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Introduction to the Studying of the Torah

For those of you new to the Torah, you have heard the Torah or Old Testament called or referred to as the Law. This is not a correct description of what the Torah is.

The Torah is the Teaching and Instruction from YAHUVEH to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – the Children of Israel and all those who follow YAHUSHUA.

YAHUSHUA himself keep the Torah. Remember, he said "he did not come to do away with the Law or Torah, but he came to fulfill". In order to fulfill something, you have to do it, participate in it, walk it out.

The Torah was never given as the means to Salvation. Salvation as you know is through YAHUSHUA. The Torah was given to help you walk out your life blessed vs. cursed; to live life more abundantly. Even for those of us who have had pretty good lives so far, there is still a level of blessing that YAHUVEH desires his children to have which we have missed. We have become accustomed to things as they are, and think we are doing well.

As we begin to study the Torah, we will study the word from a Hebraic Understanding vs. Greek/Roman. You will begin to understand why the Torah has not been done away with. You will see that GRACE (favor extended by YAHUVEH, even though you do not deserve it) has existed since Adam. YAHUVEH was gracious to Adam; he could have destroyed him, but did not.

As we begin this study, I will use the Hebrew terms, but will show in parentheses the Greek/Roman or common terms that you are familiar with.

In Hebrew the Scriptures or Old Testament is called the "Tanach". This word is an acronym. It is broke down into three parts, the Torah, Prophets, and Writings. For now we will focus on the first 5 Books or the Torah. I will reference the Prophets, the writings, and the Brit Chadasha (New Testament), but our focus for now will be on the first 5.

Also, for your information, I use what is called "The Chumash" Stone Edition. It is a blue bound Torah. As we go through the study, any references I make to chapter, verses will be based on this, but you will still be able to follow. It would be very helpful for you to purchase one, but please do not feel that you cannot study without it, that is not true.

As you will see from the Torah Cycle Study Calendar, we are now at the portion called "Vayeira in the Hebrew" and means: And He Appeared. We will begin our study here at Chapters 18, 19, 20, 21, 22. I will provide some basic teaching on each chapter.

The 4 Levels of the Study of the Torah

The Torah is divided into four levels of teaching. They are: P’shat, Drash, Remez and the Sod. Brief explanations are below:

P’shat Level
The P’shat level is the plain sense of the text. What does it actually say. Every word, phrase, and thought has a meaning, there is no word that is redundant or idle. Even if it appears to be, it is not. It is filled with meaning for us to learn.

Drash Level
The Drash level is where truth and principle are presented. Truth can only be truth if it is confirmed. Confirmation as we know must come in the form of evidence and evidence must be at least two or three witnesses.

Remez Level
The Remez level is the underlying theme or story that is told while speaking of other things. It is how prophecy is laid into the story of history. This level shows the plan for Yashua’s redemption and restoration.

Sod Level
The Sod level is the mysterious and coded level. This involves the understanding of numbers along with the meaning associated with certain numerical values. For example, the number 1 represents "Echad" or Oneness, "Two" represents struggle, division or witness, etc. This level also involves the meanings of names.

Learning - Left Brain or Right Brain

Additional Teaching

The Torah is set up as both left and right brain. The left brain aspect of Torah is the logic; the detail; the structure; the order; very organized; precept upon precept. The right brain aspect of the Torah, now with the foundational teaching of the left brain, sees the prophetic, the hidden meaning; can understand the visions.

Most of us are more dominant right or left, but there will be times when the opposite is true in a specific area. For example: I am more right brain, but there are times when I clearly show and exhibit left. I understand things visually, not so much by phonics or the words; IT becomes clear to me when I have a visual picture.

As you continue to study the TORAH you will be able to see which people were probably more right or left dominant. You will even begin to recognize this within yourself as well as others. This is especially helpful in teaching and instructing children; this understanding will perhaps give you an idea as to how to teach them. It may be, if you are a left brain but your child is right, you may have to change how you present a teaching so that it fits how they learn, but the same is true for someone who is right brain but the child is left brain.

Perhaps as an example of this would be Abraham and Noah. When YAHUVEH speaks to Abraham, he understands the phonics-words, the logic, detail, repeating the same thing. We are even told by YAHUVEH, that Abraham believed. Noah on the other had was possibly right brain, he needed a visual-the rainbow. Both gained the same understanding of YAHUVEH, but YAHUVEH presented it to each of them in the way that he had designed them to process information.

Finally, for you wonderful left brain people, the "types and shadows" may seem burdensome, or far-fetched, but for the right brain person it brings clarity.

The Two Sticks, made One in the Hand of YAHUSHUA (Ezek. 37:15-28)

Left – Judah ("What you do")
Right – Ephraim ("Why you do")

Think Auditory Visual

Phonics
Visual

Short term memory
Long term memory

Auditory
Sight words

Repeating same thing
Big Screen TV

Black and White
Humor, Emotion

Logical
Land of Options

Detailed
Change Schedule

Loves Numbers
Change, Variety

Loves Structure
Hard to Close

Likes Closure
Stored in Pictures

Store Words
Colors

Organized
Visions

Does not like types & shadows
Likes types and shadows

Examples of: People

Abraham (Faith-Store Words)
Noah (Rainbow-Stored in Pictures)

Eve
Adam