5:19 Break or teach men so
―Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be
called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called
great in the kingdom of heaven‖.
Notice here it says ―these" commandments! What are ―these" commandments? The commandments found
in the law and prophets!
He then takes it even further, and issues a solemn warning to anyone who ―breaks" any of the Torah, or
teaches anyone to do the same. The Greek word for ―break" is luo, meaning; "to infringe upon, loosen the
force of, or render not binding‖. Hence, Y‘shua is teaching that His work in no way diminishes the authority or
continuation of the Torah.
5:20 You shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven
―For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and
Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven‖.
From the Complete Jewish Bible ―Don‘t think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets. I have
come not to abolish but to complete. Yes indeed! I tell you that until heaven and earth pass away, not so
much as a yud or a stroke will pass from the Torah—not until everything that must happen has happened. So
whoever disobeys the least of these mitzvot and teaches others to do so will be called the least in the
Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever obeys them and so teaches will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
For I tell you that unless your righteousness is far greater than that of the Torah-teachers and P'rushim, you
will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven!" (Matt 5:17-20)
Verses 17-20 set the theme and agenda for the entire "Sermon on the Mount‖. Y‘shua the Messiah makes
fuller the understanding of his disciples concerning the Torah and Prophets (Prophetic books in the O.T.
written by the Prophets), so they can more fully express what being YHWH‘s people is all about. This is
consistent with Judaism, as one of the Messiah's main functions would be to complete our understanding of
the Torah and Prophets. The "evidence" for Y‘shua being the true Messiah is that He meets the criteria set
forth in the Tenach (Old Covenant), which in turn says the Torah is eternal.
Much of the remainder of chapters 5-7 gives specific examples of where Y‘shua explains the fuller meaning
of the Torah – teaching the people to not only keep the Law, but to go beyond the "letter of the Law‖ –
understanding the godly principles behind the commandments, as this is how we come to know YHWH,
which is His desire for us all.
The Talmud agrees with this and even states that Jerusalem was destroyed for not following what Y‘shua
taught:
Babylonian Talmud - Bava Mezia 30b - R. Yohanan said: 'Yerushalayim would not have been destroyed,
save that they judged Din Torah (by the Law of the Torah)‘. Should they have judged by the brutal laws? --
Rather, they insisted upon the law, and did not practice Lifnim miShurat haDin (beyond the letter of the law).
The righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees
―For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and
Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven‖. (Matt 5:20)
Y‘shua never criticised the Scribes and Pharisees for carrying out the Torah. In fact, he told the people to
follow their example:
(1) ‖Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,
(2) Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:
(3) All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works:
for they say, and do not‖. (Mat 23:1-3)
History knows none to be better masters in the art of legalism than the Scribes and Pharisees of Y‘shua‘s
day. The Scribes were the professionals, the clergymen who worked out the various rules and regulations
binding on all devout Jews. The Pharisees as a rule were a rather select group of laymen committed to the