There are 4 main interpretations to the Torah (and the entire bible) which are listed below. These 4 interpretations make up the Paradise Method of studying Torah. The first letter in each of these interpretations combine to spell, PRDS (פרדס), the Hebrew word for Paradise, (which is also the word Orchard) as in the Garden of Eden. In other words, these Jewish levels of interpretation, which is Jewish exegesis (commentaries on the Tanakh, or Old Testament) are designed to take the student back into the garden, past the flaming sword, to at last reach the Tree of Life (Revelation 22:2) again, which we left at the very beginning of the Torah (Genesis 2:9). Each commentary was meant to be mastered before moving on to the next, but in the Last Days the Sohd level will be made available to all.

• פ - Peshat – the simple level (the literal word)

• Peshat refers to the elementary level. The plain writing of the Scriptures, the surface text. No particular portion of Scripture is to be intelligently comprehended, apart from its place in the whole. We cannot fully understand the reading of a single verse until we have become familiar with the entire Bible. You must read the Bible continually until every individual chapter is finally opened to you. Many people read it throughout the year, or more often than that. Only then can one move to the next level of biblical interpretation. We must first master the peshat or simple level of understanding.

• The Jewish commentary that deals with the peshat level is called the Mishnah, meaning “second to the Torah.” Often call the Mishnah Torah, as the interpretation of the Oral Law by Rambam. It offers simple explanations of the various Mosaic Laws and rituals.

• The Mishnah is the Tanakh buton commentary of the 4 major commentaries and is symbolic of not just the ancient Biblical citizen in Jesus's time, who would have studied the Tanakh, but represents the 70 disciples (some say 72) of Jesus. (Luke 10:1 & 10:17)

• The four Gospels were written to conform to these Jewish levels of biblical studies. The gospel of Mark fits the Peshat view. Mark lays out the historical facts on the life of Jesus Christ. In Biblical Jewish culture knowing the Torah could be compared to someone with a high school degree, which all the common people were assumed to have obtained but knowing the Mishnah could be thought of like someone who has earned an Associate’s degree in college.

• The complexity of the Torah can always be reduced to four: the four-letter name of the Creator, the four worlds, the four elements, and the four levels of Torah. The Creator’s Name, the original Name, YHVH.

• In addition to the written Torah, there are three more levels of Torah knowledge, which are referred to collectively as the oral Torah: The Law, or Talmud; the Metaphor, or Midrash; and the Secret, or Zohar. The oral tradition can be likened to the flesh upon the human skeleton—the law resides in the head, the story (metaphor) in the heart, and the secret between the legs. The flesh and form of the body change throughout one’s life but the skeleton (the written Torah) always remains the same.

• ר - Remez – the Hint Level – (the moral or extrapolated idea)

• Remez is the hint level, what we might call practical application of Scripture. If I quote a portion of Scripture, but do not tell you where it is located, you are supposed to know. I don’t need to tell you because you can take the hint. If you already have a knowledge of Scripture. A word to the wise is sufficient.

• This is also the allegorical and philosophical level. It goes beyond the basic knowledge and imparts wisdom – the ability to apply knowledge to our daily lives.

• The Gamara is the commentary used in the Remez, or hint level of interpretation. When coupled with the Mishnah, the two commentaries make up the Talmud. The Remez level was written for the aristocracy and was higher in its goals and more polished in its content. It was the level of the doctor, lawyer, philosopher, and teacher. This level did not replace the simple Peshat, but rather added a philosophical flavoring to it. It's interesting that there are two Talmud's, the Babylonian Talmud, and the Jerusalem Talmud, one from a Gentile region and the other from a Jewish region. The only difference to these two Talmud's is the Gamara commentary, which Luke answers. It's also interesting that there are strong arguments as to whether Luke was a Jew or a Gentile. Perhaps he had heritage in both? But it does seem that Luke's Gospel would point to the Gamara.

• The Gamara is a commentary that is even deeper than the Mishnah and lesser studied, representing the 12 apostles who were set apart from all of the other disciples of Jesus (Luke 6:13-16). Luke's gospel is used as a witness to those who study the Gamara. The Gamara can be thought of as the next level up in higher education and compared to a bachelor’s degree. This level is sometimes called Knowledge by the Rabbi's.

• The Gospel of Luke was written to conform to this philosophical level. You can tell from reading Luke’s style of writing that it is more sophisticated and detailed than Mark’s simple style.

• Luke records the genealogy of Mary. Which the aristocratic community would normally be interested in the pedigree of the mother. Mark, writing in the style of the common man, does not bother with genealogy. In Mark, Jesus is presented as a servant, whereas Luke presents the lineage of Mary back to Adam, demonstrating that Jesus Christ is the predicted Messiah “Ben-Adom,” or the Son of Adam.

• ד - Drosh – the Regal Level – (the metaphor)

• The commentary for the Drosh level is called Midrash. The term was taken from the process of thrashing grain or separating the kernel from the chaff. It is an even more sophisticated method of interpretation than the Remez level. Drosh deals with parables or riddles.

• Solomon and Hiram the king of Tyre, enjoyed sending each other riddles. It was the game of kings. Solomon’s wisdom gave him a keen ability to find the meanings of riddles, thus gaining him even more fame as the wisest man of his generation. Allegories of the Remez level are simply symbolic stories that teach practical lessons. Riddles on the other hand, are more difficult to understand. For royal reasons, Matthew is placed first in the New Testament, ahead of Mark, Luke, & John. Matthew’s introduction of the New Testament presents the regal, or kingly side of Christ. Revelation, the last book of the New Testament finally unveils Christ as the King of kings.

• The Drosh level of biblical interpretation is decidedly political. The Jews have held to the divine promise that they were chosen to produce the Messiah, the son of David.

• The concept that Christ would become King of kings is the subject of the Drosh level of interpretation. Drosh not only represents the highest form of Earthly wisdom or what we would call advanced practical application, but also flows over into the prophetic implications of Scripture. The prophetic significance of the Drosh interpretation points to the establishment of God's Earthly kingdom.

• The 3 closest of the Apostles of Jesus were Peter, James, and John who represent a smaller group of those who search the Midrash which poses the questions that the Gospel of Matthew answers (Matthew 17:1-9).

• Matthew’s Drosh level presents the regal view of Christ by giving the royal generations from Abraham, David, and Solomon. The riddle aspects of Drosh can be seen in Matthew’s parables about the metaphysical realm. For example, in Matthew 13 the disciples question the use of these riddles. They ask Jesus to speak plainly so that the multitudes might understand. To this, Jesus replies that the parable was designed so that the average person could not understand. In Matthew 24 and 25, Jesus discusses the prophetic aspects of Drosh. He is speaking of His future kingdom, and the events that will attend its establishment. The Midrash is even more or an advancement of someone's understanding which even fewer obtain and can be compared to someone who has earned a master’s degree. This level is sometimes called Understanding by the Rabbi's.

• ס - Sohd – the Secret Level – (the spirit)

• The Sohd level of biblical interpretation goes far beyond the physical realm. It takes us into heavenly places to view God’s glory. We can see the Sohd level in events like the story of the flaming sword at the east gate of Eden; Moses’ encounter with God in the burning bush, then on top Mount Sinai for 40 days; the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night that led the Israelites through the wilderness; Elijah’s heavenly chariot; Ezekiel’s view of a celestial vehicle; Daniel’s encounters with angels; & John’s description of the New Jerusalem.

• Kabbalists chose the language of legends in order to explain spiritual states which were difficult to describe in other languages. Within the Kabbalah are several sub-languages as well: the language of the Lights, the language of the vessels, Gematria (use of letters as numerals), matrix, drawings, etc. Kabbalists do not invent a language of their own. They share a sense of the same feelings of the spiritual world. They see what name they should give each sensation they feel in spirituality as a spiritual object. These words cannot be replaced. For example, in the creation of the world there are twenty-two properties, qualities which are signified respectively as letters in our language, and their various combinations provide a spiritual feeling of a physically-looking object in our world.

• The Zohar is the commentary regarding the Sohd interpretation of the Torah. The rabbis describe it as one standing in the darkness of the early morning and seeing the finger-like radiance of the sun that announces its imminent rising. Once the sun lifts above the eastern horizon, the radiance disappears. It is the radiance or aura that speaks of Sohd, the secret level. It can best be seen if one does not look directly at it, but rather catches it out of the corner of the eye. This commentary which was written perhaps only 10 years after the book of Revelation was written from the Bible, has only been studied in secret until it was finally released to the public, because it is said that it will only truly be understood in the last days.

• If you wish to know the Secrets of Torah, then you must study the Sohd (secret) interpretation of Torah from the method of paradise (PRDS), which are the four interpretations of Torah that are used in order to return to the Garden of Eden and to the Tree of Life. All interpretations of scripture are correct but if you obtain the higher levels, then also understand the inferior interpretations as well. It will allow you to escape the lower more restrictive, negative, understandings of them. I.e., hell is a place of torment to a person who only understands the literal interpretation at the level of Malchut, but one who grape the higher interpretation on the next level of ZA realizes hell is an emotional state of being, like when a person is tormented by the negative feelings they are experiencing, which could also parallel it's lower understanding of being in a physical location called hell. Beyond this is the level of Binah (Understanding) which is to realize these lower interpretations and that hell is actually within you, like everything else in reality, it is as if it is really a psychological/mental state of being. Each interpretation is true and will be the realized reality for the person at the level they have reached respectively. Even still, are higher states that exist than these, such as Chochma and Keter.

• John was one of the 12 Apostles (and also of the 3 who were privileged to attend Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration), who alone was considered the closest of all the disciples, and the beloved disciple (John 13:23) who had the most revealed to him (Revelation 1:1). The gospel of John parallels the fourth and least know commentary, the Zohar. Dealing more with relationships, and intimately knowing the Creator. If the Zohar were compared to higher education, it would be equivalent to a Doctorate degree. This level is called "Wisdom" by the Rabbi's.

• John's Gospel presents the Sohd level of Jesus. This gospel answers the questions posed in the Zohar. John opens by telling us that Jesus is the “Word” of God that He is the “Light” that shines in the darkness, but the darkness cannot comprehend it. This is the level that the Hasidic Jews focus on, a sect of Jews unlike any of the others, much the same way the Gospel of John is different from the Synoptic Gospels, dealing with the Spiritual, where the other Gospels and commentaries speak mainly of the Physical realm. The secret (concealment) level focuses heavily on Words, Letters, Number, Names, Colors, Light & Darkness, Concealing & Revealing, Bestowal, & Reception, Spiritual vs. Physical, Internal vs. External, Implicit vs. Explicit, and Esoteric vs. Exoteric. At this level they divide everything up into 4 levels with the fifth level being hidden or concealed, much the same way the Book of Revelation is considered a Gospel (when the words of Revelation are interpreted in the Spiritual, and not as physical events or objects). The first four gospels speak of Jesus's first coming and this fifth or concealed gospel speaks for Jesus's coming also, the second time. It is traditionally accepted that you must first study the Peshat level, then the Remez, Drosh, and finally the Sohd level, but the Rabbis who teach this level say it is actually best to understand the hidden level first, then you can understand the pain text more easily.

• To really understand the Book of Revelation, you will need to know what the Hasidic Jews call the language of Roots and Branches, where a cryptic saying or word is actually referring to something in the Spiritual realm. The Hasidic Jews say that the stories from the Tanakh only sound like historical events but are really giving a Spiritual declaration. These writings actually have both a physical and spiritual application. For example, in the Bible when it speaks of Light, it does not mean Light in the Physical, but something we will not fully understand until we reach Spirituality. Physical light is the prophetic representation of the true reality of what Light is in Spirituality, which is Jesus. The language of Roots and Branches is what Jesus was hinting at when he said I am the vine and you are the branches in John 15:5. The Hasidic Jews constantly say that the entire tree (or the end result) is contained within the seed (or secret level), and when interpreting passages that sound like God is unloving like in parts of the book of Revelation, they really have the opposite when interpreting the passage in a Spiritual meaning, because God is Love (1 John 4:8), and God changes not (Hebrews 13:8). The deeper Spiritual meaning of these passages appear to be backwards when compared to the Physical surface text, but this is what the Kingdom of Heaven (spirituality) is like (Matthew 19:30 & 20:16). If the Bible is our manual of the things of the Spirit which are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18), shouldn't we be applying it even more so to the spiritual and not just this physical realm, which is only a temporary fleeting existence (James 4:14)?

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