Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Yohanan bin-Dawidh" <yohanan.bin.dawidh AT gmail.com>]

Dear Harold,



I was merely referencing the etymology of the word to show where such an
idea could come from, not to actually state the text of Sefer Yirmeyahu
chapter 31 verse 31 means a "renewed covenant" rather than a "new covenant",
for I agree that what Yirmeyahu speaks of is something new – it is the
writing of the Torah within our hearts, rather than on a scroll.



However, there is no difference between the outcome of these covenants, for
both covenants lead to the keeping of the same miswoth, and the same huqim,
and the same mishpatim, i.e. the Torah!



And while your opinion is your opinion, and my opinion is my opinion, and I
doubt that either of us will sway the other on the subject (and personally I
could care less if we do), if the "b'rit hadashah" is the writing of the
Torah in the hearts as Sefer Yirmeyahu chapter 31 states, or at least in my
opinion states, then JC by no means did such, and neither does Christianity.




And I'll be the first to admit, this has not happened as of our time; so
consequently, in my humble opinion the "b'rit hadashah" spoken of by
Yirmeyahu has not been cut as of this time.



As to gentiles and the Torah, in Sefer HaTorah it points out that those who
live amongst us are obligated to keep all the miswoth that are required of
them, and this is not the so-called Seven Noahide Laws, because save for
circumcision, and dietary laws all was required of them to live within
Ha'arets. And if they wanted to eat of the benefit of the Pascal offering
then they even had to become circumcised, thus becoming a citizen of the
nation.



A problem I see here is that the Torah has been turned into a religious
document, rather than what it was – the Constitution of a nation. In doing
this some have made it to where to obtain salvation and everlasting life
that one must keep all the commandments that obtain to them perfectly, but
never was such the case.



I think that Christianity grew out of this misunderstanding of the Torah, as
did certain forms, or certain ideas of Judaism.



Yohanan bin-Dawidh