When I came to the realization that the Torah is to be kept, I wondered how do I teach my children this? They weren’t learning it at church. Then I learned the Shema. A prayer that recites what YHVH said in Deuteronomy 6: 4-8.

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our YHVH, The LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door-frames of your houses and on your gates. “

From the Shema I’ve learned that it is MY responsibility to teach my children the word of YHVH, not a church, not a youth pastor.

There are two ways to skin this cat. The Peter Method and the Paul Method.

The Peter Method * this method you need only to be a common person who knows Yeshua is Ha-Mashiach

1. Teach Them the Law first
2. Sprinkle in Yeshua when relevant to the law being taught

The Paul Method * this method requires you to be a Torah scholar prior

1. Teach Them the Gospels
2. Sprinkle in the Law when relevant to what is read in the Gospels.

Pros and Cons

The Peter Method

1. You are learning the law with your child and can move at a slower pace.
2. You have to cross reference laws and teaching of Yeshua
3. Your children will have a strong foundation in what is wrong and what is right
4. You must be careful not to become self-righteous as you keep the law

The Paul Method

1. You have to know the law well before you teach your children Yeshua
2. Your children will fully grasp love and grace first
3. Your children’s since of wrong and right will be determined by their wants and needs first
4. Lots of questions of what is wrong and right to YHVH because of no/little prior knowledge

I personally prefer the Peter Method for a couple of reasons. First being, I was like him, the common person. I was not a Bible scholar. I just knew Yeshua because the Spirit of YHVH revealed Him to me. Second, I look at the letters of Paul and he had to fuss-out many cities of people. They came to know Yeshua like me, because the Spirit of YHVH revealed Him to them as they listened to the teachings preached in the streets. Paul did not want to hinder the work that the Spirit was doing by bombarding the people with the law, but letter after letter he had to clarify wrong from right because the people did not have the law.

I think Paul chose his method because in his prior walk, he was so strict to keep the law that he was blind and he didn’t want to teach others and have them become the same way. When I began keeping the law, I became a bit self-righteous. But YHVH showed me myself in others and I’ve since come off my high horse, However, now I can see why Paul felt the way he did; that he had valid reasoning. I call it an “innocent arrogance”, because it’s not in your face and proud. You ever see someone do something that is off the charts foolish and you are confused/disappointed/ashamed of them all at once. That’s kind of what it’s like when an innocently arrogant Torah observant Christians judges a non-Torah observant Christians for not knowing the truth. You must be very careful to reflect often and not hold yourself about others.

My process

1. Start with prayer, teach your child how to pray. The Lord’s prayer and the prayers of prophets in the Tanakh (Hebrew Bile/Old Testament), as well as speaking from the heart.
2. Read the complete Torah. Not in a day, obviously, but over the course of a year to three years, depending on the age of your children. The younger they are, the longer it’ll take. As you read the Torah, reference a teaching of Yeshua that is relevant to the law(s) you are studying.

3.Encourage them to ask questions and you ask them questions to verify their understanding. If you don’t know an answer, you’ll pray with your child that YHVH gives you the answer. And He will. This is a great way for your child to experience YHVH hearing you and answering your prayers.
4. Move on to read the complete Gospels of Yeshua Ha-Mashiach. Reference the Tanakh when reading about prophecies and laws. Ask them questions about what you are reading and how it aligns with the Torah.

5. Don’t hinder the Spirit of YHVH. Listen to your child and help them to walk out their Faith in Yeshua and obedience to the laws of YHVH.