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Stack of newspapers labeled 'LIES.' next to an open book with magnifying glass under desk lamp

Media Madness and the War against Israel

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Woman wearing an elaborate, translucent crown with a glowing jewel
Was she real? Was she a justification to live outside the LAND?

How much of what we believe happened in history was written by those who wanted to tell their side of a story, even when it wasn’t the full truth? The victims of warfare rarely get to write their story and even now as we face an existential war in the Middle East, the stories of the Holocaust are being erased by the liberal left-wing media. Entire systems promote the idea that Auschwitz never  happened and some go so far as to claim that Zionist Israel today has replaced the Nazis in their attempts to frame self defense and preservation as “genocide”–”Genocide!” no less, claimed for the destruction of a crazed group of terrorists whose sole vision of their holy war to destroy our people and anyone who is not Muslim is called “infidel”. This mentality does not allow truth to be heard.

Media propaganda paints Israel in the darkest of hues, accusing the Jewish people of the very things that their enemies scheme to do to them. Behind it is an evil force dedicated to eradicating truth and the people called to preserve the truth from the earth. How did the MSM evolve to the point that it now presents as truth only the voice of those who hate us? Why are there so few voices raised to defend and encourage the small nation that has fought for survival ever since returning to  possess the land promised to them and their ancestors? How did violent fanatical terrorists, baby killers if you will, become innocent victims that we should protect and support?

Esther–A Myth that Shapes our Warfare?

Much of the strength of the Israeli people comes from the internal struggle to survive and fulfill the command that they are to be a light to the nations, to provide an example of righteousness amidst a world filled with evil and corruption. We see daily miracles from One who looks after the affairs of the world and is deeply involved in what He promised to Abraham over 3500 years ago–the land of Israel and his descendents as possessors of that land. But of course it wasn’t just about a people living peacefully in the land, but about a people who would transform the world into a world that embraces righteousness. But what is the truth that should be embraced by those who lead the world? What was the covenant that the Jews were to keep? Was it given on Sinai? Have we somehow despised that covenant?

Understanding truth is essential to knowing where we have been and where we are going. There are a lot of stories–Midrashim, if you will, that do not have any historic basis. History that is not real history for what really happened is disguised in Myths and Midrashim.

What is it that we cling to as examples in the past that encourage us to push forward beyond mere survival of our people and a creation of a status in the world that will enlighten and bring about ultimate Peace?
But what is the danger of forgetting what really happened and going with the stories that the majority of our leaders promote? Has the majority ever been right and what are we really told about following the majority?

Exo 23: “2 Thou shalt not follow the multitude for evil; neither shalt thou answer in a cause, to go after the multitude to pervert judgment.”

The fact that something has been taught for many years does not mean it is truth. Where are the fact checkers for history? Especially the history of religion? But where can we find true History if it has been doctored up to teach what the multitude of teachers want to impress upon us? Josephus? The books of the Maccabees? The Dead Sea Scrolls?

A particular Midrash that I learned many years ago, Chamsa and Bar Hamsa, I found to be a cover-up to what really happened. You will never learn this from real history.

Sometimes the pen of  ancient scribes dipped into their inkpots to insert things that may and may not be fully true even in our Holy Bible. Let’s examine the book of Esther. Does it stand up to the light of the rest of Scripture? And if it is even partially true, does it proclaim the works of Heaven or the works of the Jews? In fact the name of the Almighty is not even mentioned in the book of Esther. Most say that He was there working behind the scenes but was He or did it even happen? Can we find evidence in History?

As I write this, we  have just finished celebrating the holiday of Purim. The Biblical book of Esther speaks to us especially at this time when Jews must fight for their very lives and the lives of those neighbors who desire freedom from tyranny. Israel is becoming a power stronger than it has been for over the past 2000 years.

Some say we take our inspiration from the story of Esther. But if we back up and analyse the book of Esther and what it is really saying, we see that Esther happened at a time when many of the Jews refused to return to the land of Israel when Cyrus the great opened the way for them and helped fund the rebuilding of the second temple. Esther and her story happened, according to our best sources, around the year 473 BCE. This was 65 years after Cyrus decreed 538 BCE that the Jews should return to Israel and rebuild their temple. Why did these Jews remain in Persia? And why the story of their success over their enemies there in the Diaspora of ancient Persia?

For me the story is a justification to remain in the Diaspora and to continue living in the ways of the nations, using trickery and a novel romantic  plot to destroy those who would destroy them. Again, why were they still in Persia? And what was going on then? We know from the Tenakh that there were factions that fought against the building of the Temple. We obviously do not know how much of the story was changed as it was written for future minds to digest.
There also is a problem with the names Esther and Mordecai. Esther coming from the goddess, Astarte and Mordecai from Marduk, a famous god at the time. How can it be right, to hide under the spell of other gods? I have to admit it is a fantastic story with a satisfying end. If it had happened before the decree of Cyrus, I would feel more support for it. If the names of the chief actors were not the names of Pagan deities, I would be more interested. It reads like a novel and it very likely is just that.

Purim is a fun time of year other than the fasting which I never do anyway. What are we fasting for? Tradition? Memorial? But since it is very hard to find an actual Esther in any real historic source, maybe, just maybe it IS a myth and something written to keep Jews living among the nations without shame. Coming to Israel has never been easy. It requires a virtual change of thinking–a sacrifice of much we hold near and dear. The land itself eats up the inhabitants, as the ten spies once claimed. Yet beholding now with different eyes, the land produces abundantly for all who love it. It is a Goodly Land and despite the manipulation and lies of the nations and our own leadership who often go begging for the approval of America or Europe, the land is good and it will provide for us. God will help us to have the strength to believe like Joshua and Caleb, that we are well able to possess this land and to overcome the enemy both outside and inside of Israel!

Who’s on First?

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Is God the Ultimate Authority– Is He Really?

Kosher Jewish Astrology says that we must learn about the alignment of the planets and how to overcome our weaknesses and tone down our wild strengths. At least that is what they were teaching  yesterday, when I went to a Rosh Hodesh gathering of women in our town in Israel. The speaker actually said: “The planets will bless you.” 

All the red alerts in my head started going off and I knew I was either going to vomit or walk out. I wanted to say: “That’s witchcraft and you are a witch.” 

But I sat there quietly and finished my decorative vase that the craft teacher generously helped us with. There were about a dozen women there and most agreed happily with the theme of the woman who was teaching. I was astounded at the level of brainwashing that I saw but I realized that all of this has been believed for a very long time. But does that make it right? And does something that is believed for a long time make it more right? Do real thinkers not exist today?

This Jewish Astrologist (Let’s call her Diva) said things like, “we are above the calendar, and it is up to us to establish the date for Rosh Hodesh.” So what does the Bible say about that? Who ordained the signs in the heavens to guide us? 

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֗ים יְהִ֤י מְאֹרֹת֙ בִּרְקִ֣יעַ הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם לְהַבְדִּ֕יל בֵּ֥ין הַיּ֖וֹם וּבֵ֣ין הַלָּ֑יְלָה וְהָי֤וּ לְאֹתֹת֙ וּלְמ֣וֹעֲדִ֔ים וּלְיָמִ֖ים וְשָׁנִֽים׃

“God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate day from night; they shall serve as signs for the set times—the days and the years;” (Genesis 1:14, JPS translation).

Notice the word “moedim” in Hebrew, highlighted in the verse above. This word refers to the set times that the Creator established for the people of Israel. “Set times” is another way to express the Biblical Festivals. “Moed” (part of the word moedim) is used for sacred meetings. The “ohel moed” for example means “tent of meeting” referring to where these gatherings were held. Originally we had the Mishkan (tabernacle or tent of meeting) that traveled with the Israelites in the wilderness and was set up by Joshua in the land after they crossed the Jordan. 

So the Jewish people can decide when the festivals occur? Who is on first? Who appointed the signs to frame the year for us? So now then, can we change what God has said? Who is on first anyway? Is God still God or do we place ourselves on the throne? 

Does the Creator give the Jews the right to change His laws? Or more specifically, can the Chosen People be Holy if they do not obey the Covenant?

וְעַתָּ֗ה אִם־שָׁמ֤וֹעַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ֙ בְּקֹלִ֔י וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֖ם אֶת־בְּרִיתִ֑י וִהְיִ֨יתֶם לִ֤י סְגֻלָּה֙ מִכׇּל־הָ֣עַמִּ֔ים כִּי־לִ֖י כׇּל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

“Now then, if you will obey Me faithfully and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession among all the peoples. Indeed, all the earth is Mine.” (Exodus 19:5 JPS translation).

So which covenant are we talking about? The Covenant that was spoken of in the Torah is the Torah itself and this was given to our forefathers; Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And yet mankind likes to alter what was set up as a blessing for us!

How is it that “the planets will bless you?” How can an inanimate object, be it a stone or a planet have the ability to bless us? Are these somehow elevated to the level of gods? 

I was recently chatting with a woman about the bombs and the ongoing war in Israel. I mentioned someone who goes out even when the alerts go off. She told me that the Jews have to protect themselves. Does that mean that the Almighty no longer protects us? It is true that common sense dictates that we exercise a bit of self preservation in these times, but is our protection only in our own hands? Is it possible that by ignoring the rules that the Creator set up in the very beginning, we somehow feel that this is our universe and that there is little if any protection coming from Hashem? 

Has God taken a long journey and somehow does not hear us? This reminds me of the prophet Elijah on Mount Carmel (a place a couple of hours from us here). What did he tell the people when the prophets of Baal were dancing around their altar?

“When noon came, Elijah mocked them, saying, ‘Shout louder! After all, he is a god. But he may be in conversation, he may be detained, or he may be on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and will wake up.’” (1 Kings 18:27, JPS Translation). Read the entire story in 1 Kings. 

Elijah challenged the people of Israel with these words: 

“‘How long halt ye between two opinions? If YHVH be God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.’” (Ibid, verse 2

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How do we discern truth? By having an individual understanding of the simple words of Torah. How often does the embellishment provided by our modern and ancient sages cloud the truth?–Could they actually be prophets of Baal? The same ones Elijah rebuked the people for? 

Let’s get back to the study of what the Biblical prophets handed down to us without adding or subtracting! 

K.I.S.S. Keep it Simple Stupid!

Ariella

Truth–More Precious than Rubies!

Destiny or Choice

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Do I have Free Will or Did God Make Me Do It?

Someone raised the question in a chat group last week: if God has all knowledge and knows the future, how can we truly have free will? This query has been asked over and over for time immemorial. What is the answer? Is it even important for us to know? Or is it even possible to know? There are at least two views of this subject. 

Power of Choice after the Tree

Does the fact that God knows everything mean that He predestines us to make the decisions that we make? Does it mean that He somehow directs for bad or for good, where we end up? 

The excuse: “The devil made me do it.” Is not far off from “God made me do it.” So do we have free will? And is it possible that the devil, or as some say, the evil inclination made me do it? If so, does mankind truly have free will? Is it possible to resist the evil inclination that is bound up in our DNA…Something that started after Eve and Adam ate the apple?

Does the Eternal work with our weaknesses? Is He there to give us wisdom and strength to choose the right path? 

When our first parents chose to eat of the tree, they accepted the fate of two natures ruling their flesh. Unfortunately our inclination to evil is amplified unto the third and fourth generation and so we seem destined to do evil at times. But this is not as some religions explain, original sin and we can choose our way out of it!

The idea that the Eternal knows everything and has a divine plan…does that mean that God controls us against our will and makes us mere automatons on a chess board? I don’t like that idea.

The Bible says that God “knows the way that I take” (Job 23:10). It also shows the disaster of doing things the way we feel inclined. David followed his inclination with Bathsheba and his repentance is recorded for us: David’s decision, albeit a wrong decision which produced grave consequences, worked out in the end because the Eternal knows the way we take and guides and directs even after wrong decisions have been made. But, there are always consequences! But if we broaden the view, what effect do my actions have on the lives of others?…choices they may not have made but consequences that included them?

Was it the will of Hashem to direct David to take Bathsheba? Absolutely not! But did he work out something regardless? Obviously many of their descendants, including King Solomon would never have been born. Here is David’s sincere confession: 

Psa 51:”3 For I know my transgressions; And my sin is ever before me. 4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, And done that which is evil in thy sight; That thou mayest be justified when thou speakest, And be clear when thou judgest. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity; And in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts; And in the hidden part thou wilt make me to know wisdom. 7 Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. “

What about the sale of Joseph by his brothers? Did the Eternal plan that? Not exactly! Did they all suffer for it! Of course!  From Joseph’s point of view, he was the innocent bystander affected by the decision of his brothers. Clearly not his fault. So was this all engineered by the Master of our Fate?

The tragedy of Joseph’s sale to Egypt did save many people as he later told his brothers. Yes! We don’t know what would have been if Joseph had not been sold, but something else could have happened because the Omnipotence of God is above all of our simple human logic. 

If our DNA includes tendencies to good and to evil, then is it possible to choose good and the path of life and to resist evil? We can, but we do not always do so. So there has to be a plan B, which God already knows about before it happens. If we choose correctly the first time, we might not have so many paths and tunnels in the maze of life. Again, we don’t know and there is much wisdom in saying we do not know the mind of the Eternal. 

Deu 30: “19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

All of us have made bad choices and some of us see that those very choices have brought about learning experiences and actually positioned us to be where we can affect and receive good in this world. How do you bring good out of bad? Well only Hashem knows! But it happens. Job asked the very same question:

Job 14:4: Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?

I can’t quit believing that God has a plan, regardless of all the stuff we wade through, and it will all work out, with or without us but hopefully with us as we straighten our steps under His guidance!

Pro 4: 26 “Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.

Prov 4: 27 “Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.”

On the Other Hand

But what happens when our path is clearly guided to something we had nothing to do with, like Job when all he held dear was destroyed? This had nothing to do with his choices. Sometimes this happens and then what? How can we say he had free will? How can the Eternal be just and throw something like this upon any human being? We know that Job was recompensed in the long run and yet it seems he had no choice in the matter.  So what? Was he chosen? And for what? 

Chosen–The Chosen People

 “I know, I know. We are your chosen People. But, once in a while can’t you choose someone else?” Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof. 

It seems the Jews are chosen to suffer from time immemorial and was there a reason for this suffering? Individually it appears very vague. Do we suffer for the sins of our ancestors? Apparently! And yet we have the promise that the son is not punished for the sins of the father. (Deut 24:16). Strange, seemingly unmerited consequences. Is there ever a way out?

Right, so yes, there are instances when people are apparently chosen as guinea pigs, as in the case of Job above. We don’t know at the time and may never know but these things happen and it seems we have no choice in the matter which puts the eternal question back in place: “If we truly have free will, then why do these things happen to me? And if God is the engineer of the world’s fate then how do I fit in and can I really direct my own life?

Ariella Casey

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Exile Prayers — Does God Hear Them?

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A young hostage, locked in a tunnel in Gaza did not know or remember the daily prayers required for all good Jews. He started talking directly to God as to a friend. He soon felt he was surrounded by light and warmth even in the darkness. When he was rescued, what happened? He was brought into the company of religious Jews and “shown the way.” But was this really “the way” when he had  already felt the presence of the Eternal personally? I wonder if he will still feel the warm arms of the Eternal about him?

Did the repetition of pre-written, daily prayers save Jews during the Holocaust?
Did the increase in numbers of attendance at synagogues, where prayers are the main subject actually bring an end to the ongoing October 7 war?

Perhaps the more one feels the persecution of Antisemites, the more he or she prays! But what are these prayers anyway?  Do memorizing the frequently repeated prayers actually bring Heaven to the rescue? Maybe, maybe not. What seems to happen is that praying together unites Jews to a common cause, but is the strength merely the strength of the community or is it God-given strength and blessing? And where did this all start? I call these Exile prayers.

What is prayer? Do we think that a cleverly and beautifully written prayer will somehow impress the Eternal when all He wants is the expression of the humble and contrite heart? Go ahead! Read someone else’s poems to me to impress me. Will this win my heart?

Psa 51: “17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.”

Isa 66: “2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.”

But what about memorized prayers? Do we have examples in the Bible of those who read memorized prayers and were actually heard? I don’t find any!

What  did the forefathers and the prophets say to God when they prayed? Didn’t they simply ask God for wisdom or to help them? Where in the Bible is there an example of the poetic memorized prayers that are used in today’s religions? There aren’t any. What did Moses say to YHVH when he was afraid to return to Egypt?

When Moses was told to go and speak to Pharaoh, he complained that he was a man of slow speech. He pleaded to get out of the mission. Exo. 4:10

When Elijah felt he was the only one left in the land who didn’t worship the Baals, what did he say? “Even I only am left…” 1 Kings 19:10.

I don’t find anywhere a prayer where someone in the Bible quoted the prayers of another person.

Is prayer about real communication with the Creator or is it about flattering God to get what we want? Are we somehow doing our duty when we repeat the nicely-worded prayers thrice daily? Does it even matter?  Was anyone ever chosen by God who relied on the communication of someone else?

In rereading what I have said it appears that  I condemn all the communal prayers. Let me say, to the contrary,  I believe that the Almighty hears the individual cry behind these prayers. He feels the need of the heart that drives people together. But should not our individual prayers be more about the expression of our own needs and thoughts rather than the thoughts of others? And if we prayed more in this way, would not our public gatherings see more of the blessing of Heaven?

I am not saying that it is wrong to use Psalms and other Bible verses to frame our worship and Shabbat meals. These verses set a framework around the special family time of coming together to enjoy that special time of welcoming of the Shabbat. We read the 23rd Psalm, Exodus 31, Exodus 20 and parts of Isaiah 56. It is even better if you understand the Hebrew so that the words mean something to you. Yet, how much beyond this do we need to go? When does private prayer lose it’s significance? Is God really impressed by our knowledge of how to read a prayer in a foreign tongue? Or would he rather hear us a loving parent hears their children speak to them?

Does the the victim mentality of many Jews perhaps come from not knowing the Almighty on a personal level? Why were we destined to Exile for 2000 years? When we got caught up in following paganism we were not listening on an individual level to the Eternal, so He sent us out of our land. Did we ever learn otherwise than to follow someone else’s ways and teachings? Can we learn to be thinkers rather than mere reflectors of what our great leaders have said?”

Do we know God only vicariously through the words of sages and others or is God a God that is available to all of us? Is he merely there when we are under the authority of wise men and sages? Will He indeed hear the prayer of the contrite and humble heart? Do we have that kind of Emunah (faith) and Bitachon (trust) that clings to the Eternal in the darkness, not willing to let go until we find the blessing.

Jacob clung to the one who fought with him just before dawn when he realized it was a divine being, He said: “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” Can we have that kind of Hutzpah with Hashem?

Pray until the light shines. It will happen!

Yours…

Ariella

Measuring Midrash

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By Ariella Golani

When a Biblical commentator or modern prophet writes about his understanding of the Bible, is it possible to evaluate what he/she says? And by what means? What are we to tie to as an unmovable anchor?

Originally the Bible was the measure of truth. (Still is IMHO). 

Specifically the Torah. There are several laws in the Torah itself as well as verses in the Tanakh that claim that all truth must be founded first of all on the principles of Torah–That we must not add to nor take from. So how can that be applied in light of an Oral Torah? 

So the big question that puts things in focus is whether or not those who came after Moses and the prophets were/are allowed to write stories about the meaning of what is recorded in the sacred writings of the Tanakh. And if we answer yes, then how will those stories be measured as to what is truth? Is it by a qualifying credential from a school of higher learning, be it a yeshiva, or a university? Or do we boil it down the the same thing–Torah as the only Anchor? Basically, does a rabbinic degree allow departure from the written Torah? And how is Oral Torah measured? Midrash? If there is no basic guide other than being an esteemed sage or rabbi, then public reverence is all that is needed to establish truth and if this is the case then we might as well follow the majority, be it in religious matters or politics. And what was that verse that is so badly taken out of context about following the majority? Hey let me get back to that!

I would not argue that scholars from these institutions have nothing to teach us. But what I take exception to is the often clear stepping aside to redefine the laws of the Torah of Moses–Adding to or taking from as is clearly forbidden by the text of Torah itself. Here is what the Bible says it:

Deu 4: “2 Ye shall not add to the word which I command you, neither shall ye take from it, that ye may keep the commandments of YHVH your God which I command you.”

Deu 12:”32 Everything that I command you, ye shall take heed to do it; thou shalt not add thereto, nor take from it.”

Jos 1: “7 Only be strong and very courageous, that thou mayest take heed to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded thee. Turn not from it to the right or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.”

Pro 30:”6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.”

Let’s take as an example, a well-known midrash. It is about Joshua the high priest who was to officiate in the second temple. The story is found in Zechariah 3:1-7:

Zec 3:”1 And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of YHVH, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. 2 And YHVH said unto Satan, YHVH rebuke thee, O Satan! Yea, YHVH that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee! Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? 3 And Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the Angel. 4 And he spoke and said unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from off him. And unto him he said, See, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I clothe thee with festival-robes. 5 And I said, Let them set a pure turban upon his head. And they set the pure turban upon his head, and clothed him with garments; and the Angel of YHVH stood by. 6 And the Angel of YHVH protested unto Joshua, saying, 7 Thus saith YHVH of hosts: If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts; and I will give thee a place to walk among these that stand by.”

So what were the filthy garments that the attendants that stood by removed? Here is something from the internet:

“Intermarriage of Sons: The most prominent Midrashic explanation (found in Talmud Sanhedrin 93b and cited by Rashi) is that Joshua’s sons had married foreign women who were forbidden to the priesthood. The garments were “filthy” because Joshua did not protest or prevent these marriages.” Link

The filthy garments, according to midrash had to be removed, meaning the sons had to divorce their wives and abandon their children. In the story, the sons actually did this and then Joshua was acquitted (the filthy garments removed). 

What the Torah says: a father is not held accountable for the sins of his sons. (this would of course be after the age of accountability).

Deu 24:”16 The fathers shall not be put to death for the sons, neither shall the sons be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.”

So according to Torah, this midrash does not line up. The filthy garments were Joshua’s own sins and his own defilement, apparently things that he absorbed from the exile in Babylon. Now to be cleansed of these things it took the work of divine beings, (those who stood by were commanded to remove the filthy garments from Joshua) perhaps giving him enlightenment.  It was like a day of atonement. Yom Kippur?

If we are looking for another example from the Bible, let us look at the law about the rebellious son and what the parents were to do.

Deu 21: “18 If a man have an unmanageable and rebellious son, who hearkeneth not unto the voice of his father, nor unto the voice of his mother, and they have chastened him, but he hearkeneth not unto them; 19 then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; 20 and they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is unmanageable and rebellious, he hearkeneth not unto our voice; he is a profligate and a drunkard. 21 And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die. And thou shalt put evil away from thy midst; and all Israel shall hear and fear.”

If parents are ultimately responsible for the sins of their children, then the parents would have also been stoned in this example. 

The prophet Ezekiel speaks to this principle: 

Eze 18: “20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.”

Since the prophet goes along with the commandment in Deuteronomy, we can include it. What happens if a prophet does not speak according to the commandment?

Deu 13: “4 Ye shall walk after YHVH your God, and ye shall fear him, and his commandments shall ye keep, and his voice shall ye hear; and ye shall serve him, and unto him shall ye cleave. 5 And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; for he hath spoken revolt against YHVH your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, — to draw thee out of the way that YHVH thy God commanded thee to walk in; and thou shalt put evil away from thy midst.”

So if the things a prophet says do not align with what God commanded us in the Torah, then we are not to listen to him. Actually in the instructions for Israel, that prophet was to be  put to death. 

Isa 8:”20 To Torah and testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because light has not dawned in them.”

  לְתוֹרָה וְלִתְעוּדָה אִם־לֹא יֹאמְרוּ כַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר אֵין־לוֹ שָׁחַר׃

What we need to ask is what was the influence of the Exile in Babylon that brought about the condition of “filthy garments” ? And what was the remedy? What will happen today when Jews return from the exile? From what do they need to be cleansed? Is the story of Joshua the high priest actually a prophecy for end time return from the exile? I believe it is!

So what about following the majority? 

Orthodox Judaism claims that Jews must follow the majority of the collected rabbinic views on Halakhah. There is very little individual freedom to decide what a text means. 

Where did this idea of following the majority come from? Only one verse in the Torah!

Exodus 23:”2 Thou shalt not follow the multitude for evil; neither shalt thou answer in a cause, to go after the multitude to pervert judgment.”

This verse has been expanded by Oral Torah scholars to mean the following: (And I clearly do not see how this can be accepted by any thinking mind! )

Jewish Virtual Library:

“MAJORITY RULE, deciding a matter according to the majority opinion. In the field of the halakhah this rule is applied in three principal instances:

(a) determination of the binding law according to (the view of) the majority of halakhic scholars;

(b) adjudication of dispute by the majority decision of the courts’ judges; and

(c) imposition by majority decision of the community, or its representatives, of a communal enactment (see *Takkanot ha-Kahal), binding on all members of the community. The basis for the majority rule is to be found in the exegesis of the scriptural phrase, aḥarei rabbim le-hattot (to “follow a multitude…” Ex. 23:2).” Link. 

So what this does is to negate individual understanding of the Torah and place it outside in a rabbinic courtroom. Now the Torah becomes complicated and the individual becomes subservient to the leadership. Makes me think of some Catholics I knew in Mexico. They claimed they needed a priest to explain the Bible because it wasn’t written for the common man or woman!

But the Torah was given in simple form so that each person can understand it without scholastic interpretation:

Deu 30:”11 For this commandment which I command thee this day is not too wonderful for thee, neither is it far off. 12 It is not in the heavens, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to the heavens, and bring it to us, that we should hear it and do it? 13 And it is not beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it to us, that we should hear it and do it? 14 For the word is very near to thee, in thy mouth and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.”

And what about needing numerous fences around the Torah? This is often used to justify why there are so many Halakhic rules for Torah commandments. Do we really believe that God will punish us for somehow not understanding the simple words of the commandments? After all, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bow to an image, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not make God’s name of none effect…all these as well as the rest need no elaboration. 

So how about we just keep it simple!