JamesH wrote: So is it ok for a person that is not circumcised to participate in the feast of Passover as long as they hear and understand about circumcision ?
If one hears and understands what Yah said about circumcision, they would know and understand that they need to be circumcised in order to benefit from Passover. So if they do not understand that they need to be circumcised then they have not heard and/or understood Yahowah, and therefore participating in Passover would be meaningless as they could not possibly benefit from it.
In the extreme hypothetical if someone were to come to know Yahowah, and there was not enough time to get circumcised before Passover, there would be no reason for them no to celebrate it, as long as they knew that they need to be in order to benefit from it.
Celebrating Passover is not what creates a relationship with Yah, Jews the world over celebrate Passover, and don’t know Yah from a hole in the ground. Benefiting from Passover is what is important.
JamesH wrote: Is not Obey implied in the word observe as in Deut 28:15 ( observe to do all His commandments)
Obey is not implied as much as heed is implied. While both imply following and doing, heed is a much better fit because it comes from a point of understanding whereas obey requires no understanding. If I hear and understand Yah’s instructions I will heed them because I understand their value. Obey is in the realm of religion where understanding is not necessary only obedience.
The Deut. Verse reads And if you do not hear and understand the voice of Yahowah your God by observing and asah all of his mitswah and chuwqah which I instructed and directed you this day you will bring upon yourselves all of these curses and they will overtake you.
In context the verse is a warning about the consequences of ignoring Yahowah’s instructions. So let’s look at the words I didn’t translate.
Asah is most always translated as do, most accurately means to prepare and produce. It also carries the derivative meaning of to gain, benefit and profit from. The idea being that asah was for your benefit. What we do is for our benefit, unless you are a slave. The same is true for heeding Yahowah’s instructions, it is for our benefit.
Mitswah often translated as commands, are more accurately terms and conditions of a binding agreement. There are 5 of these as it relates to Yah’s covenant, and we heed these instructions for our benefit, and failure to heed them has consequences as the verse goes on to point out.
Chuwqah is clearly communicated and prescribed instructions. Again something to be understood and heeded for our benefit.
dajstill wrote: It is about us learning, knowing, and understanding Yahowah and His ways. When the covenant is renewed, it won't be about us "obeying" anyway, it will be our nature. Right now, we don't have His nature. The best we can do is seek to learn, observe, and understand. Yes, we should strive the live in the way our loving Father counseled us to live in, that is a given.
My thoughts exactly.
lassie1865 wrote: You can't possibly "command love" -- that is an oxymoron (Deut 30:16)
The word used is sawah, which can mean command, but more accurately means guidance, instruction, teaching and direction.
Also the Hebrew la while it can and often does mean to, in this context I would say on behalf of is a much better translation, making it read What I instruct you this day on behalf of loving Yahowah your God is to walk in His ways by observing His terms and conditions and His prescribed ordinances, and His means used to achieve justice…
Just my two senesce on the translation of la, instructing us to love God would not be inappropriate either, but to me instructions on how to love God seems more likely.