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December 2007 Updates


Divine Irony of Yeshua's Pidyon HaBen

12.29.07  There's never enough time for me to do this work, chaverim! The Word of God is indeed a vast ocean, and I am stunned every day to discover more truth in its limitless expanse....  For example, today someone emailed me regarding the "presentation of Jesus" at the Temple (Luke 2:22-40). Now this event was not His brit milah (circumcision), since we know Yeshua was circumcised on the 8th day (Luke 2:21), but this occurred later, after Mary's purification period was over (as described in Leviticus 12:1-8). The family visit to the Temple was called Pidyon HaBen, the "Redemption of the (firstborn) son," a ceremony that occurs on the 31st day after birth (Ex. 13:13; Num. 18:16).


 

Originally the firstborn son (bechor) was to be the priest (kohen) of the Jewish family. As the bechor, he would be required to offer avodah (sacrifice) on behalf of other family members. God said "the first issue of every womb among the Israelites is Mine" (Exodus 13:2). Thus firstborn sons were sanctified and obligated to serve as kohanim (priests) from birth. We see evidence of this in the lives of the early patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and even Jacob, who received the blessing of the firstborn through transfer from Esav. And because firstborn sons (bechorim) were consecrated as kohanim, during the Exodus from Egypt God spared them when He issued the 10th makah (plague) -- the death of the firstborn.

After the Exodus from Egypt, however, the Israelites committed the grievous Sin of the Golden Calf, of which only the tribe of Levi was not guilty. Consequently the LORD decreed that the Levites were to take the place of the firstborn sons of Israel (Num. 3:11-12). But since a firstborn son is technically a (disqualified) Kohen, he had to be substituted with a Kohen from the tribe of Levi, and therefore God required that all firstborn sons (who were not themselves Levites or Kohens) had to be redeemed from their obligation by means of paying five shekels of silver (see Num. 18:15).

Okay, so what's the connection with Yeshua? Well, since He was the first-born son of Mary (who was of the kingly lineage of Judah), He was not of the priestly clan of Levi (or the sub-clan of the Kohanim), so according to the Torah He must be redeemed. His "presentation" at the Temple, intended to have the Levites represent His avodah, then, was ironically fulfilled at the end of his life He was killed by their deliberate counsel:

But one of them, Caiaphas, who was High Priest (Kohen Gadol) that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish." He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. (John 11:49-52)
 

The irony is that those appointed to "redeem him" as His kohanim according to the terms of the Mosiac covenant were the very ones who made Him our Redeemer!  In other words, those who were appointed to represent Yeshua before God were the very ones who offered Him up as a sacrifice for our sins.... The LORD God of Israel is an awesome God!





The Midrash of Moses' Mouth

12.27.07  This week's parashah (Shemot) includes the story of the birth of Moshe (Moses), the great deliverer of the people of Israel, who was born during the perilous time when Pharaoh of Egypt had decreed to destroy all the Hebrew male children.  His mother Yocheved attempted to hide him for a few months, but soon realized she could no longer do so and placed him in a basket among the reeds of the Nile before anyone could kill him.  Her seven year old daughter Miriam stood by and watched to see what would happen to her brother.


 

Providentially, Pharaoh's daughter came to bathe in the Nile and discovered the basket among the reeds. Moved by pity, the princess decided to adopt the baby even though he was a "despised Hebrew." Miriam (who witnessed all this) then approached the princess and offered to find a nursemaid for the child - and cleverly arranged for Moses' own mother to do the job!

When the child grew up, Yocheved brought him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son, a prince of Egypt. She named him Moses (מֹשֶׁה), "Because," she said, "I drew him out of the water" (a play on the word מָֹשָׁה, which means "to draw out, to save").

According to midrash (Shemot Rabbah 1:31), as a very young lad Moses was once seen throwing Pharaoh's gold crown down to the ground.  Upon learning of this apparent act of insolence, Pharaoh devised a test to see if the child understood the implications of his actions. He therefore commanded that a platter with a piece of gold and a glowing piece of coal be brought before Moses and ordered the little boy to choose one. If Moses chose the gold, it would imply that he understood its value, and therefore he would be killed. On the other hand, if Moses chose the burning coal, he would be spared since he was unable to differentiate between gold and a glowing piece of coal.

Moses began to reach out for the gold when an angel pushed his hand aside and he grabbed the coal instead. Moses then immediately put his hand in his mouth, but that burned his lips and tongue so badly that he had a permanent speech impediment as a consequence.

Later, when God commissioned Moses to speak to the children of Israel, he protested to the LORD that he was kevad peh - "heavy of mouth" and kevad lashon, "heavy of tongue," and therefore unable to speak on behalf of the LORD (Ex. 4:10).  God reminded him that He was the Creator of the mouth: "Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?" (Ex. 4:11). The LORD was then angry with Moses for his reluctance and decreed that "because of your words" he would not be permitted to be a kohen (priest), but his brother Aaron would.

When God instructed Moses to go to the people of Israel to announce their coming deliverance, he asked Him: "What if Israel refuses to believe that You have sent me?" God then gave Moses some "signs" to authenticate his message. But why was the rod thrown down changed into a snake? Rashi said that this was meant to show Moses that he had spoken ill of the Jews (lashon hara), just as the snake spoke evil of God in the Garden of Eden.  The hand that was made "leprous" (afflicted with tzara'at) also is connected with harboring lashon hara within one's heart.

Along the way back to Egypt, the LORD threatened to kill Moses on account of a delay in the circumcision of his son Eli-Ezer (Ex. 4:24). Moses reasoned that God's commandment to go to Egypt was more important than the commandment to perform brit milah on the 8th day of his son's life, and had he performed the circumcision, travel would have been impossible. However, when Moses failed to immediately perform the ritual at the lodging place along the way (affording the opportunity for healing for his son during the trip), the LORD came to kill him.  Tzipporah (Moses' wife) then performed the circumcision but actually needed to do it twice, as indicated by the phrase: Chatan damim lamulot - You are a bridegroom of blood to me, because of the circumcisions (mulot, the plural form of mulah).




Parashat Shemot

12.26.07  I updated the weekly Torah portion for this coming Shabbat (Shemot), which is also the first portion of the second sefer (book) of the Torah (called "Exodus").  The English word exodus ("going out") comes from the Greek translation of the Rabbinic name of the book, Sefer Yetziat Mitzraim ("the book of the going out from Egypt"). In the Hebrew Bible this book is called Shemot ("names"), following the custom of naming a book according to its first significant word.


 

Merry Christmas!

12.24.07  I sincerely wish each and every one of you a wonderful Christmas Season. May we all take time to reflect upon the profound gift of the One who was so great that He emptied Himself (κένωσις) of all His regal glory and power in order to be our earthly High Priest, able to fully sympathize with our weaknesses and frailties.  The birth of Yeshua is the greatest miracle and gift ever given, and all the world's most glorious music played in  perfect unison would never be enough to resound in complete thanks and adoration for God's salvation obtained through Him.

Even the pagan, postmodern world cannot escape the allure and romance implied in the gift of God's Son to the world, though of course it has hijacked the inner meaning of this miraculous event for commercialism and mammon. Nonetheless, we glory in the birth of Yeshua and understand that it represents the very salvation of the world.  Indeed, the Father so loved the world (and that includes the secular world of postmodern despair) that He gave His only begotten Son to be the means of salvation for all....

The birth of Yeshua is of course connected to His sacrificial death, and the life He lived in complete surrender to the Father was meant to demonstrate that He alone is the efficacious Healer and High Priest (Mediator) of us all. "But [He] made himself nothing (εκενωσεν), taking the form of a slave, being born in the likeness of men; and being found in human form, he brought himself low by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Phil 2:7-8).  "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit" (Rom. 8:1-4).

By putting our trust in Him, we partake in His chayei olam - eternal life - sharing in His invincible love. He is faithful and true, our Prince of Peace and Beloved Savior. Blessed be His Name forever.


 

The Beautiful Hebrew word Chesed

12.20.07  While working on Psalm 5 today, I reencountered one of the most treasured of Hebrew words: chesed.  From the divine perspective, chesed is often translated as "grace, favor, lovingkindness, covenantal faithfulness, or loyal love." It represents God's faithful and gracious love and goodness to those who belong to Him.

Chesed also refers to an act of lovingkindness or gracious action, i.e., the giving of oneself to help others without regard to repayment or personal benefit (gemilut chasidim refers to such acts of benevolence). As such, it is connected with the idea of loyalty and solidarity (echdut), and chesed is the essence of the great mitzvah to "love your neighbor as yourself." One who practices chesed is a chassid, and chassidut refers to a life of devoted love...

In Psalm 89:2[3h] we read: עוֹלָם חֶסֶד יִבָּנֶה - olam chesed yibaneh - "the world will be built with chesed."

The sages (Sukkah 49b) compared chesed with charity, saying that in three ways chesed is greater than charity:  1) Charity is done by giving kesef (money), while chesed can be given by sacrificing one's time as well as by giving money. 2) Charity is given to the poor, while chesed can be given to all, regardless of whether they are rich or poor. 3) Charity is given to the living, while chesed can be given to both the living and the dead (the act of burying a dead person is called chesed shel emet -- "true kindness" -- since this is an altruistic act done when the other person is powerless to repay).

Those who call upon the Lord Yeshua are to be marked by gemilut chasidim as the practical outworking of their love for the mishpachah (family) of God.  May the LORD God of Israel help us be people marked by His chesed and love for one another. Amen.




When was Jesus Born?

12.19.07  Those of you who have read my Christmas article understand that I think the Biblical evidence suggests that Yeshua (Jesus) was actually born during the festival of Sukkot but was conceived during the Festival of Lights (Chanukah, beginning on Kislev 25). For this reason we celebrate Christmas by remembering the greatest of all miracles -- the Incarnation itself -- when God the Son chose to divest Himself of his regal glory (kenosis) and began His redemptive advent into this world. This momentous event marked the climactic entrance of God into space-time history as the promised "Seed of the woman" (Genesis 3:15) who would come to deliver us from the kelalah (curse) of sin and slavery to the evil one.  Blessed be His Name forever.


 

kavod lelohim bamarom; shalom alei-aretz v'livnei adam ratzon

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"(Luke 2:14)




New Hebrew Meditation

12.18.07  Today I wrote a new Hebrew meditation (Tzedakah, the Importance of Giving) based on a phrase from Psalm 37:21. Followers of Yeshua (Jesus) are to be known as tzaddikim (Matt. 5:16; 1 John 2:29, 3:7,10) because they demonstrate their love by giving to others.  The Lord's love for us is truly chesed shel emet - true kindness that can never be repaid. May it please God to help us more deeply accept His love and experience it within our hearts in order to better understand the real meaning of tzedakah....


 

I also resumed working on the Hebrew Psalms pages, in particular Psalm 5.




Asarah b'Tevet and Parashat Vayechi

12.17.07  This coming Wednesday is Asarah B'Tevet (the Tenth of Tevet), traditionally recognized as day of mourning for the loss of the Jewish Temple (Bet Ha-mikdash). Orthodox Jews will fast from sunrise to sunset to commemorate the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon (in 587 BC) -- an event that eventually led to the destruction of the First Temple and the 70-year Babylonian Exile of the Jewish people.

I updated the weekly Torah portion for this coming Shabbat (Vayechi), which is also the final portion of Sefer Bereshit (the book of Genesis).


 

Shiloh and Acharit Hayamim

Parashat Vayechi begins: ויחי יעקב בּארץ מצרים שׁבע עשׂרה שׁנה - vayechi Ya'akov b'eretz mitzrayim sheva esrei shanah. .. "And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt for 17 years."  The Jewish sages said that he lived 17 more years after he was reunited with Joseph because he had supported Joseph for 17 years before he was kidnapped.  They reason this way based on Proverbs 12:28, בּארח־צדקה חיים - be'orach-tzedakah chayim - "in the path of tzedakah there is life" (tzedakah means an act of righteousness that comes from divine duty).

When the time came for Jacob to die, he did not call the designated bechor (firstborn) of the family (that would be Reuben, who forfeited his status), but rather Joseph, the firstborn to his beloved wife Rachel.   ועשׂית עמּדי חסד ואמת -- v'asita imadi chesed v'emet -- "deal with me with chesed and truth" (47:29), a phrase that has made its way into middot ha-lev (the Jewish qualities of heart) as chesed shel emet - offering true kindness because there is no hope of repayment.   Jacob asked Joseph to not be buried in Egypt but rather in the resting place of Abraham and Isaac (i.e., the Promised Land), and he asked Joseph to swear that he would bury him there. As Joseph promised, Jacob "bowed his head," an indication that Joseph's dream that his brothers and even his father would bow down to him was fulfilled.

עד כּי־יבא שׁילה...לא־יסוּר שׁבט מיהוּדה -- lo-yasur shevet mi-Yehudah...ad ki yavo shiloh -- "The scepter will not depart from Judah... until Shiloh comes" (49:10).   The term "Shiloh" was understood by the early rabbis and Talmudic authorities as referring to the Messiah (Targum Onkelos, Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, and Targum Yerusahlmi), and this was interpreted to mean that the kingship would remain until the coming of the Mashiach.

The word shiloh has been disputed among scholars. Some have said that the word may be a variant of the word she-lo which means "that is his," so the meaning of the verse may be "until he comes to whom the rod of kingship belongs," i.e., authority belongs to Judah until the Messiah appears. Others have said that since shiloh has the final Hey with a mappiq as a prepositional function of "to" or "towards," it actually means toward Shiloh, the very first capital of Israel in the Promised Land.  In either case, however, the idea has to do with the authority invested in Judah as divine regent until the Messiah appears.

Historically speaking, if we understand the regency of Judah to be invested in the Great Sanhedrin (after the last independent King of Judah Zedekiah was deposed), the scepter (shevet) would have departed from Judah in AD 6-7 after the Romans installed a procurator as the authority in Judea (thus replacing the Sanhedrin).  However, the prophecy of Jacob did not fail, since the Mashiach had indeed come and was in their midst as Yeshua mi-netzeret (Jesus of Nazareth) at that time.  In other words -- Yeshua is indeed the King of the Jews, though at present He is not physically reigning on David's throne (this will occur at His Second Coming when he returns to Jerusalem at the end of olam ha-zeh (this present age) to establish the Kingdom of God upon the earth).




Hebrew Learning Tools

12.14.07  For those of you who are learning Hebrew, I would recommend an inexpensive product that will help you gain more confidence as you learn to read the Hebrew Bible. This product is called Reading the Bible in Hebrew, an audio CD that gently leads you through the first four chapters of Genesis.  Each chapter is narrated twice -- once in fluent reading pace and a second time in a slower reading pace.  I recommend it to all who want to learn proper Hebrew pronunciation from a native Israeli.


 

I also added some new Jewish/Hebrew music (including a new Messianic Music Collection) and updated some links to books I consider helpful (available from Amazon). If you haven't looked at the online store in awhile, it might be worthwhile to see the latest. Shalom chaverim!




12.13.07  We finished up Chanukah over at my in-laws Tuesday night, lighting six chanukiot and eating potato latkes and other fried food! It was a blessed time, especially for Josiah (who loves lighting the candles, playing dreidel, saying the berachot, and esp. eating as much Chanukah gelt as he can find). 


 

I am busy trying to get some new material ready for a new book, though the work (as usual) has to be done late at night. It's now nearly 4 am as I write this.  Please offer up a prayer for me (as some of you know, I deal with chronic pain).   I hope to resume work on the Psalms section later this week, though I might not find the time until the weekend.  Kol tuv, chaverim...




 
 

Happy Chanukah, chaverim...


Parashat Vayigash

12.10.07  I updated the weekly Torah portion for this coming Shabbat (Vayigash) and updated the PDF download.


 

This portion of Torah (near the end of Genesis) includes Judah's teshuvah (repentance) that resulted in Joseph's revelation to his brothers: ani Yosef ha'od avi chai ("I am Joseph; is my father alive?"). Notice that this is a strange question since the brothers had earlier reported the condition of Jacob to Joseph.  When Joseph saw that his brethren were afraid, he said, g'shu na elai - "Please come near to me." "Your eyes see..." Joseph revealed himself to his brothers using Hebrew speech as a token of his identity.

When Jacob learned that Joseph was indeed alive, vatechi ruach ya'akov avihem - "the spirit of their father Jacob was revived."  Though for 22 years Jacob was bereaved, his beloved son was only a few days journey away from him.... According to Jewish tradition, Joseph never told Jacob about his betrayal by his brothers, not even when Jacob was on his deathbed.  His love forbade him to engage in lashon hara or to bring further pain to his father...

The revelation of Joseph and his reconciliation with his brothers is a prophetic picture of the acharit hayamim (end of days) when the Jewish people will come to understand that Jesus (Yeshua) is indeed the One seated at the right hand of the majesty on high as Israel's deliverer. Yeshua will then speak comforting words to His long-lost brothers and restore their place of blessing upon the earth.




Chanukah 5768 Continues!

12.09.07  Shalom and happy Chanukah, chaverim!  It's been a long weekend, and unfortunately my pain returned last night, but we are thankful to the LORD for the gift of life in His precious Son, and we rejoice in the light He so graciously imparts to all who call upon Him in the truth.


 

I finished up Hebrew Psalm 4 this weekend and hope to get back to working on other Psalms later this week.  I want to thank so many of you for standing with Hebrew4Christians over this last year... I am touched and unspeakably grateful for so many of you.




Celebrating Chanukah 5768

12.07.07  Happy Chanukah (day 4)!  Here are a few pictures we took during the first few days of Chanukah, chaverim.  From our family to you -- chanukah sameach -- and may you be filled with the Light of His Presence during this special time.


 

A word of thanks, first to the LORD God of Israel and also to many of you who prayed for me recently. My pain levels are down and the entire family is over the flu. I am grateful to our LORD for His mercy and compassion, and throughout these recent trials, I kept hearing the Spirit remind me of the very first middot (attributes) revealed of the Sacred Name YHVH: rachum v'chanun - merciful and gracious...  He is indeed, and He provides special consolation to us when we are in pain and sorrow.  Blessed be His Name forever.




Getting Real...

12.06.07  Happy Chanukah (day 3)!  I am still gripped with the intercessory work of Yeshua (Jesus) as our Kohen Gadol (High Priest) of the New Covenant... Yesterday's keyword for me was paga, a powerful word that reveals many deep aspects of the holiest moments of the LORD's intercession performed for us at Moriah. Maybe that's why I felt the need to recall an old childhood memory from Margary Williams' classic tale The Velveteen Rabbit:

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse.   "It's a thing that happens to you.   When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.   It doesn't happen all at once. You become.  It takes a long time.

Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."
 

And this calls for another quote: "Never explain yourself. Your friends don't need it and your enemies won't believe it" (Belgicia Howell).

God gives us special graces, especially in light of the poignant passing of days, with our thwarted hopes, aching bones, and suppressed keenings of the heart.  This gift of divine despondency helps us to "make contact" (paga) with the Real, the True, and the Abiding, the One who is so infinitely great that He is infinitely small at the same time... In light of the Velveteen Rabbit imagery, it is God Himself who is the Child who loves us into the state of reality... Sometimes, in darker moments of the soul, this announces itself to the heart of faith as "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him" (Job 13:15). At other times, it is whispered in the balmy breezes of serenity, in that sanctum of the inner heart that somehow trusts that the words of the wise Skin Horse are meant for us...

Accept that you are accepted in the Beloved, chaverim.

Lord, help us to see the truth in Your Son.  Amen.

Jesus our Intercessor

12.05.07  Happy Chanukah (day 2)!  Today I had opportunity to revisit the Hebrew word that is often translated as "intercessor" in English. 


 

The word mafgia (Isa. 59:16) comes from paga, a verb with various meanings based on tense (e.g., to encounter, to fall upon; to strike; to reach the mark; to entreat, make intercession). In the Hiphil it can mean "intercede" (before men: Jer 36:25; "to beg": Jer 15:11; Isa 53:12; Isa 59:16).  An intercessor is therefore one who makes "contact" with God as opposed to someone simply dabbling in prayer.

Through His work of redemption Jesus created a meeting (paga) between God and man (called the "ministry of reconciliation"). An awesome use of paga is found in Isaiah 53:6, "...the Lord laid on him (hifgia bo) the iniquity of us all," indicating that our sins "fell" on Jesus as He made intercession (yafgia) for us (Isaiah 53:12).


 

Paga is also a term for warfare or violent meetings, and reveals the violent meeting between the powers of hell and Jesus at the Cross at Moriah, as well as the agony in which Jesus offered up His life for us....

Today, Jesus "ever lives to make intercession (paga) for us" (Heb. 7:25), indicating that He is still touched by our need and sinful condition. From the believer's point of view, intercession is a work of the Ruach Ha-Kodesh (Rom 8:26-27) that induces a prayerful intervening, impinging, or "meeting with force." It is a vicarious standing in the place of another, somewhat like a defense attorney might argue in a court battle. Best of all, Jesus is now seated at the right hand of God, making such intercession for us before the Father, and enabling us to likewise intercede on behalf of one another (Romans 8:34).  Blessed be His Name forever.




Chanukah Begins!

12.04.07  Chanukah begins tonight at sundown.  The Hebrew word chanukah means "dedication" and marks an eight day winter celebration (from Kislev 25 - Tevet 3) that commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple after a small group of Jewish believers defeated the forces of assimilation at work in their world. As such, Chanukah represents the victory of faith over the ways of speculative reason, and demonstrates the power of the miracle in the face of mere humanism.


 

Should Christians celebrate Chanukah? Well Jesus Himself did so (John 10:22-24), and for those of you who have read my Christmas article, you understand that I believe that Jesus was actually born during the festival of Sukkot and conceived during the Festival of Lights (Chanukah). For this reason, I can join in Christmas festivities, but I understand the celebration to center on the Miracle of the Incarnation, when God the Son chose to divest Himself of his regal glory and began his redemptive advent into this world.

Please let me wish you a very happy and joy-filled Chanukah and Christmas season!  Our family loves Chanukah... It's such a festive time, and I always sense the LORD's Presence in the room as we recite the blessings, light the  candles, sing some songs, pray, and EAT latkes!  It's a joyous season, and its message is more important today than ever before...


 

DOWNLOAD THE PDF FILE OF CHANUKAH BLESSINGS

Note: Unfortunately, I am very sick with the flu, so Olga and Josiah will be celebrating the first night of Chanukah over at my in-laws without me. Your prayers for my recovery are appreciated, chaverim. 




Parashat Miketz


 

I updated the weekly Torah portion for this coming Shabbat (Miketz), which happens to fall on day 5 of Chanukah this year (which is chol mo'ed so there are no additional Torah readings at the synagogue).

As the Parashat Miketz opens, the patriarch Joseph had been confined in prison for 12 years, but the appointed time had arrived for him to fulfill the dreams given to him as a young man. In this regard, I list some of the ways that Joseph is a "type" or foreshadowing of the coming Jesus as the Suffering Servant (Mashiach ben Yosef).





 

12.02.07  I reworked more of the Psalms material tonight.  I decided it was better to put the full Hebrew text (and English translation) first, and then add commentary on each verse (to see what I mean, look at Psalm 1).

My wife and son have been (very) sick with the flu over the weekend, and it's been a bit tough going for all of us. Unfortunately, as I type these words I am feeling very queasy myself, and I am hoping and praying I don't come down with it, since I am entirely out of sick days at work for the rest of the year.  Your prayers are appreciated, chaverim.




More Hebrew Psalms

12.01.07  I have begun adding text, audio, and graphics for more Hebrew Psalms, though I have yet to write commentary or provide notes for each pasuk for many of them.


 

I can't begin to tell you how much "busy work" is involved in working with (and cleaning up) the audio portions, typing the Hebrew text, making the graphic files for each page, creating the flash files for each perek (chapter) and pasuk (verse), and then writing my commentary for each verse.  However, if (IY"H) this project ever gets finished, it will be entirely unique -- with all the Hebrew Psalms of the Scriptures online here, with audio and verse by verse commentary (see Psalm 1 or Psalm 2 for a preview).

Truly this is a massive undertaking; it will undoubtedly take me a year or more to complete, in part because I also need to keep up with the weekly Torah portions and I also hope to add additional material to the grammar sections of the site... Nonetheless I think the time spent is worthwhile, particularly because the Psalms constitute the divine Prayerbook written by the Ruach Ha-Kodesh (Holy Spirit) Himself, and therefore they express the love and intercession of the LORD in a way unique to the pages of Scripture.

Your prayers and support are most appreciated, especially since I am doing this work late at night by myself.  Todah rabbah chaverim.

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