28 Comments

1. 

   Shelley says

   I am disagreeing with the leader thing BIG TIME.

   In the US we have the ability to vote for our leaders. Yes. We also have a Constitution those leaders SWEAR to uphold and protect.

   Many of those same leaders are ignoring the Constitution, are breaking their oath and the LAW of the land, both THEY SWORE to uphold, and are giving themselves enough powers that reasonably they could be in the position of being dictatorial. YES! I’m praying against that AND talking about it. It’s not in ignorance they do this.

   What leader does not know that oppressive taxation and taking from one to support another is not wrong and WILL INEVITABLY destroy all those who they are in leadership over? Stalin knew that. Chavez knows that. Mao knew that. Castro knows that. And on and on. All of them knew/know it. And this government knows it, too. THEY DIDN’T/DON’T CARE because of their lust of power and desire to control and oppress.

   They didn’t just suddenly have dictatorial powers to kill and oppress at will. They didn’t just suddenly become ‘like Iran’.

   They lied, manipulated, used class envy, talked about saving the middle class, and so on. I’ve studied these people’s words. They are the same words that are coming from the mouths of people in the US government TODAY. And what they’re voting for is scarier than what’s coming out of their mouths.

   I just read something about how many dead people are newly registered to vote. This is not ok. And saw a piece on the news about illegals voting. This is not ok. The reporter found that out because so many of them were called for jury duty and they said they couldn’t do it because they were NOT US citizens. He found out those same people are voting. And many have been for years. This is not ok.

   When one party fights to make it illegal for a person to have to show their ID when they vote, what do we think this about? This is not ok. When one party essentially sanctions voter fraud by giving large amounts of tax payer money to groups KNOWN to commit and CHARGED with voter fraud, what do we think this is about? This is not ok.

   We should not ignore that. The path to totalitarianism is just as wrong as totalitarianism itself. Maybe worse. Who lets it happen? Who will let it happen THIS time?

   Are we not responsible to speak against unjust judges? Unjust rulers? Injustices of ANY kind? The murder of the unborn? Slavery in whatever form it takes, even in the form of oppressive taxation? Government mandates that make it impossible for people to care for their children? Leave them an inheritance? Or how about just feed them? Is it ok for law makers to attempt to make laws that make it illegal for people to grow food in their own backyards?

   When is it ok for us to say ‘enough is enough’?

   An oppressive government doesn’t just happen over night. Again, the road to totalitarianism is just as evil as totalitarianism.

   Essentially what I hear being said is, there’s a subjective line an oppressive government crosses when the people of Yehovah can FINALLY say, “Ok, you’ve just become TOO totalitarian…NOW we can talk against you…”

   Not feeling that logic at all guys.

2. 

   Yosef Avraham says

   21:4 Why wouldn’t the female slave & her children go out after 7 years, if she was not espoused to her master, but to another slave? Why wait up to 49 years?

   I do enjoy these Pearls – todah raba!!

3. 

   Lars H. Alhaug says

   Wonderful teachings! Problem is that some of the explanations that are problematic to understand just by using the Torah, might have the answers in B’rit Hadashah. Example 1 cor 10:4 says “And they did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Messiah.”. Then the one the 70 leaders of Israel tribes ate with and saw on Sinai was He who later was born into flesh and named Yeshua, the word that became flesh, God the Fathers Right Hand.
   At least this gives me an explanation that satisfies me 🙂

4. 

   LaurieJo says

   This portion needs to be listened to again and again. Each week I wish I could take part in your discussions live with voice chat. So much going on each week. So exciting to hear other views and explanaitions. Truely a blessing to hear you all. Toda.

5. 

   Roy says

   the Jerusalem Talmud:

   “Forty years before the destruction of the Temple, the western light went out, the crimson thread remained crimson, and the lot for the Lord always came up in the left hand. They would close the gates of the Temple by night and get up in the morning and find them wide open” (Jacob Neusner, The Yerushalmi, p.156-157). [the Temple was destroyed in 70 CE]

   Babylonian Talmud states:

   “Our rabbis taught: During the last forty years before the destruction of the Temple the lot [‘For the Lord’] did not come up in the right hand; nor did the crimson-colored strap become white; nor did the western most light shine; and the doors of the Hekel [Temple] would open by themselves” (Soncino version, Yoma 39b).

6. 

   Rob Lotz says

   After listening to Nehemia put difficult verses of scriptures into context, I realized that after the quality and necessity of “humility”, we have to think context, context, context….Language, history, culture and most importantly asking our Father for His wisdom.
   Another great teaching.
   Jono you are bringing our Fathers truth to the world.
   Toda and Shalom.

7. 

   Sheryl says

   To me Exodus 22:16 the man entices/deceives a maiden and in verse 18 the practiser of witchcraft deceives or entices people. So the deceiver needs to pay the price as peoples lives are at jeopardy or harmed. It seems to connect for me that this verse would follow. Does this make sense to anyone?

8. 

   Garry Brown says

   I thought this was the about the law of the bondservant. Please comment.

9. 

   Kim says

   For some reason, we only have 19:57 recorded teaching for the Torah portion Mishpatim. It cut off as Jono is speaking of the slave and the doorpost..is he just piercing his ear or is he nailing the poor guy to the door?
   From the comments above, it seems that everyone else has the complete teaching. Any ideas why we only have a portion and how can we hear the rest of the Torah Pearls?
   Thanks so much

10. 

    Sharon Fulton says

    Jono, Keith, Nehemia, thank you! This is becoming part of our weekly Shabbat Bible study. Blessings to all of you.

11. 

    Stacy says

    Thank you all so much for taking the time to share these important teachings, it is greatly appreciated! Now as to what the 70 saw on the mountain….could it not have been Yeshua? He had appeared to others before, namely Abraham.

12. 

    jono vandor says

    Exodus clearly says “Yehovah”, not “Yeshua”. Why add to Torah?

13. 

    Daryl Iverson says

    I think when the scripture says that people saw Yehowah Almighty that they saw a visually perceivable presentation of Himself not that they could see ALL of Him. The perception is like we say we see the sky knowing we don’t see all of the sky in anyway.

14. 

    Eileen says

    Shalom,

    I to have a comment in regards to what the 70 had seen…I’m just learning about this stuff, and I thought that it said in Torah that it was only YHWH face if seen you would die. So as Moses only got to see His back, why couldn’t the 70 have seen a partial figure?

    Thank you for your teachings…they definatly give a lot of food for thought, yum-yum.

15. 

    Jen says

    This torah portion made me sad. It seems justice has become a rarity as far as my eyes can see…at home, at work and on my travels. Its pretty hard to determine, how far can we obey the torah on today’s justice system? Thank you for this teaching even though it took many repetitions for me to understand it.

16. 

    Jen says

    If I may add, can I ask what could “cursing” mean under biblical or middle-eastern cultural context? (in reference to exodus 21:17 and 22:28) Sometimes it sounds to me like some sort of sorcery and at times I find other definitions that are too broad. Thank you again.

17. 

    Ester says

    From this Torah portion, ABBA reveals what is right before Him, as He spells very clearly to even details of compensation; how we are to act and respond to situations; and not bear false witness to circulate a false report, to pervert justice.
    To bear false witness is a serious matter, working hand in hand with the accuser of the brethren, which will come about more and more in the days to come.False accusations are difficult to swallow, and grievous to the spirit.
    Wonderful pearls, thank you all.

18. 

    jono vandor says

    G’day Jen, that’s a great question. I expect we will answer it in some detail when we get to Numbers 22:6. Stay tuned 😉

19. 

    ed nelson says

    Your a lifeline of wisdom.

20. 

    Ken Alder says

    I am really surprised by the comments made during the broadcast in regard to The Book of the Covenant to which the people said, “All that YHWH has spoken we shall do and obey.” I thought for sure the stretch of Scripture from Exodus 19:3 to Exodus 24:8 would have been acknowledged as being The Book of the Covenant, i.e. the marriage terms/contract/ketubah between YHWH and His bride to be a.k.a Israel. But you missed it! Also, it is well known that Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and the 70 elders of Israel ascending the mountain to eat and drink with YHWH is a HUGE deal! There is no doubt in my mind that this is a ‘covenantal meal’ where Israel comes to The Master’s Table! This meal on Mt. Sinai is the forerunner to The Lord’s Supper eaten in the upper room between Yeshua and His disciples which was also a covenantal meal. It is also the forerunner to the communal meal the Esseenes ate at Qumran according to the Dead Sea Scrolls. And it is the forerunner to the meal you and I can share together, a Torah based fellowship meal at which Torah is discussed and at some point during the meal the bread and the cup are invoked as symbols of Yeshua’s body and blood. These symbols make up an entry rite into the New Covenant (which I believe is The Book of Deuteronomy, which is an entirely different Book of the Covenant for an entirely different covenant). I am convinced the Esseenes were participating in this covenantal meal long before the visitation of the incarnate Yeshua 2000 years ago. There is much more for me to learn and I am still studying the subject but clearly this meal Yeshua shared with His disciples was not a Passover Seder.

    One other thing, I appreciate a couple of the comments above which question the identity of YHWH in these verses of Scripture. I think it totally appropriate to infer YHWH here as being Yeshua, this is the establishment of a marriage covenant between the Son and His Bride, not the Father. Inferring it as such should not be seen as ‘adding to the Torah’ in my opinion. As a matter of fact if you believe it is Yeshua on Mt. Sinai as I do then I think it is important to stand up and be counted according to your faith and I commend you for doing so! Even though it may step on someone’s toes we need to value what YHWH thinks more than what man thinks.

21. 

    nicolette says

    a comment on the so called leaders of the west America. they are not elected by the people because the so called US Government is in fact a privet corporation that was incorporated many generations ago and has been run by the UK and owned by the Vatican ever sense. we cannot elect a president of a corporation because we are not a party of it.

    so in relation to this torah portion we in the west have been kidnapped and placed into slavery and our wealth stolen how then do we apply torah in order to be set free and wholly restored?

    many blessings and thank you for torah pearls

22. 

    nicolette says

    I think the physical form of YHWH is pure energy which can take shape if HE so chooses I think this energy is so intense that if we were to use our eyes to look it would destroy us. even as our thoughts cannot be seen, no tangible body just pure energy.

23. 

    nicolette says

    and mosha is on the mount for 40 days and nights is there a connection to these days and the 40 days and nights of rain in the flood of noah?

24. 

    deni wilkerson says

    nicolette
    Posted May 6, 2012 at 7:09 AM

    “so in relation to this torah portion we in the west have been kidnapped and placed into slavery and our wealth stolen how then do we apply torah in order to be set free and wholly restored?”

    Hi Nicolette,
    My reply to your question is below. Also, please read the post in this same portion by:

    Shelley Posted February 18, 2012 at 1:57 AM

    Only our materialism has been kidnapped. Since we and the generations before us ALLOWED it, we must start over. Starting over REQUIRES us to call on the NAME OF YHVH, for only He is able to RESTORE us. The sooner we figure this out, the better.

    The steps to restoration are not always easy for those who have become HABITUALLY MATERIALISTIC, like we have become in America and Europe. Many of us don’t know any other way. It is what we have been taught by our parents, our predecessors, and our culture. We simply do not have the tools, as we were not given them readily; and so, we do not understand what it means to be DEDICATED to seeking the WILL OF YHVH with understanding. If we were truly DEVOTED to YHVH and were DILIGENT in our study of Torah, we would see the pattern of disobedience, we would RECOGNIZE our bad behavior, and we would have seen long ago how to correct it.

    That is the first step: recognition of the shortcoming. Many can’t even get this far; and they make it more difficult for the rest of us because they are caught up in the deception that leads to wicked and sinful hearts and idolistic covetousness. It surrounds us and it influences us. YHVH warned us over and over about this trap from beginning of Scripture to the end. Over and over, we fall into the pit because WE DO NOT LISTEN, not as individuals, nor whole societies.

    This is why studying Torah is so important. Read Exodus and Deuteronomy, making note of the commands to DESTROY the heathen among them. Elsewhere in Scripture and all through the Torah, the Tribes were commanded not to intermarry, not to take ‘spoils’, and to completely destroy the enemy they were warring with: men, women, and children. There were reasons for this, and we were warned; and yet we cannot obey, not then and not today, for fear of not being “politically correct”. Our judgment has become clouded and our judges are corrupt at our gates.

    We should be outraged when our foundations are systemically dismantled and our “God given rights” are transgressed. Yet, most people, because they are not diligent in understanding the TEACHING of Torah, don’t even understand what that means.

    We should have followed YHVH from the beginning and we would not be in this mess. Do you understand how what happened in the past that is recorded in Scripture is simply a mirror of everything that has happened in the history of mankind. Solomon said it, “Nothing new under the sun.” We have an erroneous mindset that we have something “new and better”. We spend enormous amounts of our time, not in Worship of YHVH, but in trying to work out our own salvation.

    Most of us are AFRAID of LACK, so afraid that we will succumb to the demands of the World and do its greedy bidding to get our needs met instead of depending on YHVH. The behavior of the people at Mt. Sinai and their belligerence against Moses regarding YHVH meeting their needs is a prime example of operating in FEAR instead of HAVING FAITH. And they had the PRESENCE of YHVH right before their eyes and could not see! That baffles me to no end!

    In applying Torah to our everyday lives and in view of the state our culture is in today, the most difficult aspect of overcoming shortfalls we have been inculcated and indoctrinated with, is the ACTION of OBEYING Torah. I believe that AS INDIVIDUALS, this amounts to re-evaluating our PRIORITIES. Only then can we begin to hope that our entire society will benefit from the effects of following Godly precepts.

    Not everyone is going to be at the same stage of evaluation. Remember, we are surrounded and must live with non-believers. I feel that this is only a temporary condition that YHVH Himself with rectify once we determine our priorities BASED ON SCRIPTURE. That means no vacillation, flip flopping, backing down, or shrugging our shoulders when we see our rights being trampled. It means that we need to spend TIME TEACHING OUR CHILDREN and others the importance of UNDERSTANDING GOD”S PERFECT ORDER.

    We teach it by practicing Respect and Reverence for The Almighty, by living simple non-materialistic lives, operating in FAITH that YHVH will provide, and avoiding the World. This is what Torah reflects and teaches us. If we can teach our children a love for the ORIGINAL STANDARDS of Righteos Living and Righteous JUDGMENT GIVEN BY YHVH which is Torah, we teach them to BYPASS the World and think and act for themselves WITHIN the WILL of YHVH.

    These are first steps which I believe YHVH will honor. We will find a supernatural barrier of protection and PEACE in our own lives, even when the rest of the World is in turmoil. This is what it means to pray, “Let thy Kingdom come.” Do you realize that if all of us would get lined up with His Will, then His Kingdom WOULD already be here?

    ~Shalom~

25. 

    deni wilkerson says

    Ex 21:18 Sorceress=temptress. Temptation of a man (by whispering in his ear) and then cries of misconduct against the man. Could this be the connection? The previous verses involve a man taking advantage of a virgin. The sorceress takes advantage of the man….

26. 

    Lewis says

    Toda for another week of Torah Pearls. As Ex 23:20 was read, it occurred to me that the “angel” or “messenger” must be Moshe! Although in years past in christianity, I have heard and believed it could be an angel or Yeshua himself, it seems to me that the simplest and clearest understanding is that Moshe is the one leading them and instructing them and judging them at the direction of YHVH, and the individual in whom YHVH has placed His Name(as is demonstrated later at Korah’s rebellion). At this point in the narrative Moshe is still qualified to lead them into the promised land and even after he becomes disqualified it is the office that Moshe holds, refilled by Joshua that leads them into the promised land,at which point the qualities of the office are transferred to Joshua.
    Anyone see how this cannot be a legitimate possibility other than traditions of one kind or another getting in the way?

27. 

    Gav says

    Hi Jono, you comment above Exodus clearly says “Yehovah”, not “Yeshua”
    Yes but YHWH also states that no man has ever seen His face and lived, not even Moshe saw YHWH. I personally believe that all encounters with YHWH in the flesh including that of Avraham with the three messengers where one was clearly a representation of YHWH, was and is Yehoshua / Yeshua the living word whom guided the Israelites in the wilderness.

28. 

    Barbara Doughty says

    Thank you so much for these Torah portions, they are Gold nuggets, we gather together every Shabbat to discuss the Torah portion.