American Torah

On the basis of Abraham's faith and character, God made a covenant with him and promised to preserve his descendants forever. All of Scripture emphasizes his great character, even calling him the Friend of God! The story of Abraham entertaining three men in Genesis 18:1-8 reveals five important characteristics that God values in his people. From Jay Carper at American Torah (http://www.AmericanTorah.com). Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://mewe.com/i/jaycarper Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Follow me on Parler at https://parler.com/profile/JayCarper/ Connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/americantorah/

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. Matthew 6:24 Everyone serves multiple masters all the time, so what did Yeshua mean when he said "No one can serve two masters"? Yeshua frequently used hyperbole in his teachings and this is a good example. He was using an exagerated statement to teach this principle: When there's a conflict in the instructions of two masters, what determines who you will obey? Is it money, security, prestige, etc.? Or is it God, the ultimate arbiter of all right and wrong? From Jay Carper at American Torah (http://www.AmericanTorah.com). This content is free, but I accept contributions via Paypal at https://paypal.me/JayCarper. Send me a friend request on The Torah Network: https://www.thetorahnetwork.com/jaycarper Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://mewe.com/i/jaycarper Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Follow me on Parler at https://parler.com/profile/JayCarper/ Connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/americantorah/

Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.” Matthew 9:14-17 What do garments and wineskins have to do with fasting? What did Yeshua mean by these parables? The key to understanding this passage is realizing that it contains no parables at all. The bridegroom, the garment, and the wineskins are analogies, not parables, and it's important not to take an analogy further than the author intended. In this video, I'll explain what I think Yeshua really meant. See also: Luke 5:38-39. From Jay Carper at American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com). This content is free, but I accept contributions via Paypal at https://paypal.me/JayCarper. Send me a friend request on The Torah Network: https://www.thetorahnetwork.com/jaycarper Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://mewe.com/i/jaycarper Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Follow me on Parler at https://parler.com/profile/JayCarper/ Connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/americantorah/

Matthew 16:13-20 is chock full of controversial bits. Son of Man, Peter the Rock, Gates of Hell, keys to the kingdom, binding and loosing, etc. Did Jesus declare Peter to be the first pope? Or is there more to it? There is so much here to misunderstand if you don't approach the passage thoughtfully. From Jay Carper at American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com). This content is free, but I accept contributions via Paypal at https://paypal.me/JayCarper. Send me a friend request on The Torah Network: https://www.thetorahnetwork.com/jaycarper Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://mewe.com/i/jaycarper Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/americantorah/

A set of three parallelisms in Proverbs 3:1-12 are arranged in a chiasm that compares the relationship of sons to their earthly fathers to our relationship with our Heavenly Father. This is an excerpt from the weekly Bible study at Common Sense Bible Study (https://CommonSenseBibleStudy.com). From Jay Carper at American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com). This content is free, but I accept contributions via Paypal at https://paypal.me/JayCarper. Follow me on Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@AmericanTorah Send me a friend request on The Torah Network: https://www.thetorahnetwork.com/jaycarper Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://mewe.com/i/jaycarper Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/americantorah/

And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed. Matthew 16:1-4 Yeshua didn't do miracles to entertain anyone. Everything he did was intended to teach us about God and his plan of redemption. The world is full of signs pointing to God if you're willing to see them. Some people just refuse to open their eyes. From Jay Carper at American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com). This content is free, but I accept contributions via Paypal at https://paypal.me/JayCarper. Send me a friend request on The Torah Network: https://www.thetorahnetwork.com/jaycarper Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://mewe.com/i/jaycarper Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/americantorah/

Proverbs 15:22 says that success depends on good counsel, but how do you know who to lean on? Proverbs 14:33 has something to say about that. Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed. Proverbs 15:22 ESV Wisdom rests in the heart of a man of understanding, but it makes itself known even in the midst of fools. Proverbs 14:33 ESV A lot of people seem wise when they can hide behind scripts, editors, and PR firms, but eventually a fool will reveal himself. From Jay Carper at http://www.AmericanTorah.com.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30 ESV Every decision in life involves an exchange of burdens. Sin imposes a heavy yoke even while it convinces us we are free. When we submit to Yeshua, we repent from sin, breaking the shackles of our well-deserved condemnation, and voluntarily submit to his yoke, but what exactly does that mean? Yeshua's yoke is obedience to his Law, to Torah, not out of fear of condemnation for failure (that is the yoke that we throw off!), but out of gratitude for his forgiveness and out of love and a desire to honor him with out very lives. As Deuteronomy 30 shows, this yoke is truly light *IF* we are submitted to him. If we are in rebellion to God's Law, then that same Law becomes an unbearable burden. Torah is both death and life. It is death to those who refuse to hear it and life to those who live it. Yeshua's yoke isn't freedom from rules, but freedom from condemnation and fear. From Jay Carper at American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com). This content is free, but I accept contributions via Paypal at https://paypal.me/JayCarper. Send me a friend request on The Torah Network: https://www.thetorahnetwork.com/jaycarper Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://mewe.com/i/jaycarper Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Follow me on Parler at https://parler.com/profile/JayCarper/ Connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/americantorah/

I created the Common Sense Bible Study community to help believers in Jesus from all different backgrounds who want to study the Bible and learn to keep God's commandments cut through the fog of sensationalism and If you're like me, there was a point in time when you looked at what your church was teaching and asked "Where is that in the Bible?" The Bible says to do this, so why don't we do this? The Bible says not to do that, so why do we do that? There is so much confusion and abuse and bitterness that it becomes hard to focus on what's really important. What did Yeshua of Nazareth do and how can I do the same? You don't need a PhD in Biblical studies to understand the Bible. You need a humble heart, willing to test every doctrine against Scripture and to admit when you've been wrong. You need to be suspicious of sensationalism. And you need to focus on Yeshua, how did he keep the commandments. At Common Sense Bible Study I want to help you cut through the theological fog and learn to study the Bible and keep God's commandments for yourself. Join the Common Sense Bible Study community at https://commonsensebiblestudy.com and we'll explore the Scriptures together. From Jay Carper at American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com). This content is free, but I accept contributions via Paypal at https://paypal.me/JayCarper. Send me a friend request on The Torah Network: https://www.thetorahnetwork.com/jaycarper Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://mewe.com/i/jaycarper Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/americantorah/ Follow me on Truth Social at https://truthsocial.com/@AmericanTorah

The text almost reads as if Yeshua road two donkeys at the same time, but that's just silly. There were two donkeys present for prophetic and symbolic reasons, and there are other symbols in the passage that are important to see. From Jay Carper at Common Sense Bible Study (https://CommonSenseBibleStudy.com) and American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com). This content is free, but I accept contributions via Paypal at https://jaycarper.com/paypal. Follow me on Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@AmericanTorah Send me a friend request on The Torah Network: https://www.thetorahnetwork.com/jaycarper Follow me on Twitter: https://jaycarper.com/twitter Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://mewe.com/i/jaycarper Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/americantorah/

Solomon used a lot of ink on avoiding bad decisions concerning women. He should know. From Jay Carper at http://www.AmericanTorah.com.

God said that Yom Teruah (aka Rosh Hashanah) is supposed to be a day of remembering (Yom haZikaron), but what are we supposed to remember? In this video I look at a number of scriptures and events related to trumpet blowing and what that implies about what we are supposed to keep in our minds on this day. From American Torah at http://www.AmericanTorah.com

Recorded 9/11/2019. Tzitziyot (plural for tzitzit) are the tassels that most people associate with ultra-orthodox or Hassidic Jews, but God actually commanded all of Israel to wear them in Numbers 15:37-41 as a continual reminder to keep his commandments. There are some controversies among non-Jewish Torah keepers about how they should be worn. In this short video, I talk about some of those controversies and what I think really matters about wearing tzitziyot. From Jay Carper at Common Sense Bible Study (https://CommonSenseBibleStudy.com) and American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com). This content is free, but I accept contributions via Paypal at https://jaycarper.com/paypal. Follow me on Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@AmericanTorah Send me a friend request on The Torah Network: https://www.thetorahnetwork.com/jaycarper Follow me on Twitter: https://jaycarper.com/twitter Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://mewe.com/i/jaycarper Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/americantorah/

Throughout Proverbs, Solomon wrote about three kinds of speech: righteous, wicked, and foolish. These 4 verses in Proverbs 10 are great examples. From Jay Carper at http://www.AmericanTorah.com.

Take away the dross from the silver, and the smith has material for a vessel; take away the wicked from the presence of the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness. Proverbs 25:4-5 A leader cannot allow dead weight and faithless advisors to stick around or they will fatally poison his administration. From Jay Carper at http://www.AmericanTorah.com.

How do we reconcile the seemingly contradictory instructions of Scripture concerning our enemies? Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles, lest the LORD see it and be displeased, and turn away his anger from him. Proverbs 24:17-18 I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid. And I will remove harmful beasts from the land, and the sword shall not go through your land. You shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand, and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword. Leviticus 26:6-8 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, for the LORD had made them rejoice over their enemies. They came to Jerusalem with harps and lyres and trumpets, to the house of the LORD. And the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel. 2 Chronicles 20:27-29 If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him. Exodus 23:4-5 You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD. Leviticus 19:17-18 You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:43-45 From Jay Carper at American Torah, http://www.AmericanTorah.com

In Joshua 3:3-4, the Israelites were told to follow the Ark across the Jordan, but to keep a good distance from it. What can we learn from that? See my website at http://www.AmericanTorah.com. Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://mewe.com/i/jaycarper Follow me on Parler at https://parler.com/profile/JayCarper/

Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight. A prudent man conceals knowledge, but the heart of fools proclaims folly. Proverbs 12:22‭-‬23 ESV There are five times when keeping silent is the wiser course of action even if you believe that what you would say is true. From Jay Carper at American Torah (http://www.AmericanTorah.com).

The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty. Proverbs 21:5 The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor. Proverbs 12:24 “What we hope ever to do with ease, we must first learn to do with diligence.” Samuel Johnson “Singleness of purpose is one of the chief essentials for success in life, no matter what may be one’s aim.” John D. Rockefeller, Sr. Decide on a goal and stick to it. Purpose isn't enough. In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty. Proverbs 14:23 Planning is good. Doing is better. Galatians 6:9 Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Romans 2:6-10 6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. From Jay Carper at http://www.AmericanTorah.com

If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you. Proverbs 25:21-22 There are truly wicked people in the world, but most people who do evil actually believe they're doing good. They are deceived and interpret the world through warped lenses. It's good to hold people accountable and to protect the innocent, but vengeance will only compound the evil that's done to you, distorting your own vision in the process. You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:43-48 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:17-21 From Jay Carper at http://www.AmericanTorah.com.

One way or another, your sins will find you out. Escape is impossible. A wicked man’s iniquities will trap him; he will become tangled in the ropes of his own sin. He will die because there is no discipline, and be lost because of his great stupidity. Proverbs 5:22‭-‬23 CSB From http://www.AmericanTorah.com Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://mewe.com/i/jaycarper

I can’t tell you how many times someone has quoted this verse to me as “proof” that Jesus (also known as Yeshua) annulled God’s Law. At first glance, it looks like a killer argument. QED. How much clearer could it be? Eh. Not so fast. Remember that not a single word of the Bible was written in English and, by the very nature of human languages, no translation can ever be perfect. The key word in this verse seems to be “end”, so lets take a look at the original Greek. Read more about this topic at http://www.americantorah.com/2018/07/02/the-end-of-the-law/

Proverbs 20:18-19 Plans are established by counsel. By wise guidance wage war. Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, therefore do not associate with a simple babbler. Be wary of people who talk about other people's business too much. You can be sure that they are talking about your business when you're not around too. From Jay Carper at http://www.AmericanTorah.com. Connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/americantorah/ Follow me on Gab at https://gab.com/carper Add me as a contact on MeWe at https://mewe.com/i/jaycarper

A man of great wrath will pay the penalty, for if you deliver him, you will only have to do it again. Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. Proverbs 19:19-20 Some people have to learn the hard way and you won't be doing them any favors if you keep bailing them out. If you're one of those people, take heart and take heed. Seek out and listen to the advice of those with more wisdom and experience than you have. Even if you find yourself unable to follow that advice today, it might begin to sink in after a few more skinned knees. From Jay Carper at http://www.AmericanTorah.com.

The last part of Proverbs 9 describes Folly, personified as a woman. 13 The woman Folly is loud; she is deluded and knows nothing. 14 She sits at the door of her house; she takes a seat on the highest places of the town, 15 calling to those who pass by, who are going straight on their way, 16 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” And to him who lacks sense she says, 17 “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” 18 But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol. Proverbs 9:13-18 ESV As with the case of Wisdom, the description of Folly reveals a lot about her character that isn’t explicitly laid out in the text. See American Torah for more: http://www.americantorah.com/2020/06/29/the-other-proverbs-9-woman/