In the Yearly Cycle of God's instructions for his people; When we roll back the scroll from the end of Devarim (Dueteronomy) where Moses was told by the Almighty that he would not be accompanying the Twelve Tribes of Israel into the Promised Land. It is traditional for Jewish, and ever increasingly non- Jewish Bible believers, after celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles for us to return to the very Foundation of our Faith in the Holy Scriptures, in the Torah to Genesis 1:1.
Here we do not simply reopen an ancient chronicle of our origins; we step into the foundational architecture of the entire biblical narrative. In this Weeks opening Parashah, B’eresheit (Genesis 1:1–6:8), Monte Judah of Lion and Lamb Ministries from his decades of dedication in Teaching El Elyon's (the most High God) instructions to us in based upon his wisdom of the Torah, Monte simply, yet brilliantly shares his well seasoned Hebraic insights that reveals to each of us Bible believers precisely how the Scriptures of the Brit Chadashah (New Covenant) have inextricably woven by Elohim את into the Torah from the opening verse:,
For the disciple of Messiah Yeshua, understanding these foundational truths transforms our view of covenant identity, obedience, and the nature of salvation.
The Unspoken Word: The Alef-Tav in Genesis 1:1 and Revelation 22
In the original Hebrew text of Genesis 1:1:
בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ(B’eresheit bara Elohim ET hashamayim v’ET ha’aretz)
Grammatically, the untranslated particle את (Alef-Tav) connects the verb to the direct object. Yet to the Messianic mind, this is no mere grammatical marker. The Alef (א) is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and the Tav (ת) is the final letter.
Centuries later, when the glorified Messiah revealed Himself to John on Patmos, He declared in the Greek text: "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End" (Revelation 22:13). Speaking to a Hebrew prophet, Yeshua identified Himself as the Alef and the Tav—the entire alphabet of creation, the divine Word through whom the universe was framed. As the Apostle John reveals: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... All things were made through Him" (John 1:1, 3). Yeshua Himself stands hidden yet unmistakable in the very center of Genesis 1:1, uniting the creation of the heavens and the earth.
Nicodemus and the New Birth: Water and the Spirit in John 3
This continuity from Creation carries directly into the ministry of Yeshua. In John 3:1–21, we encounter Nicodemus (Nakdimon), a member of the Sanhedrin and an esteemed Torah sage of the Pharisees. He came to Yeshua by night—seeking truth away from the political scrutiny of the ruling council, yet recognizing that the miracles Yeshua performed testified that God was with Him.
When Yeshua looked at this elite teacher of Israel, He issued a profound challenge: "Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God" (John 3:5).
To a Hebrew scholar like Nicodemus, "water and spirit" evoked specific, deep-seated realities:
- The Waters of Creation and Mikveh: In Genesis 1:2, the Ruach Elohim (Spirit of God) hovered over the surface of the waters to bring forth life. Furthermore, a non-Israelite entering the covenant of Israel underwent a ritual immersion (mikveh), legally becoming viewed as a "newborn child."
- The Prophetic Promise: Ezekiel 36:25–27 prophesied the New Covenant: "I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean... I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes."
Yeshua was telling Nicodemus that physical lineage and scholarly status were insufficient. Entering the Kingdom requires an internal, spiritual recreation—an inward circumcision of the heart empowered by the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Seventh Day: Creation Rest for All Believers
At the conclusion of the six days of creation, the Creator Himself rested:
"And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day... Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it." (Genesis 2:2–3)
The Sabbath was not instituted as a cultural custom born at Mount Sinai; it was set apart and consecrated at the foundation of the world, long before the call of Abraham or the nation of Israel existed. The Almighty blessed it and made it holy for all creation.
Consequently, the command to remember the Sabbath applies to every Bible-believing follower of God, including Gentile believers grafted into the commonwealth of Israel. As the prophet Isaiah explicitly promises in Isaiah 56:6–7, the foreigner who joins himself to the LORD, ministers to Him, and "keeps from defiling the Sabbath" will be brought to His holy mountain. The Sabbath is a perpetual sign of allegiance to the Creator of the universe.
The Fall, the Serpent, and the Lineage of Seth
In Genesis 3, the adversary appears in the Garden of Eden under the guise of the Nachash (the Serpent). Scripture later identifies this entity plainly in Revelation 12:9 as "that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world." His strategy has remained unchanged across millennia: distort the Word of God ("Has God indeed said...?") and entice humanity to define good and evil independent of their Maker.
A critical point emphasized in this Torah cycle is the profound shift in human genealogy found in Genesis 5:
- Adam and Eve were created directly in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26–27).
- Yet after the rebellion and exile from Eden, Genesis 5:3 records: "And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth."
Following the Fall, mankind is born of corrupted seed, inheriting fallen, mortal natures patterned after fallen Adam and Seth. This reality underscores precisely why Messiah Yeshua insisted that we must be born again—we must be regenerated by the Spirit to have the image of God fully restored within us.
Guarding the Temple: The Biblical Dietary Laws
God’s instructions in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 outline clean and unclean animals, strictly forbidding the consumption of animals such as pigs, shellfish, and predatory scavengers. The underlying reason God gives throughout Torah is unmistakable: "You shall be holy, for I am holy."
These animals were primarily created by the Almighty to serve as the ecological cleaning crew of the earth and seas—consuming biological waste, toxins, parasites, and decaying organic matter. Today, numerous Christian medical professionals and health researchers echo the wisdom of Torah, demonstrating that:
- Swine possess a rapid, inefficient digestive system that stores higher concentrations of toxins, heavy metals, and inflammatory fats within their tissues.
- Filter-feeding shellfish routinely concentrate heavy metals, neurotoxins, and waterborne pathogens.
When believers choose to align their diet with the instructions of Leviticus 11, they are not attempting to earn salvation by works; they are walking out practical holiness, stewardship over the physical temple of the Holy Spirit, and honouring the health guidelines given by the Master Physician.
Walking in the Light of B'eresheit
Parashat B’eresheit sets the eternal benchmark: Messiah is the eternal Alef-Tav, the Sabbath remains the Creator's consecrated day of rest, and Torah-based lifestyle instructions remain the blueprint for life, health, and worship. As you view this teaching, open your heart to let the Scriptures realign your walk with the enduring truth of God's Word.
For an in-depth, verse-by-verse exploration of these foundational truths, watch the full teaching B'eresheit: "In the Beginning" | Torah Portion: Genesis 1:1–6:8 | B'nai Shalom | 2026
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