"Lech Aharai" is Hebrew for "Follow me". That is what the Jewish student or "talmid" (disciple) would do. He literally packs up his belongings and follows the Rabbi wherever he goes.
Recently, I had a revelation about just this. In other words, a light bulb went off in my head. I was lying in bed thinking about my journey back to the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) and my relationship to Yeshua. I was pondering how difficult yet wonderful a trip this has been. You see, I started off as a Christian. Actually, as a Catholic. I didn't read a Bible until I was 30; I am now 64. And once I opened it, I couldn't put it down. I have attended (and taught) numerous Bible studies and even attended a Bible School. But then, in 2008, something happened to me. Something monumental.
A good friend of mine gave me a book about the Ten Commandments. Really, this book was about the neglect of the fourth Commandment, "Observe the Sabbath Day and keep it holy." Deuteronomy 5:12. This writing taught that the Sabbath was not actually Sunday; it was Saturday, the seventh day of the week. How could this be? I found through additional research that this was true. That the church had actually changed this commandment, and made the Sabbath Sunday.
As I began to study this, a whole new world opened to me, actually a whole new G-d. I began to realize that the Christian Jesus was someone the church had made up. If you studied the gospels, you would clearly see there was no Christian Jesus. But what I found was that there was a Jewish Rabbi called "Yeshua"(Jesus, His Name in Hebrew). He was G-d, made man, and came to save the lost sheep of Israel. And I believe He planned to do this by teaching them the Torah (Scriptures) correctly.
In fact, He says this in Matthew 5:17: "Do not think I came to destroy the Law (Torah) or the Prophets (Writings). I did not come to destroy but to fulfill." One word for "fulfill" in Hebrew is "qum," pronounced "koom". Strong's Hebrew 6965 defines it as "arise, build, confirm, establish." Interesting. The opposite of "destroy" is to "establish". And that is what Yeshua came to do, as a Jewish Rabbi, to establish the Torah. And in every generation, we tend to stray from the heart of Torah, as was in his day. His task was to bring the people back to the Truth, the Torah.
Continuing with my revelation. I have been looking so hard to find the Truth. To go back and study what Rabbi Yeshua was teaching - the Law, Torah. And frankly, it has been really hard. As I have written in previous blogs, I have been searching for "who I am, in Him". Am I a Jew because I have attached myself to Israel? Am I a stranger who supports and follows Torah, but not fully a Jew? And how can I become a Jew if presently, the Jewish Rabbis would not allow me to join"with them because of my belief in Yeshua as the coming Messiah
In one of my old blog posts ("Being Ruth with Israel"), I wrote that "I can be a 'Ruth'." And do exactly what she did:
"Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people (the Jews) shall be my people. And your Elohim, my Elohim (G-d)." Ruth 1:16
But, still - what does this mean? Am I a "Ruthite"? We as humans do desire to identify with a group of people, right? This is truly what I want to be - like Ruth. Having that kind of faith, that will, and courage to follow the Jewish Rabbi Yeshua, like Ruth followed Boaz.
Still, that does not feel like enough. It seems like there is more.
And maybe there is. Maybe the revelation I received this morning is truly simple. Just this:
"Follow me" - Lech Aharai.
Hashem (G-d), in all His mercy, came back to the earth through a representation of Himself as a Jewish Rabbi to fulfill or "qum" the Torah. What a loving Elohim to do this for us. Throughout Scriptures, He has given us so many, many chances to "teshuvah" or return to Him. We do, and then we fail. But He loved us so much that He believed a personal appearance would be the best He could do.
After all, who could better teach His Torah than someone so close to the Father (John 1:1)? And all we have to do is lech aharai. Follow Him. Not just read about him, but actually try our hardest to be like him. In all his ways. Which means to follow the Torah. Live the Torah. Love him and love others.
So, maybe I can not become Jewish. Maybe I can not join a synagogue. But I can study and follow a Jewish Rabbi. He has given me the Torah. He has given me prayer to communicate with Him. And he has given me a group of friends, a community, to do this with.
It really isn't complicated. It has been there all the time. He has been teaching me how to follow him my whole life. Only I didn't know He was a Jew. I didn't realize He was a Rabbi. And I didn't know about His Torah. Now I do. Now I am learning and growing.
It's all about this:
Matthew 16:24 "Then Yeshua said to His disciples (talmidim), 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and lech aharai (follow Me).'"
That's the path we are to take. The only path. To follow the Jewish Rabbi. It is a path that will lead us to eternity. I am praying that the Messiah will return soon. To the new Temple in Jerusalem, where the Law will go forth and every knee will bow. There, we will have no questions about our identity. It will all become clear and wonderful.
One last thought. Rabbi Yeshua is our link to Israel. He is the way we are joined to the olive tree and grafted in. I can think of no other way. And I believe that is exactly the way He intended it. We can only become a part of Israel if we become disciples under the Jewish Rabbi Yeshua and “lech aharai”.