"Written and Oral Torah," Torah is not a matter of laws and commandments, but rather instructions from G-d to man for living a life of blessing and joy. We also explained that Torah consists of two elements—one written and one oral. In this issue we begin a series of articles dealing with Yeshua’ observance of the Oral Torah.

Yeshua apparently attached great importance to the Oral Torah (unwritten in his day), and it seems he considered it to be authoritative. When he admonished his disciples to "do and observe everything they [the scribes and Pharisees] command you" (Matthew 23:3), he was referring to the Pharisees’ oral traditions and interpretations of the Written Torah. The Written Torah itself could not have been in question, for it was accepted by all sects of Judaism, and Yeshua himself said,

Heaven and earth would sooner disappear than one yod or even one kotz from the Torah. (Matthew 5:18)

Many rabbinic statements express similar ideas, such as:

Should all the nations of the world unite to uproot one word of the Torah, they would be unable to do it. (Leviticus Rabbah 19:2)

To what extent did Yeshua observe the practices of the Oral Torah? Yeshua was never charged with breaking any part of it, and although his disciples occasionally were accused of disobeying aspects of the Oral Torah (Luke 6:1–2), only one such accusation was made against Yeshua—that he broke the Sabbath by healing the sick (Luke 14:1–4). However, even his Sabbath healings were permitted by rabbinic ruling, as Hebrew University professor and Jerusalem School scholar Shmuel Safrai notes in "Religion in Everyday Life" (The Jewish People in the First Century, volume II, page 805).

It may seem that there is a shortage of hard evidence in the New Testament concerning Yeshua’ religious observance, but one must remember that the New Testament was written by Jews for Jewish readers. The normal Jewish religious practices were so well known and followed both by the writers and first readers of the New Testament that it would have been considered superfluous to discuss them. Nonetheless, one is able to gather enough evidence from the Gospels to conclude that Yeshua observed the biblical commandments as they were interpreted in the Oral Torah.

One of the most basic examples of a rabbinic command, which Yeshua obeyed is in the realm of blessings. The sole scriptural basis for the many blessings that an observant Jew still says daily is Deuteronomy 8:10: Ve’akalta vesavata uverakta et Adonai eloheka, "When you have eaten your fill, thank the LORD your G-d…" (literally, "And you will eat and you will be full and you will bless the LORD your G-d"). The rabbis found justification in this verse for saying a blessing before the meal as well as after, and on many other occasions—indeed, on almost every occasion.

The general rule, as delineated in the Babylonian Talmud, Berachot 35a, was Kol davar sheneheneh ta’un berakah, "Anything that is enjoyed requires a blessing." If a man built a house or bought something new he was to say, "Blessed is he who has brought us to this moment." If one saw a place where great miracles had occurred in Israel’s history, one was to say, "Blessed is he who in this place performed miracles for our ancestors." In response to a shooting star, lightning, a storm or an earthquake, one was to say, "Blessed is he whose strength fills the universe," and a mountain, hill, lake, river or desert were to prompt, "Blessed is he who fashions the works of creation."

There was a blessing to be said before publicly reading from the Torah, and another at the completion of the reading; a blessing after immersing oneself in a mikveh (ritual immersion bath); a blessing upon seeing a great scholar. There was even a blessing to be said when one urinated:

Blessed is he who formed man in wisdom and created in him numerous orifices and cavities. It is revealed and known before the throne of your glory that if even one of them should be opened or if even one of them should be obstructed, it would be impossible to exist and stand before you."

One was obligated to bless G-d for calamity and misfortune as well as for prosperity and good fortune:

For rain and for good news one says, "Blessed is he who is good and who gives good." For bad news one says, "Blessed is he who is the faithful judge."

There is evidence that Yeshua adhered to the rulings of the Oral Torah in his use of various blessings. In conformity with the rabbis’ interpretation of Deuteronomy 8:10, Yeshua not only recited a blessing after meals, but also said the blessing before meals: Baruk hamotsi lehem min ha’arets, Blessed is he who brings bread out of the earth. It is recorded that at the last Passover meal, which Yeshua ate with his disciples in Jerusalem, Yeshua "took bread and blessed and broke and gave to his disciples" (Matthew 26:26).

Since in the Greek text there is no direct object following the verbs "blessed," "broke" and "gave," English translators have felt it necessary to supply the word "it" after each of these, or at least after "broke" and "gave." The English reader therefore receives the impression that Yeshua not only divided and distributed the bread, but blessed it as well. This is simply a misunderstanding. In the context of taking a loaf of bread before beginning a meal, the blessing can only be a blessing directed toward G-d.

Before dining with the two disciples from Emmaus, Yeshua "blessed, broke and gave," as he did before he fed the five thousand with five loaves and two fish (In Luke’s account, but not in Mark’s or Matthew’s, the text reads "blessed them," but one important Greek manuscript reads "blessed for them" at Luke 9:16). Because of the recurring "blessed, broke and gave the bread" in the Gospels, it is a common Christian misunderstanding that Yeshua blessed the bread. Consequently, Christians customarily "bless the food" before they eat a meal.

The blessing that was said in Yeshua’ time before one ate was praise and thanksgiving to G-d who so wondrously provides food for his children, to him who "brings bread out of the earth." One does not bless the food, nor does one even ask G-d to bless the food. One blesses G-d who provides the food.

This is a good example of how Christians’ lack of knowledge of Jewish custom has led to misunderstanding an act of Yeshua. In this case it has led to the development of a Christian practice, which, though perhaps not harmful in itself, has no foundation whatsoever in Yeshua’ own practice or teaching.

Luke made it clearer for his Greek-speaking readers when he described Paul's practice of "saying grace." A literal translation of Acts 27:35 reads: "And taking bread, he gave thanks to G-d before all, and breaking, he began to eat."