The Speech Nobody Heard

A column MbY published in the religion section of the Jerusalem Post attracted ben Yoseif to the attention of several rabbis in Jerusalem including Rabbi Chaim Richman, Rav Schneider and Rabbi David bar-Chaim, who was the rosh yeshiva at Yeshivat b'nai Yishai (Yeshiva of the sons of Jesse) in Jerusalem. Part of the study at Yeshivat b'nai Yishai included a thorough reading and review of the Aramaic New Testament called the Peshita, which revealed many inconsistencies to ben Yoseif with the Torah accounts but also confirmed that most all of Y'shua's teachings were in accord with Torah.

"I met Rabbi Richman after the Post published a column I wrote in 1991, the week of the Madrid peace conference called "The Speech Nobody Heard in Madrid." It addressed the Torah portion that week which in turn specifically addressed the impasses at the conference and concluded that a proposed Palestinian state (in Judea-Samaria) was falsely raising the hopes of Palestinians. However, it was so controversial that the features editor at the Post would not allow me to sign the column as a Post staff writer. It was finally agreed that I should be identified simply as a "Noahite living in Jerusalem."

Noachite study

Rabbi Richman, who was beginning a study for Noachites in his home, had tried to contact ben Yoseif through the Post not realizing he was a Post staff writer and was unsuccessful.  But the following week ben Yoseif's son and he visited the Jerusalem Temple Institute and signed the guest book. Rabbi Richman was the director of public relations at the Institute and from the address ben Yoseif left, was able to locate him. Earlier, before Richman had joined the Temple Institute and after METV had discontinued its English news program, ben Yoseif and Jan Karnis, with whom MbY had worked at Middle East Television began Middle East News Update. One of their five minute video features written by ben Yoseif was on the work of the Temple Institute. "That segment was aired on dozens of Christian TV programs and was viewed by more than 6 million people.

"It was a real privilege and honor to sit and grasp the tzitziyot of R. Richman and learn with him for about 18 months in his home twice a week. But Israel (Rav Schneider) and I were peas in a pod, kindred spirits and best friends. He started out teaching me about the duties of a Shabbos goy (a non-Jew who can perform certain acts during the Shabbat, which are forbidden to Jews). Our ultimate project was constructing an altar in the plains before Jericho. An anonymous friend provided us with a gold coin, which we sold to obtain the funds for the needed materials and the altar was being constructed according to Halachah in a wadi near the tent of a Bedouin friend named, Musa, who provided security. Our intent was to offer a "peace" offering on behalf of Eretz Yisrael (the land of Israel).  However, two men who were assisting with the construction of the altar decided on their own to complete it during one Shabbat and offer an unauthorized offering on it."

Intervention of Heaven

Shortly afterward, during a study at Rabbi Richman's home, ben Yoseif said it became clear to him that the Seven Laws of Noach did not satisfy him spiritually.

I was also concerned that the Noahite covenant was devoid of the all-important "blood of the covenant," with which Moses had sealed God's covenant with Israel and which Christianity embraced by faith in its covenant through the blood of Jesus ... not coincidentally in the same context as the declaration by Moses. (See Passover Primer)

It was then that I felt impressed about the assimilation of the House of Joseph.  As a Joe or assimilated Israelite who would return to the covenant of Israel and be obligated to observe all of the everlasting commands of Torah, the Noahite laws were not enough. Also, "Israelites" are forbidden to build altars and offer sacrifices except on the Temple Mount. "I didn't know it at the time but it seems that Heaven had intervened."