Some “Messianic Rabbis” like Adam Fink from Parable of the Vineyard teach “there are no laws against cooking on the Shabbat”, and some others like Psalms 119 teach the Scriptures that say “You shall kindle no fire on the Sabbath,” aren’t referring to cooking, but working or debating (i.e. “starting a fight”), therefore assert “we can cook or kindle a fire so as long as it isn’t for employment, but we can’t debate Scripture.”
What's more, because some scholars like Adam claim “Jubilees teaches we can cook on the Weekly Sabbaths”, many believe these books contradict the Torah and teach against reading them for edification.
Let’s test these theories.
Testing Jubilees: To Prepare or Not to Prepare
In his video regarding the Sabbath, Adam cites Jubilees 2:22, but let’s put that verse back into context comparing with the verse which directly precedes it:
“21And I have chosen the Seed of Yaacub from amongst all that I have seen, and have written him down as my firstborn son, and have sanctified him unto Myself forever and ever; and I will teach them the Sabbath, that they may Guard the Sabbath thereon from all work.
22And thus He created therein a Sign in accordance with which they should Guard the Sabbath with us on the 7th day, to eat and to drink, and to bless Him Who has created all things as He has blessed and sanctified unto Himself a peculiar people above all peoples, and that they should Guard the Sabbath together with Us.”
-Jubilees 2:21-22
So far, we’ve learned no work on the Weekly Sabbath is acceptable, but eating and drinking is permissible and even encouraged. Great! We always knew the Sabbath was a Feast day, but how do we have a Feast without cooking? Adam suggests this same verse is evidence we can cook (since “you can’t feast without cooking”), but if cooking involves work and fire, how does he reconcile this work alone is permitted, if none else besides the Temple Work is? He then cites Exodus 12:16 as further evidence, but again fails to share the verse which places it in context, so let’s review this verse again, but this time in context:
“15‘7 days you shall eat Unleavened Bread. Indeed on the 1st day you cause leaven to cease from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the 1st day until the 7th day, that person shall be cut off from Yasharal. 16‘And on the 1st day is a Set Apart Gathering, and on the 7th day you have a Set Apart Gathering. no work at all is done on them, only that which is eaten by every person, that alone is prepared by you.”
-Exodus 12:15-16
Reading this verse in context reveals we are not discussing the 52 Weekly Sabbaths we experience every 7th Day, but a few High Sabbaths which may or may not fall on them, or right next to them, throughout the year. We know we can’t apply the same laws for The First Day of Sukkuth which requires a Feast for the Day of Atonement which is a Fast, so then we shouldn’t apply the High Sabbath laws to the Weekly Sabbaths unless Scripture specifically states otherwise. However instead of stating otherwise, the Father instructs just the opposite. He makes a specific distinction between the two which is only evident if we read all the verses discussing the Weekly Sabbath Torah. Let’s continue reading Jubilees to see what the rest of the passages really say regarding preparing a Feast for the Weekly Sabbath:
“Declare and say to the Children of Yasharal the Torah of this day both that they should Guard the Sabbath thereon, and that they should not forsake it in the error of their hearts; and that it is against the Torah to do any work thereon which is unseemly, to do thereon their own pleasure, and that they should not prepare anything thereon to be eaten or drunk, and that it is against the Torah to draw water, or bring in or take out thereon through their gates any burden, which they had not prepared for themselves on the 6th day in their dwellings.
And they shall not bring in nor take out from house to house on that day; for that day is MORE SET APART and BLESSED than any Jubilee Day of the Jubilees; on this we kept Sabbath in the heavens before it was made known to any flesh to guard the Sabbath thereon on the earth. And the Creator of all things Blessed it, but He did not sanctify all peoples and nations to Guard the Sabbath thereon, but Yasharal alone: them alone He permitted to eat and drink and to Guard the Sabbath thereon on the earth. And the Creator of all things Blessed this day which He had created for Blessing and Set Apartness and Glory above all days. This Torah and Testimony was given to the Children of Yasharal as a Torah forever unto their generations.”
-Jubilees 2:30-33
“And behold the Commandment regarding the Sabbaths I have written them down for you and all the Judgments of its Torah. 6 days shall you labor, but on the 7th day is the Sabbath of Yahuah Your Alahym. In it you shall do no manner of work, you and your sons, and your menservants and your maidservants, and all your cattle and the sojourner also who is with you. And the man that does any work on it shall die: whosoever desecrates that day, whosoever lies with his woman, or whosoever says he will do something on it, that he will set out on a journey thereon in regard to any buying or selling:
And whosoever draws water thereon which he had not prepared for himself on the 6th Day and whosoever takes up any burden to carry it out of his tent or out of his house shall die. You shall do no work whatsoever on the Sabbath except what you have prepared for yourselves so as to eat, and drink, and rest, and Guard the Sabbath from all work on that Day, and to Bless Yahuah Your Alahym, Who has given you a Day of Feast and a Set Apart Day: and a Day of the Set Apart Kingdom for all Yasharal is this Day among their days forever. For great is the honor which Yahuah has given to Yasharal that they should eat and drink and be satisfied on this Feast Day, and rest thereon from all labor which belongs to the labor of the children of men except burning frankincense and bringing oblations and sacrifices before Yahuah for Days and for Sabbaths. This work alone shall be done on the Sabbath in the Sanctuary of Yahuah Your Alahym; that they may atone for Yasharal with sacrifice continually from day to day for a Memorial well pleasing before Yahuah, and that He may receive them always from day to day according as you have been commanded.
And every man who does any work thereon, or goes on a journey, or tills his farm, whether in his house or any other place, and whosoever lights any fire, or rides on any beast, or travels by ship on the sea, and whosoever strikes or kills anything, or slaughters a beast or a bird, or whosoever catches an animal or a bird or a fish, or whosoever fasts or makes war on the Sabbaths, the man who does any of these things on the Sabbath shall die, so that the Children of Yasharal shall observe the Sabbaths according to the Commandments regarding the Sabbaths of the land, as it is written in the Sapphire Stones, which he gave into my hands that I should write out for you the Torah of the Muadym, and the Muadym according to the Division of their Days. Herewith is completed the account of the Division of the Days.”
-Jubilees 50:6-13
So we see here, Jubilees actually teaches:
We must guard our hearts from forsaking the Sabbath.
We must not do work which is “unseemly”.
Preparing food and drink for the Weekly Feast must be done on the 6th Day (not the 7th).
Bringing a “burden”, i.e. feast of food and drink to the Assembly is only authorized if the work was completed on the 6th Day, not the 7th.
The Weekly Sabbaths are more Set Apart and Blessed than all other days, thus different than other days.
The only “Kindling of Fire” authorized ON the Weekly Sabbath is that of the Temple Work, and in context referred to literally kindling an actual fire (not debating).
No work including hunting, fishing or harvesting (for personal use or employment) is authorized ON the Weekly Sabbath.
Adam citing Jubilees 2:22 and Exodus 12:16 out of context when the surrounding passages contradict his doctrine reveals his heart is bent towards sin. This is furthered evidenced as he later says he “personally believes we SHOULD be able to cook on the Sabbath,” so rather than unbiasedly reviewing the Word to give proper instruction (exegesis), he is practicing eisegesis, hunting for Scriptures to prove his theory which satisfies his heart and flesh, rather than allowing Scripture to sanctify his heart and flesh.
He says “not getting to cook” is like being “locked up in your home and a burden, not a delight, but should be the best day to look forward to,” this is an opinion but not Scripture and Jubilees instead states preparing a feast is in fact "the burden”. We must remember, man’s heart and flesh can not be trusted to determine what is “burdensome, delightful" or "the best,” especially when Scripture clearly defines it. Furthermore, Jubilees teaches the “delight and best” is the rest we enjoy on the Sabbath as we Bless Yahuah!
“7For the secret of lawlessness is already at work – only until he who now restrains comes out of the midst. 8And then the Lawless One shall be revealed, whom the Master shall consume with the Spirit of His mouth and bring to naught with the manifestation of His coming. 9The coming of the Lawless One is according to the working of Satan, with all power and signs and wonders of falsehood,10and with all deceit of Unrighteousness in those perishing, because they did not receive the Love of the Truth, in order for them to be saved. 11And for this reason, Alahym sends them a working of delusion, for them to believe the Falsehood,12in order that all should be judged who did not believe the Truth, but have delighted in the Unrighteousness.”
-2 Thessalonians 2:7-12
For further support of his argument, Adam then says he believes in the “7 Day Plan of Man”, which is often referred to as the “7000 Years of Creation theory" in Western Christianity and Messianic Judaism. This theory interprets the passages “each day is as a 1000 years to the Father,” and “My spirit will not contend with man forever thus his days will be 120 Years,” to mean “once the age of Earth reaches 6000 years from creation (or “120 Jubilees”) the 1000 year Millennium will begin which represents the 7th Day Rest”, therefore he asserts “eating the best food and drink, which must require preparing and cooking ON the Sabbath,” but this entire theory is opinion of man and not proven in the 66 book canon nor reflected in Jubilees which reveals a Jubilee is 49 Years and exposes we would already be in the 7th day/millennium by now. Therefore, is not evidence we are authorized to cook on Sabbath nor does Jubilees contradict the Torah.
Regardless, is Jubilees sufficient enough to teach us what we can or can not do on the Weekly Sabbaths? Many who only accept the Modern Western Protestant canon for “Sola Scriptura” would say no. So let’s consider what else the 66 Western canon has to say as to this regard.
Sola Scriptura
Exodus 16 is the first time we see the Hebrews learn to observe the Weekly Sabbath Torah once they are delivered from their Egyptian Slavery. There Yahuah leads them in the Wilderness and says He will “test them to see IF they will obey”:
“16“This is the Word which Yahuah has commanded: ‘Let every man gather it according to each one’s need, an omer for each person, according to the number of people. Let every man take for those who are in his tent.’ ” 17And the Children of Yasharal did so and gathered, some more, some less. 18And they measured it by omers, and he who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little. Each one gathered according to his need.
19And Moses said, “Let no one leave any of it until morning.” 20And they did not listen to Moses, so some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was wroth with them. 21And they gathered it every morning, each one according to his need. And when the sun became hot, it melted.
22And it came to be, on the 6th day, that they gathered twice as much bread,
two omers for each one. And all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.
23And he said to them, “This is what Yahuah has said, ‘Tomorrow is a rest, a Sabbath Set Apart to Yahuah. That which you bake, bake; and that which you cook, cook. And lay up for yourselves all that is left over, to keep it until morning.’ 24And they laid it up till morning, as Moses commanded. And it did not stink, and no worm was in it. 25And Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to Yahuah, today you do not find it in the field.
26“Gather it 6 days, but on the 7th day, which is the Sabbath, there is NONE.” 27And it came to be that some of the people went out on the 7th day to gather, but they found none.
28And Yahuah said to Moses, “How long shall you refuse to guard My Commands and My Torah? 29“See, because Yahuah has given you the Sabbath, therefore He is giving you bread for two days on the 6th day. Let each one stay in his place, do not let anyone go out of his place on the 7th day.” 30So the people rested on the 7th day.”
-Exodus 16:16-30
Here we learn:
Yahuah does command no one bake or cook ON the Weekly Sabbath.
Yahuah does command no one gather (harvest/slaughter animals for food) on the Sabbath.
Yahuah does command no one prepare the meal on the Sabbath, as He gives them twice as much on the 6th Day and none at all on the 7th Day.
Those who went out to gather, kill, prepare and cook on the 7th Day failed the test and were called a rebellious and stiff-necked people who broke the Torah.
Later we find out this is partly why the first generation did not inherit the Promised Land and were forced to wander the wilderness for 40 Years before their children outlived them and were able to enter in:
“7Therefore, as the Set Apart Spirit says, “Today, if you hear His voice, 8do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness, 9where your fathers tried Me, proved Me, and saw My works 40 years. 10“Therefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, and they have not known My Ways.’
11“As I swore in My wrath, ‘If they shall enter into My rest...’ ”
12Look out, brothers, lest there be in any of you a wicked heart of unbelief in falling away from the living Alahym,13but encourage one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened by the deceivableness of sin.
14For we have become partakers of Messiah if we hold fast the beginning of our trust firm to the end,15while it is said, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” 16For who, having heard, rebelled? Was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? 17And with whom was He grieved 40 years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness?
18And to whom did He swear that they would not enter into His rest, but to those who did not obey? 19So we see that they were unable to enter in because of unbelief.
1Therefore, since a promise remains of entering into His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 2For indeed the Good News was brought to us as well as to them, but the word which they heard did not profit them, not having been mixed with belief in those who heard it. 3For we who have believed do enter into that rest, as He has said, “As I swore in My wrath, if they shall enter into My rest...” And yet His works have come into being from the foundation of the world.
4For somewhere He has said thus about the 7th day, “And Alahym rested on the 7th day from all His works,” 5and in this 1Therefore, since a Promise remains of entering into His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 6Since then it remains for some to enter into it, and those who formerly received the Good News did not enter in because of disobedience,
7He again defines a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so much later, as it has been said, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” 8For if Yahusha/Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that.
9So there remains a Sabbath-keeping for the people of Alahym.
10For the one, having entered into His rest,
has himself also rested from his works, as Alahym rested from His own.
11Let us therefore do our utmost to enter into that rest,
lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience.”
-Hebrews 3:7 - 4:11
Here we are again warned not to follow our hearts which are easily deceived, but to submit to the Father’s Torah and accept His Example. He rested from all work on the 7th Day as an example for us, and the Messiah showed us that same example as He rested each Sabbath (only exposing the man-made doctrines of the Oral Law which contradicted the Torah).
Kindling a Fire on the Sabbath: to Fight or Not to Fight
What about kindling a fire? We see Jubilees makes the point this Hebrew idiom was referring to an actual kindling of fire, not just a “heated debate” as many Messianics claim, but does the 66 Book Western Canon provide exclusive evidence of this? We find a few examples providing evidence for quite the contrary, first in Exodus 35 when discussing the work of building the Temple, we find this passage:
“1And Moses assembled all the Congregation of the Children of Yasharal, and said to them, “These are the Words which Yahuah has commanded you to do:
2“Work is done for 6 days, but on the 7th Day it shall be Set Apart to you,
a Sabbath of rest to Yahuah. Anyone doing work on it is put to death.
3“Do not kindle a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day.”
-Exodus 35:1-3
Okay even though it would be very strange to use a Hebrew idiom here, some could assume this interpretation coincidently fell amongst the description of Temple Work and still is to be interpreted as “do not start a heated debate in your homes”, but let’s continue:
“32And while the children of Yasharal were in the wilderness,
they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath Day.
33And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and to Aharan,
and to all the congregation. 34And they put him in under guard,
because it had not been declared what should be done to him.
35And Yahuah said to Moses, “The man shall certainly be put to death,
all the congregation stoning him with stones outside the camp.”
36And all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him with stones,
as Yahuah commanded Moses, and he died.
37And Yahuah spoke to Moses, saying, 38“Speak to the children of Yasharal,
and you shall say to them to make tzitzits on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue cord in the tzitzits the corners. 39“And it shall be to you for a tzitzit, and you shall see it, and shall remember all the Commands of Yahuah and shall do them, and not search after your own heart and your own eyes after which you went whoring, 40so that you remember, and shall do all My Commands, and be Set Apart unto your Alahym. 41“I am Yahuah your Alahym, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your Alahym. I am Yahuah your Alahym.”
-Numbers 15:32-41
If we hadn’t just read Exodus 16 where we found out Yah just brought Yasharal out of Egypt and immediately taught them the Torah of the Weekly Sabbath, where He commanded Yasharal to go out, gather, prepare, bake and cook all their food on the 6th Day RATHER than the 7th, we might not understand why gathering sticks would be transgressing the Commands. This was apparently an honest mistake because Yahuah forced the rest of the nation to wear tzitzits on the outside of the clothes to see and remember His torah even when they didn't feel like they were breaking the Sabbath. I get it, gathering sticks most likely didn't really feel like work to a grown man.
However, to help connect the story (which does not specify what exactly he was gathering the sticks for), Yah reminds them He took them out of Egypt where they were enslaved and not allowed to observe the Sabbath Rest. Therefore, the act alone of gathering these sticks was sinful and worthy of death because it was done ON the Sabbath when Exodus 16 clarified gathering, cooking (which requires kindling a fire), and all manner of unseemly work is forbidden.
But still, many skeptics will say this is not irrefutable 66 Book Western Canon evidence “kindling a fire” or “cooking” is what the man was punished for, maybe it was just the sole act of gathering the sticks, or maybe he intended to use them for employment, maybe he intended to sell them? Who really can be sure? So then then theory “kindling a fire is a Hebrew Idiom meaning ‘starting a heated debate/uproar’” must be refuted elsewhere.
Okay, let’s move beyond the Tanakh (which has examples for both sides of the argument) and see what the rest of the canon has to say regarding the matter:
“1And having passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonike,
where there was a Congregation of the Yahudym. 2And according to his practice, Sha’ul went in unto them, and for three Sabbaths was reasoning with them from the Scriptures, explaining and pointing out that the Messiah had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This is the Messiah, Yahusha, Whom I proclaim to you.” 4And some of them did believe, and a large number of the worshipping Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Sha’ul and Sila.
5But the Yahudym who did not believe, having become envious, took some of the wicked men from the market-place, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and came upon the house of Jason, and were seeking to bring them out to the people. 6But not finding them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers to the city rulers, crying out, “They who have turned the world upside down have come here too, 7whom Jason has received. And all of them are acting contrary to the dogmas of Caesar, saying there is another Sovereign, Yahusha.” 8And they troubled the crowd and the city rulers when they heard this. 9And when they had received a pledge from Jason and the rest, they let them go.
10And the brothers immediately sent Sha'ul and Sila away by night to Beroia, who, having come, went into the Congregation of the Yahudym. 11Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonike, who received the Word with great eagerness, and searched the Scriptures daily, if these words were so. 12Then many of them truly believed, and also not a few of the Greeks,
decent women as well as men.
13And when the Yahudym from Thessalonike came to know that the Word of Alahym was proclaimed by Shaul at Beroia, they came there also and stirred up the crowds.
14And then immediately the brothers sent Sha'ul away, to go to the sea,
but both Sila and Timothy stayed there.”
-Acts 17:1-14
Wow! Here we see Sha'ul out there stirring up all kinds of debates, arguments, disagreements, uproars, fights, and mobs even getting kicked out of congregations and sneaking out of town so he isn’t attacked! Pretty intense. Was he breaking the Torah? Are we to avoid his and Sila’s example? Well he claims this was not wrong, in fact he encourages us to follow their example:
“Therefore I encourage you to imitate me.” -1 Corinthians 4:16
“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me, put it into practice. And the Alahym of peace will be with you.” -Philippians 4:9
“Brothers and sisters, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.” -Philippians 3:17
“You are to imitate me, as I imitate Messiah.” -1 Corinthians 11:1
Okay, so we aren’t to just blindly trust the example of Shaul and other disciples, but follow them as they follow the example of Messiah. Did the Messiah “kindle a fire on the Sabbath” or rather, “debate/cause an uproar”? Indeed! Several times in fact:
Matthew 12
John 5
Luke 13
John 9
Luke 4
Therefore, if the Messiah is "The Way, the Truth and The Life" and He was just as notorious as His disciples for debating on Sabbath and starting an uproar then "kindling a fire" means just what it says, kindling an actual fire, not "debating or starting an uproar".
In conclusion, we have learned both Jubilees and the 66 Book Western Canon teaches we are not to prepare our Weekly Feast by going out, gathering, preparing, or kindling a literal fire to work or cook ON the Weekly Sabbath, and we are actually encouraged to debate Scripture to edify the Body during the Sabbath Assembly.
Let’s stand Guard and not allow our deceivable hearts and flesh to elevate eating and drinking over the true intent for Shabbat, which is time Set Apart to become One in Mind with Yah, Messiah and the Body of Believers. Let's press into sharing the Truth in love which may inevitably cause debate, arguments and even division, but just as "iron sharpens iron", if we let the Spirit lead us, only the proud and rebellious "stiff-necked" will find themselves cut off.
“For the Kingdom of Alahym is not eating and drinking,
but Righteousness and Peace and Joy in the Set Apart Spirit.
For he who is serving Messiah in these matters is well-pleasing to Alahym and approved by men.
So, then, let us pursue the matters of peace and the matters for building up one another."
-Romans 14:17-19
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