Ponderings of the Perkei Avot 3:15

RaYBaSH’s Ponderings of the Perkei Avot

Chapter 3:15

By: Yehudah ben Shomeyr

“Rabbi Elazar of Modi'in would say: One who profanes the kodoshim ("holy things" consecrated for the service of God in the Holy Temple), degrades the Festivals, humiliates his friend in public, abrogates the covenant of our father Abraham (i.e., circumcision), or who interprets the Torah contrary to its true intent---although he may possess Torah knowledge and good deeds, he has no share in the World to Come.”

Who is it nowadays who “degrade the Festivals” and “abrogates the covenant of our father Abraham” and who is it that interprets the Torah contrary to its true intent”?

According to the commentary, this originally was referring to those self-hating Jews who wanted to assimilate into Greek culture and surgically hid their circumcision. But in light of the 21^st century and the Diaspora, This uncannily speaks of the Modern Day Christian who says that the Torah and circumcision is a bondage and is no more, contrary to what Messiah Yeshua said Himself and they further takes these passages and interpret them contrary to it’s true intent!

Matt. 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

 Matt. 7:21-29 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

Most Christians today do not have or acknowledge the Ha Yesod, the Foundation of the Torah and thus their house is built on sand. And what is sand? Nothing but tiny bits of crushed rock, bits and pieces of the Truth, the Torah. So their house will inevitably fall. We on the other hand have a rock solid foundation in which our house is built and that is the Rock of the Written and Living Torah.

Shalom,

-- Yehudah ben Shomeyr