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Jewish Holiday Calendar
For October 2024 site updates, please scroll past this entry....
The Torah divides the calendar into two symmetrical halves: the Spring and the Fall, indicating the two advents of Messiah. The Biblical year officially begins during the month of the Passover from Egypt (called Rosh Chodashim, see Exod. 12:2), and the spring holidays of Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits both recall our deliverance from Egypt and also our greater deliverance given by means of the death, burial, and resurrection of the Messiah, the great Passover Lamb of God. Yeshua was crucified on erev Pesach, buried during Unleavened Bread, and was resurrected on Yom Habikkurim (Firstfruits). The holiday of Shavuot (i.e., "Pentecost") both commemorates the revelation of the Torah at Sinai as well as the revelation of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) at Zion, in fulfillment of the promise given by our Lord....
The intermediate months of summer end with the advent of the sixth month of the calendar, called the month of Elul, which recalls the time Moses interceded on behalf of Israel after the sin of the Golden Calf. To commemorate this time of our history, we likewise focus on teshuvah (repentance) in anticipation of Rosh Hashanah and especially in anticipation of Yom Kippur, the great "Day of Atonement." In Jewish tradition the 30 days of Elul are combined with the first ten days of the seventh month (called the "Days of Awe") to set apart "Forty Days of Teshuvah" leading up to the Day of Forgiveness for Israel. Immediately following Yom Kippur, the mood changes as we begin preparing for a joyous week-long celebration called Sukkot (i.e., "Tabernacles") that concludes with the holiday of Simchat Torah.
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The Fall Holidays:
The fall festivals prophetically indicate the Day of the LORD, the second coming of Yeshua, the great national turning of the Jewish people, and the establishment of the reign of the Messiah upon the earth during the Millennial Kingdom in the world to come.
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:
1. Month of Elul (Mon. Sept. 2nd [eve] - Wed. Oct. 2nd [day])
2. Month of Tishri (Wed. Oct. 2nd [eve] - Thur. Oct. 31st [day]) - Fall holidays begin
3. Month of Cheshvan (Thur. Oct. 31st [eve] - Sat. Nov. 2nd [day])
- Five Sabbaths: Noach, Lekh-Lekha, Vayera, Chayei Sarah, Toldot
- Yom Ha'Aliyah - Honoring Israel's immigrants (Thur. Nov. 7th; Cheshvan 7)
- Sigd - 50th day after Yom Kippur; Ethiopian Jewish holiday (Tues. Nov. 26th)
4. Month of Kislev (Sat. Nov. 2nd [eve] - Mon., Dec. 30th [day])
- Four Sabbaths: Vayetzei, Vayishlach, Vayeshev, Miketz
- Winter Solstice: Fri. Dec. 20th, Kislev 20)
- Dates for Chanukah 2024 (5785):
- 1st Chanukah candle - Wed. Dec. 25th [i.e., Kislev 25] Christmas
- 2nd Chanukah candle - Thur. Dec. 26th [i.e., Kislev 26]
- 3rd Chanukah candle: Fri. Dec. 27th [i.e., Kislev 27]
- 4th Chanukah candle: Sat. Dec. 28th [i.e., Kislev 28]
- 5th Chanukah candle: Sun. Dec. 29th [i.e., Kislev 29]
- 6th Chanukah candle: Mon. Dec. 30th [i.e., Kislev 30]
5. Month of Tevet (Mon., Dec. 30th [eve] - Wed. Jan. 29th [day])
- Dates for Chanukah (continued):
- 7th Chanukah candle: Tues. Dec. 31st [i.e., Tevet 1]
- 8th Chanukah candle: Wed. Jan. 1st 2025 [i.e., Tevet 2] Zot Chanukah
- Secular New Year: Wed. Jan. 1st, 2025 (Tevet 1, 5785)
- Four Sabbaths: Vayigash, Vayechi, Shemot, Va'era
- Asarah B'Tevet - Fri. Jan. 10th (dawn); fast over the seige of Jerusalem
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Note: For more about the dates of these holidays see the Calendar pages....
October 2024 Updates
Note: If any page content appears to be missing, please refresh the page...
The Gospel in the Garden...
We always read parashat Bereshit at the begining of the new Jewish year. Right at the outset of the narrative of the Torah we read about the "proto-euangelion," or the "first gospel" message of God's redemption given through the Promised Seed of Eve. I would be remiss if I did not repost this content here for the current year...
10.31.24 (Tishri 29, 5785) The very first prophecy of the Torah concerns the promise of the coming "Seed of the woman" who would vanquish the serpent (nachash) that had originally tempted and deceived Eve (Gen. 3:15). This prophecy is sometimes called the proto-euangelion ("first gospel"), since it is the starting point of all subsequent prophecy and redemptive history revealed in the Scriptures. Indeed, since the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Son (the "Son of Man") is foreshadowed here, this prophecy is linked to the original woman, Eve. Just as Eve became a carrier of the corruption of human nature by heeding the voice of the tempter, so she would be the carrier of God Himself for the deliverance of mankind through the advent of the Redeemer. In the tragic aftermath of the transgression of the first man and woman, then, God first announced His unfailing redemptive love for the human race that would culminate in the birth, sacrifice, and resurrection of Yeshua our Savior and Deliverer - the One who was "born of a woman, born under the law" (Gal. 4:4).
Our restoration begins with God's love and passion. God's first question to Adam after he broke covenant was: "Where (אַיֶּכָּה) are you?" - the voice of a loving Father in search of his son (Gen. 3:9). Of course God knew exactly how his son was attempting to hide, though He almost acted as if He was unwilling to believe that he would betray his love by disobeying His commandment. Therefore God's poignant question was directed to Adam's heart: "Oh my son, how did you get to this place?" God was giving Adam an opportunity to turn back to Him, to confess the sin, to undergo teshuvah, to become reconciled... This is the necessary prelude to any honest relationship with God.
Recall that the original promise of the coming Savior was given within the context of the curse and judgment upon Satan: "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall crush your head, and you shall crush his heel" (Gen. 3:15). That God's promise was first directed to Satan is surely by design, since he "left his first estate" by becoming the "monster in the garden" and was therefore primarily responsible for the transgression of Adam and Eve in the first place (Ezek. 28:13-15,19). The promise delivered to Satan was therefore one of coming retribution and divine judgment: Evil would not have the last word in the matter of mankind, and therefore Satan's schemes would be avenged by God in the fullness of time (Gal. 4:4-5). Notice, however, that Adam and Eve were not yet judged for their sin when the LORD God gave the promise of the coming of the Redeemer. Before a word of judgment was directed toward them, God's love and light was already revealed. Indeed, immediately after their judgment was pronounced, "the LORD God made tunics of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them" (Gen. 3:21) - a clear picture of being compassionately "robed in righteousness" imparted by an innocent sacrifice. The very first sacrifice recorded in the Torah - performed by God Himself - prefigured the coming redemption by the "seed of the woman" who would die as a substitutionary sacrifice for their sins, and therefore Yeshua is rightly called "the Lamb slain from the foundation (or beginning) of the world" (Rev. 13:8). This further explains why Eve's son (Abel) offered a blood sacrifice that was accepted by the LORD, whereas Cain's offering the "fruit of the earth" was rejected.
The very first prophecy of Torah therefore describes - in the most succinct form - the coming of the Savior and the great conflict of the ages. First, God declares that He would put enmity (אֵיבָה) between Satan and the woman. This enmity, or "hostile hatred," was based on the memory of Eve's misguided trust she evidenced in the garden. When Eve first sympathetically listened to the lies of the nachash (serpent), she immediately began her descent into exile and became a temptress herself. Her first step toward sin was a gullibility or openness that ultimately resulted in a lack of trust of God (which is part of the reason why we must be saved by trusting, as a "like-for-like" reversal of the original sin). At the very dawn of human history, then, we see that "truth" (אֱמֶת) apart from God (א) leads to death (מֵת). Eve was deceived because of Satan, but Adam deliberately chose to disobey God (2 Cor. 11:3; 1 Tim 2:14). In response to her teshuvah (repentance), God blessed Eve before He judged her by imparting to her a God-given hatred for Satan and his lies, as well as the promise that she would take part in the birth of the Savior of mankind. The first promise of the gospel, then, focused on the woman and her role in the coming redemption. Notice that Adam later renamed his wife Eve (i.e., Chavah: חַוָּה, the "mother of life") as an expression of his faith that the promised seed would come through her.
וְאֵיבָה אָשִׁית בֵּינְךָ וּבֵין הָאִשָּׁה
וּבֵין זַרְעֲךָ וּבֵין זַרְעָהּ
הוּא יְשׁוּפְךָ רֹאשׁ
וְאַתָּה תְּשׁוּפֶנּוּ עָקֵב
ve·ey·vah a·sheet be·ne·kha oo·vein ha·ee·shah
oo-vein zar·a·kha oo-vein zar-ah
hoo ye·shoof-kha rosh
ve·a·tah te·shoo·fen'·noo a·keiv
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall crush your head, and you shall crush his heel."
(Gen. 3:15)
Hebrew Lesson:
Genesis 3:15b Hebrew reading (click):
Eve might have initially believed that her firstborn son Cain (קַיִן) was the promised Seed himself. After all, the miracle of birth surely came as a great shock to her, and Eve's faith in God's promise that through her seed would come the deliverer was doubtlessly upon her heart at this time. When Eve called her son "Cain" (wordplay from the verb kana (קָנָה), "to get"), she was expressing her faith in God's promise: קָנִיתִי אִישׁ אֶת־יהוה / kaniti ish et-Adonai, "I have gotten a man - namely, the LORD" (Gen. 4:1). Eve's faith was obscured by the translators, however, who rendered the Hebrew as "I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD" (i.e., they inserted the idea of "help" and translated the particle et (את) as "with" rather than as the direct object marker for the verb). The ancient Jewish targums, however, agree with the original Hebrew. For example, Targum Yonatan reads: "I have gotten a man - the Angel of YHVH." Surely Eve, the first mother of humanity, was endowed with great wisdom from God, especially after she turned to Him in repentance after her disobedience. The straightforward reading of her words, then, expressed her hope that the LORD Himself would be made a man...
Despite her hope that Cain was none other than the God-Man and promised Deliverer, Eve's hopes were dashed when it became clear that her son was of the seed of Satan (1 John 3:12). His younger brother Abel (הֶבֶל) was a shepherd who evidenced faith in the promise of the coming redeemer by offering blood sacrifice (Gen. 4:3-5). Abel was persecuted and finally murdered by his brother Cain "because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous." Their spiritual conflict is indicative of the ongoing warfare between the "sons of darkness" and the "sons of light."
The murder of Abel necessitated that the coming seed would descend through another child, and therefore the Torah describes the birth of Seth (שֵׁת, lit. "appointed"), the third son of Adam and Eve. The Scriptures further state that it was the descendants of Seth who "began to call upon the Name of the LORD" (לִקְרא בְּשֵׁם יהוה), indicating that they had faith in God (אֱלהִים) as the Compassionate Covenant Keeper (יהוה) who would redeem humanity by means of the coming seed. Seth called his firstborn son Enosh ("man"), perhaps in the hope that his child would be the promised Savior (interestingly, bar enosh (בַּר אֱנָשׁ), or "Son of Man," is the name for the Savior (Dan 7:13).
To continue reading see:
"The Gospel in the Garden: Further thoughts on parashat Bereshit."
Shavuah Tov Audio Podcast:
The Gospel in the Garden...
Seeing God's Promise...
10.31.24 (Tishri 29, 5785) Just as Noah foresaw the great cataclysm to come, so we are to understand that the world above our heads and under our feet is destined to destruction, as we likewise await the promised world to come: "Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die in like manner; but my salvation will be forever (וישׁוּעָתִי לְעוֹלָם תִּהְיֶה), and my righteousness will never be dismayed" (Isa. 51:6).
This idea is repeated in the New Testament: "For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man" (Matt. 24:37). "But the Day of the LORD will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the Day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn? But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish and at peace" (2 Pet. 3:10-14).
In light of all this, 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 the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead. Therefore we are strangers and exiles on the earth, looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God" (2 Cor. 4:18; Rom. 1:20; Heb. 11:10,13).
Faith sees the invisible... Our father Abraham was promised descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky or sand on the seashore, despite the fact that he was an old man and his wife had long past the age of bearing children. Abraham believed in the One who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist: "He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform: And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness" (Rom. 4:19-22).
Hebrew Lesson:
Genesis 15:6 Hebrew reading (click):
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The Blessing of Divine Rest...
10.31.24 (Tishri 29, 5785) Our Torah reading for this week (Bereshit) includes the famous words recited every Friday night at the outset of the Kiddush ceremony: "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God completed his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done. And God blessed the seventh day, and called it holy, because on it God rested from all his work which He created and made" (Gen. 2:1-3).
The phrase "on the seventh day God completed his work" bothered the Torah commentator Rashi, since it says in another place that all the work of creation was completed during the first six days (Gen 1:31). Rashi then asks, "What was lacking at the end of the sixth day?" And he answers: menuchah (מְנוּחָה), a word that means "rest" (from a root [נוּחַ] that means to repose, comfort, etc.). In other words, God created rest as the consummation of the creative process. Rest is something more than the cessation of activity; it is a means of renewal and reconnecting with what is most important, namely, the goal, purpose, and reason for our lives. Instead of focusing on doing things ("work"), we focus on our being and what we mean before the eyes of heaven. And that is why we "sanctify" the Sabbath day -- to set it apart as a time we attune ourselves to God and to recover the meaning why he created us in this world.
The Sabbath is therefore not a time of passive rest but rather the climax of God's creation itself. It is a picture of heaven itself, the rest and blessing of eternal life. All creation is for the sake of Messiah, which is to say, is for the sake of our salvation and union with God given through him. When Yeshua cried out "It is finished!" he signified that the work for our salvation was complete. There is a therefore a "Sabbath rest" for the people of God, for those who have entered His rest have also ceased from their works as God did from His (Heb. 4:9-10). And that's the deeper principle, or essence, of Sabbath, after all: to cease from our works and to be sustained by God's grace in our Lord...
The weekly Sabbath Kiddush is somewhat like a "mini-Passover seder" for us -- as we recall the blood of Yeshua shed for us as the Lamb of God and eat broken matzah in remembrance of Him...
Hebrew Lesson
Exodus 20:8 audio commentary:
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The Power to Change...
The following is related to our Torah reading for this week, parashat Bereshit-Noach...
10.31.24 (Tishri 29, 5785) When King David cried out, lev tahor bera-li, Elohim: "Create in me a clean heart, O God" (Psalm 51:10), he did not use the Hebrew word yatzar (יָצַר), which means to "fashion" or "form" something from preexisting material, but he instead used the word bara (בָּרָא), a verb exclusively used to refer to God's creative power that brought forth the universe (Gen. 1:1). David understood that no amount of reformation of his character would be enough, and instead appealed to that very power of God that created the worlds yesh me'ayin (יֵשׁ מֵאַיִן), "out of nothing." Such was the nature of the remedy required...
Yeshua taught, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matt. 5:8). The Greek word translated "pure" is katharos (καθαρός), sometimes used describe the cleansing of a wound (catharsis), or to describe the unalloyed quality of a substance revealed through refining fire. Metaphorically, then, purity of heart refers to separation from the profane - singleness of vision, wholeheartedness, passion, and focused desire for the sacred. As we center our affections on Yeshua, we become pure in heart -- i.e., unified, made whole, and healed of our inner fragmentation. We see the Lord both in this world, through his effects, and then panim el panim (פָּנִים אֶל־פָּנִים), "face to face," in the world to come. Our hope purifies us for that coming great day of full disclosure (1 John 3:2-3; Heb. 12:14).
If we are impure of heart, we will be inwardly divided, unfocused, fragmented, filled with destabilizing anxiety, envy, unresolved hurt, anger, and so on. More tragically, because we seek to escape ourselves, we will be devoid of a true center, without a focal point or abiding purpose, and therefore we will be lost to ourselves, wandering and without rest...
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 51:10 Hebrew reading:
The Day of Yeshua...
10.30.24 (Tishri 28, 5785) Why is it that the Sun, the Moon, and the stars were created on the fourth day, but God created light (and darkness) on the first day? As it is writtten: "And God said, 'Let their be light (יְהִי אוֹר) and there was light" (Gen. 1:3). This is to teach us that the Divine Light (אור האל) was separated ("sanctified") from the very beginning. And why does the Torah call the first day "yom echad" (יוֹם אחד), using the cardinal number, meaning "the day of the one," rather than using the ordinal number, "yom ha'rishon" (יוֹם הראשׁון), meaning "the first day"? This is to indicate its special sanctity as the day of "the one and only one" (האחד והיחיד), the utter uniqueness and glory of the One who brought forth the wonders of the Creation.
Yom Echad, therefore is Yom Yeshua (יוֹם ישׁוע), the day of Yeshua, because everything that exists came into being by his hand, and through him all things consist. As it is written: "For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities -- all things were created through Him and for Him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together (συνεστηκεν, lit. "stick together," Col. 1:16-17). Yeshua is the "Magnetic Center" and Logic of reality, the greatist Artist who sang forth the story of universe into being... πάντα δι᾽ αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἓν ὃ γέγονεν: "All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made" (John 1:3). All of creation is being constantly upheld by the word of His power (Heb. 1:3).
Just as there are two kinds of light, the spiritual and the physical, so there are two kinds of darkness, that of the mind and heart, and that of eyes (Psalm 104:20; Isa. 6:10). Spiritual blindness is the deepest darkness, as Yeshua said: "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore your eye is single (ἁπλοῦς, "focused"), your whole body shall be full of light. But if your eye is evil, your whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you be darkness, how great is that darkness!" (Matt. 6:22-23).
Note the connection between the spiritual and the physical. There is a fundamental dualism that is metaphysically part of God's creation. In the beginning "darkness was on the face of the deep" (חֹשֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵי תְהוֹם), that is, God used darkness as the "background of his canvas" as he "extinguished" the darkness with the creation of light. These two cannot "blend" or be syncretized but are mutually exclusive (John 1:5; 1 John 5:2). This is true of our spiritual life as well - the light that enables us to see God's truth is in conflict with the darkness that is "tohu va'vohu," unreality and vanity that hides the view of the depths (Gen. 1:2).
Yeshua is the Center of Creation - it's beginning and end. As it is written: אָנכִי אָלֶף וְתָו רִאשׁוֹן וְאַחֲרוֹן ראשׁ וָסוֹף / "I am the 'A' and the 'Z,' the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End" (Rev. 22:13). Indeed, Yeshua is מֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים / Melech Malchei Hamelachim: The "King of kings of kings." He is LORD of all possible worlds -- from the highest of celestial glories to the very dust of death upon a cross... יְהִי שֵׁם יהוה מְברָךְ / yehi shem Adonai mevorakh: "Let the Name of the LORD be blessed" forever and ever (Psalm 113:2).
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During Sabbath kiddush we remember God as both our Creator and our Redeemer. The central point of all true Torah, then, is the redemptive love of God demonstrated in the "first and last" principle of sacrificial life. This was prefigured in the original paradise when Adam and Eve were clothed by the lamb sacrificed for their transgression (Gen. 3:21), and the theme continues throughout the Torah, for example, in the account of the sacrifice of Isaac (we blow the shofar on Rosh Hashanah to recall the Lamb of God given in his place), in the visions of Jacob, in the commissioning of Moses, in the redemption from death by the blood of the sacrificed lamb in Egypt, and by the climactic revelation of the altar given at Sinai (i.e., the Tabernacle). Just as the "korban tamid" of the Temple (i.e., the continual sacrifice of the lamb upon the altar) recalled the original Passover and foretold of the Lamb of God to come, so Yeshua, the "Living Torah," embodied the Sacrificial Life itself, the true Lamb of God that was offered upon the stigma of the cross, to demonstrate God's infinite condescension, mercy and love that redeems the world from sin and death. Just as there is no Passover apart from the Lamb, so there is no "Rosh Hashanah" or "Yom Kippur" apart from God's atoning love given in the Messiah... Now that is reason to blow the shofar and make a "teruah," or a "joyful noise" in praise to our God! Amen!
Hebrew Lesson
Revelation 4:11 reading (click for audio):
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Nothing is trivial...
"One must keep on pointing out that Christianity is a statement which, if false, is of no importance, and, if true, of infinite importance. The one thing it cannot be is moderately important" (C.S. Lewis: God in the Dock).
10.30.24 (Tishri 28, 5785) "And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be reproved. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God" (John 3:19-21).
It is a "sobering glory" to truly understand that life is a miracle and nothing is trivial. In the world to come you will be shocked to understand that everything you thought, everything you said, and everything you did was given to you from above, and therefore has tremendous significance (Matt. 12:36-37). Everything matters. Your life matters. Your choices echo with the ring of eternity. May it please the Lord to open our hearts and eyes to truly come alive...
If you belong to the Messiah you are not part of this world and its deceptive matrix but instead serve the "King of Kings" (Col. 1:13; Acts 26:18; 1 Pet. 2:9). Therefore set your thoughts on things above, not on things of this world (Col. 3:2). In the end all things born of the lie will be exposed and forever put away from us (Eccl. 12:14). The great Day draws near. "For though the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end -- it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay" (Hab. 2:3). Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Ecclesiastes 12:14 reading (click):
Do not lose heart...
10.30.24 (Tishri 28, 5785) We are living in an age of peril and rampant godlessness, and for all the more reason should we "pay more careful attention to what we have heard so that we do not drift away" (Heb. 2:1). We must be anchored to the truth lest we become shipwrecked in our faith. Drifting away is often imperceptible, and occurs slowly, though the end result is as deadly as openly turning away from God in outright apostasy. As C.S. Lewis wrote, "The safest road to hell is the gradual one - the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts."
The grave danger today is to quietly and invisibly give up hope, to unconsciously "go with the flow," to grow numb, to become cynical or to fall asleep, to slowly die of heart failure. It is far more dangerous to ignore God's mercy, or to make a pretense of knowing God's grace, than it is to flagrantly break his law. Therefore the urgent need is to remember, to hear, and to earnestly remind the soul to face the truth about reality. We must quicken the heart, concentrate the will, and consciously "set" the Lord always before us (Psalm 16:8). Each day we must awaken from our emptiness and fear to reaffirm the central truth: "Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai echad" and to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength" (Deut. 6:4-5). "Awake, O you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Yeshua will give you light" (Eph. 5:14).
We must press on to secure our high calling in Messiah: "Let us know; let us press on to know (i.e., נִרְדְּפָה, "pursue after") the LORD; His going out is sure as the dawn; He will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth" (Hos. 6:3). May God help us pursue him be'khol levavkha - with all our heart - because He has promised, "You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart" (Jer. 29:13). And may the love of the LORD indeed be upon us, even as we put our hope in Him (Psalm 32:22). Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 69:18 Hebrew reading:
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Creation and the Fall
Destiny of the Soul...
10.30.24 (Tishri 28, 5785) The Scriptures define "man" as the creation of God, a union of body and soul, that is, a unity of physical and spiritual elements, as it is written: "Then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground (adamah: אֲדָמָה) and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (nishmat chayim: נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים), and the man became a living soul" (Gen. 2:7). The miracle of creation means that God imparted his own neshimah (נְשִׁימָה), his own "breath," to give life to the man, who was named "Adam."
Note then that man was made in two distinct stages. First the LORD "formed" (יָצַר) his body (גוּף) from the "dust of the earth" (עָפָר מִן־הָאֲדָמָה), and then the LORD "breathed" (נָפַח) into this body a "soul" (נֶפֶשׁ ,נְשָׁמָה), that is, the consciousness that represents the self or the "I" that inhabits the body. This is sometimes called the "image of God" (צלם אלוהים), the "I am" of self-consciousness, the ability to reason and to make decisions, to discern intuitions of logic, to apprehend moral and aesthetic reality, to wonder and glory over the the beauty and greatness of the Divine Presence, and so on. The image of God means that man reflects (analogically) God's very attributes and characteristics.
The Scriptures also refer to the soul of man as "ruach" (רוּחַ), generally meaning "breath" or wind (Psalm 78:39). The unity of the body and soul is called "nefesh chayah" (נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה), a "living being." The body serves as a "habitation" for the soul as it lives in this world, and the separation of this unity, that is physical death, causes the body to return to the dust, though the soul continues to exist (Psalm 90:3; Eccl. 12:7).
According to "kabbalistic" (i.e., neoplatonic) interpretations of Judaism, the individual soul goes through distinct stages in its "journey" emanating from God and then returning back to God. The first stage is nebulous "preexistence," or the soul before it enters a body while being suspended in the "treasury of souls"(הָאוֹצָר); the second stage is physical life, when the soul "falls" into the body and where it is actuated, imprisoned and tested in human form. The soul then works to remove the barriers to spiritual life in this world, and upon death of the body is released to either to Paradise (heaven) or to Gehenna (hell), but finally, the soul will have a share in the "world to come" (olam haba) after the resurrection of the dead. In some forms of kabbalah the soul is reincarnated until it attains success in its mission that was given before it "fell" to the realm of this world (olam ha'zeh). The final vision of the world to come is unified into one world that is inhabited by God in all fullness.
It should be noted that such a kabbalistic vision is not biblical, though it includes some biblical truths.... Let's therefore review Scripture to get an understanding of the human soul and its ultimate end. So we begin at the beginning, where Torah clearly states that God created Adam as a union of body and soul. First Adam's body was formed from the dust of the earth, and then Adam's soul was imparted when God breathed it into his body (Gen. 2:7). Note that Adam's body apart from his soul is not alive, and it is only after the soul is imparted to the body that man is it nefesh chayah, a living creature. So at the outset of creation God made Adam "for life" and worship in the paradise of Eden. That was the original ideal.
Death is first mentioned following the account of the creation of the man, when the LORD commanded Adam not to eat from the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" (עֵץ הַדַּעַת טוֹב וָרָע): "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die" (Gen. 2:16-17). In this connection we note that the Hebrew phrase that warns of the dreadful consequence of eating from the forbidden tree is "mot tamut" (מוֹת תָּמוּת), literally "in dying you will die," which both implies the spiritual nature of death as separation from the divine life, but also the repeated experience of death – the ongoing knowledge of decay, dissolution, and loss...
Though it is not explicitly stated in the narrative, it is implied that Adam would have understood the meaning of the commandment and would have had some idea of the implications of what death meant, even though he had never directly encountered death in his life before. Adam would understand death to mean the loss of life, and moreover that death was the penalty for transgressing God's will. When Adam later transgressed God's decree, God invoked the just penalty by saying: "You shall return to the earth, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return" (Gen. 3:19). "Returning to dust" (אֶל־עָפָר תָּשׁוּב) implies the disintegration of Adam, the separation of his body from his soul. I will consider some of the spiritual implications of this shortly.
Contrary to the idea that death is a "natural" part of a larger "evolutionary narrative" that explains it as an inevitable (i.e., mechanistic) "mutation" of biochemical organisms, the Scriptures understand death as God's judgment upon sin, both in the individual sense of the "curse" of decay and the dissolution of the human body, but also in a cosmic sense of the dissolution of biological organisms and "heat death" of the very universe itself.
After Adam's original sin, human nature itself "fell" and was corrupted, and all of his subsequent descendants would inherit the curse of death, and therefore all subsequent generations of people would eventually die (Rom. 5:12). This is sometimes called "traducianism" in theology, implying that all people would be born in a state of spiritual alienation and under judgment (guilt) derived by their connection to Adam's "federal headship" as the original father of the human race. In addition, and as mentioned above, the curse of death extended to the creation itself, since Adam was created to exercise godly dominion as God's steward and mediator of the world (Gen. 1:26). Adam's transgression forfeited his divine right to rule creation, and his authority was usurped by the devil who had deceived him (Gen. 3:1-19).
So in the biblical sense, "death" (i.e., mavet: מָוֶת) is far more than just the cessation of physical life, that is, the dissolution of the body, but concerns the soul's relationship with God, and therefore it is rightly called spiritual death (מוות נַפשִׁי).
In this world, spiritual death is a "mode" of existence that may appear "alive" but it is actually separated and alienated from God. It is in fact a "similitude" of life - death disguised as life. The Apostle Paul calls this godless and carnal energy "the flesh" (Rom. 7:5, Rom. 8:6), though Jewish tradition has often referred to it as "yetzer ha'ra" (יֵצֶר הָרָה) the inclination to be selfish and evil (the word yetzer first appears in Genesis 6:5 where the wickedness of man is described as "every imagination of the thoughts of his heart (יֵצֶר מַחְשְׁבֹת לִבּוֹ) was only evil continually"). The wicked are dead while they 'live;' the righteous are alive while they 'die.' As strange as it may seem, people are born in a state of death, enslaved to their carnal nature, and "dead in sins" (Eph. 2:1; Col. 2:13; Psalm 51:5; Jer. 17:9). The underlying problem of death, therefore, is the curse of spiritual death (קִלִלַת הַמָּוות הַרוּחָנִי), for unless that is somehow remedied, there is no lasting hope, even if the physical body were to continue to live into perpetuity. And this is the message of the gospel itself, that God, in compassion for your soul, redeems you from the curse and delivers you from spiritual death by the sacrificial exchange of Yeshua on the cross for your life. "For God made him who knew no sin to be sin for you, that you might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21).
But note that just as the death of the body does not mean the death of the soul, so the death of the soul does not mean the end of its existence... In relation to the soul, death is something spiritual and therefore concerns the immaterial nefesh, the "self," and its separation from the divine life. As I mentioned above, the nefesh is the "I am" of inner consciousness, but being a person necessarily involves relationship, a "dialog," and ultimately this dialog must transcend the individual to be grounded in relationship with God.
There are two relationships we can never escape and that are eternal: the relationship we have with ourselves, and the relationship we have with God. If we have healing and peace in our relationship with God, we have a happy sense of self that will be grounded in eternal reality, but if we are hostile and offended in our relationship with God, we will have a self "locked within itself" in endless inner dialog that will be unhappy and full of blame, anger, grumbling, and shame. This is the worst kind of death, called "eternal death" (מוות נִצְהִי) which is the sealed judgment upon those who have willfully chosen reject God's mercies by remaining spiritually dead during their allotted time on earth.
All this is devastatingly sobering. If a person physically dies in a state of alienation and rebellion against God, that is, if they refuse God's remedy for the sickness of their condition of spiritual death, then their soul will be consigned to Hades, a temporary "holding cell," until the final judgment that will be pronounced and carried out at the "end of this world," before the Great White Throne, wherein they will then be resurrected to rejoin their souls with their bodies and then eternally separated from God forever and ever. Tragically, the only remnant of the soul that will be retained will be consciousness of the revelation of God's justice and judgment upon their sin forever and ever. The Apostle John calls this the "Second Death" (הַמָּוֶת הַשֵּׁנִי) in the "Lake of Fire" (Rev. 20:11-15).
On the other hand, those who do teshuvah (repent) and are regenerated by God will be given spiritual life (חַיֵּי עוֹלָם) imparted by the Holy Spirit (John 3:1-8). A "new nature" is created, a new heart (נֶפֶשׁ) and a new spirit (רוּחַ) is given (Ezek. 36:26). This is a matter of "ontological" change, not simply a matter of faith (2 Cor. 5:17). Just as physical birth resulted in being in the earthy realm, connected to Adam as our primordial father, so spiritual birth results in being in the heavenly realm, connected to Yeshua as our "Second Adam" and "Father of Eternity" (Isa. 9:6; 1 Cor. 15:45; Eph. 1:5). An intimate sense of God as "Abba" is implanted in the heart, and new desires - a hunger and thirst to know and walk in God's ways - begin to take root (Rom. 8:15; 1 Pet. 1:23). Although there will ongoing struggles with "the world, the flesh, and the devil," a real transformation from a life characterized by spiritual death to one of divine life and godly character will begin to be manifest. The "old self" (הָאָדָם הַיָּשָׁן) is crucified with Messiah and the carnal connection with Adam severed "so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin" (Rom. 6:6). Our connection to death will die; the power of sin will be radically broken, and we will experience freedom to do what is right in God's eyes (Eph. 2:5). "By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and goodness, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious powers (i.e., ἐπάγγελμα, the substance of what has been promised), that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust" (2 Pet. 1:3-4).
Of course "salvation is of the LORD" (יְשׁוּעָתָה לַיהוָה), which means God is the Author and Finisher of our salvation, and we are powerless to generate new life in our souls. Indeed, the gospel speaks precisely to those who know they cannot save themselves. There are no "works of righteousness" that we may do, no rituals or special prayers that will unlock the blessings of true spiritual life: It is the miracle of God; it is the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit of God. Nevertheless, in this present age, physical death is inevitable and is a matter of God's decree (Heb. 9:27; Psalm 139:16). This is a result of living in a fallen world. The essential issue is what death means in light of salvation in Messiah. In the case of the unregenerated person, as we have seen, the separation of the body and the soul leads to the continuation of spiritual death, and ultimately to eternal death (Luke 16:19-31). In the case of the regenerated person, however, the separation of the body and the soul leads to the continuation of spiritual life and entry before the presence of God in paradise, and ultimately to life to heaven itself (John 5:24; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23).
We are given eternal life (חַיֵּי עוֹלָם) when we are regenerated by the Holy Spirit, and our regeneration is a present possession even as we live in this temporal realm (John 5:24). The life we are given in Messiah is a possession of the "inner man," that is, a new nature and spirit, and though the "outer man" may perish, the inner man is renewed day by day (2 Cor. 4:16). The Greek word used for "renewed" in this verse (ἀνακαινόω) means being transformed into something new, raised up from death into a new kind of life. We no longer know ourselves "after the flesh" (Gal. 2:20; 2 Cor. 5:16); there is a new principle at work, the "law of the Spirit of Life" that sets us from the "law of sin and death" (Rom. 8:2). Death has lost its power over us because Yeshua has overcome death on our behalf and rescues us from its claim on our souls. But we have this treasure (of the eternal life) held in "jars of clay," to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us" (2 Cor. 4:7) Therefore, as Paul affirmed: "whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord. Whether we live therefore or die, we are the Lord's (Rom. 14:8).
But why must we physically die, if Yeshua took upon himself the curse of death and died in our place? Because the spiritual life he imparts to us will be fully manifest upon our death, as we share in his resurrection power. Then, at the appointed time when we are reunited with our bodies at the time of the rapture, in a "twinkling of an eye," the people of God will be physically restored to serve in the Millennial Kingdom at the time of the Second Coming. For the believer, death will then be "swallowed up" into life forevermore. It should be noted that this restoration of the body is unlike the resurrection of the spiritually dead before the White Throne judgment at the end of the age.
Though the prospect of physical death is fearful, we have peace with God as we trust in his sovereign work to save our souls. Yeshua is the way, the truth, and the life: he has tasted death for us and overcome all its terrors (Rev. 1:8). He takes our place as our Scapegoat upon the cross, and our atonement from the penalty for our sins is thereby made eternally secure. In this life he quickens us with spiritual life and a new nature; as we live out our days he guides our way, and when we die, he will receive us into the presence of his glory. We will live and reign with him forever and ever to the glory and praise of the LORD our God. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 73:24 reading (click for audio):
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Stages of Judgment...
[ The following entry concerns this week's Torah reading, parashat Noach... ]
10.29.24 (Tishri 27, 5785) Some of the sages have noted that God's judgment comes in stages. The Great Flood was preceded by four successive generations of prophets that warned of the coming cataclysmic judgment: Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, and finally Noah.
It is fascinating to understand that Adam himself was alive when Noah's grandfather Methuselah was born, so the original message of teshuvah (repentance) was an echo that came from Eden itself; moreover, consider that Abraham personally knew of Noah (Abraham was 58 years old when Noah died), and undoubtedly Noah's son Shem told him of his grandfather Lamech, who had seen and spoken with Adam himself - the man who was directly created by God alone. Later, Abraham's son Isaac also came to know Shem, Noah's firstborn son, and the legacy of the "gospel of the garden" was thereby passed on...
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The first stage of judgment occurred when people disregarded the inherent dignity of others created in the image and likeness of God. This negation of the divine characteristics of people (i.e., the image of God) led to sexual promiscuity that became rampant upon the earth: "The sons of God saw the daughters of man that they were fair, and they took for themselves wives, whomsoever they chose" (one midrash claims that the Dor HaMabul, the generation of the flood, would regularly exchange marital partners). God then gave mankind 120 years to repent from his sexual corruption or be faced with apocalyptic destruction (Gen. 6:3). Despite Noah's 120 year public building project and the preaching of his grandfather Methuselah, God's patience finally ran out (1 Pet. 3:20). God then "saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Gen. 6:5). Mankind refused to repent and turn to God....
There is a tragic progression at work here. The practice of "casual" acts of lawlessness eventually led to the acceptance and practice of sexual promiscuity. This, in turn, resulted in the loss of mankind's sanctity (kedushah), since this comes from man's ability to subordinate his instinctual/emotional desires to his intellectual/spiritual life.
Genuine sanctity refuses to exploit others as means to an end. Disregarding this truth cheapens and impairs the sense of self, causing disintegration of the spiritual life. As humanity became more and more fractured and stupefied, God's "like for like" judgment resulted in "giving them over" (paradidomi) to the lusts of their hearts (Rom. 1:26). (In our culture of unbridled pornographic expression and sexual immorality, we mirror such an antediluvian world view. Indeed, it is a mark of our age to be enamored with "degrading passions," with gender confusion and regularly practiced idolatry (i.e., fornication, adultery, homosexual relationships, and so on)).
The final verdict of this practiced "chamas" (lawlessness) was the bestowal of a "depraved mind" (αδοκιμον νουν), a condition of being unable to reason properly at all. Since truth is essentially grounded in a sense of value, and value is a function of conscience, a depraved mind is literally insane from a spiritual perspective... People who are devoid of conscience are unable to reason along the lines of ethical truth at all. This promotes a cultural collusion to suppress the truth, to silence the truth-tellers, to kill the prophets, and to gag advocates for justice. Lawlessness squelches the inward voice of right and wrong within the human heart.
Hebrew Lesson:
Genesis 6:5 Hebrew reading (click):
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Timeline Note: Noach lived for 350 years after the flood, and died when he was 950 years old (Gen. 9:28-29). Based on Gen. 11, Noach was 602 when Shem begat Arphaxad (Gen. 11:10), and Terach begat Abram 290 years later (Gen. 11:12-26), so Noah would have been 892 years old at the time Abraham was born. Since Noach lived to be 950, he would have lived for 58 years after Abraham was born. On the other hand, if Terach was 130 (not 70) years old (from Gen. 11:32 compared with Gen. 12:4), then Noah would have died two years before Abraham was born (Terach and Abraham's older brothers, however, would have been contemporaries of Noah). The problem is that Gen. 11:25 is equivocal, so we cannot know for certain because of the apparent discrepancy in the genealogies.
Sorrowful yet Rejoicing...
10.29.24 (Tishri 27, 5785) We believe that God will one day wipe away all of our tears, but that implies, does it not, that we will sometimes weep as we go through this life, the "Valley of the Shadow of Death." Perhaps some of us are spiritually dysfunctional because we seek exemption from our own mortality and wounded condition. Again, how will God wipe away our tears if we never cry?
We are powerless to save ourselves, though God does the impossible. "God creates out of nothing. Wonderful you say. Yes, to be sure, but he does what is still more wonderful: he makes saints out of sinners" (Soren Kierkegaard). And if the miracle of salvation takes root within our hearts, we can help others by confessing our sorrows, our wounds, and our hope in God's great promises. When we share our struggle with others, we are given strength to overcome worldly despair and we discover that our faith overcomes the darkness.
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We read in the Torah: "Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, therefore [all these afflictions will come upon you]..." (Deut. 28:47-48). Joy is a prerequisite for serving the LORD, and true happiness is found in the grace He supplies us to do His will. Indeed, the Greek word for joy used in the New Testament (χαρα) is related to the word for grace (χαρις), so there is a profound connection between apprehending grace and experiencing joy (Phil. 4:4).
"Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." (James 1:2-4). Sometimes, of course, it is difficult to "count it all joy," especially when we feel oppressed or saddened. The Scriptures never disavow our emotional states (read Psalm 13 or Psalm 88, for example), but nevertheless an underlying note of grace is always sounded, even in painful moments and times. This is our consolation in suffering.... we are sorrowful yet ever rejoicing.
And this works the other way, too. Even in our most joyous occasions, such as the great simchah (happiness) of a wedding, the "glass is shattered" to remind ourselves that our eternal joy is not yet fulfilled... We live in an "already-not-yet" state of existence. Our best moments are beset with shadows; our darkest are limned with hope of the new eternal day to come. As Paul said, "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us" (Rom. 8:18).
Seedbed of Creation...
10.29.24 (Tishri 27, 5785) The Scroll of Genesis (סֵפֶר בְּרֵאשִׁית) is truly the "beginning," the "root," and the "seedbed" of all the subsequent Scriptures - including the message of the gospel and the revelation of the New Testament. In Genesis we see the creation and ruin of man through sin, but we take hold of the promise of deliverance through the coming Seed of the woman; in the Book of Exodus (שְׁמוֹת) we see God's powerful redemption secured through the blood of the Lamb; in the Book of Leviticus (וַיִּקְרָא) we encounter communion and atonement in the holy sanctuary; in the Book of Numbers (בַּמִדְבַּר) we experience the leading of God through desert places, and in the Book of Deuteronomy (הַדְּבָרִים) we are renewed by God's faithfulness before we take hold of our inheritance. Ultimately, the concluding book of the Bible, the Book of Revelation, serves as a climactic "final chapter" of the story of Torah begun in Genesis, where the Tree of Life (עֵץ הַחַיִּים) is restored to the midst of the paradise of God, and the presence of sin and death have been forever eradicated....
Everything begins with the foundational truth that Almighty God is our personal Creator (הַבּוֹרֵא). This is the first principle and axiom of all rational thinking: "In the beginning (בְּרֵאשִׁית), God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1:1). Notice that the word "beginning," i.e., bereshit, comes from the word reishit (רֵאשִׁית), meaning first or best (Psalm 111:10), which does not necessarily mean "the beginning" in a temporal sense (הַרִאשׁוֹן), but rather primacy or rulership over all that exists. Indeed, the word includes the root idea of "head" (ראשׁ), which suggests the "head of all things," that is, to the Messiah, the Creative Word of God who is the "head of all beginning and authority" and through Whom and for Whom all things were created (Col. 1:16; 2:10).
Many of the traditional sages state that "in the beginning" (בְּרֵאשִׁית) refers to the wisdom of the Torah. Quoting Proverbs 8:22, these sages actually say that God created the world for the sake of Torah, what they call "reshit darko" (רֵאשִׁית דַּרְכּוֹ). In other words, wisdom (i.e., chokhmah: חָכְמָה) is personified as the Torah, the Agency of Power that created the universe. In light of the New Testament, we understand the divine wisdom personified as Yeshua our Messiah - the expression of God's will in creation... the manifestation of the "strong arm" of the LORD and his mighty power that created the enormous complexity of the universe yesh ma'ayin, "out of nothing..." Indeed, Yeshua is the "Living Torah" (ha'Torah ha'chayim: התורה החיה) and the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world - the One revealed before creation as its source and end. As it says in the New Testament: בְּרֵאשִׁית הָיָה הַדָּבָר - "in the beginning was the Word," וֵאלהִים הָיָה הַדָּבָר - and God was the Word... הַכּל נִהְיָה עַל־יָדוֹ - All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made (John 1:1,3). Followers of the Messiah Yeshua do not worship a book, though the LORD our God is indeed the faithful Lawgiver, the Source of all truth and therefore he can never contradict the perfections of his own inner nature. Only the LORD God Almighty receives the glory of creation forever and ever (Rev. 4:11).
God "emptied himself" by freely choosing to create the universe in order to share his wisdom, glory, and love with other beings he created... All this was for the sake of the Messiah, who built the world in chesed (חֶסֶד) and who forever reigns as the King of eternal life and love.
Hebrew Lesson
Prov. 8:22 Hebrew reading (click):
Creation and Faith...
"It is absurd for the Evolutionist to complain that it is unthinkable for an admittedly unthinkable God to make everything out of nothing and then pretend that it is more thinkable that nothing should turn itself into everything." - G.K. Chesterton
10.29.24 (Tishri 27, 5785) The idea that a personal God created the universe "out of nothing" (i.e., yesh me'ayin: יֵשׁ מֵאַיִן ) is a matter of special revelation that is not directly known through the operation of unaided natural reason. Of course human reason may (rightly) infer that since "every effect requires a cause," and since the universe itself is an effect, there must be a cause sufficient in power and greatness to effect the existence of the universe. Likewise, human reason may again (rightly) infer that the universe itself must have had a beginning, since it is impossible to traverse an infinite number of causes to arrive at a present effect, and therefore there must have been an immensely powerful and transcendental "First Cause" that started the chain of causation itself. (This "First Cause" answers the metaphysical question, "Why is there something [at all] rather than nothing?") However, human reason, by itself, can only take us so far, and something more is needed to apprehend the nature of reality.
In philosophical theology, an argument that God is the Cause of the universe is sometimes offered to invoke the possibility that the God of the Jewish Scriptures exists, though strictly speaking this inference is not warranted given the premises and logic of "cosmological" arguments alone. Indeed, the ancient Greek philosophers used this kind of reasoning to justify their own speculations about the cosmos (e.g., Plato's Form of the Good, Aristotle's Unmoved Mover, etc.), and yet their philosophical systems never connected the First Cause with a morally perfect personal Creator (אֱלהִים) who made mankind in His image and who therefore requires loving trust to know Him. The Greek conception of God (θεὸς) was abstract, impersonal, and essentially a theoretical construct employed to make sense of the physical cosmos. Nowhere in their speculations will you find the idea that the First Cause has revealed Himself as the author of all moral truth in the universe and who therefore functions as mankind's Eternal Judge. And nowhere in their thinking will you find the Covenant-Making God (יהוה) who redeems humanity from sin and judgment by means of the atoning sacrifice of Yeshua on the cross... Beyond the abstract awareness that the universe is the effect of an immensely powerful and transcendental First Cause, unaided human reason has precious little to say. As the French philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal once wrote, "The God of the philosophers is not the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."
To the Hebrew mind, reality is the handiwork of a single all-knowing, all-powerful, and morally perfect Creator who has personally revealed Himself to key individuals in the drama of human history. As such, reality is intensely, overwhelmingly, and even hauntingly personal... Truth therefore is a matter of trust -- not abstract knowledge -- whereas "knowledge" is primarily about practical ethics, moral obligation, and cult practices (i.e., Temple worship). For the Hebrew mind, truth is more akin to moral fidelity than it is to propositional correspondence; it is more a matter of the heart than of the head (see: "Theology and the Greek Mindset").
A Roman emperor once asked Rabbi Joshua if the universe had a ruler. The sage answered, indeed, the LORD is the Creator of all things, as it is written, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." The emperor then asked, "Why then is God not like the emperor of Rome, who is seen twice a year so that people may know and worship him?" Rabbi Joshua said that unlike human kings, the LORD was too powerful for people to see; as it is written in the Torah: "No person shall see Me and live." The emperor was skeptical, however, and insisted that unless he could physically see God, he would be unable to believe. Rabbi Joshua then pointed to the sun high in the sky: "Look into the sun and you will see God." The emperor tried to look into the sun, but was forced to cover his eyes to keep them from burning: "I cannot look into the sun," he said. Rabbi Joshua then replied: "Listen to yourself: If you cannot look into the sun which is but one of God's creations, how can you expect to look at God?" (adapted from Sefer HaAggadah)
The New Testament affirms that knowing that the First Cause of the universe is the personal God revealed in the Jewish Scriptures is the result of faith in God's direct revelation: "By faith (בָּאֱמוּנָה) we understand that the universe [lit. "worlds"] were created by the utterance of God (בִּדְבַר אֱלהִים), so that what is seen [i.e., the "effect" of the universe] did not come into being out of existing phenomena [i.e., was made yesh me'ayin - 'out of nothing']" (Heb. 11:3). Again, this is a matter of special revelation directly imparted by God's grace so that the soul may apprehend the Divine Light that preceded the creation of the worlds. Faith "looks 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" (2 Cor. 4:18). This "collision" with the world of everydayness creates a restlessness or homesickness for our true home in heaven... (May God help each of us persevere.)
The very first phrase of the Scriptures, "In the beginning God created..." (Gen. 1:1), is therefore the starting point of all true and right thinking about the universe itself. Everything else follows from this revealed truth which natural (i.e., human) reason can merely approximate. God alone can create yesh me'ayin - "out of nothing" (the Hebrew verb bara (בָּרָא) is used exclusively to refer to God's power in this way), and therefore God stands exaltedly apart from the universe as its unique Creator and personal Master. This is the guiding thought that overshadows all that follows in the pages of Scripture. God is holy - separate - and entirely unique. He is the Personal God who loves, wills, speaks, intends, etc., and to whom human beings owe their allegiance and life. The God of Israel is not some indifferent deity that functions as a theoretical construct to explain the universe: He is the Source of all life, the personal Judge and Redeemer of all people. Bless His great name.
Hebrew Lesson
Genesis 1:1 Hebrew reading (click):
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Beginning with Faith...
10.28.24 (Tishri 26, 5785) "In the beginning, God created the heavens and earth." We begin here, like a child listening to a story: "Once upon a time..." At the outset of revelation, then, we realize God speaks to the heart in simplicity. "Unless you turn and become as little children, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 18:3). We are not given engineering details about how God created, only that He did so "yesh me'ayin," that is, out of nothing - so that we do not rely on our own understanding but on the power and grace of the One who brought everything into being. This is the beginning of faith....
Hebrew Lesson:
Jeremiah 10:12 Hebrew reading (click):
The Reason for Creation...
[ The following is related our Torah portion for this Shabbat, parashat Bereshit... ]
10.28.24 (Tishri 26, 5785) Why did God create the universe? What is its ultimate purpose and end? In the Scriptures we read: "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows forth his handiwork" (Psalm 19:1). The vast expanse of the unending cosmos mirrors the greatness of the Creator; its innumerable wonders constantly proclaim the infinite glories of God. Indeed all of creation is filled with God's glory (Isa. 6:3). So the manifestation of the glory of God is "the meaning of life, the universe, and everything in it."
But there is something deeper still, namely, the glory of God as the Redeemer and Savior of lost humanity. "Fear not: for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine" (Isa. 43:1). "Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made" (Isa. 43:6-7). We were created for God's glory, yet we became lost and in the darkness of exile. The highest manifestation of the glory of God is therefore revealed in Yeshua our Savior, the gracious healer and lover of our souls.
The Bible begins: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1:1). It then recounts how God created man by breathing a part of his own spirit into him: "Then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground (adamah: אֲדָמָה) and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (nishmat chayim: נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים), and the man became a living soul" (Gen. 2:7). The miracle of creation means that God imparted his own neshimah (נְשִׁימָה), his own "breath," to give life to the man, who was named "Adam."
When Adam first opened his eyes and human consciousness was born, he immediately understood that the LORD created all things, including himself. According to midrash, Adam's first words were, יהוה מֶלֶךְ עוֹלָם וָעֶד / Adonai malakh olam va'ed: "The LORD is King for ever and ever." God then said, "Now the whole world will know that I am King," and He was very pleased. This was the "tov me'od" (טוֹב מְאד) moment of creation, when God saw all that He had made "and found it very good" (Gen. 1:31). The whole universe was lit up with God's glory, from the furthest star to the dust used to form Adam's heart.
However it was not long afterward that God tested Adam, perhaps to prove his love for his Creator (John 12:15; Deut. 13:3). God wanted Adam and Eve to make up their minds by choosing whether they would honor his will or not. He commanded Adam not to eat from the forbidden tree, without any rational explanation, though he warned that disobedience to his commandment would result in death: "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die" (Gen. 2:16-17).
Paradoxically, the LORD constrained Adam and Eve to make the decision one way or another. They were forced to be free! The forbidden tree was therefore encountered, and the nachash (devil) appeared questioning God's will for them: "Did God really say...?" (Gen. 3:1). Like the patriarch Job, the showdown between good and evil would be played out within the heart of man. And all of this was by divine design and counsel, of course. God created this tree to test the man's faith; He foresaw the transgression; and He graciously planned for its remedy in Yeshua, the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."
We know what happened, of course. Eve took fruit from the tree and gave some to Adam, and together they chose to disobey God. Because the transgression arose from the desire to act autonomously, the remedy was to be realized by its reversal - that is, by yielding in personal trust of God's sacrificial love. That was the primary message God gave to Adam and Eve when he covered them with the skin of a sacrificed lamb in the garden and promised them future redemption from the curse of death. Though Adam was first created to mirror God and serve as the steward of creation, his image was marred by unbelief and therefore he needed the miracle of regeneration to be perfected. This "new man," despite being plagued by various troubles and confusion, was destined to overcome the fallenness of the world by faith, and it was for such people that the LORD God created the world.
And so God created the world for the sake of the manifestation of his glory both as our Creator but also as our personal Redeemer and Savior. Yeshua is the revelation of the glory of God who reveals the divine heart of mercy and compassion. Yeshua is the "direct object" of creation; He is the central character of reality, the depth of all that is ultimately real.
"In the beginning was the Word" (John 1:1,14). Yeshua is the Source of all life in the universe: "All things were made by Him (John 1:3). The "Word made flesh" is the "image of the invisible God" and the "radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint (χαρακτήρ, 'character') of his nature" (John 1:14, Col. 1:15). All of creation is being constantly upheld by the word of His power (Heb. 1:3): "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).
Creation begins and ends with the redemptive love of God as manifested in the Person of Yeshua our Messiah... He is the gravitational center of creation - it's beginning and end. As it is written: אָנכִי אָלֶף וְתָו רִאשׁוֹן וְאַחֲרוֹן ראשׁ וָסוֹף / "I am the 'Aleph' and the 'Tav,' the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End" (Rev. 22:13). Indeed, Yeshua is מֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים / melech malchei ha'melachim: The "King of kings of kings." He is LORD of all possible worlds -- from the highest celestial glory to the dust of death upon a cross... יְהִי שֵׁם יהוה מְברָךְ / yehi shem Adonai mevorakh: "Let the Name of the LORD be blessed" forever (Psalm 113:2).
So why you were born into this world? What is your purpose, destiny, and end? The Torah states that you were personally created by Almighty God, who breathed out the breath of life (נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים) into you, and then redeemed your life so you could know the glory of God and spiritual reality. As it is written: "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your desire they existed and were created" (Rev. 4:11). God creates all things for his glory and purposes, which indeed is the first blessing recited over the bride and groom in a traditional Jewish wedding: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהוָה אֱלהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלם שֶׁהַכּל בָּרָא לִכְבוֹדו / "Blessed are you Lord our God king of the universe, who has created all things for his glory." The purpose of life is to know and to love God, to walk in His light and truth, and to glorify his compassion and grace forever...
At a traditional Jewish wedding the groom places the ring on his bride's finger and says: Harei, at mekudeshet li (הרי את מקודשׁת לי): "Behold, you are sacred to me." Love and holiness are interconnected, since the beloved is set apart as sacred and treasured. May God help us see the wonder of His love for our lives: "Do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, "You shall be sacred, for I am sacred" (1 Pet. 1:14-16).
Hebrew Lesson:
Hosea 2:20 Hebrew reading (click):
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This week's Torah:
Parashat Bereshit-Noach...
10.28.24 (Tishri 26, 5785) According to Jewish tradition, this week's Torah portion is parashat Noach. However, since we just finished the Sukkot holiday and Simchat Torah last week, we only had a couple days to read and study parashat Bereshit - the foundational portion of the entire Torah - and therefore we will extend our time with Bereshit this week by including it with parashat Noach to have a sort of "double portion" of Torah. In other words, in addition to talking about Noah and the great flood, I will be continuing to write and share about last week's Torah portion. I hope that makes sense.
Now I've already provided a brief summary of parashat Bereshit last week and how the mutiny of Adam and Eve caused humanity to plunge into idolatrous chaos. The subsequent generations lost sight of the LORD and became progressively steeped in moral anarchy and bloodlust, so that "every intention of the thoughts of man's heart was only evil continually" (Gen. 6:5). After just nine generations, the LORD had grown so weary of humanity that he "regretted" (i.e., yinchem: יִּנָּחֶם) creating man and "his heart was grieved" (Gen. 6:6). However, God recognized Noach (from the godly line of Seth) as a tzaddik (צַדִּיק), a righteous man of faith, and graciously made provision to save him from the wrath to come....
Noah's father Lamech (לֶמֶךְ, "powerful one") regarded his son as a deliverer who would comfort humanity from the ravages of the original curse. Noach would give rest (נוּחַ) from the toil and vexation of life (Gen. 5:29). Symbolically Noah was a "type" of the Savior to come who would rebirth the world by giving lasting comfort and rest (for more on this, see the article "Noah and Jesus"). In like manner it was prophesied that Yeshua would give us everlasting rest: "His rest shall be glorious" (Isa. 11:10), just as He offers rest to the weary (Matt. 11:28, Heb. 4:9). His sacrifice on the Cross at Moriah undoes the kelalah (curse of work) over the children of Adam. Indeed, His life, sacrifice, and resurrection was like a "magic spell" that "spoke backwards" the sin of the "First Adam" - and by means of His deliverance the power of the curse is forever broken (see Gal. 3:13, John 3:14, 2 Tim.1:10; Heb. 2:14; etc.). Yeshua is Adam ha-Sheni (האדם השני) - the "Second Adam" - the promised Son of Man. By means of His Spirit we are given an everlasting comfort (John 14:16).
Eschatologically, the "days of Noah" (יְמֵי נֹחַ) present a picture of the idolatrous conditions of the world that will prevail just before the calling up of the followers of Yeshua before the time of Great Tribulation upon the earth: "As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man" (Matt. 24:37). The generation of the Flood was said to be "filled with violence" (i.e. chamas: חָמָס) caused by ignorance -- literally the "state of ignoring" moral and spiritual truth (see Gen. 6:13). Because people willingly disregarded God from their midst, they arrogated to themselves divine prerogatives: אִישׁ הַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינָיו יַעֲשֶׂה - "every man did what was right in his own eyes." The resulting moral corruption and spiritual anarchy led to divine and catastrophic judgment: the world returned to its primordial state of tohu va'vohu v'choshekh: "confusion and emptiness and darkness" (Gen. 1:2). Notice, however, that despite the godlessness and lawlessness that prevailed, the "days of Noah" were not marked by great "tribulation," since people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, "and they were unaware" (καὶ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν) until the flood came and swept them all away -- so will be the coming of the Son of Man (see Matt. 24:38-39). In other words, the "end of the world" judgment fell suddenly and took them by surprise...
The seven day warning given to Noah further suggests the seven year tribulation period to come (i.e., Daniel's 70th week), and also the supernatural gathering of the people of God who will be carried above the prophesied worldwide cataclysm. Just as God protected Israel during the time of judgment upon Egypt, so He will protect His people from the wrath of the "great Day of the LORD" (וֹם־יְהוָה הַגָּדוֹל). But please note that "the LORD shut him in" (Gen. 7:16). Noah's teivah (ark) had God Himself as its designer (Gen. 6:15), just as salvation in Messiah is exclusively by God's design (Jonah 2:9; Eph. 1:9, 1:11). It contained only one door (Gen. 6:16), just as Yeshua is the only door to salvation (John 10:9; 14:6). Noah's ark contained three levels (Gen. 6:16) and salvation has three own experiential levels (2 Cor. 1:10): past, present, and future. In the past (at Moriah) Yeshua delivered us from the penalty of sin; in the present, He is delivering us from the power of sin; and in the future He will deliver us from the very presence of sin. Baruch Hashem - may that day come soon!
Hebrew Lesson:
Genesis 6:9b Hebrew reading (click):
Note: Secular scholars often scoff at the story of Noah and the great flood (המבול הגדול), suggesting it is a myth, but several ancient documents reveal striking parallels to the account given in the Torah (the most famous of these is the Babylonian "Gilgamesh Epic"). Moreover, sea archaeologists have discovered numerous ancient "submerged cities" throughout the world that lend credibility to the description found in this parashah.
Moreover, the Torah describes the "floodgates of the deep" that broke and overwhelmed the surface of the earth -- the "fountains of the depths" (מַעְיְנֹת תְּהוֹם רַבָּה) from underground oceans (Gen. 7:11) that today have been confirmed to exist.
The Beginning of Knowledge...
10.27.24 (Tishri 25, 5785) A thematic verse of the Book of Proverbs reads: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction" (Prov. 1:7). The sages teach that the fear of the LORD (i.e., yirat Adonai: יִרְאַת יְהוָה) should not be regarded as a feeling of apprehension or dread but instead is known through wisdom (i.e., chochmah: חָכְמָה) and moral instruction or "correction" (i.e., musar: מוּסָר). As Moses told Israel, we learn to fear the LORD by walking in his ways (לָלֶכֶת בְּכָל־דְּרָכָיו), by loving him (לְאַהֲבָה אֹתוֹ), and by serving him (לַעֲבֹד אֶת־יְהוָה) with all our heart (see Deut. 10:12).
Recall that the LORD commended father Abraham and trusted him with his revelation when he said, "I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD, and to do righteousness and justice" (Gen. 18:19; Prov. 2:9).
So gaining wisdom and moral instruction is a synonym for godly knowledge (i.e., da'at: דַּעַת), which is foundational for walking with God. Such wisdom is given in the Torah (Deut. 4:5-6) which "returns the soul to God" (see Psalm 19:7). The source of all wisdom is God, "for the LORD gives wisdom" (כִּי־יְהוָה יִתֵּן חָכְמָה), and from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding" (Prov. 2:6). Wisdom is connected with musar by being transmitted (i.e., מָסוּר) by a parent or sage to his son or disciple. "For the commandment is a lamp, and Torah is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life" (Prov. 6:23).
Musar is the practical instruction of moral values and the admonition to obey God which is the basis for a happy and blessed life (Psalm 1:1-3). Musar teaches that God examines the heart and that all our actions will be judged accordingly (Prov. 11:5; Jer. 17:10). There is a moral order to the world, and knowing the moral law of God is the basis of the fear of the Lord. The wise person (chacham: חָכָם) is one who observes the Torah which is a "Tree of Life" to those who lay hold of it, and happy are those who retain its truth (Prov. 3:18).
The fool, or evil person, is one who mocks and spurns the authority of God. He repudiates the "yoke of heaven" and exalts his own will as of supreme importance. The difference between the wise and the foolish is not one of intelligence but of moral character. The wise person practices righteousness and possesses the heart qualities (middot) of mercy, graciousness, patience, and loyalty (Exod. 34:6). "The heart of him that has understanding (i.e., binah: בִּינָה) seeks knowledge, but the mouth of fools eats babbling" (Prov. 15:14).
The sages note that the word "binah," which derives from the word "bein" (בִּין), meaning "between," implies the ability to make distinctions and to draw inferences (Prov. 4:7), whereas the word "da'at" (knowledge) primarily involves being close to something or someone, for example, the closeness of love or friendship, as well intimacy from focused intellectual activity. The knowledge of God (דַעַת אֱלֹהִים) is a cleaving of heart (דְּבָקוּת) that apprehends the will of God and acts accordingly. It is a special grace given to the heart of faith, since faith is a necessary condition for any knowledge whatsoever, and knowledge of God comes from receiving the revelation of God through trust (Jer. 9:23). The knowledge of God is bound up with mercy and humility (Hos. 6:6; Isa. 57:15; Isa. 66:2), and therefore the fear of the LORD is expressed as reverence and respect shown to all of God's creation.
It is clear, then, that we have a duty to become wise people, and indeed, the LORD wants us to be "wise of heart" and to know the depths of his love. He has promised us that if any of us lacks wisdom, "let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5). As Yeshua said: "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened" (Matt. 7:7-8).
Hebrew Lesson
Proverbs 1:7 reading (click):
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Spelling out "Bereshit"...
[ The following is related our Torah portion for this week, parashat Bereshit... ]
10.25.24 (Tishri 22, 5785) The 18th century Torah sage Vilna Gaon taught that the Hebrew word "bereshit" (בְּרֵאשִׁית), which is the very first word of the Bible, may be thought of as an acronym for meaningful spiritual life. The first letter, Bet (בּ), stands for bittachon (בִּטָּחוֹן), a word that means complete trust in God's love for your life; the next letter, Resh (ר), stands for ratzon (רָצוֹן), or the desire to live according to God's will; the central letter Aleph (א) stands for ahavah (אַהֲבָה), which is the love for God and for our fellow man (Deut. 6:5; Lev. 19:18); and the letter Shin (שׁ) is for shetikah (שְׁתִיקָה), or "keeping silent," which is the cardinal virtue of godly self-control and wisdom (James 1:26; 3:1-18; Psalm 34:13; Prov. 13:3, etc.). The letter Yod (י) is for yirah (יִרְאָה), or reverence for God's authority and dignity; and finally, the letter Tav (ת) is for Torah (תּוֹרָה), the study of which brings transformation and sanctity to your life (Psalm 19:7; 119:105; Prov. 6:23; Matt. 5:17-19; 2 Tim. 2:15-16).
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Torah begins with the word 'bereshit' (בְּרֵאשִׁית), which may also be understood to say 'God created the world for the sake of the beginning.' All the Creator asks is that you make a beginning, that you turn in the right direction." Repent and believe -- what? Believe that you are loved, you need God's compassion and healing in your life... Indeed, we never really get past the first steps made in earnestness toward God. In that sense we are "always beginning," since we never get beyond the need of the heart to turn to God. We are all incomplete, awaiting the end for which we were created, and therefore we are always calling on the LORD, always abiding in Him, always seeking His face... We begin, we end, and in everything Yeshua is the Center of our hearts...
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 33:6 reading (click for audio):
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Are Images of God forbidden?
Someone wrote me to say that the graphic I made (above) is inappropriate because it makes "an image of God," and that is forbidden as per the Ten Commandments (see Exod. 20:3-5). I replied by reminding this person that the New Testament refers to Yeshua as "the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature"(Col. 1:15). Moreover our Lord is called the Word made flesh who dwelt among us, "whom we have heard, whom we have seen with our eyes, whom we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life: for the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show to you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us" (1 John 1:1-2). The writer of the Book of Hebrew likewise says of Yeshua that "he is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint (or image) of his nature" (Heb. 1:3).
In the Torah, the Hebrew word used to refer to forbidden images is pesel (פֶּסֶל) which nearly always refers a cultic object creating by carving an image from wood or stone that was made for use in pagan "mystery" rituals, for example, various images of "fertility goddesses" like Astarte, Asherah, and Baal. The intent of the prohibition given in the Torah is that the Israelites were not to participate in such idolatrous practices nor to make such images for use in vile orgiastic rituals. "You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God" (Exod. 20:5).
A further reason for the prohibition against idols is that no finite image of anything that has been created by God is adequate to express the greatness and glory of the LORD, and therefore God is "ein sof," beyond our conceptions and understanding. That said, the Bible regularly uses anthropomorphic language, metaphors, similes, parables, and other literary devices that appeal to our imagination when taking about the God of Israel, and therefore, it is a rather fine distinction about what an "idol" or forbidden image is, and we should be careful regarding about condemning others who make representations of the divine. After all, God told Moses to "hew" (i.e., pesel: פְּסָל) the tables of stone that held the law, and Betzalel and other artisans of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) made images of cherubim as well as items such as Ark of the Covenant, the various altars, etc., as permitted by God. Make everything "according to the pattern," which is to say, for purposes of godly representation and truth.
We are not to make an image of Yeshua and worship it, for that indeed would be idolatrous, but an image or representation that metaphorically evokes or "represents" the Lord is fine. "The Lord is my Shepherd..." Are we not to imagine a shepherd carefully tending his flock? etc.
For more on this topic see the article I wrote: "Theology and Art."
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The Great Beginning...
10.25.24 (Tishri 22, 5785) The Book of Genesis (i.e., Sefer Bereshit [סֵפֶר בְּרֵאשִׁית]) is concerned with beginnings: the creation of the universe and the origin of humanity. It quickly moves from universal history (Adam, Noah, Babel) to the history of Abraham, the first Hebrew (אַבְרָם הָעִבְרִי). The remainder of the book focuses on the lives of the Jewish patriarchs, and especially the story of Joseph. The book ends with the entire family of Israel migrating to Egypt to escape famine through the auspices of Joseph.
There are fifty chapters in Genesis divided into twelve weekly readings. This week we are reading the very first portion, "Parashat Bereshit" (i.e., Gen. 1:1-6:8). Among other things we will read about the creation of the universe, and particularly about the creation of Adam and Eve and how they forfeited their honor to serve God through their disobedience. We then learn about the first sacrifice for sin and the great prophecy of God's redemption that through the Seed of the woman, the promised deliverer would come.
We further read about the how the first child born to Adam and Eve, Cain, later murdered his brother Abel, and how the subsequent generations from Adam to Noah became more and more corrupt, leading to God's judgment upon the world through the flood...
It is a breathtaking portion of Scripture that is absolutely foundational to all that follows, and indeed without it in our Bibles we would not know how we came into the world, who we are, why we are sick and sinful, and how we are healed by the LORD our Creator and Savior...
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 102:25 reading (click for audio):
Returning to the beginning:
Shabbat Bereshit...
[ The Sabbath that immediately follows Simchat Torah is called Shabbat Bereshit... We return to the beginning of the Bible, chaverim ]
10.24.24 (Tishri 21, 5785) The fall holidays are always a whirlwind of activity. First there is Rosh Hashanah, followed by the Days of Awe leading up to Yom Kippur, and then comes the week-long holiday of Sukkot that is followed by the holiday of Simchat Torah when we read the very last Torah portion and rewind the scroll to the begin reading again for the new year, and all that happens in the first few weeks of the month! Wow. The Sabbath that immediately follows Simchat Torah is called "Shabbat Bereshit" when we are finally able to slow down a bit and begin (re)reading the very first portion of the Bible...
In Jewish tradition, the word "Bereshit" can refer to either the first Torah portion of the Bible (i.e., Gen. 1:1-6:8) or to the first book of the Torah itself. When it is used to refer to the Torah portion, it is called "parashat Bereshit" (פָּרָשַׁת בְּרֵאשִׁית) and the text covers the creation of the universe, including Adam and Eve, the subsequent transgression of Adam and Eve, the murder of Abel by humanity's firstborn son Cain, and the increasing depravity of the generations until the time of the calling of Noah. When it is used to refer to the book, however, it is called "sefer Bereshit" (סֵפֵר בְּרֵאשִׁית) or the "Book of Bereshit," and the text covers everything from the creation of the universe to the descent of Jacob's son Joseph into Egypt in anticipation of the great Exodus. Note that the ancient Greek translation of the Bible (i.e., the Septuagint) called this book "Genesis," (Γένεσις: "birth", "origin"), a name that was carried over in subsequent Latin and English translations.
The first Torah portion of Bereshit opens with this succinct statement about the creative activity of God: "In the beginning (i.e., "bereshit") God (i.e., Elohim) created the heavens and the earth." Note immediately that the Scriptures therefore begin - not from the first person perspective of some man's understanding of God - but from an omniscient third person perspective, a divine "Voice" that reveals the Glorious Power that created the entire cosmos by means of His Word. The very first verse of the Bible, then, alludes to the triune nature of God, as further indicated by the use of the plural form of the name Elohim with the singular verb bara (he created). Indeed, the word bereshit itself includes the root idea of "head" (i.e., rosh), which suggests the "head of all things," that is, to the Messiah, the Creative Word of God who is the "head of all beginning and authority" and through Whom and for Whom all things were created (see Col. 1:16; 2:10).
Hebrew Lesson:
Genesis 1:1 reading (click for audio):
After its astounding opening line, shrouded as it is in mystery, the Torah describes how God created the universe yesh me'ayin (יֵשׁ מֵאַיִן) - "out of nothing" (Heb. 1:3) over a six "day" period. On the first day God created darkness and light; on the second day He created the atmosphere, dividing the "upper" from the "lower" waters. On the third day He set the boundaries of land and sea and seeded the earth with trees and vegetation. On the fourth day He fixed the position of the sun, moon and stars as timekeepers and illuminators of the earth. Fish, birds and reptiles were created on the fifth day; and land animals, and finally the human being, on the sixth. God ceased from His creative work on the seventh day, and sanctified it as a day of rest: the very first Shabbat...
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In addition to this general, "day by day" account of the creation of the universe by God, the Torah provides a more focused account about how God formed Adam's body from the dust of the earth and blew into his nostrils the "breath of life," or nishmat chayim (נשׁמת חיים) so that he became a "living soul" (נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה). Notice that the more detailed account includes reference to the LORD God, which is the first time the name YHVH (יהוה) is used in the Scriptures. Interestingly, in this second account the earth is described as a sort of "desert." The earth was barren of vegetation, no rain had yet fallen upon the earth, and the LORD formed the man from the "dust from the ground." After breathing into him so that he became a living soul, God planted a garden (or orchard) in Eden, "in the east," and there caused every tree that was pleasant to the sight and good for food to spring up from the ground. In the very midst of this orchard were two special trees: "the Tree of Life" (עץ החיים) and "the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil" (עֵץ הַדַּעַת טוֹב וָרָע). God then instructed the man to tend the orchard and to eat from whatsoever tree he desired, though he was warned not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, "for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die" (Gen. 2:17). For more information about this reading, visit the following links:
Heeding the Father's Voice...
[ Though the giving of the Torah to Israel is connected with the holiday of Shavuot ("Pentecost"), during Simchat Torah we celebrate the start of the Torah reading cycle for the new year. Thank God for the Torah and how we better understand Yeshua's ministry in its light (Matt. 5:17-19). ]
10.24.24 (Tishri 21, 5785) Recall that God foretold that his people would experience a heart change by the advent of His Spirit: "Behold, the days come, says the LORD, that I will make a new covenant (ברית חדשׁה) with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law (i.e., Torah) in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people" (Jer. 31:31-33). Recall also that it was on the appointed time of Shavuot (i.e., "Pentecost"), 50 days after the resurrection of our Lord, when the disciples of Yeshua received the promise of the Holy Spirit and the Torah of God was written upon their hearts (see Acts 1:7-8; 2:1-4).
Just as the advent of Messiah signified the time of God's redemption of his people, so the advent of the Holy Spirit (רוּחַ הַקּדֶש) signified the time of their regeneration as God's children. Among other things, the role of the Spirit is to convict people of sin, to reveal the truth of salvation in Yeshua, and to empower believers of Yeshua to bear fruit that glorifies God.
Surely our great need is to have heart, to find strength, resolution, and steadfast determination to walk boldly during these heartless and depraved days (2 Tim. 3:1-5). We are not without God's help, of course. Yeshua told us that the Ruach HaKodesh (רוּחַ הַקּדֶשׁ) 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 God be our Light and Salvation as we walk through the surrounding darkness... Amen.
During Simchat Torah, let's revisit God's appeal for us to honor his word:
"Dear child of mine, do not forget my Torah (תורתי), but let your heart keep my commandments (מצותי). Doing so will add to you length of days (ארך ימים), long life, and peace (שׁלום).
Do not abandon the heart of Your Father by losing sight of mercy and truth (חסד ואמת); No! Tie them around your neck; inscribe them upon the table of your heart (לוח לבך), that is, make them part of your inner being and will. Doing so will reveal my grace (חן) and good understanding (שכל־טוב) before the eyes of God and others.
Trust in your heavenly Father with all your heart (בטח אל־יהוה בכל־לבך) and don't seek to be in control, trying to figure everything out on your own (ואל־בינתך אל־תשען). Listen for your Father's voice in everything you do; in all your ways know His heart (בכל־דרכיך דעהו), and then your ways will be directed in the truth.
Don't assume that you know it all; abandon your self-conceit: Revere your heavenly Father (ירא את־יהוה) and flee from what you know is self-destructive and evil! Doing so will impart healing (רפאות) to you: your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life!
Honor your Heavenly Father with everything you own; give him your first and the best of what you have (מראשׁית כל־תבואתך); then your barns will burst with plenty, and your wine vats will be overflowing" (Prov. 3:1-10). Amen.
Hebrew Lesson:
Proverbs 3:1 reading (click):
Shavuah Tov Audio Podcast:
The Final Portion of Torah...
10.24.24 (Tishri 21, 5785) V'zot HaBerakhah ("this is the blessing") is the very last portion of the Torah, recording Moses' last words to the people just before his death. It is always read just after the festival of Sukkot on the holiday called "Simchat Torah." After reading this portion, we will "rewind the scroll" back to Parashat Bereshit to begin reading the Torah all over again. We do this every year because Talmud Torah - the study of Torah - never ends! A true student of Scripture cannot claim to have completed the study of the Torah, for the implications of such study extend forever. And so the cycle continues, over and over in a continuous chain of study, ever widening, and all encompassing.
Hoshanah Rabbah:
Yeshua Sets us Free...
[ I wrote the following entry to commemorate Hoshana Rabbah, the climactic "Great Salvation" day of Sukkot. Chag Sameach, chaverim. - John ]
10.23.24 (Tishri 21, 5785) Yeshua understood the human condition. He knew the basic problem with people, how sin and death destroyed their lives, and he declared himself to be the divine solution: "If the son makes you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36). By nature we are slaves to ourselves and alienated from the life of God. To be set free means being brought into the life of God, receiving a new identity, life from the dead, and attaining the blessing of knowing God as his beloved child.
The Father knows us as truly are and provides the remedy for our condition, but the struggle is to live the truth in our daily lives, and that means confessing that we belong to God's heart. In our weakness and smallness of faith, we must resist the temptation to despair of our hope, however. We must fight ourselves "within ourselves" by surrendering to the truth and confessing who God says we are, despite the turmoil of our inner life. "The flesh (i.e., sinful nature) lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish" (Gal. 5:16). We are pulled in different directions; we are ambivalent and filled with inner conflict, and the result is that we are prevented from acting freely. As Paul said, "For I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do" (Rom. 7:15). Paul understood that we cannot deliver ourselves from what we are - only God can do the miracle - and yet, even after the miracle takes place there abides a distinction between the former, "carnal self" that is enslaved to sinful desire and the redeemed or "real self" that has been recreated by the power of God.
The slave within does not want to be set free but complains and make excuses for its condition. The slave is an inveterate liar who blames others and refuses to accept responsibility. The "slave-self" draws back because he does not want to be in relationship with God, surrendering his life. It's all the slave has known and therefore he clings to his sickness and complains that God is unfair to him. He does not grumble about his slavery to sin but is quick to complain about God's call for him to let go of his sickness and be healed...
"Not until a person has become so wretched that his only wish, his only consolation, is to die - not until then does Christianity begin" (Soren Kierkegaard). Such is the "severe mercy" of God to break the resolve of the sinner, to enclose his way in thorns, and to bring him to the end of himself. We can only be set free if we are willing to give up our slavery, and afflictions are meant to reveal the truth of our condition. We must choose to be free, and God promises to help us along the way.
The sages comment that God's blessings can "overtake" you in a way that may hide their true purpose for your good (Rom. 8:28). At such times we do not understand they are a concealed mercy (רַחֲמִים נִסְתָר) designed for our benefit. Therefore king David affirmed his confidence despite being surrounded by trouble. Where it is written, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life" (Psalm 23:6), the verb translated "shall follow me" (i.e., יִרְדְּפוּנִי) comes from a root word that means "to pursue," as a hunter chases after his prey. David was sure that God's lovingkindness would "hound" him as he made his way through this world - even in the dark places, even in "the valley of the shadow of death," where God's rod and staff would there comfort him and shepherd his way (Psalm 23:4).
It is hard to die to yourself, it's impossible, really. "In my flesh (i.e., slave-self) there is no good thing." We are powerless to change without God's intervention in our lives. "Do you want to be healed?" (John 5:6). We have to be willing to give up our sickness and that means losing yourself to find yourself by God's grace. The miracle begins by the sincere desire to become free. This is the call. You want to be transformed and that requires "turning" to become a child of God. Coming into relationship with God as his child is the end or goal that arises beyond the death of the slave-self. But the initial problem is with ourselves. "O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from this body of death?" Thank God that the miracle comes through Yeshua who imparts a new way of being (i.e., "Christ-life," "son-self") that is delivered from the sinful nature ("slave-self") as that which ultimately defines who we really are. Indeed, that is why Yeshua died for us. To save us from ourselves. To free us from our slavery so we would live as he lives, as cherished sons and daughters of God.
Above all, to be made free means being changed in your inmost being. It is to live as a child of your heavenly Father who calls you his beloved. It is to know yourself in God's love, to receive it as your own and to have confidence that God's love is unconditionally for your good. Yeshua shows us the heart of the Father through his great love for us. "I and the Father are one." This shows up in our daily thinking and feeling, in our relationship with God and with others. Our fears will dissipate and be replaced by inner peace and joy as we continue to trust, honor, and love the Lord with all our heart. "The one who says he has life in him will walk as he walked."
Does this seem ideal to you? Unattainable? Remember that in your flesh there is no good thing, which means that this is a matter of the spirit and God's power, not your own. "Salvation is of the LORD," and that means that it is a gift from above, not the result of your own efforts. Recall a quote I have shared with you from Kierkegaard that says "the opposite of sin is not virtue but faith," which is another way of saying that we are saved by trusting in God's grace for our lives. As C.S. Lewis said, "the Christian thinks any good he does comes from the Christ-life inside him. He does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us."
Theology, as important as it is, can only take us so far, because it serves as a pointer or sign to what is truly signified about God. The renowned medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas' most significant work was his Summa theologiae or 'Summary of Theology,' a massive book that attempted to carefully "systematize" all of Christian theology. He worked on it for many years, but when he was nearly finished he underwent a spiritual experience that, as he himself explained, made everything he had written "seem like straw." He thereafter gave up writing about "theology" after he encountered the Reality itself. You may perfect doctrine and exist untruthfully, whereas you might not have perfect doctrine, but exist truthfully. The devil knows how to quote Scripture, and often does so, but is a devil still; likewise a simple saint may not plumb all the theological depths, but is a saint nevertheless.
It is the Reality that is important. We do not become God's children "inside our heads" but within our hearts, that is, in covenant with God as expressed by God's willingness to redeem our lives and our acceptance of his willingness. Test yourself. Examine what is most real about who you truly are. Does Christ live within you and you within Christ? Does that relationship define who you really are? Are you a child of God with a "son-self" or are you still living as a slave? If you struggle with your slave-self, are you mortified and tortured by the sting of you sin, do you abhor your faithlessness, or do you excuse yourself and blame others?
Yeshua said "come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." This is the shalom that passes all your understanding, that transcends even our inner conflicts, because the need for understanding often keeps us from the blessing. Being made free by Yeshua delivers us from the heavy burden of ourselves, from the labor of our illusions, and allows us to surrender all of whatever we are to God's blessing and care.
When we turn to the light of God and away from the slavery of who we have habitually believed we are, and when by the miracle of God's intervention we are transformed, we begin to live as Yeshua lived, full of grace and truth, with inner peace and freedom from despair. Remember that Yeshua did not die simply to forgive our sins but to save us from ourselves. He died to empower us to know God's heart and to live in full confidence of that love. That is the starting point of our faith, for without this we lose sight of who we really are as God's children and thereby subject ourselves again to slavery. If we do not die to ourselves, we cannot live unto God, for life is only found in relationship with him. Thank God that we have been crucified together with Yeshua, so that when he died we also died, and that when he was raised up into newness of life, so we were raised up as well. "It is finished" and therefore we can find our rest in Him. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Jeremiah 31:3 reading (click for audio):
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Made Whole by Faith...
10.23.24 (Tishri 21, 5785) It says in our Scriptures: "A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways" (James 1:8). It is common to meet people who have acquaintance with the teachings of Yeshua but who hesitate when it comes to making the decision to believe in him... They may show some interest in matters of faith; they may even read the Bible and occasionally pray, and yet they continue on as before, even growing old without resolving whether or not to embrace the Lord. Sadly many remain unresolved as long as they live...
It is not easy to trust God in the midst of affliction, temptation, and sorrow. It may be easy to "profess" faith, but it's quite another to truly live it. On the other hand, it's harder still to be skeptical, to withhold the decision to believe, and to live in the chaos of being "two-souled" (δίψυχος) - a life of contradiction and instability. Indeed the "double-minded" person is lost to himself, uncertain of who he really is, why he was created, where he is going, and whether he is ultimately to find peace at the end of his wandering. Such a life is never at rest, "ever learning but unable to come to the full knowledge of the truth." As Soren Kierkegaard once wrote: "There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true."
God is near; he is not far from each one of us. "Draw near to God (ἐγγίσατε τῷ Θεῷ) and he will draw near to you; purify your hearts, you double-minded" (James 4:8). As it is written: "The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth" (Psalm 145:18).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 145:18 Hebrew reading (click):
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Celebrating God's Provision...
10.22.24 (Tishri 20, 5785) Chag Sameach, friends... Though the LORD is forever enthroned in heaven as our Creator, our King, and our loving Deliverer, and though the heavens shout out his praise and the whole earth is filled with His glory (Isa. 6:3), nevertheless we must make a dwelling for His Presence within our hearts. As it is written in Torah: "Let them make a sanctuary for me that I may dwell within them" (Exod. 25:8). In great humility the LORD stands at the door and knocks (Rev. 3:20). Where does God dwell but where He is given a place, a sanctuary, a throne within the heart?
The Torah states, "On the first day [of Sukkot] you shall take to yourselves the fruit of the goodly tree (etrog), branches of palm trees (lulav), boughs of leafy trees (hadassim) and willows of the brook (aravot), and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days" (Lev. 23:40). In Jewish tradition, after reciting the Hebrew blessing and shaking the bouquet around, it is customary to recite (or sing) the following antiphon from Psalm 136: ""Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever" (Psalm 136:1).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 136:1 reading (click for audio):
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Indeed, is there any better reason to give thanks to the LORD than because of His steadfast love, i.e., His chesed (חֶסֶד)? Is there anything greater than God's love? Can anything overcome it? Even the hardness of your own heart cannot veto or negate it's purposes... It was because of His great love that God himself (יהוה) "emptied Himself" of heavenly glory, clothed himself in human flesh and came to us, disguised as a lowly servant. God performed this act of "infinite condescension" in order to "sukkah" with us as our "hidden King" (John 1:1,14, Phil. 2:7-8). Your neshama (soul) is likened to the "Shulamite woman" he came to woo so that you might "come into His tent" -- willingly, from a heart that comes from trust (Song of Solomon).
When we know who we are in the passion of Yeshua, we abide in the hope of love that awaits future consummation in the world to come... Meanwhile, we are "suspended between worlds," though the veil of this present age has been rent asunder and we may now appear before the LORD in the realm of the spirit by faith. We can come "boldly" before the Throne of Grace (παρρησίας τῷ θρόνῳ τῆς χάριτος) to find help for our lives (Heb. 4:16). Note that the word translated "boldly" in this verse (παρρησίας) comes from πᾶς (all) + ῥέω (to utter), suggesting that we can speak freely to God and share everything within our heart without fear or shame. We do not need to conceal ourselves from the Divine Light -- any more than we need to perform religious rituals or offer any "prescribed prayers" to access Him. Those who are trusting in God's sheltering love understand the LORD to be our compassionate Savior and Redeemer. In our brokenness we can bare our souls before Him without fear ("there is no fear in love" - אין פַּחַד בָּאַהֲבָה). We can express "all our heart" to the LORD and be assured that He will help us in our hour of need (Heb. 4:16). As it says, "Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart to him; God is a refuge for us" (Psalm 62:8). Amen, and let us rejoice in the Lord for his great kindness.
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Sukkot and Vanity...
10.21.24 (Tishri 19, 5785) Though Sukkot is called the "Season of Our Joy" (z'man simchateinu), it might surprise you to learn that the somber scroll of Ecclesiastes (קהֶלֶת) is traditionally recited on the Sabbath of the festival. According to midrash, this custom arose during the First Temple period, when the Jews would visit King Solomon to pay their respects during the holidays: "And all the men of Israel assembled to King Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month [i.e., Tishri]" (1 Kings 8:2). On that occasion the King taught the nation Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) as a countermeasure to the lightheartedness and gaiety that had become associated with the festival of Sukkot.
"Vanity of vanities, says Kohelet, vanity of vanities! All is vanity" (Eccl. 1:2). In light of the inevitability of death and decay, praiseworthy is the man who accepts the passing shadows of his days, and who realizes the emptiness of pleasures, wealth, and worldly ambition. Like the sukkah itself, Kohelet reminds us of the transitory nature of life in olam ha-zeh (this world). Therefore Solomon admonishes us to soberly remember God our Creator and Judge: "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil" (Eccl. 12:13-14).
It is to their credit that the Jewish sages finally decided to include Ecclesiastes as part of the accepted canon, however, since it takes humility to admit that we must continue to seek God, despite our uncertainty in this world. After surveying the emptiness of "life under the sun," Solomon concludes his reflection by admonishing us to find healing and peace with God.
Hebrew Lesson
Ecclesiastes 12:13 reading (click for audio):
The Holiday of Sukkot also recalls the "Clouds of Glory" that surrounded Israel during the Exodus. The commandment, "You shall dwell in booths for seven days" (Lev. 23:42) therefore commemorates the sheltering Presence of the Shekhinah - not simply to recall that the people lived in temporary structures in the desert. God commanded the observance of this holiday "so that future generations will know that I had the children of Israel live in booths when I brought them forth from Egypt" (Lev. 23:43). The miracle is the sheltering Presence of God - not the booths themselves. The sukkah therefore serves as a sign that God loves us, that He delights in our well-being, and that He tenderly protects us from hardship. Were it not for God's constant care, we would perish in the wilderness of this world...
Trusting in the love of God enables us to behold His surrounding presence and glory. Thus says the LORD, "I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me into the wilderness, to a land not sown" (Jer. 2:2). Rashi notes that the goal of the Exodus (i.e., redemption) was to "bring the beloved into the King's chambers" (Song 1:4). The beloved was to be ready to receive God's embrace. Therefore, when the LORD delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt, He did not take them on the "fast track" to the Promised Land (though He certainly could have done so). No, there was a circuitous route to take, a divinely appointed wandering, a Divine "stroll of betrothal," if you will.
God led people directly into the desert to reveal Himself to them. He sheltered them in Clouds of Glory. He embittered waters to make them sweet once again; He let stomachs growl to provide the Bread of life; He parched mouths to give Living Water from the "Rock that was struck" (1 Cor. 10:4). God did all this to reveal to his newly redeemed people that He is the satisfaction of all their longings. He rescued his bride from the house of slavery and now wanted to refine her to receive greater revelation to come. He was "wooing" or "courting" her to bring her beneath a canopy of stars at Sinai, and He needed them to dwell as strangers with Him in the desert for them to take hold of His love...
Concluding the Torah:
V'zot HaBerakhah...
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest stroke of the smallest letter Yod (קוֹצוֹ שֶׁל יוֹד), will pass from the Torah until all is accomplished. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." - Matt. 5:17-19
10.21.24 (Tishri 19, 5785) Each week in synagogues across the world a portion from the Torah (called a parashah) is studied, discussed, and chanted. Jewish tradition has divided the Torah into 54 of these portions - roughly one for each week of the year - so that in the course of a year the entire Torah has been recited during services. The final reading of this cycle occurs on the holiday of Simchat Torah ("Joy of the Torah"), which immediately follows the holiday week of Sukkot. On Simchat Torah, we celebrate both the completion of the year's Torah Reading cycle as well as the start of a brand new cycle. Each Jewish year, then, we "rewind" the scroll and begin again. The sages have wisely said that you cannot compare studying Torah for the 49th time to studying it for the 50th time....
Our spiritual inheritance is bound up with the Torah: it is part of our story, our history, our heritage (see Gal. 3:7; Rom. 4:16; Luke 24:27). The stories of Torah serve as parables and allegories that inform the deeper meaning of the ministry of Messiah: "Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come (1 Cor. 10:11). "For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope" (Rom.15:4). "All Scripture is inspired by God..." which refers first of all to the Torah, the Writings, and the Prophets which attest to the Messiah (2 Tim. 3:16-17). You are therefore no longer a stranger or outsider to the heritage of the LORD but a partaker of the covenantal blessings (Eph. 2:12,19). Disciples of Yeshua are called talmidim (תַּלְמִידִים) -- a word that comes from lamad (לָמַד) meaning "to learn." Among other things, then, following the Messiah means becoming a student of the Scriptures He loved and fulfilled (Matt. 5:17-18; Luke 24:44-45). Only after learning from Yeshua as your Teacher will you be equipped to "go to all the nations and teach" others (Matt. 28:19).
This week's Torah portion (for Simchat Torah) is called Vzot HaBerakhah ("this is the blessing"), which is also the last portion of the entire Torah. After reading this portion, we will "rewind the scroll" back to parashat Bereshit to begin reading the scroll all over again. We do this every year because Talmud Torah - the study of Torah - is a cyclical venture that equips us to better understand the Scriptures - including the New Testament.... In this connection, it is interesting to note that the first letter of the Torah is a Bet (בּ) in the word bereshit (בְּרֵאשִׁית), and the last letter of the Torah is a Lamed (ל) in Israel (יִשְׂרָאֵל). Putting these together, we get the word lev (לֵב), "heart," suggesting that the entire Torah - from the first letter to the last - reveals the heart of the LORD God for us.
Indeed, the first letter of the Bible is the letter Bet (בּ), as just explained, whereas the last letter is a Nun (ן), found in the word "Amen" (אָמֵן) at the end of the Book of Revelation, so the whole Bible - from beginning to end - reveals the Person of God the Son (בֶּן) for us...
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During the concluding verse of each book of the Torah it is customary for the congregation to stand as the final words are recited. Then, in a dramatic manner, the Torah reader signals to the congregation who then begin chanting: Chazak, chazak, ve-nit chazek (חָזַק חָזַק וְנִתְחַזֵּק) - "Be strong, be strong, and let us be strengthened!" This is a cry of encouragement to continue with the reading of the next book, and to return to this one again in due course. Torah study is an "unending circle" in which we hopefully discern more and more of God's revealed truth... May God help each one of us...
Studying the Torah is a great joy, chaverim, since it reveals the truth to us and helps us understand the LORD of Glory. Amen, the Torah is the foundation for the New Testament as well. As King David said, "You make known to me the path of life (ארַח חַיִּים); in your presence there is fullness of joy (i.e., simchah: שִׂמְחָה); at your right hand (i.e., with a fire of knowledge (אֵשׁ דָּת) at His right hand) there are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:11). These wonderful words of promise find their fulfillment in the heart and life of Yeshua our Lord.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 16:11 reading (click):
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Yeshua and Sukkot...
Yeshua celebrated Sukkot ("Tabernacles") and on the last day (called Hoshana Rabbah) cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."
10.21.24 (Tishri 19, 5785) The Aramaic word "ushpizin" (אוּשְׁפִּיזִין) refers to the seven "guests" whom we remember and honor during the weeklong festival of Sukkot, namely: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, and King David, respectively (שבעה אושפיזין). According to tradition, on each night a different guest (i.e., ushpiz: אוּשְׁפִּיז) enters the sukkah, and we are to symbolically welcome them by offering them a place at our table (this is similar to the tradition of Elijah's Cup during Passover). On the first night comes Abraham; on the second night, Isaac, and so on. Though the origins and date of this tradition are disputed, the Zohar says that the custom of welcoming each ushpiz was practiced during the Second Temple period (i.e., during the time of Yeshua).
In the Gospel of John we read that just before the Sukkot holiday began, Yeshua's brothers suggested that he go up to Jerusalem to impress his followers there by performing additional miracles and to gain greater fame among the Jewish people (see John 7:1-5). Yeshua told his unbelieving brothers, "My time has not yet come" (John 7:6-8), which may allude to the idea that he would visit the people "in secret" (ἐν κρυπτῷ), like an ushpiz, some time later during the holiday (see John 7:10). It is interesting that the religious leaders "were looking for him" at the festival, and there was much "muttering about him" among the common people as they fellowshiped in their sukkahs (John 7:11-13).
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During the "middle of the festival," perhaps on the fourth day (i.e., the "Day of Joseph" as ushpiz), Yeshua went to the Temple and began teaching the people (John 7:14). When the people marveled at his teaching, Yeshua explained that he was sent by God, and that if anyone wanted to do the will of God they would know his authenticity (John 7:15-18). He then rhetorically asked the people: "Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?" (John 7:19). When the people said he was crazy for thinking this way, Yeshua alluded to the murderous intolerance of the religious leaders who wanted to kill him for healing a man on the Sabbath day (see John 5:9). He then turned the tables on his accusers: "If circumcision is done on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses would not be broken, then for all the more reason should something be done to fulfill the weightier intent of the law, namely, the giving of life and healing (John 7:23). He then admonished the people to "judge righteous judgment" (מִשְׁפַּט צֶדֶק שִׁפְטוּ), that is, to look beyond appearances to find the heart of the matter. If the people would do that, they would understand the truth of who was "tabernacling" with them (John 1:1,14).
On the last great day of Sukkot, called "Hoshana Rabbah" (הושענא רבה), the High Priest led a final procession to the pool of Shiloach (Siloam) where he would fill a golden pitcher with water and then return to the courtyard of the Temple. When the High priest poured out the water, shofarim would be sounded and the crowd of people would wave their lulavot while loudly singing out: "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!" (Psalm 118:25-26). This joyous ritual was known as Simchat Bet Ha'shoeivah (שמחת בית השואבה) "the Celebration of the Water-Drawing," an eagerly anticipated party celebrated with music, dancing and singing throughout the night. The Mishnah describes how the Priests kindled fires on a four great menorahs, lighting up Jerusalem as if it were the middle of the day (Sukkah 5:2). The entire ceremony was in keeping with the Torah's commandment, "You shall rejoice on your holiday" (see Deut. 16:14).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 118:25-26 reading (click for audio):
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It was during this climactic day of Hoshana Rabbah - literally this time of "great salvation" (הושענא רבה), that Yeshua cried out: "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water'" (John 7:2, 37-38). He further explained that this water would spring forth within the heart as a result of trusting in Him (John 7:38). Likewise today Yeshua cries out, "To all who are thirsty I will give the springs of the water of life freely" (see Rev. 21:6 and Isa. 55:1).
Finally, on the day following the festival of Sukkot, called "Shemini Atzeret" (שמיני עצרת), Yeshua returned to the Temple and spoke to the crowd that had assembled to watch the famous "Illumination of the Temple," a spectacular light show performed at the close of the holiday, saying "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12), recalling the words of the prophets: "On that day there shall be no light... and living waters shall flow out of Jerusalem; and the LORD will be king over all the earth. On that day the LORD will be one and his name one" (Zech. 14:6,9; Isa. 13:10; 30:26). In this connection we remember that Yeshua later used the very water from the pool of Siloam (used during the water libation ceremony) to heal the man born blind, thereby miraculously enabling him to see the Light of the World (John 9:5-11).
Hebrew Lesson
John 8:12 Hebrew reading:
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Note: The apocryphal "Book of Jubilees" says that the first sukkah, on which the holiday of Sukkot is based, was built by Abraham after he greeted the three angels who came to tell him his wife Sarah would at last bear a child (Gen. 18:1-10). This is significant, because it links Sukkot with the Akedah (i.e., the sacrifice of Isaac). Indeed, the very first time the word "love" appears in the Scriptures refers to Abraham's passion for his son Isaac, whom he was commanded to offer as a sacrifice on an altar on Mount Moriah. The message of a father's love for his "only" son who was offered as a sacrifice clearly prefigures the greater "Akedah message" of the Gospel (John 3:16).
This is the Blessing...
10.18.24 (Tishri 16, 5785) From our Torah reading for this holiday season (i.e., V'zot Haberakhah: "this is the blessing") we read the following: "Moses charged us (צִוָּה־לָנוּ) with the Torah as the heritage (מוֹרָשָׁה) of the congregation of Jacob" (Deut. 33:4). Note, however, that for the Torah to become part of our heritage as the people of God, it must be seriously studied, wrestled over, and earnestly engaged... This is a happy task we are given, as it is written: "the righteous one delights in the Torah of the LORD (בְּתוֹרַת יְהוָה) and in his Torah he meditates (יֶהְגֶּה) day and night" (Psalm 1:2).
Commenting on this verse Rashi noted that God's Torah rightly belongs to the one who labors in it and groans (הָגָה) over its meaning, for only then may it be meaningfully said to be "his Torah" (תּוֹרָתוֹ). However the converse is also true: the one makes no effort to study Torah will soon be without godly direction.
We are admonished to be "doers of the word, and not hearers only," since merely assenting to truth without practicing it leads to self-deception (James 1:22). As the Messiah said, "If you know these things, happy are you if you do them" (John 13:17).
Let us take hold the Scriptures and cherish the revelation of God's truth. Remember that the "chief advantage" of the Jewish people was that they were entrusted with the "oracles of God" (Rom. 3:1-2). Loving Torah and the rest of the Scriptures is essential to knowing our heritage as both the children of Abraham and as the children of God.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 119:111 reading:
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Strangers in this world...
[ Chag Sukkot Sameach my fellow sojourners in Messiah's hope... ]
10.18.24 (Tishri 16, 5785) During Sukkot we read the Book of Ecclesiastes (ספר קהלת). Among other things, Kohelet reminds us that we are just passing through this world as "resident aliens" -- here, and yet not here.... We wander; we are lonely; we yearn for our heavenly home. Life in this world is "olam ha'sheker" (עוֹלָם הַשֶּׁקֶר) the false world -- full of deception, troubles, and struggle. Thus Abraham said to the sons of Chet: "I am a 'stranger and sojourner' (גֵּר־וְתוֹשָׁב) among you; sell me a burial site" (Gen. 23:4), and likewise David said: "For we are strangers with You, mere transients like our fathers; our days on earth are like a shadow without abiding (1 Chron. 29:15).
Faith affirms that underlying the surface appearance of life is a deeper reality that is ultimately real and abiding. It "sees what is invisible" (2 Cor. 4:18) and understands that the "present form of this world is passing away" (1 Cor. 7:31). The life of faith therefore calls us to live as toshavim - sojourners - who are at an infinite "distance" from the world of appearances and who seek the Eternal. Sukkot means we ache with a divine "homesickness" as we look forward to our real home in heaven (Heb. 11:9-10). "O You who are at home deep within my heart, enable me to join you deep in my heart."
Hebrew Lesson
1 Chron. 29:15 reading:
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Surrounded by His Sukkah...
[ The following is related to the holiday of Sukkot, or the "Feast of Tabernacles"... ]
10.17.24 (Tishri 15, 5785) The root idea of the word "sukkah" (סוכה) means to cover or surround, as in hedge or cloud of protection. The Hebrew root is used when Moses asked to behold God's glory and the meaning of the name YHVH (יהוה), and God said, "Behold there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory overtakes you I will cover you with my hand (וְשַׂכּתִי כַפִּי עָלֶיךָ) until I have passed by (Exod. 33:21-22). The hand of God (יַד־יְהוָה) is ultimately our sukkah, and indeed the LORD writes our names upon his palms and sets us as a seal upon his heart (Isa. 49:16; Sol. 8:6).
Hebrew Lesson
Exodus 33:22b Hebrew reading (click):
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Likewise King David affirmed that God would hide him within his sukkah (סוכה) and elevate him upon the Rock that is Messiah: "For he will hide me in his sukkah (i.e., his cloud); in the time of trouble he will conceal me in the secret of his tent (i.e., his Presence): he will raise me up upon a Rock" (Psalm 27:5). Note that the Hebrew translated "he will hide me" (i.e., יצפנני) can also be translated as "he will treasure me," suggesting that God will overshadow and protect you from harm because you are his beloved (1 Cor. 10:4).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 27:5a Hebrew reading (click):
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Since God's Name (יהוה) means "Presence," "Breath," "Compassion," "Love," "Healing," and so on, we are surrounded by his Sukkah at all times... As King David prayed: Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? (Psalm 139:7). In other words, you don't have to be in a physical sukkah to be in His sukkah (though being in a physical sukkah is indeed a blessing of course ). May God open our eyes to see his glory! Amen and Sukkot sameach be'Yeshua (סוכות שמחה בישוע) - Happy Sukkot in Yeshua!
Becoming His Child...
10.17.24 (Tishri 15, 5785) I recently chanced upon an old journal I had written many years ago and had a strange encounter with my past self -- and of my struggles, concerns, and wanderings at that time.... As I read some entries I reheard poignant cries of the heart for God's intervention and blessing; I reconnected with prayers for people who are now past, such as my father, some childhood friends, and others. I marveled both at how much I had changed, yet more surprisingly, how much I remained the same. The same old pain still haunts me; the interminable questions; the hope I have long sought for deep healing in Yeshua. It's odd to revisit your past like this, like looking at old photographs of yourself from years ago. It's a bit like seeing a phantom of yourself that now, in hindsight, you wish that you could have spoken to, encouraged, and offered some wisdom about the days to come.
There is ambivalence in all this. Self-reflection is a bit of a dead-end, really. We can only live one day at a time, and therefore we seek the Lord in our time of sojourning with an eye to what lies ahead, to the time of promise, the inexpressible joy of hope that will be fulfilled.
Yeshua said "the truth shall set you free," a statement that has notoriously been taken out of context to justify all sorts of ridiculous things. In the context from which this statement was lifted, however, we discover that the truth Yeshua spoke of was not some about human enlightenment but was a call to come into personal relationship with him for healing.
Recall that Yeshua was teaching a group of people at the Temple when some scribes and Pharisees interrupted him by dragging a woman "taken in adultery" before him, demanding that he pronounce judgment upon her according to the law of Moses (John 8:1-5). The motives of these religious leaders ostensibly was not to honor the law of God, but rather to find occasion to accuse Yeshua of being a lawbreaker if he were to show the woman mercy. Interestingly Yeshua responded to them by writing with his finger on the ground, which recalled the account of how God wrote the Tablets with his finger at Sinai (Exod. 31:18). We can only speculate what Yeshua wrote down, though it was likely an indictment against his accusers for their sins and therefore it pointed to their need for God's mercy as well. Despite this the scribes and Pharisees kept demanding an answer, so he finally stood up again and said, "All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!" And then he stooped down and wrote in the dust again.
We know the rest of the story. Each of the woman's accusers, being "convicted of their own conscience," went out one by one, starting with the older ones, until the woman was standing before Yeshua alone. He then looked at the woman and said to her, "Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?" She replied, "No, Lord," and then Yeshua said, "Neither do I. Go and sin no more" (see John 8:6-11).
Yeshua then offered his own explanation of what the people had witnessed by saying, "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you will not walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life" (John 8:12). The Pharisees then denounced him as a liar, saying that he had no right to make such claims, though Yeshua affirmed that he both spoke and lived the truth, and that this attested to the veracity of his claims. The proof of his miracles also bore witness that God was with him, and that the reason they did not believe him was because they did not truly know God. Later Yeshua said to them again, "I am going away. You will search for me but will die in your sin... for unless you believe that I am who I claim to be, you will die in your sins."
In the midst of these exchanges between Yeshua and the religious leaders, many of the people began to believe in him. Yeshua then said to them, "If you live in my word, then you will be my disciples indeed, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32). Some of the people were confused and said, "But we are descendants of Abraham, and we have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, 'You will be set free'?" Yeshua then explained to them that everyone who sins is a slave of sin. He then said that a slave is not a permanent member of the family, though a son is a member of the family forever. If a slave is set free by the Master of the house, however, he will be accounted as a member of the family as well.
The truth is that sin operating within our hearts makes us slaves to our lower nature, and the "law of sin and death" inexorably works to hold us in grave bondage. We are slaves to sin and cannot set ourselves free from its ironclad grip over our souls. Sin creates separation from God, the verdict of spiritual death. We need healing and deliverance from bondage to our condition.
So how are we set free? Only by the power of Yeshua: "As many as receive him, to them he gives the right (ἐξουσία) to be children of God, namely, to those who believe in his name" (John 1:12). However, there is a necessity of the heart to experience this transformation, a miracle, really, and that is the confession that we are indeed enslaved to our sins and cannot escape, despite our best intentions. Indeed the power of sin is so seductive that our religion can be nothing but a godless passion, a "form of godliness" that regards the Almighty as a slave master who demands ruthless adherence to the letter of the law... If you do not know the LORD God as your heavenly father, you are still bound to your slavery, even if that slavery finds expression in the rituals and deeds that express faith in God.
Yeshua imparts the power to be children of God by freeing us from our bondage to sin. Only the One with greater power than the captor of the slave can set the slave free (Mark 3:27). Being set free does not mean to simply being forgiven of our infractions of God's law but to be released from the more radical bondage of being alienated and lost - enslaved - within the depths of your soul. Being set free therefore creates a new "who," and new identity that personally relates to God as his cherished child rather than as a hired hand or a slave.
Still, this is a process. It is a paradoxical change that develops over time, as the inner conflict between the old and new natures works itself out. The old must be reckoned as "dead," and the new must be reckoned as "alive." There is "mortification" of the flesh which strips us away from our old identity and there is "sanctification" that draws us into the life of God's beloved child. Yeshua gives us the power to be sons and daughters of God, though we might not recognize what this means in the flux and temptations of this life.
The struggle is intense and very personal, hidden from view. The son or daughter of God is at war with the slave within them as they agonize to know God as their heavenly father. This is the experience of the desert generation as they learned to shed their Egyptian way of thinking and to come to believe that they were the chosen people of God. It is an ongoing dialog of the heart, a recurring question or argument about who you really are, an inner wrestling to respond to the Father when he calls you his beloved.
Regarding the heart of the one struggling to believe despite themselves, George MacDonald wrote: "Such are not slaves; they are true though not perfect children; they are fighting along with God against the evil separation... They are children - with more or less of the dying slave in them; they know it is there, and what it is, and hate the slavery in them, and try to slay it." This is why Soren Kierkegaard once noted that the opposite of sin is not virtue but faith, because it is faith in the work of God alone that delivers and transforms the heart (Rom. 4:16; Eph. 2:8-10 ).
The deepest place of the struggle is the heart itself, and whether you will continue to receive the truth that you are beloved and healed in the midst of your weakness, brokenness, and even the dissolution of the body through physical death itself. For the believer, however, mortal death is a "shadow" that leads to the reality of glorification in the Lord.
As many as receive him he gives power to become the children of God, even to those who "believe on his name," that is, to those who believe that he is the promised Savior who alone heals us from the death of our sin, who restores our separation from God, and who reunites us to his heart forever and ever. Believing in his name is to "receive him," that is, to trust in his promises and to live our lives in light of his presence and his vision for our destiny. We confess that he is who he said he is. By faith we take his promises to ourselves; we cleave to his word of blessing for who we truly are; and therefore we know God as our loving heavenly Father. Amen.
The power to be a child of God is an "already-not-yet" reality and therefore the task at hand is to walk in faith of who God says you are in relation to the truth of his great love.... Let us then live within His house in full confidence of his heart for us. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 63:16b Hebrew reading (click):
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Sukkot and Salvation...
"God of goodness, give me youself.
You are enough to me.
I can ask for nothing less,
for then I would not be worshiping you.
If I ask for anything less,
I will always be left wanting.
Only in you do I have everything."
- Julian of Norwich
10.16.24 (Tishri 14, 5785) The holiday of Sukkot remembers the journey of the redeemed people of God - first from Egypt, then to Sinai, and then into the void of the desert places.... The repeated failures of the Israelites in the wilderness was meant to reveal the insufficiency of "Egyptian thinking" by demonstrating God's faithful love and ongoing care. The entire ordeal in the desert was a "Sukkot experience" that pointed beyond Sinai....
Sukkot symbolizes the journey of faith by means of erecting a sukkah - a flimsy shelter that we are to "live in" for seven days. The sukkah is meant to help us ask ourselves: Where is the true home we seek? Where is the true shelter of our lives? The first Jew (Abram) was called ha-ivri (הָעִבְרִי) - "the Hebrew," a term that means "one who has crossed over" (עָבַר) from another place. When he heeded the call Lekh lekha (לך־לך), "go for yourself," it was Abram's walk of faith that made him into a Jew.... He left the comforts of Ur to become a tent dweller who became a "stranger and sojourner" with God. Similarly, the Jewish people as a whole were forced to leave the "security" of Egypt and journey into the unknown in order to realize the promises of God. Sukkot reminds us that our security is neither found in political power structures nor in the concrete walls of our homes, but solely in the Presence of God. Our freedom as God's children is at stake in the matter of redemption, and God takes it very seriously when we exchange a supposed source of security for the venture of true faith....
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 73:25 Hebrew reading (click):
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So where is the true home you seek? Are you clinging to hope in this world and its counterfeit security? Are you willing to sacrifice your dignity as a child of God for the protection of the "State"? When God redeemed Israel from Egypt, it was a rebirth experience. Passover represented the means of redemption (the blood of the lamb), Shavuot represented the revelation of the holiness of God (the Sinai experience), and Sukkot represented the walk of faith as reborn and redeemed children. God took Israel out of Egypt (i.e., out of the world) in order to reveal to them who He is -- and who they were in relationship with Him.... The pattern remains the same. The world system is a form of slavery, and Sukkot reveals how God bypasses the world to care for His people...
Chag Sukkot Sameach friends!
Sukkot Torah Readings...
10.16.24 (Tishri 14, 5785) Chag Sameach, chaverim! The weekly Torah Reading Cycle is suspended for the holiday week of Sukkot (referred to as "Tabernacles" in the Christian tradition), as well as for Shemini Atzeret (sometimes referred to as the "eighth day" of Sukkot). The Torah readings for the holiday are from Leviticus 22-23, Numbers 29, and Deuteronomy 14-16. These readings review the holidays or "appointed times" on the Jewish calendar, including the commandments regarding the festival of Sukkot.
In addition to the various passages we read for each day of the holiday, we will read the Book of Ecclesiastes (i.e., Kohelet) for the Sabbath day of Sukkot. We will also read both the very last portion of the Torah (i.e., V'zot HaBerakhah: Deut. 33:1-34:12) as well as the very first chapter of the Torah (i.e., Gen. 1:1-2:3) for the holiday of "Simchat Torah" (which immediately follows Shemini Atzeret). The upshot is that during this season of the year we will read the end of the Torah scroll and then "rewind" it to the beginning...
Vzot HaBerakhah contains Moses' last words to the people before his death on Mount Nebo in the land of Moab. According to midrash, when God came and told Moses to get ready to depart from this world, he appealed to God saying, "Wait until I bless Israel. All my life they have had no pleasant experiences with me, for I constantly rebuked them and admonished them to fear God and fulfill the commandments. I do not wish to leave this world before I have blessed them" (Ginzberg: Legends of the Jews).
The Hebrew word bereshit (בְּרֵאשִׁית) can mean "in the beginning" or "at the start" or "at the head of (all things)," etc. (notice the term rosh (ראשׁ, "head") appears embedded in the word as its shoresh (root)). The first chapter of Bereshit gives the account of the creation of God, and its opening verse reveals the triune nature of God indicated by the use of the plural form of the name Elohim with the singular verb bara (he created) in relation to the work of the Spirt of God (ruach), and the omniscient Voice that narrates the creation account. Indeed, a direct quotation from Elohim uses grammatically plural personal pronouns: "Let us make man in our image and in our likeness" (Gen. 1:26).
Note: For more information about Sukkot Torah readings, see the weekly Torah page.
Sukkah of the Heart...
[ The following is related to the holiday of Sukkot, the "Feast of Tabernacles." Chag Sameach. ]
10.16.24 (Tishri 14, 5785) The word sukkot (סוכות) is the plural of the Hebrew word sukkah (סוכה), meaning a "booth" or "hut." In traditional Judaism, a sukkah is a temporary structure used for "living in" (i.e., primarily eating meals or entertaining guests) throughout the week-long holiday. The purpose of the sukkah is to remind us of how God tenderly cared for the Israelites as they made their trek through the dangers of the desert. God spoke endearingly to Israel: "Follow me into the wilderness, into an unsown land" (Jer. 2:2).
The Scriptures state, "The LORD upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down" (Psalm 145:14). It has been said that the word sukkah can be understood as an acronym formed from the words someikh Adonai (סוֹמֵךְ יְהוָה), "the LORD upholds," kol (כָּל), "all," and ha'nofe'leem (הַנּפְלִים), "the ones who fall." This suggests that those who make a sanctuary within their hearts, trusting in God's indwelling Presence, will be upheld and kept from falling (Jude 1:24). God knows many need this truth to be made real in this hour...
סומך יהוה לכל־הנפלים
וזוקף לכל־הכפופים
so·meikh · Adonai · le·khol - ha·noh·fe·leem
ve·zoh·keif · le·khol - ha·ke·foo·feem
"The LORD upholds all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down."
(Psalm 145:14)
Hebrew Study Card
The Kotzer Rebbe said that the verse, "this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him" (Exod. 15:2), may be understood as, "this is my God, and I will make a dwelling for Him within me." Though the LORD is forever enthroned in heaven as our Creator, King, and Deliverer, we still must make a dwelling within us. He stands at the door and knocks. "Where does God dwell," it is asked, "but where He is given a dwelling place, a sanctuary, a throne within the heart?"
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 145:14 reading (click for audio):
God's Sheltering Love...
[ The week-long holiday of Sukkot begins this evening at sundown... Chag Sameach! ]
10.16.24 (Tishri 14, 5785) The Torah describes Sukkot (i.e., "Tabernacles") as a holiday of joy and gladness: "You are to rejoice in your festival (וְשָׂמַחְתָּ בְּחַגֶּךָ).... for seven days you shall keep the festival (שִׁבְעַת יָמִים תָּחֹג)... so that you will be altogether joyful" (Deut. 16:14-15). Nevertheless we may wonder how we can celebrate in a world filled with suffering, death, political tyranny, and misery? Since God commands us to be joyful, however, we must understand this joy to be something more than temporal elation or fleeting pleasure, but rather as the result of the decision to believe in healing despite the appearances of this realm. It is a joy and peace that "passes all understanding..." (Phil. 4:7).
"The world to come, the perfect world, we at least believe in; but this material world, this one here and now, how can anyone believe in it? The only thing to do is to run to the refuge of God" (Rebbe Nachman). The joy of the season of Sukkot, then, is the joy of hope, the conviction that "all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well" (Julian of Norwich). Darkness will be overcome by the light; evil will become undone; all that is untrue shall be made true; and every tear shall be wiped away... The sukkah symbolizes the "Clouds of Glory" that surround our way in the desert – the "Divine Presence" beheld in faith. We find joy as we choose to believe in the deeper reality of God's sheltering love. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Song of Songs 2:4 reading (click):
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Torah states: "You shall dwell in sukkot (booths) for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God" (Lev. 23:42-43). The sages say that the booths commemorate the Clouds of Glory (עַנְנֵי תְּהִילָה), seven clouds that encompassed and protected the people during their sojourn in the desert (Sukka 11b). We recall the Clouds of God's glory as the gift of his sustaining love and care during our journey to freedom. Indeed the clouds represent the holy Shekhinah (שְׁכִינָה), the ruach Hakodesh and indwelling presence of God that protects us and gives us comfort. Just as the ruach fell on the generation of Moses' advent, so with the generation of Messiah: the Spirit brings strength to heart, protection from evil, and guidance for our way (John 14:26).
All of Torah is grounded in emunah (faith), as the very First Commandment of Torah is to trust that the LORD is God for you (אָנכִי יְהוָה אֱלהֶיךָ). Moreover Scripture also says: "All your commandments are emunah" (כָּל־מִצְוֹתֶיךָ אֱמוּנָה); and, "you are near, O LORD, and all your commandments are faithul" (Psalm 119:86; 151). Indeed faith is the "substance" (i.e., ὑπόστασις, reality, essence) of hope, the conviction of the unseen good (Heb. 11:1); and without emunah it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6). We celebrate Sukkot because God calls us to know our heritage and to believe in the light of His surrounding Presence.
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Why Sukkot Matters...
10.15.24 (Tishri 13, 5785) We learn about God through the witness of His Spirit as preserved in the Holy Scriptures; however, to properly interpret the Scriptures we must read in context, and therefore we must endeavor to understand the New Testament in light of the Torah, not the other way around... Without the background of the Torah and the history of the Jewish people, the meaning and terms of the New Testament will be obscure and subject to misunderstanding (see John 4:22; Rom. 9:4).
It is written in our Scriptures: "Yeshua the Messiah became a servant to the circumcised (i.e., the Jewish people) to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the fathers" (Rom. 15:8). He came from heaven, "tabernacling with us," as Israel's promised Redeemer and the manifest revelation of God (John 1:14; 1 Tim. 3:16), his mother Miriam (Mary) being miraculously conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, Yeshua was he was born the "King of the Jews" in Bet-Lechem (Bethlehem), "born under the law" as the "Second Adam" (or "Son of Man"); and was circumcised according to the Torah on the eighth day, being given the Hebrew name "Yeshua," God's Salvation.
Yeshua grew up as a faithful Jew, fluent in Torah reading and study (Luke 4:16-21; John 4:22). He observed all the Torah holidays as prescribed by the law of Moses (Lev 23). When he began his public ministry, he was baptized to identify himself as "the on of Man" (בֶּן־הָאָדָם), calling out to the lost sheep of the house of Israel to repent and believe the message of God's redemption revealed in him (Matt. 15:24).
Yeshua repeatedly taught that the Scriptures foretold of his coming and born witness of Him (John 5:39). He foretold his sacrificial death for our sins and his resurrection from the dead (Mark 10:32-34). After his crucifixion and resurrection, he told his disciples that he is the central meaning of all the Jewish Scriptures: "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself" (Luke 24:27; John 5:39; 8:58). He then instructed his followers to go to Jerusalem to receive the Holy Spirit on the very day of Shavuot ("Pentecost"), in fulfillment of the Scriptures. Later, when he miraculously called out to the Apostle Paul to follow him, Yeshua identified himself as the Jewish Messiah by using the Hebrew (not Aramaic) language (Acts 26:14).
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). Our Lord observed Sukkot (and all the holidays of Torah), and he wanted his followers to understand why he did so (Luke 24:27; Luke 24:44; John 1:45; John 5:46; Gal. 4:4-5; etc.). After all, Yeshua taught his followers to understand his ministry, but to do so, we must understand its context in Jewish history and tradition. "Every jot and tittle" of the Torah (i.e., kotzo shel yod ha'Torah: קוֹצוֹ שׁל יוד התּוֹרה) has its voice and its place in his mission (see Matt. 5:17-18). Sukkot, or "Tabernacles" is part of our heritage as those who trust in the LORD God of Israel and his salvation given in Yeshua. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 119:97 reading (click for audio):
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Personal note: I want to thank each of you who have stood with me over the last year... It's been a very difficult time for me but the Lord helps me get through. I know many of you can relate to the struggle. I just can't bring myself to building a family sukkah this year, however: it's just too painful. I will celebrate the Sukkot holiday (of course) but will find some alternatives. Thank you again, and Chag Sukkot Sameach to you! - John
Broken and Remade...
The following is related to the holiday of Sukkot which begins Wed. Oct. 16th this year...
10.15.24 (Tishri 13, 5785) In the 2004 Israeli movie "Ushpizin," a poor baal teshuvah (returning Jew) named Moshe Belanga and his wife Mali pray to have enough money to build a sukkah in order to observe the holiday of Sukkot ("Tabernacles"). Their prayers were answered when they received a mysterious gift of money, though the blessing initiated a sequence of mishaps that tested their patience to the breaking point...
Upon building their sukkah and purchasing an exceptionally beautiful etrog (one of the four species required for the holiday), Moshe and Mali got ready for their first meal of Sukkot. However, they were unexpectedly visited by a pair of escaped convicts, one of whom had known Moshe in his old days, when Moshe was not practicing the faith. The convicts become guests (ushpizin) in the sukkah, creating a "balagan" (mess) and straining Moshe and Mali's relationship. After making a noisy scene in their neighborhood one day during the holiday, Mali discovered that the two men were escaped convicts wanted by the police, and she decided to leave Moshe, despite his heartfelt appeals for her not to go.
After his world had fallen apart, Moshe went to see his rabbi who listened to his plight and then offered him counsel by reading to him from a holy book: "When a man changes something within himself he progresses, right? He thinks he has earned some rest. But it's just then that he's given a harder test.... There is no rest in this world, no rest..." He then goes on to say, "Above all, Moshe, don't get angry! Don't get angry. Ribbono shel olam (Master of the universe), save us from anger! Save us from anger!"
After this meeting with the rabbi, Moshe was tested yet again when he learned that his two guests had unwittingly destroyed his beloved etrog - a symbol of his hope. Moshe then began to burn with anger, but ran away groaning and in agony of heart.
When he finally reached an isolated place, he began frenetically pacing back and forth, repeating crying out to God: "Ani loh mavin!" I don't understand! I don't understand! He then asked God: "What do you want from me? I just don't get it! Have mercy; explain it to me! I don't want to be angry, God Almighty, I don't want to be angry! Have mercy upon me..." In brokenness of soul he repeatedly muttered "have mercy upon me..." Moshe left the place in silence, shattered, broken, a "klume" (nothingness), empty, devoid of everything.
And it is then, in this place of utter helplessness that his wife Mali returned to him and told him that she was pregnant with his child. This was their deepest hope, symbolized by the etrog which was thought to portend fertility and blessing, and it was realized despite all their troubles. Paradoxically it was from the loss of his hope that his hope was found, and God brought good out of all his suffering (יִסּוּרִים שֶׁל אַהֲבָה). It's a happy ending. Moshe is delivered from his pain when he surrendered everything to God. His wife Mali also is restored to her love and would bear the blessing of an heir for the family.
Yes, it's a happy ending. God works all things for the best: "gam zu l'tovah!" We get angry, then, when we lose sight of the big picture. What we sometimes interpret as evil or suffering is a means to the greater end of happiness and fulfillment. That sounds good, but let's ask a serious question: Do we need an explanation to "exorcise" our anger? Does "understanding" why suffering and troubles occur deliver us from the inner rage of our hearts? Or put another way, is evil really a form of ignorance of the hidden good?
Psychologically considered, we may experience anger when we do not get our own way, especially when we believe we have a right to our expectation... We are treated unfairly; someone deliberately hurts us; we are abused, and so on, and our anger cries out for justice to be done and for the vindication of our will. Sometimes such anger may be justified, but often it goes astray because it is centered on the ego. Understood this way, anger becomes a form of idolatry: "My will be done; My kingdom come." Sin makes fools of us all, for the fool says in his heart there is no God (Psalm 14:1).
How do we overcome anger then? How can we escape from our own inner torment of heart? Only by a miracle. When we turn away from ourselves in brokenness, when we deny ourselves in surrender to God, we are transformed, and we are set free.
And yet it is a struggle to truly surrender. Though we have faith that God is somehow for us and with us in all things, there are moments, perhaps born of temptation, in which we feel utterly alone, lost in the abyss of sorrow, and haunted by profound regret over our lives. In our frailty we wonder how we will make it to our heavenly home, especially when the dark moment in the desert arises - this wilderness of temptation - so that even if we were to shout over the whole world, we fear no voice would answer to comfort us...
And should we seek solace from others, we soon realize the private language of our pain; we sense that others ought not be roused by our grief, for they are powerless to balm our wound, and therefore we drift away into inner silence, alone with the groan of our heart. In a moment of grace we may "come to ourselves" and realize there is nowhere to go but to God who is always present, and it is God alone who can comfort us in the depths of our hearts. His assurance comes as we turn to him, away from the pain of our lonely exile.
All of us suffer in this life; each experiences heartache that is unique to their own personal story. But what is the meaning of our pain? What are we to learn from it? For some, the lesson is that they were wronged and they seek restitution for their suffering. Focusing on the specific circumstances of the hurt, however, leads to anger and vindictive feelings.
Healing comes when we begin to understand that our personal pain connects us to the suffering inherent in the human condition. It then becomes a matter of indifference regarding the reasons for our wounds when we begin understand that we all bear woundedness that affects the lives of others. "Hurt people hurt people" -- until they learn to surrender their sickness of heart. "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do," said Yeshua from the cross (Luke 23:34). Yeshua suffered the weight of the greater wound of sinful humanity, and it is through his suffering we are made whole.
When you feel oppressed by sorrow or fear, say with assurance "the Lord cares for me." Cast your burden on him and he will sustain you. Refuse to stagger beneath the weight of earthly fear... Yes, God cares for you. This is the message of the gospel, after all; this is the heart of the cross: God himself cares for you. Consider the one who personally bore your shame and sin and suffered such anguish for you to be healed. He will never leave nor forsake you; he ever lives to make intercession for you (Heb. 7:25).
The Lord has not forgotten you who mourn and are poor of spirit. He who feeds the sparrows and tends the lilies of the field will provide for your needs. Resist the whispers of despair: affirm again the greatness of God who tenderly watches over you as a good shepherd cares for his sheep. Even if you are in distress, affirm the greatness of God. Trust that he will bind up your wounds and make whole your broken heart. Do not countenance the thought his grace is not sufficient for all your troubles. God is forever faithful; he promises are sure; the one who has begun a good work in you will complete it. Press on in the confidence of God's unfailing love given to you in Yeshua. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 34:18 reading (click for audio):
Smitten of Grace...
[ The most important questions probe the depths... "Out of the depths I cry out..." In your struggle to understand, allow faith its space. If your conclusion leads you to obvious error (e.g., God failed me), then back up and get your thinking right about your assumptions... ]
10.14.24 (Tishri 12, 5785) The Lord is likened to a potter and we are as clay in his hand (Isa. 64:8). Life on the "potter's wheel" can be messy, unsettling, and sometimes excruciatingly hard, but it is God's sovereign work to form your life according to his design and purposes... (I am still on that wheel; it feels like a whirlwind within my anxious heart as I close my eyes, trusting His hands are somehow shaping me into his design and pleasure.)
Contrary to the assumption that the life of faith should always be triumphant, we all inevitably will experience various setbacks, pratfalls, troubles and sorrows in our lives. This does not mean that God does not care for us however, because on the contrary, this is by his design; a plan supervised by God's love and blessing, and the afflictions we therefore encounter are part of his work for our good (Rom. 8:28; Heb. 12:6). A principle of spiritual life is that we descend in order to ascend, or the "the way up is the way down." It make seem counterintuitive, but the heart of faith gives thanks for all things - the good as well as the evil (see Job 2:10). We affirm: "This too is for the good," yea, even in the midst of our struggle, no, even more -- precisely in the midst of our struggle -- for this, too, is for our good. Faith is the resolution to trust in the reality of God's goodness even during hard times when we feel abandoned or lost (Isa. 50:10). God uses the "troubles of love" (יִסּוּרֵי אַהֲבָה) for our good - to wake us up and cling to him all the more, since this is what is most essential, after all...
The difficulty of personal suffering is intensely intimate: how do you keep hope in the midst of this tension? "Lord I believe; help my unbelief" (Mark 9:24). How do you affirm that your heavenly Father will heal you but at the present hour you must endure suffering? Do you devise a "soul-building theodicy" seeking to explain your struggle – providing an answer about the "why" of your suffering – or do you attempt to sanctify suffering as a means of healing others by the grace of the Messiah (Col. 1:24)? Or do you wither in your despair? As Soren Kierkegaard said, "It is one thing to conquer in the hardship, to overcome the hardship as one overcomes an enemy, while continuing in the idea that the hardship is one's enemy; but it is more than conquering to believe that the hardship is one's friend, that it is not the opposition but the road, is not what obstructs but what develops, is not what disheartens but ennobles" (Four Upbuilding Discourses, 1844).
When Yeshua victoriously proclaimed, "It is finished" just before he died on the cross, he foreknew that his followers would experience a "purging process," a "refining fire," and time on the "potter's wheel" to perfect their sanctification. At the cross of Yeshua death itself was overcome – and all that it implies – and yet it is nevertheless true that we will suffer and die and that death persists an enemy (1 Cor. 15:26). While we celebrate the reality of the final redemption, the "instrumentality of our sanctification" needs to be willingly accepted and endured. I say "endured" here because I don't think we will ever have a complete answer to the question of "why" we undergo the various tests we face in this life. Our disposition in the midst of this ambiguity, in the midst of seemingly unanswered prayers, is where our faith is disclosed: will we despair of all temporal hope or not? Will we console ourselves with the vision of a future without tears and loss – a heaven prepared for us? Will we trust God with our pain and submit to his will, or will we "curse God and die" inside – losing hope and despairing of all remedy?
God forbid we should give up now, friends! Faith "sees the unseen" and believes that the day of our ultimate healing draws near. You are in good hands as the Lord forms your soul for the glory of his purposes... Stay strong and keep your hope alive (Psalm 27:14).
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 64:8 Hebrew reading:
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God's Faithful Love for Israel...
[ "I marvel at the resilience of the Jewish people. Their best characteristic is their desire to remember. No other people has such an obsession with memory." – Elie Wiesel ]
10.14.24 (Tishri 12, 5785) Shalom chaverim. In last week's parashah (Ha'azinu), Moses taught the Israelites a prophetic shirah (song) that foretold Israel's history and sternly warned the people not to stray from the path that God had commanded them. In addition to the admonition, however, the song celebrated the unique role given to the Jewish people and the nation of Israel among the nations of the world: "When the Most High (עֶלְיוֹן) divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the children of mankind, he set the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the children of Israel. For the LORD'S portion is his people; Ya'akov is the rope of his inheritance" (see Deut. 32:8-9).
Israel has a unique place in the divine providence: "The LORD has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel as his special possession" (Psalm 135:4; Exod. 19:5, Deut. 7:6; 2 Sam. 7:23). To Israel it was said: "You will be my people; and I will be your God," and וִהְיִיתֶם לִי סְגֻלָּה מִכָּל־הָעַמִּים - "you are my beloved treasure among the nations" (Jer. 11:4; Exod. 19:5).
Most significantly, God chose Israel to be the physical conduit for the advent of Messiah Yeshua, the Redeemer and light of the world (Isa. 42:6; Luke 2:32; John 8:12, Gal. 4:4). Yeshua was born the "King of the Jews" (מֶלֶךְ הַיְּהוּדִים), the "splendor of Israel" (תִּפְאֶרֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל), and the One who is the "rope of inheritance" (חֶבֶל נַחֲלָתוֹ) to heaven. The culmination of God's redemptive activity centers on the Jewish people: Yeshua will come again, not to Rome (or to Geneva) or anywhere else but to Jerusalem, the "City of the Great King" (Matt. 5:35), to fulfill the promises God gave to the Jewish people. Then Zion will be established and all the nations will submit to the reign of the LORD. "What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? Much in every way, though chiefly to them were committed the oracles of God" (Rom. 3:1-2).
The sages say, "If you want to live, hold the rope and don't let go, lest you drown." Yeshua the Messiah is the "Rope of our inheritance" (חֶבֶל הַיְרוּשָׁה שֶׁלָנוּ) by which we connect with and obtain God's salvation. All those who trust in Him are grafted into the godly heritage and inheritance of Israel. They are promised heavenly blessing as partakers of the covenantal promises given to the Jewish people (see Eph. 2:19; 3:6; Gal. 3:29; Rom. 2:28-29, Rom. 15:12; Col. 1:12).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 135:4 reading (click for comments):
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From Yom Kippur to Sukkot...
10.13.24 (Tishri 11, 5785) On the Torah's calendar, there is a very quick transition from the somber time of the Jewish High Holidays (Yom Teruah through Yom Kippur) to the week-long festival of Sukkot (i.e., "Tabernacles"). If the High Holidays focus on the LORD as our Creator, our Judge, and yet the merciful Savior who atones for our sins, Sukkot is the time when we joyously celebrate all that He has done for us. Prophetically understood, the seven days of Sukkot picture olam haba, the world to come, and the Millennial Kingdom reign of Mashiach ben David. If Yeshua was born during Sukkot (i.e., conceived during Chanukah, the festival of lights), then another meaning of the "word became flesh and 'tabernacled with us" (John 1:14) extends to the coming kingdom age, when He will again "sukkah" with us during his glorious reign from Zion.
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This year Sukkot begins just after sundown on Wednesday, October 16th (i.e., Tishri 15 on the Jewish calendar). The festival is celebrated for seven days (i.e., from Tishri 15-21) during which we "dwell" in a sukkah -- a hut of temporary construction, with a roof covering (schach) of raw vegetable matter (i.e., branches, bamboo, etc.). The sukkah represents our dependence upon God's shelter for our protection and divine providence. We eat our meals in the sukkah and recite a special blessing (leshev Ba-Sukkah) at this time.
In addition to the Sukkah, the most prominent symbol of Sukkot is the arba'at ha-minim (אַרְבַּעַת הַמִּינִים) - "the Four Species," or four kinds of plants explicitly mentioned in the Torah regarding the festival of Sukkot: "On the first day you shall take: 1) the product of goodly trees (etrog), 2) branches of palm trees (lulav), 3) boughs of leafy trees (hadas), and 4) willows of the brook (aravot), and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days" (Lev. 23:40). We wave the "four species" (held together as a bouquet with the etrog) and recite a blessing (netilat lulav) to ask God for a fruitful and blessed year.
Season of our Joy:
Z'man Simchateinu
Sukkot is effectively the conclusion of the Fall Holiday season and is the last of the three Shelosh Regalim [the three annual pilgrimage festivals: Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot (Deut. 16:16)]. It can be argued that Sukkot is the climax of all the festivals in Scripture.... Everything leads to it as a culmination in God's prophetic plan. It is interesting to compare the use of words relating to simchah (joy) in the description of these three festivals. Regarding Pesach, the word simchah does not appear at all (Deut. 17:1-8); regarding Shavuot (Pentecost), it appears only once (Deut. 17:11); but, regarding Sukkot, the word simchah appears several times:
You shall keep the Feast of Sukkot seven days, when you have gathered in the produce... You shall rejoice in your feast... because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful. (Deut. 16:13-15)
In fact, in ancient Israel, the joy of Sukkot was so great that it became known simply as "the Feast" (1 Kings 12:32). It was a time of many sacrifices (Numbers 29) and a time when (on Sabbatical years) the Torah would be read aloud to the people (Deut. 31:10-13).
From a spiritual perspective, Sukkot corresponds to the joy of knowing our sins were forgiven (during Yom Kippur) and also recalls God's miraculous provision and care after the deliverance from bondage in Egypt (Lev. 23:43). Prophetically, Sukkot anticipates the coming kingdom of Yeshua wherein all the nations shall come up to Jerusalem to worship the LORD during the festival (see Zech. 14:16). Today Sukkot is a time to remember God's Sheltering Presence and Provision for us for the start of the New Year.
Hebrew Lesson:
Deut. 16:13a reading (click for audio):
Atonement and The New Covenant...
Understanding atonement is essential to understanding the cross of Messiah... The following provides an entry point for further study.
10.11.24 (Tishri 9, 5785) How are we to understand the apparent contradiction that Yom Kippur is to be observed as a "statute forever" (Lev. 16:29) while the New Testament emphatically states that Yeshua puts an end to animal sacrifice and now is our eternal atonement (see Heb. 9:12; 24-26)? What are we to make of this puzzle? To begin answering this question, we must note that this contradiction only arises when we make the (false) assumption that the Sinai covenant could never be abrogated, which would logically imply that a genuinely new covenant is impossible. If we can only relate to God through the covenantal terms given at Sinai, in other words, then the Levitical priesthood (alone) serves to mediate us before God, and there would be no need for a covenant based on the better priesthood and promises of the Messiah (see Heb. 8:6).
However, the new covenant was clearly foretold throughout the Torah, the writings, and the prophets, and the assumption that the Sinai covenant is "immutable" is therefore false. As it is written, "Behold the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant (ברית חדשׁה) with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, NOT like the covenant that I made with their fathers (לא כברית אשׁר כרתי את־אבותם) on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt" (Jer. 31:31-32). We can understand this prophecy by way of analogy: If a certain employer makes a contract with an employee with certain conditional benefits that are subject to annual review, but later decides to rescind that contact and offer a new one with far better benefits, there is no contradiction involved, since he has the power to define the terms of the contract. In our case a real contradiction would be occur if both the statement, "you must observe Yom Kippur forever," and then - in the same contract - it was later stated, "you no longer need observe Yom Kippur forever."
Since the Torah says of the Yom Kippur ritual, "this shall be a statute forever (חֻקַּת עוֹלָם) for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their sins" (Lev. 16:34), it is essential for us to better understand what "forever" might mean in this case, especially in light of the atonement given in Yeshua. First, we note that the Hebrew word translated "forever" is olam (עוֹלָם), which is derived from a root verb alam (עָלַם) that means "to conceal" or "to hide." Olam may have its origins using spatial imagery, suggesting a distance so vast that it is unseen, beyond the horizon, and therefore it can also came to mean "realm" or "world." When it is applied to the terms of the Sinai covenant (and the Tabernacle represents the "ritual expression" of that covenant), the word means perpetual, ongoing, etc., within that semantic domain or "world." It is interesting to note that the Jewish sages never regarded "olam" as unchangeable, since in the world to come Torah will issue from Zion (see Isa. 2:3). For more on this point, be sure to see the H4C article "Olam HaTorah: The World of the Torah."
Second, we must remember that the word Torah (תּוֹרָה) is a "function word" that expresses our responsibility in light of the covenantal acts of God, and if you choose to relate to God by means of the Sinai covenant, you are legally liable to the terms and provisions of that contract (e.g., niddah laws, blood ritual laws, tithing laws, agricultural laws, etc.), and this includes being legally liable to the enumerated curses for disobedience (i.e., the tochachah judgments). The covenant at Sinai is indeed eternal and never can change - it is brit olam, a perpetual covenant - but if you choose to abide by its terms, you are responsible for your side of the contract... The Book of Hebrews states: "When there is a change in the priesthood (הַכְּהוּנָּה), there is necessarily (ἀνάγκη) a change in the Torah as well" (Heb. 7:12). Simply put, the Levitical priesthood expresses the Torah of the Covenant of Sinai (בְּרִית יְשָׁנָה), just as the priesthood of Yeshua expresses the Torah of the New Covenant (בְּרִית חֲדָשָׁה).
Third, Yeshua our Messiah came to deliver us from sin and to establish the new covenant with God, which both transcends the covenant given at Sinai and provides an entirely new way to be in relationship with God by the power of the Holy Spirit. The new covenant sets us free from the terms of Sinai (by the death of the Testator, see Heb. 9:15) so that we might serve God in a new and better way (see Jer. 31:33; Rom. 7:1-6; Heb. 8:6; Rom. 9:31-32; Acts 13:39; Gal. 4:21-5:1). We "die" to the terms of the former contract to serve God in a new and powerful way (see the analogy given in Rom. 7:1-4), with the inner intent of the law written upon our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Jer. 31:31-33). This is the "deeper Torah" that goes back to the original covenant made in the Garden of Eden (for more on this, see the H4C article: "The Gospel in the Garden").
Fourth, Yeshua is the King, the Lawgiver of Torah, and its "Substance" or essence: he did not come to destroy the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill their message and meaning (Matt. 5:17-18; Rom. 10:4). As the true King, he has the authority to annul contracts with his subjects, and he has the authority to implement new agreements based on his sovereign will... The Torah of Moses commanded, "Thou shalt not kill..." but the King of Torah (מלך התורה) went to the heart of the matter, explaining that murder was a symptom of the deeper sin of anger...
Finally, those who claim to follow the law of Moses simply cannot keep the Day of Atonement as clearly commanded in the Book of Leviticus, nor have they been able to do so since 70 AD, after the destruction of the Second Temple as foretold by Yeshua (Matt. 24:2; Luke 19:41-4). Note that this was by divine design, since the way into the Holy of Holies (i.e., kodesh hakodashim: קדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים) was not yet open for all as long as the "outer tent" still stood (i.e., the Levitical priesthood as the ritualistic expression of the covenant made at Sinai), since that was symbolic of "the present age," or the "dispensation that was passing away" (Heb. 8:13, 9:8-9; for more, see "The Parochet Rent in Two").
Despite the later invention of "Judaism without the Temple," the life is indeed "in the blood" (Lev. 17:11) and in Messiah we are given fulness of life! Only Yeshua gives us true atonement (i.e., kaparah ha'amitit: כַּפָּרָה הַאֲמִיתִית), and that's the true Torah of the LORD! The redemption obtained by the blood of animal sacrifices was merely provisional and symbolic, "for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins" (Heb. 10:4). For eternal remedy something far greater was needed, namely, the sacrifice of the Lord God Himself. Consequently, when Yeshua came into the world, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me," and "'Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book" (Heb. 10:5,7). As the Book of Hebrew states: "We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat who serve the Tabernacle" (i.e., the Levitical system of worship, see Heb. 13:10). We are cleansed from our sins and made eternally right with God because of the cross of Yeshua (Eph. 1:7; 2 Cor. 5:12).
Hebrew Lesson:
Leviticus 17:11 reading (click for comments):
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The bottom line is this. We have a greater High Priest who intercedes for us by means of his own shed blood within the true Holy of Holies, "made without hands," in the olam of reality. We do not mix the covenants of God, for this leads to double-mindedness and is regarded as spiritual adultery (see Rom. 7:1-4). It is chillul HaShem - the desecration of the Name above all Names - to turn away from the meaning and message of the cross of Messiah. There is no eternal atonement apart from Yeshua and his shed blood ratifying the New Covenant...
Addendum: So Why Study Yom Kippur?
In light of all this, the question might still be asked, "Why then should we study Yom Kippur?" And the answer is that we study the Yom Kippur avodah and the various rituals of blood atonement to better understand the meaning of Yeshua's sacrificial death for us as God's High Priest of the New Covenant. Moreover, as I've explained elsewhere on this site, Yom Kippur prophetically pictures the "Day of the LORD" or the Day of Judgment in Acharit Ha-Yamim (the End of Days). The heavenly shofar blasts heard at Mount Sinai will be reissued from Zion for all the world to hear. First will be the gathering together of those who follow the Messiah (i.e., those declared tzaddikim because of the merit of Yeshua's sacrifice), and then God's war against Satan and the world system will begin, culminating in the long-awaited coronation of the King of King of Kings. After the judgment of the nations after the Great Tribulation, ethnic Israel will be fully restored to the LORD and their sins will be completely purged (Matt. 24). "All Israel will be saved" (Rom. 11:26). Yeshua will then physically return to Israel to establish His glorious millennial kingdom in Zion. Then all the promises given to ethnic Israel through the prophets will finally be fulfilled. Like all holidays, Yom Kippur centers on Yeshua our Messiah. So let me wish you "gmar chatimah tovah" (גמר חתימה טובה) - thank God we have a good "sealing" in the Lamb's Book of Life! Shabbat Shalom.
The Heart of Atonement...
[ Yom Kippur, or the "Day of Atonement," begins Friday Oct. 11th at sundown... ]
10.11.24 (Tishri 9, 5785) Most of our deepest anxieties come from the fear of death, whether we are conscious of this or not... Death represents fear of the unknown, fear of being abandoned, fear of being rejected, fear of being separated from others, and so on. I am so glad Yeshua gives us eternal life, which for me is not so much about immortality of the soul as it is being loved and accepted by God... That is what "at-one-ment" means, after all (John 17:22-23). Because God loves and accepts us, we trust Him to be present for us, even in the darkest of hours, on the other side of the veil, where he there "prepares a place for us" (John 14:2). As Yeshua said, "I tell you the solemn truth, the one who hears my message and believes the One who sent me has eternal life (חַיֵּי עוֹלָם) and will not be condemned, but has passed (i.e., μετά + βαίνω, lit., "crossed over" [עָבַר]) from death to life" (John 5:24). God's love "crosses over" from death to life and now forever sustains me.
The Torah (in parashat Acharei Mot) provides details about Yom Kippur, or the "Day of Atonement," a special service that gave ritual expression of God's love by making purification for our sins. As I've explained before, the word for love (i.e., ahavah: אהבה) equals the number thirteen (1+5+2+5=13), but when shared it is multiplied: 13 x 2 = 26, which is the same value for the Sacred Name (יהוה), i.e., (10+5+6+5=26). Likewise the Hebrew word for "life" is chayim (חַיִּים), is written in the plural to emphasize that life cannot be lived alone but must be shared. Notice that within the word chayim are embedded two consecutive Yods (יי), representing unity in plurality (Yod-Yod is an abbreviation for YHVH, also indicating the "deep Akedah" of Father and Son). God gave up His life so that we can be in relationship with Him, that is, so that we can be "at-one" with His heart for us.
Whatever else it may mean, then, the Hebrew word for "atonement" (i.e., kapparah, "covering," "protection," "purification," "cleansing," "forgiveness," and so on) is about accepting God's heart for you - being unified in his love - and if you miss that, you've missed the point of the Torah's teaching. Accept that you are accepted in God's heart today.... Thank God we are "sealed" in the book of life by the love of Yeshua!
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 61:10 reading (click for audio):
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Made Whiter than Snow...
10.10.24 (Tishri 8, 5785) During Yom Kippur we fast from food and drink and traditionally dress in white for the entire day. This is to remind us that we are like the angels in heaven, alive in the realm of the spirit. In a sense we wear a "kittel" (burial shroud) and come before God thanking Him for the atonement He gives us. It is a picture of heaven itself....
Blood over the Tablets...
[ Yom Kippur, or the "Day of Atonement," begins Friday Oct. 11th at sundown... ]
10.10.24 (Tishri 8, 5785) The earthy Tabernacle (i.e., Mishkan) and its furnishings were "copies" of the heavenly Temple and the Throne of God Himself. Moses was commanded to make the Sanctuary precisely according to the "pattern" that was revealed to him at Sinai (see Exod. 25:9). This was very important because it was meant to prefigure the atonement that would later be manifest in the sacrifice of Yeshua our Lord. As it is written in our Scriptures, "For Messiah has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are representations (ἀντίτυπος) of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf" (Heb. 9:24). The centermost point of the earthly Tabernacle was the Ark of the Covenant (אֲרוֹן־הַקּדֶשׁ), a "three-in-one" box that contained God's Holy Word (i.e., the tablets of the Torah). As such, the Ark served as a symbol of kisei ha-kavod (כִּסֵּא הַכָּבוֹד), or the Throne of God.
The Ark stood entirely apart as the only furnishing placed in the "three-in-one" space called the Holy of Holies (קדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים). Upon the cover of the Ark (i.e., the kapporet) were fashioned two cherubim (i.e., angel-like figures) that faced one another (Exod. 25:17-18). According to the Talmud (Succah 5b), each cherub had the face of a child - one boy and one girl - and their wings spread heavenward as their eyes gazed upon the cover (Exod. 25:20). This was the sacred place where the blood of purification was sprinkled during Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and this is the Place (הַמָּקוֹם) that prefigured the offering of the blood of the Messiah, our eternal Mediator of the New Covenant. "For I will appear in the cloud over the kapporet" (Lev. 16:2; Exod. 25:22). As it says, "I have blotted out your transgressions like a thick cloud and your sins like heavy mist; return to me (שׁוּבָה אֵלַי), for I have redeemed you (Isa. 44:22).
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The central ritual of atonement given in the Torah is that of the anointed High Priest sprinkling sacrificial blood over the tablets of the law upon the kapporet (the "mercy seat") of the Ark of the Covenant - the Place where "Love and truth meet, where righteousness and peace kiss" (Psalm 85:10). From the midst of the surrounding cloud in the Holy of Holies the Voice of the LORD was heard, just as it was in the midst of the surrounding cloud of darkness upon the cross that Yeshua cried out in intercession for our sins...
חֶסֶד־וֶאֱמֶת נִפְגָּשׁוּ
צֶדֶק וְשָׁלוֹם נָשָׁקוּ
che'·sed ve·e·met neef·ga'·shoo
tze'-dek ve·sha·lom na·sha'·koo
"Mercy and truth have met,
righteousness and peace have kissed."
(Psalm 85:10)
Note further that the High Priest was required to perform the Yom Kippur avodah (service) alone, while wearing humble attire, divested of his glory, and in complete solitude: "No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place until he comes out" (Lev. 16:17). The Hebrew text literally says, "no adam (אָדָם) shall be in the tent," which suggests that something more than the natural man is needed for divine intercession. And just as Moses alone approached God in the thick clouds at Sinai to receive the revelation of the Altar as mediator of the older covenant (Exod. 24:15), so Yeshua, the Mediator of the New Covenant, went through his severest agony on the cross as the darkness covered the earth (Luke 23:44; Matt. 27:45).
All this should rouse our hearts
in praise to the Lord our God.
Hallelujah! Blessed is His Name forever!
Amen...
Yom Kippur and Jonah...
[ Yom Kippur, or the "Day of Atonement," begins Friday Oct. 15th at sundown... ]
10.10.24 (Tishri 8, 5785) During the afternoon service of Yom Kippur, the Book of Jonah is recited to awaken the heart to "Arise, call out to your God" (Jonah 1:6). Like Jonah we first must be "swallowed up" in consciousness of our own rebellion before we realize we are undone, that we are without remedy apart from God's direct intervention and deliverance. We start there - in the "belly of the fish" - and later are resurrected to go forth by God's mercy and grace. Likewise we first see ourselves as undone and go to the cross, finding pardon and given the power of the ruach HaKodesh to live unto God according to the truth. But note that the imperatives of the New Testament are directed to the new nature given to us by God, and not to the old nature that has been crucified and done away. We are admonished to live in accordance with the truth of what God has done for us through the Moshia', the Savior. You are a new creation, therefore be who you are in the Messiah!
It is noteworthy that Yeshua mentioned the "sign of Jonah the prophet," that is, Jonah's miraculous deliverance after being entombed in the belly of the fish for three days, to authenticate his own claim to be Israel's Redeemer. "Just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the belly of the earth" (Matt. 12:40). "This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet (אוֹת יוֹנָה הַנָּבִיא). For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation" (Luke 11:29-30). In other words, the story of Jonah foreshadowed the atoning sacrifice of the Messiah, that is, his death, burial and especially his miraculous resurrection on the third day. Just as God brought Jonah back to life after three days in the belly of the earth, so the resurrection of Yeshua from the dead would vindicate his claim to be the Savior and Redeemer of the world. In this way the "Sign of Jonah" and the sacrificial and atoning work of Yeshua as our High Priest of the new covenant are connected.
"We we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself, yes, we felt that we had received the sentence of death; but that was to make us rely not on ourselves, but on God who raises the dead" (2 Cor 1:8-9). This marks the end of carnal hope, when we realize we are but "dead men walking," and from this extremity of inner desperation and clarity we learn to rely solely on God for what we need. Here we abandon ourselves to God's care, despite the despair, darkness, and fear. We rely on "God who raises the dead," because all other remedies have been vanquished. It is a great gift to be so afflicted, for these "troubles of love" teach us to trust God alone for all we need. The only way out is through. We don't seek an easy way of life, but only that the LORD be with us throughout our troubles...
Hebrew Lesson
Jonah 2:8 Hebrew reading (click):
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Yom Kippur and Prophecy...
[ Yom Kippur, or the "Day of Atonement," begins this evening at sundown... ]
10.09.24 (Tishri 7, 5785) Shalom friends. It's that time of year again, the "High Holiday" season, and some of you might feel a bit of ambivalence about the holiday of Yom Kippur since it focuses on the ritual of purification for the sanctuary of the Temple, and this seems to have little to do with Yeshua and His sacrifice for our sins. After all, the Levitical system of worship is described in the New Covenant as "a shadow (σκιά) of the good things to come, instead of the true form (εἰκών) of these matters, and it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near" (Heb. 10:1). Since the blood of bulls and goats cannot truly take away sins (Heb. 10:3), the sacrificial system was intended to foreshadow the coming work of Messiah, who was born to die, in accordance with God's will, and to offer his own body as a sacrifice for sin "once for all" (Heb. 10:5-10). "For by a single offering (μιᾷ γὰρ προσφορᾷ τετελείωκεν) he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified" (Heb. 10:14).
Now while it is wonderfully true that Yeshua functioned as our great High priest after the order of Malki-Tzedek by offering his blood upon the heavenly kapporet in the holy of holies "made without hands," there still is a prophetic component to this holiday that applies to ethnic Israel regarding the prophesied End of Days. After all, the realm of "shadows" still applies in the case of unbelieving Israel, who has yet to behold the unveiled glory that awaits her... Therefore the psalmist prophetically cries out, "Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your Name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for the sake of your Name" (Psalm 79:9), and this refers to the hour when Israel will call upon the LORD for salvation during the End of Days, otherwise called the great Day of the LORD. This event is prefigured in the blast of the "great shofar" which will be sounded to announce Yeshua as Israel's true Redeemer and King. Indeed, our the Messiah will one day return to Israel, cleanse her Temple, restore her to Himself, and set up His glorious kingdom.
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Since prophetically speaking Yom Kippur signifies ethic Israel's atonement secured through Yeshua's sacrificial avodah as Israel's true High Priest and King, there is still a sense of longing and affliction connected to this holiday that will not be removed until finally "all Israel is saved" (Rom. 11:26). So, on the one hand we celebrate Yom Kippur because it acknowledges Yeshua as our High Priest of the New Covenant, but on the other hand, we "have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in our hearts" for the redemption of the Jewish people and the atonement of their sins (Rom. 9:1-5; 10:1-4; 11:1-2, 11-15, 25-27). In the meantime, we are in a period of "mysterious grace" wherein we have opportunity to offer the terms of the New Covenant to people of every nation, tribe and tongue. After the "fullness of the Gentiles" is come in, however, God will turn His full attention to fulfilling His promises given to ethnic Israel. May that great Day of the LORD come soon, chaverim...
The judgment of God upon the USA, and indeed the world, has never been more apparent. For those with ears to hear: do teshuvah and pray. The time is near!
Receiving Salvation...
[ How do we get "saved" or are made right with God? Is it by means of religious rituals, or by doing good deeds, or by believing certain things about God, or perhaps all of these? ]
10.09.24 (Tishri 7, 5785) Do you really understand how you are "saved" or made right with God? Do you "get" the message of the gospel? I once read from a Christian devotional book that said that in order to receive God's salvation you must do the following: 1) believe in Jesus' substitutionary death and resurrection; 2) turn away from your sins, and 3) ask him to be the Lord and Savior of your life. The author then went on to explain that "this means you have to renounce and turn away from everything in your life that is contrary to what God wants: you must give up your sinful self-centeredness and turn to God."
Now at first glance this appeal may sound Biblical, but it implicitly assumes that your own goodness and self-effort will save you. After all, if you really could turn away from your sins and from "everything in your life that is contrary to what God wants," and if you really could simply "give up your sinful self-centeredness," then there really would be no need for the miracle of spiritual rebirth, no need for the power of God to impart a new nature to you, and therefore no need for the cross of Messiah to save you from the verdict of the moral law.
Some people tend to think that to be "crucified with Messiah" means that we must totally surrender our lives to God by denying ourselves and mortifying every passion apart from the Spirit of Messiah living within us (Gal. 2:20). But again, if we could do this - if we really could crucify ourselves, deny ourselves, and completely yield our hearts to God in absolute surrender, we wouldn't need the miracle of salvation, would we? We'd be back at the religious game, attempting to please God through our own "best efforts," and endeavoring to affect spirituality by means of our own merit. As Jonathan Edwards wrote: "If there be ground for you to trust in your own righteousness, then, all that Christ did to purchase salvation, and all that God did to prepare the way for it is in vain."
Yeshua said that no one is able to come (οὐδεὶς δύναται ἐλθεῖν) to him for life unless God Himself "drags him" (John 6:44). The flesh is scandalized by this, of course, since the ego plays no part. Eternal life is found in the righteousness of Yeshua, and self-denial means to quit thinking about yourself (from α-, "not," + ῥέω, "to speak") by accepting what he has done for you. We have been (already) crucified with Messiah (the verb συνεσταύρωμαι is a perfect passive form), and just as we are identified with him in his death, so we are identified with him in his resurrected life. This is a matter of faith, trusting that God's love for your soul overcomes the law's powerlessness and your own inability to save yourself...
Contrary to the vain hope that "God helps those who help themselves," we must emphasize that God helps precisely and only those who cannot help themselves... Indeed the teaching of the New Covenant is clear: God will perform a miracle by putting his Torah within your will, writing it on your heart, and recreating you into his child (Jer. 31:33; Ezek. 36:26; John 3:3; 2 Pet. 1:4). All this comes from the power of God alone, however, not by human aspiration or resolution or good works (John 1:12-13; 6:44; Rom. 10:9-12; Titus 3:5). Like father Abraham, we are "justified" (i.e., made right) with God by believing in his power, relying on his Spirit, and trusting in his promise of love (Hab. 2:4; Rom. 4:13-25).
Yeshua did not come to set up a "new religion" but to give life to the dead. Therefore it is no longer "I" who live but Messiah in me, which is to say that we do not possess the miracle but the miracle possesses us... You are made into a new creation (בְּרִיָּה חֲדָשָׁה); your former life is passed and now all things become new (2 Cor. 5:17). But again you are not saved by "reforming" your character or by becoming a "promise keeper," but trusting in God's power and character. This is the way to receive the blessing. You come to God just as you are - acknowledging the truth of your raw and desperate need for deliverance from the corruption of your sinful condition, pressing past the verdict of the law in your desire for God's compassion (Psalm 85:10; Rom. 4:25). That's the heart of the gospel, after all. All you can do is bring is your brokenness and need to God for healing and then to respond to God's love by receiving it with humility and gratitude. Being made right with God is the gift of accepting that you are accepted despite your unacceptability because of God's great mercy for your life. This is indeed a miracle, for we need God to even know that we need God! As Yeshua said: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of God" (Matt. 5:3).
It is carnal pride to think that we can pledge to be perfect before we can come to the Lord for salvation. Can you imagine a person who has suffered for years as an alcoholic or addict of some kind being told that in order to be made right with God, they must believe that Yeshua died for their sins and that they therefore must turn away from all their sins, be perfect in their resolve, and pledge never to sin or be selfish again? For those of you who have suffered from addiction or struggled with chronic "character defects" in your lives, you know that empty promises to change mean nothing when it comes to turning away from what holds you in bondage... עָקב הַלֵּב מִכּל וְאָנֻשׁ ה֑וּא מִי יֵדָעֶנּו - "The heart is deceitful above all things and incurably sick: Who can know it?" (Jer. 17:9). God is not impressed with our promises and pledges; he understands that we are bankrupt and powerless; he knows that what we need is nothing less than the miracle of raising a dead person to newness of life.
None of this is meant to impugn the importance of living your faith and making godly choices, of course... "Faith without works is dead," but note that such "works" come from the Spirit of God, as the truth that is worked into us is worked out in our experiences (Isa. 26:12). The "work" of God is to believe in Yeshua (John 6:29) and true faith will "show up" in our lives (Eph. 2:10). As Kierkegaard said, the opposite of sin is not virtue, but faith. Therefore we must test the spirits, and most importantly our own: Do you really believe, even when you are tempted to judge yourself or others?
There's nothing "easy" about really believing in God (though it is easy enough to say you believe when in fact you don't). The pattern remains: unless a seed "falls to the ground" and dies it abides alone; but if it dies, it brings forth much fruit (John 12:24). We first encounter the risen Lord and connect with the truth, and then we get off our crazy road to Damascus... Our subsequent life of sanctification is a "slow motion" catching up with the miracle and reality of the new birth wherein we "become who we are" in the Messiah (Col. 1:27; 3:1-4). In this connection, however, please remember that all the commandments of the New Covenant are directed to the new nature, not the old "Adamic" nature that is mortified and buried away from the life of the child of God.
Hebrew Lesson:
Isaiah 30:15b Hebrew reading:
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Seeking things Above...
"If then you have been raised with the Messiah, seek the things that are above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Messiah in God. When Messiah who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." - Colossians 3:1-4
10.09.24 (Tishri 7, 5785) I am already dead. "I have died, and my life is hidden with Messiah in God" (Col. 3:3). Everything I once held dear is released; all worldly hope is gone. And all this is necessary, of course, because in order to know the Lord who is hidden from this world and who lives in the realm of eternity, we must be raised from the dead. We must be born again. And this is what "sanctification" is really about. It is dying to the profane and coming alive to the sacred and the holy. It is to be raised up together with Yeshua. It is resurrection life.
Some people think it's our job to become holy, set apart, and purified, but none of that comes from the realm of worldly energy and carnal striving. Sanctification means coming alive to the Lord and living in relationship with him. And as we so live, we will become more like him, sharing his vision, his heart, and his will... This is the deeper meaning of the prepositional phrase of "being in Christ," or "in the Lord." Our connection with God transcends this world through the gateway of death, that is, the end of our ways of deliverance and relying on God alone....
Soren Kierkegaard reflected on the process of coming to "the end of ourselves" this way: "The spirit brings hope, hope in the strictest Christian sense, hope which is hoping against hope. For an immediate hope exists in every person; it may be more powerfully alive in one person than in another; but in death every hope of this kind dies and turns into hopelessness. Into this night of hopelessness (it is death that we are describing) comes the life-giving spirit and brings hope, the hope of eternity. It is against hope, for there was no longer any hope for that merely natural hope; this hope is therefore a hope contrary to hope." Kierkegaard's comments apply not only to physical death but more importantly to the death of death itself in matters of the heart of faith...
All people undergo a death struggle while they are yet alive to this world. This the essence of despair, that is, the wish to die without being able to do so. Anthony de Mello once asked why people wonder about life after death when they have yet to find life in their life... These are paradoxes, to be sure, but the point is that our hope is found outside the realm of this world even while we are constrained within this world, subject to its vanities and affected by its tragic delusions.
The so-called "woke" generation is fixated on the idea or question of "identity," that is, what we refer to ourselves and how we choose to justify the reason for our existence. Apart from such godless talk, the Scriptures teach us that our true identity comes from being "in Christ," that is, being connected to him through his redemptive work as our "Second Adam," the Federal head and Mediator of a redeemed humanity, and therefore he lived for us, he died for us, and he was raised up from the dead for us (1 Cor. 15:45; Rom. 5:12-21). It is "for us" that is essential here. Whatever and whoever we are is found in this heavenly reality given for us, this glorious exchange that translates our identity to be that of heaven and no longer of this fallen world. This is the message of the gospel: "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21).
This is so important because how we live results from who we are, and therefore our sanctification is found in our love connection with the Lord. This is the walk of faith as we sojourn this world, living in God's love and light, seeking wisdom that comes from above. We say "Yes" to the way of life by knowing who we are as God's children, and this provides the basis for saying "No" to the lies and despair of this world. We identify with who God says we are and we live this out by "putting to death" or "putting off" our former identity or idea of ourselves. We come to know ourselves "after the Spirit," and not according to the flesh (2 Cor. 5:16). "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ (בַּמָּשִׁיחַ), he is a new creation (בְּרִיאָה חֲדָשָׁה); old things have passed away; behold, everything has become new" (2 Cor. 5:17). Teshuvah (i.e., change of heart) is a miracle that transforms the person so that the inner life is restructured and made into a new creation by means of God's grace. Spiritual rebirth implies a new heart with a new set of affections: "I am crucified with Messiah; it is no longer I who live, but Messiah who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).
Part of sanctification, from our perspective, is "catching up" with the miracle. In other words, we learn to "practice" faith. We live suspended between two worlds, the "already-not-yet." Our days present both struggles and opportunities to make a decision to believe, to draw near to the Lord, and to become more like him. In the meantime, then, we are instructed to "mortify," or put to death, the patterns and behaviors of our profane identities inherited by the fallen world, and to "put to life" our sacred identities as the redeemed and beloved children of God. We do this by coming alive within our hearts to the will of our Lord, "being renewed in knowledge according to the image of God our Creator." We are to "clothe ourselves" with tender mercies, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; we forgive others as we have been forgiven, practicing love and tolerance for others; seeking peace and the perfection of love (see Col. 3:5-15).
Is all this possible for us? "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (Rom. 7:24). Who has the power to change and recreate himself? Nay, who can die to himself and then come back to life? And who can truly sanctify his heart, and to what end? Yea, who but God can do such miracles? The LORD God alone is our Savior and Healer. As Kierkegaard reminds us: "Even when we talk confidentially about God testing us, this talk is meaningless unless God is holding on to us. We know that if God should put to the test our faithfulness to him, we know well that at the moment of testing, he himself must hold on to us, that is, we know that at bottom we are unfaithful, and that every instant it is he who at bottom holds us." Amen. This is truth. "Salvation is of the LORD" (יְשׁוּעָתָה לַיהוָה).
We must die in order to live, and it is the work of God. From our perspective life comes as a struggle, the "good fight" of faith. It takes time. It is not easy. The "already-not-yet" expectation we hold must contend with the disparities between good and evil, the ideal and the real, the vision of the unseen in light of the seen. But we are given the promise that when Yeshua, who is our life, shall appear to us, then we also will appear with him in glory. And this is the climax of the walk of faith - to be glorified in Him and to experience the perfecting of the seed that presently exists only in germ form (1 John 3:1-2). God's glory will finally become manifest and the "separation" of the ideal and the real will be unified and perfected in his reign and majesty forever. "This same Jesus, in like manner, shall come" (Acts 1:11). The life which is "hidden with Him," that is, your communion with that life, will be manifest in the coming revelation of the Lord. May that day come soon. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 17:15 reading (click for audio):
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