What Do I Mean When I Say We Keep Torah?
From time to time I mention that our family keeps Torah.
For some readers that phrase is familiar. For others, it raises a lot of questions.
Does it mean we are Jewish?
Does it mean we reject the New Testament?
Does it mean we think obedience saves us?
None of those things are true.
So let me explain, as simply as I can, what I mean when I say that we keep Torah.
First: Salvation Comes Through Yeshua Alone
The starting point is always the same.
We believe that Yeshua (Jesus) is the promised Messiah and that forgiveness of sin comes only through Him.
No amount of obedience can cleanse a human heart.
Only the mercy of God can do that.
The New Covenant promises exactly this transformation:
God writes His instruction on the heart.
So Torah observance is not about earning salvation.
It is about learning how to live after we have been redeemed.
Second: Torah Means God’s Instruction
The word Torah is often translated “law,” but the Hebrew meaning is broader.
Torah simply means instruction.
It refers especially to the first five books of the Bible:
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
These books lay the foundation for everything else in Scripture. They reveal who God is, how He formed a people, and what kind of life reflects His character.
The rest of the Bible does not replace this foundation.
It builds on it.
Third: We Want to Live the Way God Taught
When someone says they are Torah observant, it usually means something very simple:
They want to take God’s instructions seriously.
That includes things like:
honoring the Sabbath
learning the biblical feasts
paying attention to what Scripture calls clean and unclean
pursuing justice, honesty, and mercy in everyday life
No one keeps these things perfectly.
But they shape the rhythm of our lives.
For our family, this has meant rediscovering patterns that were always in Scripture but were rarely taught in the churches we grew up in.
Fourth: We Read the Whole Bible Together
Sometimes people assume that following Torah means rejecting the New Testament.
The opposite is true.
We read all of Scripture as one story.
The Torah lays the foundation.
The prophets call people back when they wander.
The writings explore wisdom and worship.
And the apostles show how the Messiah fulfills and brings life to everything that came before.
Yeshua Himself said:
“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets.”
—Matthew 5:17
He didn’t erase the instruction of God.
He lived it perfectly and showed what it was always meant to look like.
The Guiding Principle
One verse has become a kind of compass for us:
“You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it.”
—Deuteronomy 4:2
Over time, religious traditions have often done both.
Some add layers of human rules.
Others remove parts of Scripture they think no longer matter.
Our goal is much simpler.
We want to read what God said…
and learn how to live it.
Slowly. Imperfectly. But faithfully.
A Quiet Return
For many believers today, discovering Torah is not about joining a movement.
It feels more like coming home to the earlier chapters of the Bible.
The instructions that shaped Israel were never meant to disappear.
They were meant to lead us toward a life that reflects the character of God.
And when those instructions are written on the heart—as the New Covenant promises—they become something more than rules.
They become a way of walking with Him.
