their victories. He hires the renowned prophet-for-hire Bilam (Balaam) to curse them. Yet Hashem intervenes dramatically: Bilam’s donkey speaks, an angel blocks the path, and Bilam is forced to bless Israel instead of cursing them.

Rabbi Matityahu Glazerson’s lecture on Balak and Bilam clarifies the archetypes. Balak represents physical threats — military or political attempts to destroy Israel. Bilam embodies spiritual warfare — curses, sorcery, and efforts to darken the light of Torah or separate the Jewish people from their Source.

We see these patterns today. Physical enemies (rockets, terror proxies) combine with spiritual attacks (antisemitism masked as criticism, missionary efforts, cultural assimilation). Yet, just as in the Parsha, what is meant for evil becomes blessing: Israel’s resilience, technological advances, global attention on Jewish survival, and the strengthening of faith.

Bilam’s oracles contain some of the most beautiful prophecies in the Tanakh, including the iconic “How goodly are your tents, O Jacob” (Numbers 24:5) and the messianic “A star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel” (24:17). This “Star of Jacob” is central to prophetic hope and ties directly into ongoing redemption processes.

Shabbat Observance as Protection for Israel: Torah Codes & October 7 Miracles

In another powerful teaching, Rabbi Glazerson explores how Shabbat observance protects and saves Israel, supported by Torah codes (equidistant letter sequences) and gematria.

He highlights statistical and mathematical patterns linking Shabbat to salvation. Post-October 7 accounts are especially moving: communities or families who kept Shabbat — closing gates, staying home for the holy day — experienced miracles. Individuals who strengthened their Shabbat observance reported divine protection.

This echoes the Sages and Midrash: by the merit of Shabbat, Israel is guarded. Historically, those who kept Shabbat endured as a people; those who abandoned it often assimilated within a few generations. Shabbat fosters family unity, communal prayer, rest, and holiness — the practical “receipts” that sustain Jewish life.

Glazerson connects this to broader messianic themes, including sparks of redemption visible even in unlikely leaders who support Israel.

Connecting the Dots: The Tanakh Blueprint for Our Generation

Parshat Chukat-Balak, read alongside these teachings, reveals recurring divine patterns:

• Impurity and Loss (Chukat) → Path to purification and healing.
• Enemy Plots (Balak) → Reversed into blessings and prophecy.
• Spiritual Safeguard (Shabbat) → Protects against both physical and spiritual threats.

The Tanakh is not silent on today’s events. It provides the map: return to Torah, observe mitzvot (especially Shabbat), study deeply, and trust in the ultimate redemption. As one who integrates Torah with archaeology, DNA evidence of our priestly and crypto-Jewish heritage, and the Tree of Life blueprint, I see these as confirmation of the same unified system.

My own work — the book Adam, the Blueprint of Creation and the Tree of Life; the “Star of Jacob” prophecy series; family history writings as Hazan Gavriel ben David; and GenesisFrequency Torah-inspired designs — flows from this understanding. The patterns are clear for those with eyes to see.

Practical Steps: Turning Tanakh Wisdom into Action

1. Study This Week’s Parsha — Read Numbers 19–25. Use Sefaria for Hebrew/English with commentaries.
2. Watch the Teachings — Rabbi Tovia Singer’s interview, Rabbi Glazerson on Balak/Bilam, and on Shabbat protection.
3. Strengthen Shabbat — Make it a day of rest, family, prayer, and joy. Its protective power is real.
4. Deepen Learning — Visit beithashoavah.org for study guides, PDFs, and mentorship opportunities.
5. Support Torah Life — Engage with prison ministry, small synagogues, and creative outreach. Wear or share reminders like Tree of Life or Psalm designs from GenesisFrequency.
6. Live the “Receipts” — Actions of observance, study, and kindness matter more than words.

Conclusion: Hope in the Pattern of Redemption

The Tanakh does not promise an easy path, but it guarantees that curses turn to blessings, death gives way to life, and Shabbat anchors us in holiness. We are living in the time of ingathering and awakening. The Star of Jacob is rising.

May we merit to see the full redemption, the rebuilding of the Temple, and peace for Israel and the world. Shabbat Shalom.

Hazan Gevriel ben David

What resonated most with you from this Parsha or the teachings? Share in the comments. Subscribe for more Torah insights, prophecy discussions, and practical guidance. Explore resources at beithashoavah.org and support the work through study, sharing, or GenesisFrequency.

Links:

• Rabbi Tovia Singer Podcast
• Rabbi Glazerson – Balak/Bilam
• Rabbi Glazerson – Shabbat Protection
• Sefaria: Parshat Chukat-Balak
• My Book & Prophecy Series

• Parashat Balak: Yeshua The Angel of the LORD
• Chapter Nine: Codes That Don’t Lie – Glazerson’s Torah Oracle
• Chapter Six: Urim and Thummim – Our Codes Speak, Yours Don’t
• From Messianic Jew to Ally: My 21-Year Journey with Tovia Singer and Tamar Yonah
• From Counter-Missionary to Ally: My 21-Year Journey with Tovia Singer and Tamar Yonah

In the Torah’s majestic blueprint of creation—where Adam stands as the archetypal vessel and the Tree of Life maps the emotional, psychological, and anatomical architecture of the soul—silence is not emptiness. It is the sacred fire that forges the kli, the holy vessel capable of receiving and transmitting divine light.

The 38 years of narrative silence in Parashat Chukat, the shared theodicy question of Moses and David, the inner battle illuminated by Pirkei Avot, the prophetic unfolding of Gog and Magog, and America’s own covenantal origins all converge on one transformative truth:

Every great soul and every great nation must pass through the midbar (wilderness) to be refined into a vessel of worship. Only then can we emerge, like the new generation at the waters of Meribah, digging our own wells and singing our own song.

As America approaches its 250th anniversary in 2026, the nation stands at a Deuteronomy moment. The choice before us is the same one placed before Israel at Moab: life and blessing through obedience to the covenant, or the consequences of departure from the divine blueprint.

The United States was not founded in a vacuum of secular invention. Its laws, governmental structure, vows, and oaths to God echo the Torah’s framework for a people bound to the Creator. Yet in our day, many—including prominent voices in media and podcasts—analyze history and current events through rewritten codes that obscure the original Hebrew source.

The Torah, the Tree of Life to those who hold fast to her, remains the unaltered operating system. Returning to it—blessing Israel, upholding the Jewish people as God’s eternal bride, and recognizing the Jewish Bible as the foundation—is the only path that leads to true national blessing and the creation of vessels worthy of divine service.

The Torah Blueprint and the Inner Wilderness

Torah presents itself as the master blueprint of existence. Just as the physical body has form and function, the soul possesses emotional and psychological layers structured by the Tree of Life. Words create worlds, yet silence shapes the vessel that can receive and reveal them. Pirkei Avot serves as the practical manual for this inner refinement: “Who is wise? One who learns from every person.” “Make a fence around the Torah.” Control of speech, desire, and ego—the very impulses that doomed the desert generation—become the disciplines that carve the kli.

The 38 years of silence following the spies’ and Korach’s rebellions (Numbers 13–19, into chapter 20) illustrate the process with divine precision. The first generation’s dramatic sins and complaints filled the early narrative with rebellion at every turn. Then, the Torah falls nearly silent. No major prophecies, upheavals, or miracles are recorded in detail.

The Sages teach this was a period of divine distance and arrested development—a holding pattern in which the rebellious generation died out while the next was forged. What appeared as narrative absence was actually the hidden work of refinement. The midbar stripped away noise so the soul could be reshaped. As Rabbi Chaim Richman teaches in his Chukat shiur, the silence itself testifies: “There’s nothing to see here.” The upheavals of the first two years had done their work; now came the quiet forging of a new people.

All great people require this wilderness experience. Moses spent forty years in Midian before the burning bush. David tended sheep in silent fields, then hid in caves and deserts while fleeing Saul. These were not wasted years—they were the kiln in which the vessel was formed.

Parashat Chukat This Is Our Song

In Parashat Chukat, the turning point arrives. After 38 years of quiet, the old leadership passes—Miriam dies, and her miraculous well dries up; Aaron’s death is decreed. The new generation must now actively dig for water. They do not wait passively; they excavate. Then they sing: “Then Israel sang this song…”

(Numbers 21). Unlike the Song at the Sea led by Moses, this is their own song—proactive, mature worship. Rabbi Richman highlights this shift: the new generation seeks God’s presence in an unprecedented, proactive way. The silence prepared them. The hidden years refined the vessel. Now the kli can hold living water and pour it out in song. This is the model for our time.

Moses and David: The Question of Justice and the Refining Power of Silence

Moses voiced the same question that echoes through the ages and through our own hearts: “Master of the Universe, why do the righteous prosper, the righteous suffer, the wicked prosper, and the wicked suffer?” In Talmud Berachot 7a, this plea is expanded into a profound aggadic dialogue. God categorizes four types and reveals that justice is not always visible in this world.

The completely righteous receive reward here; the righteous with some sin suffer to atone and merit greater reward later. The wicked with some merit prosper here and receive full punishment later. The completely wicked suffer here. Full understanding belongs to the World to Come. Moses is shown aspects of divine providence, yet even he cannot fully grasp the “ways” of God in this lifetime.

A traditional Midrashic teaching, in the spirit of Berachot 7a and later aggadah on gilgul, gives a vivid illustration. Moses sees a scene of apparent injustice: a man on a horse watches as another man is robbed and killed. Distressed, Moses is shown the continuation. Earlier, a young man and his father were robbed; the father was killed. The surviving son grows up to become a robber and killer. What looked like random evil was precise rectification across lives or generations. The “wicked” man was settling an old account; the victim’s soul was balancing a prior wrong. Apparent silence or injustice hides the perfect accounting of divine justice.

The Psalms of Silence By David

David lived this truth in the wilderness. As shepherd, fugitive, and king-in-waiting, he endured long seasons of silence. In caves and wilderness strongholds, he composed psalms that wrestle honestly with the prosperity of the wicked and the suffering of the righteous, yet conclude in the sanctuary of God that their end is destruction while the upright inherit the land. The inner battle—the greatest battle—is fought and won in these silent places. Pirkei Avot trains us for exactly this: the disciplines of character refinement turn suffering into service and questions into vessels of deeper faith.

America’s Covenant Foundations: Deuteronomy’s Blueprint in the New World

The parallels between Deuteronomy and America’s founding documents are neither coincidental nor superficial. Deuteronomy presents a national covenant: blessings for obedience to God’s law and curses for departure; a structure of accountable leadership; vows and oaths taken before the Creator; and a call to remember the wilderness journey so that future generations do not forget.

The Mayflower Compact of 1620 established self-government “for the glory of God and advancement of the Christian faith”—a covenantal document in the spirit of Deuteronomy. William Bradford, the key leader and longtime governor of Plymouth Colony, devoted significant portions of his later Biblical studies to Hebrew so he could read the Scriptures in their original tongue. His journal, Of Plimoth Plantation, records the Pilgrims’ trials with deep reliance on the Hebrew Bible.

Accounts in his writings highlight principled stands on justice, including dealings with captives and a rejection of exploitative enslavement practices—reflecting a Biblical ethic of returning the oppressed and holding wrongdoers accountable. Bradford understood that true freedom flows from alignment with the Creator’s ways.

The Signers of The Declaration of Independence

The signers of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution carried this covenantal mindset forward. The 56 signers of the Declaration pledged their “lives, fortunes, and sacred honor.” These were not abstract words. Many faced real peril: property seized, families threatened, fortunes lost. John Hancock’s bold signature symbolized defiance; as president of the Continental Congress, he risked everything. Benjamin Rush, physician and signer, drew from Biblical ethics in advocating for the poor and against slavery.

John Witherspoon, the only clergyman signer, was a Presbyterian minister whose sermons framed the Revolution in covenantal and Biblical terms. Others, like Robert Morris (key financier) and Charles Carroll (the only Catholic signer, risking unique persecution), demonstrated faith-driven sacrifice.

Their stories, preserved in original sources and highlighted through David Barton and Tim Barton’s work at WallBuilders, reveal men who believed government must rest on “the laws of nature and of nature’s God.” They studied Scripture, prayed, and acted with the conviction that America’s success depended on alignment with divine order. Without their willingness to risk all, the nation might never have formed.

The Unknown Jewish Heroes In America

Unknown Jewish patriots were equally indispensable. Haym Salomon, a Polish-born Sephardic Jew, became one of the Revolution’s greatest financiers. He converted foreign loans into hard currency, personally advanced vast sums, and used his linguistic skills as a broker to keep the Continental Army funded when the treasury was empty.

Twice arrested by the British, he encouraged desertions and supported the Patriot cause at great personal cost. Without his financial genius and courage, the Revolution might have collapsed before Yorktown. Other figures—Francis Salvador (first Jewish casualty, fighting for independence), Mordecai Sheftall (commissary general supplying troops), and earlier Jewish settlers who brought skills in trade and community-building—sustained the colonies economically and militarily. These contributions remind us that America’s story includes Jewish hands from the very beginning.

Historical accounts also highlight leaders in American public life whose maternal Jewish lineage conferred halachic Jewish status and who received early Jewish schooling, weaving additional threads of covenantal ethics into the nation’s leadership fabric. These hidden contributions underscore that Jewish presence and influence extended into the highest levels of governance, reinforcing the moral and spiritual foundations drawn from the Hebrew Scriptures.

Parallels Between Ancient Israel and Modern America

History rhymes with striking clarity. The Northern Kingdom of Israel fell into idolatry, syncretism, and moral decay, ignoring prophetic warnings until exile. The Southern Kingdom of Judah witnessed this, yet often failed to fully repent, repeating cycles of compromise. In modern America, analogous patterns emerge.

Segments aligned with progressive ideologies have embraced forms of modern “idolatry”—elevating self, secular humanism, or redefined morality above the Creator—much like the Northern Kingdom’s golden calves. Meanwhile, more conservative elements, such as the Southern Kingdom, have sometimes failed to fully internalize the lessons, allowing cultural drift or political expediency to erode the foundations rather than returning wholeheartedly to the original covenant.

The prophets called both kingdoms to account. Today, the same call resounds: a nation’s decisions must be rooted in the will of Hashem as revealed in the Jewish Bible—the Tanach—not in rewritten codes that remove the Creator and diminish His creation.

The Source Code Debate and Prophecy Unfolding

Many well-meaning voices—Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, George Noory, and countless podcasters—offer insightful analysis of current events. Yet they often operate primarily through the Christian Bible as their lens, a text that contains truth but reflects layers of translation, interpretation, and historical development, removed from the original Hebrew source code.

As Rabbi Tovia Singer powerfully demonstrates in his teachings on current events and prophecy, understanding unfolding history requires the Tanach in its original context. Without it, one risks missing the full picture of divine providence.

We Are Cousins

Nathaniel Jeanson’s Traced and research methods, akin to Jay Smith’s deconstruction of later traditions, reveal how alternative systems can function as “bootlegged copies” of the original Hebrew code—man-made constructs lacking the full operating integrity of Torah. Hebrew itself functions as an operating system; the first 92 words of the Torah align with the Periodic Table of Elements, as explored in Rabbi Ephraim Palvanov’s teachings on Torah and chemistry. Science and Torah are not at odds; they reveal the same blueprint.

War Of Gog And Magog

October 7, 2023, marked a seismic shift. The Hamas attack and ensuing war align for many with the beginning of the prophesied War of Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38–39, Zechariah 12). Messiah ben Yosef dynamics—suffering and preparation preceding full redemption—have played out before our eyes. Rabbi Tovia Singer’s recent teachings connect these events to the return of the Jewish people, the centrality of Jerusalem, and the role of Persia (Iran) in the prophetic drama.

The Star Of Jacob Prophecy

The Zohar and Balaam’s prophecy in Numbers (the “Star of Jacob” and scepter from Israel) have been linked in interpretive traditions to modern signs and figures in the messianic process, including developments around Donald Trump and subsequent events near September 2024. Rabbi Mendel Kessin’s teachings on Esau (Edom/Rome/Western civilization) add profound geopolitical depth. Trump embodies aspects of the “good side of Esau”—a brother who can turn toward or against Jacob/Israel.

Recent episodes from Kessin’s Torah Thinking channel explore Trump’s actions, policy tensions around Israel, and the ongoing messianic process. Britain, as the “evil side of Esau” in certain interpretations—imperial and, historically, often opposed to Jewish restoration—fits into this tapestry of Edom’s dual legacy. The interwoven threads of U.S., British, European, and Middle Eastern politics reveal the hand of providence moving nations according to the unalterable blueprint.

The Torah Codes Rabbi Glazerson

Rabbi Matityahu Glazerson’s channel and recent teachings on Torah codes (including “Shabbat Observance as Protection for Israel in Torah Codes” and matrices with skip 424 for Messiah son of David) bring powerful, gematria-driven insight to this moment. Glazerson reveals how keeping Shabbat—the ultimate expression of silence and cessation from creative work—functions as a protective code in the Torah for the Jewish people and, by extension, for nations that align with them.

He connects current events (including shifting alliances and threats) to hidden patterns in the weekly portions, showing how observance of the original commandments creates spiritual “firewalls” against Gog and Magog forces. His analysis of Numbers, Zohar, and prophetic timelines underscores that redemption accelerates when we return to the source code rather than relying on human strategies alone. Glazerson’s updates emphasize the “third day” motif and the current era as a hidden-to-revealed transition, mirroring the 38 years of silence in Chukat.

Shabbat, as the weekly midbar, refines the vessel and invites divine protection— a message that calls America to support Israel’s security while examining its own covenantal fidelity. His codes on Messiah ben David (424) and on end-of-days signs provide mathematical confirmation of the blueprint’s precision.

Jews Are Not The Problem

Dan Bongino’s recent insights highlight growing awareness among conservative voices of deeper plans and shifts affecting Israel and U.S. policy. Bongino’s analysis of political maneuvers and their implications for alliances serves as a reminder that even perceptive commentators benefit from the original Torah lens to avoid deception and align with divine will.

Shorts like “Are Jews simply better than non-Jews?” further clarify the Torah perspective on chosenness—not superiority for domination, but responsibility as a light to the nations (Isaiah 42:6, 49:6). This chosen role calls all peoples to partner in the blueprint rather than envy or reject it.

Yanuka The Messiah

Rabbi Michael Skobac’s teaching on why some Christians view respected Israeli rabbis (such as the Yanuka) as the “Anti-Christ” exposes deeper issues of rewritten codes and replacement theology. Skobac clarifies the Torah perspective on Jewish scholarship and messianic expectations, showing how misinterpretations of the original source fuel misunderstanding. This reinforces the need for the unfiltered Tanach to accurately navigate prophecy.

Videos such as “Trump, Israel, and the Truth Nobody Wants to Admit” and discussions of the Trump-Turkey deal highlight the tightrope: strong support juxtaposed with pragmatic deals that risk isolating Israel. These are not random; they reflect Esau’s role in the end times. The call is clear: prioritize the original Hebrew code over rewritten lenses.

Rav Avigdor Miller ztl’s classic teaching on “Does God Need Us?” powerfully reinforces the theme: Hashem does not “need” our mitzvot in a deficient way, but He desires our partnership so that we become active vessels through which His presence is revealed in the world. His lesson on apples (everyday objects revealing divine providence) reminds us that the blueprint is visible in the ordinary when viewed through Torah eyes. Miller’s insight calls us to proactive worship that perfects the kli and brings redemption closer.

The Call: Creating the Vessel and the Path of Blessing

Hashem declares through the prophets that nothing our hands have made endures apart from Him. “I need you,” Hashem says to Adam, His children. Without our hands, ears, and eyes as vessels of worship, how will the world know that He is Hashem? Recent Torah portions remind us: “All that your hands have done.” We are called to be active participants in the blueprint.

The unalterable blueprint—Adam as the Blueprint of Creation and the Tree of Life—cannot be altered by any man-made system. The greatest way forward for the United States is to bless Israel. As Scripture promises, those who bless Abraham’s descendants will be blessed. America, in its covenantal origins, has a role tied to Esau’s legacy, but can choose to align with the God of Israel.

The Bible is not silent about the most powerful nation on earth; it speaks through principles applicable to every empire and republic. The signers understood this; the unknown Jewish patriots lived it; figures with halachic Jewish maternal lineage and Jewish education carried covenantal ethics into leadership.

Conclusion

In this 250th year, America faces the same choice Deuteronomy placed before Israel. Will we remember the wilderness journey, return to the original Hebrew source code, and align our decisions with Hashem’s will? Or will we continue analyzing events through rewritten lenses that obscure the Creator and His creation?

The vessel is forged in silence. The question of justice deepens trust. The prophetic signs—Gog and Magog, the Star of Jacob, the role of Edom—call us to awareness. The stories of the unknown Jewish patriots and the signers’ faith-driven sacrifice remind us that this nation was built with hands guided by the blueprint. Hashem needs us—His children, Adam—to return to the original source code our forefathers read in Hebrew.

May we all merit to emerge from our midbar seasons refined, singing, and ready—blessing Israel so that America may be blessed, and become vessels through which the world comes to know that Hashem alone is God. The blueprint cannot be altered. The choice is ours. Share your thoughts in the comments and explore more Torah insights at beithashoavah.org.

Hazan Gavriel ben David

Creating a Vessel of Worship: The Midbar of Silence, the Question of Justice, and the Song of the New Generation


The Tree Of Life: Things Are Not the Way They Should Be


Parashat Chukat 5786: The 38 Years of Silence and Singing Your Own Song


Hidden Lights Returning: America’s Unique Jewish Story — From Revolutionary Heroes to Crypto-Jews in the Southwest, and My Own Journey Home


Bible Codes Revealed at Yiboneh with Rabbi Moshe Zeldman

By Hazan Gavriel ben David Esnoga Beit HaShoavah – Amarillo, Texas

The Torah is not a static book of ancient stories. It is the living blueprint of creation — the Tree of Life itself. Every word, sentence, and verse pulses with prophetic power. As our sages teach, the Torah contains everything. Recent insights from Torah scholars and numerical alignments confirm this in ways that leave us in awe. The verses of the Torah correspond to the years of history. They speak directly to the events of our time.

This is not a coincidence. It is hashgacha pratit — divine providence — revealing that we are living in the footsteps of the Messiah (Ikvot Mashiach). These are the birth pangs foretold by the prophets.

The Secret of the Sentences: 5708 / 1948

Rabbi Benjamin Blech shares a profound teaching from a kabbalist. The sentences in the Torah align numerically with years in Jewish history. Count the verses from the beginning of the Torah. With this, remarkable patterns emerge.

The 5,708th verse falls in Deuteronomy (Devarim) 30:3:

“And the Lord your God will turn your captivity, and have compassion upon you, and will return and gather you from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you.”

This is the Hebrew year 5708 — 1948 in the Gregorian calendar, the year the modern State of Israel was reborn. After 2,000 years of exile, dispersion, and the ashes of the Holocaust, the ingathering began. The foundation of Israel as a sovereign Jewish state was not a random political event. It was prophesied in the precise verse tied to that year.

This aligns with the “Joseph” phase of redemption — Mashiach ben Yosef as the material, physical preparation. It includes building the land, defending it, and gathering exiles. As Rav Kook and others taught, this is the collective, preparatory work. It comes before the fuller spiritual redemption of Mashiach ben David.

5783–5784: The Verse of Horrors and the Call to Reflection

Extend this principle to our own days. The Hebrew year 5783 (overlapping into 5784) corresponds to verses describing unimaginable violation and suffering. This includes the rape and abuse of the elderly alongside the young. Tragically, this matches the horrors reported from the Simchat Torah massacre on October 7, 2023 (5784). On that day, Hamas terrorists unleashed barbaric sexual violence as part of the attack on Israel during a joyous festival.

In the surrounding context of Deuteronomy 32, we find calls for wisdom: “If they were wise, they would understand this; they would reflect upon their fate” (Deut 32:29, in the 5784 alignment). God speaks of provocation through “non-gods” and vanities. There is jealousy born of love, curses for straying, and the urgent need to return.

October 7 was not random. It occurred in the sacred season closing Sukkot, evoking vulnerability (the sukkah) and joy turned to mourning. It fits the classical sources on Mashiach ben Yosef—the suffering-warrior phase of redemption. The Talmud (Sukkah 52a) links Zechariah 12 — nations attacking Jerusalem, mourning for the “pierced one” — to Mashiach ben Yosef, slain in battle. This is the painful preparatory stage: collective trauma, national awakening, and the call to teshuvah.

Rabbi Tovia Singer powerfully clarifies these texts. He shows that they describe a future war and mourning process, not a first-century fulfillment. Rabbi Matityahu Glazerson’s Torah codes further reveal “Seventh of October,” Gog and Magog patterns, and redemption timelines. All these align with these years.

Miracles of Precise Timing

Rabbi Uri Pilichowski reminds us that a miracle is often defined by when it happens. The splitting of the sea was miraculous because it occurred exactly when Israel needed it most. Esther’s rise, the victories of 1948 and 1967 — all timed perfectly. We are seeing this again in Israel’s recent defensive successes amid existential threats. Yet after October 7, many remain in a daze, processing trauma while missing the broader redemptive picture.

David Ben-Gurion said, “To be a realist as a Jew, you have to believe in miracles.” The re-establishment of Israel after millennia, survival against overwhelming odds, and the ingathering despite everything — these are not natural outcomes. They are the fulfillment of Deuteronomy 30:3 in real time.

What This Means for Us: Receipts and Return

My own journey — from hidden Jewish roots revealed on 9/11, through family history as Gavriel ben David, DNA confirming priestly lines, and building this small esnoga and prison ministry — echoes these patterns. The Torah speaks to our generation’s legacy: returning the hidden sparks and preserving family through trials (as with our losses and challenges). We live with “receipts” — actions over empty words. Fidelity, Torah study, love of neighbor, and building for redemption.

The alignment of verses with years calls us to action:

• Reflect and return (teshuvah) — away from vanities toward authentic Torah living.
• See the miracles amid the birth pangs.
• Strengthen unity — as one people in the face of enemies, just as Zechariah foretells. Mourning leads to the spirit of grace.
• Teach and share — in our homes, synagogues, prisons, and online.

As Glazerson’s codes and these numerical insights show, we are in the time of preparation. The suffering of the Ben Yosef phase (the event/process of October 7 and its aftermath) paves the way for fuller redemption.

The Torah Speaks Today

Brothers and sisters, the Torah is speaking now. The same divine words that foretold 1948’s foundation describe our trials in 5783–5784 and call us forward. Study these pesukim. Count the verses. See the patterns. Let them awaken us.

May we merit to see Mashiach ben David soon, with the Temple rebuilt and universal peace. May all exiles be gathered — including the hidden ones from our families. As Deuteronomy 30 promises, God will have compassion and gather us.

Let’s strengthen one another with the teachings (reciepts) of Torah life. Share this with your circles. Comment below or reach out for the study.

Hazan Gavriel ben David Beit HaShoavah – Teaching Torah, Preserving Legacy

• From Messianic Jew to Ally: My 21-Year Journey with Tovia Singer and Tamar Yonah
• From Counter-Missionary to Ally: My 21-Year Journey with Tovia Singer and Tamar Yonah
• Daniel Prophesied Jesus of Nazareth
• Vayetze | ויצא | “He went out ” Torah: Genesis 28:10-32:2
• The Torah: A Book Like No Other – October 7 Prophecy & The Tree of Life Blueprint

The BLK SHP Bible Talk Episode: They Found It in a Cave: The Isaiah Scroll

“I’m going to tell you a story that’s as frustrating as it is heartbreaking. It’s the story of how generations of faithful YHVH-worshippers came so close to seeing the Messiah yet still missed him.

They didn’t miss him because the evidence wasn’t there. It was always there. There’s a scroll sitting in a museum in Jerusalem. It was copied before Jesus of Nazareth was born. And what it says about the Messiah is something the rabbis spent a thousand years trying not to talk about. The ancient Jewish scholars knew something their own descendants were never told.

2,000 years of Jewish scholarship contain a portrait of the Messiah so specific that it names his birthplace.

It describes his death, and it fixes the century of his arrival. I’m talking about ancient Jewish writings. Some of them you may have heard of. Maybe you’ve even read some of them. The Talmud and the Midrash, the Targams, the Zohar, the sacred libraries the rabbis themselves

built. And somewhere between 1096 AD and 1,200 AD, about a thousand years ago, what that library said about the Messiah got buried. Not out of deception, I don’t think, but out of grief”.

Hazan Gavriel ben David – Response

I watched the episode “They Found It in a Cave, and It Turned Modern Judaism Upside Down.” The host presents a long list of pre-Christian Jewish sources that he claims clearly describe a suffering, dying, and rising individual Messiah who matches Jesus. He argues that the collective reading of Isaiah 53 is a later invention forced on the Jewish people by trauma and polemic.

I would like to first ask a few questions to the viewers of BLK. Do you want to know the truth, or are you just going along like everyone else in the world, following Rome’s orders?

The Christian Bible has nothing to do with the Hebrew Bible. The Bible is a Greek word; it was originally called the Tanach and was later given its name by the Greeks. In Greek, the Bible means the Tanach/Book.

A Book Like No Other Makes A Point

Rabbi David Fohrman opens his A Book Like No Other series on the Garden of Eden with several simple but devastating questions about the scene itself:

1. Why are there two special trees in the center of the Garden — the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil — when God only mentions one in the command?
2. Why does God command Adam to eat from all the trees of the Garden (including the Tree of Life), yet after eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, He suddenly guards the Tree of Life as if it had never been available?
3. Why does Eve tell the snake that “the tree in the middle of the Garden” is forbidden, when Genesis 2:9 places the Tree of Life in the middle?
4. Why did Hashem not tell Adam about the Tree of Life?
5. Where is the Tree of Life?
6. Why did Hashem create something that has no use in the world?

These are not minor details. They are the Torah’s way of forcing us to look at the actual blueprint. The anomalies are the message.

Adam Did Not Know About The Tree of Life

Now ask yourself the same question the Torah forces us to ask:

How did we get from the Garden to questions about Jesus?

How did a story about two trees, a command to eat from all of them, a tempter who told the truth about consequences, and a path that was never lost become a story about inherited total depravity, a divine blood sacrifice, and a dying-and-rising individual Messiah?

This is the rewrite of the blueprint.

Isaiah 53 and Zephaniah 3: “No Iniquity in Their Mouth”

Christian teachers frequently isolate Isaiah 53:9 — “because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth” — as proof of a sinless individual Messiah. But the prophets themselves connect this language directly to the righteous remnant of Israel.

Look at Zephaniah 3:13 (in the same prophetic tradition):

“The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.”

This is the exact same phrasing as Isaiah 53:9. The servant who has “no deceit in his mouth” is the faithful remnant of Israel that emerges purified after judgment. They are the ones who will dwell securely, feeding and lying down in peace — classic end-time restoration language for the nation and its righteous core.

Rambam (Maimonides) on Jesus

Jesus of Nazareth, who aspired to be the Mashiach and was executed by the court, was also alluded to in Daniel’s prophecies, as ibid. 11:14 states: “The vulgar among your people shall exalt themselves in an attempt to fulfill the vision, but they shall stumble.”

Can there be a greater stumbling block than Christianity? All the prophets spoke of Mashiach as the redeemer of Israel and their savior who would gather their dispersed and strengthen their observance of the mitzvot. In contrast, Christianity caused the Jews to be slain by the sword, their remnants to be scattered and humbled, the Torah to be altered, and the majority of the world to err and serve a god other than the Lord.

^{Jeremiah 19} O Lord, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.

²⁰ Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods?

²¹ Therefore, behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know mine hand and my might; and they shall know that my name is The Lord.

Nevertheless, the intent of the Creator of the world is not within the power of man to comprehend, for His ways are not our ways, nor are His thoughts our thoughts. Ultimately, all the deeds of Jesus of Nazareth and that Ishmaelite [Muhammad] who arose after him will only serve to prepare the way for Mashiach’s coming and the improvement of the entire world, motivating the nations to serve God together as Zephaniah 3:9 states: “I will transform the peoples to a purer language so that they all will call upon the name of God and serve Him with one purpose.”

How will this come about? The entire world has already become filled with the mention of Mashiach, Torah, and mitzvot… When the true Messianic king arises and proves successful, his position becomes exalted and uplifted, and they will all return and realize that their ancestors bestowed upon them a false heritage and that their prophets and ancestors caused them to err.

The Rambam Makes His Point

The Rambam, in Mishneh Torah (Hilchot Melachim u’Milchamot 11:4), addresses claims about Jesus directly and rejects them firmly. He writes that Jesus was not the Messiah, but rather one who caused Israel to go astray and the world to err by interpreting the Torah incorrectly and leading people away from the commandments.

Maimonides states that Jesus and Muhammad were not true redeemers but instruments that ultimately helped spread knowledge of the Torah to the nations — paving the way for the true Messiah — yet they themselves failed to meet the criteria for the Messiah outlined in the Torah and the Prophets.

Rambam emphasizes that the true Messiah will be a king from the house of David who compels all Israel to walk in the ways of the Torah, fights God’s wars, gathers the exiles, rebuilds the Temple, and brings universal peace and knowledge of God. Jesus did none of these things. The Rambam’s clear, systematic analysis in the Mishneh Torah shows that Christian claims about Jesus as Messiah have no foundation in the original Hebrew sources.

I will address every major claim using the method from my book, Adam, the Blueprint of Creation and the Tree of Life (Dr. Robert Carter’s four questions applied to religious claims) and Jay Smith’s historical method (earliest sources, timing, continuity, and archaeology). I will also bring the actual Talmudic and rabbinic sources that the host cited, along with the counter-tradition from our sages.

1. Claim: Isaiah 53 clearly describes an individual suffering Messiah (singular pronouns in the Dead Sea Scrolls prove it)

The host’s argument: The Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsa-a) from Qumran uses singular pronouns throughout (“he was wounded,” “he was cut off,” etc.). This proves the original Jewish understanding was individual, not collective.

Response:

Example: How Christian Interpretation Changes Isaiah 53

Here is a clear, side-by-side comparison of Isaiah 53:5–6, one of the most-quoted passages. This shows the original Hebrew, a literal translation that preserves the collective voice, and how Christian theology effectively rewrites the meaning by changing who is speaking.

1. Original Hebrew (Isaiah 53:5–6)

וְהוּא מְחֹלָל מִפְּשָׁעֵנוּ מְדֻכָּא מֵעֲוֹנֹתֵינוּ
מוּסַר שְׁלוֹמֵנוּ עָלָיו וּבַחֲבֻרָתוֹ נִרְפָּא־לָנוּ׃
כֻּלָּנוּ כַּצֹּאן תָּעִינוּ אִישׁ לְדַרְכּוֹ פָּנִינוּ
וַיהוָה הִפְגִּיעַ בּוֹ אֵת עֲוֹן כֻּלָּנוּ׃

2. Literal English Translation (Preserving the Original Voice)

But he was pierced because of our transgressions,
crushed because of our iniquities.
The chastisement of our peace was upon him,
and by his wound we were healed.
All of us like sheep have gone astray;
each one to his own way we have turned,
and the Lord has caused to fall upon him
the iniquity of all of us.

Key point: The speakers are saying “we” and “our”. They are confessing that they went astray and that the servant suffered because of their sins. In context, the speakers are the nations (or those outside Israel) speaking about Israel (the servant).

3. How Christian Interpretation Changes the Meaning

In most Christian teaching, preaching, and study Bibles, this passage is presented as if it is only about Jesus, and the “we/our” is reassigned to mean Christians or believers:

Christian Presentation (Typical Interpretation):

“Jesus was wounded for our transgressions…
by His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray…”

What this does:

• It removes the original speakers (the nations confessing about Israel).
• It makes the reader assume they are the “we” who went astray and that Jesus is the individual servant who died for them.
• It turns a national, collective passage into a purely individual, personal atonement story.

This is not a small shift in emphasis. It fundamentally changes who is speaking and who the servant represents.

Summary of the Change

Element	Original Hebrew Meaning	Common Christian Interpretation	Effect of the Change
Who is speaking?	The nations (or those outside Israel)	Christians / believers	Removes the national context
Who is the servant?	Israel / the righteous remnant	Exclusively Jesus	Turns collective suffering into individual
“We / Our”	The nations confessing their own sin	Reassigned to Christians	Changes the identity of the guilty party
Overall message	Nations recognize Israel’s suffering role	Personal salvation through Jesus’ death	Replaces national restoration with individual atonement

This pronoun and contextual shift are one of the clearest examples of how the original Hebrew blueprint was rewritten. The text itself was not heavily altered in most translations, but the meaning and speakers were reassigned to fit a completely different theological story.

This is the same pronoun-shift tactic we see across Christian interpretation. The chapter is written from the perspective of the nations speaking about Israel as a collective servant. The “we” and “our” language throughout makes this clear:

• “Surely he has borne our griefs…”
• “We all like sheep have gone astray…”
• “The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

The Dead Sea Scrolls Isaiah

The Dead Sea Scrolls Isaiah Scroll does contain singular forms in many places, but it is not a perfect manuscript. It has numerous scribal errors, omissions, and variants. One well-known issue is that it appears to have been buried or stored in a way consistent with damaged or erroneous scrolls containing the Divine Name (a practice reflected in later Jewish handling of sacred texts). The host presents it as pristine proof. It is not.

The passage that contains the words HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, only contains (2) HOLY, HOLY. (Isaiah 6:3)

More importantly, even if the pronouns are singular in some manuscripts, the chapter’s context (the suffering servant bringing justice to the nations, the nations confessing their error about him) has been read nationally by Jewish interpreters for centuries. Rabbi Tovia Singer and Yehuda Israel have addressed this verse by verse on their channels, showing that the national reading is the plain sense.

2. Claim: Pre-Christian sources (Talmud, Zohar, Midrash, Targum) clearly teach a suffering/dying Messiah ben Joseph who rises

The host’s argument: Sanhedrin 98b calls the Messiah a “leper scholar” from Isaiah 53. The Zohar, Midrash Rabbah, and Targum Jonathan support the idea of a suffering figure. Messiah ben Joseph is pierced, atones, and rises.

Response (using actual sources):

• Sanhedrin 98b: The passage does mention a “leper scholar” in connection with Isaiah 53:4 in one opinion. However, this is one view among many in the Talmud. The same tractate and others present multiple opinions about the Messiah. There is no consensus that Isaiah 53 refers to a dying individual Messiah who rises on the third day.
• Messiah ben Joseph: This is a real tradition in some sources (e.g., certain midrashim and later Zohar passages). However, it is not the dominant or universal view, and it is often tied to a figure who fights in the final war and dies, not necessarily the primary Davidic Messiah who brings final redemption. The host presents it as the clear pre-Christian portrait. It is one thread among several.
• Targum Jonathan on Isaiah 52:13 does say “my servant the Messiah shall prosper,” but the Targumim frequently add interpretive layers. They do not prove that the plain text of Isaiah 53 was originally understood as a dying-and-rising individual.

The host repeatedly dismisses Rashi. Yet Rashi’s reading of Isaiah 53 as Israel is consistent with earlier sources and with the national-suffering theme that runs throughout the Tanakh (e.g., the servant songs in Isaiah, the corporate nature of Israel’s covenant). Our sages did not need the Church Fathers or later trauma to read the text this way.

3. Claim: The collective reading of Isaiah 53 is a late polemic (Rashi changed after the Crusades, Maimonides disqualified a dying Messiah)

Response:

This is historically inaccurate and selective.

• The national/collective reading of the servant songs appears in sources before the major traumas the host mentions. It is consistent with the overall biblical theme of Israel suffering on behalf of the nations and being vindicated.
• Maimonides (Rambam), in the Mishneh Torah and in his Epistle to Yemen, does emphasize a victorious, non-dying Messiah in his primary portrait. However, he was responding to the specific claims of Christianity and Islam in his time. He was not “hiding” an earlier Jewish belief in a dying Messiah. Rambam also addresses claims about Jesus in his writings on Daniel and elsewhere, rejecting them on textual and historical grounds.
• The idea that the collective reading was invented as a response to Christianity ignores that Jewish interpreters were reading the text nationally long before the major debates intensified.

Rabbi Tovia Singer has documented extensively how the Church Fathers (Justin Martyr, Origen, etc.) engaged in these debates and how the Christian reading developed. The host’s timeline is selective.

4. Claim: The Dead Sea Scrolls and other pre-Christian sources prove that the portrait of Jesus was already in Judaism

Response (Jay Smith method + Dr. Carter’s questions):

Using Jay Smith’s approach (earliest sources, timing, continuity, archaeology):

• The Great Isaiah Scroll is pre-Christian. That is true. However, the existence of a scroll does not prove that the interpretation the host gives it was the dominant or only Jewish reading.
• Many of the sources the host cites (certain Zohar passages, later midrashim) are post-Temple or even medieval. The host blurs the line between pre-Christian and later Jewish mystical traditions.
• Applying Dr. Robert Carter’s four questions to this claim:
  1. How did the host arrive at this unified portrait? By selecting certain passages and downplaying the diversity of opinion in the sources.
  2. What does the full picture show? The sources show multiple, sometimes conflicting, expectations. There was no single, clear “suffering-dying-rising Messiah ben Joseph who matches Jesus” portrait universally accepted before Christianity.
  3. Was there enough time and continuity? The Christian reading develops and solidifies in the centuries after Jesus, especially as the movement separates from Judaism.
  4. Does the rewrite match the original blueprint? No. The Torah’s consistent message is national covenant, repentance, and return — not inherited total depravity requiring a divine blood sacrifice.

5. Broader Pattern: The Rewrite of the Blueprint

This episode follows the same pattern I document in Adam, the Blueprint of Creation, and the Tree of Life, and in the “Two Sides of the Same Coin” series on beithashoavah.org:

• The original Hebrew blueprint teaches that humanity is created fundamentally good (99% good).
• The path to the Tree of Life (Torah) remains open through teshuvah.
• Suffering can be redemptive on a national and personal level without requiring a one-time divine sacrifice to fix “original sin.”

Christianity (and this podcast’s presentation) rewrites that blueprint. It turns national suffering into an individual’s atoning death, changes the nature of the problem (from choice and covenant to inherited depravity), and replaces the Tree of Life with the cross.

Paul’s role in this development has been addressed in my blogs and by others (including channels like History Valley). The shift toward a more Hellenistic, individual-focused soteriology has roots in the Roman world in which early Christianity developed.

The Invitation – Bring the Receipts

I am asking you directly, as I have asked others:

Please respond. Write me or record a conversation. Bring the actual Talmudic and midrashic sources in full context. Show where the plain text of Isaiah 53, read according to the rules of Hebrew grammar and the surrounding chapters, requires an individual dying-and-rising Messiah.

Rabbi Tovia Singer, Yehuda Israel, and many others have already addressed these exact claims with the sources. The collective/national reading is not a late invention forced by trauma. It is a legitimate and ancient reading of the text.

The original blueprint preserved by the Jewish people for over 3,300 years — in the text and in our lineage (Kohanim marker, Abrahamic DNA continuity) — tells a different story.

The Tree of Life was never lost. The path of teshuvah and tzedakah u’mishpat remains open.

From the Garden to Isaiah 53 – How Did We Get Here?

Next Blog coming

I am ready when you are.

— Gavriel

(Hosea 6:1–2 – “Come, and let us return to the Lord… After two days, He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up that we may live in His sight.”)

Warren Gage presents Hosea 6:1–2 as a clear gospel prophecy. Israel, the unfaithful bride, has been torn and stricken by God’s judgment. The prophet calls for national repentance (“return to the Lord”), promising that after two days God will revive them and on the third day raise them up to live in His presence. Gage sees this as the suffering-and-glory pattern fulfilled in Christ: Jesus suffers for the adulterous generation, dies, and rises on the third day to revive His people.

The Raw, Original Hebrew Text (Plain Reading)

Hosea 6:1–2 is a corporate call to national repentance and restoration:

“Come, let us return to the Lord; for He has torn us, that He may heal us; He has struck us down, and He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live before Him.”

• This is Israel speaking collectively about national revival after judgment and exile.
• The language is poetic and national — “us,” “we,” the people of Israel as a whole.
• “Third day” here is a Hebrew idiom for a short period of time after which restoration comes (similar to “in a little while”). It is not a literal prophecy of an individual Messiah dying, being buried, and rising bodily on the third day.
• Jewish tradition consistently reads this as hope for Israel’s return from exile or future national redemption, not a prediction of a dying-and-rising individual savior.

Applying the Method from Adam, the Blueprint of Creation, and the Tree of Life

1. What does the full picture actually say? The context of Hosea is God’s lawsuit against unfaithful Israel (the harlot bride). The people acknowledge their sin and express hope that repentance will bring healing. This fits the Torah’s consistent teaching: humans are created good, sin is a choice, and teshuvah (returning) always opens the path back to God. There is no inherited total depravity or requirement for a blood sacrifice of a divine Son.

2. Is this a clear prophecy of a dying-rising Messiah? No. The plain text is about the revival of Israel being revived. Gage’s reading inserts an individual Messiah’s death and resurrection that the original Hebrew does not contain. This is the same pattern we have seen across all the milestones: taking a numerical or poetic phrase (“third day”) and reading Christian theology into it.

3. The Rewrite of the Blueprint Just as scientists once claimed humans are “99% the same” as chimpanzees by ignoring the full genome data, Gage and many teachers (including Tony Robinson, starting from Luke 24) select “third day” verses and overlay a suffering-rising Messiah narrative. The original blueprint preserved in the Hebrew text teaches:

• Humanity is fundamentally good (created “very good”).
• The path to the Tree of Life (Torah itself — Proverbs 3:18) remains open through repentance.
• Restoration comes through returning to God, not through the death of a divine intermediary.

4. The Preserved Evidence Modern genetics (the Kohanim marker, Nathan Jensen’s research, Abrahamic DNA continuity) confirms that the Jewish people preserved both the textual and genetic blueprint from Abraham and Aaron. The same people who guarded Hosea for over 2,700 years never read Hosea 6:1–2 as a prophecy of an individual Messiah’s third-day resurrection.

Verdict on Milestone 17

Hosea 6:1–2 is a beautiful national call to repentance and hope of restoration after judgment. Gage turns it into a prophecy of Christ’s personal resurrection. The raw Hebrew text provides no such support.

This continues the consistent pattern: a poetic or chronological phrase is elevated into resurrection typology, while the original context emphasizes national repentance and God’s faithfulness to Israel.

The original blueprint stands. The Tree of Life remains accessible. The path of teshuvah was never lost.

The silence when asked for clear, plain-text receipts from the Tanakh continues to speak.

Hazan Gavriel ben David

Gage, W. A. (2011). Milestones to Emmaus: The Third Day Resurrection in the Old Testament (pp. 43–45). Warren A. Gage.

Milestone 16: The Third Day as the Day of Life and Death Decision for the United Monarchy in the Days of Rehoboam the King “the whole assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.’ So he said to them, ‘Depart for three days, then return to me.’ And the people departed (1 Kgs 12:3–5). “So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had directed, saying, ‘come back to me the third day.’ Then the king answered the people roughly … ‘My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke’ ” (1 Kgs 12:12–14). “So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day” (1 Kgs 12:19). 1 Kings 12:1–19 And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king. So it happened, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it (he was still in Egypt, for he had fled from the presence of King Solomon and had been dwelling in Egypt), that they sent and called him. Then Jeroboam and the whole assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, “Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.” So he said to them, “Depart for three days, then come back to me.” And the people departed. Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he still lived, and he said, “How do you advise me to answer these people?” And they spoke to him, saying, “If you will be a servant to these people today, and serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.” But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him. And he said to them, “What advice do you give? How should we answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?” Then the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you should speak to this people who have spoken to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us’—thus you shall say to them: ‘My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s waist! And now, whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!’ ” So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had directed, saying, “Come back to me the third day.” Then the king answered the people roughly, and rejected the advice which the elders had given him; and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!” So the king did not listen to the people; for the turn of events was from the Lord, that He might fulfill His word, which the Lord had spoken by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. Now when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying: “What share have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Now, see to your own house, O David!” So Israel departed to their tents. But Rehoboam reigned over the children of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah. Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was in charge of the revenue; but all Israel stoned him with stones, and he died. Therefore King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in haste to flee to Jerusalem. So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day. After the death of King Solomon, a delegation of Israel’s northern tribes appealed to the son of Solomon against his father’s “yoke,” for Solomon, like the Pharaoh of the oppression, built treasure cities (1 Kgs 10:19; cf. Exod 1:11). The new king asked for three days to consider their petitions. Rehoboam was advised by his elders to serve the people by granting their petition and relieving their grievances. They advised him to speak kindly to the people, securing their affections forever. The youths, however, advised the king to defy the grievances of the petitioners. “Tell this people, ‘My father gave you a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke!’ ” (1 Kgs 12:11). On the third day, the day of fateful decision, Rehoboam took the part of the younger men and defied the people, speaking harshly to them as the young men had counseled. The northern tribes, having seen that such a king ruled over them, rejected Rehoboam as king. “What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse!” (1 Kgs 12:16). The kingdom was irretrievably broken by the folly of the king. The unity of God’s people died that day. The chronicler concluded his account, however, by suggesting that the revolt, although it was ordained (1 Kgs 12:24) was not approved. “So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day” (1 Kgs 12:19). In the fullness of time the Son of David came as the rightful King of Israel. Jesus came with a wisdom greater than Solomon, a grace greater than Rehoboam. No king had ever served the people as he did, suffering three days in the grave of death for them, all to rise in glory to be the Servant of the Lord on their behalf. “Take my yoke upon you,” he had said, “… for my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matt 11:29–30). And although he spoke kindly to them on the third day, Israel rejected their inheritance in the Root of Jesse, and has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

Gage, W. A. (2011). Milestones to Emmaus: The Third Day Resurrection in the Old Testament (pp. 43–45). Warren A. Gage.

Luke 24 (the Road to Emmaus) is the exact passage Tony Robinson and many Messianic/Hebrew Roots teachers always started with. Jesus appears to the two disciples, rebukes them for being slow to believe, and then says:

“O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. (Luke 24:25-27)

Later, he explicitly says he fulfilled what was written: “that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead” (Luke 24:46).

The Core Issue: Our Torah Is Different

This is the foundational claim Gage builds his entire book upon — that the Tanakh contains clear prophecies of a suffering, dying, buried, and third-day-rising Messiah. Tony Robinson used chiastic structures and “third day” patterns across the Hebrew Bible to try to show this.

But when we apply the method in my book, Adam, The Blueprint of Creation and the Tree of Life — going back to the raw original text, looking at the full picture, and checking for rewrites — the receipts are missing.

What the Tanakh Actually Shows (Plain Reading)

• There is no single clear verse in the Torah, Prophets, or Writings that says the Messiah must die for the sins of the world and rise on the third day.
• The “third day” passages Gage highlights (Joseph, Exodus, Benjamin, Rehoboam, etc.) are narrative timing — travel, battle, consultation, decision points — not a unified resurrection doctrine.
• The suffering servant in Isaiah 53 is best read in Jewish tradition as Israel collectively (the servant who suffers for the nations), rather than as an individual dying-and-rising Messiah.
• The Torah teaches that humanity was created “very good,” with access to the Tree of Life through teshuvah and obedience. It never teaches inherited total depravity requiring a blood sacrifice.

Jesus’ statement on the road to Emmaus is powerful rhetoric, but it assumes the very interpretation it claims to prove. When we go back to the original Hebrew documents and read them in context (peshat), the pattern Gage and Robinson see is not there in the text itself — it is read into the text through later Christian typology.

This is exactly the “rewrite of the blueprint” my book exposes: taking the original Hebrew story and overlaying a new narrative that the raw sources do not clearly support.

2. Where the “Fictional” Claim Comes From

The parts that are theological and not historically verifiable are:

• The virgin birth
• The miracles (walking on water, raising the dead, etc.)
• The bodily resurrection on the third day

These are faith claims. Historians cannot prove or disprove miracles — they lie outside the tools of historical

1 Kings 12 records one of the most tragic moments in Israel’s history. After Solomon’s death, the northern tribes asked Rehoboam to lighten the heavy yoke of taxes and forced labor. Rehoboam asked for three days to consider their petition. On the third day, he rejected the elders’ wise counsel to serve the people and instead followed the arrogant advice of the young men: “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke.” The northern tribes revolted, declaring, “What share have we in David?” The kingdom split permanently, and the chronicler concludes: “So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day” (1 Kings 12:19).

Warren Gage presents this as another “third day” life-and-death decision, foreshadowing Jesus as the greater Son of David who offers an “easy yoke” (Matt 11:29–30) and triumphs through resurrection despite rejection.

Applying the Method from Adam, the Blueprint of Creation, and the Tree of Life

We examine the raw, original Hebrew text — the full picture, not just selected parts that support a later theology.

Question 1: What does the plain text actually say? The “third day” is straightforward narrative timing. Rehoboam needed time to consult advisors. There is no death-and-resurrection sequence. No burial. No rising. The “death” is the permanent fracture of the United Kingdom. The story is about leadership failure, arrogance, and the real consequences of ignoring wise counsel. The snake (yetzer hara) is not at work here — human choices are.

Question 2: Does the full context support a resurrection type? No. This is political history. The split fulfills Ahijah’s prophecy due to Solomon’s earlier sins, but Rehoboam’s folly accelerates it. Jewish tradition (Rashi, Radak) reads it as a cautionary tale about kingship and unity — not a hidden prophecy about a future Messiah dying and rising on the third day. The text never mentions suffering-glory, a dying-rising figure, or an “easy yoke” replacing the Torah.

Question 3: Was there enough time/continuity for this interpretation? The original Hebrew blueprint preserved by the Jewish people for over 3,300 years does not contain this reading. The “third day” passages Gage highlights are consistently about travel, waiting, battle timing, or decision points — not a unified resurrection doctrine. Christianity’s typological overlay developed centuries later, much like the later doctrines of Original Sin and the full Trinity.

Question 4: Does the rewrite match the original blueprint? No. The Torah presents humanity as created “very good,” with the Tree of Life still accessible through relationship and obedience (Proverbs 3:18 calls the Torah itself a Tree of Life). The path of tzedakah u’mishpat was never lost. Gage’s reading requires inserting a death-and-resurrection pattern that the original text does not contain — a rewrite of the blueprint, just as scientists once rewrote the genome data to claim humans are “99% the same” as chimpanzees while ignoring the full picture.

The Preserved Blueprint

Modern genetics (including the Kohanim marker traceable to Aaron’s line) confirms the Jewish people preserved the original Abrahamic lineage and the textual blueprint. The same people who guarded the Hebrew Scriptures for millennia never read these “third day” passages as resurrection prophecies. The evidence — textual and genetic — matches the original story: humanity remains fundamentally good, repair is always possible, and the Tree of Life was never taken away.

Verdict on Milestone 16

Rehoboam’s third-day decision is a tragic record of human folly that split the kingdom. Gage turns it into a foreshadowing of Jesus’ resurrection and easy yoke. The raw Hebrew text provides no such support.

The pattern is consistent across Gage’s milestones: a numerical coincidence (“third day”) is elevated into typology, while the original context emphasizes human responsibility and national consequences.

The original blueprint stands. The Tree of Life remains. The path was never lost — only sometimes ignored.

The silence when asked for clear verses from the Tanakh speaks for itself.

Hazan Gavriel ben David

The Angel of the Lord and the Weight of Fabrication: Tovia Singer’s Questions, Critical Scrutiny, and the Unbroken Blueprint of Creation

2. And God’s anger was kindled because he went; and the angel of the LORD placed himself in the way for an adversary against him.—Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him.—

כ״ב. וַיִּחַר־אַף אֱלֹהִים כִּי־הוֹלֵךְ הוּא וַיִּתְיַצֵּב מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה בַּדֶּרֶךְ לְשָׂטָן לוֹ וְהוּא רֹכֵב עַל־אֲתֹנוֹ וּשְׁנֵי נְעָרָיו עִמּוֹ׃

In the Torah’s account of Balaam, the Malach Hashem—the Angel of the Lord—stands explicitly “as a satan” (adversary) in the road to block a perverse path (Numbers 22:22). God had already spoken directly to Balaam; now He deploys a messenger with a drawn sword. The donkey sees what the prophet cannot.

When the Lord opens Balaam’s eyes, the angel delivers the divine message without claiming independent divinity. This is the first explicit use of “satan” in the Torah, and it is an angel acting as God’s loyal agent—not a fallen being, not a co-equal person in the Godhead, and certainly not a pre-incarnate Jesus.

While this week’s parashat Korach centers on rebellion against God’s chosen agents and the priesthood’s role in halting plague (with Aaron standing between the living and the dead), the broader theme of divine messengers and their proper recognition resonates powerfully.

The Balaam narrative supplies the starkest illustration: the Malach Hashem can be called satan precisely because it is a sent adversary fulfilling the will of the One God. Later traditions that rewrite these passages to insert a second divine person must reckon with this plain text.

Where Is The Christian Bible’s Proof

Rabbi Tovia Singer has long posed the penetrating questions that expose the rewrite. If these appearances were pre-incarnate manifestations of the Son, why does the New Testament nowhere identify them as such? Why would the earliest Jewish followers of Jesus—saturated in Hebrew Scripture—fail to notice or proclaim this link?

Hebrews 1:5 explicitly distinguishes the Son from angels: “For to which of the angels did God ever say, ‘You are my Son’?” The Greek aggelos and Hebrew malach both mean “messenger”—human or heavenly. Prophets, judges, and angels routinely speak in the first person as the Sender (“Thus says the Lord”) because they carry the authority of the One who sent them. This is the shaliach (agency) principle, not evidence of multiple persons within God.

Consider the classic passages through this lens:

In Genesis 16 and 21, the Malach Hashem finds Hagar, promises to multiply her seed, and speaks with divine authority. Hagar responds, “You are the God who sees me.” Yet the text never has the angel claim independent deity or announce a future incarnation. Singer’s question lands: If this were the pre-incarnate Christ, why the silence on identity? The encounter reveals God through the messenger.

I Will Be With You

At the burning bush (Exodus 3), the Malach Hashem appears in the flame; then “the Lord saw… God called to him from the bush.” The text itself maintains a distinction even as it shows divine presence. Fluidity between the angel and the Lord reflects theophany or representative speech, not a second person of a later Trinity.

Samson, the Judge of Israel

In Judges 6, the angel appears to Gideon, consumes the offering with fire, and departs. Gideon fears he has “seen the angel of the Lord face to face” and builds an altar to Hashem. In Judges 13, the angel announces Samson’s birth to Manoah’s wife, refuses to reveal his name (“it is wonderful”), ascends in the altar flame, and the couple realizes they have seen a divine messenger.

They fear death—not because they saw a second God, but because encountering the divine realm through its agent is overwhelming. Again, Singer asks: Where in these texts or in the New Testament does anyone declare, “This was the eternal Son planning His incarnation”?

Angels Speak as God in the Hebrew Text

Missionaries weaponize these passages by insisting that, because the angel sometimes speaks as God or is addressed with divine attributes, the angel must be Jesus. This eisegesis ignores the consistent biblical pattern of agency.

It also ignores early Jewish sources (Targumim, Talmudic references to exalted messengers such as Metatron) that treat the Malach Hashem as a created or semi-created agent of the One God, not as a member of the Godhead. The identification with Jesus emerges later in patristic writings, serving to develop Christology rather than arising from the plain Hebrew text.

Always Speak The Truth

Here, Mark Twain’s insight becomes devastatingly relevant. Twain observed that “if you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” Once a fabrication is introduced—that every Malach Hashem is secretly the pre-incarnate Christ—the interpreter is forced into an endless cycle of additional fabrications to maintain consistency. One must now “remember” and defend:

• Why does the Shema and the entire Torah insist on absolute oneness without any hint of eternal plurality within God?
• Why does no Second Temple Jewish source clearly teach that the angel appearances were a second divine person planning to become flesh?
• Why Jesus and the New Testament authors remain silent about this supposed identity, never saying “I was the angel who appeared to Hagar, Moses, Gideon, or Manoah.”
• Why does God “send” the angel in some texts if the angel is God the Son?
• Why does the Balaam story explicitly present the angel as a subordinate adversary sent by God?

Rewriting the Torah Code- Warning

Each patch requires further patches—Trinity doctrine, eternal generation, hypostatic union, distinctions between “economic” and “immanent” Trinity—until the original elegant code of the Torah is buried under a superstructure of explanations.

The liar’s burden grows heavier with every defense. Textual variants, historical development, and logical tensions must be continually managed. The simple truth—that these are instances of divine communication through agents, theophanies of the One God’s presence (kavod or Shechinah), or prophetic speech—requires no such memory work or contortions.

Jay Smith’s method of rigorous historical and textual scrutiny, honed through the examination of other traditions, applies directly here. Just as critical examination reveals anachronisms, later accretions, and source problems in claims about other scriptures, it reveals that the christophany reading of the Malach Hashem is largely absent from the earliest strata and serves later theological needs. The Hebrew text’s integrity, the archaeological record of Israel’s developing (yet fiercely guarded) monotheism, and the New Testament’s own silence all testify against the rewrite.

The Spoken Word

This brings us to the Blueprint of Creation. The Torah presents a unified divine order in which the One God creates through speech and word, establishing a patterned hierarchy—echoed in the Tree of Life as a symbol of ordered emanations, attributes, and agents under the singular Source. Messengers (malachim) fit naturally within this blueprint as extensions of divine will and presence, not as fractures in the Godhead or pre-incarnate second persons.

The “code” is elegant: One Author, direct yet mediated interaction, free will tested by adversarial agents who remain loyal servants (as in the Balaam “satan”), and a creation whose complexity reflects the unity of its Source. Rewriting the Malach Hashem passages to insert a co-equal divine person disrupts this blueprint, introducing unnecessary complexity and theological debt that must be repaid with endless additional doctrines.

The fabrication does not illuminate the text; it obscures the original code. It places the interpreter in precisely the position Twain described—burdened with remembering and reconciling contradictions that the plain reading never generates. Rabbi Tovia Singer’s questions cut through the overlay: the texts themselves, read in their Hebrew context and within Jewish interpretive tradition, present themselves as loyal messengers of the One God. The Blueprint stands intact when we refuse to rewrite it.

Malach Hashem is The Satan

Returning to the original code restores both intellectual honesty and spiritual clarity. In Korach, rebellion against God’s agents brings destruction; proper recognition of divine order brings life. In Balak, the Malach Hashem called Satan to act to prevent sin and protect blessing.

The truth does not require us to remember a web of later inventions. It simply invites us to see what the text has always shown: the One God communicates, tests, protects, and reveals—sometimes through messengers who speak with His authority but remain exactly what the Hebrew declares: malach Hashem, the Angel of the Lord.

Refined Focus on Numbers 22:22 – The Malach Hashem as “Satan” (Adversary)

In Numbers 22:22, we read: “And God’s anger was kindled because he [Balaam] went; and the angel of the LORD placed himself in the way for an adversary [לְשָׂטָן לוֹ – le-satan lo] against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him.”

This is the first appearance of the root שׂטן (satan) in the Torah—not as a proper name for a cosmic rebel, but as a functional description of a loyal Malach Hashem. God, already having spoken directly to Balaam, dispatches His messenger to block the prophet’s perverse path. The donkey sees the angel with a drawn sword; Balaam does not—until the Lord opens his eyes.

The angel then speaks with divine authority, yet remains clearly sent: “I have come forth to oppose you because your way is perverse before me” (v. 32). The Malach acts as God’s agent to protect Israel’s blessing and humble the would-be curser. Far from an independent power or second divine person, this “satan” is a subordinate instrument executing the singular will of YHVH.

Rabbi Tovia Singer’s incisive questions dismantle missionary overlays here. If this Malach Hashem were the pre-incarnate Christ (as some claim for Angel of the Lord passages), why does the text distinguish God’s anger and sending action from the angel’s role?

Why no self-revelation as the coming Messiah or Son? Why does the New Testament remain silent on Jesus identifying with this (or any) Malach Hashem appearance? Hebrews 1:5 reinforces the distinction: God never said to any angel, “You are My Son.”

The Angel Of Hashem

The malach is precisely what the Hebrew declares—a messenger (malach = sent one), capable of bearing divine authority representationally without being the Sender Himself. This is the biblical principle of shaliach (agency): the ambassador speaks and acts in the name of the king, yet remains distinct.

Missionaries weaponize such texts by seizing on moments where the angel speaks in the first person or is linked to divine action, declaring, “See! This must be Jesus!” This reading rewrites the original code. It forces the insertion of later Trinitarian categories into a strictly monotheistic narrative.

The Jay Smith Historical Critical Method

Apply Jay Smith’s rigorous historical-critical method—scrutinizing sources, anachronisms, and developmental layers—and the christophany interpretation collapses. It is a post-biblical construct, unattested in the plain sense, Second Temple sources, or the New Testament itself.

The earliest Jewish interpretive tradition (Targums, Midrash, Rashi) consistently sees the Malach Hashem as the divine presence mediated through an agent or the Shechinah/kavod, never as a co-equal, eternal Son.

Mark Twain’s insight exposes the cost of this fabrication: “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” Once you rewrite the Malach Hashem as Jesus across multiple passages, you enter the liar’s maze. You must perpetually “remember” and patch:

• How does this align with the Shema’s absolute oneness?
• Why does God “send” the angel if the angel is God the Son?
• The NT’s silence on these supposed appearances.
• The Balaam story’s explicit subordination of the “satan” angel to the One who sent him.

Each patch breeds more explanations—hypostatic union, economic Trinity distinctions, claims of progressive revelation—until the elegant simplicity of Torah is obscured. Truth needs no such scaffolding.

The Tree Of Life: The Blueprint

Within the Blueprint of Creation (as developed in Adam, the Blueprint of Creation, and the Tree of Life), this verse shines. The Torah reveals a unified divine order: One God speaks creation into being through word and pattern (the Tree of Life as a fractal blueprint of emanations, hierarchies, and agents).

Malachim belong to this ordered administration—extensions of divine will, not fractures in the Godhead. The Balaam “satan” perfectly illustrates: a sent adversary maintaining the integrity of blessing and covenant against human perversity.

Rewriting this as a second divine person introduces a bug into the code, complicating what was designed as unified and coherent—much like a mutation disrupting the elegant information flow in DNA or the ordered complexity of quantum fields that mirror divine speech.

In the context of Parashat Korach (this week) and the coming Balak, the lesson is potent. Rebellion against God’s appointed agents (Moses/Aaron) leads to destruction; proper recognition of divine order—whether high priests stopping plague or a Malach blocking curses—brings life and blessing. The Malach Hashem called satan in 22:22 is no exception. It is God’s loyal servant opposing evil intent, preserving the blueprint intact.

This verse alone refutes the rewrite. The code stands: One God, faithful messengers, unbroken creation pattern. As Singer teaches, returning to the plain Hebrew frees us from the burden of fabricated memory. The truth simply is.

Shabbat Shalom

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Hazan Gavriel ben David