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Romans 11:17-18 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. Before leaving earth Yeshua told His disciples to immerse people in His Name. The Torah idea of immersion has to do with being born again. For Jews, ritual immersions had to do with being born-again into repentance or renewal after a disease such as leprosy but for a gentile, ritual immersion meant conversion from paganism into monotheism, becoming part of the House of Israel. Such people in Synagogues were called proselytes or 'Children of Abraham' (Acts 13:26). A famous proselyte was Phillip's Ethiopian dignitary (Acts 8:26-40). Why, 'Children of Abraham?' Let me now engage you in a little Hebrew word-play. The sages of Israel loved those! Hashem said to Abraham, I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed (Genesis 12:3)." It is because of this verse mentioning that those of the nations would blessed through Abraham that Judaism always looked at converts from the nations as 'Children of Abraham'. Yeshua followed the same idea In His admonition to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20). You see, the word blessing in Hebrew is 'berachah', which is the same word used for an immersion pool. In this sense, Abraham becomes an 'immersion pool’ for the gentiles to repent and turn to the God of Israel. Of course, this is what is called in Hebrew a 'midrash', or a creative interpretation to explain a spiritual principle. Yeshua, Paul, and all the writers of the apostolic Scriptures indulged intensively in 'midrash-ing'. Here is another one. The Hebrew word for 'shall be blessed' in our Genesis verse is 'nivrechu'. This word is a conjugated from of the verb 'to bless'. Many words are cut from that same 'cloth': the word for 'knees' which describes the position in which we bless or are blessed, but also the term ‘mavrich’ or ‘to inter-mingle/to graft'. The later one is quite amazing as in his midrash about the nations entering the covenant of Israel, Paul uses the concept of grafting (Romans 11). He must have gotten the idea from an ancient 'midrash' stating the 'grafting' of Rachab the Amonite and of Ruth the Moabite into Israel by conversion or, being 'blessed/immersed/grafted in’ (Yavamoth 63a). The conversion of these two women into Judaism is all the more amazing because the Torah implicitly forbids Amonites and Moabites to enter the congregation of Israel up to the tenth generation (Deuteronomy 23:3). This shows that they were not thought as foreigners anymore, but proselytes with complete rights in Israel. It also teaches us that if Hashem accdepted them, he will certainly accept you! Today we are sent by the Master not only to ‘immerse/bless/graft’, make disciples of all nations, but also to teach them to observe all things which He has taught us. At His coming may we be found being faithful Torah teachers not only in words, but in deeds also, teaching all who come to us by the sample of a godly life.
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Abraham, blessing, nations, gentiles,
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