01/31/2026
Shabbat Shalom friends and family 🙏
This morning I wanted to say how grateful I am to YHVH for His teachings. He used a small simple food item to help me learn a few things about my character and a little bit about discernment. What is this food item? Oats. Why? Well Passover is coming and so is the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Exodus 12:15-20
NKJV
[15]Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.
[16]On the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you. No manner of work shall be done on them; but that which everyone must eat—that only may be prepared by you.
[17]So you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this same day I will have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance.
[18]In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening.
[19]For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land.
[20]You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’ ”
If you do some research on what food items are considered leaven you will find oats. And it does make sense. If you add water for cooking they expand. If you've ever made oatmilk and heated up the beverage you put the milk in you'll see it expand. Or maybe I didn't strain mine enough.
Well the other day I was looking around my kitchen to see what I need to start preparing to use up and get rid of so that I can clean out all the leaven. Which is also used as a metaphor for getting rid of all or as much sin in your life. I know we can't get rid of all the sins in our lives, we're human. Anyways, I looked to my left and saw I have a bunch of oats I bought for oatmeal. And I know I heard YAH tell me that I needed to get rid of them. (For me it's a voice in my head that convicts).
I then ask on a Torah group page for suggestions. Oh my goodness!!!
I didn't get a lot of recipes, I think in total I saw 1. But instead questions about why. They aren't considered leaven. I have my answer to a few people. But I was getting frustrated. All I wanted was ideas other than cookies and oatmeal. Lol!!!!
The point is I started getting defensive about the replies. When I should have been using them for a way to talk about my beliefs. Why? Because not all Torah groups follow just the Bible. They also include the Talmud. Which I do not want to follow.
Proverbs 30:6
NKJV
[6]Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.
Deuteronomy 4:2
NKJV
[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.
This means what it says. The Talmud is a book of oral interpretations and extra instructions added to YAH'S Torah.
Which unfortunately in confusing those who are new to this journey. Because if you google anything questions you have about His Feasts and what He requires, then you get referenced to Jewish laws aka Talmud.
This all being said. I found myself getting defensive. I updated my post several times. The first time telling them how I was feeling about the questions and being "corrected". Then again apologizing for my reaction. However, after all of this I came to this realization. YAH was using a simple food item such as an oat to help me see and work on my prideful heart. He had me also see that not everyone who I listen to, which was mentioned by a member, is beneficial.
Be careful if you are on this journey. People who you think are helping, they are not. Some people in the Torah community are still very much rooted in Talmudic practices. And it causes confusion. Why? Because a lot of the responses were going against what the Talmud teaches, yet I was told to pay attention to the Talmud teachings for this feast. (Not necessarily in those exact words, but the idea is there).
I pray everyone has a blessed Sabbath.
