Though Ruth and Naomi had a close relationship, there was an even closer one through the marriage of Boaz and Ruth, for they became one. Therefore, we see Boaz as a foreshadowing as those of Jewish background who accept Yeshua as HaMoshiach (such as those presently known as Hebrew Catholics and Messianic Jews). However, these also do not judge Ruth for taking up the Spiritual Torah in a literal sense. Yet in Is.44.5 there is the mention of only three groups, not four. These are as follows:
2. Another will call himself by the name Jacob
3. And another will write on his hand “HaShem’s” and surname himself by the name of Israel.
Only the tribe of Judah can take the name of Jacob (Ya’akov). Even Rabbi Moshe Gordon stated in his Parshas Vayishlach, which he called "Ya’akov Avinu's Name Change":
"Nowadays the name Ya’akov is still in use because even the Jewish People have difficulty perceiving the G-dliness in the physical world. In the time of geula we will reach Yisrael's level of perception."
Geula means “redemption” and it is at the time of HaMoshiach, and this happens to coincide with Rom.11.25-32 in which they will not see until all the Gentiles come in! Thus, only these who do not see Yeshua s HaMoshiach are called by the name of Ya’akov (Jacob in English). Please note the passage in Isaiah:
"Listen to this house of Ya’akov the ones being called by the name Y'srael yet from the waters of Y'hudah (Judah) they come", Is.48.1
Ya’akov comes from the Torah of Judah from which the ancient term Jews comes, but those accepting Yeshua and the “time of geula” belong to Y’srael (Israel, the New Israel, Brith Y’srael) of the Church. This doesn’t mean Jews are wrong to take Israel as the name of our nation or call themselves Israelis or Israelites if they live there, but these are not and cannot be Y’srael until they perceive this “time of geula” which has yet come to pass.
By this understanding, Hebrew Catholics and Messianic Jews do not fit into the middle category; therefore they must, by implication, fit into either the first or third categories:
The first group seems to match all Christians for they claim they are saved because they have faith. Yet the last group goes one step further, they take the name of Israel, something the Catechism ascribes to herself:
“Likewise, it belongs to the Sacramental nature of ecclesial ministry that have a collegial character. In fact, from the beginning of His ministry, the L-rd Jesus instituted the Twelve as “seeds of the new Israel and the beginning of the sacred hierarchy. (AG 5)” Cat.877
The seeds of the “new Israel” were planted by the first teachers of our Church, who in turn laid the foundation of the later hierarchy of teaching by the Gentile leaders that would replace them by the third century. This we suspect was to fulfill the Word written by the prophet Isaiah about E’phraim, the lost tribes return:
“Nay, but by men of strange lips and with an alien tongue HaShem will speak to this people, ‘This is rest; give rest to the weary; and this is repose’; yet they will not hear.” Is.28.11-12
For two thousand years the Church has been leading E’phraim back out of what Rabbi Eliezer called “darkness”, but also forewarned truthfully “the light later returns. So although it will become "dark" for the Ten Tribes, G-d will ultimately take them out of their darkness.” Mishnah in Sanhedrin (110b). E’phraim will return even though Rav Akivah doubted this later in life because he could see no evidence in his day, only lawlessness. It was those like Rabbi Akivah who would not listen, but this also was prophecy and Rabbi Akivah is not alone.
Yet this write-up is about Boaz accepting Ruth, and not E’phraim. Yet, the term Israel really belongs to E’phraim for it was the title of the northern kingdom and even though HaShem gives this title to Jacob (Is. 48.1), He does so in a less than positive way saying “who are called by the name Israel and (or but) who came forth from the waters of Judah” They are called Israel by some, this may be true however their waters (Oral Law) is Judah’s, not Israel’s because the time of geula hasn’t come at least for Judah!
This is why we believe ALL of Israel must cure those who “will not hear” by following the prescription of Is.28.13:
“Therefore the word (D’var- to speak) of HaShem will be to them precept upon precept, precept upon precept, measure upon measure, measure upon measure, here a little, there a little…”
This is the way Judah teaches, Is.28.10 yet these, as the text also warns, forgot as Shammai did that those untaught in the law (thus standing on one leg) need time to study for themselves and time to absorb truths before they can see the fullness of HaShem’s love through these and be able to go and apply them. “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor: This is the whole Torah. The rest is commentary; now go and study.” The Midrash explains this process of “ultimately take them out of their darkness” as follows:
"G-d will make them underground tunnels and they will travel through them, until they reach the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. G-d will stand on the mount causing it to split, and the Ten Tribes will emerge from within." (Yalkut Shimoni, Isaiah 46.9)
HaShem did take the Church into those “under ground tunnels” called the catacombs, which one can find the root of our Catholic faith, including the preservation of the one St. Peter, our first pope was buried in, as it rests under St. Peter’s in the Vatican. We will travel through this faith, grounded in those “tunnels” of our early Christian persecution “until they reach the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem”. That is the mountain also named in Zech.14.4:
“On that day His feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives which lies before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from to west by a very wide valley; so that one half of the Mount shall withdraw northward, and the other half southward.”
Judah started this as the Catechism also teaches and Ez.37.15 echoes:
“The Word of HaShem came to me: ‘Son of man, take the stick and write on it, “For Judah, and the children of Israel associated with him”; then take another stick and write upon it, “For Joseph (the stick of E’phraim) and all the house of Israel associated with him’; and join them together into one stick, that they may become one in Your hand.”
Yeshua planted the seeds of that New Israel (New as in renewed, not replaced) as our Church teaches when He commissioned those first Jewish teachers to reach out to those Gentiles who themselves would become teachers, who in turn would grab the hands of E’phraim and bring all this brotherhood together under one Church- the New Israel. Yet this text goes on:
“And when your people say to You, ‘Will You not show us what You mean by these?’ say to them, Thus says HaShem El-hi: behold I am about to take Joseph (which is in the hands of E’phraim) and tribes of Israel associated with him’ and I will join with it the stick of Judah, and make it one stick, that they be one in Your hand.”Two things we have noticed here; the first is the term for “join” changes here. The first “joining” that took place in the first centuries of our faith were “karav”, that is to cleave as also found in Gen.2.24 that references the unity of marriage. The second passage uses “natan”, that is “to hand over”, “grant”, “yield”, “permit”, or “establish”. This sounds like the solution to St. Paul’s mystery of Rom.11.25-26 “when the full number of the Gentiles are in”; only here it come to pass “when your people say to You, ‘Will You not show us what You mean by these?” This references the unity of our later Church that was started by Jews, yet it also laid the seeds of Israel’s rebirth, therefore E’phraim is HaShem’s “first born” (Jer.31.9).
The second detail we noticed is that the stick of Joseph is “in the hand” (b’yad in Hebrew) of E’phraim. So we see that the seeds were laid by Judah, then this teaching was passed to men of strange lips and foreign tongues, but the salvation of all of Israel will come through E’phraim in end, for it is in E’phraim’s “hands”. When the Gentiles were joined (or cleaved) to the stick of Judah they formed the stick of Israel, and not Jacob because these were formed in Yeshua’s hand; that is they saw the time of geula here!
The answer then is that it is in Israel’s (E’phraim’s) hand and all the TRIBES associated with them (sebet in Hebrew). It is not Bat or “house” as was found in the first century’s unity, however sebet not only means “tribe”, it also carries the meaning of “staff”, “rod”, or “ruler’s staff”. Therefore, we see that the stick is not only in E’phraim’s hands but also in the hands of the ruling staff of Israel, for E’phraim does not stand alone in this calling. Neither can Judah when they bind themselves to Israel; these must, as we do, accept the Oral Law of our Holy Roman Catholic Church, New Testament and Authoritative teachings. This doesn’t mean these cannot abide Torah, for the Catholic teachings are not against Torah. Though she is against a legalistic interpretation of these precepts as the Bull of Florence states. However, our return to the traditions of our ancestors are not for us only, but also because “they would not hear” our Church’s call by the Ruach to lower her Torah keeping bar for the sake of the Gentiles (cf. Is.28.11 to Rom.11.28).
Thus, E’phraim’s call is to look again at those “precepts” and “measures” of the Torah and apply “a little here, a little there” as Judah does. And as they do they should find evidence to even affirm the Holy See, E’phraim’s teachers. This we believe applies to those Jews that join as well. Perhaps this is why Fr. Friedman preferred the term “Catholic Israelite” over Hebrew Catholic and forewarned the leadership that would follow him that these would have to one day consider the Gentiles joining the movement. Like St. Paul, we believe he perceived this mystery of E’phraim coming to life with that movement with the help of their brother’s in Judah, but only when the time is ripe. Then together we shall take that surname upon ourselves, or rather be distinguished by that name or title “Israel” and write “l’YHVH” upon our hands.
Thus as a husband and wife all Catholic Jews (Boaz) should be united with E’phraim (Ruth) under the same house of Israel for in Christ geula has indeed come and we should stand side-by-side with our brethren in Judah until Yeshua comes again!
