📜 The Covenant Was Never Owned
🌟 Activating the Individual: Serve God Directly, Without Intermediaries
🕊️ “The covenant exists by virtue of creation. Every individual can claim it. Religious leaders who restrict access or claim exclusive control are acting contrary to God’s intent, and the prophets explicitly rebuke this form of gatekeeping.”
This is not opinion—it is Scripture. It is history. It is prophetic truth.
🌍 1. Covenant Exists by Virtue of Creation
From the very beginning, God’s covenant is universal.
📖 Genesis 1:27 – “So God created mankind in His own image…”
Every human, by virtue of being created in God’s image, has direct access to the divine.
📖 Genesis 9:8–17 – The Noahic Covenant
God extends His covenant to all humanity and all living creatures. No human authority can grant or revoke it. It exists independently of any institution.
🔥 2. Prophets Rebuke Religious Gatekeeping
The prophets are unambiguous: religious leaders who restrict access or manipulate laws for personal gain are rebuked by God.
📖 Ezekiel 34:2–4 – “You have not strengthened the weak… you have ruled them harshly and brutally.”
📖 Micah 3:11 – “Her leaders judge for a bribe… yet they lean on the Lord and say, ‘Is not the Lord among us?’”
📖 Jeremiah 7:23 – “Obey My voice… walk in all the ways I command you.”
Leadership Failure and the Obstruction of Truth
Ezekiel, Micah, and Jeremiah Explained for the Reader
The prophets do not speak in abstractions. They speak into specific historical crises, naming patterns of leadership failure that repeat across generations. These passages are not theological slogans—they are indictments.
Each of the verses below exposes a different way truth is obscured, not by outsiders, but by those entrusted with responsibility.
1. Ezekiel 34:2–4
Leadership That Exploits Instead of Protects
“You have not strengthened the weak,
you have not healed the sick,
you have not bound up the injured…
but with harshness and brutality you ruled them.”
Historical Context
Ezekiel is prophesying during the Babylonian exile (6th century BCE). Judah has already fallen. Jerusalem is destroyed. The people are displaced.
God does not begin by blaming foreign empires.
He begins by addressing Israel’s leaders—kings, priests, and elites—whom He calls “shepherds.”
In the ancient Near East, a shepherd was not symbolic—it was a job description:
• feed
• guard
• guide
• gather the vulnerable
Instead, these leaders:
• enriched themselves
• ignored suffering
• used authority to dominate rather than serve
The Teaching
Oppression in Torah is not only violent abuse.
It includes neglect, indifference, and self-protection.
Leadership failure begins when those with power stop seeing people as souls and start seeing them as resources.
Modern Parallels
Religious Institutions:
Clergy or teachers who protect reputations instead of victims. Who spiritualize suffering instead of alleviating it. Who speak about God while ignoring human need.
Politics:
Governments that claim stability while neglecting healthcare, housing, or education. The weak are told to “be patient” while leaders remain comfortable.
Workplace:
Managers who demand productivity but offer no support. Burnout is normalized. Injured employees are discarded as liabilities.
Relationships:
A partner who controls through fear or criticism while claiming love. Needs are dismissed as “too much.”
Ezekiel teaches:
Harsh leadership disconnects people from God even while invoking God’s name.
2. Micah 3:11
Corruption Cloaked in Religious Language
“Her leaders judge for a bribe,
her priests teach for a price,
and her prophets divine for money—
yet they lean on the Lord and say,
‘Is not the Lord among us? No harm will come upon us.’”
Historical Context
Micah prophesies in the 8th century BCE, during economic expansion in Judah. Outwardly, the nation appears prosperous. Inwardly, corruption is rampant.
What makes this passage devastating is not the corruption alone—but the religious justification of it.
These leaders:
• sold justice
• monetized spirituality
• invoked God as insurance against consequences
The Teaching
Torah draws a sharp line between:
• trust in God
• using God as cover
Invoking God does not sanctify injustice.
It exposes it.
The most dangerous distortion is when people believe that religious language protects them from moral accountability.
Modern Parallels
Religious Spaces:
Prosperity teachings that equate wealth with divine favor. Spiritual authority used to silence critique. Donations prioritized over ethics. Bias rulings, bribes, corrupt teaching; the list could go on and on.
Politics:
Leaders who reference God, scripture, or “values” while enacting policies that harm the vulnerable. Faith becomes branding, not obligation.
Workplace:
Corporate “values statements” that praise integrity while tolerating exploitation behind the scenes.
Personal Relationships:
Someone who says, “God understands me,” to excuse repeated harm to others.
Micah warns:
Claiming God’s presence while violating God’s justice does not prevent collapse—it accelerates it.
3. Jeremiah 7:23
Obedience Over Ritual
“This is what I commanded them:
Obey My voice, and I will be your God…
walk in all the ways that I command you,
so that it may go well with you.”
Historical Context
Jeremiah speaks just before Jerusalem’s destruction. The people are confident they are safe because the Temple stands.
They believe ritual guarantees protection.
God responds with devastating clarity:
Covenant is not maintained by buildings, slogans, or ceremonies.
It is maintained by listening and walking.
The Teaching
Torah does not separate belief from behavior.
Obedience in Judaism is not blind submission—it is attentive alignment.
Failure occurs when people perform religion while refusing transformation.
Modern Parallels
Religion:
Regular attendance without ethical change. Prayer without accountability. Study without action.
Politics:
Public patriotism paired with private disregard for communal responsibility.
Workplace:
Following procedures while ignoring human consequences.
Relationships:
Saying “I’m committed” while refusing to change harmful behavior.
Jeremiah teaches:
God is not impressed by proximity.
God responds to movement.
The Shared Warning of the Prophets
Ezekiel exposes abuse of power.
Micah exposes corruption masked as faith.
Jeremiah exposes empty ritual without obedience.
Together, they teach:
Truth is not lost suddenly.
It is eroded through neglect, convenience, and self-justification.
Closing Reflection
The prophets do not speak to strangers.
They speak to insiders.
Their message is uncomfortable because it removes excuses.
When truth is obscured, it is rarely because God is absent.
It is because responsibility has been abandoned.
And yet, the invitation remains:
Return. Listen. Walk.
And it will go well with you.
✅ Key point: God addresses individuals directly. Obedience is personal. No intermediaries are required.
🕊️ 3. Direct Access to God
God engages with humanity before laws, institutions, or hierarchies:
Cain (Genesis 4) Noah (Genesis 6–9) Abraham (Genesis 12–25) Job (Book of Job) Moses (Exodus) The Prophets
Direct accountability, direct relationship.
1. The First Example: Cain (Genesis 4)
The Historical Narrative
Cain and Abel both bring offerings. Abel’s is accepted; Cain’s is not. The Torah does not explain why in detail—because the focus is not on ritual, but on response to disappointment.
God speaks directly to Cain:
“Why are you angry? Why has your face fallen?
If you do good, will you not be uplifted?
And if you do not do good—sin crouches at the door; its desire is toward you, but you must rule over it.”
— Genesis 4:6–7
The Teaching
Notice what Torah does not say:
• God does not say Cain is doomed
• God does not say an external force has control
• God does not remove Cain’s agency
Instead, God warns Cain that a force exists at the threshold, waiting for permission.
Cain’s tragedy is not anger—it is refusal to take responsibility for his anger. He allows resentment to mature into violence.
Modern Parallel
Workplace:
An employee feels overlooked for a promotion. Instead of addressing the issue, seeking growth, or leaving respectfully, they nurse resentment, sabotage colleagues, and justify unethical behavior as “fair.”
The force did not cause the harm.
The prolonged permission did.
2. Pharaoh: Power, Ego, and Self-Deception (Exodus)
The Historical Narrative
Pharaoh witnesses repeated plagues—public, undeniable events. The Torah repeatedly says:
“Pharaoh hardened his heart.”
— Exodus 8–10
Later it says God hardens Pharaoh’s heart—but only after Pharaoh has already done so repeatedly himself.
The Teaching
Torah is showing a psychological truth:
When a person repeatedly resists moral truth, they lose sensitivity to it. What begins as choice becomes character.
Pharaoh is not overpowered by evil.
He is trapped by his own investment in being right.
Modern Parallel
Politics:
A leader doubles down on a harmful policy despite evidence of damage. Advisors are silenced. Data is dismissed. Dissent is labeled “disloyalty.”
Eventually, the leader no longer can hear truth—not because it vanished, but because they trained themselves not to.
3. The Spies: Fear Disguised as Realism (Numbers 13–14)
The Historical Narrative
Twelve leaders are sent to scout the land of Canaan. They all see the same land. Ten return saying:
“We cannot go up. The people are stronger than us.”
They frame their fear as practical analysis.
Only Joshua and Caleb say:
“The land is very good. If God desires us, He will bring us in.”
The Teaching
The sin here is not fear.
The sin is relabeling fear as wisdom.
The people then say:
“Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.”
This is not disbelief in God—it is escape from responsibility.
Modern Parallel
Religion:
A community avoids moral courage by saying, “This is too complex,” “This isn’t the right time,” or “We’ll address it later,” while injustice continues.
Relationships:
Someone stays in a harmful relationship saying, “This is just how things are,” long after recognizing the truth.
The force succeeds when fear is mistaken for prudence.
4. King Saul: Partial Obedience (1 Samuel 15)
The Historical Narrative
Saul is commanded to fully carry out a task. He does most of it—but spares what he personally values. When confronted, he says:
“I feared the people.”
The Teaching
Saul obeys externally, but not internally. Torah teaches that partial obedience rooted in self-preservation eventually collapses leadership.
Modern Parallel
Workplace ethics:
A company follows regulations publicly while quietly violating them privately. Leadership insists, “We’re basically compliant.”
Torah calls this self-deception, not righteousness.
5. Why These Forces Are Dangerous
These forces:
• Do not shout
• Do not rush
• Do not compel
They wait.
They rely on delay, distraction, and rationalization. By the time a person says “I was overtaken,” the process has already been underway for a long time.
This is why Torah refuses to let people blame the force alone.
Blame removes responsibility.
Responsibility restores power.
6. The Hope Torah Insists On
Despite all of this, Torah never closes the door.
Even after the Golden Calf.
Even after the spies.
Even after rebellion.
God says:
“Return to Me, and I will return to you.”
— Malachi 3:7
The moment awareness returns, the force loses its grip. One has to be brave & have courage for the awareness to return.
📖 Isaiah 56:6–7 – “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”
God welcomes all who honor Him, not just Jews. The covenant is universal.
⛓️ 4. Rabbinic Gatekeeping and the Abuse of Intermediaries
Rabbinic law (halakhah) establishes structures of obligation: who is commanded, who is exempt, and who bears responsibility for mitzvot. In theory, this system exists to protect the covenant, not to exploit others.
However, when halakhic categories are misused, they can become tools of coercion, dependency, and moral outsourcing—a distortion that the Torah and the Prophets explicitly condemn.
The Core Principle Torah Never Violates
“Each person shall die for their own sin.”
— Deuteronomy 24:16
Responsibility in Torah is personal and direct.
No one is commanded to sin so another may remain “pure.”
Any system—rabbinic or otherwise—that pressures another human being to violate their conscience for someone else’s religious convenience betrays the covenant, not fulfills it.
The Shabbat Goy: Law vs. Abuse
What the Law Actually Says
Classical halakhah states:
• A Jew may not command a non-Jew to perform prohibited labor on Shabbat (amirah le’nochri)
• Even indirect instruction is restricted
• היתר (leniency) exists only in cases of:
– danger (pikuach nefesh)
– significant illness
– communal emergency
– great loss (hefsed merubah) under narrow conditions
Sources:
- Talmud Shabbat 151b
- Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 307:1–5, 307:13–14
- Mishnah Berurah ad loc.
The responsibility for Shabbat remains entirely on the Jew.
How Abuse Enters
Despite this, in real-world settings, a pattern sometimes emerges:
• Jews are taught to “hint,” “suggest,” or “create situations” where a non-Jew will act
• The non-Jew is socially pressured to comply
• Refusal results in:
– shaming
– exclusion
– hostility
– economic retaliation
• The Jew reassures themselves: “The responsibility is mine, not theirs.”
This is not halakhah.
This is theft of agency.
Why This Becomes Usury of Conscience
Usury (ribit) in Torah is not only financial. Its ethical core is:
You may not profit from another’s vulnerability.
When a non-Jew is:
• dependent on employment
• socially isolated
• culturally pressured
• religiously misled
and is then maneuvered into violating their own conscience for another’s religious comfort, that is moral exploitation.
It is personal servitude, not service.
“Suggestion” and Geneivat Da’at (Stealing the Mind)
Halakhah explicitly forbids geneivat da’at—deception that manipulates perception.
Sources:
- Chullin 94a
- Rambam, Hilchot De’ot 2:6
Teaching someone to “suggest” in a way designed to produce a forbidden outcome while maintaining plausible deniability is classic geneivat da’at.
The manipulation is the sin.
Prophetic Violations
This abuse violates the Prophets on multiple fronts:
Ezekiel 34 – Exploitation by Leadership
“You ruled them harshly and brutally.”
Using power disparities to extract service is condemned outright.
Micah 6:8 – Moral Clarity
“What does the Lord require of you?
To do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God.”
Humility does not outsource sin.
Jeremiah 7 – Ritual Without Ethics
“Obey My voice… walk in My ways.”
Ritual Shabbat observance that depends on coercion fails obedience entirely.
Halakhic Principles That Are Violated by This Abuse
When coercion occurs, it violates multiple Jewish laws simultaneously:
- Geneivat da’at – deception
- Ona’at devarim – verbal oppression (Bava Metzia 58b)
- Lifnei iver – placing a stumbling block before another (Leviticus 19:14)
- Chillul Hashem – desecration of God’s Name
- Darkei shalom – ways of peace
- Kavod habriyot – human dignity
- Lo tonu ish et amito – do not oppress another
Ironically, the attempt to “protect” Shabbat destroys its moral foundation.
Torah’s Position Is Clear
God does not require:
• intermediaries to violate conscience
• hierarchy enforced through fear
• obedience achieved through manipulation
The covenant is direct.
“You stand today, all of you, before the Lord your God.”
— Deuteronomy 29:9
No one stands under another’s sin.
Final Clarification
This critique is not an attack on Judaism.
It is a defense of Torah against its misuse.
When rabbinic structures serve ethics, they elevate life.
When they are weaponized, they betray the very God they claim to protect.
Shabbat was given to bring freedom, not servitude.
Rabbinic Voices That Condemn Exploitation
“Community Standard” Is Not Moral Authority
A recurring error in abusive religious systems is the claim that custom equals obligation. Torah rejects this outright.
“You shall not follow the many to do evil.”
— Exodus 23:2
A community norm that relies on the exploitation of others is not binding, even if it is common, longstanding, or socially enforced.
Participation in abuse is never mandatory.
Refusal to abuse is not rebellion.
In fact, it is repeatedly framed as greater righteousness.
Rabbinic Authorities Who Explicitly Reject This Abuse
1. Rambam (Maimonides): Responsibility Cannot Be Outsourced
Rambam is explicit that one may not engineer sin in another to protect one’s own observance.
Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Shabbat 6:1–2
Even hinting to a non-Jew in a way that leads to prohibited labor is forbidden.
Rambam’s framing is crucial:
Intent and outcome both matter.
Creating a situation where someone else “chooses” to sin for you is not innocence—it is orchestration.
2. Tosafists: Psychological Pressure Is Commanding
Medieval Tosafists ruled that social pressure counts as instruction, even without words.
If a non-Jew acts because:
• refusal would cause harm
• loss of livelihood
• communal hostility
then the Jew bears responsibility.
This collapses the common excuse:
“I didn’t tell them. They chose.”
Halakhically, they did not choose freely.
3. Chafetz Chaim: Chillul Hashem Overrides Technical Leniencies
The Chafetz Chaim ruled that any practice which:
• humiliates non-Jews
• portrays Jews as exploitative
• damages God’s moral reputation
is forbidden even if a technical loophole exists.
Chillul Hashem is not neutralized by ritual correctness.
4. Rav Moshe Feinstein: Leniencies Are Not Tools for Convenience
Rav Moshe Feinstein repeatedly warned against turning narrow leniencies into routine systems of dependency.
A leniency meant for emergency becomes a sin when used for comfort.
He states clearly:
If the non-Jew is placed in an inferior or servile role, the practice is forbidden.
5. Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch: Shabbat Is a Moral Witness
Rav Hirsch framed Shabbat as a testimony to human equality.
If Shabbat observance depends on another person’s degradation, it contradicts its purpose.
Shabbat declares:
No human owns another’s labor absolutely.
To recreate servitude on Shabbat is to deny its message.
“Greater Reward” for Refusing to Exploit
This is not merely avoidance of sin.
It is a positive mitzvah.
Tanakh Is Explicit
“Happy is the one who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked.”
— Psalm 1:1
“One who restrains himself from wrongdoing is greater than one who performs good.”
— Proverbs 16:32
Rabbinic Principle
“Gadol ha’poresh min ha’aveirah”
Greater is the one who refrains from sin than the one who performs a mitzvah under pressure.
Refusing to exploit another person—even when the community expects it—is higher service, not lesser.
Lifnei Iver Applies Here Fully
“Do not place a stumbling block before the blind.”
— Leviticus 19:14
Blindness here includes:
• social vulnerability
• economic dependence
• lack of power
Creating conditions where someone must violate their conscience to survive is a direct violation.
No rabbinic loophole overrides this.
“But Everyone Does It” Is Not a Defense
The Prophets explicitly reject collective moral abdication.
Jeremiah 7 (Temple Sermon)
Ritual compliance without justice is meaningless.
Micah 3
Leaders who rely on God while exploiting others are condemned without qualification.
“They lean on the Lord and say, ‘Is not the Lord among us?’
No disaster will come upon us.”
This is not ignorance.
It is self-justification.
Choosing Not to Participate Is a Valid Jewish Path
A Jew who says:
• “I will keep Shabbat without using others”
• “I will accept inconvenience rather than exploit”
• “I will not pressure someone to serve me”
is acting more faithfully, not less.
This person aligns with:
• Torah ethics
• Prophetic justice
• Rabbinic integrity
Even if they stand alone.
A Hard Truth
Some (many) leaders will not focus on this, because systems of convenience are hard to dismantle—especially when they benefit those in “power”.
But Torah has never required permission from leaders to act ethically.
“It is not in heaven.”
— Deuteronomy 30:12
Moral responsibility rests with the individual.
To the Community
A community standard that depends on exploitation is not a mitzvah.
Choosing not to participate in abuse is not rebellion—it is covenantal fidelity.
There is greater reward in restraint than in ritual maintained through coercion.
To Those Who Allow Themselves to Be Used
Why would you allow yourself to be used?
Do you believe God brought you near Torah in order to make you a servant to someone else’s convenience?
Do you believe the Creator of heaven and earth needs you to violate your conscience so another person can feel religiously comfortable?
Do you believe God looks on coercion and calls it holiness?
Do you believe your dignity disappears because someone else claims obligation?
Do you believe silence in the face of manipulation is humility?
Do you believe fear is obedience?
Do you believe God confuses submission with righteousness?
Do you believe being pressured, hinted at, or cornered is the same as choosing freely?
Do you believe your labor belongs to another because they say it does?
Do you believe God brought you close to truth so you could be treated as invisible?
Do you believe exploitation becomes sacred when it wears religious language?
Do you believe God rewards those who profit from your vulnerability?
Do you believe your presence is meant to make someone else’s life easier at the cost of your own integrity?
Do you believe refusal is rebellion—or is it self-respect?
Do you believe God created you to stand upright, or to be maneuvered?
Do you believe heaven mistakes convenience for obedience?
Do you believe God mistakes fear for faith?
Do you believe God mistakes silence for consent?
Do you believe God mistakes your restraint for permission?
Do you believe God mistakes coercion for covenant?
Say No.
Stop allowing yourself to be used.
You were not brought near God to become someone else’s convenience.
You were not drawn toward Torah to become a tool.
You were not created to carry another person’s comfort on your back.
Say no.
No is a complete sentence.
No does not require justification.
No does not require apology.
No does not require softness.
Say: No, thank you.
There is nothing sinful about refusing exploitation.
There is nothing immoral about protecting your dignity.
There is nothing rebellious about declining coercion.
You do not owe anyone your labor.
You do not owe anyone your silence.
You do not owe anyone your conscience.
If someone becomes angry when you say no, that is proof the request was never holy.
If someone pressures you after you say no, that is proof it was never voluntary.
If someone shames you for refusing, that is proof you were being used.
God does not require you to submit to manipulation.
God does not approve of coercion.
God does not confuse fear with obedience.
Stand upright.
Say no.
Walk away.
You are not a servant to any person’s religion.
You are responsible only for your own integrity.
And that is enough.
📚 5. Now, let’s address this whole Noahide Concept
History
🧠 Talmudic Phase (200–500 CE)
Discussions in Sanhedrin 56a–60a outline moral obligations for non-Jews No religion, no identity, no worship system
🏛️ Medieval Phase
Maimonides (Rambam) systematizes laws philosophically Still not a formal religion or congregation
🕊️ 20th Century Phase
Post-Holocaust and missionary pressures lead to formalized Noahide movement Prayer texts, outreach programs, and rabbinic supervision emerge Human invention of a religious identity where none existed in Scripture.
✅ Truth: The covenant belongs to humanity. It was not invented, managed, or restricted by any human authority.
⚖️ 6. Torah vs. Rabbinic Systems
Torah & Prophets:
Direct access to God Universal covenant Personal responsibility
Rabbinic interpretations:
Legal classifications Mediated access Institutional control
🚨 When human systems override God’s universal invitation, they distort the covenant.
🌟 7. Activating the Individual
Activating the individual means:
Praying directly to God Honoring the Sabbath and commandments according to personal conscience Engaging in justice, mercy, and humility.
(Micah 6:8) Rejecting intermediaries that claim exclusive access
This restores the prophetic model of religion—direct, personal, and unmediated.
📢 8. Lessons from the Prophets
Isaiah 56: Universal access to God
Jeremiah 7: Obedience is personal
Ezekiel 34: Leaders abusing authority are condemned
Micah 3: Corruption in religious authority is rejected
The prophets show that true religion does not require gatekeepers.
🔥 9. Relevance Today
Modern examples of gatekeeping include:
Structured Noahide programs Shabbat goy arrangements. Rabbinic supervision of non-Jewish practice
While historically motivated by community concerns, these create barriers to authentic, direct worship.
✅ Activating the individual today requires reclaiming personal spiritual authority and serving God directly.
🕯️ 10. Conclusion
The covenant:
Exists by virtue of creation Belongs to all humanity Requires no intermediaries Was affirmed repeatedly by the prophets
Religious hierarchies and legal restrictions may serve human convenience, but they cannot override God’s covenant. The individual is empowered to serve God directly, honoring His commandments and embracing His universal invitation.
📌
📖 Key Links for References
Genesis 1:27 — Created in God’s Image
Genesis 9:8–17 — God’s Universal Covenant
Isaiah 56:6–7 — God Welcomes All Peoples
Jeremiah 7:23 — Obey My Voice
Ezekiel 34:2–4 — Rebuke of Shepherds
Micah 3:11 — Religious Corruption
🚨 Spiritual Stumbling Blocks: When Leaders Obstruct Service to God
Those who deliberately obstruct someone seeking to serve God—whether rabbis, religious leaders, or even laypeople—are not just misguiding others; they are violating both Torah law and the very rabbinic frameworks they claim to uphold. By placing themselves as intermediaries, restricting access, or inventing unnecessary rules, they contradict God’s universal command that every individual may serve Him directly.
📖 Torah Violation
The Torah establishes that every human being is created in God’s image and has direct access to the divine:
Genesis 1:27 – “So God created mankind in His own image…”
Genesis 9:8–17 – God’s covenant with all humanity
By obstructing someone’s path to God, leaders violate the covenant inherent in creation, a covenant that applies to all people regardless of status or lineage.
📜 Rabbinic Contradiction
Ironically, these obstructive leaders often justify their actions by claiming to uphold rabbinic law. Yet many of these laws, such as those governing amira l’nochri (telling a non-Jew to perform work on Shabbat) or restrictions on non-Jews performing commandments, are intended to prevent transgression, not block divine service. By misapplying them, these individuals violate the spirit of halakhah and fail the mitzvah of limmud Torah—teaching others how to serve God in the way He commanded.
Deuteronomy 6:7 – “Impress them upon your children… and talk of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road”
Isaiah 54:13 – “All your children shall be taught by the Lord”
Blocking someone from learning or serving God directly is a direct contradiction of these commands. Leaders who act as gatekeepers invert the mitzvah of teaching, turning guidance into control.
🌑 Acting in Sitra Achra and Yetzer Hara
Many of these obstructive behaviors stem from spiritual forces described in Kabbalistic and Talmudic sources:
Sitra Achra (סטרא אחרא) – “The Other Side” Represents the spiritual realm of opposition to holiness, often manifesting as legalism, control, and arrogance.
Example: A rabbi insisting that non-Jews must follow mediated Noahide rules to serve God, rather than allowing direct access.
Yetzer Hara (יצר הרע) – “The Evil Inclination” Refers to human ego, vanity, selfish desire, and pride that lead individuals away from God’s path.
Example: A leader enjoying personal authority over others’ spiritual actions, thereby prioritizing their own ego over divine service.
Ga’avah (גאווה) – Pride / Vanity Overestimating one’s own spiritual insight or entitlement to control others.
Cheshek / Tzidkonei Ra (חשק / צידקוני רע) – Desire for domination / corrupt righteousness Claiming moral or legal authority to obstruct others while believing one is “protecting” the law.
These spiritual forces operate in tandem: ego-driven authority (Yetzer Hara), pride (Ga’avah), and the opposing spiritual impulse (Sitra Achra) reinforce behaviors that stumble others rather than guide them toward God.
💡 Consequences and Contradictions
When leaders block direct service to God:
They violate Torah law – obstructing universal access to God.
They violate rabbinic law – failing the mitzvah of limmud Torah and misapplying halakhah.
They act in spiritual opposition – Sitra Achra, Yetzer Hara, and Ga’avah manifest in tangible behavior.
They neglect the highest mitzvah of teaching – enabling others to serve God directly (Deuteronomy 6:7, Isaiah 54:13).
The prophets repeatedly condemned such behavior:
Ezekiel 34:2–4 – False shepherds exploit and mislead
Micah 3:11 – Leaders corrupt justice while claiming God’s presence
Prophetic texts make it clear: obstructing access to God is spiritually dangerous, ethically wrong, and socially harmful.
✨ Restoring Proper Service
True spiritual leadership requires:
Enabling direct access to God for every individual Teaching the Torah and mitzvot as God commanded.
Avoiding ego, pride, or authority as barriers.
Acting against Sitra Achra, Yetzer Hara, and related forces.
The path of the prophets and Torah is empowering, not obstructive.
Every individual has the right to honor God directly, learn His ways, and engage in divine service without intermediaries.
📌 References
Genesis 1:27 – Creation in God’s Image Genesis 9:8–17 – Noahic Covenant Deuteronomy 6:7 – Teach Children God’s Ways Isaiah 54:13 – God Teaches Your Children Ezekiel 34:2–4 – Rebuke of False Leaders Micah 3:11 – Corrupt Leadership
Hebrew Terms:
Sitra Achra (סטרא אחרא) – The Other Side / spiritual opposition
Yetzer Hara (יצר הרע) – Evil inclination / selfish ego
Ga’avah (גאווה) – Pride / vanity
How Religious Gatekeeping Betrays the Torah, the Prophets, and God’s Universal Invitation
🌍✡️🔥
“The covenant exists by virtue of creation. Every individual can claim it. Religious leaders who restrict access or claim exclusive control are acting contrary to God’s intent—and the prophets explicitly rebuke this form of gatekeeping.”
This is not a radical idea.
It is Torah.
It is the Prophets.
It is God’s own words — before institutions, before hierarchies, before gatekeepers.
🌱 1. Covenant Begins With Creation — Not Institutions
The Torah does not begin with a religion.
It begins with creation.
“God created the human in His image.”
(Genesis 1:27)
Before Israel
Before Sinai
Before law codes
There is already:
Divine relationship Moral accountability Covenantal reality
📖 The Noahic Covenant (Genesis 9)
God explicitly states:
“I establish My covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature.”
This covenant:
Is universal Is not mediated by priests or scholars Is not revocable by human authority Exists by virtue of being created
➡️ No rabbi grants it. No rabbi can block it.
🔥 2. God Speaks to Individuals — Not Gatekeepers
Throughout the Torah and Prophets:
Cain is held accountable before Torah Noah walks with God without law Abraham argues directly with God Job confronts God outside Israel Prophets rebuke kings and priests openly
God does not say:
“Only those approved by religious authorities may serve Me.”
God says:
“Turn to Me and live.”
🕊️ 3. The Prophets Condemn Religious Gatekeeping Explicitly
This is not subtle.
In some instances, leaders go further: they authorize or encourage third parties to coerce, punish, or intimidate individuals who reject religious abuse.
📢 Isaiah 56:6–7
“The foreigners who join themselves to the Lord… who keep the Sabbath…
My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”
Not Jews only.
Not “Noahides only.”
All who honor God.
⚖️ Jeremiah 7:23
“Obey My voice… walk in all the ways I command you.”
No intermediary class is mentioned.
No permission structure.
No hierarchy.
🐺 Ezekiel 34:2–4
“Woe to the shepherds… you rule them harshly… you have not strengthened the weak.”
God rebukes leaders who:
Hoard authority Restrict access Use law for self‑preservation
💣 Micah 3:11
“Her leaders judge for a bribe… yet they lean on the Lord and say, ‘Is not the Lord among us?’”
To the religious leaders and community who steer seekers away from HaShem, or who manipulate, abuse, or obstruct service—even through third parties—you are acting under the influence of Sitra Achra (סטרא אחרא, The Other Side) and the Yetzer Hara (יצר הרע, Evil Inclination), driven by Ga’avah (גאווה, pride/vanity) and selfish desire. Know that every soul has a direct covenant (Brit Elohim, ברית אלוהים) with God; no human authority can block or override it. The prophets (Nevi’im, נביאים) warned that those who mislead, dominate, or obscure divine service are rebuked by God Himself.
It is still within your power to Teshuvah (תשובה, repentance) fully and to uphold Torah (Torah Sheb’al Peh and Torah Shebichtav) in truth—not as a tool of control, but as the living path God intended. Empower others, teach them to serve God directly, and remove obstacles from the covenantal path. The time of Divine exposure and accountability draws near; your opportunity to stand in Tzedek (צדק, righteousness) is now. Serve HaShem faithfully, letting the covenant shine through your actions, untainted, unmediated, and free.
With love, truth, and light !
Who is one the Lords side …… stand with Him!!!!
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