By: Rabbi Daniel Mechanic1 (In consultation with Doron Witztum2 and Harold Gans3)
DANIEL MECHANIC is a senior international Codes lecturer and researcher for the Aish Hatorah/Discovery Seminar. He would like to thank Dr. Jeffrey Satinover - a world-renowned author on Codes- for his helpful comments.
This article has been split into 4 parts - read Part 1, Part 3 and Part 4 as well.
6) In The Signature of God, Grant Jeffrey writes how God encoded "Yeshua" in hundreds of passages throughout the Bible. This is an extremely dangerous and irresponsible misuse of the "codes." One could use this form of "codes research" to reach many other spiritually damaging conclusions. Using Rambsel and Jeffrey's methodology, we found many other "messiahs", including "Mohammed " and "Krishna", in the passages where they found "Yeshua." Limiting our search of the Torah to skip distances of up to only 1000 letters, still yielded the encoded words Mohammed 2,328 times and Krishna 104 times. Furthermore, (David) "Koresh", the self-proclaimed Messiah who was responsible for the death of over 100 men, women and children, is found encoded in the Torah 2,729 times, at skip distances of up to only 1,000 letters.
We have no interest in being facetious about such lofty topics as who is the Messiah. We are merely demonstrating how profoundly in error Rambsel and Jeffrey are and the absurd results their "methodology" will yield. The words "Yeshua" (and Mohammed, Krishna, Koresh, Lenin, etc.) appear accidentally anywhere you choose to look, whether it's the Torah, Hebrew newspapers, or the Hebrew translation of War and Peace. Therefore, it proves nothing.
Yeshua Phrases
On page XXI of Yeshua and page 223 of The Signature of God, we are shown how the Hebrew phrase "Yeshua Shemi" (Yeshua is my name) was found in Chapter 53 of Isaiah. However, our use of Rambsel's methodology yielded the phrase "Mohammed Shemi" (Mohammed is my name) in the Torah. In fact, "Mohammed Shemi"11 is encoded in the Torah exactly 21 times - a multiple of the Kabbalistically significant number 7. In addition, this phrase appears in each of the Five Books of Moses. The phrase "Koresh Shemi"12 (Koresh is my name) is encoded 43 times in the Torah and also appears in each of the Five Books of Moses. Furthermore, "Buddha Shemi" (Buddha is my name) and "Lenin Shemi" (Lenin is my name) are also encoded in the Torah 18 times.
On page 44, Rambsel writes how, in the Book of Leviticus, the phrase "Dam Yeshua" (the blood of Yeshua) appears at a skip distance of the significant number 7. But the phrase, "Dam Mohammed" (the blood of Mohammed) is also encoded in Leviticus13. In fact, "Dam Mohammed" is encoded exactly 14 times in the Torah - a multiple of 7. The phrase "Dam Koresh" (the blood of Koresh) is also encoded in the Book of Leviticus14. In fact, "Dam Koresh" is encoded 10 times in the Torah.
It is obvious that the phrases "Koresh Shemi," "Yeshua Shemi," "Blood of Koresh," "Blood of Yeshua," etc. are all appearing by coincidence and do not prove anything.
Matching Skip Distances
On page 79, Rambsel offers further "proof" to support his claim that Jesus is the Messiah by pointing out that the word "Yeshua" appears at skip distances of 172 letters starting at Genesis 1:14. At the very same skip distance of 172 letters, starting at 50:14, we find the encoded word "Mashiach" (Messiah).
Is this form of "codes research" a valid way of proving that Yeshua is the Messiah? Below are several reasons why it is not valid.
1) As mentioned earlier, "Yeshua" may be extracted from the Torah tens of thousands of times. The word "Mashiach" - Messiah - may be extracted several thousand times. Since these two words are found thousands of times, one expects (and finds) hundreds of them unintentionally encoded at matching skip distances. It is so commonplace that, again, it cannot prove anything.
2) Using Rambsel's search methods, we found many other candidates for Messiah. For example, "Koresh"15 and "Buddha"16 are also encoded in Genesis at jumps of 172 letters - the same jump as the word "Messiah." Does this prove that David Koresh or Buddha is the Messiah? Of course not - just as Rambsel's example of "Yeshua" and "Messiah" does not prove that "Yeshua" is the Messiah. (A follower of David Koresh might claim that these "codes" illustrate not only Koresh's messiahship, but confirms the special relationship to Jesus that he insisted on: they both share the same skip distance as "Messiah" - 172).
3) Rambsel's "proof" is based on the fact that, like "Yeshua," the word "Messiah" is also encoded in Genesis at a skip distance of 172 letters. However, the word "Shakran"17 (liar) is also encoded in Genesis at a jump of 172. In the Book of Deuteronomy (chapter13, verses7-12), immediately after the section dealing with the appearance of a false prophet, there is a passage describing one who leads people astray into following a false religion. The Torah calls such a person a "Maysit" (one who seduces others to go astray). In the Book of Exodus, "Yeshua"18 is encoded at a skip distance of 172. Yet, the derogatory word "Maysit"19 is also encoded in Exodus at a skip distance of 172; "Yeshua"20 and Maysit"21 are also encoded in Leviticus at a skip distance of 172, as is the encoded word "Mechashaif"22 - sorcerer.
4) As mentioned earlier, Rambsel claims that finding "Yeshua" encoded at the identical skip distance as is another encoded word or phrase proves that the word or phrase must be intimately connected to "Yeshua." What the Pastor does not disclose is that:
Using the same methodology, we found the phrase "Navi Sheker"- False Prophet - encoded in Genesis five times at the same skip distance as "Yeshua"23. In fact, the encoded words "Yeshua" and "False Prophet" overlap twice24.
It should be evident that we are not saying that one can reach certain conclusions based on these counter "codes." Nor are any conclusions to be drawn from any of the other examples we found using Rambsel's "codes methodology" - other than as a method for proving or confirming any belief -Christian or otherwise - Rambsel's approach and methodology are fatally defective.
Encoding with Matching Number Values
Every letter, and consequently every word, in the Hebrew language has a numerical value (Gematria25). Rambsel found "Yeshua" encoded in the Torah at skip distances equaling the numerical value of Hebrew words with positive connotations. For example, on page 1 of Yeshua and page 222 of The Signature of God, we are shown how "Yeshua Yachol" (Yeshua is able), appears at a skip distance of 521 letters - the same number as the numerical value of the Hebrew word "Eshkar," which means present or gift. Proof again, it is claimed, that God is encoding positive messages in the Torah about Jesus. What Pastor Rambsel and Grant Jeffrey do not reveal is that, with approximately 300,000 words in the Hebrew language - almost all of them having a numerical value of 800 or less - any given number up until 800, will have roughly 375 Hebrew words whose numerical value will be the same as that given number. Therefore, any skip distance of an encoded word or phrase will have dozens of "positive" words whose numerical value equals that skip distance, and of course dozens of "negative" words as well. Therefore, this method, again, cannot prove anything.
On pages 5-6, for example, Rambsel writes how "Yeshua" appears in the Torah at a skip distance of 138 letters. The numerical value of the phrase "Ben Elohim" - Son of God - is 138. Is Pastor Rambsel correct in saying that this proves the author of the Torah encoded "Yeshua" at jumps of 138 letters to reveal to us that he was the Son of God? Only if God had at least four other similar kinds of Sons. We found the names of Mohammed26 , Krishna27 , Buddha28, Koresh29 (and others) encoded in the Torah numerous times at skip distances of 138.
Pastor Rambsel states that finding "Yeshua" encoded at a skip distance that is equal to the numerical value of another word proves that the words are conceptually connected. What the Pastor does not disclose to the innocent reader is that there are many examples of "Yeshua" encoded at skip distances that equal the numerical value of words with negative connotations.
The numerical value of the Hebrew phrase "Navi Sheker"- False Prophet - is 663(30). "Yeshua" is encoded in the Torah 10 times at a skip distance of 663. The numerical value of the phrase "Mashiach Sheker " - False Messiah - is 958. "Yeshua" is encoded 7 times in the Torah at a skip distance of 958(31). The numerical value of "Dat Sheker" - False Religion - is 1004. "Yeshua" is encoded in the Torah 13 times at a skip distance of 1004.(32) (33)
Furthermore, the numerical value of the Hebrew word "Klala" - curse - is 165. "Yeshua" is encoded 7 times in the Torah at a jump of 165. The numerical value of the word "Maysit" - one who leads astray - is 510. "Yeshua" is encoded 11 times in the Torah at a jump of 510. The numerical value of the word "Shakran" - liar - is 650. "Yeshua" is encoded 16 times in the Torah at a jump of 650.
If this methodology is valid, then these counter "codes" should obligate the Pastor to accept their theological implications-especially since they were found using his method of codes research.
Continued in Part 3 here.