You've been misled concerning the Pharisees. An interesting read is at BAR (Biblical Archaeology Review magazine) 9:04, Jul/Aug 2013
Biblical Views: The Pharisees—Good Guys with Bad Press by Roland Deines.
The people most criticizing them are the Torah Observant Judaizers who insist on making New Testament Christian theology too infected with Greek and Roman paganism to be trusted, so they seek to lead Christians back to the Jewishness of Jesus.
In Christ I died to the law, finding it valuable though to understand more fully why the New Covenant is better. Early churches around the known world were of Gentile believers who had no background in the Torah, rarely having any acces to a copy of it. They were saved by the preaching of the gospel as presented in the New Testament, and shielded from having to observe the Torah by decree in Acts 15.
oh yes Ive been misled about the pharisees... lol no I believe the Messiah and I have studied their works, they made their own law, Messiah shows this Himself;
Mattithyah 15:2-3, "Why do Your disciples transgress the traditions of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat. But He answered, and said to them: And
why do you transgress the Laws of Yahweh by your traditions?"
This is a very important topic that will never be taught at Church, but is vital if you want to FULLY understand Yahshua's encounters with the Pharisees. Thus some preachers take advantage of people ignorance on this topic and use Yahshua's words to witness against something Yahshua promoted insted of what He spoke against. Most people really do not know much if anything about the Pharisaical religion and errantly think it is based on the Holy Scriptures, it is not. They have 2 "Torahs" one written and one oral, the written is the first 5 books of the Scriptures and the oral is the Talmud. They say the Scriptures are incomprehensible without the Talmud. I want to clearly state I have no problem with the Jewish people, and this is in no way against Jews. This is to shed light on what the Pharisees really believed and taught that Yahshua had rebuked them for over and over.
Mattithyah 15:2-3, "Why do Your disciples transgress the traditions of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat. But He answered, and said to them: And why do you transgress the Laws of Yahweh by your traditions?"
Yahchanan 15:22
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had their sins revealed; but now they have no cloak, covering for, their sins.
Yahchanan 15:22-23
22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had their sins revealed; but now they have no cloak, covering for, their sins. 23 He who hates Me, also hates My Father.
This is from the Talmud, it is the story about the debate of Eliezer contracting ritual imourity from an OVEN. In the Talmud you will see over and over the confused non-sense that is of the Pharisees. I stand strongly against this evil book, however if one does a little study you will understand Yahshua's words in these encounters.
Talmud - Mas. Baba Metzia 59b
We learnt elsewhere: If he cut it into separate tiles, placing sand between each tile: R. Eliezer declared it clean, and the Sages declared it unclean; and this was the oven of ‘Aknai.1 Why [the oven of] ‘Aknai? — Said Rab Judah in Samuel's name: [It means] that they encompassed it with arguments2 as a snake, and proved it unclean. It has been taught: On that day R. Eliezer brought forward every imaginable argument ,3 but they did not accept them. Said he to them: ‘If the halachah agrees with me, let this carob-tree prove it!’ Thereupon the carob-tree was torn a hundred cubits out of its place — others affirm, four hundred cubits. ‘No proof can be brought from a carob-tree,’ they retorted. Again he said to them: ‘If the halachah agrees with me, let the stream of water prove it!’ Whereupon the stream of water flowed backwards — ‘No proof can be brought from a stream of water,’ they rejoined. Again he urged: ‘If the halachah agrees with me, let the walls of the schoolhouse prove it,’ whereupon the walls inclined to fall. But R. Joshua rebuked them, saying: ‘When scholars are engaged in a halachic dispute, what have ye to interfere?’ Hence they did not fall, in honour of R. Joshua, nor did they resume the upright, in honour of R. Eliezer; and they are still standing thus inclined. Again he said to them: ‘If the halachah agrees with me, let it be proved from Heaven!’ Whereupon a Heavenly Voice cried out: ‘Why do ye dispute with R. Eliezer, seeing that in all matters the halachah agrees with him!’ But R. Joshua arose and exclaimed: ‘It is not in heaven.’4 What did he mean by this? — Said R. Jeremiah: That the Torah had already been given at Mount Sinai; we pay no attention to a Heavenly Voice, because Thou hast long since written in the Torah at Mount Sinai, After the majority must one incline.5R. Nathan met Elijah6 and asked him: What did the Holy One, Blessed be He, do in that hour? — He laughed [with joy], he replied, saying, ‘My sons have defeated Me, My sons have defeated Me.’ It was said: On that day all objects which R. Eliezer had declared clean were brought and burnt in fire.7 Then they took a vote and excommunicated him.
Later we will factually see where the thought pattern behind words in red originated.
This next reading is the origin of the ban on the Name of the Most High: Yahweh
Talmud - Mas. Sotah 38a
Another [Baraitha] taught: ‘On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel’ — with the use of
the Shem Hameforash.15 You say that it means with the Tetragrammaton; but perhaps that is not so and a substituted name was used!16 There is a text to say: So shall they put My name17 — My name which is unique to Me. It is possible to think that [the Shem Hameforash was also used] in places outside the Temple; but it is stated here, ‘So shall they put My name’ and elsewhere it is stated: To put His name there18 — as in this latter passage it denotes in the Temple so also in the former passage it denotes in the Temple. R. Joshiah says: [This deduction] is unnecessary; behold it states: In every place where I cause My name to be remembered I will come unto thee.19 Can it enter your mind that every place is intended?20 But the text must be transposed thus: In every place where I will come unto thee and bless thee will I cause My name to be remembered; and where will I come unto thee and bless thee? In the Temple; there, in the Temple, will I cause My name to be remembered. Another [Baraitha] teaches: ‘On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel’ — I have here only the children of Israel; whence is it that proselytes, women and enfranchised slaves [are included]? There is a text to state, Ye shall say unto them21 — i.e., to all of them.
"but perhaps that is not so and a substituted name was used,"
No Scripture says anything like this at all, a Rabbi comes along and says, " "but perhaps that is not so," and after that Yahweh's Name is hidden. However it is not that FOOLISH and innocent, as it was on purpose that this was contrived:
Yeremyah 23:26-27, "How long will this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies? Yes, they are prophets of the deceit of their own minds; Who devise; plan and scheme, to cause My people to forget My Name through their dreams, which they tell every man to his neighbor, just as their fathers have forgotten My Name for Baal"
The Name YHWH was removed at least 6,828 times and replaced with LORD or GOD. You can tell where it was because ALL the letters are capital where YHWH was. The Masorites added vowel points to the Hebrew manuscripts (not in the "J" writings," (Called J (Y) for it's use of YHWH), but in the next oldest, the "E" writings (for it's use of Elohim). The vowel points replaced Yahweh's Name with Adonal = Lord and Elohim = God(s).It is forbidden by Yahweh to hide His Name by the way. However as we seen in the Talmud, to the Rabbis this is of no effect: "we pay no attention to a Heavenly Voice." Then we come to modern times when this false practice is still used, I have a Bible that says, quote: "this tradition is still used".
Talmud - Mas. Yoma 39b
His brethren [that year] the priests forbore to mention the Ineffable Name in pronouncing the [priestly] blessing.4 Our Rabbis taught: During the last forty years before the destruction of the Temple the lot [‘For the Lord’] did not come up in the right hand; nor did the crimson-coloured strap become white;
Numbers 6:23-27, "Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying; This is how you are to bless the children of Israyl. Say to them; YAHWEH BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU. YAHWEH MAKE HIS FACE SHINE UPON YOU AND BE MERCIFUL TO YOU. YAHWEH LIFT UP HIS COUNTENANCE UPON YOU, AND GIVE YOU PEACE. So they will put MY NAME on the children of Israyl, and I will bless them."
This is the Command that the "priests forbore", all supposedly because that "Rabbi" said, "but perhaps that is not so." Note "nor did the crimson-coloured strap become white," this was the sign that thier sins were forgiven. Also the Talmud RECORDS that after they killed Yahshua, from that time until the destruction of the House of Yahweh (Solomon's Temple) the crimson colored strap NEVER turned white again.
Now here is ONE of Yahshua's encounters with these evil men.
Mattithyah 15:1-20, "Then scribes and Pharisees from Yerusalem came to Yahshua, and said; Why do Your disciples transgress the traditions of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat. But He answered, and said to them: And why do you transgress the Laws of Yahweh by your traditions? For Yahweh commanded, saying: Honor your father and your mother; and: He who curses his father or mother, let him be put to death. But you say; If anyone says to his father or mother; Whatever help you might have received from me is qorban; consecrated to Yahweh--So he does not dishonor father or mother by withholding it from them. In this way you have set aside the Law of Yahweh, for your own tradition! Hypocrites! Well did Isayah prophesy of you, saying: These people draw near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me. But in vain they do worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. And He called the multitude, and said to them: Hear and understand! It is not what goes into the mouth of a man that defiles a man; but that which comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man. Then His disciples came to Him, and said; Do you know that the Pharisees were offended after they heard this saying? But He answered, and said: Every plant, which My Heavenly Father has not planted, will be rooted up. Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into the ditch. But Kepha spoke, and said to Him; Explain this parable to us. And Yahshua said: Are you also yet without understanding? Do you not yet understand that whatever enters in at the mouth goes into the stomach, and then is cast out in elimination? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceeds evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies These are the things which defile a man--but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."
So clearly Yahshua is against these Pharisical laws in the Talmud. So why is it 8 chapters later He tells us to "do all they say?"
Something is not right here.
Every translation reads as such, as all Greek texts read this way:
New International Version Mt 23:2-3
"The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach."
King James Bible Mt 23:2-3
"Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:
All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not."
However Yahweh has left us truth!
Shem Tob's Hebrew Mattithyah
Mattithyah 23:2-3, "The Pharisees and Sages sit upon the seat of Mosheh. Therefore, all that he (Mosheh) says to you, diligently do, but according to thier takanot (reforms) and thier ma'asim (precedents) do not do, because they talk (Torah) but they do not do."
Takanot: reforms or enactments that (falsely) "change or add" to Yahweh's Law.
Ma'asim: acts or deeds that serve as precedents for rabbinic law.
Both Takanot and Ma'asim are laws of the Talmud.
THIS IS THE BURDEN!
Deuteronomy 4:2, "You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor shall you take anything from it, so that you may keep the Laws of Yahweh your Father which I command you."
The "rabbis" interpret Scripture by something called Midrashic interpretation, which ignores language and ignores context. They say Scripture is a divne code and only the rabbis have the knowledge to decipher that divine code. Here is an ACTUAL example of Midrashic interpretation used by the rabbis:
They take Exodus 23:2, "Do not follow the crowd in doing evil. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd."
After Midrashic interpretation is applied, they come out with : "follow the crowd."
Thus even when one disagrees or knows something is wrong he must, "follow the crowd," or as the Talmud puts it in Baba Metzia 59b (top of post), "after the majority must one incline."
Deuteronomy 30:11-13, "For this Law which I command you this day is not hidden from you, nor is it beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask; Who will ascend up into heaven for us, and bring it to us, so that we may hear it and then do it? Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask; Who will cross the sea, and bring it to us, so that we may hear it and then do it?"
After Midrashic interpretation is applied, they come out with : "‘It is not in heaven.’4 What did he mean by this? — Said R. Jeremiah: That the Torah had already been given at Mount Sinai; we pay no attention to a Heavenly Voice" (Baba Metzia 59b)
Mattithyah 15:2-3, "Why do Your disciples transgress the traditions of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat. But He answered, and said to them:
And why do you transgress the Laws of Yahweh by your traditions?"
Mattithyah 15:8-9, "These people draw near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me. But in vain they do worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men."
Mattithyah 5:43-44, "You have heard that it has been said: You will love your brother--but hate your enemies; But I say to you; Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do well to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you."
Most people think Yahshua is rebuking "OT", not at all, nowhere in Yahweh's words is this hate taught. This hate comes from the Talmud of the pharisees. Yahweh's words says:
Leviticus 19:34, "The stranger living with you must be treated as one of your native-born, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. I am Yahweh."
Talmud - Mas. Sanhedrin 57a
‘For murder, whether of a Cuthean by a Cuthean, or of an Israelite by a Cuthean, punishment is incurred; but of a Cuthean by an Israelite, there is no death penalty.
Talmud - Mas. Pesachim 111a
Resh Lakish said: There are four actions for which he who does them has his blood on his own head and forfeits his life,3 viz.: easing oneself between a palm tree and the wall passing between two palm trees; drinking borrowed water, and passing over spilt water, even if his wife poured it out in his presence. ‘Easing oneself between a palm tree and the wall’: this was said only if there is not four cubits,4 but if he leaves four cubits it does not matter. And even if he does not leave four cubits [space], it was said only where there is no other path;5 but if there is another path, it does not mat."
Talmud - Mas. Baba Metzia 114b
For it has been taught: R. Simeon b. Yohai said: The graves of Gentiles do not defile, forit is written, And ye my flock, the flock of my pastures, are men;5 only ye are designated ‘men’
Talmud Moed Kattan 17a
Rabbi Ila'i said: If a person is tempted to do evil he should go to a city where he is not known, dress in black clothes, cover his head in black, and do what his heart desires.
The Talmud has Sabbath laws where you can only walk 40 steps (or something similar) and you can only eat 2 meals on the Sabbath or your cursed. (THIS IS THE BURDEN YAHSHUA SPOKE OF). However if you walk 40 steps then bury your lunch, you can then walk 40 more steps and bury your dinner, then walk 40 more steps and place you cot, then walk 40 more steps.Foolishness to get people to be in submission to man or to make people not eventry to follow (what they thought) was the Creator's Law.
Also know that I chose the most non-offensive sections of the Talmud I could and still prove my point, as there are things in there that will turn a grown man's stomach. I hope this helped you to understand a little more about Yahshua's words.
This first video is from a FORMER modern Pharisee, and he can shed more light and details on the topic than I can as he GREW UP IN THIS TEACHING, but is in it no longer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tddCNY6U77Y
