Are you Torah Observant?
I ask this simple question, because I have met many who claim to be Torah Observant, but evidence in their life says otherwise. There are people who obey when it is convenient to them, otherwise, it’s a “No Thanks”…
I typically refer to this as being Torah Interested as opposed to Torah Observant.

What in the world am I talking about????
Consider these five quotes from Deuteronomy, little reminders and warnings spread throughout:

Deuteronomy 4:2
You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.

Deuteronomy 8:1
“Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply…”

Deuteronomy 8:6
⁶ “Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him.”

Deuteronomy 8:11
 “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today.”

Deuteronomy 30:15
 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, ¹⁶ in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live…”

We can see very clearly in Deuteronomy that we are to :
-not add to the word
-not take away from the word
-keep the commandments
-be careful
-to observe
-walk in His ways
-fear Him
-beware
-do not forget
-choose life and good
-or choose death and evil

How do we comply with these things?
Obedience
How do we not comply with these things?
Disobedience

Consider this, with emphasis on ALL
Deuteronomy 12:28
Take care and listen to ALL these words that I am commanding you, so that it may go well with you and your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the eyes of Adonai your God.
And again from Deuteronomy 8 with emphasis on EVERY
EVERY commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe

I could quote many more scriptures, all throughout the bible, saying similar things.
Obey everything.
Carefully observe and obey everything He has commanded.

Where do I see this going askew?
Just about everywhere.
I’ve observed self-proclaimed Torah teachers with twenty years of Torah Observance, and they don’t wear tzitzits, and they go out to eat on Shabbat, and this, and that…
They study Torah.
They claim the authority of being a Torah teacher.
They claim to believe and do Torah.
Unfortunately, their actions say otherwise.

With regard to “believing” Torah, what does the Hebrew refer to?
Strong’s H539 aman    אָמַן   
assurance, believe, bring up, establish, fail, be faithful (of long continuance, steadfast, sure, surely, trusty, verified)
to build up or support;
figuratively to render (or be) firm or faithful,
to trust or believe
morally to be true or certain

Another keyword is this:
Strong’s H8104  shamar   שָׁמַר
to keep, guard, observe, give heed
to keep, guard, keep watch and ward, protect, save life
to keep, retain, treasure up (in memory)
to keep, preserve, protect

If we claim Torah Observance, and claim to be committed to it, and claim to believe in it, and to ‘shamar’ the Torah, then that means we are to
-be steadfast in it
-be faithful
-to be sure and verified
-to be certain
-to guard it
-to protect it
-to treasure it up

Does not wearing tzitzits match this idea of keeping, honoring, remembering, and guarding the commands? This one is a bit ironic, since Yehova gave us the command for tzitzits so that we will remember His commands.
There are Torah teachers who do not comply with Torah, and they think tzitzits are for the spiritually immature…  Not good.  They forgot to look in the mirror that James mentions.
James 1:22-25
²² But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding yourselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror— ²⁴ for once he looks at himself and goes away, he immediately forgets what sort of person he was. ²⁵ But the one who looks intently into the perfect Torah, the Torah that gives freedom, and continues in it, not becoming a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts—he shall be blessed in what he does.

Does going to college football games or going out to eat on Shabbat match this idea of keeping, honoring, remembering, and guarding the commands?  I’ve heard people say, “I usually observe Sabbath, but I’ve got something special going on this weekend…”
What is more special than an appointed time with the Creator of all that there is?
Especially if Yehova says you shall be put to death if you defile the Sabbath?  What is more special than staying alive (either physically or spiritually)?
Seriously…  Is this sinking in?
Look at Numbers 15:30-36 to see what happened to the guy who usually observed Sabbath, but decided not to this time…
³⁰ “But the person who sins defiantly, whether native or outsider, reviles Adonai and that person is to be cut off from his people. ³¹ Because he has despised the word of Adonai and has broken His commandment, that person will certainly be cut off—his guilt will remain on him.”
³² While Bnei-Yisrael were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering wood on the Shabbat.
³³ Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses, Aaron and the entire assembly. ³⁴ They kept him under arrest, not being clear what was to be done to him.
³⁵ Adonai said to Moses, “The man has to die. The whole assembly is to stone him with stones outside the camp.” ³⁶ So the whole assembly took him outside the camp. They stoned him with stones. He died just as Adonai commanded Moses.

“Usually” keeping the Sabbath did not work out for this guy.
How is it going to work out for those of us today?
Exactly the same, because Yehova does not change, nor does His Word ever pass away.
Maybe Moshe will not show up with the camp of Israel to stone you to death, but you will be held accountable for defying the Sabbath on judgment day.  Are you ready to defend yourself? What excuses will you give to Yeshua Messiah?

Does working on the Sabbath match this idea of keeping, honoring, remembering, and guarding the commands?  There are countless self-proclaimed Torah observers who work on the Sabbath. They say Yehova knows they have to make a living, so it’s ok.
Show me that in scripture please.  I’ll wait…
They say they are praying about it, whether or not they should work on Sabbath.
What does Yehova think of this?
Proverbs 28:9 tells us exactly what He thinks of this:
One who turns his ear from hearing Torah
—even his prayer is an abomination.

We could go through many examples…
But it all boils down to this:
Are you interested in Torah?
Or are you Torah Observant?
There is a huge difference.

I have been in too many conversations to count, both face to face and online, where men and women will make up their own standards.
I hear things like this:
-we are all at a different place on this path
-each person has to decide for themselves what this walk looks like for them
-he should pray about whether or not to work on the Sabbath
-it takes time to decide to keep the commands
and on and on and on…

Do these thoughts match what the scriptures say?
Do these thoughts match what Yehova says?

Only two people out of several million were allowed into the promise land in the Exodus story.
Those two people are Joshua and Caleb.
Do the scriptures explain why only two made it?
Do the scriptures tell us what is different about Joshua and Caleb, and why this difference mattered to Yehova?
Absolutely, yes!!
Numbers 32:11
 ‘The men who came out of Egypt, from 20 years old and upward, will not see the land I promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, for they have not followed after Me with a whole heart— ¹² except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they were wholehearted after Adonai.’ 

And this…
Numbers 14:20-24
²⁰ Adonai answered, “I have forgiven them just as you have spoken. ²¹ But as certainly as I live and as certainly as the glory of Adonai fills the entire earth, ²² none of the people who saw My glory and My miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness—yet tested Me these ten times and did not obey My Voice— ²³ not one of them will see the land I promised to their forefathers. None of those who treated Me with contempt will see it! ²⁴ However, My servant Caleb, because a different spirit is with him and he is wholeheartedly behind Me, I will bring him into the land where he went—his offspring will inherit it.

And this…
Joshua 14:14
Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he followed Adonai the God of Israel fully. 

It is important to Yehova that we follow Him wholly and completely, to observe and do ALL that He commands.
But people want to “pray about it first” to see if Yehova really wants them to.
Is it really necessary to pray and ask Yehova whether or not we should do as He commanded?  How is that going to be received?

Or people want to say, “what if…” in response to various commands.
Do we want to be Torah Observant?
Or do we want to look for loopholes and stretch and twist the scriptures to meet our own needs and desires, all while claiming to ‘shamar’ the commands and be Torah Observant?

I write this article to share this perspective about following wholly and completely.
This article is written with a heart to follow the words and the ways of Yehova.
This is not written to criticize or condemn others.
If you find yourself partially following Yehova, or if you find yourself justifying disobedience, please pray about these things (mostly for forgiveness, not to figure out if you should start obeying).
Check out 1Samuel 13:13-14
¹³ Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly by not keeping the commandment of Adonai your God which He commanded you. For now, Adonai would have established your kingship over Israel forever. ¹⁴ But now your kingship will not last. Adonai has sought for Himself a man after His own heart. So Adonai will appoint him as ruler over His people—because you have not guarded what Adonai commanded you.”

In no way, shape, or form do you ever want these words to apply to you:
Revelation 3:15-16
¹⁵ I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. Oh, that you were either cold or hot! ¹⁶ So because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spew you out of My mouth. 

I leave you with this test presented to each and everyone of us by Yehova Himself:

Deuteronomy 13:3-6
“…for Adonai your God is testing you, to find out whether you love Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul. ⁵ Adonai your God you will follow and Him you will fear. His commandments you will keep, to His voice you will listen, Him you will serve and to Him you will cling.”

Can you pass this test?
We are given the same test again in 1John 2:3-6
³ Now we know that we have come to know Him by this—if we keep His commandments. ⁴ The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵ But whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God is truly made perfect. We know that we are in Him by this— ⁶ whoever claims to abide in Him must walk just as He walked.

Can you pass the test?