Shalom, A Rood Awakening family!

This week we continue our journey through the Torah with Shoftim — “Judges,” from Deuteronomy 16:18–21:9.

In these chapters, Yehovah teaches Israel about justice, righteous leadership, the responsibilities of judges and kings, and the importance of hearing and obeying His Word. These ancient instructions still have much to teach us about how Yehovah desires His people to live today.

We invite you to visit this week’s Shoftim page at A Rood Awakening, where you’ll find teachings and resources to help you dig deeper into this portion of Scripture.

Visit the Shoftim page and continue exploring the Torah with us this week!

Shabbat Shalom!

Don't forget to make the challah! Happy prepping Torah Fans!

THE SABBATH SHOWDOWN: THE FINAL SUBPOENA By Executive Producer ~Mike Molinar~. 

Please comment if you have enjoyed these!

WHEN HEALING IS A CRIME !!

Imagine being born completely blind. For your entire life, you’ve lived in pitch darkness, begging by the roadside. Then, Yeshua (Jesus) spits on the ground, makes mud with His saliva, applies it to your eyes, and tells you to wash in the Pool of Siloam. You wash—and suddenly, for the very first time in your life, YOU CAN SEE! (John 9:1-7).

You would expect the local religious leaders, the rabbis who claimed to represent the God of Israel, to weep tears of joy and throw a massive celebration for this incredible, heavenly miracle.

Did they rejoice? NOPE. Do you know what the very first thing this man saw after his eyes were opened? Instead of a community full of love and celebration, the first thing he sees is a Rabbinic Subpoena. He is dragged straight into a religious court interrogation (John 9:13).

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### The Interrogation and the "Mud-Making" Loophole

Why were they furious instead of ecstatic? Because Yeshua deliberately chose to do this on Shabbat, right in front of their man-made legal systems.

According to the oral traditions later recorded in the Mishnah (*Seder Moed, Shabbat 7:2*), there are 39 categories of forbidden work (*Melachot*) on the Sabbath. Two of these strictly forbidden categories are:

1. **Kneading (*Lash*):** Combining a liquid and a powder to form a paste or dough. By mixing saliva with dirt, Yeshua technically violated their rabbinic restriction against "making mud."

2. **Smeating/Scraping (*Memachek*):** Spreading a paste or salve over a surface (like putting mud on eyes).

Because Yeshua chose compassion over their man-made codes, the leaders immediately blinded themselves to the miracle. They literally stated: “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath” (John 9:16). They called the Messiah a "sinner" simply because He bypassed their extra rules to deliver a human being from darkness!

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### Spiritual Blindness & The Broken Family

The pure malice of this religious system didn't stop there. The leaders were so desperate to protect their authority that they dragged the healed man's parents into court to interrogate them too (John 9:18-23).

The parents were absolutely terrified because the leaders had already decreed that anyone who confessed Yeshua as Messiah would be excommunicated and thrown out of the synagogue (*Cherem*). Think about the psychological cruelty of that system: they cared so little about human restoration that they threatened to destroy a family's social and spiritual standing just to keep their control.

When the healed man stood his ground and boldly pointed out the obvious—*“Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing”*—they snapped. Their response? “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out (John 9:30-34).

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### The Weightier Matters of Sinai

This is the ultimate proof of a broken religious mindset. When legalistic systems value their own "fences" and traditions over justice, mercy, and love, they develop a profound spiritual blindness. They would literally rather keep a man blind than see their man-made rules broken.

Moses explicitly commanded us in Deuteronomy 4:2 and Deuteronomy 12:32 never to add to or subtract from God's Word. The simple covenant at Mount Sinai was built on loving God and loving your neighbor. It didn't include thousands of pages of loopholes that make healing a crime.

Stop letting organized religious systems and human commentary dictate your walk with the Creator. Get back to the unfiltered Word. Get back to Mount Sinai. Obey Moses, and obey Yeshua!

8. What time of day were the Israelites instructed to eat the Passover meal? Post your answer in the comments below

Greetings, Torah fans... Some of the prayer requests that get posted on the Prayer Wall are very heart-wrenching. For instance...

Inga Sithembu

I am in emotional pain and I am worried. Please pray for me to be fertile and have 100% clean reproductive organs. Please pray for me to have my own biological children. Please pray for me to h@ve healthy reproductive organs. Please pray for me to become pregnant.

If you click on her name, it will bring you straight to the wall. And be sure to click the "I prayed...." tab. It will let her know that someone is standing in the gap for and with her. Sometimes just knowing that we have someone in our corner makes all the difference. Thanks in advance, prayer warriors. Shalom and Ahava.🙏❤️‍🩹

Encouraging Word of the Week ✨

Praise YAH for Healing!

Hebrew: "Rapha"

Psalm 103:1-5

Bless Yahovah, O my being, And all that is within me, Bless His set-apart Name!

Bless Yahovah, O my being, And do not forget all His dealings,

Who forgives all your crookedness, Who heals all your diseases,

Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with loving-commitment and compassion,

Who satisfies your desire with the good, Your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Event 92-The issue of blood:  The Chronological Gospels Bible
~Michael Rood~
Would love to hear what Ruach is showing you in this narrative! Please leave your comments.

7. How long were the children of Israel in Egypt according to Exodus 12:40? Type your answer in the comments

Verse of the Week: Deuteronomy 13:3

“You shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for Yehovah your God is testing you, to know whether you love Yehovah your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”

One of the most sobering truths in Scripture is that the presence of supernatural power does not automatically prove the presence or approval of Yehovah.

Deuteronomy 13 establishes this principle with remarkable clarity. Israel was warned that even if a prophet gave a sign or wonder and that sign actually occurred, the people were still required to judge the prophet according to the revelation Yehovah had already given them. The miracle was not the standard. Torah was the standard.

This becomes increasingly important when we consider the warnings of Yeshua concerning the last days. Yeshua warned that false messiahs and false prophets would arise and perform great signs and wonders with the intention of deceiving even the elect. This is not a new concept introduced in the New Testament. Yeshua is reaffirming a pattern that Yehovah had already established in the Torah.

Deception, therefore, will not always look obviously evil. Some of the most dangerous deception may appear spiritual, powerful, convincing, and even miraculous.

This is precisely why disciples of Yeshua must become deeply rooted in the whole counsel of Scripture. We cannot allow experiences, charismatic personalities, traditions, theological systems, or miraculous claims to become the standard by which truth is measured. Everything must ultimately be brought back to what Yehovah has revealed.

Yeshua does not lead us away from the Torah of His Father. He embodies perfect covenant faithfulness. If our understanding of Yeshua requires us to believe that He encouraged Israel to abandon the commandments that Yehovah had given them, then something has gone seriously wrong with our interpretation.

The last days will require discernment, but biblical discernment is much more than having an opinion about current events. It means knowing Yehovah, knowing His Word, walking in His commandments, and refusing to be moved when something spectacular contradicts what He has already spoken.

The great question of Deuteronomy 13 is ultimately not whether we can identify every false prophet. The deeper question is whether we love Yehovah enough to remain faithful to Him when disobedience becomes convincing.

That is the kind of faithfulness Yeshua calls His people to possess. It is not merely intellectual agreement. It is covenant loyalty. It is obedience under pressure. It is endurance when deception becomes persuasive and compromise becomes easier than faithfulness.

So this week, let us examine what we use as our standard for truth. Are we being shaped primarily by personalities, traditions, experiences, and popular teachings, or are we becoming people who know the Torah, know the Prophets, know the words of Yeshua, and recognize the consistent testimony running through all of Scripture? Ask Yehovah to give us discernment, courage, and endurance so that no sign, wonder, teacher, or cultural pressure can persuade us to abandon His ways. May we become a people who love Yehovah with all our heart and soul, walk faithfully in His commandments, and remain loyal to Yeshua until the end.