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“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…
Sunday (1):
Matthew 22:15 →Matthew 22:33 (19)
Jewish Commentary:
Monday (2):
Matthew 22:34 → Matthew 23:12 (25)
Jewish Commentary:
Matthew 22:39 – “Rabbi Akiva says: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18) – that verse represents the central tenet of the Torah”
-Bereshit Rabbah 24:7
Matthew 22:43 – “If the Messiah is among the dead he is a person such as Daniel, the beloved man. Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: The Holy One, Blessed be He, is destined to establish another David for the Jewish people as the Messiah, as it is stated: “And they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will establish for them” (Jeremiah 30:9). It is not stated: I established, but “I will establish,” indicating that the name of the future king will be David. Rav Pappa said to Abaye: But isn’t it written: “And my servant David shall be their prince forever” (Ezekiel 37:25), indicating that King David himself will rule over the Jewish people? Abaye said: They will rule in tandem like an emperor (‘Caesar’) and a viceroy; the Messiah will be king and David will be second-in-command.”
-Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 98b:16, The William Davidson Talmud (Koren – Steinsaltz)
“The word ‘Netzer’ [root of ‘Nazarene’] is like, ‘Caesar.'”
-Arizal, Likkutei Torah, Noach
Matthew 23 – “A Time To Be Silent”
“Then Yeshua spoke to the multitudes and to his disciples, saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do… for I say to you, you shall see me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the L-rd!’”“
-Matthew 23:1-3a
Tuesday (3):
Matthew 23:13 → Matthew 23:33 (21)
Jewish Commentary:
Matthew 23:33 – ““Now I will arise,” says GOD,“ Now I will exalt Myself, now raise Myself high. You shall conceive hay, Give birth to straw; My breath will devour you like fire. Peoples shall be burnings of lime, Thorns cut down that are set on fire. Hear, you who are far, what I have done; You who are near, note My might.” Sinners in Zion are frightened, The hypocrites are seized with trembling: “Who of us can dwell with the devouring fire: Who of us can dwell with the never-dying blaze?””
-Isaiah 33:10-14
“They said in the name of Rebbi Nathan: “Also He is my help, for hypocrisy will not come before Him.” One verse says, “you shall love the Eternal, your God,” and another verse says, “fear the Eternal, your God, and Him you should serve.” Act from love and act from fear. Act from love, because if you are tempted to hate, know that you must love and a lover is no hater. Act from fear, because if you are tempted to rebel, know that you must fear and one who fears does not rebel. There are seven kinds of Pharisees: Pharisee ‘on the shoulder,’ Pharisee ‘on credit,’ Pharisee ‘balancing,’ Pharisee “what is the deduction,” Pharisee “I shall do it when I realize my guilt,” Pharisee from fear, Pharisee from love. Pharisee ‘on the shoulder,’ he carries his deeds on his shoulder. Pharisee ‘on credit,’ “give me credit that I can perform commandments.” Pharisee ‘balancing,’ he commits one sin and observes one commandment and balances one against the other. Pharisee “what is the deduction,” what I have that is what I am using to deduct for doing a commandment. Pharisee “I shall do it when I realize my guilt,” I committed that sin and therefore I shall do this good deed to counteract it. Pharisee from fear, like Job. Pharisee from love, like Abraham. No one is beloved as much as the Pharisee from love, like Abraham. Our forefather Abraham turned the evil inclination into good. What is the reason? (Neh. 9:8): “You found his heart trustworthy before You.””
-Talmud Yerushalmi Sotah 5:5
“And Rabbi Elazar says: Any congregation in which there is hypocrisy is ultimately exiled. It is written here: “For a hypocritical congregation shall be desolate [galmud]” (Job 15:34), and it is written there: “Then you will say in your heart: Who has begotten me these, seeing I have been bereaved of my children, and am solitary [galmuda], an exile, and wandering?” (Isaiah 49:21). The verse states: “An exile,” as an appositive to “galmuda,” indicating that they are the same. Rabbi Yirmeya bar Abba says: Four classes of people will not greet the Divine Presence: The class of cynics, and the class of hypocrites, and the class of liars, and the class of slanderers. The proof for this statement is as follows: The class of cynics, as it is written: “He draws His hand from cynics” (Hosea 7:5), i.e., God does not want to be in their presence; the class of hypocrites, as it is written: “That a hypocrite cannot come before Him…” (Job 13:16)”
-Talmud Bavli, Sotah 42a:1
Wednesday (4):
Matthew 23:34 → Matthew 24:14 (20)
Jewish Commentary:
Matthew 24 – “a time for speaking”
““Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.”
-Matthew 24:32
Thursday (5):
Matthew 24:15 → Matthew 24:35 (21)
Jewish Commentary:
“Matt 24:14-16. The Greek text reads: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come. So when you see the desolating sacrilege spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let tbose who are in Judea flee to the mountains” (RSV). The saying suggests that the gospel will be preached to the whole world, including the Gentiles, before the desolating sacrilege is seen standing in the holy place. The Hebrew text reads:
“And this gospel ….. will be preached in all the earth for a witness concerning me to (against?) all the nations and then the end will come. This is the Anti-Christ and this is the abomination which desolates which was spoken of by Daniel as standing in the holy place. Let the one who reads understand. Then those who are in Judea let them flee to the mountains.”
The Hebrew text is difficult. It appears to mean that preaching the gospel to the Gentiles before the end-time is the Anti-Christ and the abomination which desolates. No stronger statement against the salvation of the Gentiles in the present age occurs in Shem-Tob’s Hebrew Matthew.”
-George Howard, PhD, The Hebrew Gospel of Matthew
Friday (6):
Matthew 24:36 → Matthew 25:13 (29)
Jewish Commentary:
Matthew 25 – “a time for Love”
“And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut…”
-Matthew 25:10
Matthew 25:4 – “Our Rabbis said Because olive oil is found there, therefore wisdom is found there” (Menochos 85a).
-Rashi on II Samuel 14:2:1
Shabbat (7):
Matthew 25:14 → Matthew 25:30 (17)
Eye To Zion 