Author Archives: The Olive Tree Messianic Synagogue

The Wisdom of Community – Proverbs 18:1,2

The first half of this suggests to me the importance of community, especially when it comes to spiritual matters. There was a time when I spurned religious community. I made all sorts of excuses, ranging from, “They’re all judgmental,” to “They’re hypocrites,” to “I don’t fully agree with them.”

The funny thing about that was, in coming to those conclusions, I myself was being judgmental and a hypocrite, and who cares if I fully agreed with them? The point is not to find people we 100% agree with on all matters (that’s never going to happen). The point is to find people who will help us in our walk with the L’rd. Their gait may be a little off, but so is mine, and so is yours, and so is everyone’s. In isolating myself, I sought after my own heart’s desires, and the heart is wicked and full of deception, as the Scripture tells us.

The Cruel Messenger – Proverbs 17:11

In our American society, we kind of see rebellion as a good thing. After all, our country was founded on an act of rebellion against a tyrannical power. I won’t get into a history lesson about the American Revolution. What’s important is that we understand that the kind of rebellion this passage seems to be talking about is different from that.

Tyrants who abuse their power and torment their people are in rebellion against G’d. Therefore, when the people successfully rise up against tyrants, it is to put a stop to those tyrants’ rebellions against G’d’s Law, which is above the laws of man.

What this is talking about is rebellion against righteous authority, both G’d’s and the authority of those G’d has put in charge over us. Rebellion against His Torah and against those He has anointed is the kind of rebellion that brings a cruel angel.

Do Messianics Trust Paul? 2 Peter’s Word About Who’s Trustworthy

Let’s talk about, “being led away with the error of the wicked.” The Greek word here translated as “wicked” is “athesmos.” The Greek word for “wicked,” however, is “kakos.” So, what is athesmos? If you look at it in the Strong’s Concordance, it translates to “lawless” or “unrestrained.”… be wary of people who twist Paul’s writings to suit their own agendas. This passage specifically refers to those people as “lawless.” …let us be careful not to read his epistles as we’ve often been taught to do so. Let us not assume that his writings are anti-Torah or anti-Law,

Spare the Rod – Proverbs 13:24

“He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly.” -Proverbs 13:24

This passage is often cited by people who want to promote beating children to get them to behave. While I would agree that spanking may have its place as a last resort (to be used sparingly, lovingly, and carefully), I do not believe that this passage is saying “beat your children with a stick.”
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So, let’s present a more accurate translation that’s more to the point.

“He who refrains from his tribe (his people, his community) works against his son, but he who loves him seeks instruction.”

“Beaten for the Light”

[Exo 27:20 KJV] 20 And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always. כָּתִית לַמָּאוֹר Kateet L’ma’or – “Beaten for the Light”  The root word ‘katat’ is a sneakily familiar one to us: [Isa 2:4 KJV] 4 AndContinue reading ““Beaten for the Light””

The Chosen Season 3 – Beautiful Jewish Things You May Have Missed

What we call the waters of ritual immersion is only part of the meaning of the word, Mikvah. The Hebrew root word kavah means “to wait, to look eagerly for”. Mikvah literally means, “Hope”.

I have to believe that the writers of The Chosen knew this when writing the scene between Eden and Veronica. Eden asked, “What do you do with no hope?” She as may well have asked her, “What do you do when you can’t go to the Mikvah?” And this is a question that the Jews have been asking since the Temple fell.

Do We Wear Tefillin on Shabbat?

This blog is based on a concern that was brought to the attention of our ministry leadership. There was an urging to read through the article Why No Tefillin at Night or on Shabbat? before encouraging the men of our community to join in this practice this coming Saturday. And it’s valid! There is aContinue reading “Do We Wear Tefillin on Shabbat?”