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Prayer Request (for site updates, see below)
I was laid off from my full-time job several years ago when -- after a lot of prayer, soul searching and discussion with my wife -- we decided to operate the Hebrew for Christians ministry entirely by faith in God's provision through the love and kindness of His people. I am not paid for doing this work, and therefore I ask you to consider supporting us. If you can help, please offer a donation or purchase some of the Hebrew study materials offered here. Encouraging other web sites to link here also helps us become more visible on the web. Above all, agree with us for the Lord's will to be done in our lives. Todah, chaverim.
    
Note: My wife and I have have three young children (Josiah, Judah, and Emanuel David ). The LORD has graciously provided for us as Adonai Yireh (יְהוָה יִרְאֶה), "the One who sees [our need]." We are living one day at a time by the grace and mercy of God, and I want to publicly praise Yeshua and acknowledge His faithful love in caring for my family -- despite the trials during this time. The LORD God of Israel is faithful and true! And to those of you who have sent us a word of encouragement or donation during this difficult time, please accept our heartfelt appreciation! Your chesed truly helps sustain us.
יהי שׁם יהוה מברך - "May the Name of the Lord be blessed."
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I want to offer a word of thanks for all your kindness and encouragement over the years, chaverim... I honestly could not be in ministry apart from the grace and love you have shown to me and my family. Thank you so much and may the great and unsurpassable blessings of the LORD God of Israel be upon you always. - John
Jewish Holiday Calendar
Note: For site updates, please scroll past this entry....
In the summer there occurs a three week period of mourning that begins with the Fast of Tammuz and ends with Tishah B'Av. The last nine days of this three week period (i.e., from Av 1 until Av 9th) are days of increased mourning. However, after this somber time, the romantic holiday of Tu B'Av, the 15th of Av occurs. Summer ends with the 30 days of the month of Elul, a yearly season of teshuvah (repentance) that anticipates Rosh Hashanah and the fall holidays. The 30 days of Elul are combined with the first 10 days of the month of Tishri to create the "Forty Days of Teshuvah" that culminate with Yom Kippur.
Because they occur between the spring and fall holidays, the summer holidays help us prepare for the second coming of the Messiah:
The Summer Holidays:
Note that in accordance with tradition, holiday dates begin at sundown. Moreover, some holidays may be postponed one day if they happen to fall on the weekly Sabbath:
- Month of Tammuz (Fri. July 5th [eve] - Mon. Aug. 5th [day])
- Month of Av (Mon. Aug. 5th [eve] - Mon. Sept. 2nd [day])
- Month of Elul (Mon. Sept. 2nd [eve] - Wed. Oct. 2nd [day])
- Month of Tishri (Wed. Oct. 2nd [eve] - Thur. Oct. 31st [day])
Note: For more about the dates of these holidays see the Calendar pages....
August 2024 Site Updates
Note: If any page content appears to be missing, please refresh the page...
Three-in-One Aleph...
08.14.24 (Av 10, 5784) According to the mystics of Jewish tradition, the entire cosmos is said to be created from the 22 consonants of the Hebrew Alphabet, called otiyot yesod (אוֹתְיּוֹת יְסוֹד), or "foundational letters." Through the otiyot yesod God formed substance out of chaos and brought forth existence from nonexistence. In other words, the entire universe is created and sustained by the breathing out of divine language (i.e., the Word of God).
The Talmud says "All the world was created for the Messiah" (Sanhedrin 98b). The New Testament had earlier said the same thing: "All things were created by Him (i.e., Yeshua), and for Him" and in Him all things consist (συνεστηκεν, lit. "stick together") (Col. 1:16-17). Yeshua our Messiah is called devar Elohim (דְּבַר אֱלהִים), the Word of God, who upholds the created order by the Word of His power. It is the Messiah Yeshua alone Who is the true yesod (foundation) of life itself. Every holy utterance can be traced back to Him, and He is the Source (הַמָּקוֹר) of all that is good, lasting, and righteous. "For from him and through him and to him are all things" (Rom. 11:36). Indeed, "He is the zohar of His glory," that is, the radiance of the glory of God Himself, who "upholds all things by the word of His power" (Heb. 1:3).
Since Yeshua is the Aleph and the Tav (אָלֶף וְתָו), the First and the Last (הַרִאשׁוֹן וְאַחֲרוֹן), we can see that the otiyot will all reveal something about Him (Rev. 22:13). Indeed, the Hebrew word for "letter" is ot (אוֹת), which can also mean "sign" or "wonder." Yeshua affimed that each letter of the Hebrew alphabet -- every "jot and tittle" (i.e., kotzo shel yod: קוֹצוֹ שֶׁל יוֹד) -- contains signs that point to truths about our LORD (Matt. 5:17; Luke 16:17; Isa. 40:8).
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The structure and sequence of the Hebrew alphabet (האלפבית העברי) itself is clearly part of God's revelation to us. As demonstrated by the various acrostic sections of Scripture (e.g., Lamentations, Psalm 25, Psalm 119, Proverbs 31, etc.), God "breathed out" the Hebrew alphabet in a particular order. Indeed, the first letter of the alphabet is the letter Aleph (א), which represents the number one (מספר אחת). As a silent letter, Aleph is preeminent in its order and alludes to ineffable mysteries of the "achdut" (אַחְדוּת) oneness of God (Col. 1:18). Indeed, the word aluph (derived from the very name of this letter) means "Master" or "Lord."
In the "classical" Hebrew script (כתב אשורי) the letter Aleph (א) is constructed as a "three-in-one" (שְׁלוֹשָׁה בְּאֶחָד) letter formed by two Yods (י), one to the upper right and the other to the lower left, that are joined by a diagonal or slanted letter Vav (ו). The two Yods represent two hands (the Hebrew word "yod" means hand), and the slanted Vav pictures a wounded Man: one hand rises toward heaven while the other reaches down to earth. The total of the three letters hidden within the Aleph is 26 (i.e., Yod+Yod+ Vav), which is the same value as the Name YHVH (יהוה). The first letter, then, of the Name Elohim (אלהים), "God," represents Yeshua, the LORD of Compassion who breaths upon us the breath of life (Gen. 2:7; John 20:22).
Hebrew Lesson
Proverbs 30:5 reading (click for audio):
Note: The two letters in the graphic I made - Aleph (א) and Shin (שׁ) - spell the word esh (אֵשׁ) meaning "fire" in Hebrew... For more information, see the letter Aleph pages.
Shavuah Tov Podcast:
Parashat Vaetchanan...
08.14.24 (Av 10, 5784) Our Torah reading for this week (i.e., Vaetchanan) is always read on the Sabbath that immediately follows the somber holiday of Tishah B'Av (תשעה באב). In Jewish tradition, this special Sabbath is called "Shabbat Nachamu" (שַׁבַּת נַחֲמו), "the Sabbath of Comfort" and assigned the prophetic portion from the Book of Isaiah that begins with the famous phrase: נַחֲמוּ נַחֲמוּ עַמִּי - Nachamu, Nachamu ami - "Comfort, O comfort ye, my people..." (Isa. 40:1). With the advent of this special Sabbath, we have just seven weeks to prepare for the new year (i.e, Yom Teruah or "Rosh Hashanah") and the High Holidays - a "jubilee" season that heralds the return of Yeshua.
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 40:1 reading (click for audio):
Sinat Chinam and Tishah B'Av:
Why was the Temple Destroyed?
08.13.24 (Av 9, 5784) Tishah B'Av remembers the destruction of the two Holy Temples of Judaism. According to the Talmud (Yoma 9b), the first Temple was destroyed (586 BC) because of the sins of idolatry, immorality, and bloodshed, but the Second Temple was destroyed (70 AD) because of what the sages call "baseless hatred." This baseless hatred, or sinat chinam in Hebrew, is considered a more serious offence than the earlier sins that led to the destruction of the First Temple: It took 70 years to rebuild the First Temple, but Jews are still waiting to rebuild the Second Temple, even after more than 1,900 years....
Why was the first Sanctuary destroyed? Because of three [evil] things which prevailed there: idolatry, immorality, bloodshed. But why was the second Sanctuary destroyed, seeing that in its time they were occupying themselves with Torah, [observance of] precepts, and the practice of charity? Because therein prevailed hatred without cause. That teaches you that groundless hatred is considered as of even gravity with the three sins of idolatry, immorality, and bloodshed together. (Talmud: Yoma 9b)
Though sinat chinam (שִׂנְאַת חִנָּם) is often translated as "baseless hatred," it literally means "hatred of grace (חֵן, chen)," that is, an aversion to using ayin tovah (a good eye) to see good in others. Just as God freely loves, so the devil freely hates... In essence, then, sinat chinam is the rejection of God's grace. But since Yeshua is the embodiment of God's grace (John 1:17, etc.), sinat chinam is ultimately a rejection of His ministry. Is it any wonder, then, that he foretold the destruction of the Second Temple based on Israel's hatred and rejection of Him (Matt. 24:2)?
Recall the context. During His "triumphal entry" into Jerusalem (Matt. 21:1-11), Yeshua was greeted by the cries of Jewish Passover pilgrims: "Hosanna!" This word is actually the phrase "hoshiah na" (הוֹשִׁיעָה נָּא), meaning "please save" or "save now." The Jewish pilgrims were singing Psalm 118:25-26 and applying it to the greater Son of David, Yeshua, who had come:
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Matthew notes that hoshiah na was addressed to Yeshua Himself, "to the [greater] son of David" (לְבֶן־דָּוִד), thereby indicating that the Messianic Hope was presented to Israel (Matt. 21:9). For a flickering moment the proper praise was given to Yeshua as Mashiach ben David, though of course He had come to them as Mashiach ben Yosef, their Suffering Servant, the One of whom the prophet Isaiah clearly foretold.
Immediately after his "triumphal entry," Yeshua went directly to the Temple and drove out all who sold there, overturning the tables of the "money changers" and the seats of those who sold pigeons (Matt. 21:12). After this the blind and the lame were able to enter the Temple -- and Yeshua healed them.
Despite performing miraculous works of healing in the Temple that day -- including opening the eyes of the blind and causing the disabled to walk -- the kohanim (chief priests) and soferim (scribes) were "indignant" at His actions and therefore sought to put Him to death (Mark 11:18).
In the evening Yeshua left the Temple for Bethany, the home town of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, where He stayed the night. The following morning He walked back to Jerusalem, and being hungry, saw a fig tree along the way. When He saw that the fig tree was without any fruit, Yeshua pronounced these words: "May no fruit ever come from you again!" And the fig tree withered at once (Matt. 21:18-19).
He then returned to the Temple where he was once again accosted by the religious establishment who questioned his authority. Yeshua turned the tables on his accusers by giving them a dilemma to solve: the baptism of John: was it from God or from man? Unwilling to answer him, Yeshua then prophesied the parable of the two sons (Matt. 21:28-32), indicating that despite their supposed status as the "good sons" of Israel, even tax collectors and prostitutes would enter the Kingdom of God before them. He went on to say that "the kingdom of God will be taken away from them and given to a people producing its fruits" (Matt. 21:43).
The Pharisees and the Sadducees then attempted to "entangle him in his talk" and sent their disciples to ask him tricky questions. Yeshua, however, exposed their "baseless hatred" -- their sinat chinam - and confounded them (see Matt. 22). Beginning in Matthew 23, Yeshua then began his denuciation of the "scribes and the Pharisees," pointing out their hypocrisy and their unclean motives. חֲנֵפִים אַךְ־אוֹי לָכֶם סוֹפְרִים וּפְרוּשִׁים (akh-oy lachem soferim u'perushim, chanafim): "Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! (Matt. 23:13-ff).
After Yeshua ended his denunciation, he lamented for Jerusalem saying, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! See, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord'" ( Matt. 23:37-39).
After this, Yeshua left the Temple for good and never looked back. In Matthew 24 Yeshua's disciples made a last-ditch appeal for Jewish tradition and ceremony by pointing out the glory of the Second Temple. "Look at these beautiful buildings of the Temple, Lord..." It was then that Yeshua pronounced judgment on the Temple and the Levitical system, predicted the Roman destruction of the Temple, and so on (Matt. 24:1-2). This was apparently unfathomable to the disciples, who apparently still considered Yeshua to be a "reformer" of Temple Judaism, perhaps the one who would restore it so that the Kingdom of God would be finally manifest upon the earth. Yeshua went on to explain the signs of the End of the Age (אַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים) that would precede the promised Days of Messiah (יְמֵי הַמָּשִׁיחַ), otherwise known as the Messianic Kingdom. He foretold that one day praise would rightly be given to Him as Israel's True King, but only after the travail of the coming Great Tribulation upon the earth. Only after the Jewish people cry out to Him as their LORD (Matt. 23:39) would the Kingdom of God be established in Zion.
Please note that there were at least two separate cleansings of the Temple recorded in the New Testament. The earlier cleansing is described in John 2:13-22 and the later one is described in (both) Mark 11:15-19 and Matthew 21:1-16. In Mark's account of the second cleansing, Yeshua actually stopped the "carrying of the ritual vessels" -- meaning He literally stopped the Temple sacrifices of Israel (עבודה של הלויים). Mark 11:16 shockingly states: "And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the Temple." Here is the passage:
So they came to Jerusalem, and he entered the Temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the Temple. And he was teaching them and saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers." And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. And when evening came they went out of the city (Mark 11:15-19).
Yeshua certainly knew the Temple and its supposed beauty. He razed it because Israel forsook His greater sacrifice. The Jewish sages had it half right. It was indeed because of sinat chinam that the Second Temple was destroyed, but this was most clearly revealed in the rejection of Yeshua as Israel's King and Savior....
Exile and Carelessness...
[ Today is Tishah B'Av, the Ninth day of the month of Av, an annual fast day of mourning that recalls the many tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people over the centuries.... ]
08.13.24 (Av 9, 5784) The theme of the fragility of life is part of the sober message of Tishah B'Av. After all, the great symbol of God's manifest presence on the earth, the Holy Temple, went up in smoke, and the very place (i.e., ha-makom: הַמָּקוֹם) where the LORD chose to "put His Name" was utterly destroyed. As the people were taken captive and led into exile, the great vision of Zion appeared to be forever lost (Psalm 137:1-4).
The LORD had forewarned that exile, persecution and progressively worse punishments would befall the people if they would break faith with Him (see Lev. 26:14-46). But how could all this have happened? Notice that the "rebuke" portion of the tochachah begins with ve'im loh tishme'u li (וְאִם־לא תִשְׁמְעוּ לִי), "if you do not listen to me" (Lev. 26:14), which recalls the Shema and the duty to love the Lord bekhol levavkha, "with all your heart." The sages point out that the refrain "if you walk contrary to me" (וַהֲלַכְתֶּם עִמִּי בְּקֶרִי) - which occurs several times during the rebuke - really means "if you walk carelessly (i.e., keri: קְרִי) with me." The commentator Rashi notes that the verb karah (קָרָה) means "to befall" or "to happen" and therefore suggests a sense of randomness (the related word mikreh [מִקְרֶה] means "coincidence"). If the people regarded the events of life as "random," then God would reciprocate by bringing senseless trouble into their lives. For this reason a careless attitude about the things of God is the first step toward apostasy...
It's been said that the opposite of love isn't hate, but rather indifference, and that explains why punishments came when the people "left their first love." If you walk carelessly with God, then you may be afflicted with "troubles of love" (i.e., yissurei ahavah: יִסּוּרֵי אַהֲבָה), that is, with various difficulties, intended to help you "come to your senses," to help you wake up, and to cause you return to the LORD for healing... This is a severe mercy of God.
The idea of tochachah is not simply something for ethnic Israel, of course, since the New Testament likewise warns us that God will punish those who likewise walk carelessly (i.e., keri: קְרִי) with Him. Have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as God's children? "My son, do not regard lightly (ὀλιγώρει) the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary by his reproof (תּוֹכֵחָה). For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and reproves (יוֹכִיחַ) every child whom he receives" (Heb. 12:5-6; Prov. 3:11-12). The Lord charged the assembly at Ephesus that they had let go of their first love. Yeshua therefore urged them: "Remember from what high state you have fallen and repent! Do the deeds (ἔργα) you did at the first; if not, I will come to you and remove your menorah from its place – unless you repent" (Rev. 2:4-5). "God is not mocked (μυκτηρίζω - lit., "to turn up the nose at"), and what a man sows, he also reaps" (Gal. 6:7; Psalm 39:11). There are abiding consequences for the choices we make in our lives. "For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Messiah and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience" (Eph. 5:6-7).
It is written, "Pain (or grief) handled in God's way produces a turning from sin to God (תְּשׁוּבָה) which leads to salvation (יְשׁוּעָה), and there is nothing to regret in that! But pain handled in the world's way produces only death" (2 Cor. 7:10). A common definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. The world's "logic" for dealing with inner pain is to do things that will suppress it, thereby guaranteeing more pain. The only way out is through... During Tishah B'Av we weep over our sins that have brought us exile. The sages note that the word "weeping," i.e., בְּכִי, has the same numeric value as the word for "heart," i.e., לב. We weep from the heart, then, because the heart itself is what needs to be healed... Shalom and love to you.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 119:31 Hebrew reading (click for audio):
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Seeking things Above...
08.12.24 (Av 8, 5784) Then he said to them all, "If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it" (Luke 9:23-24). Paradoxically only those willing to give up their lives will take up their cross, but the prospect remains an offense to those who seek to protect themselves. We must let go, say goodbye, and turn away from the allure of this world. The cross of Messiah crucifies your relationship to this world with its ignorance and vanities (Gal. 6:14). Through the cross you die to this world and its idolatry and cross over to a new realm of existence altogether (Gal. 2:20; Col. 3:1-4). The cross marks the beginning of life in the spirit...
"If then you have been raised with Messiah, seek the things that are above (τὰ ἄνω ζητεῖτε), where the Messiah is seated at the right hand of God (לִימִין אֱלהִים). Focus your thoughts on the things above, not on things here on earth. For you have died, and your life has been hidden with Messiah in God. Then when the Messiah, who is your life, appears, you too will appear with him in glory" (Col. 3:1-4).
All of this turns on our faith... If we are spiritually identified with Yeshua, we are "dead" to this age (olam hazeh), and therefore we are awakened to a realm that transcends the appeals of carnal flesh (olam habah). We no longer live chayei sha'ah (חַיֵּי שָׁעָה, "fleeting life") but chayei olam (חַיֵּי עוֹלָם, "eternal life"). The arorist verb "you have died" indicates "you have died once for all," that is, this is a condition granted by the power and agency of God on your behalf. You don't "try to die" to the flesh; you accept what God has done by killing its power over you through Yeshua... You are dead to this world; you are dead to sin's power; you are no longer enslaved to the deception of the worldly matrix, etc. Now you are made alive to an entirely greater and more powerful order and dimension of reality, namely, the spiritual reality that is not disclosed to the vanity of this age. Therefore we are to consciously focus our thoughts (φρονέω) on the hidden reality of God rather than on the temporal world that is passing away: "For we are looking not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient (i.e., "just for a season," καιρός), but the things that are unseen are eternal" (2 Cor. 4:18).
"When faith in God begins to affect an individual, his entire existence is transformed. His obsession with immediate pleasures and pains dies away. Instead his attention is increasingly focused on God. He comes to conceive God in his heart not just at a particular moment, but at every moment. He desires to share the infinity of God, and so feels himself confined within his present existence. He is like a bird in a cage, dreaming of flying free; he is like a fish on dry land, dreaming of swimming in a pool. He is acutely aware of the contrast between God's power and his own frailty. Yet even in his confinement, he feels joy in the knowledge that soon he will be free" (Kierkegaard)
We share the (in)visibility of the Messiah in this age... Since He is presently hidden from view, "the world knows us not, because it knew him not" (1 John 3:1); on the other hand, when He is revealed from heaven, so we will appear with him in glory... Therefore "being dead" is an inversely reciprocal relationship: being dead to this world is to be alive in the other world, and vice-versa.... We have "hidden life" in the Messiah, as it is written: "your life has been hidden (i.e., κρύπτω, "concealed," "disguised") with the Messiah in God." By faith you are made dead to one order of reality so that you would be made alive to another order of reality, to the reality of God that transcends the shadows and decay of this world. Your life has been hidden - like a "hidden treasure" - with the Messiah, who holds its store for you and will reveal its glory in the coming age. Because Yeshua knows you by name, calls you to follow Him, and is your Sin-Bearer, Priest, Advocate, and Savior before the throne of God, your life is indeed "hidden with Him," and you are made secure through His all-powerful providential care... Praise His Name forever.
Salvation is forever a matter of life and death. We esteem earthly doctors because they are healers of the body, but how much more do people need true healers of the soul? "Be not deceived" about your own hope for eternity; "God is not mocked" (μυκτηρίζω). He knows your inner motivations with perfect clarity (Gal. 6:7; Heb. 4:12). To "serve" God in the truth means being willing to face ongoing self-examination, to own up to the truth about yourself, to be real, to be honest. We are here to share the message of God's love and to help bring others to eternal life. Yeshua's fiercest words of condemnation were reserved for those who played games with "religion" - for those who forgot that people were literally dying without God's love... May God help us remember what is closest to His heart, friends...
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Return to your heart...
[ The following is related to our Torah reading for this week, parashat Vaetchanan... ]
08.12.24 (Av 8, 5784) Although we keep watch over Israel and the signs for the coming of the Lord for us, the present state of this evil world has absolutely nothing to say regarding the life of faith in the LORD (יהוה)... Our duty is to live before the Divine Presence at all times -- regardless of whatever our circumstances. "In relationship to God one can not involve himself 'to a certain degree.' God is precisely the contradiction to all that is 'to a certain degree'" (Kierkegaard). A believer must be contemporary with Christ's presence on earth, since the Eternal entered historical time to offer a timeless relationship with all who would believe. Our Lord touches us because He connects with our hearts in the present hour...
So what do you truly believe? What do you love? How do you "relate" to life? For those who trust in the Presence of God in Yeshua, nothing "happens" randomly or at a distance from our Heavenly Father's care... We do not know Yeshua as some hoary figure of the past, nor as a remote hope of the heart, but in the "blood and guts" of our daily struggle -- in the midst of our connection with him as we journey in faith. God's love is not a secondhand gift... Yeshua asks each of us: 'Who do you say that I am?' (Mark 8:29) and awaits for us to "show up" in our faith to reach out to Him.
From our Torah portion this week (i.e., Vaetchanan) we read, "Know therefore today and return to your heart (והשׁבת אל־לבבך), for the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other" (Deut. 4:39). Here again we see the centrality of the heart as the mode to encounter God (Luke 17:21). Savor the phrase, "Know therefore today and return to your heart..." It the heart that is the place of connection with God... As Yeshua said, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me" (Rev. 3:20). Today is the day to "return to your heart" and receive again God's love for your soul...
Hebrew Lesson
Deut 4:39 Hebrew reading (click):
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Mitzvah of Connection...
08.12.24 (Av 8, 5784) Our Torah reading for this week begins, "I pleaded with the LORD" (Deut. 3:32). Prayer is our lifeline to God; it is the essential work of faith... In this connection we note that that the Hebrew word "mitzvah" (מִצְוָה) is often translated as "commandment," though its basic idea is about making connection with God (i.e., the root צוה means to bind or unite). Being connected with the Almighty means talking with him, relating to him as your heavenly Father, and trusting that he esteems you as his beloved child. Whatever else you may think about the commandments of God, this idea of a love connection is foundational and essential. The very first of the Ten Commandments is anochi Adonai Elohekha, "I am the Lord your God" (אנכי יהוה אלהיך) which summons your heart to receive the touch of the Spirit of God. There is no love like that of the Lord, but you can't feel that love if you don't speak to Him, pouring out your heart and clinging to the truth of his love for you....
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 62:8 Hebrew reading:
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Privately pouring out your heart to God in an honest, transparent, and earnest way is sometimes called hitbodedut (הִתְבּוֹדְדוּת), a word that means "solitude." As we unburden our souls before the Lord, made empty so that can begin to truly listen, as it says, "In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength" (Isa. 30:15). Only after we sigh deeply and surrender are we receptive to the voice of the Spirit's whisper. "Blessed are all those who wait for Him" - אַשְׁרֵי כָּל־חוֹכֵי לוֹ (Isa. 30:18). We wait, we abide, even when God takes his time or does not immediately intervene. We do not lose heart, for we find strength when we trust in God's love... No prayer uttered to the one true God in the passion of truth will ever go unanswered. The Light of the world still shines: Yeshua, be my inner word, my heart, and my groaning for life today, and forevermore, amen.
Since the essence of Torah is connection to God, the greatest blessing is to be filled with a steadfast desire to draw close to him, to experience hunger and thirst (visceral yearning) for God's presence and touch. Holy desire – expressed in the yearning of heartfelt prayer – is therefore a state of true blessedness, and the more desperate our need for God the more blessed we are. It is our desire, our holy need, that creates a bond between our soul and its Creator, and that is the deeper meaning of mitzvah... "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied" (Matt. 5:6).
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Tishah b'Av and God's Kingdom...
[ Shalom chaverim. The following is related to the fast of Tishah B'Av, which begins this evening at sunset... During this time let us remember Israel in our prayers, praying for the peace of Jerusalem and the coming of God's kingdom! ]
08.12.24 (Av 8, 5784) The somber holiday of Tishah B'Av recalls the tragic anniversary of the "sin of the spies" and God's subsequent decree that the generation redeemed from Egypt would die in exile from the promised land (Num. 14:26-37), though providentially it also marks the date of the destruction Temple in Jerusalem (both the first and second Temple) and the subsequent exile of the Jewish people. Because it remembers the loss of the vision of Zion, this date is observed with fasting, heartfelt lamentation and fervent calls for teshuvah (repentance).
Jerusalem (or Zion) is central to the Jewish heart since it represents all the promises of the Lord spoken by the Hebrew prophets to Israel... When religious Jews pray three times a day, they always turn toward the Holy City (i.e., mizrach: מזרח "east"). Synagogues likewise place the holy ark (the place where Torah scrolls are kept) on the wall closest to Jerusalem. Many observant Jews keep small section of an eastern wall of their house unpainted as a sign of mourning for the destruction of the Temple. Every year we close the Passover Seder with the words, La-Shanah Haba'ah Bi Yerushalayim! ("Next year in Jerusalem"). These same words are invoked to conclude the holiest day of the Jewish year, Yom Kippur. Indeed Yeshua called Jerusalem the "City of the great King" (Psalm 48:2; Matt 5:35): It is the place where He was crucified, buried, resurrected, and from where He ascended to heaven. It is also the birthplace of the true church (כלה של משיח) and the focal point of humanity's eschatological future. At the Second Coming, Yeshua will physically return to Jerusalem to restore the throne of King David. Then all the New Covenant promises given to Israel will be fulfilled as the Kingdom of God is manifest upon the earth.
God loves Zion since it symbolizes His redemptive program in human history. In a sense, Zion is the heart of the Gospel message and the focal point of God's salvation in this world. Zion represents our eschatological future -- our home in olam haba (the world to come). Even the new heavens and earth will be called Jerusalem -- "Zion in her perfection" (Rev. 21). "This is what Adonai Tzeva'ot says: I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion, but I am very angry with the nations that feel secure" (Zech. 1:14-15). "For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch" (Isa 62:1). "The builder of Jerusalem is God, the outcasts of Israel he will gather in... Praise God, O Jerusalem, laud your God, O Zion" (Psalm 147:2-12).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 137:5 Hebrew reading (click):
For more on this, see "The Significance of Zion and the Tragedy of Tishah B'Av."
Va'etchanan: Moses' Plea...
[ Our Torah reading for this week, parashat Vaetchanan, is always read on the Sabbath immediately following Tishah B'Av, called Shabbat "Nachamu", or "the Sabbath of Comfort." ]
08.11.24 (Av 7, 5784) This week we will study parashat Vaetchanan (פרשת ואתחנן), a rich Torah portion that includes some of the most foundational texts of the Jewish Scriptures, including the Ten Commandments, the Shema (the duty to love God and study His Torah), as well as the commandments of tefillin and mezuzot. In addition, in this portion Moses predicted the worldwide exile and the eventual redemption of the Jewish people in acharit hayamim (the prophesied "End of Days").
The Torah portion begins with Moses' plea to the LORD to be allowed entry into the Promised Land, despite God's earlier decree (see Num. 20:8-12; 27:12-14). The Hebrew word va'etchanan (וָאֶתְחַנַּן) comes from the verb chanan (חָנַן), which means to beseech or implore. It derives from the noun chen (חֵן), grace, implying that the supplication appeals to God's favor, not to any idea of personal merit (in Jewish tradition, tachanun (תַּחֲנוּן) are prayers recited after the Amidah begging for God's grace and mercy). Moses was asking God to show him grace by reversing the decree that forbade him to enter the Promised Land.
Hebrew Lesson
Deut:3:23 reading (click for audio):
In addition to our Torah readings, on the 15th day of the month of Av we observe chag ha-ahavah (חַג הָאַהֲבָה), or "the holiday of love." Since it marks the "last" festival of the Jewish year, prophetically the 15th of Av (called Tu B'Av) pictures our marriage to the Lamb of God (Seh Elohim), the LORD Yeshua our beloved Messiah. On a soon-coming day those who belong to the LORD and are faithful to follow His ways will be blessed with the unspeakable joy of an eternally intimate relationship with Him. This is heaven itself - to be in the Presence of the LORD and to be regarded as His beloved (Rev. 19:6-9). Maranatha.
Yeshua our Healer...
[ "You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless, until they can find rest in you." - Augustine of Hippo ]
08.09.24 (Av 5, 5784) "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). Yeshua calls out to the exhausted, the careworn, the tired of heart, the downcast, yea, to all those who often feel like they can't go on. He looks to those weighed down with troubles, sorrows, and the pains of this world. His invitation is for the "poor in spirit" - to those sick of themselves, to those unable to do anything and who are in need of everything. He seeks the impoverished, the leper, the outcast....
Yeshua turns to the paralytic, to one carried by the dust of death before God, powerless, forlorn, and broken. And this is the first movement of the Spirit, when in desperation the heart awakens from its delusions and realizes its great need (Luke 15:14). And it is there - in the midst of this brokenness, when the soul, reaching deep for its last gasp, encounters God, the one who calls us to deliverance, newness of life, and life beyond the power of death. The cross of Yeshua is the place where death and eternal life meet; it is the place of being "lifted up" (John 12:32). "If any one thirst, let then come to me, and drink" (John 7:37).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 107:9 reading (click for audio):
Our Yearning for Heaven...
[ "To walk out of his will is to walk into nowhere." - C.S. Lewis ]
08.09.24 (Av 5, 5784) It is an ongoing struggle to live in this world without being devoured by its fear, insanity, and violence. Yeshua prayed for his followers saying, "I am not asking you to take them from the world but to keep them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to this world" (John 17:15-16).
To live in the world without belonging to the world marks the life of the tzaddikim who are seeking the house of love, the place where God abides. Even though we are given "traveling mercies" for our journey in this world, we must lift our heart toward heaven, desisting the world and its vanities, and regarding the place of God's heart to be our true home.
Abraham closed his eyes to this world and was given the inner light of truth that would reveal his way to God. "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise as in a strange land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God" (Heb. 11:8-10). For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come (Heb. 13:14).
So let us lift up our souls unto the LORD and refuse to live in fear. Let us stand strong in faith, trusting God's promise even if we are sometimes in darkness. And let us take hope in God word: "O LORD of all power, blessed is the one who trusts in you" (Psalm 84:12).
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Daily Perush Podcast:
God's Glory and Tishah B'Av...
08.09.24 (Av 5, 5784) Shalom chaverim. In this "Daily perush broadcast" (see link below) I provide exegesis and reading of a significant phrase in King Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the First Temple, namely, "Behold heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain you" (2 Chron. 6:18b), and then I take some to discuss the meaning of these words in relation to Tishah B'Av and the subsequent destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.
Hebrew Lesson
2 Chron. 6:18b reading (click):
Additional Comments
During his earthly ministry, our Lord Yeshua referred to himself as "the True Temple of God" (המקדש האמיתי של אלוהים) that dwelt among us. The Mishkan (Tabernacle) was a temporary dwelling place as was the physical Bet Hamikdash (Temple). As Solomon said, God never could be contained in a house made of stone, cedar and gold (2 Chron. 6:18). These were shadows of a greater Substance that entirely embodied the Temple's purpose and essential truth (Col. 2:17).
Yeshua told the Pharisees of his day that he was greater than the Temple in Jerusalem (Matt. 12:6) and challenged them: "Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (John 2:19-21). Yeshua is the Shekhinah - the Presence of God - manifested in the temple of human form: "For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily" (Col. 2:9, John 1:1,14).
As the Lamb of God, Yeshua is not only the Kodesh Hakodoshim (Holy of Holies) -- embodied within a human heart of flesh -- but also the substance and end of all sacrifice (Heb. 10:12). When his flesh was destroyed on the Cross, the curtain of the Temple was likewise rent asunder (Matt. 27:50). Access to the inner sanctum of the LORD was thenceforth available to all who would come in faith. Yeshua alone is the Spirit, Source and the End of the true Temple of God.
For more see: The Significance of Zion and the tragedy of Tishah B'Av
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The Bitterness of Exile...
08.09.24 (Av 5, 5784) From our Torah portion this week (i.e., Devarim) we read: "But you were not willing to ascend (וְלא אֲבִיתֶם לַעֲלת), but became bitter (מָרָה) against the Word of the LORD your God" (Deut. 1:26). Moses' rebuke was not that the people were afraid to conquer the land as much as that they had lost heart and no longer desired to take hold of God's promise. The people gave up their dream; they forsook their hope; and they had lost the "devotion of their youth, their love as a bride, how they followed the LORD in the desert, into a land not sown" (Jer. 2:2). The people's failure was on two levels: First they lapsed in faith by abdicating trust in God's word, and second, they had lost the passion of their first love. In light of this, the sages say that the greater problem was that of losing heart, since the heart directs the will to believe in the miracle of God, or not...
Moses' rebuke of the people's heart condition recalls the sober warning Yeshua gave to the Ephesian believers: "I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your menorah from its place, unless you repent" (Rev. 2:2-5). Likewise the author of the Book of Hebrews commented: "And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief" (Heb. 3:17-19). The question of our faith is essential: "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb. 10:31).
Hebrew Lesson
Deut. 4:24 Hebrew reading (click):
Turn us back to You...
[ The following is related to the somber holiday of Tishah B'Av... ]
08.08.24 (Av 4, 5784) The Book of Lamentations, which is traditionally somberly chanted during the morning service of Tishah B'Av, is an acrostic (i.e., alphabetical) poem that begins with the Hebrew letter Aleph (א) in the word "eichah" (אֵיכָה), which also marks the Hebrew name of the book itself (i.e., megillat Eichah: מגילת איכה). It begins: "How (eichah) lonely sits the city that once was full of people; she has become as a widow!" (Lam. 1:1).
אֵיכָה יָשְׁבָה בָדָד הָעִיר רַבָּתִי עָם
הָיְתָה כְּאַלְמָנָה
ei·khah ya·she·vah ha·eer ra·ba·tee ahm
ha·ye·tah ke·al·ma·nah
"How lonely sits the city that once was full of people,
she has become as a widow!"
(Lam. 1:1a)
The sages note that this word "how" (i.e., eichah) could also be read as "where are you?" (i.e., ayekah: אַיֶּכָּה), which was God's first word of intercession spoken to Adam after he broke covenant in the Garden (see Gen. 3:9). Note that God's question is often our own: "Where are you? Where are you, God? Are you here, in the midst of this tedious moment? Do you know my loneliness, my hunger and ache for love? Do you understand the troubles of my heart?" And yet how many people have faith that God's call is one of comfort and restoration? How many shrink back in shame, vainly trying to hide themselves from God?
God uses our loneliness ("how lonely...") to search our hearts, asking each of us, ayekah – "Where are you?" Why have you turned away from me and chosen a state of exile? Return to me." Our haunting sense of God's absence impels us to seek for him... God awaits our only possible response, "Hashivenu!" -- an imperative (urgent appeal) for the grace to repent: "Turn us back to you, O LORD, and we shall return; renew our days as of old" (Lam. 5:21).
Hebrew Lesson
Lamentations 5:21 Hebrew reading (click):
Our response to the questioning love of the LORD is called teshuvah ("turning [shuv] to God"). Teshuvah is an "answer" to a shelah (שְׁאֵלָה), or a question. God's love for us is the question, and our teshuvah – our turning of the heart toward Him – is the answer. As Jeremiah confessed in the hour of great trouble: "I called upon thy name, O LORD, from the depths of the pit; Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry. Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not" (Lam. 3:55-57).
Trust in Dark Hours...
[ "Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, 'Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.'" - Isaiah 35:3-4 ]
08.08.24 (Av 4, 5784) The Spirit of God encourages the heart that is downcast: "Let the one who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the Name of the LORD (יִבְטַח בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה) and lean upon on his God" (Isa. 50:10). Spiritual darkness is sometimes permitted by God for his own sovereign purposes, perhaps as a means to teach us to abandon ourselves to his care. Trusting in God (i.e., bittachon - בִּטָּחוֹן) does not mean that we are obligated to affirm that this is "the best of all possible worlds," though it does mean we believe that eventually God will wipe away every tear from our eyes and make all things right. The LORD will "true" all that is untrue within us.
Bittachon is a word for this world, which says, "Though he slay me, I will trust in him..." We do not need to exercise trust for what is seen in this world but for an unseen good (Rom. 8:24). Those who call upon the LORD believe not only in concealed good behind the ambiguous appearances ("all things work together for good") but more essentially in a future, real, substantive good that will one day be clearly manifest for us all... We fight the "good fight" of faith, which is a worthy struggle that eventually is realized for blessing. Meanwhile, we pray to God to be kept from such depth of sorrow that leads to sickness, darkness and despair. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 50:10 reading (click for audio):
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If you ask for bread, your heavenly Father will not give you a stone... Only God can deliver us from our "disordered loves" to take hold of what is truly essential. All we can do is ask, and keep on asking - even as we struggle on, despite ourselves, despite our losses... And we often revisit our sins over and over until we become "sick of our sickness," that is, until we begin to understand what our heart really needs. It's as if we are constantly being asked, "Is this what you want?" and our choices confess the truth... Only God does the miracle of real change within the human heart - only God can give life from the dead!
Life Worth Living...
[ "Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it." - Blaise Pascal ]
08.08.24 (Av 4, 5784) In our godless and profane age, it is common to encounter people who refuse to believe that God exists, not because there are compelling reasons to do so, but simply because they do not want God to exist, and therefore they willfully suppress the intuitions of logic, the apprehension of value, the awareness of glory in creation, and the sentiments of conscience, since all these experiences point to the realm of moral and spiritual reality.
As stated in Scripture: "For that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God has revealed it to them. For the invisible attributes of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and divinity; so that they are without excuse" (Rom. 1:19-20). The Holy Spirit invites all people to be saved, but tragically so many "refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them" (2 Thess. 2:10).
Atheists and agnostics dogmatically insist that there is no transcendental "moral law" or Moral Lawgiver before whom all moral agents will give account, again, not because reason indicates that this is so, but on the contrary, merely because they wish to be "free" to do whatever they want and to pursue their own selfish desires. In this regard the atheist merely chooses to close his mind because he does not want to see (for an example of this type of madness, read Friedrich Nietzsche). As Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer (בש"ט) once said, "The world is full of majestic wonders and miracles but man takes his little hand and covers his eyes and sees nothing." Indeed the deification of the self makes the soul a stranger to God and myopic to moral and spiritual reality. The (post)modern man will split hairs and fastidiously object to questions of truth and meaning -- all for the sake of justifying a lifestyle that he pleases, on his own terms, without recognizing any moral authority beyond himself....
Everyone has a faith system by which they interpret and make sense of what they believe (or trust) is real... Socrates famously said that "the unexamined life is not worth living," which of course implies that a life worth living is discovered by asking questions, searching for meaning, pursuing truth, celebrating wonder, and living with integrity. "Seek the LORD while He may be found" (Isa. 55:6).
Contrary to the ideals of worldly culture, the meaning of life is not found in the pursuit of personal happiness (or pleasure) but rather in the pursuit of truth and meaning. Apathy about such matters is a symptom of lifelessness: it is to be spiritually dead while seemingly "alive." Indifferent people are likened to those who go through the outward motions of life without ever making inner traction with it... The righteous, even in death, are called "living"; the wicked, even while alive, are called "dead" (Berachot 18a).
A radical "metaphysical" question is "Why is there something rather than nothing at all?" Such a fundamental question strikes at the heart of our assumptions and habitual ways of thinking, jolting us from our sleepy "cave-like" consciousness to face the glaring light of the sun... The natural instinct is to turn away, to pull the covers over our head, and try to go back to sleep. However if pressed, the simple question "why" irresistibly leads to a series or "concatenation" of explanations and a regress of ostensible causes that quickly points to metaphysical properties and realities.
For instance, if a child asks her parent, "Why do people die?" the parent might answer, "Because people get sick or injured or they might grow very old." "But why do people have to grow old?" the child continues. "Because they are born, live for awhile, and eventually pass away... All things change, and that means they come into being, exist for a while, and then pass away. Look around you; everything you see – the people, the animals, the plants, rocks, mountains and seas, the earth and sky, the stars and galaxies, and indeed the whole universe – is constantly changing, coming into being, existing for awhile, and then passing away..." "But why does everything have to pass away?" the child persists...
In this imaginary dialog we see how quickly "why questions" begin pointing to deep metaphysical mysteries such as the nature of being, the phenomenon of time, the ubiquity of change and its existential relationship to human consciousness. The dialectic of asking and answering questions helps us detect the assumptions that underlie our everyday thinking, often revealing wonders that pervade our lives. The failure to seriously ask the "big questions" of life, for instance, "What am I?" "Where did I come from?" "Why am I here?" "Where am I going?" and "What does it all mean?" is to abandon what makes life itself worth living... It is to give up the quest to find meaning, purpose, hope, and a sense of destiny. It is to die inside.
Again categorically everyone has a faith system by which they exercise trust is in what is real... The existential question, then, is not whether someone has faith, but what they are trusting about the ultimate concerns, questions of life and death, and so on... "Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision" (Joel 3:14).
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 6:3 reading (click):
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Tishah B'Av Prophecies...
[ The following is related to the somber holiday of Tishah B'Av, which begins Monday, Aug. 12th at sunset and runs through the following day... ]
08.08.24 (Av 4, 5784) Yeshua foretold the destruction of the Second Temple when he lamented: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, Barukh Haba Ba'shem Adonai: 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.' Yeshua then left the Temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the Temple. But he answered them, "You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down." (Matt. 23:37-24:2).
Note that we are not awaiting the appearance of the "Third Temple" which will be hastily erected during the time of Jacob's Trouble during the Great Tribulation, but we await the "Fourth Temple," that is, the Temple that will be built by Tzemach Tzaddik (צֶמַח צַדִּיק), namely, Messiah the Son of David (מָשִׁיחַ בֶּן־דָוִד) who will come again to establish the Kingdom of Zion upon the earth in fulfillment of the promises of God (Zech. 6:12; Jer. 23:5). At that glorious time the mourning of the Jewish people will forgotten, as it is written: "Thus says Adonai Tzeva'ot (יהוה צְבָאוֹת): The fast of the fourth month (Tammuz), and the fast of the fifth month (Tishah B'Av), and the fast of the seventh month (Gedaliah), and the fast of the tenth month (Asarah b'Tevet), will be to the house of Judah for joy and rejoicing and for pleasant appointed seasons. Therefore love truth and peace" (Zech. 8:19). In that coming day, "the LORD will be king over all the earth. On that day the LORD will be one and his name one" (Zech. 14:9).
וְהָיָה יְהוָה לְמֶלֶךְ עַל־כָּל־הָאָ֑רֶץ
בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִהְיֶה יְהוָה אֶחָד וּשְׁמוֹ אֶחָד׃
ve·ha·yah · Adonai · le·me'·lekh · al-kol-ha·ah'·retz
bai·yohm · ha·hoo · yee·he·yeh · Adonai · e·chad · oo·she·moh · e·chad
"And the LORD will be king over all the earth.
On that day the LORD will be one and his name one."
Click to listen and learn the Hebrew text:
As I've mentioned over the years, the word "Zion" (i.e., tziyon: צִיּוֹן) is mentioned over 160 times in the Scriptures. That's more than the words faith, hope, love, and countless others... And since Zion is a poetic form of the word Jerusalem, the number of occurrences swells to nearly 1,000! It is therefore not an overstatement to say that God Himself is a Zionist.... "Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth" (Psalm 50:2). Zion represents the rule and reign of God in the earth and is therefore synonymous with the Kingdom of God. The entire redemptive plan of God -- including the coming of the Messiah Himself and our very salvation -- is wrapped up in the concept of Zion. It is the "historiography" of God -- His "philosophy of history," if you will.
The great vision of Zion is at the heart of the Gospel message and the focal point of God's salvation in this world. Zion represents our eschatological future -- our home in the world to come. Even the new heavens and earth will be called Jerusalem -- "Zion in her perfection" (Rev. 21). "This is what Adonai Tzeva'ot says: I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion, but I am very angry with the nations that feel secure" (Zech. 1:14-15). "For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch" (Isa 62:1). "The builder of Jerusalem is God, the outcasts of Israel he will gather in... praise God, O Jerusalem, laud your God, O Zion" (Psalm 147:2-12).
It is worth noting that in the discussion from the Talmud, the 6,000 years of human history are divided into three epochs of 2,000 years each. The period of "tohu" occurred from the time of the fall of Adam until the call of Abraham; the period of "Torah" occurred from Abraham until the time of the destruction of the Second Temple, and the period of the "Messiah" refers to the time when the Messiah could appear before the Kingdom is established in Zion. The time immediately preceding the appearance of the Messiah will be a time of testing in which the world will undergo various forms of tribulation, called chevlei Mashiach (חֶבְלֵי הַמָּשִׁיחַ) - the "birth pangs of the Messiah" (Sanhedrin 98a; Ketubot, Bereshit Rabbah 42:4, Matt. 24:8). Some say the birth pangs are to last for 70 years, with the last 7 years being the most intense period of tribulation -- called the "Time of Jacob's Trouble" / עֵת־צָרָה הִיא לְיַעֲקב (Jer. 30:7). The climax of the "Great Tribulation" (צָרָה גְדוֹלָה) is called the great "Day of the LORD" (יוֹם־יהוה הַגָּדוֹל) which represents God's wrath poured out upon a rebellious world system. On this fateful day, the LORD will terribly shake the entire earth (Isa. 2:19) and worldwide catastrophes will occur. "For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?" (Rev. 6:17). The prophet Malachi likewise says: "'Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire,' says the LORD Almighty. 'Not a root or a branch will be left to them'" (Mal. 4:1). Only after the nations of the world have been judged will the Messianic kingdom (מַלְכוּת הָאֱלהִים) be established upon the earth. The remnant of Israel will be saved and the 1000 year reign of King Messiah will then commence (Rev. 20:4).
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The concept of the King Messiah, the "Anointed One" who would one day come to deliver his people from oppression at the beginning of an era of world peace has been the sustaining hope of the Jewish people for generations. King Messiah is the instrument by whom God's kingdom is to be established in Israel and in the world. This hope runs throughout the entire Tanakh. According to rabbinical Judaism (following Maimonides), this Messiah figure is not divine, though he certainly has divine powers and attributes. Indeed, he functions as Israel's Savior who would be empowered by God to:
- Restore the Kingdom of David (Jer. 23:5, Jer 30:9, Ezek. 34:23)
- Restore the Temple in Zion (Isa. 2:2, Micah 4:1, Zech. 6:13, Ezek. 37:26-28)
- Regather the exiles (Isa. 11:12, 43:5-6, 51:11)
- Offer the New Covenant to Israel (Jer. 31:31-34)
- Usher in world peace and the knowledge of the true God (Isa. 2:4; 11:9). This will include the entire world speaking Hebrew (Zeph. 3:9).
- "Swallow up" death and disease (Isa. 25:8)
- Raise the dead to new life (Isa. 26:19)
- Spread Torah knowledge of the God of Israel, which will unite humanity as one. As it says: "God will be King over all the world -- on that day, God will be One and His Name will be One" (Zech. 14:9)
According to this general framework of history, we are currently living in the "days of the Messiah," just before the time of great worldwide tribulation that will lead to the prophesied acharit hayamim (אַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים), or the "End of Days." This is the age in which the spirit of the Messiah is available to all. These are "days of God's favor" that are ending soon. According to traditional Jewish sources (Pesachim 54b; Midrash Tehilim 9:2), no one knows the exact time when the Messiah will appear -- though there are some hints. The condition of the world during the end of days will be grossly evil (2 Pet. 3:3; 2 Thess. 2:3-4, 2 Tim. 3:1-5). The world will undergo various forms of tribulation, collectively called chevlei Mashiach (חֶבְלֵי הַמָּשִׁיחַ) - the "birth pangs of the Messiah" (Sanhedrin 98a; Ketubot, Bereshit Rabbah 42:4, Matt. 24:8). Some sages say the birth pangs will last 70 years, with the last 7 years as the most intense period -- the "Time of Jacob's Trouble" / עֵת־צָרָה הִיא לְיַעֲקב (Jer. 30:7). Just before the arrival of Yeshua as Mashiach ben David, a period of tribulation and distress for Israel will occur. After this "great tribulation" period, however, Yeshua will usher in Yom YHVH, the "Day of the LORD," and the sabbatical millennium, the 1000 year reign of King Messiah will commence (Rev. 20:4).
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Although "Day of the LORD" (i.e., yom Adonai: יוֹם יְהוָה) is sometimes associated with Tishah B'Av and the catastrophic destruction of the Jewish Temple, the words of the prophets were only partially fulfilled, and there awaits another Day coming when God will terribly shake the entire earth (Isa. 2:19). "For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?" (Rev. 6:17). The prophet Malachi likewise says: "'Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire,' says the LORD Almighty. 'Not a root or a branch will be left to them'" (Mal. 4:1). For those who are godless, the great Day of the LORD is a time of horrific judgment, but for those who belong to the LORD, it represents a day of victory and great blessing. Regarding that day the prophet Malachi said, "Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things" (Mal. 4:3).
Ultimately the Great Tribulation period is purgative and restorative for Israel (sometimes called yissurim shel ahavah, or "the troubles of love"). The prophets wrote that Zion will go through labor and then give birth to children (Isa. 66:8). Thus the Vilna Gaon wrote that the geulah (national redemption) is something like rebirth of the nation of Israel. This accords with the prophetic fulfillment of Yom Kippur as the Day of Judgment and time of Israel's national conversion. In the verse from prophet Jeremiah regarding the "Time of Jacob's Trouble," it's vital to see the goal in mind -- "yet out of it he is saved" (וּמִמֶּנָּה יִוָּשֵׁעַ). When Yeshua returns to Zion, all Israel will be saved (Rom. 11:26). The sages note that childbirth is a time of radical transition and struggle for the baby -- from the time of relatively peaceful existence within the womb into the harsh light of day -- and therefore a similar transition between this world and the Messianic world to come is about to take place... (For more click here.)
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The Voice of Our Words...
08.07.24 (Av 3, 5784) According to Jewish tradition, it was on Tishah B'Av (the ninth of Av) when the people wept over the report of the spies, a lapse of faith so serious that it provoked God to decree that the very generation He redeemed from Egypt would die in the exile of the desert (see Num. 13-14). As Moses later recounted this tragic event, he said something peculiar: "The LORD heard the 'voice of your words' (קוֹל דְבַרִים) and was angry..." (Deut. 1:34). The grammar here is unusual, for the text could have simply said, "the LORD heard your words," but the Torah adds something else, the idea of "emotional tone," or the manner, the words were spoken... Sometimes it is not so much what you say that matters, but how you say it. Words of the heart are expressed more by tone, the "voice of the words," than by the words themselves...
According to midrash when the spies returned after scouting the land, they said "the land is good" in a qualified or even an insincere manner. "Just look at this gigantic fruit we picked -- for gigantic people of that land who are invincible!" The words spoken by the spies were "true" in a sense, but their expression mediated a fearful attitude that rendered them untrue. Instead of saying "the land is good" - and affirming God's promise - their words were nuanced with doubt, and the "sound of their words" belied their testimony.
In themselves words are not "static" things but they live and move within a context to inform a common or shared sense of meaning. The grammar of "truth" assumes good will and correspondence between what is said and what is adjudged as real, "actual" or credible. When words are used deceptively, ambiguously, ironically, disingenuously, or without straightforward intent, however, then common sense does not obtain and the meaning shifts to "meta-linguistic" interpretation. With regard to God, however, the constellation of beliefs, assumptions, intent, and the emotional context is fully known whenever we communicate, as it is written: "There is not a word on my tongue but You, O LORD, know it altogether" (Psalm 139:4), and therefore He entirely understands our true intent -- or the "voice of our words."
In our Torah portion this week (i.e., Devarim) we read: "May he (i.e., the LORD) bless you as He said to you" - וִיבָרֵךְ אֶתְכֶם כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר לָכֶם (Deut. 1:11), which the sages read as: "May he bless you as your speech is to you," suggesting that our language will mirror spiritual reality (Psalm 18:25-26; Prov. 23:7). And when we recite Shema, we do so bekhol levavkha (בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ) - with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our might (Deut. 6:5). This is a cry from the heart that affirms God's truth. Our feelings are important and are meaningful, whether they are feelings of joy, gratitude, and so on, or feelings of doubt, despair, or fear. As Yeshua said: "Would that you were either cold or hot, but because you are lukewarm - neither hot nor cold - I will spew you out of my mouth" (Rev. 3:15-16).
It has been said that if you don't know how to say something, say it loudly... The heart has its own voice regardless of the words we are able to articulate. For instance, if you love someone, then really love them and abhor being halfhearted. Being hot or being cold is better then being tepid, because then you are being honest, you are speaking from the kishkas, and honesty will always evoke a genuine response from heaven...
Hebrew Lesson
Deuteronomy 1:34 reading (click):
Somber Time of Tishah B'Av...
08.07.24 (Av 3, 5784) The sages of the Mishnah (Ta'anit 26) taught that five tragedies befell the Jewish people on Tishah B'Av (תשעה באב, or the "ninth [day] of [the month of] Av"). First, God's decree was issued that the generation that left Egypt during the Exodus would not enter the promised land (Num. 14:1-2; 14:23). Second, the First Temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar II (נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּר) in 586 BC according to prophecy (Jer. 27:6-8). Third, the second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD, according to the prophecy of Yeshua (Matt. 24:1-2). Fourth, the last stronghold of the "Bar Kokhba" revolt was destroyed by Roman Emperor Hadrian in 135 AD, and fifth, the City of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount was "plowed under" exactly one year later (Jer. 26:18). Emperor Hadrian then sold all Jewish prisoners into slavery, forbade the teaching of the Torah, renamed the middle east "Palaestina," and dedicated the City of Jerusalem to the idol Jupiter as "Aelia Capitolina." Besides all this, other tragedies are also coincidental with Tishah B'Av, such as the expulsion of the Jews from England in 1290 and their expulsion from Spain in 1492. Some of the sages even date the beginning of WWI, when Germany declared war on Russia, to the Ninth of Av, and since WWI inevitably led to WWII, they also connect Tishah B'Av with the horrors of the Holocaust as well...
Because of all this Tishah B'Av is generally regarded as the saddest day of the Jewish year (even sadder than Yom Kippur), and the sages designated it as an annual day of mourning that recalls these many tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people over the centuries. It is a time for teshuvah, fasting, and special prayers. This year Tishah B'Av begins Monday, August 12th at sundown and runs 25 hours until Tuesday August 13th, one hour after sundown. The customs for observing the fast are similar to those of Yom Kippur.
It is customary to read Megillah Eicha (מגילה איכה), or the Book of Lamenations, during the Tishah B'Av evening service, since the scroll is an (acrostic) poem of lament prophetically written before the destruction of the First Temple. The scroll is chanted in a plaintive nusach (נוסח), as if lashon ha'kodesh, the holy tongue, weeps for the destruction of God's home.
Hebrew Lesson
Lamentations 2:13 reading (click for audio):
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Tishah B'Av allows us to express heartfelt grief over the loss of Zion and therefore over the frailty of our human condition. During this time it is appropriate to grieve over our sins and to shed tears that attest to having lev nishbar ve'nidkeh (לֵב־נִשְׁבָּר וְנִדְכֶּה), a "broken and crushed heart" (Psalm 51:17). Indeed, during the entire "Three Weeks of Sorrow" we read selections from the prophets that forewarn of the coming destruction of the Temple (churban) and the subsequent exile of the Jewish people (galut). During this time of the year, we listen to the lamentations of the prophet Jeremiah crying out for our repentance...
During Tishah B'Av synagogue services, the lights are dimmed and the Aron Hakodesh (Holy Ark) is draped in black (in some synagogues the parochet (curtain) is removed as a sign of mourning). The decorations are removed from Torah scrolls. Congregants remove their leather shoes and do not greet each other. The cantor leads the prayers readings in a low, mournful voice, and the cantillation (chanting style) for the Scripture readings are set to elegiac, sorrowful melodies.
"Let everyone cry out to God and lift his heart up to him, as if he were hanging by a hair, and a tempest were raging to the very heart of heaven, and he were at a loss for what to do, and there were hardly time to cry out It is a time when no counsel, indeed, can help a man and he has no refuge save to remain in his loneliness and lift his eyes and his heart up to God, and cry out to him. And this should be done at all times, for in the world a man is in great danger." - Martin Buber (Ten Rungs)
Love and Reproof...
[ The following entry is related to our Torah portion this week, parashat Devarim... ]
08.06.24 (Av 2, 5784) Just before Moses began his reproof of Israel, he declared his love and faith in the people: "The LORD your God has multiplied you until you are today as numerous as the stars in the sky (כְּכוֹכְבֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם). May the LORD, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times more as you are (כָּכֶם), and bless you, as He promised you" (Deut. 1:10-11). Moses first brought up God's great love for the Jewish people before he began his admonition. Notice he used the word kachem (כָּכֶם, "as you are") in this blessing. May the LORD multiply you - as you are - a thousand times! You are beloved; you are worthy: may the LORD bless you a thousand times over!
Were these people perfect then? Obviously not, as would be clear through Moses' later admonition to them. Nonetheless, Moses used a "good eye" to see their potential as God's chosen people. Here was this ragtag group of of desert wanderers, descendants of slaves from the "house of slavery," whom the LORD God Almighty personally redeemed to be His own treasured possession. Despite their failures in the past and all that went before, Moses reminded them that they were esteemed as mamlechet kohanim v'goy kadosh (מַמְלֶכֶת כּהֲנִים וְגוֹי קָדוֹש), a "kingdom of priests and a holy people" (Exod. 19:6).
Moses' approach gives insight about how we might attempt to correct the people we truly love. Often people become defensive when they are criticized and stop listening. Adding sincere praise and encouragement helps them open up to our message, since it is grounded in a sense of respect and value for their well-being. God thinks highly of the Jewish people, and that is the very first thing to be heard. God greatly esteems us, too. Despite the fact that we are sinners, God truly loves us. He considers us worthy to be saved. Again, why else did Yeshua suffer and die on the cross if God did not value our lives so much?
The essence of the law is mercy, and shame is never the goal of the Torah. As King David prayed: Elohai bekha vatachti; al-avoshah (אֱלהַי בְּךָ בָטַחְתִּי אַל־אֵבוֹשָׁה): "My God, I trust in you; let me not be ashamed" (Psalm 25:2). Some people use the idea of God's "law" as a sort of club to hammer a sense of guilt upon the soul. They insist that man is "totally depraved" and under God's death sentence. Such people then hope to explain the good news of the gospel to escape God's righteous wrath for sin. These people, perhaps well-meaning, forget that the LORD is "near" - karov- to the brokenhearted. This adverb means "close enough to touch." The same root is used for the word korban (קָרְבָּן), an offering that draws us near to God, as well as karov (קָרוֹב), a near kinsman. In other words, God's desire has always been for people to draw near to Him, and He has always provided a way for people to do so -- even those who lived under the terms of the Sinai Covenant.
Guilt (אַשְׁמָה) is an objective state of being sinful that may or may not be accompanied by feelings of remorse, but shame (בּוּשָׁה), at least in its toxic sense, is a state of soul that regards itself as fundamentally flawed, inadequate, and essentially unlovable. God does not want us to grovel in self-disgust or live in constant fear of His judgment. He does not want us to hate ourselves or to regard ourselves as unlovable. On the contrary, as His creation, He loves us and finds us of value and worth. Why else would he have given His Son up to ransom us from sin and death? Like a parent who loves his child but wants to correct him by saying, "this doesn't become you," so God wants us to remember who we really are. He wants us to "walk in love" as His "dear children of light" (Eph. 5:8). God's correction is meant to form His character within us, and this first must begin with our assurance of our value, dignity, and worth in His eyes.
We are commanded to judge with tzedakah, with love as our underlying assumption. If God so commands us, surely we can trust that He likewise judges us this way. God's love is his essence - "God is love" (ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν) - and He regards you as worthy to receive His love and blessing. He loves you b'ahavat olam - with "an everlasting love" (אַהֲבַת עוֹלָם), and therefore in chesed he draws you to Himself (Jer. 31:3). Why else would Yeshua die on the cross unless He expressed God's desire to judge others favorably?
Be encouraged, chaverim. As God's personal creation, you are "fearfully and wonderfully made" and you have a future and a hope in the world to come (Jer. 29:11). "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love" (1 John 4:18). Keep hope. God's love never fails (1 Cor. 13:8).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 25:2 reading (click for audio):
Whispers of the Heart...
08.06.24 (Av 2, 5784) From our Torah portion this week (i.e., parashat Devarim) we read: "You were not willing to go up but rebelled (i.e., מָרָה, grew bitter) at the word of the LORD your God. And you whispered in your tents and said, 'Because the LORD hates us he has brought us out of the land of Egypt...'" (Deut. 1:26-27). We may decry the childish insolence of the people, we lament their lack of faith, and yet God was still speaking through Moses to Israel...
The sages ask whether we can ever be justifiably angry at God, and answer that we can, because otherwise we could never love Him "bekhol levavkha," with all our heart (Deut. 6:5). Indeed, how can we claim to love God if we withhold the truth, lie to ourselves, and attempt to hide who we really are from Him? If you are angry at God, he already knows, so why the pretense? Being angry with God is part of being a real person in a real relationship with Him, and allowing yourself to express the truth of your heart to him is a sign of trust...
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 139:4 reading (click):
Rapture and Tribulation...
[ Israel is the "super sign" of God's faithfulness to the world... !עם ישראל חי ]
08.05.24 (Av 1, 5784) Chodesh Tov, chaverim. We read in Psalm 83 about the plight of Israel near the end of days: "O God, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God! For behold, your enemies make an uproar; those who hate you have raised their heads. They have taken crafty counsel against your people, and consulted together against your sheltered ones. They say, "Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more" (Psalm 83:1-4). Note that the ancient names of the ten enemy nations listed in Psalm 83 correspond to modern day political states surrounding the State of Israel today....
With the brazen atrocities perpetrated by "Hamas" and "Hezbollah" on Simchat Torah, October 7, 2023, the "Psalm 83" war may be under way, as Israel is now fighting this coalition of enemy nations (on multiple fronts) that seek to destroy and uproot the Jewish people living in their ancient homeland. Note further that while this regional war with the coalition of the ten nations may serve as a prelude to the "Great Tribulation," it is not to be confused with the coming "Gog and Magog" war that will involve Iran (Persia), Turkey, Syria, and Russia, among others...
Nevertheless the "Israel-Hamas war" -- which includes militant factions in Gaza, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iran, among others - presents a significant sign that the "End of Days" (אחרית הימים) is indeed upon us. And with Russia in league with Iran and Syria, the world is at the cusp of the prophesied "Gog-Magog" War that will likely reveal the Messiah of evil ("Antichrist") and the beginning of Daniel's 70th Week. Before the Great Tribulation of plagues (i.e., the seven seals, trumpets, and bowls mentioned in the Book of Revelation) are released upon the world kingdoms at the end of the age, however, God's people will be "called up" to meet the Lord in the air, escaping from the wrath to come (1 Thess. 4:16-17; 5:9).
Near the end of the "Great Tribulation" period yet another war will be fomented - a last ditch effort for Satan to destroy Israel - wherein the nations of the world will be gathered together to engage in a final and climactic attempt to foil God's plans. This is sometimes called the "Battle of Armageddon" (i.e., הר מגידו, "the mount of Megiddo") that most people think of as the terminal war at "End of the World" (יום יהוה הגדול). However, Yeshua will appear with myriad of the tzaddikim and put a decisive end to the global mayhem. The Kingdom of Zion will then be inaugurated as Yeshua is recognized as the Sovereign LORD our Redeemer, the King and Savior of Israel. Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that He is the LORD, the great King of Israel. The "Millennial Kingdom" will then be established and all the prophetic promises given to Israel will finally be fulfilled... Amen, בוא ה' ישוע - come Lord Yeshua!
Some people have taken issue with my suggestion that the Israel-Hamas War may "portend" the imminent rapture of Yeshua's followers, and while I agree that this conflict may not escalate to World War III, and so on, I am nevertheless confident that followers of Yeshua will not go through "the Great Tribulation" (הַצָּרָה הַגְּדוֹלָה) but will escape from the wrath of God. That is not to say that we will not see increasing forms of "tribulation" in the earth during the time leading up to end of days, "birth pangs of Messiah" (חֶבְלֵי מָשִׁיחַ), but Israel will undergo the "time of Jacob's trouble" (עֵת־צָרָה לְיַעֲקֹב) and God will intervene to save and vindicate his people. This view is sometimes called "pretribulationalism" (as opposed to "mid- or post-tribulationalism) because it believes that the "church" will not go through the time of God's wrath upon the earth, just as Israel was divinely sheltered in Goshen during the time of the plagues of Egypt, and just as Noah was spared from going through the time of the great flood that overwhelmed the world.
The "pretribulational" hermeneutic (i.e., interpretative filter) has its place in the discussion of eschatology because it makes sense of Daniel's prophecies of the 70 weeks (Dan. 9:20-27), and it fits well with other prophetic teachings from the New Testament, including Yeshua's distinction between the "Second Coming" at the end of the age and his promise to his followers that he was going to prepare a place for them and then come for them (cp. Matt 24 with John 14-17; Isa. 26:20). The last days of Israel and the last days of the "church" simply do not match. Moreover, Paul's teaching to Thessalonians (see 1 Thess. 4:13-5:11) further indicates a distinction between being "snatched away to the clouds" (ἁρπαγησόμεθα ἐν νεφέλαις) "to meet the Lord in the air" and the Second Coming of Messiah and the End of the World. In this passage Paul sought to comfort those who thought they were about to experience the "Day of the LORD" and the wrath of the Great Tribulation to come, but Paul assured them otherwise.
In this connection it is also noteworthy that the "church" (i.e., ἐκκλησία) is no longer mentioned as being on the earth in the Book of Revelation following chapter 4 -- a strange and obvious omission, especially when we consider many other New Testament Scriptures that warn believers against ungodly living, to be on guard for false teaching, and to endure persecution, but they are silent about the preparing for the great judgment (wrath) that will befall the world.
Moreover, the pre-tribulation rapture doctrine coheres with the Torah's mo'edim (holiday schedule), with allusions given in Yom Teruah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot (fall harvest) and even in the holiday of Shavuot (spring harvest). The seven days of "sheva berachot" connected with a Jewish wedding, the "Bema" judgment of believers, etc., all are things set apart from the idea of the Second Coming and the establishment of Zion in the earth...
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I do not have time to fully expound all this here, and people may disagree about the details of the last seven years of history before the Second Coming, but it is certain that the homeland promised to the children of Israel by the LORD God Almighty is presently surrounded by numerous regional enemies that are identifiable through Torah study (e.g., Philistines/Gaza, Ammon/Jordan, Ishmael/Saudi Arabia, etc.), and that this political situation undoubtedly adumbrates the "end of the age" and the lead up to the Great Tribulation period itself. Yeshua clearly taught this and urged us to know the "times and the seasons" outlined in his teaching.
Though no one knows the day or hour of the return of Yeshua our Messiah (see Matt. 24:36; Acts 1:7), there are clues given in Scripture about the conditions of the world before His return, and Yeshua himself gave us parables admonishing us to actively be looking (Matt. 24:2-14; 25:1-13). The Apostle Paul said that followers of the Lord can know the "season" of Messiah's return, and warned that He will come "as a thief in the night" - not in the revelation of great power and glory at the end of the age (1 Thess. 5:2-6). Moreover, Paul forewarned of the rise of worldwide godlessness (2 Tim. 3:1-7) and even of the flagrant apostasy of the "institutionalized" church (1 Tim. 4:1-3), which is of course evident today... Other Scriptures foretell of the coming One World Government, the rise of the Messiah of evil (Antichrist) whose "god" will be the "security state" (Dan. 11:38), the persecution of the national Israel (a nation miraculously restored to the promised land), the rebuilding of the Temple, the coming Great Tribulation, and so on. "When these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near" (Luke 21:28).
Regarding the "world system," however, we have quite a different vision... The LORD God Almighty has vowed to break the pride of the "kings of the earth" with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel, and the shattering will be so ruthless that among its fragments not a shard will be found with which to take fire from the hearth, or to dip up water out of the cistern (Psalm 2:9; Isa. 30:14). For from His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty (Rev. 19:15). Nebuchadnezzar's great dream will soon be fulfilled: "As you looked, a Stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, breaking them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth" (Dan. 2:34-35). "And the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed ... and it shall stand forever" (Dan. 2:44). One day the edifice of man's godless pride will come crashing down, and there will be no trace left of its rubble...
Yeshua told his followers: "Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also" (John 14:1-3).
This alludes to the prophecy given in Isaiah, "Your dead shall live; together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. For behold, the LORD comes out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; the earth will also disclose her blood, and will no more cover her slain" (Isa. 26:19-20).
Note the parallels here. Yeshua said he was preparing a "secret place of refuge" for his followers while the great "indignation" or Great Tribulation (הַצָּרָה הַגְּדוֹלָה) would befall the devil's reign within the world system. Indeed, he told us that after he was done preparing this secret place he would come and take us away to celebrate God's sheltering love during this momentous time -- and that is what the "rapture" is all about! Amen, maranatha Yeshua!
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 91:1 Hebrew reading (click):
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Addendum: I have friends who are mid-tribulational, or "pre-wrath," and some who are even post-tribulational (yikes), and I have discussed the issues with "preterists" who believe that the prophesied "End of Days" has already occurred, etc. (they skip over Yeshua's teaching about the Great Tribulation and think the only thing left is the eternal bliss and glories of heaven that awaits all who believe). I have only met some "amillenialists" while in college, though its viewpoint denies the promised Millennial Kingdom -- and it therefore implies that God has failed Israel. "Historic Premillenialism," however, is a mixed bag, since its draws its thinking from replacement theology and anti-Israel theology. Let us follow the rule of mercy as St. Augustine once stated: "In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity."
The Entreaty of Moses...
[ The following entry is related to our Torah portion this week, parashat Devarim... ]
08.05.24 (Av 1, 5784) Various commentators regard Sefer Devarim (i.e., the Book of Deuteronomy) as Moses' final warning to Israel in light of their repeated failures and setbacks. Some (primarily Christian) commentators even go so far as to say that the book represents an indictment against the Jewish people that warrants regarding them as a God-forsaken people. (This is essentially the repugnant doctrine of "replacement theology" that denies ethnic Israel has a future and a hope in God's plan of salvation.) Even many Jewish commentators, among them Rashi, seem to focus on Moses' rebuke (i.e., tochachah: תּוֹכָחָה) of Israel and regard the book in a negative light. Because of this, it should be stressed at the outset that Moses' correction of Israel - including his review of the unseemly history of the desert generation - was primarily intended to remind the Jews of their high calling, their new identity, and their preciousness as God's people. As will be seen, Moses wanted the people of Israel to remember their identity as am segulah (עַם סְגֻלָּה), God's "treasured possession among all peoples" (Exod. 19:5). Moses' admonition (מוּסָר) functions more like the plea of a father to his children to walk in a manner that is worthy of his name than a stinging rebuke of the sins of his children. "My son, despise not the discipline (musar) of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction (tochachah). For whom the Lord loves he corrects; even as a father the son in whom he delights" (Prov. 3:11; cp. Heb. 12:5-6). Therefore we read, "Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son (כַּאֲשֶׁר יְיַסֵּר אִישׁ אֶת־בְּנוֹ), the LORD your God disciplines you (הוה אֱלהֶיךָ מְיַסְּרֶךָּ)" (Deut. 8:5).
To underscore this point, notice that just before Moses began his reproof of Israel, he declared his love and faith in the people. "The LORD your God has multiplied you until you are today as numerous as the stars in the sky (כְּכוֹכְבֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם). May the LORD, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times more as you are (כָּכֶם), and bless you, as He promised you" (Deut. 1:10-11). Moses first brought up God's love for the Jews before he began his admonition. Notice he used the word kachem (כָּכֶם, "as you are") in this blessing. May the LORD multiply you - as you are - a thousand times! You are beloved; you are worthy: may the LORD bless you a thousand times over! (How different is this picture of Moses than the typical cartoon made of him by many who envision him smashing the tablets as if that were his "last word" on the subject of the Torah to Israel!)
Were the people perfect then? Obviously not, as would be clear through Moses' later admonition to them. Nonetheless, Moses used a "good eye" to see their potential as God's chosen people. Here was this ragtag group of desert wanderers, descendants of slaves from the "house of slavery," whom the LORD God Almighty personally redeemed to be His own treasured possession. Despite their failures in the past and all that went before, Moses reminded them that they were esteemed as mamlechet kohanim ve'goy kadosh (מַמְלֶכֶת כּהֲנִים וְגוֹי קָדוֹש), a "kingdom of priests and a holy people" (Exod. 19:6).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 94:12 Hebrew reading (click):
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He Carries us Through...
[ The following entry is related to our Torah portion this week, parashat Devarim... ]
08.05.24 (Av 1, 5784) Chodesh Tov Av, chaverim. From our Torah this week (Devarim) we read: "The LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place" (Deut. 1:31). Part of the miracle of faith is coming to believe that you matter to God – that you are his child, and that your thoughts, words, and deeds all are of his concern.
You may be tempted to regard yourself as unseen and powerless before the Creator of the universe. How is it possible for anyone to serve the Infinite One, since "even the heavens, and the heaven of heavens, cannot sustain You" (1 Kings 8:27)? Are we not made of clay, whose foundation is but dust? (Job 4:19).
Here the miracle of faith believes that God, the LORD and Source of all life, seeks relationship with you, and that He makes place within Himself to hear you, to engage your life, and to walk with you... Indeed, "the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us:" God emptied himself (κενόω) and clothed himself with human dust so that we could be touched by His love. The LORD carries us through our exile so that we might know and trust him...
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 46:4b reading (click):
"And just as we have borne the image of the man of dust,
so we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven" (1 Cor. 15:49).
Shavuah Tov Podcast:
Parashat Devarim...
08.04.24 (Tammuz 29, 5784) Our Torah reading this week (i.e., parashat Devarim) is the very first portion from the Book of Deuteronomy (ספר דברים), which is always read on the Sabbath that precedes the solemn and somber holiday of Tishah B'Av (תשעה באב). In Jewish tradition, this Sabbath is called "Shabbat Chazon" (שַׁבַּת חַזוֹן), "the Sabbath of Vision," since the Haftarah that is read (i.e., Isa. 1:1-25) comes from the vision of the prophet Isaiah regarding the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. In both Jewish tradition and liturgy, teshuvah (repentance) and confession of sin are the themes of this prepatory Sabbath.
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 1:9 reading (click):
Parashat Devarim:
The Summary Book of Torah...
[ "Reviewing a lesson a hundred times cannot be compared with reviewing it a hundred and one times." - Hillel the Elder ]
08.04.24 (Tammuz 29, 5784) Shavuah tov v'chodesh tov, friends. The concluding book of the Torah of Moses is called "Devarim" (i.e., דברים, "words" or "things"), from the phrase eleh ha'devarim ("these are the words...") found in its opening verse. In our English Bibles, Sefer Devarim (ספר דברים) is known as the "Book of Deuteronomy," from a Greek word meaning "second (or repeated) law" (δευτερονόμιον), a term used to translate the phrase mishneh ha-Torah ("copy of the Torah," Deut. 17:18).
Generally speaking, the Book of Devarim represents Moses' "farewell address" to Israel, where he reviews and summarizes the history and the laws given to the people and repeatedly warns that obedience will bring blessing while disobedience will bring disaster. The series of personal discourses (or sermons) in the book all have the pleading tone of rebuke and admonition, and indeed some sages say it resembles a sort of "deathbed blessing" not unlike Jacob's blessing given to his sons.
Our Torah portion (i.e., parashah: פרשה) for this week is the very first section of the Book of Deuteronomy, which begins with Moses recounting the journey from Mount Sinai to the edge of the promised land. Moses mentioned the difficulty of personally governing the people and recalled how he set up a system of judges to help him administer justice among the various tribes. Moses then reminded the people of the tragic sin of the spies and the rebellion of the people at Kadesh Barnea, which led to God's decree that no one of that generation would live to enter the land of Canaan (except for Caleb and Joshua). Moses then provided an outline of the 38 year exile of the Israelites back toward the Sea of Reeds, into the desert regions, and then back again until the subsequent generation was ready to enter the promised land. For more information, see the links listed below.
In Your Father's Arms...
[ "God be praised that it is not because of my worthiness that God loves me; otherwise, I might at any moment die of fear lest the next moment I cease to be worthy." - Kierkegaard, Journals ]
08.02.24 (Tammuz 27, 5784) "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep..." After praying with my youngest son Emanuel before he goes to bed, and just after we have said our closing "amens," a moment of silence sets in and he often asks me to pray again so that he won't have scary dreams or be afraid. So we pray some more, asking the Lord to deliver him from his fears and to put "shields of his protection" all around him as he sleeps. And I think to myself, and isn't this what we are praying much of the time, after all -- not to be afraid? And not to be angry, which really is the same thing...
We may sometimes feel uneasy over our lives; we may wrestle with "inner demons" that lurk in the shadows of consciousness and seek refuge from them; we may feel fragile, powerless, stupefied, sad, guilty, remorseful, fearful, insecure, lonely... We call out to the Lord for his protection and deliverance. We need reassurance that He is there for us, that he's on the other end of our heart's cry, that he cares. But surely our deepest fear is that of ourselves - our own inner darkness - and whether we will be able to hold it together and not destroy ourselves. As Yeshua said, "If the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" (Matt. 6:23).
Our faith in God's love must be greater than the fear of our inner darkness -- those parts of ourselves that hide in the shadows. It is not simply trusting God to protect you from external evil but trusting God to deliver you from yourself - trusting him to heal you in the unconscious depths of your soul - that is the wound that evokes the raw cry of the heart. And more than that, our prayers are a cry for our Abba to be there for us, to take us up in his arms, to have him shush away our fears and say to us: "I love you; I am here with you..." Be at peace my beloved child.
Shabbat shalom and chodesh tov, chaverim.
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 41:13 reading (click for audio):
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Words of the Heart...
08.02.24 (Tammuz 27, 5784) During his lectures on Jewish values, Joseph Telushkin used to ask his audience if they can go 24 hours without saying any unkind words about, or to, anybody. Most people said no, they couldn't. Rabbi Telushkin then commended them for their honesty, but then pointed out that if he had asked them if they could go 24 hours without drinking alcohol and they likewise said they couldn't, wouldn't that mean they have a serious drinking problem? (Words that Hurt). His point is that if you can't go 24 hours without saying unkind words about others (or raging at the world), you have lost control of your tongue.
Yeshua said words express the condition of the heart, since "from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Luke 6:45). Therefore the root issue concerns the heart (לֵב), the "midst of the self" that wills, desires, and chooses how to interpret and describe the world. If we choose to see from a heart of fear, we will tend to use our words as a weapon; but if we see with a heart of faith, we will extend compassion and seek to build others up....
In the Book of Proverbs we read, "In the abundance of words transgression is not lacking: but whoever restrains his lips is wise" (Prov. 10:19). The Chofetz Chaim comments: "When people are preparing a telegram, notice how carefully they consider each word before they put it down. That is how careful we must be when we speak." As James admonishes us: "Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God" (James 1:19-20). Amen, "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my Strength and my Redeemer" (Psalm 19:14).
Hebrew Lesson:
Proverbs 10:19 reading (click):
Since our words represent our thoughts, the use of our tongues has to do with how we choose to think... "Think on these things..." We are instructed to "take every thought captive" (αἰχμαλωτίζω, i.e., lead away as a prisoner) to the obedience of Messiah... It is wise to restrain our speech, because, after all, we often have no idea what we are talking about, and therefore our words can become unruly and even dangerous. Whenever we open our mouth to speak, Heaven is listening (see Matt. 12:36-37).
Through a Glass Darkly...
[ "At every person's birth, there comes into an existence an eternal purpose for that person, for that person in particular. Faithfulness to oneself with respect to this is the highest thing a person can do. Indeed, it is a crime against heaven to disown your own heart." - Kierkegaard ]
08.02.24 (Tammuz 27, 5784) "We walk by faith, not by sight" - by hearing the Word of God, heeding what the Spirit of God is saying to the heart (2 Cor. 5:7; Rom. 10:17 )... For now we "see through a glass darkly" (1 Cor. 13:12) which literally means "in a riddle" (ἐν αἰνίγματι). A riddle is an analogy given through some resemblance to the truth, though quite often the correspondences are puzzling and obscure. Hence, "seeing through a glass darkly" means perceiving obliquely, looking "through" something else instead of directly apprehending reality.
We see only a reflection of reality, and our knowledge in this life is indirect and imperfect. This is contrasted with the "face to face" (פָּנִים אֶל־פָּנִים) vision and clarity given in the world to come, when our knowledge will be clear and distinct, and the truth of God will be fully manifest and no longer hidden. Being "face to face" with reality means being free of the riddles, the analogies, the semblances, etc., which at best adumbrate our way.. Such reflection should make us humble whenever we share our faith. "Now we know in part, but then shall we know in whole" (1 Cor. 13:12). An honest theology must find a place for mystery, for "seeing through a glass darkly," and for the apprehension of awe and wonder.
Since God is the Infinite One (אֵין סוֹף) whose understanding is without limit (Psalm 147:5), we must use analogies, metaphors, symbols, allusions, parables, figures of speech, poetry, and other linguistic devices to convey spiritual truth and meaning. We compare (συγκρίνω) spiritual things with spiritual (see 1 Cor. 2:13). Some mystics have said the way to God is through the transcendence of words altogether, though most use imagery and poetry about "ineffable" reality. Others, like Soren Kierkegaard, use "indirect communication" to evoke the decision to believe, to find hope, and to walk by faith.
Yeshua regularly used parables and stories to communicate deeper truths about ultimate reality. He likened the human heart to "soil" into which the Heavenly Farmer plants seed; he wanted his followers to know God as their "heavenly Father," the idealization of family love, and so on. Often he was surprised at how dull his own disciples were regarding his use of spiritual analogies (Matt. 15:16, 16:9-11; Mark 8:17; John 6:22-66). Furthermore Yeshua often taught in parables because they simultaneously conceal and reveal the truth. A parable obscures the truth to those who don't really want it; just as it reveals the truth to those who do (Luke 8:9-10). Since Yeshua's whole life was a parable of sorts - a "disguise" that led to the victory of our deliverance (Phil. 2:7) - it is not surprising that he regularly used "figures of speech" to provoke people to examine their own heart attitude and faith...
In this connection note that Yeshua never explained the "mysteries of the kingdom of God" (סודות מלכות אלוהים) directly to the crowds, nor did He ever pander to the crowd's clamor or interests. His message is always meant for the individual soul who was willing to follow Him -- to the one who had "ears to hear." Yeshua will forever be the Face of God to us, our Mediator and Savior, blessed be He (2 Cor. 3:18).
Just as there are hundreds of Names of God revealed in Scripture, so there are many analogies (or stories) given to help us understand His heart. For instance, God is likened to a farmer, a shepherd, a caring neighbor, a tenant, a king, an impartial judge, a pottery maker, an investor, an employer, a jilted husband, a passionate lover, and so on. However, the analogy Jesus used the most was that God is our Father, and we are His children. As it is written in the Psalms, "Like a father pities his children, so the LORD pities those who fear Him" (Psalm 103:13). The most intimate Name of God is simply Abba (אבּא), a term of endearment for a child uses for his father. For those who can believe, the eyes of the LORD are like those of a loving father who greatly rejoices over the presence of his child.
Hebrew Lesson
Deuteronomy 29:29 reading (click):
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The Journey of Journeys...
[ Faith believes that God is on the other side of our sighs and hopes, listening in compassion... ]
08.01.24 (Tammuz 26, 5784) From our Torah portion for this week (i.e., parashat Masei) we read: "These are the journeys of the people of Israel (מַסְעֵי בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל) who went out of the land of Egypt..." (Num. 33:1). The sages ask why the word "journeys" (plural) was used here, since only the first journey – from Rameses to Sukkot – literally marked "yetziat mitzrayim," the going out of Egypt – and all the other journeys were outside of Egypt, into desert regions. They answer that the journey out of Egypt goes beyond the physical land into the spiritual - an exodus from captivity to the world into the realm of the spirit. As has been said, it took the LORD 40 days to get Israel out of Egypt, but it took 40 years to get Egypt out of Israel... The "journey out of Egypt" is therefore a journey of smaller journeys that leads to the awareness of deliverance.
Along the way we are repeatedly tested. The "desert experience" reveals what is hidden in our hearts... The murmuring and rebellion of the Israelites in the desert is our own, and our challenge is to find healing from our fears. Anger, doubt, boredom, cravings, and outright rebellion are symptoms of a deeper problem, and to change we must first confess our inner poverty, neediness, and emptiness (James 5:16). When we stop making excuses we can learn to trust in God's provision for our lives; we will taste of the heavenly manna and be satisfied; we will be delivered from our fears by be filled with God's love. The impulses that sought to lead us away from God will no longer be able to pretend to be the truth, since God's peace and love will direct the heart. We will begin to take hold of the promise...
Be encouraged my fellow sojourners walking by faith through the desert of this present world. The Torah uses a repetitious expression, "Sanctify yourselves and you shall be holy" (הִתְקַדִּשְׁתֶּם וִהְיִיתֶם קְדשִׁים) (Lev. 11:44) because when we make a sincere effort -- no matter how feeble at times -- to draw near to the LORD, He will draw near to us (Zech. 1:3; James 4:8; Psalm 145:18). Indeed the walk of faith is one of ascent and descent and ascent again: It's often "two steps forward, one step back..." It is a long road, a process, as we learn to obey and seek to grow closer to God. Authentic repentance doesn't imply that we will never sin or make any mistakes, of course, but rather means that the oscillating pattern of "up, then down, then up" is the basic way we walk. Our direction has changed for good; we have turned to God for life and hope. We now understand our sins in light of a greater love that bears them for us even as we draw ever closer to the One who calls us home...
Hebrew Lesson:
Zechariah 1:3 Hebrew reading (click):
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"I may live for thirty years, or perhaps forty, or maybe just one day: therefore I have resolved to use this day, or whatever I have to say in these thirty years or whatever I have to say this one day I may have to live — I have resolved to use it in such a way that if not one day in my whole past life has been used well, this one by the help of God will be." - Kierkegaard (Journals)
Seeing the Invisible...
[ In this age we catch only "glimpses" of God as we walk by faith, not by sight. Faith allows us "see" past the scrim of this world but for a moment. "For now we see through a glass darkly..." There awaits for us, however, just beyond the veil, the substance of our hope, and then we will behold His glory "face to face..." ]
08.01.24 (Tammuz 26, 5784) Two men walked along the "road to Emmaus" from Jerusalem after hearing about the empty tomb of Yeshua. Apparently these two men, named Cleopas and Simon, associated with the disciples of Yeshua and knew Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Mary the mother of James, as well Peter and John (Luke 24:22-24). However, for unknown reasons they had left from Jerusalem, perhaps to return to their home town after the Passover pilgrimage. While they were Jewish believers in the Lord, they struggled to make sense of what happened to Yeshua and why he was crucified...
"Now while they were talking and reasoning together, Yeshua himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not recognize him" (Luke 24:15-16). Their eyes were "restrained," the Greek verb indicates that they were withheld or prevented from seeing. This recalls how Mary Magdalene looked on and failed to recognize Yeshua at the empty tomb, supposing him to be a gardener instead (John 20:24-25).
Soren Kierkegaard comments that the Savior walks unseen on the way with us, as he did with these two sad people, but we are often unaware of his presence. "We wish, sigh, and are occupied, yet just as we can tell the time by observing the shadows our bodies cast, so we can tell a person's maturity by how near he thinks the highest is to him." Despite this, Yeshua's first post-resurrection revelation would come to these two unsuspecting men.
It's not as if Yeshua had not foretold of his death, burial, and resurrection before, but his message was somehow lost to the disciples and they could not seem to fathom its importance. Their eyes were likewise "restrained" (Matt. 16:21; Matt. 17:22-23; Mark 10:32-34, Luke 24:6-7). Nevertheless, Yeshua took the time to contextualize his mission with them: "And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, he expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself" (Luke 24:27). Still they were full of questions, their heads spinning over what they were being told. As they drew near to the village where they were going, Yeshua acted as though he wanted to go further. But they urged him, saying, "Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent." So he went in to stay with them (Luke 24:28-29). They felt lost; they couldn't keep up with what was being said, but the Lord was patient with them.
After awhile, as he was sitting at the table with them, Yeshua took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. And then came the great moment. Their eyes were suddenly "opened" and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight (Luke 24:30-31). He "vanished" because he did not wish to be known directly at this time (1 Cor. 13:12). He "hides" so that we may learn to seek Him. It is faith that sees, the "eyes of the heart" that recognize the miracle of God's grace revealed in Yeshua. This is the season wherein we "walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7); there is a coming day when all will finally be revealed (Rev. 1:7).
But what did these two men recognize? What did they see? What did they learn? Was it not that Yeshua embodies the words of Moses and the Prophets, and the Psalms, as he later reaffirmed to the other disciples who likewise had their minds opened so they could understand the Scriptures (see Luke 24:44-45)? Yeshua is the Lamb of God, the heart and center of divine revelation. "Then their eyes were opened" and they saw his brokenness, his wounds, his sacrificial death as the great "Passover of the LORD" given on our behalf. Their eyes were opened when they saw Yeshua lifted up upon the cross, the place where all people are drawn to God (John 3:14:-15; John 12:32).
The walk of faith is one of "unseen hope," even though our Lord is always close (Deut. 30:14). It was "toward the evening," with the day far spent, in the later hours that the glimpse was given, when the heart of faith finally recognizes that God has walked by his side all through the days of life. "What will death be like?" they asked the teacher. "It will be as if a veil is ripped apart and you will say in wonder, "So it was you all along!" (De Mello).
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July 2024 Site Updates
Witness of the Spirit...
07.31.24 (Tammuz 25, 5784) "Because you are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Child into your hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" (Gal. 4:6). Note here the Spirit does not cry out using "esoteric" or magical names for God, nor does the Spirit refer to one of God's many titles based on the divine attributes, but instead uses a term of intimacy and profound trust. After all, the word "abba" (אַבָּא) is not so much a name for God as it is a claim about who you are -- it is a confession that you belong to the Lord as his beloved child...
Throughout his ministry Yeshua referred to the LORD simply as his "Father," though he used the intensive address "Abba, Father" (Ἀββᾶ, ὁ πατήρ) just before his arrest and crucifixion, that is, during his intercession at Gethsamane (גַּת שְׁמָנִים), near the olive oil press on the Mount of Olives where the anointing oil for the Temple (שֶׁמֶן הַמִּשְׁחָה) was made, and therefore he called upon "Abba, Father" while in deep suffering and tribulation of heart (Mark 14:36). "Take this cup away from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will..." The mixed dialect of Hebrew and Greek here (i.e., Ἀββᾶ, ὁ πατήρ) indicate his identification with both the Jewish people and the Gentiles who would be united in his passion, as it was prophesied in the Holy Scriptures: shalom shalom la'rachok vela'karov: "Peace, peace, to him who is far off and to him who is near," says the LORD; "and I will heal him" (Isa. 57:19, Eph. 2:15).
Understanding God as your "father" is an intimate matter of the heart, an inner cry or groan coming from the miracle of spiritual rebirth. Like the divine name El Shaddai that connotes God as our Mother, "the Spirit bears witness to our spirit that we are God's children" (Rom. 8:16).
Hebrew Lesson
Isa. 12:2 Hebrew reading (click):
The Central Thing...
07.31.24 (Tammuz 25, 5784) From our Torah portion this week (i.e., Mattot) we read: zeh ha'davar asher tzivah Adonai (זה הדבר אשׁר צוה יהוה), "This is the thing the LORD has commanded" (Num. 30:1). The language here seems to suggest that there is only one matter that God has commanded, namely, to speak truth and to be faithful in our promises (Num. 30:2). This is because the sacredness of our word is the foundation for all our other responsibilities. After all, if our word is equivocal, it is unclear, unreliable, undecided, and therefore ultimately meaningless.... Insincere words are without genuine commitment, and the lack of decisiveness undermines all Torah. זה הדבר אשׁר צוה יהוה - "This is the thing the LORD has commanded," namely, to honor the truth; to keep faith in God's word; and to hold sacred your commitment before God. May the Lord help us be people of righteousness and truth. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Proverbs 8:7 Hebrew reading (click):
Be Still and Know...
07.30.24 (Tammuz 24, 5784) "Be still and know that I am God..." (Psalm 46:10). This is something you must do; you must make sacred space to know the Divine Presence; you must quiet your heart and "set the Lord before you" (Psalm 16:8); you must still those anxious thoughts that weigh in upon you, creating pressure and "dis-ease."
For a moment, let go of your will, your desires, your fears... Confess your frustrated attempts to control the world; abandon the insanity of your self-rule.
Worry is a place of exile and pain. Since God's Name (יהוה) means "Presence" and "Love," being anxious is to "practice the absence of God's presence" instead of practicing his presence...
A divided house cannot stand. Where it is written, "cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you" (1 Pet. 5:7), the word translated "anxiety" comes from a verb that means to divide into pieces. Bring your brokenness to God – including those distractions that make you distracted, ambivalent and afraid – and receive God's healing for your divided heart.
"Be still and know that I am God..." Notice that the Hebrew verb translated "be still" (i.e., rapha: רפה) means to "let go," to stop striving, stop complaining, and to surrender categorically everything to the care of God (Rom. 8:28).
Breath out a deep sigh and imagine leaning backward into the welcoming arms of God. "Being still" means letting go of your "need" to control things. Relax your hold and rely on God's care for your life instead.
Yeshua taught us to "take no thought" for tomorrow and its concerns (Matt. 6:34). The past is gone, after all, and the future is God's business: all you have is the present moment to call upon our Lord. Be faithful in the present hour, then, asking God for the grace and strength you need to endure yourself and engage the task at hand. In this way you will experience the peace of God "which surpasses all understanding" (Phil. 4:7).
"Be still and know that I am God..." Prayer is a type of listening (shema), a turning back to know the message of God's love and hope in Messiah. The Hebrew word "teshuvah" (תְּשׁוּבָה) means an answer or response to a question. God's love is your question, and your heart's response is the answer. In order to trust him you must push beyond your fear to know him.
Some of us may find it difficult to trust, to open our heart to receive grace and kindness. For those wounded by abandonment, it can be a real struggle to hear the voice of God calling you "beloved," "worthy," "valued," and "accepted." When you find faith to receive God's word of love, however, your heart comes alive and you begin to heal... Yeshua speaks words of comfort: "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet still believe" (John 20:29), and this includes those with secret wounds that remain a source of sorrow: blessed are you when you believe.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 46:10 reading (click):
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Quieting your heart allows you to hear the holy Spirit's whisper: "It is I; do not be afraid..." Once the storm of anxiety dissipates, your heart can access the truth of God. The Spirit asks us to do teshuvah: "In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength" (Isa. 30:15).
The Reign of God's Spirit...
07.30.24 (Tammuz 24, 5784) Yeshua told his followers that the Kingdom of God (i.e., mamlekhet Adonai: ממלכת יהוה) is "within you" (Luke 17:21). This teaches us that the reign of the Spirit is not to be found "out there," nor is the kingdom to be regarded as a political structure of this world, but is realized in spiritual relationship - namely, in redeeming communion between the LORD God with your heart and your heart with the LORD God: וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת יְהוָה (Deut. 6:5).
When we learn to believe clearly, that is, when informed by the truth of God's salvation and yielding to the authority of his heart, Yeshua says we experience the divine Presence within and among ourselves (John 8:32). As we turn to God, we understand that who we are is more vital than our outer appearance and contingent circumstances, and even more important still is who we are in relation to the blessing of our Heavenly Father. Life in the kingdom means having a new identity, being a new creation (בְּרִיָּה חֲדָשָׁה), and that changes everything (2 Cor. 5:16-17).
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 41:3 Hebrew reading:
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Guarding your Tongue...
07.30.24 (Tammuz 24, 5784) Our Torah portion this week (i.e., Mattot) begins with Moses instructing the leaders of the tribes, saying: "If a person makes a vow (נֶדֶר) ... he shall not break his word; but he shall do according to all he has said" (Num. 30:2). Notice that the phrase "break his word" literally means to profane (חָלַל) his word, which implies that breaking a promise is a type of profanity or spiritual defilement... If we do not honor and respect our words, we lose a sense of meaning, and the substance of what we say and think becomes unstable. Such double-mindedness leads to shame, since without inner conviction we become inwardly divided and fragmented, so that we no longer trust ourselves... Being honest (i.e., yashar: יָשָׁר) implies that what we say and what we mean are unified. An honest person doesn't play games with words but understands that communication is a sacred trust...
We have a moral obligation to speak truth to others. This is called dibbur emet (דברי אמת) in Hebrew. Dibbur emet, or "speaking truth," is the duty to use words and language with integrity, compassion, and justice. We abuse language when we gossip, slander, or express contempt to others, and therefore the Torah urges us to practice "shemirat lashon" (שמירת לשון), or "guarding of the tongue" (Psalm 34:11-18). Our Lord Yeshua warned us not make oaths but likewise taught that we should be trustworthy with our words: let your "yes" mean yes, and your "no" mean no (see Matt. 5:37). The talmud agrees by saying that 'no' is an oath and 'yes' is an oath." Our words are to be regarded as sacred, a confession of truth. God has made us inviolable promises, and we are never to play games with that. Just as His word is sacred, so we should strive to be sacred in our speech, too: "I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned" (Matt. 12:37).
The Torah states, "You shall not put a stumbling block (מִכְשׁוֹל) before the blind" (Lev. 19:14). In addition to its literal meaning, the word "blind" figuratively refers to a person unaware of all the facts and who is therefore made vulnerable. Someone who misdirects the blind deceives them, and this violates the 9th commandment not to bear false witness (Exod. 20:16; 23:1). Such deception is called genevat da'at (גְּנֵבַת דַעַת), or "stealing the mind," since it defrauds the other person's trust. For example, it is common practice for politicians to disclose only what they think others need to know, and therefore they offer incomplete versions of truth for the sake of their own self-serving interests. Lying to others is a violation, then, of both the commandment not to steal and the commandment not to bear false witness. "The righteous person hates lies" - דְּבַר־שֶׁקֶר יִשְׂנָא צַדִּיק (Prov. 13:5).
Hebrew Lesson
Proverbs 13:5 reading (click):
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"Deliver me, O LORD, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue" (Psalm 120:2). The sages say that the virtue of eminut (אֲמִינוּת), or trustworthiness, begins with learning to trust others... Parents are therefore responsible to fulfill their commitments to their children. Rabbi Zera said, "One should not say to a child, 'I will give you something' and then not do so, since that teaches the child to lie" (Sukka 46b). People learn to lie from a sense of betrayal, from the mismatch between professed words and reality. The breakdown of trust leads to the evasive use of words to protect ourselves. We tell others what we think they want to hear or we mislead them to keep ourselves safe. Breaking promises wounds others, and children can learn to become hardhearted, untrusting, and fearful of intimacy as a result.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 19:14 reading (click):
The Sanctity of your Heart...
[ The following entry concerns this week's Torah reading, parashat Mattot-Masei... ]
07.29.24 (Tammuz 23, 5784) From our Torah portion this week (i.e., Mattot) we read: "Speak to the children of Israel, and say unto them, 'When ye are passed over into the land of promise… drive away all the inhabitants of the land before you; destroy all their carved images, all their molten images, and demolish their high places'" (Num. 33:51-52).
The Hebrew term for idolatry is "avodah zarah" (עֲבוֹדָה זַרָה), which literally means strange or "foreign" worship... The worship of anything other than the true God, whether it is pleasure, money, fame, control, security, self-improvement, health, religion, etc., is regarded as foreign, since it alienates us from the truth of reality. We were created to be in relationship with God but we lose sight of this truth whenever elevate what is finite to the status of the infinite. Indeed idolatry is the substitution of what is not-god (לא־אֵל) for the sacred, absolutizing the present and worshiping the temporal. Since our greatest good is found in the eternal verities of the divine communion, the Lord cannot give us an absolute good apart from Him, since there literally is no such thing. "No one can serve two masters," Yeshua said, and "a divided house cannot stand." For our own good, then, God necessarily is the Ultimate Concern of our life, and he wants to spare us the pain, disappointment, and trauma of being double-minded, disintegrated, and full of inner conflict. Spiritual warfare therefore means taking every thought captive before the bar of God's truth, rooting out and destroying all our inner idols so that we can be delivered from the anguish of uncertainty and ambivalence.
What is at stake here is your inner life, or rather the threat of the disintegration of your deepest essence into a fragmented multiplicity without center... The soul must be grounded in Reality or it is lost, dissipated in existential dread and despair. Yeshua said that when your eye is "single" (ἁπλοῦς), your whole being will be full of light (Matt. 6:22), which means that being single-minded and wholehearted unifies and heals the soul.... Being pulled in opposite directions is both painful and debilitating, for there is no overarching reason to direct the will in its decisions. Hating and loving the good is the ambivalence of despair. Being both willing and unwilling weakens the soul, but seeking the good and making God your ultimate concern binds up the broken heart and centers the will. "Your faith has made you whole..."
The Voice of Wisdom speaks: "Guard your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life" (Prov. 4:23). The heart, that is, the willing and desiring center of the self, is to be proactively guarded, and for this sacred task God offers us heavenly comfort and resolve. Courage does not chase away or deny fear and despair, but instead gives us determination to persevere despite these feelings. "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope thou in God" (Psalm 42:11). Courage expresses hope in the midst of the struggle; it finds strength to confront pain, danger, or grief with God's help. Courage is grounded in the decision to trust that God is with us, despite our circumstances or feelings of abandonment. How you choose to guard your heart from the corruption and hardness of the world will determine the "road" of your life. If you do not care to keep your heart open and soft, you will become cynical, weary, and more and more selfish. Your way will be lonely, suspicious, and dangerous. If, however, you keep yourself from the hardness of unbelief, you will experience compassion, encouragement, and the joy of loving others.
Hebrew Lesson:
Proverbs 4:23 Hebrew reading (click)
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Seeing God's Glory...
[ "To become sober is: to come to oneself in self-knowledge and before God as nothing before him, yet infinitely, unconditionally engaged." - Soren Kierkegaard ]
07.29.24 (Tammuz 23, 5784) The essence of temptation is distraction. Sometimes it's not the obvious lusts and allurements of the world that tempt us, but something more sinister, namely the slow process of being seduced away from what is most essential to our lives. God's truth should weigh upon our every thought and deed, but through various forms of distraction and self-concern we lose sight of this until he is no longer a primary factor in our daily thinking.
The Hebrew word for "glory" (i.e., kavod: כָּבוֹד) implies "heaviness" and significance. It is of "grave" concern, and regarding the LORD implies fear, awe, respect, honor, and even dread. In some cases it can imply "excessiveness" or "immeasurability." This is what is meant by the "weight of glory": God has infinite worth and value, and we do not know Him as we might know various things in the universe, but as the Holy One (הקדוש), the most important being in our lives (and in any possible world). God is of no significance if he is not of utmost significance, or as C.S. Lewis said: "Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important."
How does the truth of God "weigh in" on your life? Is it a source of magnetic attraction that directs and guides your way, or is divine truth incidental to your thinking? Is God an "afterthought" or a starting point for your decisions? Do you "seek first" the kingdom of God? (Matt. 6:33). How much do you allow God to affect your daily thought life and speech? Is relationship with God the priority of your existence? (Deut. 6:5). Is God the "ultimate concern" of your life, or is God essentially "weightless" or insignificant regarding the course of your life?
The great Commandment not to take the Name of the LORD "in vain" (see Exod. 20:7) implies that we must affirm the sanctity, meaning, significance, and worth of life itself. We must never live as though God does not exist, or, to state this positively, we must "set the LORD" always before us (Psalm 16:8). We must not waste our lives. It is therefore forbidden to ignore the miracle of existence, to scoff at the value of life, or to debase ourselves by refusing to receive the truth. We are to take every thought "captive" to the reality of the Messiah (2 Cor. 10:5). Everything belongs to God, and every moment that we have is beholden to Him...
Hebrew Lesson
Exodus 20:7a Hebrew reading (click):
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Finding deliverance from profane thinking requires concentrated focus, or "kavanah" (כַּוָנָּה). As it is written: "We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Messiah" (2 Cor. 5:10). We are instructed to "bring down reasonings" (λογισμοὺς καθαιροῦντες) and every high thing that is lifted up against the knowledge of God (κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ θεου) and to bring every thought "as a captive" to the obedience (ὑπακοὴν, from ὑπό: by, under, + ἀκούω: hear, obey) of Messiah. We can do this negatively by fighting against evil thoughts and censoring the inner evil of our hearts, or we can do this positively by being "captivated" by the words and love of Yeshua, and often we have to do both. This is the deeper meaning of "profanity" - to deny reality, to live in willful ignorance, and to miss the wonder of God's presence. If we sanctify God in our hearts, we will be far less likely to use God's name in vain, of course.
God invites you to come to Him for relationship... Since the LORD is a Person, He wants to know you as a person. He is not interested in formulaic prayers, religious rituals, or your membership at a particular religious organization. God wants to renew your inmost thoughts and heart. Drawing near to God is God's way of drawing near to you... In other words, as you draw near to God, He will draw near and touch you (James 4:8; Psalm 145:18; Isa. 55:6). This is the way of transformation and healing for the depths of our lives.
שִׁוִּיתִי יְהוָה לְנֶגְדִּי תָמִיד
כִּי מִימִינִי בַּל־אֶמּוֹט
shee·vee'·tee · Adonai · le·neg·dee · tah·meed
kee · mee·mee·nee · bahl-e·moht
"I have set the LORD always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken."
(Psalm 16:8)
This Week's Torah:
Parashat Mattot-Masei...
07.28.24 (Tammuz 22, 5784) This week we will read a "double portion" of Torah that concludes Sefer Bamidbar, or "the Book of Numbers." Our first Torah portion, called parashat Mattot (מַטּוֹת, "tribes"), begins with the LORD giving laws and prohibitions regarding the making of vows (nedarim). After this, the Israelites were commanded to wage war against the Midianites for seducing the people to sin at the incident of "Baal Peor." During the ensuing battle, the wicked sorcerer Balaam was killed, as well as five tribal kings of the land of Midian.
The tribes of Reuben and Gad (and half of the tribe of Manasseh) then asked permission to settle in the pasture land of Gilead (on the east of the Jordan), since they had large herds of cattle. At first Moses hotly disapproved of their request, since he feared that the other tribes would lose heart if these tribes stayed behind during the conquest of Canaan. However, when the tribal leaders made a vow to join the fight while their families remained in Gilead, Moses finally agreed.
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In our second Torah portion, called parashat Masei (מַסְעֵי, "journeys"), Moses recounted the various "stations" of the journey, and instructed that when the people crossed the Jordan into the land of Canaan, they were to drive out all the inhabitants and to utterly destroy all traces of their culture and religion. After this, the land would be divided by lot according to tribes of Israel, based on the size of each tribe. God then warned Moses that if the Israelites would not drive out the inhabitants of the land, they would become a "snare" to them, and God would then judge and exile the Israelites as he intended to do to the Canaanites.
The Israelites were then instructed to assign towns with surrounding pasture lands to the Levites. There were to be a total of 42 towns, chosen by lot and distributed throughout the land according to the size of each tribe. In addition, six more cities were to be given to the Levites and designated as "cities of refuge" to which a person who unintentionally killed another may flee to take refuge from an "avenger of blood" (i.e., next of kin). The death penalty required testimony from at least two witnesses and admitted of no "ransom" (plea bargain) to be offered in place of the murderer's execution. On the other hand, a person responsible for involuntary manslaughter of another was required to dwell within the confines of a city of refuge until the death of the High Priest, after which time he was free to return to his home without fear of retribution from an avenger of blood.
The Book of Numbers – and the historical narrative of the Torah itself – concludes with the resolution of the question of legal inheritance in the land just before Joshua would lead the people into the land of Canaan. The book ends with this statement: "These are the commandments and the rules that the LORD commanded through Moses to the people of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho."
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Resources:
Feeding God's Heart...
[ The following entry concerns this week's Torah reading, parashat Pinchas... ]
07.26.24 (Tammuz 20, 5784) As I've discussed elsewhere on the site over the years, the climax of the revelation at Sinai was not the giving of the Ten Commandments (עשרת הדיברות) to Israel but was instead the vision of the Altar of the sanctuary (מזבח המשכן). However -- as our Torah portion this week makes clear -- the central sacrifice upon this altar was the daily sacrifice (i.e., korban tamid: קרבן תמיד) of a defect-free male lamb with unleavened bread and wine. The LORD calls this "my offering" (קרבני) and "my bread" (לחמי) [Num. 28:1-8]. In other words, the service and ministry of the Mishkan (i.e., Tabernacle) constantly foretold the coming of the great Lamb of God (שה האלהים) who would be offered upon the altar of the cross to secure our eternal redemption (John 1:29; Heb. 9:11-12).
The sacrifice of the lamb represents "God's food," a pleasing aroma (ריח ניחחי), for it most satisfied the hunger of God's heart (Eph. 5:2). Indeed, Yeshua's offering upon the cross represents God's hunger for our atonement, our healing from the sickness of death, since it restored what was lost to Him through sin, namely, communion with his children. God could never be satisfied until He was able to let truth and love meet (Psalm 85:10).
Sometimes we say that we "hunger for God," but it is vital to remember that it is God who first hungers for us. God desires our love and fellowship. He comes to seek fruit among the trees - but does He find any? He walks in the cool of the day, calling out to us, but are we attuned to hear His voice? Do we accept the invitation to be in His Presence? When God "knocks on the door of your heart" to commune with you, what "food" will you be serving? (Rev. 3:20). Every day we are given an opportunity to "feed God" through expressing faith, hope, and love. Ultimately it is our obedience to the truth is what "feeds" Him: "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams" (1 Sam. 15:22).
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We "feed God" by offering heartfelt prayer, by walking in faith, by yearning for Him, by studying Scripture, by participating in corporate worship, by giving tzedakah, by performing acts of kindness (gemilut chasadim) for others, and so on (Heb. 13:15-16). Expressing our love for God is the deepest meaning of teshuvah, which is an "answer" or response to His great love for us (1 John 4:19). Just as God feeds and sustains us through His love, so we "feed Him" by our yearning, our prayers, our praise, and our worship...
For more on this subject, see "The Hunger of God's Heart."
Olam Katan - Small World...
[ "Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." - Martin Luther King Jr. ]
07.26.24 (Tammuz 20, 5784) It is written in our Torah portion for this week (i.e., Pinchas), "My offering, my food for my food offerings, my pleasing aroma, you shall be careful to offer to me at its appointed time" (Num. 28:2). Wait. Food for God? What need has the LORD for food? But by this is meant "as you have done it to least of these my brethren, you have done it unto Me" (Matt. 25:40). The offerings you make to tzedakah (giving charity, your time, your kindness, etc.) constitute food presented before the secret place of God's altar...
God created Adam alone, as a solitary being, made in the divine image, to teach us that to destroy a single life is to destroy an entire world, and to sustain a single life is to sustain an entire world. Therefore everyone should say: 'For my sake the world was created' (Talmud). Each of us is olam katan (עולם קטן), a small world that represents the large world. Indeed, one righteous human being can sustain the entire world, as it is written (Prov. 10:25), "the righteous is the foundation of the world" (וְצַדִּיק יְסוֹד עוֹלָם).
On the other hand, balance is of course required here. Each of us is olam katan, a small world, though, as Rabbi Noah of Lekhivitz once wisely said, "if we are small in our own eyes, we are indeed 'a world,' but if we are a 'world' in our own eyes, we are thereby made small." This thought obviously echoes Yeshua's teaching: "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted" (Matt. 23:12).
Hebrew Lesson:
Proverbs 29:23 reading (click):
There are assumptions we bring to the reading of Torah that affect how we read and what we will hear... The sages generally agreed that the greatest principle of Torah is to love your neighbor as yourself (Lev. 19:18), though Ben Azzai further said that even greater is the principle that God created man in His likeness (i.e., bid'mut Elohim, בִּדְמוּת אֱלֹהִים, in "outline" or "silhouette," the word demut [דְּמוּת] is a synonym of tzelem [צֶלֶם], a "shadow" or semblance) since then one cannot say, 'Since I despise myself I can despise another as well; since I curse myself, let the other be accursed as well.' Being made in God's likeness means how we regard ourselves will be the measure we regard even God Himself (1 John 4:20). Therefore the first commandment is always, "I am the LORD thy God..." (Exod. 20:2), since apart from faith, there is no Torah of any kind.
The Power of Forgiveness
[ "To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you." - Lewis B. Smedes ]
07.25.24 (Tammuz 19, 5784) In the Gates of Repentance it is written: "I hereby forgive all who have hurt me, all who have wronged me, whether deliberately or inadvertently, whether by word or by deed. May no one be punished on my account. And as I forgive and pardon those who have wronged me, may those whom I have harmed forgive me, whether I acted deliberately or inadvertently, whether by word or by deed." Amen...
Yeshua taught us to pray "forgive us as we forgive others," which implies that our forgiveness (of others) is the measure of our own forgiveness. In other words, as we forgive others, so we experience forgiveness ourselves... Forgiveness releases the hurt, the anger, and the disappointment so these feelings do not inwardly consume and exhaust our souls. And yet forgiveness must be self-directed, too, since refusing to forgive yourself denies or negates the forgiveness given from others. Forgiving yourself means admitting that you act just like other people, that you are human, and that you are in need of reconciliation too. We have to move on, past the shame, and to turn back to hope. As a Yiddish proverb puts it, "You are what you are, not what you were..."
It is written, "in many things we offend all," and therefore we must confess our sins one to another to find healing (James 5:16). However the practice of love overlooks a multitude of sins, and if we do not condemn those who offend us, then we will not need to forgive them for their offenses. Walking in God's love sets us free from the slavery of negative emotions such as resentment, bitterness, anger, unresolved grief, and so on.
I love this affirmation and prayer attributed to Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 263-339 AD): "May I be the friend of that which is eternal and abides. May I never quarrel with those nearest me; and if I do, be reconciled quickly. May I never devise evil against anyone; and if any devise evil against me, may I escape uninjured and without any desire to hurt them. May I love, seek, and attain only that which is good. May I wish for the happiness of all and the misery of none. May I never rejoice in the ill-fortune of one who has wronged me. When I have done or said what is wrong, may I never wait for the rebuke of others, but always rebuke myself until I make amends."
"May I, to the extent of my ability, give all needful help to my friends and to all who are in want. May I never fail a friend in danger. When visiting those in grief, may I be able by gentle and healing words to soften their pain. May I respect myself. May I always keep tame that which rages within me. May I accustom myself to be gentle, and never be angry with people because of circumstances. May I never discuss who is wicked and what wicked things he has done, but know good men and follow their footsteps."
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 18:25 reading (click for audio):
The Will to Believe...
[ "When you have to make a choice and don't make it, that is in itself a choice." - William James ]
07.25.24 (Tammuz 19, 5784) The central issue of your spiritual life is the willingness to do God's will, or the willingness to believe, since these amount to the same thing.... Believe what? That God is real, that He has (personally) called you by name, that he has particularly redeemed you by Yeshua's own blood poured out for your sins, and that therefore that your identity and life are bound up with his mercy and truth... Perhaps this message seems too good to be true, and yet it is the heart's duty to take hold of hope and to refuse to yield to despair, as it is written: "Let not love and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart" (Prov. 3:3).
The spiritual danger here is being "pulled apart" in opposite directions, dissipating the soul so that it will not be unified, focused and directed. Both loving and hating the good is a state of painful inner conflict, ambivalence, and self-contradiction. "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? there is not one" (Job 14:4), yet this is our starting point: "I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand" (Rom. 7:21). We are often willing and unwilling, or neither willing nor unwilling, and this makes us inwardly divided, weak, fragmented, anxious, and "soulless." An honest faith that "wills one thing" binds the soul into a unity, or an authentic "self." As King David said, "One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple" (Psalm 27:4).
The way to be healed of a divided heart is to earnestly make a decision: "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you" (James 4:8). There are no conditions given here -- other than your raw need to connect with God for help. "Purify your hearts, you double-minded ones" (δίψυχοι, lit. "two-souled ones"); make up your mind and be unified within your heart: "How long will you go limping between two different opinions?" (1 Kings 18:21). You are invited to come; God has made the way; your place at the table has been set and prepared...
Our Heavenly Father "sees in secret.." As William James once said: "The deepest thing in our nature is this region of heart in which we dwell alone with our willingnesses and our unwillingnesses, our faiths and our fears" (James: Is Life Worth Living, 1896). Or as Albert Camus later wrote, "There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide. Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy" (Myth of Sisyphus, 1942).
It is there, in the secret place of the heart, that the sound of the "knock" is either heard or disregarded (Rev 3:20); the stakes are nothing less than everything. May the Lord give us the willingness to do His will and the courage to believe in His love. And may God deliver us from doubt and from every other fear. May we all be strong in faith, not staggering over the promises, but giving glory to God for the miracle of Yeshua our LORD. May we all be rooted and grounded in love so that we are empowered to apprehend the very "breadth and length and height and depth" of the love of God given to us in Messiah, so that we shall all be filled with all the fullness of God (Eph. 3:14-19). Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Proverbs 3:3 reading (click):
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True and False Zeal...
[ "A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices." - William James ]
07.25.24 (Tammuz 19, 5784) You may be entirely sincere in your convictions, but you may be sincerely wrong... In the time of the Second Temple, for instance, the Zealots despised the rule of Rome. Their political hatred caused them to blindly regard anyone who didn't share their passion as a personal enemy. In one of the great tragedies of Jewish history, these Jewish zealots actually killed more Jews than did the Romans themselves! And how many Christians these days "kill" relationships with other believers because of their particular zeal regarding some doctrinal question? I am not suggesting that doctrine is unimportant, of course, but before you pick up that sword to do the business of Pinchas, you might do well to consider your heart's attitude...
"In this respect fundamentalism has demonic traits. It destroys the humble honesty of the search for truth, it splits the conscience of its thoughtful adherents, and it makes them fanatical because they are forced to suppress elements of truth of which they are dimly aware." - Paul Tillich
We need to be careful with our passions. There is a "false zeal" that leads to estrangement and confusion. Withholding love from others is ultimately grounded in an appeal to God as the administrator of Justice. It is an appeal to God as Elohim (אֱלהִים), not as YHVH (יהוה), the Compassionate Source of Life. If we insist on our rights, we appeal to principles of justice, i.e., to God as the Lawgiver. But if we intend to have God be the Judge of others, we must appeal to Him to be our own Judge as well. If we have an unforgiving spirit toward others, we will not receive our own forgiveness (Matt. 6:15); if we are judgmental toward them, we ourselves will be put on trial; if we are cruel and ungiving toward them, we will experience life as hellish, miserable and mean. This reciprocal principle of Kingdom life appears throughout Yeshua's teaching. According to your faith, be it done unto you (Matt. 9:29).
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 18:26 reading (click):
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Note: For more on this important topic, see "Parashat Pinchas: God's Greater Zeal."
The Suffering of Truth...
[ "One thing my father told me when we were separated, 'Don't forget where you come from. When all this is over, go home.' Those few words were the only reason I survived." - Harry Joseph Feldinger, a survivor of Auschwitz ]
07.25.24 (Tammuz 19, 5784) We may say that we should bless the Lord for the bad as well as for the good (Job 2:10), since we affirm that God does everything for our ultimate benefit (Rom. 8:28), and we may therefore infer that affliction is a "messenger" from above provoking us to do teshuvah. If we had greater understanding or more faith, we may suppose, then we would accept that our troubles and sorrows are really disguised "afflictions from love" and we would learn to accept them without protest or bitterness...
But that's how we might reason. And while it is true that we trust in God's providential plans for our lives, we still feel pain, we still get sick, we cry, we get frustrated, angry, and even feel forsaken at times. However we must not be offended over our frailty, our vulnerability, and our smallness of faith, friends. For God is with us, even when we are confused or unsure...
An old story relates how some disciples wondered why their rebbe wept when he was falsely imprisoned. Didn't he regularly teach them that all trouble is for ultimate good? Said the rebbe, "When God sends bitterness, we ought to feel it..." Can you imagine someone admonishing Yeshua not to weep during his intercession at Gethsemane saying, "Where is your faith, Master?" Don't you believe that God is working all things for good?" There is very little difference between these sorts of "questions" and the taunts Yeshua received when he bled out on the cross for our sins (Matt. 27:39-45; Luke 23:35-37).
Look, there is "theology" and then there is the passion of living out your faith. Theology offers up the "right answers" while living by faith raises unanswered questions. Theology is cognitive; trust is a matter of the will and of the heart. People who live way up in their heads often forget their hearts. From a "legalistic" point of view Job was wrong to have argued with God; Moses was wrong to have despaired over his mission; Jeremiah was wrong to have lamented over the destruction of Jerusalem; David was wrong to have cried out for justice over his enemies, and John the Baptist was wrong to have doubted the identity of Messiah, to mention just a few instances where we see that passion, hunger and thirst, overruled the doctrines taught in our theology books.
This reminds me of another story. A godly man died and was standing before the bar of the heavenly tribunal, undergoing questioning: "Did you learn Torah, as Moses had commanded?" he was asked. "No," he quietly answered. "Or did you pray with all your heart and soul, seeking God in all your ways?" he was asked. "No," the man again softly replied. "Well then did you do good, as implied by the categorical duty to care for others?" And again the man meekly said no... When the judgment was then given, however, the man was awarded divine favor, since he spoke the truth and appealed only to God's mercy and love. The tzaddik is truthful even in his untruth; he confesses his wayward affections and acknowledges his weakness before God; he accepts the imperfection at the core of his being, and therefore he appeals only to his great need for God's love and mercy to make things right, to heal him, and to bring him home...
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 73:25-26 reading (click for audio):
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Waking up to God's Heart...
07.25.24 (Tammuz 19, 5784) "When they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses" (Acts 1:6-8).
Now in this context the disciples had supposed that the festival of Shavuot, or "Pentecost," would finally herald the advent of the kingdom of Zion, and their supposition made sense, especially when we remember that Shavuot marked the "climax of Passover," the time when the Holy Spirit would write the Torah upon the heart, and so on (Jer. 31:31-33). Similarly, there are many believers today who look to "Yom Teruah" (i.e., "Rosh Hashanah") to signal the advent of the prophesied "End of Days" leading up to the atonement of national Israel and the second coming of Messiah, and again, this supposition makes sense, especially in light of the miraculous return of Israel to their ancient homeland after thousands of years of exile, the present conditions of the world, and the various prophetic signs that indicate the imminent time of tribulation for world -- and particularly for the people of Israel. And yet, despite all that, we are admonished to remember that "no one knows the day or hour" (Matt. 24:36) and that "it is not for you to know the times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority."
When we consider the "appointed times" of the LORD, we must remember that they are His appointed times, not ours, and therefore our focus should be directed to Him and not on our own speculations or understanding (Prov. 3:5-6). And while God assuredly gives wisdom and imparts revelation to us as we seek him, we nevertheless "walk by faith" (כִּי בֶאֱמוּנָה נִתְהַלֵּךְ) and not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7). We can apprehend prophetic significance in all of the mo'edim (holidays) of the Torah, and we can discern the general "times and seasons" (Matt. 24:32-33; Luke 17:26; Luke 19:44), but we must accept our limitations. For "we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. For now we see through a glass darkly (i.e., ἐν αἰνίγματι, "in riddles" or by "hints," the Hebrew word is chidot: חידוֹת); but then "face to face" (i.e., panim el-panim: פָּנִים אֶל־פָּנִים): now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known" (1 Cor. 13:9-12).
Meanwhile what is most important is the law of mercy (תורת הרחמים), which is the very essence of Torah, friends (Deut. 10:12; Micah 6:8; Zech. 7:9; Matt. 23:23). The principle that "the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27) means that our heart connection with our heavenly Father is what is of utmost importance, and the holidays - though important, meaningful, and significant - are a means to this greater end. Friends, if we miss the "weightier matters" of Torah, we miss the point of Torah altogether...
Hebrew Lesson
Micah 6:8 Hebrew reading (click):
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Substance and Hope...
07.24.24 (Tammuz 18, 5784) There is a secret and childish temptation to regard God as a sort of "Santa Claus" figure who rewards those who have been "nice" but punishes those who have been "naughty"... An implication of this (faulty) assumption is that God only blesses the worthy, so if our prayers and petitions seemingly go unanswered, we tend to suspect ourselves as being unworthy or unfaithful people... We may then try to bargain with God by promising to change and to "make ourselves" into better people. "If you will help me, then I will reciprocate by doing good." We reason that if we do good to others, then God will do good to us. This idea translates the notion that "God helps those who help themselves." We trust in the "law of karma" as the means for spiritual cause and effect.
Karma or "merit based" theology fails us, however, whenever bad things happen to good people, such as when a young child dies from an incurable illness. In such tragic cases people tend to look "beneath" appearances and posit hidden factors designed to deny or to appease the pain of the moment. Thus certain forms of Hinduism, for example, ascribe the suffering of innocent people to bad actions done in a previous life, while the "holier-than-thou" types (such as Job's friends) would persist that hidden sin was ultimately the cause for the suffering...
"To suggest personal will and effort to one all sicklied o'er with the sense of irremediable impotence is to suggest the most impossible of things. What he craves is to be consoled in his very powerlessness, to feel that the spirit of the universe recognizes and secures him, all decaying and failing as he is." - William James
Yeshua said "If you ask anything in my name, I will do it" (John 14:14), though it is important that we do not lapse into "magical thinking" when we hear these words. God is not some cosmic "genie in a bottle" that we can conjure up (through our religious rituals, our promises, etc.) to meet our needs but is a loving Heavenly Father who cares for our ultimate good.
"If you ask anything" therefore does not stand as an unqualified promise, and indeed, we often do not get what we want because we are not asking in the Name of Yeshua, that is, according to his vision, direction and will. "This is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him" (1 John 5:14-15).
But this becomes a point of testing for us. What if we have prayed earnestly for God to do something to help but the help does not come to pass? What if we have prayed with utmost urgency for the healing of a loved one but they die? What if we suffer from painful illness, or get divorced, or lose our jobs -- even though we have prayed to God for the very opposite? This is a serious matter that needs to be considered, for if we assume that God only gives to the worthy and disregards the faithless, then we will be tempted to despair and question whether we "really" believe, after all... Questioning whether you "really" believe leads to nagging questions about whether you "really, really" believe, ad infinitum (see James 1:3-8).
The will of God is to exercise faith in Yeshua as the healer of your life: "This is the work of God (τὸ ἔργον τοῦ θεοῦ), that you believe in the one whom he has sent" (John 6:29). The work of God is the miracle of faith, and true faith surrenders everything in trust to God's will. "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" (Matt. 6:9-10). This is the beginning of the "Disciples' prayer"; it is the signal of the new life of the Spirit at work within the heart...
"Faith is the foundation (i.e., ὑπόστασις: the "substance," reality, underlying essence, etc.) of hope, the conviction of the unseen... "By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, and was not found, because God had taken him; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would draw near must believe that he exists and rewards (μισθαποδότης) those who seek him" (Heb. 11:1,5-6). At first glance these verses may seem to support a theology of karma, but it is important to see that the conditions to be known by God are given by God himself in the impartation of the gift of faith (Eph. 2:8-10; Rom. 4:16; John 4:10; Exod. 33:19). The reward here is that of truly knowing God - being "translated" from the realm of death and despair to "walking with God" in realm of the Spirit, as the life of Enoch demonstrated.
Note that God is pleased when we seek his Presence, that is, when we when we look past the ephemera and ambiguity of the phenomenal world for the truth about spiritual reality (2 Cor. 4:18). For our part, faith resolves to confession (ὁμολογέω), that is, aligning our perspective and focus to agree with the revelation and message of divine truth and verbally declaring our conviction. We must say that we believe, and affirm it with all our heart (see Rom. 10:9). As it says, "I will make Your faithfulness known with my mouth" (Psalm 89:1). Even in times of testing, and particularly at such times, we trust God is in control of all that happens to us, both the good and the bad. "The trial of your faith is more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire" (1 Pet. 1:7). As Job confessed: יְהוָה נָתַן וַיהוָה לָקָח יְהִי שֵׁם יְהוָה מְבֹרָךְ - "the LORD has given and the LORD has taken away: may the Name of the LORD be blessed (Job 1:21).
Whenever we encounter tribulation, or experience some crisis of faith, let us reaffirm aloud: "I believe in God's promise..." Physically expressing our faith is itself an act of faith, and this encourages us to trust in God's healing reward even in the present struggle or darkness. Amen. "Seek the LORD and His strength; ask for His Presence at all times" (Psalm 105:4).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 105:4 Hebrew reading (click):
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Salvation and Sanity...
[ "At bottom the whole concern is with the manner of our acceptance of the universe. Do we accept it only in part and grudgingly, or heartily and altogether?" - William James ]
07.23.24 (Tammuz 17, 5784) It is written in our Scriptures (2 Tim. 1:7) that "God has not given us a spirit of fear (πνεῦμα δειλίας), but of power, and love, and a sound mind." Note that the Greek word for "sound mind" (σωφρονισμός) comes from a verb (i.e., sodzo: σῴζω) that means being made "safe" (i.e., soas: σωός) or healed because of the power and grace of the Living God. Understand, then, the connection between fear and confusion, and note further the connection between having a sound mind and a heart of peace and courage. "The work of righteousness shall be peace; and the service of righteousness shall bequietness and confidence for ever (Isa. 32:17). A fearful or shameful attitude (פַּחדָנוּת), then, weakens your resolve, quells your love, and introduces pain to your thinking. It is the old trick of the enemy of our souls to lead us unto despair, the exile of shame, and cruel bondage to untruth. As always the answer is the same: namely, teshuvah, turning to God and embracing the grace and love given in Yeshua as our deepest reality, our power, our heart, and our mind.
The Name of the LORD (יהוה) means "Presence" and "Love" (Exod. 3:14; 34:6-7). Yeshua said, "I go to prepare a place for you," which means that his presence and love are waiting for you in whatever lies ahead (John 14:1-3; Rom. 8:35-39). To worry is to "practice the absence" of God instead of practicing His Presence... Trust the word of the Holy Spirit: "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for healing peace and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope (Jer. 29:11). Chazak ve'ematz, chaverim!
Take comfort that your Heavenly Father sees when the sparrow falls; he arrays the flower in its hidden valley; and he calls each star by name. More importantly, the Lord sees you and understands your struggle with fear... Come to him with your needy heart and trust him to deliver you from the burdens of your soul (Matt. 11:28).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 25:1-2a reading (click):
The Gift of Desperation...
[ The following is related to our Torah for this week, Parashat Pinchas, which describes the daily offering of the lamb as God's "food" (Num. 28:1-8)... ]
07.23.24 (Tammuz 17, 5784) Many of us have been given the "gift of holy desperation." That's the special blessing of needing God so viscerally that you will fall apart or even self-destruct apart from His daily intervention in your life... "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:3). We groan in hope...
Our Torah portion this week (Pinchas) says that the fire on the altar was to be kept burning at all times (Lev. 6:12-13), which symbolizes esh tamid (אֵשׁ תָּמִיד), or the inner fire of the heart... How blessed it is to be full of the fire of this inner need, this relentless groaning, this constant hunger to be set free. Even more wonderful is how the korban tamid (קָרְבָּן תָּמִיד) - the daily whole burnt sacrifice of the lamb - represents Yeshua's ongoing and wholehearted passion for you to come alive to God's love... The heart of the Lord is offered to you in brokenness and compassion.
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 143:6 Hebrew reading:
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The Sigh of Faith...
[ "I have only one friend and that is echo. Why is it my friend? Because I love my sorrow, and echo does not take it away from me. I have only one confidant, and that is the silence of the night." - Soren Kierkegaard (Either/Or) ]
07.23.24 (Tammuz 17, 5784) "We groan inwardly as we eagerly await our redemption..." (Rom. 8:23). We sigh deeply because we are suspended between two worlds, living in the ambiguity of an already-not-yet expectation, enduring ourselves as imperfect vessels longing for perfection, trapped between what is and what will be, seeing the unseen, yearning for healing, believing that we shall never die, even as we die (John 11:26). We are restless for our eternal home and long for God's presence as we walk through shadowy vales, facing various temptations, whispering our prayers in the dark. And though we must learn endurance and trust in God's sovereign purposes, our faith nevertheless compels us to cry out both, "How long, O Lord?" and "Come, Lord Yeshua" (Rev. 22:20). Our ongoing challenge is to keep a trusting attitude despite our struggles, and therefore we inwardly pray: "Renew within me ruach nachon (רוּחַ נָכוֹן) - "a spirit that says Yes" (Psalm 51:10).
Surrender means accepting God's will for our lives -- saying "yes" to his promise of love, even if we presently feel empty inside and wonder how long we can hang in there... Saying "yes" implies saying "no" to other things - no to fear, anger and doubt, for example. Tragically there are people who have given up hope for bitterness and despair. Asking the Lord to give us a spirit of "yes" is really a prayer for focus, direction, and the willingness to keep pressing on to our heavenly destiny, especially when the way seems dark and hope seems distant.
Though life is a struggle, we do not lose heart or faint, since even though the outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed (i.e., ἀνακαινόω, "raised up") day by day. "For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, that is, substance and reality..." (2 Cor. 4:16-5:3). Meanwhile we must endure ourselves, deal with our resistance to mortification, and ask God for the great blessing of keeping us from evil so that we are not consumed by grief....
Hebrew Lesson:
1 Chronicles 4:10b Hebrew reading (click):
Losing and Finding yourself...
07.22.24 (Tammuz 16, 5784) Shalom chaverim. Many of us deal with inner conflicts, self-reproach, and meagerness of faith... It is reported that on his deathbed Reb Zusya said, "I am not afraid that the Holy One will ask me, 'Zusya, why were you not more like Moses?' Rather, I fear the Holy One will say, 'Zusya, why were you not more like Zusya?'" This Hasidic story is interesting because, on the one hand, how could Zusya be anyone other than he is? and on the other, why is Zusya afraid that he is not who he should be? Zusya's parable reveals that there is an inner conflict in his soul. He senses that has not lived as he ought, that he has failed himself (and God), and that he is lost in the rift between the ideal and the real... His struggle, then, is with himself. Who he is and who he thinks he should be are at odds within his heart.
The question of who we are meant to be haunts us, and consciousness of the failure to practice our ideals leads to a sense of guilt, anxiety, and shame. For those who believe in Yeshua the question is essential to the question of what it means to be an authentic disciple. How are we to live before God and be accountable for what we do? For instance, we read Yeshua's message in the Sermon on the Mount and we eventually realize - if we are honest with ourselves - that it is not within our nature to be able to do as he teaches, and this leads us to a despair not unlike that which Zusya experienced. A divided house cannot stand....
Reb Zusya's despair can be remedied only by overcoming the inner divide through a personal relationship with Yeshua, for salvation is not simply deliverance from the accusations of conscience (i.e., the verdict of the law) but constitutes the healing grace that delivers us from the sickness of sin within ourselves. Yeshua did not die on the cross to simply take away our sins, but to create within us indestructible new nature that it no longer enslaved to the power of sin. The message of the gospel is that your heart can be - and ultimately will be - transformed by the miracle of God given in Yeshua.
Salvation is not a matter of "religion" or of man's attempt to justify himself by some kind of reformation of character. Yeshua is not the "second coming of Moses," after all. Try as you might to live a "good life," keep the commandments, and aspire to elevate yourself spiritually, you will eventually come to realize that it is impossible to change yourself. You will then be faced with a decision: either to deceive yourself about who you are, or to be honest and confess your wretched and hopeless condition. This is the "lawful use of the law," that reveals the "ought-to-be" self, so that the gap between the ideal and the real becomes unsurpassable, and we know ourselves as lost sinners who are in peril over ourselves...
In our natural estate we are "fallen," shattered of heart, full of trouble "as the sparks fly upward." As Simone de Beavoir once wrote: "In the very condition of man there enters the possibility of not fulfilling who he is" (Ethics of Ambiguity, 1947). The breach between who we are and what we ought to be creates a sense of alienation from ourselves, a "shadow self" that we deny, suppress, or try to control. In a moment of rare lucidity, the "natural man" cries out to God: "What do you want from me?" This is the moment when truth has its opportunity, when the heart is stirred to confess its need for deliverance and to accept God's love, despite the brokenness and incoherence of life.
When by miracle we escape from the "hard yoke" of our laws, our vain attempts at self-justification, we do not encounter another set of laws, or another heavy yoke, but we take hold of the love of God, a personal love, and we engage in relationship with God as the central (and unifying) reality of our lives. Deliverance from ourselves is not found in religious (or "spiritual") recipes of any kind but in our connection with the truth of who God really is, trusting in his love and healing for all that we are, have been, and ever shall be, amen.
"Salvation is of the LORD," which means that God does the work of righteousness within you. It is God who saves you; it is God who sanctifies you, and ultimately it is God alone who heals you. Whenever you say "I can't," you are either looking at yourself or at God. If you are looking at yourself, "I can't" is better understood as "I won't," and the problem then is a lack of faith. On the other hand, if you are looking at God, "I can't" is followed by "but You can, O Lord" and faith trusts that God will complete the good work that he has begun in you.
It has been said that God sends each soul into the world with a special message to deliver, a revelation that only he or she can disclose... No one else can bring your message to this world - only you can do this. And since God is entirely unique, you are called to be who you were created to be, and not someone else. As George MacDonald once said, "I would rather be what God chose to make me than the most glorious creature that I could think of; for to have been thought about, born in God's thought, and then made by God, is the dearest, grandest and most precious thing in all thinking." That's the good news of the gospel, friends: God not only saves us from ourselves, he remakes us to be true bearers of his image and likeness. He works all things together for his glory and our good.
Amen, let it be so, O Lord!
Hebrew Lesson
Ezekiel 26:26a reading (click):
The Meaning of Life...
07.22.24 (Tammuz 16, 5784) The Hebrew word for "life" is chayim (חַיִּים), a plural noun that contains two consecutive letter yods (יי) that picture two "hands held together" (the Hebrew word yad [יָד] means "hand"), or the union of our spirit with God's Spirit. The word itself reveals that there is no life apart from union with God, who extends his hand to you and says, "Live in me" (John 15:4). Live in God, who is your life, your love, your light, your truth, your healing, your beauty, your breath, and your salvation. Yeshua is the Source of all life, and we find nourishment, strength, and fullness of joy as we connect with his life. The Lord is our light and our salvation, the Mediator of divine life (Psalm 27:1; John 1:4). The Voice of the LORD still speaks: "Take heart. It is I; be not afraid."
The word chayim can be read as chai (חי), "alive," combined with the particle im (אם), "if," suggesting that being alive is conditional on our connection with God in the truth. "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life (חַיֵּי עוֹלָם); whoever refuses the Son shall not see life, but the separation of God remains" (John 3:36). Life and peace are therefore inextricably connected, and those who refuse Yeshua, the Prince of Peace (שַׂר־שָׁלוֹם), therefore separate themselves from unity with God. Yeshua alone is the means of receiving the divine life: "Whoever has the Son has the life (הַחַיִּים); but whoever does not have the Son of God does not have the life" (1 John 5:12).
The Divine Life is such that it is never diminished as it shared but instead grows and multiplies in miraculous ways. This is alluded to by the Hebrew word for love (i.e., ahavah: אהבה), the gematria of which is thirteen (1+5+2+5=13), but when shared with another it is multiplied: 13 x 2 = 26 - the same value for the Sacred Name (יהוה), i.e., (10+5+6+5=26). The love of God given in Yeshua is the very life of the universe...
The word chayim is also written in the plural to indicate that each person potentially contains a "universe of lives" within him or her. Spiritually, your soul is a unity that contains a multiplicity of changes, yet remains a distinct identity. Physically, when Cain murdered his brother Abel, it is written, "the voice of your brother's bloods (plural) cries out from the ground" (Gen. 4:10), indicating that Abel's descendants also cried out. In light of this the Talmud states, "Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world; and whoever saves a life, it is as if he saved an entire world" (Sanhedrin 37a).
Hebrew Lesson
John 6:63a reading (click):
The Divine Light...
07.22.24 (Tammuz 16, 5784) "If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me, even the night shall be light about me, for the darkness cannot hide from You, but the night shines as the day: nothing escapes your radiance" (Psalm 139:11-12).
The heart of faith confesses that the divine light overcomes all the darkness, even the darkness of our own hearts, and furthermore it furthermore affirms that we can trust that God is in our darkness, in the silence, in the unknown... Yeshua was covered by the dark cloud as He suffered on the cross on your behalf. You come out of the shadows when you admit that you act just like other people, that you are human, in need of reconciliation yourself... Above all you need God. You need help. You need a miracle to help you to truly love. You may find excuses for many things, but you cannot escape the "wretched man that I am" reality that constitutes your fears.
God sees in the darkness and is present there, too. When you feel alone, like an unbridgeable gulf lay between you and all that is good; when you feel like you want to scream but are afraid that even then no one would hear, may the LORD shine His light upon you... Amen, may the light of the LORD shine upon you and may he be gracious to you: יָאֵר יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וִיחֻנֶּךָּ.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 139:11 reading (click):
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Fast of the Fourth Month...
07.21.24 (Tammuz 15, 5784) According to Jewish tradition Moses shattered the tablets on the 17th day of the 4th month, after he came down from Sinai and found the people worshipping the golden calf. Today, this tragic date is commemorated as a fast day (i.e., the "Fast of Tammuz"), which marks the beginning of a three week period of mourning that culminates on Tishah B'Av (i.e., the date when the people tragically believed the evil report of the spies and were sent into exile).
During this three week period of national mourning, the weekly readings from the prophets are all "Haftarahs of Rebuke" that warn the people about imminent judgment from heaven, and therefore the theme of most Jewish religious services is teshuvah (repentance). In addition, weddings or other joyous events are usually not held during this time of year. Indeed, among the very Orthodox, the last nine days of the three weeks are the most rigorous and solemn. Beginning on the first day of the month of Av, traditional mourning customs are practiced in anticipation of the most solemn fast day of Tishah B'Av, when the Book of Lamentations (Megillat Eichah) is plaintively recited during the evening service.
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This year the Fast of Tammuz begins at dawn Tuesday, July 23rd and lasts until sunset. The Tishah B'Av fast therefore begins three weeks later at sundown on Monday, August 12th and ends after sunset on Tuesday, August 13th.
Dates During the "Three Weeks" of Sorrow:
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 51:17 reading (click):
This week's Torah:
Parashat Pinchas - פינחס
07.21.24 (Tammuz 15, 5784) Shavuah tov chaverim! Last week's Torah portion (i.e., parashat Balak) first introduced us to a man named Phinehas (i.e., "Pinchas"), the son of Eleazar the priest and grandson of Aaron, who, during the tragic rebellion at Baal Peor, zealously removed evil from Israel by driving a spear through a tribal prince who was brazenly cavorting with a Midianite princess in defiance of God's law. On account of Pinchas' zeal for the truth of Torah, God stopped the plague and Israel was delivered from great destruction... This week's Torah portion (i.e., parashat Pinchas) begins with the LORD rewarding Pinchas by granting him a "covenant of peace" (ברית שׁלום) and an everlasting priestly line in Israel (ברית כהנת עולם). As I hope you will see, Pinchas pictures the Messiah Yeshua, and the covenant of priesthood given to him is a picture of the greater priesthood after the order of Malki-Tzedek.
Jewish tradition says that when Aaron and his sons were commissioned as the exclusive priests of Israel (Exod. 40:12-15), the office applied only to themselves and to their future descendants. Since Aaron's grandson Pinchas had already been born at the time the promise was given, however, he did not automatically receive this honor, especially since his father Eleazar (the son of Aaron) was married to an "outsider" -- namely, the daughter of Yitro (also called Putiel, Exod. 6:25). This explains Rashi's statement about why the other tribes mocked Pinchas. How dare this "son of an outsider" kill a nassi (prince) of Israel (i.e., Zimri), especially since Pinchas' mother was regarded as an idol worshipper! The LORD honored Pinchas' zeal, however, and overruled the uncharitable tribalism of the Israelites, and he was therefore elevated to be a priest with special honor before the LORD.
God looks at the heart, chaverim, and is able to make those who have zeal for Him true priests of the LORD! You don't have to be born Jewish to be chosen by the LORD God of Israel, since He's "no respecter of persons" (Rom. 2:11). Not only can He create spiritual children of Abraham "from the stones of the ground" (Matt. 3:9; Luke 3:8), but He can turn someone considered a non-Jew (by the rabbis, anyway) into a highly honored priest of Israel (1 Pet. 2:9-10). Indeed, according to tradition, many descendants of Pinchas later became the most faithful of the High Priests of Israel during the First Temple period.
Note that according to one midrash, when Zimri and Cozbi (the Midianite princess) were cavorting, they actually ran inside the Tabernacle compound itself, directly past Moses and the people who were there weeping at its entrance (Num. 25:6)! Pinchas then took a spear from the Tabernacle guards and courageously followed after them. When he caught up with them within the Tent of Meeting itself, he pierced them through with the spear (Num. 25:7-8). After this, thousands of men from the tribe of Simeon ran in after him, seeking to kill him. Pinchas was in such a state of terror that "his soul left him" and he was reborn as a Kohen.
Parashat Pinchas (like parashat Emor in Leviticus) also mentions of all of the (sacrifices of the) mo'edim (holidays) given to the people Israel (Num. 28). These include the daily (tamid), weekly (Shabbat), monthly (Rosh Chodesh) sacrifices, as well as the sacrifices assigned to the special holidays: Passover, Shavuot, Rosh Hoshannah (Terumah), Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret. The sages said that remembering the joys of the Temple and the special celebrations of the Jewish people promote the call to do teshuvah during the otherwise somber time of the Three Weeks of Sorrow.
Curses to Blessings...
[ The following entry concerns this week's Torah reading, parashat Balak... ]
07.19.24 (Tammuz 13, 5784) The story of Balaam took place "out of view" of the Israelites, which teaches us that the LORD our God is always at work - even among our enemies - for our blessing and ultimate good... No weapon formed against God's people shall prosper, and every tongue that speaks in judgment shall be made to stammer out praise. "He who vindicates us is near; who will contend with us?" Indeed, "who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Yeshua the Messiah is the one who died -- more than that, who was raised -- who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us" (Rom. 8:33-34). Those of faith understand history - including the End of Days - as the expression of God's sovereign and providential hand. The gracious Savior always works "all things together for the good" of those who are trusting in Him.
God can turn curses into blessings... For example, Joseph was blessed despite the ill-will of his brothers: "You devised evil against me, but God devised it for good" (Gen. 50:20). Note that the same verb for "devised" (i.e., chashav: חשׁב) is used to describe both the evil intent of the brothers and the good intent of the Lord. This teaches us that God overrules the malice of men to effect his own good purposes, and therefore we can rightfully affirm gam zu l'tovah (גַּם זוּ לְטוֹבָה), "this too is for good" (Rom. 8:28). Underlying the surface appearance of life (chayei sha'ah) is a deeper reality (chayei olam) that is ultimately real, abiding, and designed for God's redemptive love to be fully expressed. Resist the temptation, therefore, to judge by mere appearances. Forbid your troubles to darken the eye of faith. Do not unjustly judge God's purposes or try to understand His ways. As the story of Balaam shows, God makes even the wrath of man praise Him (Psalm 76:10). "Then God opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the Angel of the LORD (מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה) standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down..." (Num. 22:31). Indeed, every knee will bow to the LORD our God and Savior (Isa. 45:22-23; Phil. 2:10-11).
Find comfort that the schemes of the wicked are subject to the sovereign purposes of the LORD. Ein od milvado (אֵין עוֹד מִלְבַדּו) - there is no power that can be exercised apart from God's consent and overarching will... Indeed all authority on heaven and earth belongs to Yeshua, the "the Ruler of the Kings of the earth" (עֶלְיוֹן לְמַלְכֵי־אָרֶץ). As it is written, "All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name" (Psalm 86:9).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 47:2 reading (click):
The Mind of Messiah...
07.19.24 (Tammuz 13, 5784) Recall that the Hebrew word "mitzvah" (מִצְוָה), often translated as "commandment," derives its basic idea regarding connection to God (i.e., the root צוה means to "bind" or "unite"). Therefore when Yeshua said to his followers, "If you love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15; 1 John 5:3), he meant they should do those things that connect them with him (John 15:1-5). This appeal to "love the Lord your God" (וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ) with all your heart by keeping his commandments was also the message the Lord gave to Israel at Sinai (Exod. 20:6; Deut. 6:5). What is essential to Torah, then, is a love connection, that is, walking in the light of the Lord and knowing the blessing of his heart...
We told to have the "mind of Messiah" (תּוֹדָעָת הַמָּשִׁיחַ) within us -- that is, we are to embrace his hashkafah (הַשׁקָפָה), or his outlook, and his chashivah (חֲשִׁיבָה), or thinking, regarding the truth and reason for our lives (1 Cor. 2:16). This means knowing the heart of the Father as lived and expressed in the life of his beloved Son (בן יחיד). "This is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Yeshua the Messiah whom you have sent" (John 17:3). Yeshua is the interpreter and teacher of Torah (המורה הגדול ביותר), and all the great truths of Scripture point to him: "I the Lord, have called you in righteousness, and will hold your hand; I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles, to open blind eyes, to rescue prisoners from prison, and those who sit in darkness" (Isa. 42:6-7).
The Holy Scriptures (כִּתְבֵי הַקּוֹדֵשׁ) - both the "Tanakh" (i.e., תנ"ך, an acronym for Torah (תּוּרה), Prophets (נביאים), and Writings (כּתּוּבים)) as well as New Testament (i.e., הַבְּרִית הַחֲדָשָׁה, including the Gospels, the Writings (epistles), and the book of Revelation) provide witness as informed by the Holy Spirit (Tim. 3:16-17). When we read the Scriptures with a heart of faith, the Holy Spirit (רוּחַ הַקּוֹדֵשׁ), whom Yeshua called "the Spirit of Truth" (רוּחַ הָאֱמֶת), provides the "seal" of attestation and the inner witness between our minds and the mind of our Lord (John 15:26, 1 Cor. 2:16; Phil. 2:5). The "yoke" of Yeshua's discipleship leads us to know his ways and to shepherd our understanding of God (Matt. 11:29).
Discipleship to Messiah is more than simply "book learning," of course, since the Word of God is "living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit (הַנֶפֶשׁ וְהָרוּחַ), and of joints and marrow (הַמִפְרָקִים וְהַמֹחַ), and is the judge (הבּוֹחֵן) of the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb. 4:12). In other words, "study" is a means to the greater end of living the truth in your daily life. Followers of Yeshua are to be "doers of the word" (עוֹשֵׂי הַדָּבָר) and not merely "hearers" who fool themselves (James 1:22). As Yeshua said, "Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest (i.e., "shine within," from ἐν, "in" + φαίνω, "shine") myself to him" (John 14:21). The end or goal of Torah is personal love for God revealed by the inner light of our Redeemer and Savior.
As we study the Scriptures, then, let us obey from the heart its "Torah," its living message of grace and love spoken to us... The "mind of Christ" (i.e., תּוֹדָעָת הַמָּשִׁיחַ), that is, Yeshua's beliefs, values, concerns, and vision then become our own. When we identify and and yield ourselves to him, we become instruments of his will, practicing peace, love, and good will toward others in his name. As we "follow" him, we share the same way, truth, and life that revealed the heart of the Father: "Let this attitude be in you" that was also in Yeshua the Messiah... who humbled himself and became obedient unto death - even the death upon the cross (Phil. 2:5-8; John 15:13).
Yeshua promised that the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) would be "called alongside" (παράκλητος) to comfort us on the journey. The English verb "comfort" literally means "to give strength" (from com- ["with"] and fortis ["strong"]), an idea similarly expressed by the verb "encourage," that is, to "put heart [i.e., 'core'] within the soul." In Hebrew, the word courage is expressed by the phrase ometz lev (אמֶץ לֵב), meaning "strong of heart," denoting an inner quality of the will rather than of the intellect. Ometz lev means having an inner resolve, a passion, and a direction. The sages say "the mind is the eye, whereas the heart is the feet." May the LORD our God be our Light and Salvation as we walk through the surrounding darkness...
Let us always focus on Yeshua, "the Light of Torah" (האור של תורה) and "the true Wisdom of God" (חָכְמַת אֱלהִים אֲמִתִי). He is the Source of the Light we need that overcomes all darkness; He is the Power that is upholds our way. Yeshua is the Beginning, the Center, and the End of all true meaning from God. Blessed is His Name forever and ever.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 36:10 reading (click):
End of Days Madness...
07.18.24 (Tammuz 12, 5784) We are living in a decaying and moribund world, and the great age of apostasy will soon be coming to an end. The Apostle Paul provided a list of nineteen characteristics that would mark the heart of people during this final period of human history. He wrote that "people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power" (2 Tim. 3:2-5).
Noteworthy in this sorry litany is the phenomena of what might be called "misdirected love." People will be "lovers of themselves," "lovers of money," "lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God," and "not lovers of good." Loveless self-centeredness will be the "norm" of the day.... And even though he was being prophetic (i.e., speaking of the End of Days), the Apostle linked these nineteen middot ra'ot (evil attributes) to the character of false teachers presently in the church, and warned his protege Timothy that Satan can masquerade as an "angel of light." Therefore we are to have nothing to do with those who pervert the gospel message (2 Tim. 3:5). These false teachers would come to an end just as did "Jannes and Jambres" (Paul here cites a midrash regarding the identity of two of the Egyptian magicians who opposed Moses and whose rods were swallowed up by Aaron's rod in Exod. 7:11-12).
"We must know the truth; and we must avoid error, these are our first and great commandments as would-be knowers; but they are not two ways of stating an identical commandment, they are two separable laws. Although it may indeed happen that when we believe the truth A, we escape as an incidental consequence from believing the falsehood B, it hardly ever happens that by merely disbelieving B we necessarily believe A. We may in escaping B fall into believing other falsehoods, C or D, just as bad as B; or we may escape B by not believing anything at all, not even A." - William James
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 10:4 reading (click):
For more on this topic, see "Perilous Times and the End of Olam HaZeh."
The Enigma of Balaam...
07.18.24 (Tammuz 12, 5784) In our Torah reading for this week (i.e., parashat Balak), we are introduced to a strange character named "Balaam" (בִּלְעָם), who was famously rebuked by a talking donkey, though in light of his supposed ability as a "seer" who could prophesy in the Name of the LORD (יהוה), we may wonder what to make of this man. Was Balaam, who was a Midianite, a true prophet or a mere puppet in the hands of God?
Jewish scholar Nehama Leibowitz (1906-1997) notes two essential differences between Balaam (who was a Gentile) and the Hebrew prophets of Israel. First, Balaam sought "special visitations and visions," building altars and performing rituals to "force" the prophetic spirit. The Hebrew prophets, on the other hand, never engaged in these sorts of activities to hear from the LORD, and many were reluctant messengers, convinced of their own unworthiness and nothingness. Second, the Hebrew prophets cautiously spoke in the name of the LORD ("thus saith the LORD...") to authenticate their message, but Balaam took credit for his visions, flamboyantly regarding himself as a "great seer" with special powers. Based on Joshua 13:22 (which describes him as a sorcerer), it is likely that Balaam was given a temporary gift of prophecy, perhaps like the "witch of Endor" was allowed to temporarily communicate with the dead (1 Sam. 28:7-20). In other words, God raised up Balaam to demonstrate his authority over the powers of darkness and to reassure Israel of God's ongoing protection of his people.... Ein od milvado.
In the New Testament, Balaam is described as one who sought to corrupt others for his own personal gain. The Apostle Peter does not call him the "son of Beor" but "son of Bosor" (τοῦ Βοσόρ), apparently a play on the Hebrew word basar (בָּשָׂר), meaning "flesh," implying that he was a "son of carnality" who enticed of Israel to sin at Baal Pe'or (see 2 Pet. 2:15; Num. 31:16). Peter further described him as a spiritual hireling who loved the "wages of unrighteousness" (μισθὸν ἀδικίας ἠγάπησεν), and who (like the Sophists of ancient Greece) was willing to sell his spiritual "services" without regard for the truth (Num. 22:7, Deut. 23:4-5). Balaam so loved the prospect of reward and the flattery of men that he justified his venture into darkness. "An evil eye, a haughty spirit, and a lusting soul - these are signs of disciples of the wicked Balaam" (Avot 5:22).
The Hebrew word melekh (מֶלֶךְ) means "king" and shares the same letter value as the word lemech (לֶמֶךְ), a name that means "powerful," but can also mean "fool." The sages reasoned that since the letter Mem represents the brain (מוֹחַ) or thought (מַחֲשָׁבָה), and the letters Lamed-Kaf refers to the kidneys (כליות), a king is one who uses right thinking to rule the heart (מ-לך), but a fool reverses the order and makes thinking a servant of the passions and the lower nature... Therefore Balaam was properly regarded as a fool (Josh. 13:22).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 25:10 reading (click):
Note: For more on this topic, see the article: "The Way of Balaam."
Blessings of Hebrew...
07.18.24 (Tammuz 12, 5784) The late Frederick Buechner once challenged his readers to take any English word and to repeat it twenty times, over and over. By the time they were finished, he said, it would be likely that the word will have lost its meaning and simply become an absurd noise. He then went on to say that many words of the Christian faith, even the most meaningful words of great significance, have been so repeated over the last two thousand years that they, too seem to have lost their meaning.
Words like "faith," "sin," "redemption," and so on all have been assimilated by the world and their meaning has been vitiated, much like the symbol of the cross that has grossly "transmogrified" into a piece of costume jewelry. Words that once so moved men and women that the world was turned upside because of their radical significance now are regarded as banalities and platitudes, if they are heeded at all.
This is why, I believe, studying biblical Hebrew (and Greek) can be helpful, since doing so forces us to retool our lexicon in order to translate the meaning of Scripture in relevant ways. A pop song may gush about "faith" or "love," but understanding the Hebrew meaning of emunah (אֱמוּנָה) and ahavah (אהבה) can enable us to escape the mass-produced language of our age. Or consider various Hebrew words for "sin" (e.g. chatat, pesha, avon, asham, etc.) or the words for "law" (e.g., Torah, mishpatim, chukim, eidut, etc.), each of which has subtleties of meaning lost in modern translations. So study some Hebrew, even if you are just beginning. Doing so will force you to slow down and think about the original meaning of many Biblical words we often unthinkingly use when we think about God.
Hebrew Lesson
Jeremiah 33:3 reading (click):
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Freedom of Humility...
07.17.24 (Tammuz 11, 5784) Those conscious of their inner poverty, who mourn over their sinful condition, and who are afflicted with themselves, can let go of the need to "manage appearances," to be in control, or to seek validation from others, and therefore they are free to surrender their lives to God's care. They "flow" with the Father's will as a "gentle breeze," no longer resisting or striving, but simply trusting in God's care. When they are wronged, they seek neither revenge nor vindication, but only restoration (1 Pet. 2:23). Paradoxically, it takes strength to be genuinely "lowly of heart," but such is found in the Spirit of God (Zech. 4:6). Indeed, the Spirit leads us to our inheritance, as it written: "the humble shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace" (Psalm 37:11).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 37:11 reading (click):
Yeshua quoted this verse in the Sermon on the Mount when he said, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (Matt. 5:5). In the New Testament, the Greek word translated "meek" is πραεις (or πραος), perhaps better rendered as humble or soft spoken. In the Hebrew text of Psalm 37, the word is anavim (עֲנָוִים), usually translated as "lowly ones" (anavah is the Hebrew word for humility). This word does not suggest weakness, but rather the recognition of one's proper place in the universe before God. It is not self-effacing but rather reality-focused. The meek inherit the earth because they are grounded in the truth of reality...
God "opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6). The LORD our God dwells with those "of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite" (Isa. 57:15). True greatness is found in outside of the self, beyond the instincts of the carnal ego. Those who seek to exalt themselves and to "gain the world" do not understand that the very reason for their life is to be sacrificed for the sake of love. Obeying God's call to love is not a burden, but rather sets the heart free. As Yeshua said, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matt. 11:28-30).
In the Jewish tradition, humility (i.e., anavah: עֲנָוָה) is among the greatest of the virtues, as its opposite, pride (i.e., ga'avah: גַּאֲוָה), is among the worst of the vices. God hates the proud of countenance (Prov. 6:16-17). Therefore Moses is described as the most humble of men: "Now the man Moses was very humble, above all the men that were on the face of the earth" (Num. 12:3), and likewise the great patriarch Abraham confessed to God: "Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, who am but dust and ashes (עָפָר וָאֵפֶר)" (Gen. 18:27).
"He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). Our aim should not be personal greatness, but humility. Love personal obscurity; rejoice that you are unnoticed by the world and that you are "poor in spirit." Be happy that you are a stranger and sojourner in this world. How blessed are you when God alone is your chief concern!
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 119:130 reading (click):
Uncovering of Eyes...
[ The following entry concerns this week's Torah reading, parashat Balak... ]
07.17.24 (Tammuz 11, 5784) From our Torah portion this week (i.e., Balak) we read: "Then the LORD uncovered Balaam's eyes and he saw..." (Num. 22:31). This implies that the great "seer" had been walking "sightlessly" – blind to reality, closed off, unable to get past his own narrow perspective... Indeed the Hebrew verb for "uncovered" (i.e., galah: גָּלָה) implies captivity and exile (i.e., galut: גָּלוּת), being enslaved to the superficial. Like the man born blind who needed a miracle to see the world around him, so we are delivered from our blindness only when God reaches down and touches us so we can see (John 9). True seeing is receiving revelation from God... "Amazing grace... I once was lost, but now am found; was blind, but now I see."
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 69:17 reading (click):
This is such an important appeal – to be enabled by the miracle to see God's presence in all things, in every person we encounter, and in every experience we have... Amen.
In this connection note that the Hebrew word for "reality" is metziut (מְצִיאוּת), from the root matza' (מָצָא) meaning to find or discover. Reality is not simply something we encounter, it is something disclosed to us as a form of revelation. Therefore in Hebrew we do not say "I have x" but rather "there is to me x." In other words, reality is something we obtain from God. This idea is summarized by Abraham Heschel: "To the Western man, reality is a 'thing in itself,' but to the biblical man, it is a 'thing through God.' Looking at a thing his eyes see not so much form, color, force and motion, as an act of God. The world is a gate, not a wall" (Heschel: 1955).
Lessons from Balaam...
07.16.24 (Tammuz 10, 5784) In our Torah portion for this week (i.e., Balak), we read how Balaam intended to curse the Israelites, but God "took hold of his tongue" and made him bless the people instead... It is encouraging to realize that despite all of the repeated failures of the Israelites in the desert, the LORD never let go of his people... Indeed, as the story of Balaam reveals, if a spiritual enemy should secretly arise to curse Israel, God would take the sorcerer "by the tongue" to evoke God's blessing instead (Deut. 23:4-5). As Balaam himself later confessed: "there is no sorcery (i.e., nachash: נחש) against Jacob; there is no divination (i.e, kesem: קסם) against Israel" (Num. 23:23).
Unlike scheming Balaam, who was willing to say whatever people wanted to gain temporal reward, God is "not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind" (Num. 23:19, 1 Sam. 15:29). Whatever the LORD has promised he will invincibly perform: His word is full of integrity and truth: "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever" (Isa. 40:8). Amen. The God of Israel is forever faithful in his love, and no one can overrule his desire (Num. 23:20; Rom. 11:29; Isa. 40:13).
You can trust in your promised future, friend. As it is written: "No weapon fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD (זאת נחלת עבדי יהוה) and their vindication from me, declares the LORD" (Isa. 54:17). "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope" (Jer. 29:11).
Hebrew Lesson
Numers 23:23a reading (click):
The Way of Balaam...
07.16.24 (Tammuz 10, 5784) This week's Torah portion centers around a strange character named "Balaam" (בִּלְעָם) who attempted to manipulate the LORD for his own twisted purposes.
Interestingly, the Talmud mentions that Moses wrote a separate book called the "Book of Balaam" (Sota 5), a work that presumably tells the story of Balaam in greater detail than the Torah portion provides (Bava Basra 14b-15a). This non-canonical book did not survive over the centuries, much like other works mentioned in the Tanakh (such as the Book of Yashar (Josh. 10:13, 2 Sam. 1:18), the Book of the Acts of Solomon (1 Kings 11:41), the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel (1 Kings 14:19, 14:29), the Book of Nathan the prophet (1 Chron. 29:29), etc). But notice that this implies that not everything Moses wrote was considered Scripture (since the book was rejected from inclusion in the Jewish canon).
Jewish tradition generally considers Balaam to be a prophet with the true gift of nevuah (נְבוּאָה, prophecy), although (paradoxically) he was an adversary of the LORD and an enemy of the children of Israel (Num. 31:16). The midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah 20) maintains that Balaam was "one who was [potentially] as great as Moses himself," but since he abused his spiritual gifts, he was judged and came to ultimate ruin. Instead of submitting himself to the truth and willingly blessing Israel, Balaam turned away from his true purpose, and "the portion of the Book he was meant to write (i.e., the "Book of Balaam") was decreed to be written by Moses instead." The tale of Balaam, then, is a sober warning to us all.
Balaam's legacy is with us today. The New Testament Scriptures speak of "the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing" (2 Pet. 2:15), "Balaam's error" (Jude 1:11), and "the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel" (Rev. 2:14). Note that the doctrine of Balaam is associated with the licentious "doctrine of the Nicolatians" who "conquered the people" [νικος + λαος] in order to pursue their own ecclesiological/spiritual lusts (Rev. 2:6,14-15).
What is the "way of Balaam" or Balaam's error? Well, though Balaam appeared to follow God's instructions, his inner attitude was actually one of covetousness that resulted in a subversive hostility to God's expressed desire and plan. Balaam was therefore double minded, antagonistic to the way of truth, and therefore literally insane (see 2 Pet. 2:16). When Balaam told Balak's emissaries that he could "only speak what God put in his mouth," he was being literal, not moral... This is revealed in the fact that he was willing to try three times to curse God's purpose, but every time God thwarted his evil intent (Josh. 24:9-10). Despite God's dramatic intervention in his life, Balaam was unrepentant and defiant, and later succeeded in corrupting Israel by devising a scheme to tempt the men of Israel to commit fornication (Num. 31:16, Rev. 2:14-15).
Balaam was a hireling, a spiritual prostitute who wanted to sell his services. He was in possession of charisma which he used to seduce others into disobedience. He was paid for exercising his gifts without regard for the truth (Num. 22:7, Deut. 23:4-5, 2 Pet. 2:15). As Yeshua said, "You cannot serve God and mammon" (Matt. 6:24).
The tragic story of Balaam warns us to check our motives. By itself, the study of Scripture is never enough -- even if we take great pains to properly understand its meaning. Our heart attitude is definitive. Our will to serve God in the truth determines our way in this life. "If anyone wills to do His will he will know of the teaching..." (John 7:17). We cannot rightfully use the Scriptures to justify our ideas about God or own pet theological doctrines. We cannot manipulate God in order to serve our own theological visions... We must humble ourselves; we must make the effort to honestly listen; and we must be willing to surrender to the truth. It is the love of the truth that brings salvation to us (2 Thess. 2:10-12), not gaining power through religious knowledge or passing ourselves off as religious authorities....
When we rebel against God's will in our lives, we are inviting disaster. If we get into "vain repetitions" before the LORD, He might take us down a path that reveals why His will is best, despite our personal "vision" or preferences. Inevitably, coming up against God like this is dangerous and leads to various forms of madness. Making a pretense of "hearing from God" only what you want to hear leads to delusional thinking, hardening of the heart, perversity of the will, and eventual self-destruction. God will never allow us to use His Word to justify our lusts.
Yeshua promises those who put their trust in Him: "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32). May God watch over you, keep you, and give you the glorious liberty to obey Him in the truth, chaverim.... Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 25:5a reading (click):
Hold Fast to Truth...
07.16.24 (Tammuz 10, 5784) One of the primary strategies of the devil is to induce a sense hopelessness within your soul... The devil entices you to lose sight of what is ultimately real and who you really are. The truth of God is your weapon against the cascade of lies that pours forth from the world and its various princes (Eph. 6:11-18). The entire venture of teshuvah (repentance) presupposes that you are created "in the image of God," that you are related to him, and therefore your life has infinite value and inherent dignity. This is all the more evident in light of the awesome ransom that Yeshua gave to reconcile your soul with God (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:24). Therefore hold fast to the truth, friends; da lifnei mi attah omed - "know before Whom you stand!" Turn to what is real, refuse the lies and despair of this fallen world, and review what will abide the test of Eternity...
Amen, where it is written: "For your lovingkindness is before my eyes and I have walked in your truth" (Psalm 26:3), we note that the verb translated "I have walked" (i.e., הִתְהַלַּכְתִּי) is "hithpael," a verb pattern used to express reflexive, intensive action done to oneself. Therefore we could translate this as "I earnestly choose to walk" in the truth, indicating decisiveness of intent, focus, purpose... As King Shlomo said: בְּכָל־דְּרָכֶיךָ דָעֵהוּ - "Choose to know Him in all your ways!" (Prov. 3:6).
If you forget the essence of your soul you begin to lose sight of your reason for being, the "why" that underlies all other whys... This essence, however, is not discovered by means of reason, but by revelation -- it is a divine disclosure that awakens you to newness of life. Teshuvah is a return to the arms of your Heavenly Father...
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 26:3 Hebrew reading:
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Treasuring God's Promise...
07.15.24 (Tammuz 9, 5784) A fundamental principle of Bible interpretation is succinctly stated in the axiom: "a text without a context is a pretext," and therefore we must endeavor to understand the New Testament in light of the Torah, not the other way around... God "breathed out" his revelation in a prescribed order, and without the context of Torah, the meaning and terms of the New Testament will be obscure and subject to misunderstanding.
Remember that Yeshua was "embedded" in the Jewish culture of his day (see Gal. 4:4-5), and that he was fluent in Torah reading and study (see Luke 4:16-21; John 4:22). Moreover, he plainly taught that the Jewish Scriptures testify of Him: "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted (διερμηνεύω) to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself" (Luke 24:27; John 5:39). We study Torah to know Yeshua, the "Living Torah" better, as he said: "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old" (Matt. 13:52).
בלבי צפנתי אמרתך
למען לא אחטא־לך
be·lee·bee · tzah·fan'·tee · eem·rah·te'·kha
le·ma'·an · loh · e·che·tah-lakh
"In my heart I have treasured your word
so that I might not sin against you.
(Psalm 119:11)
Click to listen to the Hebrew text with some commentary:
Some so-called Bible scholars claim that Yeshua spoke and taught in Aramaic and not in Hebrew. But consider this. If the law of God decreed that the king of the Jews was to "make a handwritten copy of the Torah" that was to perfectly match the Torah scroll protected by the priests of Israel (see Deut. 17:18-19), then surely Yeshua, who is the great King of the Jews, the Mashiach, would have read Hebrew and understood kotzo shel yod (קוֹצוֹ שֶׁל יוֹד) - "every jot and tittle" of its meaning (see Matt. 5:17-19). Indeed, Yeshua knew the traditional Hebrew blessings, prayers, and hymns (Matt. 26:26-30); he chanted Hebrew in synagogue (Luke 4:16), and he reasoned with the learned sages in Jerusalem, even as a young boy (Luke 2:42-27). Surely the true King of the Jews spoke lashon hakodesh, the holy language of Hebrew...
Teshuvah and Sanity...
[ "Victory over fear is the first spiritual duty of man." - Nikolai Berdyaev ]
07.15.24 (Tammuz 9, 5784) It is written in our Scriptures (2 Tim. 1:7) that "God has not given us the spirit of fear (πνεῦμα δειλίας), but of power, and love, and a sound mind" (the term "sound mind" comes from the word saos (σάος) "safe," or under the restraining influence of the Spirit of God). Understand the connection between fear and confusion, then, and note further the connection between having a sound mind and a heart of peace (Isa. 32:17).
A fearful or shameful attitude, then, weakens your resolve, quenches your love, and introduces pain to your thinking. It is the old ruse of the enemy of our souls to lead us to despair, the exile of shame, and cruel bondage to untruth.
As always the answer is the same: namely, teshuvah, turning to God and embracing the grace and love given in Yeshua as our deepest reality, our power, our heart, and our mind. May we be set free from all our fears by the wonder of his unfailing love!
Hebrew Lesson
Isa. 32:17 Hebrew reading (click):
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The Way of Perfect Peace...
[ If you leave everything in God's hands, eventually you will see God's hand in everything.... ]
07.15.24 (Tammuz 9, 5784) When we lose sight of the truth that God is in complete control of all things, we tend to grow anxious... Feeling worried comes from focusing on ourselves, a perspective that can make us feel alone, forgotten, and even victimized in this world. Worry moves us to defend ourselves, to seek refuge in our own devices, and to forfeit the will of God according to the dictates of lesser fears...
The sages say it is not permitted to worry: "To worry is a sin; only one sort of worry is permissible; to worry because one worries." We should worry that we worry because this indicates our hardness of heart and our unbelief. God's name YHVH (יהוה) means "Presence," "Breath," "Life," and "Love." So why should we be anxious for "tomorrow"? We really only have this moment, but this moment is entirely sufficient when we walk in the light of God and seek to know him in all our ways (Prov. 3:5-6).
The first part of the Shema (i.e., Deut. 6:4-9) admonishes us to remember the truth of God "when you sit in your house, when you walk in your ways, when you lie down, and when you rise up." "In all your ways know Him," that is, in all that you put your hand to do look for the God's Presence and guidance (Prov. 3:6; 1 Cor. 10:31). This is something you must do: As King David stated, "I have set the Lord always before me, because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved" (Psalm 16:8). Make up your mind: "Let the peace of God rule in you" (Col. 3:15).
The Name of the LORD is "I-AM-WITH-YOU-ALWAYS," which implies that we always live within His Presence and care, even if we are sometimes unconscious of this truth (Matt. 28:20). As it is written in the prophets, hen al kapayim hachotikh: "Behold I have engraved you on the palms of my hands" (הֵן עַל־כַּפַּיִם חַקּתִיךְ; Isa. 49:16). Remember the One who stretched out his hands and died for your healing; remember that he said, "Do not be anxious about tomorrow... sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (Matt. 6:34). A
Again it is written in our Scriptures: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God" (Phil. 4:6). When we worry we heed voices of fear and begin to feel 'double-minded,' (i.e., δίψυχος), unstable, and unable to think clearly; we get restless and find it difficult to deeply breathe. We start to feel out of control, fearful that something bad will happen despite all our efforts or wishes to the contrary; we sense doom; we lose heart; we go dark...
The Scripture here admonishes us to pray when we are tempted to be anxious by focusing on something for which we are grateful. Doing so will instill the "peace of God" (שלום יהוה) that quells all our fears (Phil. 4:7). We gain the "light of life," that is, inner illumination from God, so that we can remain steadfast and unmovable in faith. We will experience complete peace, shalom shaleim (שלום שלם) when we make up our minds to trust in Him (Isa. 26:3).
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 26:3 reading (click):
Parashat Balak:
Overruling the Wicked
07.14.24 (Tammuz 8, 5784) Our Torah reading for this week is named after an ancient Moabite king named "Balak" (i.e., בָּלָק, "the destroyer") who sought to curse Israel by hiring the services of a flamboyant Midianite conjurer named "Balaam" (i.e., בִּלְעָם, "one set above the people"). It begins this way: "And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to Amalek (e.g., אֱמרִי) and grew fearful.
King Balak's malicious plan was to employ Balaam's sorcery (i.e., kashafut: כַּשָׁפוּת) against the Israelites to prevent them from entering the Promised Land. Similar to the delicious irony that befell the villain "Haman" in the Book of Esther, however, King Balak's scheme was likewise upended, and the curse he sought to put on the Jewish people was repeatedly pronounced as a blessing by Balaam instead. After several foiled attempts, Balak fretfully dismissed the prophet, but before departing from the dejected king, Balaam ironically prophesied the destruction of the Moabites and the victorious establishment of Israel.
Some peoples lives, it seems, are meant to serve as warning of the dangers of self-destruction.... The shameful story of Balaam reveals that "there is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel" (Num. 23:23). Ein od milvado (אֵין עוֹד מִלְבַדּו) - no weapon or scheme devised against God will ever prosper (Isa. 54:15-17).
But who was this mysterious prophet named Balaam? According to Jewish tradition, Jacob's wicked uncle Laban had a son named Beor (בְּעוֹר), who became the father of Balaam. In other words, the "cursing prophet" Balaam was none other than the grandson of Laban:
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Note that the name "Beor" first appears in connection with a king of Edom (Gen. 36:32), which suggests that Balaam might have once been a king of the Edomites (i.e., the descendants of Esau). Further note the phonetic similarity to Peor. If Beor and Peor are the same, then Balaam was actually a prophet of Baal Peor, a local Semitic god.
Balaam was regarded as a great seer, magician and an adept in the occult. He had an "evil eye" and drew the spirit of demons to anything he gazed upon (Avot 5:22). His notoriety made him famous, and powerful people asked him to invoke curses on their enemies. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 106a) states that Balaam became so famous as a magician that he later became a chief advisor to Pharaoh. If so, then it might have been none other than Balaam who advised the new Pharaoh to enslave the Israelites and to afflict them with brutal taskmasters (Exod. 1:8-11). For more about the genealogy of Balaam, see the article entitled, "The Curses of Laban."
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