Many people have written to The Refiner's Fire to ask about the parts of Torah that apply to them today. Below is a quick outline:

First of all, we must understand that the original "613" commandments were more of a man-made tradition, not an actual number of commandments sent down by Yahweh. The idea can be found in the Talmud which says there are 613 bones in the human body and, when a person practices the 613 commandments, he affects each one of the 613 bones and vessels. While God did give us many commands which He ultimately condensed into just ten that He wanted EVERYONE to keep for all time, He did NOT "do away with Torah" (His original commandments/teachings/instruction found in the first five books of the Bible).

Numbers 15: 13 "'Everyone who is native-born must do these things in this way when he brings an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to the LORD. 14 For the generations to come, whenever an alien or anyone else living among you presents an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to the LORD, he must do exactly as you do. 15 The community is to have the same rules for you and for the alien living among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. You and the alien shall be the same before the LORD: 16 The same laws and regulations will apply both to you and to the alien living among you.'"

The "aliens" included anyone who wasn't born Jewish. They include anyone who is "grafted-in" through the blood of Christ. Yeshua Himself was Torah observant and He showed MAN how to do it, yet somehow Christians have decided that God treats His adopted children differently from His natural ones...

What Yeshua attempted to "do away with" was not the Father's divine instructions, but the rabbinical, man-made "stuff". Even Paul verified this when he said: Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law. (Romans 3:31). You will find Yahweh's original commandments sprinkled throughout Torah in places like Genesis 26:2-5; Exodus 15:25-27, 16, 20:6; Leviticus 22, 26, 27; Numbers 15 and 36; and Deuteronomy 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31.

Most of the original commandments cannot be kept today because they were for the priests and kings of the day; and some were only for men, some for women. However, there were some commandments God gave to everyone to last throughout eternity, and these include:

• The Ten Commandments (Exodus 34 - which included several "forever" commandments).
  
  
• The Seventh Day Sabbath (Exodus 31:13; Exodus 31:16-17; Leviticus 23:3). God told us that the Sabbath would forever be a sign between Him and the children of Israel (which includes every believer, grafted-in or otherwise!) In the end times (which we are in now) the seventh day Sabbath will distinguish TRUE believers from the "lukewarm" - especially when the Antichrist starts putting pressure on people to conform to his rules:
  
  Exodus 31: 13 "Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: 'Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you."
  
  Exodus 31: 16 "Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.'"
  
  
• The Biblical feasts are outlined in Leviticus 23 which states after each feast: "it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations."
  
  
• Keeping kosher. Yes, eating "clean" foods was a "forever" commandment. For a complete outline, See Deuteronomy 14:1-21 and Leviticus 11. Also see Pastor Larry Lasiter's article, Food in the Bible.

The above is by no means a complete list, but it will give you a good start and a lot to think about. For a complete list of the "do's" and "don'ts", please see 613 original commandments.

God said His Torah would stand FOREVER (2 Chronicles 7:14-22), and that's why we are to do our best to try to discern His "do's" and "don't's" because they are all for good reason. Most Christians seem to think Torah was abolished, which is a major misunderstanding because Torah is God's blueprint for moral behavior! Why would that have been abolished on the cross?

Matthew 5: 17 Don't think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete. 18 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. 19 So whoever disobeys the least of these mitzvot (words/commands) 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. 20 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.

Has everything happened that must happen? Have heaven and earth passed away yet? Yeshua even said He didn't come to abolish but to complete/fulfill. That did not mean "put an end to"...

Rev. 12:17 - "The dragon was infuriated over the woman and went off to fight the rest of her children, those who obey God's commands and bear witness to Yeshua."

Rev. 14:12 - "This is when perseverance is needed on the part of God's people, those who observe his commands and exercise Yeshua's faithfulness."

Some versions use "saint" as opposed to "God's people." But who exactly is a "saint"? Certainly not someone who refuses to be Torah observant! Without Torah we have no blueprint for moral, godly behavior (as is amply evident in our fallen world, including throughout the various churches.) Who are those who obey God's commandments? They are the Jews and Messianic believers. Who are those who hold to the testimony of Jesus and remain faithful to Him? The Messianic Believers! Jews don't believe in Yeshua and Christians don't believe in being Torah observant, and therefore don't adhere to the commandments/Torah. Both Jews and Christians are missing "the other half"....

Please consult the Holy Spirit in this matter about Torah observance. You will no doubt learn that the Biblical feasts are God's appointed times, not something that was abolished at the cross. Each Feast is significant in that Yeshua is foreshadowed in them; as a matter of fact, He has so far only fulfilled the first four of the seven - and the next one is the "Rapture"! If you would like to learn how to keep the feasts, we suggest you get a copy of "God's Appointed Times" by Barney Kasdan.