THE QUANTUM PAPERS // FILE 016: What Does MTOI & Other Hebrew Root Movements Really Believe?

PREFACE: THE ANALYST'S NOTE

To the Student of the Word:

If you are reading this and you are a member of MTOI (Messianic Torah Observant Israel) or the broader Hebrew Roots Movement, I want to start by validating something important about you.

You are not a casual believer. You are likely someone who saw a modern church that looked watered-down, compromised, and disconnected from its biblical roots. You wanted more. You wanted the "meat" of the Word. You wanted to walk like Jesus (Yeshua) walked. You wanted to obey the Father out of love, not just lip service.

That zeal is beautiful. It is commendable.

But in logic, it is possible to be sincere and yet be mistaken. The Apostle Paul spoke of his own Jewish brothers in Romans 10:2: "For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge."

In this file, we are going to audit the claims of MTOI. We are going to look at the theology of "Torah Observance," the claims regarding the history of the Church, and the logic of your leadership structure. We are not attacking your love for God; we are asking if the map you have been given actually leads where you think it does.

1.0 THE CORE CLAIM: "IF YOU LOVE ME, KEEP MY COMMANDS"

The foundational logic of MTOI is built on a specific interpretation of John 14:15: "If you love me, keep my commands."

The logic flows like this:

1. Yeshua (Jesus) was Jewish.
2. He kept the Torah (The Law of Moses).
3. He defines "Sin" as "Lawlessness" (Torah-breaking) (1 John 3:4).
4. Therefore, if we want to be like Him, we must keep the Torah (Sabbath, Feasts, Dietary Laws).

1.1 The Definition of "Commands"

The logical error here is assuming that when Jesus said "My commands," He simply meant "The Law of Moses." If you look at the data, Jesus explicitly issued a New Commandment that established a standard different from Moses.

In John 13:34, Jesus says: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."

Furthermore, in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5), Jesus repeatedly contrasts the written Torah with His new standard:

• The Torah (Exodus 21:24): "Eye for eye, tooth for tooth."
• Jesus (Matthew 5:39): "But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other also."

If Jesus was simply teaching us to keep the Torah perfectly, He would have enforced "Eye for Eye." Instead, He changed the operating system. He elevated the standard from "Justice" (Torah) to "Grace" (Kingdom).

1.2 The "Forever" Logic (The Priesthood Paradox)

You are frequently taught that the Torah statutes are "forever" (Hebrew: olam). The logic is simple: God does not change, therefore His Law cannot change. But let’s look at the data. In the Torah, God applied the word "forever" to the Aaronic Priesthood just as clearly as He did to the Sabbath.

The Command (Exodus 40:15):
"Anoint them just as you anointed their father, so that they may serve me as priests. Their anointing will be to a priesthood that will continue throughout their generations forever."

The Solution (Hebrews' Argument):
Hebrews teaches that the priesthood did change—from Aaron to Messiah, in the order of Melchizedek—which required a corresponding change in the law governing that priesthood.

Hebrews 7:12: "For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also."

The Verdict:
We are not saying the Torah ceases to be Scripture. It remains God’s wisdom and reveals His character. But Hebrews argues that the Sinai covenant—as a binding framework for approaching God—could not bring perfection and has been surpassed by a better covenant mediated by Messiah (Hebrews 7:18–19; 10:1).

2.0 THE INTEGRITY OF THE LAW (THE "BUFFET" PROBLEM)

This is the most critical logical breakdown in the MTOI system. You are taught to keep the Torah. But a Systems Audit reveals that you are not actually keeping the Torah.

2.1 The Partial Compliance Error

James 2:10 states: "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it."

The point here is that the Torah is not a buffet where you pick the parts you like (Feasts, Sabbath, Food). It is a Unified Covenant System. The question is not whether Torah is wise and holy (it is), but whether the Sinai covenant remains the binding legal framework for God’s people after Messiah.

The Verdict:
If those covenant structures are not operating, then what is being practiced is not "Torah Observance" as a complete covenant order, but a Selective Subset of Torah commands. Adaptation requires interpretive authority. Who authorized that adaptation?

2.2 The Definition of Sin (The 1 John 3:4 Error)

MTOI doctrine relies heavily on 1 John 3:4: "Sin is lawlessness."
The argument is: If sin is defined as lawlessness, and "law" means Torah, then to stop sinning we must keep the Torah.

The Logic Check:
This conclusion assumes—without proving—that "law" in 1 John 3:4 refers specifically to the Sinai Covenant Code as binding on believers. But the Greek term anomia ("lawlessness") frequently means rebellion or disregard for God's authority, not necessarily violation of the Mosaic statutes as a covenant system.

If "sin" simply meant "breaking the Sinai covenant code," then Paul’s statement that he is "not under the law" and "released from the law" becomes incoherent. It would imply that Paul is not under the Sinai covenant as a governing system, yet still accountable to God—exactly why he says he is "under the law of Christ."

What are Messiah's commands?
We don't have to guess. In a letter specifically about the lifestyle of those abiding in Messiah, John defines what he means by "commandment" in the very same chapter:

• 1 John 3:23: "And this is his commandment: that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us."

3.0 THE HISTORY AUDIT: THE "CONSTANTINE MYTH"

A common theme in MTOI teaching is that "Mainstream Christianity" is paganism in disguise. You are often taught that the Emperor Constantine (4th Century) hijacked the true faith, mixed it with Roman religious culture, and institutionalized a shift away from Sabbath toward Sunday.

3.1 The Sunday Data

You are taught that Sunday gathering is a pagan ritual established by Rome in 321 AD. The Historical Data does not match this timeline. We have early evidence that Christians were gathering on the first day of the week long before Constantine was born.

• New Testament Evidence (1st Century):
  • Acts 20:7: "On the first day of the week we came together to break bread."
  • 1 Corinthians 16:2: "On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money..."
• Early Christian Witnesses (Pre-Constantine):
  • The Didache (approx. 100 AD): "But every Lord's day gather yourselves together, and break bread, and give thanksgiving."
  • Justin Martyr (approx. 150 AD):

    "But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God... made the world; and Jesus Christ our Saviour on the same day rose from the dead."

The Conclusion:
These documents are not Scripture, but they are valid historical witnesses of what Christians were actually doing. Whatever Constantine later did politically, he did not invent the practice of Sunday gatherings. The evidence shows it existed long before him.

3.2 The "Babylon" Narrative (The Failed Church Theory)

By labeling the historical Church as "Babylon" or "Pagan," the movement creates a theological dilemma. Jesus gave a specific promise regarding His Church:

"I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." (Matthew 16:18).

4.0 THE LEADERSHIP AUDIT: RABBI STEVE BERKSON

We must honestly assess the leadership structure. Rabbi Steve Berkson is the primary public teacher and defining voice of MTOI. However, in a Systems Analysis, we must audit Authority Structures, not just personalities.

4.1 The "Rabbi" Title

Jesus gave a specific warning regarding religious titles and spiritual hierarchy:

Matthew 23:8: "But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers."

4.2 The Isolation Risk

A healthy church connects believers to the wider Body of Christ. An unhealthy movement can encourage separation by framing itself as the faithful remnant while portraying others as compromised, pagan, or deceived.

Diagnostic Questions:

• Do you feel superior to Christians who gather on Sunday?
• Do you judge them over food, holidays, or traditions?
• Do you feel pressure to withdraw from family or longtime Christian relationships?

The Verdict:
If your theology produces increasing pride, suspicion, harshness, and relational isolation, it is failing the test of love. True discipleship builds bridges; it doesn't burn them.

5.0 THE GALATIAN WARNING

There is an entire book of the Bible written to refute the message that Gentile believers must take on the Law of Moses—especially circumcision—as a covenant obligation to be complete. It is the Book of Galatians.

5.1 The Verdict of Paul

How did the Apostle Paul react to this message? He issued his harshest warning:

"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel..." (Galatians 1:6)

"Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?" (Galatians 3:3)

5.2 The Decisive Warning (Galatians 5)

Paul’s argument culminates in a breaking point in Chapter 5. He warns that accepting the Sinai Covenant as a binding obligation has catastrophic spiritual consequences.

5.3 The Yoke of Slavery

Paul concludes in Galatians 5:1: "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."

The "Yoke" is not God's law in the abstract; it is placing yourself under the Sinai Covenant as a binding obligation. You are submitting to a system that Jesus fulfilled, so that believers are no longer under the Sinai covenant as their governing system.

6.0 CONCLUSION: THE FINAL SYSTEMS CHECK

One danger of the Hebrew Roots Movement is that it can take sincere believers—people like you who genuinely want to please God—and place them under a performance framework that Scripture describes as a "yoke."

The Choice:
You are standing at a crossroads.

• Path A: Continue trying to reconstruct a broken covenant system, isolating yourself from the Body of Christ, and living under the constant pressure of a "Yoke."
• Path B: Accept that the Shadow has served its purpose. Accept that the Reality has come. Accept that you are Justified by Faith and Sanctified by the Spirit.