Message-from-the-Author
-hebraicstudies.net-
Please do NOT visit this
site on שַׁבָּת - Shabbat or on
the מוֹעֲדִים - Mo’a’dim - Feasts!
Re Tanakh versions:
Throughout this site I may use any of three versions of the Tanakh: 1. “Jewish
Publication Society” (JPS-1917), 2. “Mechon-Mamre.org” (MEC), and 3. “Sefaria.org” (SEF), three brilliant versions, However, the
JPS-1917 is my preferred version!
Colour coded
details of our beloved TaNaKh:
1. Torah = History & Law, 2. Nevi’im = The Prophets. 3. *Ketuvim = all other Writings.
*The Ketuvim - Includes, Poetical
books - Psalms, Proverbs, Job, the Megillot, or Scrolls - Song of Solomon, Ruth,
Lamentations of Jeremiah, Ecclesiastes, and Esther, prophecy of Daniel,
and history of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles I & II.
Please Note: Some
alterations or (additions) have been made relating to ‘Names’ and ‘Attributes’
of אֱלֹהִים – Elohim (God), having been corrected
like it once was pre the “Masoretic Text”.
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Remember the following truth from our
beloved Torah!
“Ye shall NOT ADD TO THE WORD which
I command you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM
IT, that ye may keep the commandments of אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה - the LORD your Eloleichem,
which I command you”. Davarim - Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).
However, what have both priests and rabbis of the
past done, they purposely made grave and ridiculous changes! Thus, they would
have already been severely punished!
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With Rabbi,
Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
Are we really Jewish? What does “Jewish” really mean?
The truth is that from our origins we were
the very first religious community, and we were only ever known as “Hebrews”
and “Israelites”. We Hebrews certainly did not start using the word “Jewish” -
“Jews” (which is directly related to those who lived in the
In our beloved Tanach, the text that is most sacred
to us is the term generally used being “the sons or daughters of
Thus, why at a certain time rabbis decided to
call us as “Jews” - “Jewish people?” Asking or answering this question has
always been rather tricky. But setting aside the political dimensions of the
question; the origins of us as people known as “Hebrews” who originate from our
time in the ancient
We the ancient ‘Israelites’ originated
roughly in the territory of modern
We the ancient ‘Israelites’ know that we are
descendants of three men: ‘Avraham - Abraham’, his son ‘Yitzchak - Isaac’ and
his grandson ‘Ya’aqov - Jacob’. Jacob however was renamed ‘Yisrael -
Indeed, the name “Hebrew” famously commenced with Avraham. In the Torah texts, he is explicitly the very first person referred to as “Avram the Hebrew”. (Genesis 14:13).
Of course what bound the ancient Israelites
together was the Exodus narrative, from the Torah, a story about liberation
from enslavement whilst in ancient
The quick version of the story we will
generally know well, is that in ancient Canaan there came about a severe
drought and the Israelites as we should well know ended up in
After being freed from slavery, we who were
now also known as the ‘Israelites’ were led by אֱלֹהִים - Elohim and Moshe
- Moses on a journey through the wilderness between Egypt and Canaan. When they
reached
To this day, when we were told the story
about liberation from our enslavement, the story is told for all history. The
story of liberation from
But did it really do that, no of course not, for rabbis somehow love changing things over a long time. Commenced to destroy what was our original faith. As I have already stated above, they stopped using our beloved titles as ‘Hebrews’ or ‘Israelites’ and changed it as “Rabbinic Judaism”, that later became “Jewish”. Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, also known as ‘Rambam’, commonly known as Maimonides refused this new name as he said ‘we are Hebrews’.
Thus looking back, our shared story was the creation and other early events which was revealed in our sacred text the “Torah”, which literally means, in Hebrew, “Instruction” or “Teaching”.
The term
“Torah” is clearly known as the first five books of our Hebrew Tanakh books known as בְּרֵאשִׁית - Bereshit - Genesis,
שְׁמוֹת - Shemot - Exodus, וַיִּקְרָא - Vayikra
- Leviticus, בְּמִדְבַּר -
Be’midbar - Numbers and דְּבָרִים - Devarim - Deuteronomy.
Many of the laws that are included in the Torah, like prohibitions against murder and stealing, are principles that are basic to a functioning society, and are similar to those found in other legal codes of the time.
What stood out to our ancient peoples, when they encountered Hebrew law were three particular elements: ‘male infant circumcision’, which happens on the eighth day after birth; the ‘observance of the Sabbath as a day of rest’; and ‘dietary restrictions’, known as ‘kashrus’ or ‘kosher law’s, particularly not eating pork and not mixing meat and dairy, and not eating any sea creatures (fish) without scales and fins, etc.
As we should know well, the “Golden Age” of
ancient
Our ancient Israelite society was of course, as has been already made very clear divided between 12 tribes, 10 of them in the north of the region Israel and two of them in the south Judea.
In 722 BCE, the 10 tribes of northern
The time of King David and King Solomon was a very short-lived “Golden Age,” lasting only around two generations. Most of the story of the ancient Israelites is a story about a relatively small people among other superpowers, trying to maintain their identity and relationship with אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - the LORD Elohim (God) in a polytheistic world of many other competing gods.
Babylonian conquest and exile of Israelites:
In the sixth century BCE, the ancient
Israelites endured another catastrophe when the Empire of Babylonia conquered
the tiny
Then in 586 and 587 BCE, further Hebrew’s
were exiled to
Why did not this lead to the end of Hebraic history? Part of the reason is that the Israelites believed that אֱלֹהִים - Elohim worked through history, even through catastrophes and misfortunes.
The prophet Jeremiah, a very important
prophet in the Tanakh, criticized his fellow ‘Israelites’ for not trusting in אֱלֹהִים - Elohim fully and for
worshipping other gods. But he also promised them that, even though they were
being punished through the Babylonian exile, אֱלֹהִים - Elohim would call them back
to
“For thus saith יְהוָה - the LORD: After
seventy years are accomplished for
For Israelites of this time, the Babylonians’
destruction of the
The Babylonian Empire did not last long after
its conquest of
The Persians pursued a very different policy
in how they treated conquered peoples. Rather than exiling elites and
attempting to suppress local cultures, the
The Persian Emperor Cyrus, in the Hebrew
Tanakh, in Isaiah 45:1, allowed Israelites to return to the
These Israelites recognized Cyrus as a King
of Kings, but we also continued to live according to our ancestral laws. It was
that which united us, the Hebrews at this point, around 500 BCE? We had an
allegiance to the one אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, and shared legendary
ancestors and the foundational myth of the Exodus from
Thus the facts is as
follows, we are to this day we ‘Hebrews’ and ‘Israelites’ and certainly not יְהוּדִים - Yehudim - Jews, which we received because of that evil
occultic pagan Kabbalah rabbis. We need to remember that we to this day
originate from all the 12 tribes if
I pray that this study will bring some, אֱלֹהִים - Elohim willing back our beloved origins, and not stick with these rabbis who are completely in error of the command below!
“Ye shall NOT ADD TO THE WORD which I command you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM IT, that ye may keep the commandments of אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה - the LORD your Eloleichem, which I command you”. Davarim - Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).
However, sadly those ‘mystical’ and ‘occultic Kabbalistic’ rabbis of the past (and present) have done just that, they purposely made grave and ridiculous changes! Both ‘adding’ and yes ‘diminishing’ from His blessed Word!
Please wake up O Israel, return to our Scripturally given names and get rid of the countless occult Kabbalistic prayers in our Siddur, including that pagan so called - ‘Sabbath Queen’.
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Please Note: “hebraicstudies” links are located down
the page!
This site was originally created, for those
who desired to return to our blessed and wonderful faith. Thus be wise and work
on your faith and pray at least two or three times a day (if possible) and
always seek our beloved אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s guidance,
for His love is always with us, especially when we seek Him, blessed be He!
However this site has become very much a teaching site with hundreds of
studies!
Remember what אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, blessed be
He, said the following through a number of our prophets...
“Hebraic Studies” motto is as follows;
“The More Torah, the More Life”,
For Elohim is the One who
gave us our ... “Life!”
May the שָׁלוֹם - Shalom = Peace
of צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה= the LORD of hosts, be with
you, and please always uphold our blessed שַׁבָּת - Shabbat, as well as
the מוֹעֲדִים - Mo’a’dim - Feasts, and continue saying your
daily תְּפִלָּה - Tefeelah’s - Prayers and
regular בְּרָכָה - Be’ra’chah’s - blessings before food
and drinks, etc!
שָׁלוֹם
עֲלֵיכֶם - Shalom
Aleichem - Peace be with you!
Enter ...