Torah Studies for Yeshua

03/10/2026

“The Extreme Differences Between Messianic and Sunday‑Keeping Christianity Regarding the Word ‘Repentance’.”

Shalom in the name of Yeshua,

I am writing to share with you what I have learned about the true meaning of repentance, and why there is such an extreme difference between the Messianic understanding and the modern Christian understanding.

The difference comes down to one word: “Teshuvah (תשובה)”.

In the original Hebrew, Teshuvah does not mean to "feel sorry." It comes from the root “Shuv (שוב) - to turn, to return, to go back.”
When the Hebrew prophets called Israel to repent, they were saying:

“Shuvu el Torat Elohim”- Return to the Torah, return to the commandments of God.

This is the Messianic understanding of repentance. It is a return to covenant. When we sin, we have left the path of God's commandments.

Teshuvah is turning our feet around and walking back to obedience to His Torah, His Shabbat, His Feasts, His instructions. It is active. It is restoration.

The modern Christian understanding has lost this. It took the English/Latin meaning of repentance - “poenitere”- which means only to feel sorry, to regret, to feel guilt. So in many Christian teachings, repentance became just an emotion in the heart, a confession with the mouth, saying "I'm sorry" while never actually turning back to God's commandments. A man can say he repents every Sunday and yet continue to live contrary to the very commandments God gave.

This is why the gap is so extreme. One teaches return, the other teaches only remorse.

When Yeshua Himself came preaching, what did He say?

> "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." - Matthew 4:17

He did not speak English or Latin. He spoke Hebrew. The word He used was “Shuvu!” Return! He was not telling people to just feel sorry in their hearts. He was calling His people back to the Father by returning to the Father's commandments. He was calling them to Teshuvah.

Yeshua never taught repentance apart from obedience. He said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15). His repentance leads you back to Torah, not away from it.

True Teshuvah is not "I feel sorry." True Teshuvah is "I am returning to God's ways."

I pray you will hear His call to Shuv.

B'Shem Yeshua,
Mar De Ocampo.

21/09/2026

How Yeshua Showed the Shabbat Was Never Abolished”

Yeshua’s justification is found in Mattityahu (Matthew) 12:1–8, Mark 2:23–28, and Luke 6:1–5.

His disciples were hungry, so they plucked heads of grain and ate them as they walked through the fields on Shabbat. The Pharisees objected, treating the action as unlawful work.

Yeshua answered by pointing to David and to the priests serving in the Temple.

1. David ate the consecrated bread

Yeshua said:

“Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He went into the House of God and ate the Bread of the Presence, which was not permitted for him to eat, nor for his companions, but only for the cohanim.”

— Mattityahu 12:3–4, CJB

Yeshua’s point was not that David made the Torah meaningless. Rather, human need and mercy are not to be treated as violations when the Torah itself provides principles that allow for such circumstances.

2. The priests themselves work on Shabbat

Yeshua then said:

“Or haven’t you read in the Torah that on Shabbat the cohanim profane Shabbat in the Temple, yet are innocent?”

— Mattityahu 12:5, CJB

The priests performed Temple duties on Shabbat—such as preparing sacrifices—even though those activities would ordinarily resemble prohibited labor.

So Shabbat does not mean every physical action is forbidden. The Torah itself establishes legitimate Shabbat service.

3. “The Son of Man is Lord of Shabbat”

Yeshua concluded:

“For the Son of Man is Lord of Shabbat.”

— Mattityahu 12:8, CJB

This is important: Yeshua was not saying, “Shabbat is abolished.” In fact, he was arguing from the authority and principles of the Scriptures.

The issue was how Shabbat should be understood, not whether Shabbat should be discarded.

4. What were the disciples actually doing?

They were plucking grain to eat, not harvesting a field commercially.

The Pharisees interpreted this as “work.” But Yeshua challenged their interpretation by emphasizing:

“I want compassion rather than sacrifice.”
— Mattityahu 12:7, quoting Hosea 6:6

Luke adds that Yeshua said:

“The Son of Man is Lord of Shabbat.”

So the lesson is that Shabbat is a gift for human beings, not a legalistic burden that prevents someone from meeting a genuine need.

In short

Yeshua did not justify breaking the Torah. He challenged an overly restrictive interpretation of Shabbat.

His argument was:

Hunger → permitted provision → David’s example → Temple priests’ Shabbat service → mercy over legalistic judgment → Yeshua’s authority over Shabbat.

And Mark gives the broader principle:

“Shabbat was made for mankind, not mankind for Shabbat.”
— Mark 2:27

This fits very well with Yeshua’s statement in Matthew 5:17 that he did not come to abolish the Shabbat and the Torah, but to bring it to its fullness.

01/09/2026

Why I Follow the Hebrew/Jewish Way Rather Than the Western Way?

As follower of the Hebrew Messiah Yeshua, I follow the Jewish way of teaching rather than the Western way is because I believe that Israel is God’s witness to the world—not the Western world.

The Scriptures were given within the Hebrew and Israelite context. God called Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, established His covenant with Israel, gave the Torah to Israel through Moses, and sent the prophets to Israel.

The Messiah Himself, Yeshua, was born into Israel, lived as a Jew, taught from the Scriptures of Israel, and came as the promised Messiah of Israel.

Therefore, I believe that we should first understand the Scriptures through their Hebrew, Israelite, and covenantal context, rather than interpreting them primarily through later Western traditions and customs.

Israel has a unique role in God’s plan. Scripture says:

“You are my witnesses,” declares ADONAI.
— Isaiah 43:10

Israel was entrusted with God’s Torah, His covenant, His promises, and His revelation. The apostle Sha’ul (Paul) also says that the Jews were entrusted with the very words of God (Romans 3:1–2).

For this reason, when there is a difference between a biblical Hebrew/Israelite understanding and a later Western religious tradition, I want to examine the matter according to the Scriptures and their original context.

This does not mean that everything Jewish is automatically correct, nor does it mean that everything Western is wrong. My standard is ultimately Scripture. But because the Scriptures originated within Israel and the Messiah came from Israel, I believe we should not allow Western culture or later Christian traditions to become the authority for interpreting God’s Word.

My desire is to return to the Hebrew roots, the Torah, the prophets, the teachings of Yeshua, and the faith of the first-century disciples, while remaining faithful to the Scriptures.

Israel is the witness; the Western world is not the source of the biblical covenant. Therefore, I choose to examine my faith through the Hebrew and Israelite foundation of Scripture rather than through Western tradition. Shalom

22/08/2026

WHY DO WE CALL GOD AS “ADONAI” or HASHEM?

In Jewish tradition, rabbis commonly say “Adonai” or “HaShem” instead of pronouncing the divine Name represented by the Hebrew letters יהוה.

1. Why “Adonai” (אֲדֹנָי)?

Adonai means “My Lord”. When reading the Hebrew Bible aloud, Jewish readers traditionally substitute Adonai for the four-letter divine Name (יהוה).

For example:

“Hear, O Israel: ADONAI is our God, ADONAI is One.”
— Deuteronomy 6:4

The purpose is reverence and to avoid treating the sacred Name casually.

2. Why “HaShem” (הַשֵּׁם)?

HaShem literally means “The Name.”

In ordinary conversation, many observant Jews say HaShem rather than Adonai, because Adonai itself is considered a sacred form used particularly in prayer and Scripture reading.

So you may hear:

* יהוה — the four-letter divine Name
* Adonai — “My Lord,” used when reading/praying
* HaShem — “The Name,” commonly used in ordinary speech
* Elohim — “God/God Almighty,” another biblical divine title

3. Why not simply say “God”?

“God” is an English translation, whereas Adonai, Elohim, and HaShem are Hebrew expressions connected to the language and traditions of the Hebrew Scriptures.

For someone studying the Torah in its Hebrew context, the distinction is important because “God” does not tell you which Hebrew name or title appears in the original text.

For example:

Genesis 14:22 says:

וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְרָם אֶל־מֶלֶךְ סְדֹם
הֲרִמֹתִי יָדִי אֶל־יְהוָה אֵל עֶלְיוֹן

Abram invokes יהוה El Elyon — traditionally read “ADONAI El Elyon,” meaning “ADONAI, God Most High.”

That is why, in a Torah-centered/Messianic context, it can be helpful to distinguish ADONAI from the general English word “God.”

22/08/2026

Israel Deliverance and The Song of Moses - Fulfilled in Yeshua

Lesson Number: 56

Readings
Exodus 13:21-15:18
Jeremiah 49:1-22
Romans 8:1-14

16/08/2026

WHAT IS THE REAL REPENTANCE?

From a Messianic Israel Torah perspective, teshuvah can rightly be understood as returning to Adonai by returning to the covenant path of Torah, with Yeshua the Messiah as the example of how Torah is to be lived faithfully.

1. Teshuvah means “return”

The Hebrew teshuvah (תשובה) comes from the idea of turning or returning. Biblically, Israel’s return is not simply an emotional experience. It involves returning to Adonai and His ways.

Deuteronomy 30:2 describes Israel:

“You will return to Adonai your God and obey his voice according to everything I am commanding you today…”

Notice the connection:

Return to Adonai → obey His voice → walk according to His commandments.

Therefore, repentance has a practical direction: back to covenant faithfulness.

2. Torah reveals the path to which Israel returns

The Torah teaches Israel how to live before Adonai.

Psalm 119:1 says:

“How happy are those whose way of life is blameless, who live by the Torah of Adonai!”

Therefore, when a person recognizes that he has departed from Adonai’s ways, teshuvah means turning back toward the path Adonai gave Israel.

It is not merely:

“I am sorry for what I did.”

It is:

“I have gone in the wrong direction; I will turn around and walk again in the way of Adonai.”

3. Yeshua exemplified Torah faithfulness

Yeshua did not teach His disciples to abandon Torah. In Matthew 5:17 He said:

“Don’t think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete.”

And He continued:

“Yes indeed! I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not so much as a yud or a stroke will pass from the Torah…”
— Matthew 5:18 CJB

Yeshua therefore becomes the Messiah who demonstrates faithful Torah living.

He kept Shabbat, observed the appointed times, taught the commandments, quoted Torah, and called people to righteousness from the heart.

4. Yeshua called people to repentance

Yeshua’s opening proclamation was:

“Turn from your sins to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near!”
— Matthew 4:17 CJB

That message is deeply connected with teshuvah.

His call was not simply:

“Believe something about me.”

It was a call to turn, change one’s direction, seek the Kingdom, and live according to the righteousness He taught.

5. Yeshua taught Torah from the heart

One of the clearest examples is the Sermon on the Mount.

Yeshua repeatedly takes commandments and brings them to their deeper spiritual meaning:

* Murder → dealing with anger and hatred
* Adultery → purity of the heart
* Oaths → truthful speech
* Loving one’s neighbor → extending love even to enemies

Thus, Yeshua does not make Torah less important. He exposes the heart-level obedience that Torah requires.

This is important for teshuvah: repentance is not merely correcting outward behavior while leaving the heart unchanged.

6. Psalm 51 expresses this perfectly

This is why the Psalm you recently chose for your Prayer of Repentance is so appropriate.

David prays:

“Create in me a clean heart, God; renew in me a resolute spirit.”
— Psalm 51:10 CJB

True teshuvah begins inside and produces a changed life.

The sequence is:

Recognize sin → confess → seek mercy → receive cleansing → receive a renewed heart → return to obedience.

7. Yeshua is the model for walking in Torah

For Messianic Israel, we don’t merely ask:

“What does Torah say?”

We also ask:

“How did Yeshua, the Messiah, live and teach Torah?”

He becomes the living example of faithful covenant obedience.

That is why Paul could say:

“Be imitators of me, just as I am of the Messiah.”
— 1 Corinthians 11:1

And John writes:

“A person who claims to remain in union with him ought to conduct his life the way he did.”
— 1 John 2:6 CJB

8. Therefore, teshuvah is not “returning to religion”

It is much deeper.

Teshuvah is returning to Adonai.
Returning to Adonai means returning to His ways.
His Torah reveals those ways.
Yeshua demonstrates faithful obedience to those ways.

So the Messianic understanding can be summarized:

TESHUVAH = RETURN TO ADONAI → RETURN TO HIS TORAH → WALK AS YESHUA WALKED.

This does not mean that Torah observance earns salvation. Rather, obedience is the response of a person who has turned back to Adonai and desires to live faithfully as His covenant people.

🌿 The purpose of the Days of Repentance

Therefore, during Elul, Yom Teruah, the Ten Days leading to Yom Kippur, and Yom Kippur, the focus can be:

Examine the heart.
Confess sin.
Seek forgiveness.
Repair relationships.
Return to Torah.
Follow the example of Yeshua.
Renew our commitment to walk faithfully before Adonai.

In this sense, Yeshua does not replace Torah as the object of our return; rather, He is the Messiah who shows us what faithful obedience to Adonai looks like.

Teshuvah is coming home—to Adonai, to His covenant, to His Torah, and to the faithful example of Messiah Yeshua.

15/08/2026

https://www.youtube.com/live/Vdhos4naV-Q?si=Rql2PpiqHBiuO7vD

Remembering Redemption and Israel's Journey towards Freedom

14/08/2026

11/08/2026

Why the “Faith Alone” doctrine is lawlessness and contrasts with Adonai’s purpose of redemption in Exodus 13, as affirmed by Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20?

Scripture does not present redemption as permission to disregard Adonai’s commandments.

1. Exodus 13: Redemption creates a people belonging to Adonai

In Exodus 13, Adonai redeems Israel from Egypt and commands Israel to remember that redemption through the consecration of the firstborn and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

The purpose is not merely, “You have been saved, so now you may live however you want.” Rather:

“It is because of what Adonai did for me when I came out of Egypt.”
— Exodus 13:8

Redemption establishes belonging. Israel was redeemed from Pharaoh’s ownership so that they could belong to Adonai and serve Him.

2. “Faith Alone” becomes lawlessness when it separates faith from obedience

If “faith alone” means that a person can receive salvation while deliberately rejecting Adonai’s commandments, that idea conflicts with the biblical pattern.

Yeshua Himself warned:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only those who do what my Father in heaven wants.”
— Matthew 7:21

And He immediately connects this with the danger of lawlessness (Greek anomia).

So the problem is not faith. Faith is essential. The problem is a doctrine of faith that eliminates obedience.

Biblically:

Faith → redemption → belonging to Adonai → obedience

not:

Faith → redemption → freedom from obedience.

3. Paul makes the same point in 1 Corinthians 6:19–20

Paul says:

“You do not belong to yourselves, for you were bought at a price. So use your bodies to glorify God.”
— 1 Corinthians 6:19–20

This is remarkably consistent with Exodus 13.

Israel was redeemed by Adonai, and therefore belonged to Him.

Paul says believers have been “bought at a price,” and therefore they do not belong to themselves.

The principle is:

Redemption establishes ownership. Ownership establishes responsibility.

Paul is therefore not teaching, “You have been purchased, so God’s commandments no longer matter.” He is teaching the opposite: because you have been purchased, your life belongs to God.

4. Redemption is not the cancellation of Torah

Paul himself asks:

“Does it follow that we abolish Torah by this trusting? Heaven forbid! We uphold Torah!”
— Romans 3:31

Thus, from a Torah-centered Messianic reading, grace and Torah are not enemies.

* Grace explains how Adonai redeems.
* Faith receives and trusts His redemption.
* Torah teaches the redeemed person how to walk in covenant faithfulness.
* Obedience demonstrates that faith is living rather than merely verbal.

James expresses the same principle:

“Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
— James 2:17

5. The Exodus pattern points toward Messiah

There is also a powerful Messianic pattern:

Egypt → redemption → belonging → obedience → journey toward the Promised Land

The same pattern appears in Messiah:

Sin/death → redemption through Yeshua → belonging to God → obedient walk → inheritance of the Kingdom

Therefore, the message of Exodus 13 is not simply “God saved you.”

It is:

“Adonai redeemed you because you belong to Him.”

And Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 affirm that same covenant principle: “You were bought at a price.”

Central point

So, if by “Faith Alone” one means “obedience to Adonai is unnecessary because faith cancels the obligation to keep His commandments,” then it contrasts sharply with the biblical purpose of redemption.

Adonai does not redeem us so that we may become lawless; He redeems us so that we may become His.

That is why Exodus 13 and 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 fit together so well:

Redeemed by Adonai → belonging to Adonai → living for Adonai.

09/08/2026

https://www.youtube.com/live/YuUzsRchZVg?si=f3xDW-w9mHktcHcd

Lesson 54Readings:Exodus 12:29-51Isaiah 21:11-22:411Thess 4:13-18