Torah Pearls – Bereshit – Nehemia Gordon & Keith Johnson

What is the annual Torah Portion and how did it begin? What period of time is between verse one and verse two? How are we to understand that the Spirit “hovered” over the waters? What is the secret meaning behind the “aleph-tav” pronounced “et” and what is its grammatical function? If God created everything “good” then what’s with the serpent?

Join us for this year’s Tanakh Tour of Israel!

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72 Comments

  1. Don Johnson says

    Thanks for these Torah teachings!

  2. David Nowlin says

    Pekka,
    Thank you brother. I follow you and I agree. Those pagan temples are no place for Eloheim’s people.

  3. David Nowlin says

    Steven,
    I am not trying to correct you. I am trying to share truth with a brother.
    The word “holy” means “set-apart.” Whether it be the garments of the Priesthood or the place where the Ark of the Covenant rests.
    When we are obedient to Torah, our obedience sets us apart as a peculiar people amongst the peoples of the world. If we fail to keep Torah we are no different than the world.
    My point was, churches and church folks like to call themselves “holy” if they are obedient to traditions of men or church rules or laws having nothing to do with Torah. These people are no more holy than your average pagan. The more you obey Torah, the holier you are. The less you obey Torah the less holy you are.
    Please do a word study and you will learn without having to listen to me or anyone else.

  4. Steven says

    David, I don’t agree with this statement. ‘The more you obey Torah, the holier you are. The less you obey Torah the less holy you are.’ That statement is actually against the Torah which you should know if you are to “share truth”.

    There is no level or degree based on obedience. One is either holy (separated unto Yah for his purpose) or he is not (separated unto Yah for his purpose).

    You are either in or you are out! You are murderer or you are not, you are a liar or you are not, you honor your father and mother or you do not, you commit adultery or you do not, you are with us or you are against us. You are without Torah, or you are you are not! Torah is written in your heart or it is not! You are circumcised or you are not. You can’t be “a little bit saved” and you can’t be “a little bit baptized”.

    We who believe are born again of an “incorruptible spirit” by the “word of Yah” which lives and abides forever. Corruption DOES NOT INHERIT incorruption and it is illegal to justify the wicked. I am made righteous and holy by the sovereign act of the will of YHVH not according to how well I keep the Torah, but because he will have mercy on whom he will have mercy. I am seated in heavenly places with Christ, my place is found in him.

    I am born of incorruptible seed. I am holy because he who lives in me is incorruptible and holy. I will posses the gates of my enemies because Yah has given them into my hands. 🙂

    Shalom

  5. Steven says

    Man was not created to keep the Sabbaths. The Sabbaths were created FOR man. Why are we commanded to remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy? Man was not created to keep the Torah to make one holy as some claiming to share truth.

    The commandment was given so we would KNOW the lord and that YHVH sanctifies us.

    Exodus 31:13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.

    Sanctify means made holy! Keeping the commandments does not make you holy. Keeping the commandments is a sign that we will come to “know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you”.

    You can’t get a little bit pregnant and you can’t be a little bit holy. He has sanctified you or he has not.

    Shalom

  6. Joseph says

    Great discussions!

    Interesting that you used the idiom “till Kingdom come”, Nehemia, since you and Keith argued in A Prayer to Our Father that the Kingdom is already here.

  7. The Remnat says

    Did not Saul the Rabbi of Tarsus proclaim the name of YHVH
    on Mars Hill, a place sacred to the pagan greeks?

    And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying,
    “May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak?
    For you are bringing some strange things to our ears.
    Therefore we want to know what these things mean.”
    For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there
    spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or
    to hear some new thing. Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:

  8. Steven says

    Ezekiel 36:20
    And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, WHEN THEY SAID TO THEM, “These are the people of the LORD”, and are gone forth out of his land. But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went.

    Therefore say unto the house of Israel, thus saith the Lord GOD; I DO NOT THIS FOR YOUR SAKES, O HOUSE OF ISRAEL, but for mine holy name’s sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, every place you went. And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.

  9. Carole says

    ” et . et . . the aleph and the tav . . ” I’m going to explode if I hear it one more time that that is Jesus! ”

    That this word indicates the object of the verb is obvious. Why should it be so offensive to also understand that this Word is what John speak of in his gospel, chapter 1? Must the Messiah always appear in Tanakh narrowly in only a specific part of speech, say a noun? Not a verb? Or an adjective?

    I will indeed “knock myself out” in declaring that Messiah appears in Bereshit as Aleph/Tav— in the beginning

    In the beginning was the WORD and the WORD was with YHVH, and the WORD was YHVH!

  10. analil says

    Are the books on the website available in digital format at amazon for the kindle or pdf?
    Gracias!
    Ana Lil Mora
    Costa Rica

  11. jono vandor says

    I have added the available Kindle versions on the right hand side 😉

  12. Krisi says

    What about the giants? I was hoping this would be touched on..but it wasn’t. And the length of time of living (900 years, etc). And the mysterious daughters of men/sons of men..producing giants. Thanks.

  13. CAROLYN says

    David,
    I noticed you quoted the phrase “peculiar people”. I have said that so many times!! I recently found out it was a miss translation. It comes from the word “segula” which is basically a King’s treasure that is so precious to him the he allows no one else to touch it! I learned this when I went to the passover feast 2012 in NC. Keith revealed that pearl. COOL HUH???:)

  14. CAROLYN says

    I have a question..I am not well learned and all of yall sound very intelligent..I am getting there. I am in the process of learning Hebrew. My heart is continually getting broken due to the truths that I thought I knew and memorized being lies and false doctrines. I just started keeping the sabboth last month..I despise the bibles available because they have a ton of mistakes that lead to false truths. I feel in my heart that YHVH is gently correcting the things that are false but I heard something new.
    Heres my question..
    Yeshua said he is the way and the truth and the life, no one comes to the father but by him…He is the Word..The Torah.
    so
    Is it possible that he meant the “TORAH”?
    If so is there really a need for the jewish people who keep the Torah and do not keep the mahhaseem(i am a terrible speller) and all the extra regulations(i think its called takkanote but I am unsure) to convert?

  15. deni wilkerson says

    Shalom my friends! May I share my feelings on this discussion?

    “…in the beginning Yah created…and the earth BECAME void and without form.”

    Using the Heb translation as BECAME rather that WAS: I believe this describes a catastrophic destruction brought about from the original fall of haSatan and his followers and most likely due to flood (II Peter 3, Isa 45:18, 46:9, Jer4:23). If we look at the history of the EARTH geologically, the catastrophic rearrangement of the earth is evident. The chronological timeline is right there for us to observe.

    I guess one would call this a gap theory, an antidiluvian theory, where violence was so prevalent due to original rebellion (“iniquity was found in thee”, book of Job), so much that YHVH saw need to destroy the earth and start it over with a different and renewed purpose; to allow choice (free will to choose whom you will serve), born from innocence, through the human experience of sin, and revelation of YHVH to men.

    Each person is free to choose, having been “born again” from spirit through the bag of waters (born of woman (innocent flesh)), while the whole of creation looks on. Book of Jude speaks of the refusal of some beings to be born of woman, later leaving their original habitation and mixing with flesh (an abomination to YHVH) and thus MIXING THE SEED. (I am looking for reference scripture on the bag of waters and it’s relation to baptism and water covering of the earth as the source. It eludes me at this moment and I am not near my reference sources. Email me for more info if needed).

    Over and over we are told not to intermix: not with other tribes, with other nations, and even in planting our crops (Deut 22:9). As always YHVH gives us every example and shadow of the Kingdom in telling His Word to us.

    I believe that the main objective of haSatan from the beginning has been to destroy the SEED LINE of haMeshiah. Scriptural history covers several attempts to tempt and distract man from the True Purpose of YHVH by destroying or mixing the seed line (Eve in the garden, temptation of Sarai and Abrahim which resulted in the birth of Ishmael, Ruth and the Kinsman Redeemer, etc).

    It is the central subject of scripture that there would be redemption through a savior and haSatan knew this. Thus, every attempt is made to thwart the effort of YHVH for His purpose to be fulfilled. When we read the Word we begin to know our enemy and the wiles of sin.

    In the meantime, if we have learned anything and have chosen BY FAITH (love out of our hearts) to be followers of the lineage of Y’shua, David, and Melchezedek; we become heirs to the Kingdom.

    FOR HIS NAME SAKE we do this (follow, proclaim, and obey the Word). We do this out of love and reverence for the Creator.

    I believe that scientific evidence supports the idea that the earth was created and later there was a restructuring of its form and habitation. It also gives room for many other fact based hypotheses, such as the existance of dinosaurs and the explanation of instant extinction of some species. It simplifies proving the Word as true and everything (all the symbolism and purpose of the Word) seems to fall better into place. I am much more able to give convincing argument to new and would be believers from this perspective, as they can go home and look it all up for themselves. They don’t have to rely on traditions of man to teach them, but The Word begins to speaks for itself.

    Also, being consistent with scriptural hermeneutics, a day with YHVH is like a thousand years. That would explain the time of existence of flesh man on the earth. Six thousand years, a thousand year Sabbath, and then the history of man until Y’shua and now is another four thousand, makes science about right for the existence of man and the existence of the earth.

    This makes so much sense to me. It simplifies everything that I am ever asked to do for the love of Yah as given in Torah. Knowing that all creation watches what mankind will do, obedience to YHVH shows that I understand what the rebellion was and is all about. My WILLINGNESS to obey shows to the World and DECLARES HIS NAME.

    The simplicity of the Word is so precious and is a pleasure to obey. No traditions, no pomp, no overzealous hypocritical rules; just be one with creation, demonstrate humility and gratitude as provided for in the feasts and offerings of Torah, and praise Him for His protection while he weeds His Garden and tends the Vineyard. ~Blessings to you and Shalom!~

    P.S. to Keith: I am in prayer with you this shavuot for the coming of the Kingdom beginning at Israel; although I believe there is a bit more time must expire before the final last call. There are still souls diligently seeking Him who must be caught up to speed. I am ready for the harvest and I pray that YHVH will soon be also. Prayers for all my brothers and sister, I lift you up to Yah for His Mighty Purpose ~amen~

  16. Christian says

    Carolyn- I am no scholar but have recently been taught this idea: the Torah (10 Commandments given to Moses, specifically) are written by “the finger of G-d”. In the NT, the finger of G-d is used to reference the Holy Spirit. In essence – the Torah was written by G-d. Should be obvious but some Christian brothers need to see it from the NT. They still treat it as Moses’ law. Yeshua is the Word. He is the living Torah. Saying you follow Yeshua and then disregarding Torah is like bleeding to death while saying you believe in doctors.

    Jews do Not have to convert to anything. Belief in Yeshua Messiah is not a conversion from Judaism. Following Torah is not conversion from Christianity. In my understanding, they were never meant to be separate. Hope that helps.

  17. Karaite says

    Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are you saved through faith…”
    Notice the Greek word for “saved”, is a pluperfect indicative linear action future participle in Greek grammar. The phrase, fully and properly translated, should be: ‘For by grace, you having had been [saved], and shall continue to be saved, through faith’.
    Romans 11:26, where it says: “And so all Israel shall be saved…” It is the same Greek word. Does this mean that all the Jews will, having had been [saved], are continually [saved], and shall continue to be saved, through faith? As a Karaite I do believe that is what it says.
    Some theologians will tell you the book of Romans chapters 9, 10, and 11 have always been a problem for them.

  18. Carmen says

    am Hispanic and am therefore not able to listen to the teachings, as they are in English and I do not understand if I listen, if written in English by a translator at least I hope you would help me consider.

    are very blessed, shalom

  19. Sprinkler Man says

    To the Karaite. Blessings to the team! What a wonderful comment about “being saved by grace through faith! “I stronglyconcur but with “line item veto” reservations. I’ve observed that so called “Jews” definitely struggle in the area of salvation concepts. Did not Shaul say that not all Israel according to the flesh are of Israel? And not all of Abraham’s seed are children of the promise? In context, surely he was not speaking of all the other children Abraham had after remarrying etc., etc. He was speaking of the “election”, that being the “circumcised of heart”! Also concerning the gap “theory”, I failed to catch the idea that this theory is a picture of the fall and redemption story. This holds congruent with the whole theme of the revelation of Allmighty God which I contend is the “just” of what God is actually upto with all the implications onward. I will also say that the lack of general revelation concerning Almighty God, is in fact the very reason the most intelligent, perfect Angels, thought to think as they did resulting in this general “fall”. This all fits perfectly into your comment about grace and faith. The conclusions are in my view is you surely hold to the sovereignity of God Almighty as I also do and all these things have been a “done deal” from before the foundations of the world! Be blessed and thank you, team, for all you do. S/M

  20. Dee Williams says

    I was unaware of Pearls from the Torah last year until the latter part of Leviticus. I am thrilled to be able to start listening to you from the beginning this year. These teachings are wonderful and I learn so much from them. You 3 are so much fun to listen to and bring humor as well as a deep reverence for God during your program. Thank-you so much for making these programs available to us. Dee Williams Mansfield, Ohio.

  21. Pam UK says

    I enjoyed that. It was informative, relaxing and really, non-biased. I reckon one only argues points when they are not solid in their beliefs. When you are solid, nothing can move you and you have the opportunity to grow. I also think many ‘christians’ throw scriptural references (sometimes known as bible bashing) yet are forgetful of the teaching to be patient and be humble. No-one has all the answers after all. We are all on a journey and we should learn, like Ruth, to glean. Only God can open our eyes to the truth anyway. Why hammer someone whom He hasn’t opened eyes to it – yet!!

  22. Kenneth Clark says

    I love what Keith said about the serpent…I too believe that God knew exactly what He was doing. If an engineer creates a robot and the robot doesnt work perfectly then does the engineer blame the created hunk of metal for the malfunction, or does he blame himself? Should we blame God for our fallen world or should we look at it and understand that it;s Gods will be done. Didn’t God create evil? Yes. Did God really give us “free will”? If we had free will then we could choose to be perfect. I would have free will to never sin. I could trump Gods will over mine. I think not!

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