בס״ד
Books Available for Purchase Here
“Behold, days are coming, says the L-rd, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Yisra᾽el, and with the house of Yehuda… but this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Yisra᾽el after those days, says the L-rd; I will put my Torah in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their G-d, and they shall be my people…”
-Jeremiah 31:31, 33
“Rabbi Elazar says: Be diligent in learning Torah, and know what to respond to one who denigrates the Torah. Know before Whom you labor–the Master of your work is trustworthy to pay you the wage for your activity.”
-Pirkei Avos 2:14
“While writing this commentary of the New Testament, I had no other goal, as I have said in the first volume, but to reconcile these two enemy sisters: The Church and the Synagogue… to show everyone that the New Testament only comes to show that the root of existence is in the unity of G–d (ahdut ha-Bore) … and also to strengthen the law of Moses (Torat Moshe)… I publish this commentary (to Matthew) in Hebrew for Jews, to introduce them to the New Testament who, until now, have not recognized its beauty (eynam makirim ’et yofya)… Notwithstanding the contrary misconception, the New Testament is in no manner contrary to the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) or to the Talmud.“
-Rabbi Eliyahu Tzvi Soloveitchik, Kol Kore
Waykeeper Principles #6 & #8
6. The Jewish writings called, “the New Testament,” are not equal, but are subordinate to the Torah given by G-d at Sinai (and therefore not a Halachic authority).
8. We do not yet have a kosher translation of the “New Testament,” but its general teachings align especially with Hasidic Judaism.
Based on the Weekly NT Schedule…
Tuesday (1):
Matthew 1:1 → Matthew 1:25 (25)
Jewish Commentary:
Matthew 1 – “A time to be born”
“And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Miriam, of whom was born Yeshua who is called Messiah.”
-Matthew 1:16
Genealogies in the Bible sometimes skip generations for literary or symbolic reasons. Compare Ezra’s genealogy of himself (Ezra 7:1–5) vs. 1 Chronicles 6:3–15:
“Ezra son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah… son of Aaron the chief priest.”
When you compare that to the full priestly genealogy in 1 Chronicles 6:3–15, Ezra has skipped at least six generations between Seraiah and Aaron, and several between Seraiah and Hilkiah. This is one of the clearest biblical examples of skipped generations.
“And Adam knew his wife, and she conceived and brought forth Cain; and she said I have gotten a man by means of the Lord; and he caused her also to bring forth Abel his brother:” These men, to whose virtue the Jewish legislation bears testimony, he does not represent as knowing their wives, such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and if there are any others of like zeal with them…
Who, then, is it who sows good seed in them, except the Father of the universe, the uncreated God, he who is the parent of all things? This, therefore, is the being who sows, and presently he bestows his own offspring which he himself did sow: for God creates nothing for himself, inasmuch as he is in need of nothing, but he creates every thing for him who is able to take it.
And I will bring forward as a competent witness in proof of what I have said, the most holy Moses, For he introduces Sarah as conceiving a son when God beheld her by himself; but he represents her as bringing forth her son, not to him who beheld her then, but to him who was eager to attain to wisdom, and his name is called Abraham.
And he teaches the same lesson more plainly in the case of Leah, where he says that “God opened her womb.” But to open the womb is the especial business of the husband. And she having conceived, brought forth, not to God, for he alone is sufficient and all-abundant for himself, but to him who underwent labour for the sake of that which is good, namely, for Jacob; so that in this instance virtue received the divine seed from the great Cause of all things, but brought forth her offspring to one of her lovers, who deserved to be preferred to all her other suitors.
Again, when the all-wise Isaac addressed his supplications to God, Rebecca, who is perseverance, became pregnant by the agency of him who received the supplication; but Moses, who received Zipporah, that is to say, winged and sublime virtue, without any supplication or entreaty on his part, found that she conceived by no mortal man.
Now I bid ye, initiated men, who are purified, as to your ears, to receive these things, as mysteries which are really sacred, in your inmost souls; and reveal them not to any one who is of the number of the uninitiated, but guard them as a sacred treasure, laying them up in your own hearts, not in a storehouse in which are gold and silver, perishable substances, but in that treasure- house in which the most excellent of all the possessions in the world does lie, the knowledge namely of the great first Cause, and of virtue, and in the third place, of the generation of them both. And if ever you meet with any one who has been properly initiated, cling to that man affectionately and adhere to him, that if he has learnt any more recent mystery he may not conceal it from you before you have learnt to comprehend it thoroughly…
And he [Jeremiah the prophet], like a man very much under the influence of inspiration, uttered an oracle in the character of God, speaking in this manner to most peaceful virtue: “Hast thou not called me as thy house, and thy father, and the husband of thy virginity?” showing by this expression most manifestly that God is both a house, the incorporeal abode of incorporeal ideas, and the Father of all things, inasmuch as it is he who has created them; and the husband of wisdom, sowing for the race of mankind the seed of happiness in good and virgin soil. For it is fitting for God to converse with an unpolluted and untouched and pure nature, in truth and reality virgin, in a different manner from that in which we converse with such.
-Philo, On the Cherubim Pt. 2, 40, 44-48, 49b-50
For the association of men, with a view to the procreation of children, makes virgins women. But when God begins to associate with the soul, he makes that which was previously woman now again virgin therefore, he will not converse with Sarah before all the habits, such as other women have, have left her, and till she has returned into the class of pure virgins.“
In this passage, the most famous Jewish commentator contemporary with the Gospels, Philo, says that “Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and if there are any others of like zeal with them” did not “know their wives” when they conceived, like “Adam knew his wife” and she conceived Cain, but all their wives conceived as virgins, bringing as evidence from the Torah that it was G-d who directly made their wives conceive and by no act of “knowing” on the part of the righteous husbands.
“And the L-rd visited Sarah as He had said, and the L-rd did for Sarah as He had spoken. For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which G-d had spoken to him.”
-Genesis 21:1-2
“When the L-rd saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. So Leah conceived and bore a son…”
-Genesis 29:31-32a
“Now Isaac pleaded with the L-rd for his wife, because she was barren; and the L-rd granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived.”“
(2):
Matthew 2:1 → Matthew 2:23 (23)
Jewish Commentary:
Matthew 2 – “A time to Die”
“Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. “
-Matthew 2:16
“The ox bellowed a second time. He said: Jew, Jew, harness your ox, fix your plow because King Messiah has been born. He said to him: What is his name? Menaḥem. He said to him: What is his father’s name? Ḥizqiah. He said to him: Where is he? He said to him: At the king’s palace in Bethlehem in Judea.“
-Jerusalem Talmud Berakhot 2:4:12
“After thirty days, having disappeared in that bird’s nest, he will descend ornamented with all those adornments from above, with many holy companies around him, and the whole world will see one light suspended from the sky to the earth. It will remain seven days IN THE SECRET OF CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT IN MALCHUT, AND CAN BE FOUND ILLUMINATING EVEN IN MALCHUT OF MALCHUT. All the inhabitants of the world will wonder and be shocked and will not understand at all, except for those sages who know these secrets – blessed be their portion.
And all these seven days, he will be adorned on the earth – WHICH IS THE SECRET OF MALCHUT – in that bird’s nest, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE VERSE, “IF A BIRD’S NEST CHANCE TO BE BEFORE YOU” (DEVARIM 22:6) THAT ALLUDES TO THE KING MESSIAH WHO IS ADORNED WITH A BIRD’S NEST. Where is that place? “In the way,” which is the grave of Rachel [Bethlehem], for she is placed on the crossroads. MESSIAH IS ALSO ADORNED WITH THE LIGHT OF MALCHUT OF MALCHUT THAT IS CAPABLE OF THE GATHERING OF THE EXILES. Therefore, he will bear these good tidings to her and console her. Then she will accept consolations, UNLIKE AS DESCRIBED PREVIOUSLY, “SHE REFUSES TO BE COMFORTED FOR HER CHILDREN BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT” (YIRMEYAH 31:14). And she will arise and kiss MESSIAH!
Then shall the light arise from that place…”
-The Holy Zohar, Shemot, 15:126-129
Wednesday (3):
Matthew 3:1 → Matthew 3:17 (17)
Jewish Commentary:
Matthew 3 – “A time to plant”
“When he had been immersed, Yeshua came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of G-d descending like a dove and alighting upon him.”
-Matthew 3:16
(4):
Matthew 4:1 → Matthew 4:22 (22)
Jewish Commentary:
Matthew 4 – “A time to Uproot the PLanted”
“Then he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed him.”
-Matthew 4:19-20
“It is because Jonah is the boy whom Elijah revived, and he is Messiah ben Ephraim, who has already been revealed on Earth. Similarly, Messiah ben David was revealed during the time of destruction [of the Second Temple], as the sages say in the Midrash of Lamentations, that he was born during the destruction, and after a while, he was concealed. This is why it says, “He was revealed on Earth.””
-Alshich HaKadosh, Shoshanat HaAmakim on Song of Songs 2:10
“Rebbi Joḥanan came and preached, Jonah ben Amittai was from the tribe of Zevulun,“
-Jerusalem Talmud Sukkah 5:1:3
“Rabbi Shmuel Bar Nachman says: The tribes of Zevulun and Naftali were exiled first, as it is written (Isaiah 8:23) “The first one brought abasement to the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali…”“
-Eikhah Rabbah, Petichta
“100. And HE EXPLAINS: “For fear of Hashem,” is the trembling of the whole world, “and for the glory of His majesty” is Messiah. ” When He arises to shake the earth terribly..” refers to when Messiah will arise and be revealed in the land of Galilee, because this was the first place in the Holy Land that was destroyed BY Ashur. Therefore, he will be revealed there before any other place, and from there he will stir wars all over the world.”
-Holy Zohar, Shemot 100
Thursday (5):
Matthew 4:23 → Matthew 5:16 (19)
Jewish Commentary:
Matthew 5 – “A time to Kill”
““You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men… You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.”
-Matthew 5:13, 21-22
“There is no one more lowly of spirit than he who pursues peace. Consider, how can a man pursue peace if he be not lowly of spirit? How [does he act]? If a man curse him, he says to him, ‘Peace be upon you!’; should a man quarrel with him, he keeps silent; and further, if two men have quarrelled, he humbles his spirit, approaches them and effects a reconciliation between them. Such, indeed, was the procedure of Aaron, the righteous.”
-Tractate Kallah Rabbati 3:4, The William Davidson Talmud
Friday (6):
Matthew 5:17 → Matthew 5:37 (21)
Jewish Commentary:
Matthew 5:19 – ““Rabbi said: which is the straight path that a man should choose for himself? One which is an honor to the person adopting it, and [on account of which] honor [accrues] to him from others. And be careful with a light commandment as with a grave one, for you did know not the reward for the fulfillment of the commandments…”
-Pirkei Avot 2:1
“And this is the meaning of “He sows tzedakot (charities), causes yeshu’ot to sprout forth.” So may the L–rd make His Face radiate toward them, “their tzedakah will endure forever”; and may their glory be exalted by the yeshu’ah of “He who causes the power of yeshu’ah to flourish,” the sprout of tzedakah from the “helmet of yeshu’ah”—mentioned above, as is the wish (of he) who seeks it.
Israel shall be redeemed only through tzedakah (righteousness), as it is written: “Veshaveha—and her repatriates, through tzedakah.”
-Tanya, Part IV; Iggeret HaKodesh, Chapter 3-4
Matthew 5:21-24 – “… What was the cause of the first destruction of Jerusalem? Idolatry. And of the second destruction? Causeless hatred; so were there not two causes? R. Joḥanan can reply: It is the Holy One, blessed be He, Who spoke thus: They have forsaken Me. Why? Because they have not kept My law; consequently if they had kept My law they would not have forsaken Me. And as to your question on [the destruction of] the Second Temple, causeless hatred is different because it is more grievous than idolatry. Whence do we know this? For it is written, Ephraim is joined to idols; let him alone: As long as they are joined together even [to worship] their idols, leave them alone; [and it is written,] Their heart is divided; now shall they bear their guilt. If so, what [was the cause of] the first destruction? With the First Temple it was different; He deferred the punishment from the days of Rehoboam. Or if you wish I can say that the First Temple was also destroyed for the reason their heart is divided. The Rabbis have taught: Whoever hates another is as though he were his murderer, as it is stated, But if any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die—were it in his power he would kill him. ‘He is called friend’ of the Divine Presence, as it is written. For my brethren and companions’ sakes, I will now say: Peace be within thee. ‘Beloved’, as it is written, I love them that love me, and those that seek me earnestly shall find me. *Prov. 8, 17. ‘One who gladdens the All-present and his fellow-creatures’: This teaches that a man should appear justified before his fellow-creatures as well as before the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written, Then ye shall be clear before the Lord, and before Israel. ‘Gladden the All-present’: as it is written, Behold, this is the joy of his way. [‘Gladden] his fellow-creatures’: as it is written, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.‘It clothes him with meekness’: Who taught this? R. Joshua b. Levi who said: Meekness is the greatest of them all.”
-Tractate Kallah Rabbati 8, The William Davidson Talmud
“The Gemara suggests: Come and hear, as it is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Tarfon says: If one’s hand goes to his penis, his hand should be severed upon his navel. The Rabbis said to him: If so, in a case where a thorn was stuck in one’s belly, should he not remove it? Rabbi Tarfon said to them: Indeed, he should not remove it, and if he does so his hand should be severed. The Rabbis replied: But if his hand is severed while it is upon his navel, won’t his belly be split open? Rabbi Tarfon said to them: It is preferable that the belly of one who acts in this manner should be split open, and he should not descend into the pit of destruction.“
-Talmud Nidah 13b:9
Matthew 5:32 – “Beit Shammai say: A man may not divorce his wife unless he finds out about her having engaged in a matter of forbidden sexual intercourse [devar erva], i.e., she committed adultery or is suspected of doing so, as it is stated: “Because he has found some unseemly matter [ervat davar] in her, and he writes her a scroll of severance” (Deuteronomy 24:1).”
-Mishnah Gittin 9:10
“It is better not to vow at all than to vow and not fulfill.”
-Ecclesiastes 5:4
Shabbat (7):
Matthew 5:38 → Matthew 6:8 (19)
Jewish Commentary:
Matthew 6 – “A time to Heal”
““Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him… Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?”
-Matthew 6:8, 25-27
“It is good to wait patiently Till rescue comes from the LORD. It is good for a man, when young, To bear a yoke; Let him sit alone and be patient, When He has laid it upon him. Let him put his mouth to the dust—There may yet be hope. Let him offer his cheek to the smiter; Let him be surfeited with mockery.”
-Lamentations 3:26-30
““Shammai used to say: make your [study of the] Torah a fixed practice; speak little, but do much; and receive all men with a pleasant countenance.”
-Ethics 1:15
““Rabbi Yochanan ben Beroka says: Anyone who desecrates the Name of Heaven secretly, they punish him publicly.”“
-Ethics of the Fathers 4:4b
Matthew 6:7-8 – “Rabbi Shimon said: Be careful with the reading of Shema and the prayer, And when you pray, do not make your prayer something automatic, but a plea for compassion before God, for it is said: “for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in kindness, and renouncing punishment” (Joel 2:13);”
-Ethics of the Fathers 2:13
Eye To Zion 