When Rav Sha'ul warns about an arrogant, proud anti-Jewish sentiment in the Kehillah, he makes the statement that "if the root is holy, so are the branches," and then follows with the conclusion that "you do not sustain the root, but the root sustains you."

Some commentators incorrectly identify the "root" as Moshiach. This is not to interpret Sha'ul correctly. The Kehillah is not the root. The root is Yisroel. The root has not been cut off. The stump remains, there is a remnant. G-d has not cast off the people He foreknew. Salvation is of the Jews. See Isa chapter 40. And Rav Sha'ul notes that he himself is of the stock of Israel. A euphemism for the Jewish people that Rav Sha'ul uses in one of his letters is "they of the Bris Milah." During the days of Sha'ul, there were many Jewish believers in Moshiach Adoneinu in Jerusalem. They lived in the Jewish manner of life even as they witnessed regarding their faith in salvation through Moshiach Tzidkeinu. The hard center of their religion was Messianic orthodox Judaism, loyal to the Sinai Covenant and its mitzvot, the root supporting the branches and not vice-versa, the Shlichus to the world not having priority over the Shlichus to those of the Bris Milah (see the document in Yiddish/English below). If some in the Kehillah took an arrogant view toward Jews who were still like their teacher was [blind] before he met Moshiach on the Damascus Road, then truly they were themselves also losing sight of their relationship to the root. The Hebrews or Jews we read about in the Tanakh really are the people of G-d. Messianic Jews are grafted into that ancient people of G-d. Any other graftees had better not get proud and arrogant against those of that Jewish stock still in the blindness of unbelief. To do so is to forget the very root whereby G-d brings the graftees nourishment. These graftees are not the source of blessing. The Kehillah has been brought into fellowship with the Patriarchs, the Avot--Avraham Yitzchak and Yaakov, not the other way around. When Titus accompanied Rav Sha'ul to Jerusalem, Titus saw a very, very, very Jewish Kehillah of believers in our Moshiach. Had he become proud against them and demanded they celebrate their faith in Moshiach in a goyishe way [which he did not], Rav Sha'ul gives a word here in Romans 11:18 for all the future Titus's that would come in during the time ahead and might be tempted to view this Jewish spiritual remnant and their future Jewish offspring with scorn. The Kehillah must never take on an anti-Jewish arrogance because it rests on G-d's covenant and history with Israel and finds its sustenance there and not in itself and its own traditions. The despised people to whom came the covenants, the Scriptures, the worship, and finally the despised Moshiach, this ancient despised people is the root, the Kehillah is only an artificially grafted in wild branch. There is for this reason a need for a reformation in the Kehillah even today.

Therefore, any one with questions about THE ORTHODOX JEWISH BIBLE [ http://www.afii.org/ojbible.html ] can be shown that this English translation is grounded in a reality actually found in the original language and is not a mere fabrication using spurious euphemisms. The Derech Hashem, which is also the Derech Hakodesh and the Derech Yeshuat Elokeinu, is the faith once for all delivered and transmitted to the Kadoshim. Its pristine authenticity and divine provenance are given to us by the Zekenim of the Edat Bnei Yisroel and handed over to us as Massorah HaZekenim.

THE DERECH HASHEM (THE WAY OF G-D)

The Torah says that "ASHER YA'ASEH OTAM HA'ADAM VA'CHAI BAHEM" ("THE MAN THAT DOES THEM [THE COMMANDMENTS/WORKS OF THE LAW] SHALL LIVE BY THEM", LEV 18:5")
Beginning with the commandments to procreate and be circumcised there are some 613 commandments (Thou shalt's and Thou shalt not's) which Leviticus 18:5 seems to suggest the observing of which will gain life, that indeed there are 613 stairsteps to heaven, that "if a man will do them, he will live by them." The non-Jew who wanted to become a proselyte was required to be circumcised and bear this entire yoke of the Law with faithfulness. Rav Sha'ul was falsely accused of teaching Jewish people that they could not circumcise their sons nor observe the customs of their religion (Acts 21:21); however, such was not the case at all. He was not speaking of the Jewish manner of life or the Sinai Covenant per se, but something else. Namely, there was another scripture that threw a gloomy shadow over legal justification [legal justification is a non-Jewish doctrine condemned by Moshe Rebbeinu, "V'YADA'TA KI LO V'TZIDKAT'CHA HASHEM ELOKEICHA NOTEN L'CHA ES HA'ARETZ HATOVAH HAZOT L'RISHTA KI AM KESHEH OREF ATAH" DEVARIM 9:6]. This other scripture in the Torah, found in Deut 27:26, shows that the root, those of the Bris Milah loyal to the Sinai Covenant, must depend on Hashem for the credited (Gen 15:6) righteousness of G-d based on emunah, and not a supposed righteousness of their own based on their presumed merit in religion where they deceive themselves that they don't need Moshiach and his boim in the Torah for faithfulness to the DERECH HASHEM, THE DERECH YESHUAT ELOKEINU.

"ARUR ASHER LO YAKIM ES DIVREI HATORAH HAZOT LA'ASOT OTAM" ("CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO CONFIRMETH NOT IN ALL THINGS WHICH ARE WRITTEN IN THIS TORAH TO DO THEM" Deut.27:26)
This is the curse of the Law, since the Torah spells it out. However, it is also the judicial curse of G-d under Whose wrath all of sinful humanity ("the heart of man is desperately wicked, who can know it?"--Jeremiah 17:9) already stands fallen and condemned. To be cursed is to be under the divine condemnation, as on the night of the first Passover, when the divine wrath threatened all the firstborn of the Land of Egypt and their accursed idols (Exodus 12:12). But Hashem showed the way of escape: "When I see the blood [of the perfect Lamb of G-d], I will pass over you (Exodus 12:13)," meaning you will be spared from the death curse and redeemed for salvation.

Here the Lamb of G-d is all-important, because Moshiach was led "KA'SEH LA'TEVACH" (LIKE A LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER" Isaiah 53:7), for the Torah says "KILELAT ELOKIM TALUI AL ETZ" ("ACCURSED OF G-D IS THE ONE HANGED ON THE TREE" Deut.21:23). MOSHIACH HAS REDEEMED US FROM THE CURSE OF THE TORAH, BECOMING A CURSE FOR US, as it says, "WE DID ESTEEM HIM STRICKEN, SMITTEN OF G-D AND AFFLICTED" (Isaiah 53:4), but MOSHIACH TZIDKEINU ("Messiah our righteousness," Jer 23:5-6), HASHEM'S RIGHTEOUS SERVANT, SHALL JUSTIFY (Genesis 15:6; Habakkuk 2:4) MANY FOR HE WILL BEAR THEIR INIQUITIES (Isaiah 53:11).

Do not turn your back on the true Derech Hashem, the Way of Faith in Moshiach Tzidkeinu (Messiah our Righteousness).

DO YOU KNOW THE DERECH HASHEM [REQUIRES LITERACY IN HEBREW]?

ARE YOU DEPRESSED [THIS IS IN ENGLISH]?

MAKE A DONATION with your credit card that is PayPal secure

OR, IF YOU PREFER NOT TO USE YOUR CREDIT CARD, THEN SEND A CHECK OR MONEY ORDER payable in US Dollars to Artists For Israel International P.O. Box 2056 New York New York 10163 U.S.A. along with your clearly printed shipping address and your check or money order for [US currency] $40.00 and we will promptly send you an appreciation gift of the Orthodox Jewish Bible and The Rabbi From Tarsus.

Remember, our email is PEGoble@aol.com so you can MOUSE-CLICK on the RED X BELOW and we will take care of the rest, paying the shipping costs

Requires Adobe Acrobat software

Or ORDER YOUR BIBLE FROM BARNES AND NOBLE

Or ORDER YOUR BIBLE FROM AMAZON.COM

THE ORTHODOX JEWISH BIBLE IS AN ENGLISH VERSION.  THIS IS

THE ONLY LANGUAGE WE HAVE PRINTED AS A PERFECT BOUND

BOOK FROM THE BOOK MANUFACTURER.  THE OTHER VERSIONS

(SPANISH, LADINO, ETC) ARE AVAILABLE ONLY FROM OUR

WEBSITE AND ONLY AS ADOBE ACROBAT PDF FILES.  IN ORDERING

THE ORTHODOX JEWISH BIBLE, SPECIFY THE THIRD EDITION.                

 ISBN 0-939341-04-2    

       /       / //   //               

      / //                    |      GET THE THIRD EDITION OF THIS HOLY BIBLE!

          //  ///                    Enhancements on nearly all the 1,248 pages!   

    / /   //         

                 /      /     |     

  / ///                              View the 3rd Ed

 /                   //       |      at http://www.afii.org/ojbible.html

  _ __ _ _      _  ///        |      Send an offering + Shipping and Handling.

   THIRD  EDITION             |

|      The                           Whatever donation you make should be

|    Orthodox      |          |      in excess of the shipping and handling charge

|     Jewish                         (US$9.95).  Also we cannot afford to subsidize the

      Bible        |          |      price of your Bible.  You wouldn't want us to. 

|                  |          |      What we are saying is that since the printing

|     Tanakh                  |      company is charging AFII $34.00 just to

|      and         |          |      manufacture your Bible, you must give at least

|     Orthodox     |                 that much, and only what you give in excess

|     Jewish       |          |      of that $34 manufacturing price amounts to an

|      Brit        |          |      offering.  So be generous.

|    Chadasha                 |      For the sake of those still unreached!

|                  |                 Shalom.   And thank you!

|                  |          |

|      The         |          |

|      Holy        |          |

|      Bible       |        

| THIRD EDITION               |

| THIRD EDITION                    

| THIRD EDITION    |         /

| THIRD EDITION    |        /

| THIRD EDITION              

|

 ISBN 0-939341-04-2    

|             

|_ _  _  __ __    _|  

send check/money order to

ARTISTS FOR ISRAEL INTERNATIONAL P O Box 2056 New York NY 10163

along with your clearly printed shipping

address on this form

NAME_______________________________________________________________

ADDRESS____________________________________________________________

CITY________________________________________________________________

STATE______________________________________________________________

POSTAL CODE/ZIP CODE______________________________________________

COUNTRY____________________________________________________________

Print out and mail to AFII Box 2056 NY NY 10163

                        //  ///

"The OJB is a rich treasure, more than 1,200 pages in length...

His scholarly analysis in the translator's introduction on

Isaiah 7:14 and Ha-Almah is brilliant and riveting.

...I predict that The Orthodox Jewish Bible will become a key

reference and have a tremendous impact worldwide..."  

Jim Melnick's review in LCFJE Bulletin published in 55 nations

                        //  ///

Dr. Ralph Winter, President, William Carey Int'l University:

"A 'must-have' for everyone serious about the Bible..."

                       //  ///

Joseph Shulam, author, scholar and international Jewish leader

in Israel: "It is like nothing I have seen before.  I believe

that until the Bias HaMoshiach there will not be another English

version like it..."

                       //  ///

Dr. Charles Harris, Professor, Central Bible College: "Reflects

meticulously the integrity of the original texts of the Bible..."

                       //  ///

Sid Roth, Messianic Vision: "The OJB has restored the roots of

the only Book that teaches the way to have intimacy with G-d..."

                      //  /// 

VIEW THE OJB at http://www.afii.org/ojbible.html