𝐓𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐡 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐲𝐦𝐚𝐧'𝐬 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐮𝐚

Most people do not have time to dive into deep theological studies. They do not have years to spend debating ancient manuscripts. That work belongs to the scholars. But the rest of us? We still need to follow G-d’s path. We still need to know Yeshua. And we still need to live by the Torah. That is what Torah Pursuancy is about. It is the simple, practical way for ordinary people to walk in the ways of G-d while scholars do their work.

Some believe that following the Torah belongs to Judaism alone. Others say it is only for those in the Christian church. But what if Torah Pursuancy is a path that stands on its own? What if the pursuit of Torah is not about joining a religious institution but about seeking the ways of G-d directly? What if this pursuit helps us understand Yeshua for who he really is, rather than through the lens of tradition? Scholars are uncovering new insights about Yeshua, Paul, and even the Gospel of John that confirm what many of us have already felt in our hearts.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐘𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐮𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐡

Orthodox Jewish scholar Daniel Boyarin shocked many when he argued that belief in a divine Messiah was not a Christian invention. He showed that many first-century Jews expected a Messiah who would come in human form and carry divine authority (Boyarin, 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐽𝑒𝑤𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝐺𝑜𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑙𝑠). Yeshua did not come to abolish the Torah but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). He lived as a Torah-observant Jew, and his disciples did the same. Early believers kept kosher and followed the mitzvot (Boyarin, 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐽𝑒𝑤𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝐺𝑜𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑙𝑠).

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach takes this further. He argues that Yeshua was a Jewish teacher who stood against Roman oppression, not against the Torah (Boteach, 𝐾𝑜𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝐽𝑒𝑠𝑢𝑠). He challenges Jews to reclaim Yeshua as part of Jewish history. He also challenges Christians to see Yeshua as someone who taught obedience to G-d, not the rejection of Torah. The book of Acts confirms that Yeshua’s followers, including Paul, remained Torah-observant (Acts 21:20-24).

𝐏𝐚𝐮𝐥 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐉𝐮𝐝𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐦

For years, many thought Paul rejected the Torah and started a new religion. But modern scholars say otherwise. Mark Nanos argues that Paul never abandoned the Torah or his Jewish identity (Nanos, 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑃𝑎𝑢𝑙 𝑊𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛 𝐽𝑢𝑑𝑎𝑖𝑠𝑚). He taught Gentiles how to follow the G-d of Israel without forcing them to become Jews. Paul himself said, “Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law” (Romans 3:31).

The mistake came later, when people misunderstood Paul’s letters. He was not rejecting Torah. He was explaining how Gentiles could join G-d’s people without converting to Judaism. This was never about replacing Israel but about expanding the family of G-d. Yeshua told his disciples to go and make talmidim from all nations (Matthew 28:19). Paul carried out this mission while remaining a faithful Jew.

𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧’𝐬 𝐆𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥: 𝐉𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭

Many believe the Gospel of John is anti-Jewish. But new scholarship proves this wrong. Wally Cirafesi shows that John was written within a Jewish context, not against it (Cirafesi, 𝐽𝑜ℎ𝑛 𝑊𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛 𝐽𝑢𝑑𝑎𝑖𝑠𝑚). The book is full of Jewish imagery, from the Passover references (John 1:29) to Yeshua’s identification as the divine Memra—the Word (John 1:1). When Yeshua speaks of being “one with the Father,” he is not introducing a foreign idea. He is drawing from Jewish tradition, where divine figures like the Son of Man in Daniel 7:13-14 were already part of Jewish thought (Boyarin, 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐽𝑒𝑤𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝐺𝑜𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑙𝑠).

𝐉𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲’𝐬 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐞

In 2015, a group of Orthodox rabbis issued a statement recognizing Christianity as part of G-d’s plan (𝑇𝑜 𝐷𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝑂𝑢𝑟 𝐹𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑛 𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑛). This was a groundbreaking move. Rabbis like Shlomo Riskin and Yitzhak Ginsburgh have spoken about the need for Jewish-Christian cooperation. They recognize that Yeshua has played a role in bringing the nations to the G-d of Israel. This echoes Isaiah 49:6, where G-d says the Messiah will be “a light to the nations.”

𝐓𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐡 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲: 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

Scholars are proving what many of us already knew. Yeshua never rejected the Torah. Paul never left Judaism. The Gospel of John is deeply Jewish. Christianity and Judaism have been defining themselves against each other for centuries, but the Torah stands apart from both religious systems.

Torah Pursuancy is about seeking G-d’s ways, not aligning with human institutions. It is about obedience to the mitzvot, not loyalty to denominations. It is about knowing Yeshua as he truly was, not through the distortions of history. The Torah is not Jewish property alone, nor is it reserved for Christians who reinterpret it. It belongs to those who pursue it.

We do not need to wait for scholars to agree. We do not need permission from religious leaders. We can begin today. The Torah is life (Deuteronomy 30:19), and

those who pursue it will find the path that leads to G-d.

B"H