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Prayer Request (for site updates, see below)
I was laid off from my full-time job several years ago when -- after a lot of prayer, soul searching and discussion with my wife -- we decided to operate the Hebrew for Christians ministry entirely by faith in God's provision through the love and kindness of His people. I am not paid for doing this work, and therefore I ask you to consider supporting us. If you can help, please offer a donation or purchase some of the Hebrew study materials offered here. Encouraging other web sites to link here also helps us become more visible on the web. Above all, agree with us for the Lord's will to be done in our lives. Todah, chaverim.
    
Note: My wife and I have have three young children (Josiah, Judah, and Emanuel David - born Jan. 17, 2016). The LORD has graciously provided for us as Adonai Yireh (יְהוָה יִרְאֶה), "the One who sees [our need]." We are living one day at a time by the grace and mercy of God, and I want to publicly praise Yeshua and acknowledge His faithful love in caring for my family -- despite the trials during this time. The LORD God of Israel is faithful and true! And to those of you who have sent us a word of encouragement or donation during this difficult time, please accept our heartfelt appreciation! Your chesed truly helps sustain us.
יהי שׁם יהוה מברך - "May the Name of the Lord be blessed."
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Jewish Holiday Calendar
Note: For site updates, please scroll past this entry....
The winter holidays (חגי החורף) remember special times when God acted on behalf of His people so that they would triumph over their enemies, and therefore they prophetically picture the final victory in the world to come.
The Winter Holidays:
Note that in accordance with tradition, the following holiday dates begin at sundown:
- Month of Tevet (Fri., Dec. 3rd [eve] - Sun. Jan. 2nd [day])
- Month of Shevat (Sun. Jan. 2nd [eve] - Mon. Jan. 31st [day])
- Month of Adar I (Mon. Jan. 31st [eve]) - Wed. March 2nd [day])
- Month of Adar II (Wed. March 2nd [eve]) - Fri. April 1st [day])
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Note: Some calendars will list the first day of a holiday without indicating that the holiday actually begins sundown the night before. For more information see the Calendar pages...
December 2021 Site Updates
Slavery and Passivity...
12.30.21 (Tevet 26, 5782) From our Torah portion this week (Va'era) we read, "I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians" (Exod. 6:6). The sages say the Hebrew word for "burdens" (סִבְלת) can also be read as passivity (סְבִילוּת): "I will deliver you from passivity toward your slavery...." So long as the people regarded their enslavement as tolerable, they could excuse it, rationalize it, and even defend it. Therefore God allowed tribulation to progressively increase so that the people would understand their need. Likewise we cannot even begin to understand our need for deliverance as long as we are comfortable, numb, and dead inside... The first step toward moral freedom, then, is to be set free from our denial, to wake up, to resist evil, and to find faith that God desires something better for our lives. Passively accepting the values of this evil world means succumbing to its false claims to authority. As Bonhoeffer solemnly reminds us: 'Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.'
"What constitutes the bulwark of our own liberty and independence? It is not our frowning battlements, our bristling sea coasts, the guns of our war steamers, or the strength of our gallant and disciplined army. These are not our reliance against tyranny in our fair land. All of them may be turned against our liberties, without making us stronger or weaker for the struggle. Our reliance is in the love of liberty which God has planted within us. Our defense is in the preservation of the spirit which prizes liberty as the heritage of all men, in all lands, everywhere. Destroy this spirit, and you have planted the seeds of despotism at your own doors. Familiarize yourselves with the chains of bondage, and you prepare your own limbs to wear them. Accustomed to trample on the rights of those around you, you have lost the genius of your own independence, and become the fit subjects of the first cunning tyrant who rises." - Abraham Lincoln (Speech at Edwardsville, 1858)
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 118:5 Hebrew reading (click):
Self-Destruction and Pride..
12.30.21 (Tevet 26, 5782) The tragic story of Pharaoh reminds us how pride can blind the heart. As Abraham Heschel said, "In a controversy, the instant we feel anger, we have already ceased striving for truth and have begun striving for ourselves." The truth needs no defense. If we find ourselves getting defensive or hostile, we need to take a step back and ask ourselves what we really believe... If we seek to use truth as a weapon, or as a means to rationalize our self-will, then we are not "in the truth," even if our facts in the matter may be correct. We must be careful not to find ourselves using the truth for our own agenda. Yeshua's words haunt the heart: "Without me you can do nothing" (John 15:5).
Kierkegaard notes: "The proud person always wants to do the right thing, the great thing. But because he wants to do it in his own strength, he is fighting not with man, but with God." Indeed, how many people seek visions, dreams, and private prophecies while they forsake the Spirit as it broods over the hearts of those around him or her? How many seek to "know God" as a matter of the pride of heart?
Hebrew Lesson
Proverbs 16:18 Hebrew reading (click):
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The Koretzer Rebbe was asked for instruction how to avoid sin. He replied, "Were you able to avoid offences, I fear you would fall into a still greater sin - that of pride" (Hasidic). The antidote to pride is the "fall of the soul," that is, those besetting sins and painful failures that (hopefully) bring us back to reality - namely, to the place of brokenness and our need for divine intervention... When we get "sick of our sickness" we enter into holy despair, and then the cry of the heart for lasting deliverance can be truly offered.
Truth and Moral Reality...
12.30.21 (Tevet 26, 5782) Those who think they are not bound by the laws of morality are enslaved to their lower nature, since the lower nature follows and justifies the appeals of natural impulse and instinct without reflection. Yet denying moral reality is as dangerous as defying the law of gravity, and ultimately is futile. Moral skepticism and relativism are ultimately "unlivewithable," since they deny the most basic experiences of the heart (Rom. 1:19). Moral truth, on the other hand, is plainly apprehended by all who heed the voice of conscience and who esteem what really matters in life - meaning, truth, love, justice, beauty, and so on. Ethical reality is not discovered in a science lab but rather in the reverence of the human heart. In fact, science itself is impossible apart from values and assumptions that regard the knowledge of empirical reality as better than living in a state of ignorance.
Moral truth finds its source and authority in the LORD who fashioned human beings in His image and likeness. We cannot deny moral reality without desecrating ourselves. The Torah teaches that the universe itself was not caused but created, and therefore creativity, value, beauty, freedom, and personhood are at its essence. We are not victims of an impersonal machine, nor is the universe a closed-system of cause and effect that somehow operates apart from the immanent Presence of God. Whether people want to accept it or not, they are bound to live in light of moral reality, and they deny it to their own peril.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 19:2 Hebrew reading (click):
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Providential Impediments...
[ The following is related to our Torah reading for this week, Parashat Va'era... ]
12.30.21 (Tevet 26, 5782) The midrash says Moses had a speech impediment and that is why he described himself as "heavy of mouth and of tongue" (כְּבַד־פֶּה וּכְבַד לָשׁוֹן), unfit to speak on behalf of God (Exod. 4:10). God reassured him, however, by reminding him that his limitation was by divine providence: "Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak" (Exod. 4:11-12). The sages comment that God did not cure Moses of his stuttering because He wanted the Israelites to know Moses as his chosen messenger. When he spoke in the Name of the LORD, the stuttering disappeared and Moses spoke with fluent ease. This was to teach the people not to trust in human oratory or wisdom, but rather in the power of God (see 1 Cor. 2:1-5). Just as the Apostle Paul, the "Moses of the New Covenant," was given a "thorn in the flesh" (σκόλοψ τῇ σαρκί) to keep him humbly relying upon God for his sufficiency to serve (2 Cor. 12:7-10), so Moses was rendered entirely dependent upon the LORD to speak as his mediator.
And He said to me, "dai lekha chasdi" (דַּי לך חַסְדִּי): "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Messiah (גְּבוּרַת הַמָּשִׁיחַ) may rest on me" (2 Cor. 12:9). Amen may our heart respond: "ken, chasdekha dai li" (כֵּן חַסְדךָ דַּי לִי): "yea, your grace is sufficient for me."
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 40:29 Hebrew reading (click):
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Surrendering to God's Care...
12.29.21 (Tevet 25, 5782) "Dear God, grant me the serenity to accept what I cannot change - including the insanity of this world, the corruption of godless politicians, the prevalence of sickness and death, the welfare of my family and friends, and so on. O precious Lord, grant me the faith I need to know your sovereign care, and to firmly believe that "all is well and all manner of thing shall be well." Amen.
So much of what happens in this world humbles us and reminds us of our powerlessness and frailty... Getting sick, for example, is a humbling venture, a "kenosis" of sorts -- wherein our flesh, which dies hard, and our inherent pride that vainly seeks to control outcomes, is emptied from us and we are rendered helpless. It is then that God's promise to be our strength in our weakness can be heard, though receiving that is a transaction of the heart that has its good days of faith and bad days of lament and questioning...
I refuse to be anxious over matters that lay completely outside of my control, such as whether some virus (man-made or otherwise) may sicken or even kill me. As a believer in the LORD, I understand that my life is not my own, and I willingly surrender it to His good will and care. I will die exactly when God says I will die, and not a moment sooner or later. "For 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). Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 23:4a Hebrew reading (click):
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Source of our Breath...
[ The following is related to our Torah reading for this week, Parashat Va'era... ]
12.29.21 (Tevet 25, 5782) Though the meaning of God's Name (YHVH) was initially revealed to Moses as simply eheyeh (אֶהְיֶה), "I AM," or "I WILL BE" (Exod. 3:14), it is wonderful to realize that His Name was also revealed as eheyeh imakh (אהְיֶה עִמָּךְ), "I WILL BE WITH YOU" (Josh. 1:5,9; Isa. 41:10,13; John 10:28; Matt. 28:20, etc.). Just as the LORD is called Elohei ha-ruchot lekhol basar (אֱלהֵי הָרוּחת לְכָל־בָּשָׂר), "the God of the breath of all flesh" (Num. 16:22), so He is the Source of your breath, the One who exhales to you nishmat chayim (נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים), the "breath of life" that enables you to live (Job 12:10). Indeed the sacred Name YHVH (יהוה) first appears in the Torah in regarding imparting the breath of life to Adam (Gen. 2:7). Note further that each of the letters of the Name YHVH represent vowel sounds (i.e., breath), suggesting again that God's Spirit is as close as your very next breath. Like the wind that cannot be seen, so is the spirit the essential part of your identity. Yeshua breathed on his followers and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit" (John 20:22).
Note: It is a distraction to get anxious or even curious about how to pronounce God's name YHVH (יהוה). After all, that name is an abstract play on the Hebrew verb hayah ("to be") indicating that God is the Source and Ground of any and all existence whatsoever. The name of the LORD is therefore a name of power and sovereignty over all of creation. The most intimate name for God, however, is the one revealed from heaven for our salvation, namely "Yeshua" (ישׁוע), since His the "name above all names." He is our Abba and Healer. For a bit more on this topic see the article, "Using the Name in Vain."
Hebrew Lesson
Job 12:10 Hebrew reading (click):
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Suffering from a Hard Heart...
[ The following is related to our Torah reading for this week, Parashat Va'era... ]
12.29.21 (Tevet 25, 5782) The Scriptures define a heart that is insensitive, indifferent, unfeeling, and callous toward the needs of others as "hard" or "difficult" (קָשֶׁה). Often such hardness comes as a result of living in a fallen world. Many wounded people live with "scar tissue" that surrounds their heart, making them feel numb and unwilling to open up and trust others. Their affections have become disordered and their ego rationalizes blaming others or seeking various forms of entitlement. "Turning off your heart" can mean suppressing any positive regard for others (empathy) while nurturing anger and self-righteousness, or it may mean withdrawing from others as a lifeless shell (both approaches vainly attempt to defend the heart from hurt). Although Yeshua always showed great compassion, especially to the wounded and broken in spirit (Isa. 42:3), He regularly condemned the "hardness of heart" ("sclero-cardia," σκληροκαρδία) of those who opposed his message of healing and love.
A hard heart (לֵב קָשֶׁה) is closed off and impermeable to love from others, and especially from God. It is a "difficult" (קָשֶׁה) heart, inflexible and even cruel. Scripture uses various images to picture this condition, including a "heart of stone" (Ezek. 36:26, Zech. 7:12), an "uncircumcised heart" (Jer. 9:26), a "stiff neck" (Deut. 31:27), and so on. Stubbornness is really a form of idolatry, an exaltation of self-will that refuses to surrender to God. If you are wounded and afraid to open your heart in trust to others, ask God for healing...
God wants us to have "soft" hearts that are malleable and subject to His touch and influence. Consider the Biblical analogy of a potter who works with clay (Isa. 64:8, Jer. 18:6). Hard clay is brittle and hard to work with, though soft clay can be molded and adapted for a variety of uses. Applied to our heart attitudes, soft clay represents being open and moveable, whereas hard clay represents being inflexible, intolerant, and so on. A "hard hearted" person is closed-minded, assured of his own righteousness, and unwilling to admit the possibility of being wrong. He is really a "fragile" soul who is often hidebound by traditions, unwilling to be corrected, and usually so driven by fear and suspicion that he is unable to look at other possibilities. When we find ourselves becoming rigid, inflexible, and intolerant, we may be demonstrating hardness of heart.
Hardness of heart is something all of us deal with, even those who trust in Yeshua. After all, New Covenant believers are commanded to "put off the old self with its practices" (Col. 3:9) and are urged not to harden their hearts (μὴ σκληρύνητε τὰς καρδίας) through unbelief (Heb. 3:8,15, 4:7). The flesh dies hard, however, and "putting off" the old self requires divine intervention; however, if we cry out to the LORD for deliverance (especially from ourselves) He has promised to hear us (Rom. 10:13, Joel 2:32). The awareness that we are hardhearted and self-deceived can lead to a (blessed) sense of brokenness and despair -- i.e., to the realization that own self-sufficiency is futile and ultimately self-destructive. Turning to the LORD in despair of ourselves is a mark of humility. When we are emptied of ourselves, we are delivered from pride and self-deception and thereby enabled to truly ask for God's help... This is a miracle, since all of us have "a little Pharaoh inside," clamoring ti be the center of our universe and refusing to submit to the Presence of the LORD...
May God's blessing keep our hearts soft and open toward others... May the LORD give us a new heart, and put a new spirit within us. May He remove the heart of stone (לֵב הָאֶבֶן) from us and give us a heart of flesh (לֵב בָּשָׂר). May we be lev echad - "one heart" - with one another and with the Father (Ezek. 11:19). May we be so sensitized to the Presence of God that we detect the slightest touch from His hand upon us. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Ezekiel 36:26 Hebrew reading (click):
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Taking the Name in Vain...
12.28.21 (Tevet 24, 5782) The Third Commandment states: lo tisa et shem Adonai Elohekha lashav, "You shall not lift up (lit. "carry") the Name of the LORD your God in vain" (Exod. 20:7). Note that the Hebrew word lashav (לַשָּׁוְא), usually translated "in vain" in English, means in an empty or thoughtless manner (the LXX translates it as ἐπὶ ματαίῳ, "worthlessly" or "thoughtlessly"), though the word might also be rendered as "for show," that is, insincerely or for sake of others. Obviously "lifting up the Name" of God 'lashav' includes invoking the Divine Presence in profane and vulgar ways, but it also includes "lip-service" expressions of faith, mechanical confessions, heartless acts of service, and so on. "Lifting up the Name" should never be used as a "weapon" against others, nor should it ever be used to justify or practice violence. You cannot "call upon God's Name" in the truth without first exercising genuine reverence by recognizing the sacredness of life, the value of other people, and the LORD's all-consuming glory, love, and power...
Hebrew Lesson
Exodus 20:7a Hebrew reading (click):
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Reverencing the Name of the LORD means being in a personal, vital, and all-important relationship with the truth. The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Truth (רוּחַ הָאֱמֶת). This means understanding God's character as "merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, extending kindness to the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin" (Exod. 34:6-7). Since the Hebrew idea of word (דָּבָר) is coextensive with truth (i.e., "thing"), Yeshua is called the Word of God (דְּבַר אֱלהִים) who represents the Name of God to all who trust in Him (John 17:26, Heb. 1:3). Indeed Yeshua is the true Name of God, the "substance" (being) of God, the "exact imprint and representation of His nature," and so on. "His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is 'The Word of God" (Rev. 19:12-13). The New Testament describes Yeshua as the "Aleph and the Tav, the one who is and who was and who is to come, God Almighty" (Rev. 1:8).
Hebrew Lesson
Revelation 1:8 Hebrew reading (click):
Knowing God's Name...
12.28.21 (Tevet 24, 5782) You may feel anxious about knowing God, about how to relate to him or how to understand or interpret the Scriptures, though the heart can only know the essential meaning of God in the state of its need, as its ultimate concern, and therefore unless you cry out "from the depths" of your being, you are merely intellectualizing or playing games... After all, the inner heart asks "How can I find God?" "How can I relate to God?" "How can I find hope and life?" but the answers to such questions are found by personal encounter with the reality of the Spirit of God, not by theological rationalizations.
It is one thing to say "Lord" or "Master" but quite another to say "my Lord," or "my Master..." The Torah teaches that name of God refers to that which God alone is, namely, the "I am that I am"(אהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה) which is unknowable apart from the miracle of further disclosure within the heart. That is why we find so many different names and titles for God in Scripture, for these are additional disclosures to the heart in a time of its need. For instance, to know God's name as "Savior" (מוֹשִׁיעַ) means experiencing deliverance from your struggles, pains, and fears by the agency of God's victory, comfort, and consolation as given in Yeshua. However, unlike the experience of worldly education that might enable you accomplish certain tasks, spiritual education leads to a "dark clouds of unknowing" where you must regularly confess your weakness and your need for divine connection. God's name is therefore bound up with the basic quest within the heart for meaning, healing, and the desire of unconditional love. Knowing the name of God is an ongoing process as you struggle to accept and trust your life to be a blessing, and as you are enabled by the Holy Spirit to say "yes" and "amen" to life despite your failures, pains, fears, sorrows, and even your unanswered questions... It means opening your heart to life and believing that you are loved, that you are accepted, that you will be okay, and that God is holding you in his everlasting arms. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 63:3 Hebrew reading (click):
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Thomas Aquinas' most significant work was his Summa theologiae or 'Summary of Theology,' a massive book that attempted to "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. Aquinas apparently moved from the realm of theoretical emunah (i.e., cognitive faith) to the realm of heartfelt bittachon (i.e., existential trust). Similarly, toward the end of his life and career someone asked the prolific theologian Karl Barth if he could sum up all that he had learned and written. Barth thought a bit and then replied, "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so."
Lessons from Pharaoh...
[ The following entry is related to this week's Torah reading (Parashat Va'era) and the theme of freedom. Please read the Torah portion to "find your place" here. ]
12.28.21 (Tevet 24, 5782) Though he sometimes appeared to change his mind in light of the intervention of God, Pharaoh nevertheless reverted to his older thinking after the danger seemed to pass. Therefore the Torah states that after each of the first five plagues, Pharaoh hardened (lit., "strengthened") his heart. It was only after five successive opportunities to face reality, to give up his claim to be god, to turn to the LORD in humility, however, that God ratified Pharaoh's will by "helping him" become the person he decided to be. Therefore after the sixth plague we read, וַיְחַזֵּק יְהוָה אֶת־לֵב פַּרְעֹה - "And the LORD "hardened" Pharaoh's heart" (Exod. 9:12).
The sobering "Torah of Pharaoh" teaches us that God will never force a sinner to turn away from their sin, but if they willfully continue to sin, they may become unable to turn, trapped in a very difficult place.... The Shemot Rabbah states: "The Holy One, blessed be He, gives someone a chance to repent, and not only one opportunity but several chances: once, twice, three times. But then, if the person still has not repented, God locks the person's heart altogether, cutting off the possibility of repentance in the future." There is a very real risk that those who choose to be at war with God, who flatly refuse repeated appeals to turn to the LORD, will become progressively "strengthened" in their resolution to defy reality...
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 95:8 Hebrew reading (click):
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Note: Midrash says that the Pharaoh finally repented after he witnessed the splitting of the sea and the destruction of his cavalry...
Strength of Gentleness...
12.27.21 (Tevet 23, 5782) It is written in our Scriptures: "A gentle reply will turn away wrath, but a harsh word will arouse anger" (Prov. 15:1). The sages connect this mashal (proverb) with intercession regarding our sins. If we acknowledge our sins by appealing to God's favor and love, using gentle words, expressing remorse (i.e., devar etzev: דְּבַר־עֶצֶב, "a word of grief"), his compassion is evoked, but if we speak harshly - perhaps blaming others for our troubles or indulging in outrage, God's judgment is evoked. In the former case we appeal to God as YHVH (יהוה), the compassionate Savior; in the latter case we appeal to God as Elohim (אלהים), the Righteous Judge; however, in either case our heart attitude is reflected back to us (see Matt. 6:14-15; Psalm 18:25-26).
Regarding our interactions with others our tradition teaches that we should pursue peace (i.e., redifat shalom: רְדִיפַת שָׁלוֹם) and (if possible) quell hostile feelings when they arise (Heb. 12:14). If another person is angry about something we did, we should be quick to take responsibility and calm the other by reassuring him or her that we meant no harm and that we are sorry for any distress we may have caused. A soft-spoken person reacts calmly and turns away wrath, though defensiveness and counter-accusations will incite more anger... Showing calmness and civility -- even when someone might unjustly provoke you -- is a matter of self-control and godly strength. "Keeping your cool" is a matter of shemirat ha'lashon (שְׁמִירַת הַלָּשׁוֹן) or "guarding the tongue" by refusing to use words in an abusive or harmful way. As it says in the following verse, לְשׁוֹן חֲכָמִים תֵּיטִיב דָּעַת - "the tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly" (Prov. 15:2), which means the wise person seeks to upbuild others in their way... Doing so shines the light of God's blessing to others (Matt. 5:44).
Each soul is created betzelem Elohim (בְּצֶלֶם אֱלהִים), in the "image of God," which the sages connect with our ability to use logic and language. Where is says "man became a living soul" (Gen. 2:7), the Targum translates, "man became a living word" (or a "speaking spirit"). Our words are meant to sanctify and express love to others, not to bring them pain and harm (James 3:10). And since our words represent thoughts, our use of the tongue has to do with how we choose to think... "Think on these things..." (Phil. 4:8). We are instructed to "take every thought captive" (αἰχμαλωτίζω, i.e., lead away as a prisoner) to the truth of Messiah (2 Cor. 10:5). One of the "fruits of the Spirit" that is often translated as "temperance" or "self control" (in Gal. 5:23) might better be understood as "inner strength" (i.e., ἐγκρατής, inwardly [ἐν] strong [κράτος]). In other words, the fruitfulness comes from the power of the Spirit working within us, helping us grow to maturity, "from strength to strength..."
"Deliver me, O LORD, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue" (Psalm 120:2). It is wise to restrain our speech, because, after all, we often have no idea what we are talking about, and therefore our words can become unruly and even dangerous (James 3:6). Remember, friend, that whenever we open our mouth to speak heaven is listening (see Matt. 12:36-37).
When you get into a disagreement with someone, try not to always be "right," like the devil who justifies his cruel accusations. It is the honor of a king to overlook an offence.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 95:8 Hebrew reading (click):
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"Everything is in the hands of Heaven, except for fear of Heaven" (Berakhot 33b). This idea may be summed up as, "respect precedes Torah" (דרך ארץ קדמה לתורה), since without a basic sense of reverence for life, all that is left to us are painful words of despair... As Abraham Heschel said, "In a controversy, the instant we feel anger, we have already ceased striving for truth and have begun striving for ourselves." The truth needs no defense. If we find ourselves getting defensive or hostile, we need to take a step back and ask ourselves what we really believe... If we seek to use truth as a weapon, or as a means to rationalize our self-will, then we are not "in the truth," even if our facts in the matter may be correct. We must be careful not to find ourselves using the truth for our own agenda. Yeshua's words haunt the heart: "Without me you can do nothing" (John 15:5).
Techno-Fascism
and the rise of the Age of Stupidity...
[ I wrote this last year, but it is more relevant than ever today... ]
12.27.21 (Tevet 23, 5782) In light of the ever-creeping techno-fascism of this evil generation, we wonder how long before politically motivated "censorship" will cross boundaries from various social media platforms to any "offensive content" on any publicly accessible website whatsoever... Indeed this is already happening as we see search engine services delivering filtered results (i.e., "shadow-banning"), Internet browsers tagging web sites as "unsafe," and so on. Moreover, the prevailing characteristic of our age is one of moral and intellectual stupor, and indeed we are now living in what may be called the "Age of Stupidity," a prophesied time wherein God gives worldly culture over to strong delusion - and people are deranged and unfeeling for lack of the truth. It's a perilous time, and for all the more reason should we pray with fervor for the lost to saved before time runs out...
"The Messiah will only come when he is no longer needed" (Franz Kafka), which is to say the Messiah will come when humanity has collectively decided that they no longer want Him. "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" (Luke 18:8).
Regarding the princes of this world and their various machinations of evil, there is a Scriptural prayer to the LORD God of all power (יהוה אלהים צבאות) that may be offered in times of oppression and persecution by our enemies: "O LORD God, will you not execute judgment? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you" (2 Chron. 20:12).
Hebrew Lesson
2 Chron. 20:12b Hebrew reading (click):
Man of our Sorrows...
12.27.21 (Tevet 23, 5782) The Lord had compassion for his people as they were suffering in Egypt. The LORD told Moses, "I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry... I know their sorrows" (Exod. 3:7). The grammar here is intense: "seeing I have seen" (רָאה רָאִיתִי). Understand, then, that God surely sees your struggles, friend. Second, know that God heeds the outcry (צְעָקָה) of your heart, and indeed, he interprets your groaning as if it were for the sake of serving him. Your heart's cry is transformed by grace to be the cry for God himself, for relationship with Him: "The cry of the people has come to me," he again told Moses (Exod 3:9), which means all the sufferings, the wrongs, the hopes, the fears, the groans, the despair, the prayers, were present before him, as if he counted every word and sigh. Third, realize that God knows your sorrows; he gathers all your tears into his bottle (Psalm 56:8). The word translated "sorrows" (מַכְאב) is the same used to describe the "Man of sorrows" (אישׁ מַכְאבוֹת), Yeshua our Suffering Servant, who gave up his life to deliver you from darkness, sorrow, and fear (Isa. 53:3-5).
"If there is anywhere on earth a lover of God who is always kept safe from falling, I know nothing of it, for it was not shown to me. But this was shown - that in falling and rising again we are always kept in that same precious love. Between God and the soul there is ultimately no between." - Julian of Norwich
Hebrew Lesson
Exodus 3:7 Hebrew reading (click):
The Breath of Hope...
[ The following is related to our Torah reading for this week, Parashat Va'era... ]
12.27.21 (Tevet 23, 5782) When Moses proclaimed the good news of God's forthcoming redemption for Israel, the Torah states that the people could not listen because they were "short of breath" (Exod. 6:9). Interestingly, this phrase (i.e., mi'kotzer ru'ach: מִקּצֶר רוּחַ) can also mean "lacking in spirit," as if in a paralyzed state of hopelessness. But how did the people become so downhearted? Had they forgotten the promise given to Abraham (Gen. 15:12-14)? Had they disregarded Joseph's final words (Gen. 50:24-25)?
According to some of the sages, part of the reason for their "shortness of breath" (besides the cruel bondage and hard labor imposed on them, of course) was that the Israelites miscalculated the duration of their 400 year exile, and therefore they began to lose hope. When members of the tribe of Ephraim tried to escape from Egypt some 30 years before the time of the redemption, they were all killed by the Philistines, and many of the Israelites began to believe that they would remain as perpetual slaves (Shemot Rabbah, 20:11). They became "short of breath" and could no longer receive the message of the Holy Spirit...
Indeed, life in this evil world can be suffocating at times. And though we may not be under the oppression of a cruel Pharaoh, we are affected by the "princes of this age" who spurn the message of the Messiah's redemption and love, and we are still subjected to bondage imposed by taskmasters who defy the LORD and who seek to enslave us by means of lies, propaganda, and threats of violence... The devil is still at work in the hearts and minds of many of his "little Pharaohs" that govern the world system... The Scriptures make it clear that we are engaged in genuine spiritual warfare: "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12).
It is evident that one of the central purposes of God's redemption is to bestow freedom and dignity upon his people. As the story of Pharaoh reveals, God does not take kindly to oppressors, dictators, and other megalomaniacal world leaders who deny the truth and who therefore seek to enslave (or kill) human beings created in His image and likeness. Just as God judged Egypt for its oppression and violence, so He will one day break the "rulers of this world" with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel (Psalm 2:9-10). The victory is found in our faith, just as the people of Israel believed; "and when they heard that the LORD had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped" (Exod. 4:31).
To help us "catch our breath" during this time of waiting, it is important to remember that the LORD redeems us so that we may become His children and therefore be clothed with everlasting dignity... Our redemption makes us heirs of the Kingdom of God and citizens of heaven. We must never regard ourselves as slaves - not to the State, not to the bankers, not to fear, and not to religion (Gal. 5:1). God gave up His Son for us so that we could be made free to live with honor as his dearly loved children.... All the threats of the world system - economic, political, religious, social, etc. - are ultimately made empty and vain by the glorious redemption promised to us in Yeshua our Savior.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 27:14 Hebrew reading (click):
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Don't let the world system destroy or impugn your hope, chaverim... If the devil can't seduce you with illusory hope or counterfeit joy, he will attempt to oppress you with fear and doubt. Fight the good fight of faith and refuse to succumb to despair. Run the race before you with endurance (Heb. 12:1). Look up, for the time of your deliverance draws near... God redeems us for the sake of His love and honor... It is the "breath of God" that gives us life and courage to face this dark and perverse world (John 20:22). May you be filled with the hope and strength that comes from the Holy Spirit. Amen.
For more see: "The Spirit of Hope: Further thoughts on Va'era."
The Torah of Job...
12.26.21 (Tevet 22, 5782) The Book of Job (ספר איוב) teaches us that in the midst of trouble we should not focus on the devil but on God who alone can deliver the soul from evil. In his great struggle not once did Job blame the devil (or other people, or bad luck, etc.) for his woes but he constantly appealed to God for help. Job understood that all that happened to him - the good as well as the bad - came from God, and therefore to God alone he made appeal for solace and deliverance.
Hebrew Lesson
Job 2:10b Hebrew reading (click):
Note: God may not be the "efficient cause" of evil in the world, though he obviously "permits" it and ultimately will overrule it for his own purposes. Job understood this, and throughout his agonizing ordeal he never once blamed others, including Satan, but wrestled with God alone for vindication. Job was "perfect" and "blameless" before the LORD, and in the end, he was indeed vindicated, despite questioning God in the midst of his suffering.
Parashat Va'era - וארא
12.26.21 (Tevet 22, 5782) Happy holidays to you, chaverim. Recall that last week's Torah portion (i.e., parashat Shemot) explained how Moses and Aaron were commissioned to go before Pharaoh and deliver the message: shalach et-ammi (שַׁלַּח אֶת־עַמִּי), "Let my people go" that they may hold a feast to me in the desert" (Exod. 5:1). Not only did Pharaoh dismiss the request, but he imposed even harsher decrees against the Israelites and caused them to suffer miserably. Moses then appealed to the LORD, who reassured him that Pharaoh would eventually relent because "the greater might" of the LORD's power would deliver His people.
Hebrew Lesson
Exodus 5:1b Hebrew reading (click):
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In this week's portion, parashat Va'era, (i.e., Exod. 6:2-9:35), the LORD told Moses that He was now going to fulfill His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob by giving the Israelites the land of Canaan, and that he had heard the "groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians held as slaves" (Exod. 6:5). The showdown between the LORD (יהוה) and the so-called gods of Egypt was imminent, and God therefore encouraged the people with precious promises: "I AM the LORD (אֲנִי יְהוָה) and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgment; and I will take you to me for a people and I will be to you a God" (these are the "four great expressions of redemption" that we recite during our Passover Seder every year).
Despite these promises, however, the people were unable to listen because of their "shortness of breath" (miko'tzer ru'ach: מִקּצֶר רוּחַ) on account of their harsh slavery and afflictions. The LORD then told Moses: "Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the people of Israel go out of his land," and the great showdown between the LORD and the gods of Egypt began. However, even after repeatedly witnessing the series of miraculous plagues issued in the Name of the LORD, the despot remained proud and unmoved, thereby setting the stage for the final devastating plagues upon the land of Egypt and the great Passover redemption of Israel.
Hebrew Lesson
Exodus 6:3 Hebrew reading (with comments):
Who has Ascended and Come Down?
12.24.21 (Tevet 20, 5782) Who is this that is called Wonderful Counselor (פֶּלֶא יוֹעֵץ), the Mighty God (אֵל גִּבּוֹר), the Everlasting Father (אֲבִיעַד), the Prince of Peace (שַׂר־שָׁלוֹם)? Who is this but the One who in love chose to partake our mortal coil to lift us up into eternal life?
Judge not lest you be judged...
12.24.21 (Tevet 20, 5782) "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you" (Matt. 7:1-2). Those who live by the sword shall die by the sword.... Be careful when you judge others, since your judgment says more about you than the matter being judged. You can be "right" for all the wrong reasons; you can be intellectually on point but spiritually far afield; you can speak the "truth" and yet be the mouthpiece of the devil...
Hebrew Lesson:
Prov. 19:11 Hebrew reading (click):
Confession of our Hope...
12.24.21 (Tevet 20, 5782) It is written: "Faith is the foundation (i.e., ὑπόστασις: the "substance," reality, being, etc.) of hope, the conviction of the unseen... Without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would draw near must believe that God exists and rewards (μισθαποδότης) those who seek him" (Heb. 11:1,6). Note that God is pleased when we seek his presence, that is, when we look past the ephemera and ambiguity of the phenomenal world for the truth about spiritual reality. For our part, faith depends on confession. We must say that we believe, and affirm it with all our heart (Rom. 10:9), as it says, "I will make Your faithfulness known with my mouth" (Psalm 89:2). When you encounter tribulation, or experience some crisis of faith, reaffirm aloud: "I believe in God's promise..." Physically expressing your faith is itself an act of faith, and this encourages your soul to trust in God's healing reward even in the present struggle or darkness.
One of the more difficult tests of faith is learning to "endure yourself" as your inner character is being transformed by the mercy of God... To do so, you must receive the miracle of life in Yeshua (1 John 5:12). Again you must look beyond the realm of appearance, where the "outward man" perishes, to the realm of ultimate healing, where the "inward man" is finally liberated from the ravages of sin and death. This is the comfort we have in our affliction: God's promise revives our hearts to say, "I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth" (Job 19:25). Even in the "shadow of the valley of death" (i.e., this moribund and broken world), the LORD is with us and comforts us with His Presence (Psalm 23:4). We are given this great promise: "Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven" (1 Cor. 15:49).
Dear Lord, in the worst of our moments, thank you for seeing the Savior within us; thank you for heeding the groaning of hope that your Spirit of compassion imparts.... "When my heart was embittered, when I was pierced in heart, I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you. Nevertheless, I am always with you; You hold my right hand" (Psalm 73:21-23). Despite this lament, however, the psalmist affirmed that he was always with God - notwithstanding his ignorance, his complaint of heart, his doubts, fears, and so on... God is not driven away by our pain and confusion, but on the contrary, he takes us by the hand and will not let go: "It was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms, but they did not know that I healed them" (Hos. 11:3).
Hebrew Lesson:
Job 19:25 Hebrew reading (click):
Of course it's not always easy to wait for God, especially when we are in pain or anxiety, but we must never, ever, give up; we must never ever, abandon our heart's longing for ultimate healing. Therefore the Spirit cries out: come alive and trust in the promise of God; receive the heavenly gift. Ve'yesh tikvah le'acharitekh (וְיֵשׁ־תִּקְוָה לְאַחֲרִיתֵךְ): "There is hope for your future," declares the LORD (Jer. 31:17). "Blessed are you, LORD our God, King of the universe, who makes us prisoners of hope" (אֲסִירֵי הַתִּקְוָה). Friends, Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful" (Heb. 10:23).
God Knows your Name...
12.24.21 (Tevet 20, 5782) The Book of Exodus begins, ve'eleh shemot (וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת), "and these are the names" (of the children of Israel). God calls each person by name to make the journey... The Creator of all things (הבורא של הכל) calls each star by its own name (Gen. 22:17, Psalm 147:4) and yet He also knows each lily of the field and sparrow that flutters its wings (Matt. 6:28-30, 10:29). As Yeshua said, even the hairs on your head are all numbered (Matt. 10:30). In Jewish theology, the term hashgachah pratit (הַשְׁגָּחָה פְּרָטִית) refers to God's personal supervision of our lives (hashgachah means "supervision," and pratit means "individual" or "particular"). Since God is the Master of the Universe, His supervision and providence reaches to the smallest of details of creation - from subatomic particles to the great motions of the cosmos. Of particular interest, however, are those whom He created be'tzelem Elohim: in His image and likeness. The LORD is called אלהֵי הָרוּחת לְכָל־בָּשָׂר / Elohei ha-ruchot lekhol-basar: "The God of the spirits of all flesh" (Num. 16:22), and that means that every spirit ultimately answers to Him.
We find great comfort when we understand that God has complete authority over categorically everything in the universe -- including our ultimate welfare (John 10:27-28). When we pray to the LORD God of Israel, we intuitively understand that He is completely sovereign and Lord over all things... All power, glory, authority, and dominion is His alone, and all that is in the heaven and in the earth is His (1 Chron. 29:11-12). We do not worry that He is incapable of handling our troubles or that He is unable to help us. No, we acknowledge that the God most High (אֵל עֶלְיוֹן) sustains all things by the Word of His power (Col. 1:17). He is "the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings (מֶלֶךְ הַמְּלָכִים) and the Lord of lords" (1 Tim. 6:15). Whenever we think clearly in light of the revelation of Scripture, we apprehend the truth about God's sovereign glory and power...
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 139:7 Hebrew reading (click):
Through the Wound...
12.23.21 (Tevet 19, 5782) "Find God or die" is a slogan for those who are desperate for deliverance. Many of us have felt abandoned at some time, perhaps because of a tragic event that happened when we were vulnerable or unable to defend ourselves. The painful message implied in any kind of abandonment is, "You are not important; you are not of value." Because of this, we may endlessly search for approval from others, even supposing that God's very love is conditional... We may be tempted to engage in "magical thinking" that God can be bribed with ritual acts or flattery. Part of the healing process is to discover that God comes "through the wound." Despite the pain of our past, we come to trust that all of our life is redeemed, not only that which we can accept, but also that which we can do nothing but agonize and protest. God's grace goes there, too. Yeshua said, "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you... Because I live, you shall live also" (John 14:18-19). Amen, the promise of God says: "You shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord" (Psalm 118:17). God will wipe away your tears, friend...
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 118:17 Hebrew reading (click):
Yom Kippur and Christmas...
12.23.21 (Tevet 19, 5782) If the priest Zechariah was performing the Yom Kippur avodah when he was visited by the angel Gabriel (as seems to be the case given the context, see Luke 1:8-23), and if his wife Elizabeth conceived about that time (see Luke 1:24, that is, sometime in the middle of the month of Tishri), and her cousin Mary was then told of the incarnation six months later, during Passover season (Luke 1:26, 36), then the birth of Yeshua could have been sometime during the middle of the month of Tevet, which is indeed close to the traditional December 25th date observed by the majority of Christians...
After all, as you read the the prophetic announcement of the birth of John given in Luke, it certainly seems that Zechariah was performing the Yom Kippur ritual at the Temple, offering incense before the parochet before he entered the sacred chamber of the Holy of Holies. Indeed, one implication of this interpretation is that the Lamb of God (שׂה הָאֱלהִים) was conceived during Passover, which seems appropriate as the time of the Incarnation...
ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν -- "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14) -- which of course is the essence of the gospel message. As it is written concerning the birth of Messiah: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the dominion shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called 'Wonderful Counselor,' 'the mighty God,' 'the everlasting Father,' 'Prince of Peace'" (Isa. 9:6).
Hebrew Lesson:
Isaiah 9:6 Hebrew reading lesson (click):
Of course the exact date of Yeshua's birth is existentially irrelevant, apart from the fact that he indeed was born into this world as our Savior, and indeed, the New Testament stresses the significance of his death more than his birth (1 Cor. 2:2; 1 Cor. 15:3-4). Nevertheless, we use the "good eye" to regard our Christian friends who honor this time to remember the birth of Yeshua, even if we have convictions that may lead us to think Messiah was born during Sukkot. For some hopefully peaceful discussion about the birth date of the Messiah Yeshua, see the article, "Christmas: Was Jesus really born on December 25th?"
Note: The point of this entry was to explore the traditional date as a possibility, not to be dogmatic and intolerant. You certainly do not have to agree with the traditional date, of course, though if you disagree, then you should at least address the pertinent question of what Zechariah was doing in his service when the prophecy of the birth of John was made. Follow your own convictions and walk in peace toward all people (Heb. 12:14). Shalom.
Hebrew Lesson:
Isaiah 7:14b Hebrew reading lesson (click):
The Word Made Flesh....
[ This time of year provides an opportunity to focus on the truth of incarnational theology, to celebrate the revelation of God in Yeshua, and to proclaim the miracle that God "emptied Himself" by being clothed in human flesh as the great Lamb of God.... ]
12.22.21 (Tevet 18, 5782) At Mount Sinai we heard the voice of God (קוֹל אֱלהִים) speaking from the midst of the Fire (Deut. 4:33), an event that foreshadowed the great advent of the King and Lawgiver Himself, when the Eternal Word (דְבַר־יְהוָה) became flesh and dwelt with us (Phil. 2:6-7; John 1:1,14). Any theology that regards God as entirely transcendent (i.e., God is beyond any analogy with the finite) will have a problem with divine immanence (i.e., God is inherent and involved within the finite), since the highness, holiness, and perfection of God will make Him seem distant, outside of us, far away, and unknown... Incarnational theology, on the other hand, manifests the magnificent humility and nearness of God to disclose the divine empathy. Indeed, the LORD became Immanuel (עִמָּנוּ אֵל), "God with us," to share our mortal condition, to know our pain, to experience the wounds of sin, and to be abandoned, alienated, forsaken. It is God's own bittul hayesh (בִּטּוּל הַיֵּשׁ) - his self-nullification for the sake of love and truth. The "Eternal made flesh" bridges the gap between the realm of Ein Sof (אין סוף), the infinitely transcendent One, and the finite world of people lost within their sinful frailty. Of course we believe Adonai Echad (יְהוָה אֶחָד) - that the "LORD is One" - both in the sense of being exalted over all things but also in the sense of being compassionately involved in all things (Rom. 11:36). We therefore celebrate the giving of the Torah both at Sinai and especially at Bethlehem with the birth of Messiah. We celebrate that God is indeed the King and Ruler over all, but we further affirm that God's authority and rule extends to all worlds - including the realm of our finitude and need...
As I've mentioned elsewhere, the climax of Sinai was the revelation of the Sanctuary. The two tablets of the law, summarizing the Ten Commandments, were stored inside the famous Ark of the Covenant (אֲרוֹן בְּרִית־יְהוָה), a sacred "three-in-one" box placed in the innermost chamber of the Tabernacle called the Holy of Holies (קדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים). As such, the Ark served as kisei ha-kavod (כִּסֵּא הַכָּבוֹד), the Throne of Glory itself. Upon the cover (or crown) 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). It was here that God's Voice would be heard during the Yom Kippur service, when sacrificial blood was sprinkled upon the crown to symbolize the atonement of sin secured through Messiah, the Word that became flesh for us... In the very heart of the Sanctuary, then, we see the Word of God and the sacrficial blood.
The LORD God Almighty was clothed with human skin: our flesh, our bones... The miracle of the incarnation is the Absolute Paradox, as Kierkegaard said, wherein the infinite and the finite meet in mystery of the Divine Presence. Here God "touches a leper," eats with sinners and prostitutes, sheds human tears, and suffers heartache like all other men... The gloriously great God, the very Creator of the cosmos, has "emptied Himself" to come in the form of a lowly servant (δοῦλος) - disguised to the eyes of the proud and hardhearted, but is revealed as High Priest to those who are genuinely broken and in profound need. The LORD God is God over all possible worlds, and that includes both the celestial realms of the heavens but also the world of the fallen, the ashamed, the alienated, and the lost... God's infinite condescension reveals and augments the majesty of His infinite transcendence. There is no world - nor ever shall there be such - where the LORD God Almighty does not reign and have preeminence.
Do not suppose for a moment that the Torah of Moses does not teach "incarnational" theology. Since God created human beings in his image and likeness, the "anthropomorphic language" of Scripture is meaningful. The LORD reveals himself in human terms - using human language, expressing human emotions, and so on, as it says: Moses spoke to God panim el panim - "face to face" (Deut. 34:10). The Torah always has to take on human form - the Word made flesh - for the sake of human beings who live in flesh and blood reality...
The greatest expression of God's word is found in the Presence of Yeshua. This is the Word of God that "tabernacles" with us, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). Yeshua is the "Living Torah," Immanuel (עִמָּנוּ אֵל), "God with us," who enters our world to rescue us from death. Our Scriptures state that "in these last days God has spoken to us by his Son, whom He appointed the Heir of all things, through whom also He created the worlds" (Heb 1:2). Note that the Greek construction for the phrase translated, "by his son" is ἐλάλησεν ἡμῖν ἐν υἱῷ, which literally means "he spoke to us in Son" -- that is, in the language or voice of the Son of God Himself... God speaks the language "of Son" from the midst of the fire revealed at Zion. "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe (μετὰ αἰδοῦς καὶ εὐλαβείας) - for our God is Esh Okhelah - a Consuming Fire" (Heb. 12:28-29).
Hebrew Lesson:
Isaiah 7:14b Hebrew reading lesson (click):
Addendum: Consider further the metaphorical and anthropomorphic language of the Scriptures: God "sees," God "hears," the "hand of the LORD" saves, etc. Without an implied incarnational theology, there would be no language that we could comprehend about God who is the Infinite One that transcends all things... God gets angry; God feels sorrow; God is jealous; God is a lover, etc. all these metaphors bring the language of heaven into the world of humanity... The Spirit that imparts revelation does so inside a human brain and is translated into human apprehension. Yeshua is the Substance of the shadowy talk of analogical language; he embodies God-life before us.... Yeshua is the Word of God made flesh -- able to touch us, know us, share in our suffering, heal us of our sin-sickness, etc.
H4C Podcast:
Centrality of Exodus...
[ This week we begin rereading the Book of Exodus for the current Jewish year... ]
12.22.21 (Tevet 18, 5782) The exodus from Egypt (i.e., metziat mitzrayim: יציאת מצרים) is perhaps the most fundamental event of Jewish history; it is "the" miracle of the Torah. In addition to being commemorated every year during Passover (Exod. 12:24-27; Num. 9:2-3; Deut. 16:1), it is explicitly mentioned in the first of the Ten Commandments (Exod. 20:2), and it is recalled every Sabbath (Deut. 5:12-15). The festivals of Shavuot (Pentecost) and Sukkot (Tabernacles) likewise derive from it (the former recalling the giving of the Torah at Sinai and the latter recalling God's care as the Exodus generation journeyed from Egypt to the Promised Land), as does the Season of Teshuvah (repentance) that culminates in Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). Indeed, nearly every commandment of the Torah (including the laws of the Tabernacle and the sacrificial system) may be traced back to the great story of the Exodus, and in some ways, the entire Bible is an extended interpretation of its significance. Most important of all, the Exodus both prefigures and exemplifies the work of redemption given through the sacrificial life of Yeshua the Messiah, the true King of the Jews and the blessed Lamb of God...
The deeper meaning of exile concerns blindness of the divine presence. The worst kind of exile is not to know that you are lost, away from home, in need of redemption... That is why Egypt (i.e., Mitzraim) is called metzar yam - a "narrow strait." Egypt represents bondage and death in this world, and the exodus represents salvation and freedom. God splits the sea and we cross over from death to life. Since Torah represents awareness of God's truth, Israel was led into a place of difficulty to learn and receive revelation (Gen. 46:1-7). Out of the depths of darkness God's voice would call his people forth. Likewise we understand our "blessed fault," the trouble that moves us to cry out for God's miracle in Yeshua... Indeed the New Testament states that Yeshua "appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus (τὴν ἔξοδον αὐτου) which he would accomplish at Jerusalem" (Luke 9:31).
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Out of the Straits...
[ The following is related to our Torah reading for this week, Parashat Shemot... ]
12.22.21 (Tevet 18, 5782) The name for ancient Egypt in Hebrew is "mitzrayim" (מִצְרַיִם) a word that can be translated as "straits" or "narrow places" (i.e., -מ, "from," and צַר, "narrow"), suggesting that "Egypt" represents a place of constriction, tribulation, oppression, slavery, and despair. The Hebrew word for salvation, on the other hand, is "yeshuah" (יְשׁוּעָה), a word that means deliverance from restriction, that is, freedom and peace. As it is written: "From my distress (מִן־הַמֵּצַר), i.e., from "my Egypt," I cried out to the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me in a wide open place" (Psalm 118:5).
But why, it may be asked, did God tell Jacob: "Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt" (Gen. 46:3)? Why did God allow this excursion into "heavy darkness" that Abraham clearly foresaw (Gen. 15:12-13)? What is there about Egypt that prepares us to take hold of our promised inheritance? Joseph become a prince of Egypt; however, he was still captive to Pharaoh, and later, after he died, a "new Pharaoh arose" that did not acknowledge his contribution to Egyptian history (Exod. 1:8). All that remained of Joseph were his bones – a chest of bones that were carried out by Moses (and later buried by Joshua in Shechem). The "bare bones" of Joseph represented the essence of his faith, as he foresaw the time when God would rescue the family from Egypt and raise him up in the land of promise (Gen. 50:24-26; Heb. 11:22).
A general principle of spiritual life is that the "the way up is the way down" (John 12:24). As Yeshua said, "Whoever would be first among you must be slave of all" (Mark 10:44). Becoming nothing (i.e., ayin) in this world is the condition for seeing something in the world to come. Unless a seed falls to the ground it abides alone (John 12:24). But we become "nothing" by trusting in the promise of God, not by trying to do it ourselves... This is not another venture of the ego. Life in the Spirit means trusting that God will do within you what you cannot do for yourself... We can only take hold of what God has done for us by "letting go" of our own devices (Phil. 2:13). When we let go and trust, we will be transformed, carried by the "Torah of the Spirit of life" (i.e., תּוֹרַת רוּחַ הַחַיִּים, Rom. 8:2), The way is not trying but trusting; not struggling but resting; not clinging to life, but letting go...
God's way of deliverance is entirely different than man's way. Man tries to enlist carnal power in the battle against sin (i.e., religion, politics, etc.), but God's way is to remove the flesh from the equation. The goal is not to make us stronger and stronger, but rather weaker and weaker, until the ego is crucified and only the sufficiency of the Messiah remains. Then we can truly say, "I have been crucified with Messiah. It is no longer I who live, but the 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). The word "Hebrew" (עִבְרִי) means one who has "crossed over" (עָבַר) to the other side, as our father Abraham did when he left the world of Mesopotamia (Gen. 14:13). Likewise it is on the other side of the cross that we experience the very power that created the universe "out of nothing" (i.e., yesh me'ayin: יֵשׁ מֵאַיִן) and that raised Yeshua the Messiah from the dead.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 118:5 Hebrew reading (click):
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More than Conquerors...
12.22.21 (Tevet 18, 5782) Don't allow worldly propaganda to define what reality is for you... Though you may feel disheartened and exasperated over the state of the political schemes of human beings, remember that the light of our God shines forth in resplendent glory; his power is unrivaled, and his love endures forever... Our God works all things together for good; "indeed, the LORD of all power (יהוה צבאות) has a plan, and who can possibly frustrate it? His hand is ready to strike, and who can possibly stop it?" (Isa. 14:27). Amen, as it is written: "There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel that can prevail against the LORD" (Prov. 21:30). So take heart: be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid even if an army encamps against you; be confident even though war rises in this hour (Psalm 27:3). Walk in the Light of God's Presence and be confident of his blessing. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go!
Hebrew Lesson
Proverbs 21:30 Hebrew reading (click):
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Faith's New Song of Praise...
12.21.21 (Tevet 17, 5782) Dietrich Bonhoeffer once famously wrote: "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die," and while that is of course true, it is also important to remember that he also bids him come and live, too... "Unless the seed dies, it abides alone, but if it dies, it brings forth much fruit" (John 12:24). We descend in order to ascend. The "infinite resignation" of putting off the old nature is meant to be supplanted by Yeshua's overcoming life within our hearts. Soren Kierkegaard likens the life of faith to Abraham's heart that was able to receive back his son Isaac after he offered him up in sacrifice. After we take the step of surrender we receive back from the LORD, though everything is made new...
Hebrew Lesson
Isa. 42:10a Hebrew reading (click):
The Love of Truth...
12.21.21 (Tevet 17, 5782) Christian (and Jewish) theology insists that truth matters, and knowing the truth about God is absolutely essential for life itself. Nothing is more important; nothing more vital. "This is eternal life (חַיֵּי עוֹלָם), that they may know you, the only true God (אֶל־אֱמֶת), and Yeshua the Messiah (יֵשׁוּעַ הַמָּשִׁיחַ) whom you have sent (John 17:3). The truth sets us free; it is the unbreakable seal that bears witness of reality. In the Gospel of John it is recorded that Yeshua said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (i.e., ᾽Εγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή). The Greek word translated "truth" in this verse is aletheia (ἀλήθεια), a compound word formed from an alpha prefix (α-) meaning "not," and lethei (λήθη), meaning "forgetfulness." (In Greek mythology, the "waters of Lethe" induced a state of oblivion or forgetfulness.) Truth is therefore a kind of "remembering" something forgotten, or a recollecting of what is essentially real. Etymologically, the word aletheia suggests that truth is also "unforgettable" (i.e., not lethei), that is, it has its own inherent and irresistible "witness" to reality. In that sense light is a metaphor for truth: "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:5). There can be no truth apart from moral reality. People may lie to themselves, but truth has the final word.
Greek scholars further note that the word lethei itself is derived from the verb lanthano (λανθάνω), which means "to be hidden," so the general idea is that a-letheia (i.e., truth) is non-concealment, non-hiddenness, or (put positively) revelation or disclosure. Thus the word of Yeshua - His message, logos (λόγος), revelation, and presence - is both "unforgettable" and irrepressible. Yeshua is the Unforgettable One that has been manifest as the express Word of God (דְּבַר הָאֱלהִים). Yeshua is the Light of the world (אוֹר הָעוֹלָם) and the one who gives us the "light of life" (John 8:12). Though God's message can be suppressed by evil and darkened thinking, the truth is self-evident and intuitively certain (see Rom. 1:18-21).
We have a moral imperative, given by God Himself, to receive the truth and to live according to the nature of spiritual reality. Those who reject or suppress the truth, however, are responsible for their actions, as it is written, "No one who practices deceit shall dwell in My house; no one who utters lies shall stand before my eyes" (Psalm 101:7).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 101:7 Hebrew reading (click):
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Seeming and Knowing...
12.21.21 (Tevet 17, 5782) "There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way of death" (Prov. 16:25). The spiritual danger here is that the way that seems right; as if all is well, and yet it leads to death... Oh the dread of ever hearing: "I never knew you (לֹא יָדַעְתִּי אתה); depart from me you who practice lawlessness" (Matt. 7:23).
It is lawlessness (ἀνομία) to reject the Torah of God that commands us to follow Messiah and know him in all our ways - including the ways of our struggles, our calls for justice, and so on... "Justice, justice you shall pursue" (צֶדֶק צֶדֶק תִּרְדּף) implies that any means to justice must be just themselves. Indeed Yeshua plainly warned us that those who willfully reject moral sense do not know him and therefore will be judged as outsiders of the truth of God. The way of the LORD (דֶּרֶךְ יְהוָה) is "to show mercy and judgment (Gen. 18:19). Amen. "If you know that He is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness (πᾶς ὁ ποιῶν τὴν δικαιοσύνην) has been born of him" (1 John 2:29).
As Yeshua plainly testified before Pilate: "For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world -- to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice" (John 18:37). "Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the Tree of Life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are all those who love and practice the lie..." (Rev. 22:14-15).
Hebrew Lesson
Prov. 16:25 Hebrew reading (click):
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"These are the Names..."
[ The following is related to our Torah reading for this holiday week, Parashat Shemot... ]
12.21.21 (Tevet 17, 5782) Perhaps it was because Moses was "heavy of mouth and of tongue (i.e., kavad-peh u'khevad lashon: כְּבַד־פֶּה וּכְבַד לָשׁוֹן) that he repeatedly objected to the role of being God's emissary and spokesman. Moses was unsure of himself. What would he say to the learned elders of Israel if he were tested by being asked what God's Name was? It is revealing to understand that the LORD's reply: אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה / "Eheyeh Asher Eheyeh ('I will be what I will be') was connected with the God of the patriarchs: "Say this to the people of Israel, 'I AM (אֶהְיֶה) has sent me to you.'" Then God went on to state the connection: "Say this to the people of Israel, 'The LORD (יהוה), [namely] the God of your fathers, [namely] the God of Abraham (אֱלהֵי אַבְרָהָם), [namely] the God of Isaac (אֱלהֵי יִצְחָק), and [namely] the God of Jacob (אֱלהֵי יעֲקב), has sent me to you.' This is my name forever (זֶה־שְּׁמִי לְעלָם), and this is my memorial throughout all generations" (Exod. 3:15). The great I AM, the LORD whose name is "Incomprehensibly Wonderful" is none other that the God of Israel (אלוהי ישראל), the very One who revealed His truth to the fathers of Israel...
Hebrew Lesson
Exodus 3:15 Hebrew reading (click):
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Recall the distinct Names of God mentioned in the famous encounter at the burning bush (i.e., יהוה, אֱלהִים, מַלְאַךְ יהוה, and so on) all referred to the One true LORD God of Israel, the Maker of Heaven and earth. In other words, there is a direct connection between the Name of the LORD (שׁם־יהוה) and Being and Reality (הוויה ומציאות) itself... YHVH is the Source of all being and has being inherent in Himself (i.e., He is "necessary" Being); everything else is contingent being that derives existence from Him (He is the "Source that has no source," as Aquinas once said). Indeed the name YHVH also bespeaks the utter transcendence of God: since He is beyond the limitations of space and time, He is fully aware of all things and his word is therefore entirely reliable and true. His name is Faithful and True (Rev. 19:11). In his essence, God is beyond all "predications" or attributes of language: He is the Source and Foundation of all possibility of utterance and thus is beyond all definite descriptions. Hence the LORD is sometimes simply called HaShem, "the Name," since no amount of verbiage can do justice to the infinite majesty and truth of His Life.
People who get anxious about the Name of God miss the point... As I've said before, God is "Presence" (Exod. 3:13-14), "Breath" (Gen. 2:7; Num. 16:22), "Life" (Deut. 30:20), "Love" (Exod. 34:6-7), and the "I-AM-WITH-YOU One" who keeps His promises. The Name YHVH (יהוה) means that "God was (i.e., hayah: היה), God is (i.e., hoveh: הוֶה), and God always will be (i.e., veyihyeh: וְיִהְיֶה)," which implies that He is ever present and not restricted by time or space. His Name is Eternal Life (חַיֵּי עוֹלָם). Moreover, God is called havayah (הֲוָיָה), which means He sustains creation by the Word of His power: "In Him we live, move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28; Heb. 1:3). Most important, though, from the point of view of our heart, is the Name Yeshua taught us to call upon God, namely "Abba, Father..." We know the name of God when we trust He is our beloved heavenly Father, and that we are his beloved child...
Note: For more, see "Shemot: Divine Names Theology" and "Using the Name in Vain."
New Pharaoh's Dream...
[ The following is related to our Torah reading for this week, Parashat Shemot... ]
12.21.21 (Tevet 17, 5782) According to midrash, just as the Pharaoh during the time of Joseph was troubled by his dreams (Gen. 41:1-7), so was the "new king" that arose during the time of Moses. In the new Pharaoh's dream, an old man was standing before him as he sat on his throne, holding a balance in his hand. The old man placed all the nobles and governors of Egypt on one side of the balance, and on the other side, he placed one small lamb. To Pharaoh's astonishment, however, the lamb outweighed all the leaders of Egypt! When the king asked his advisors to interpret the dream, they said it foretold of a coming king who would overthrow the kingdom of Egypt and set the Israelites free. This coming one would excel in wisdom and his name would be remembered forever as the Savior of Israel.
Of course the rest of the Book of Exodus is essentially God's interpretation of the new Pharaoh's dream, as the great events of the Exodus would reveal. The LORD God of Israel forewarned this king that Egypt would come into judgment by the Lamb of God... Indeed, the only way to escape this judgment and the wrath of God was by being covered by the sacrificial blood of the lamb... The Lamb of God is central to Israel's deliverance and becomes the focal point of the revelation of the sanctuary later given at Sinai.
Israel was redeemed from Egypt by trusting in the promise of their deliverance, as it is written, "and the people believed" (וַיַּאֲמֵן הָעָם) ... and bowed their heads and worshiped" (Exod. 4:31). Recall that the blood of the korban Pesach - the Passover lamb - was to be smeared on the two sides and top of the doorway, resembling the shape of the letter Chet (ח). This letter, signifying the number 8, is connected with the word חי (chai), short for chayim (life). The blood of the lamb (דַּם הַשֶּׂה) not only saves from the judgment of death, but it also is the means of imparting divine life and power...
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 72:18 Hebrew reading (click):
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The Sigh of Faith...
12.20.21 (Tevet 16, 5782) "We groan inwardly as we eagerly await our redemption..." (Rom. 8:23). We sigh deeply because we are suspended between two worlds, living in the ambiguity of an already-not-yet expectation, enduring ourselves as imperfect vessels longing for perfection, trapped between what is and what will be, seeing the unseen, yearning for healing, believing that we shall never die, even as we die (John 11:26). We are restless for our eternal home and long for God's presence as we walk through shadowy vales, facing various temptations, whispering our prayers in the dark. And though we must learn endurance and trust in God's sovereign purposes, our faith nevertheless compels us to cry out, "How long, O Lord?" and "Come, Lord Yeshua" (Rev. 22:20).
Our ongoing challenge is to keep a steadfast attitude despite the struggles we face, and therefore we inwardly pray: "Renew within me ruach nachon (רוּחַ נָכוֹן) - "a spirit that says Yes" (Psalm 51:10). Surrender means accepting God's will for our lives -- saying "yes" to the promise of love, even if we presently feel empty inside and wonder how long we can hang in there... Saying "yes" implies saying "no" to other things - no to fear, anger and doubt, for example. Tragically there are people who have given up hope for bitterness and despair. Asking God to give us a spirit of "yes" is really a prayer for focus, direction, and the willingness to keep pressing on to our heavenly destiny.
Though life is a struggle, we do not lose heart or faint, since even if the outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. "For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, that is, substance and reality..." (2 Cor. 4:16-5:3).
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 50:10 Hebrew reading (click):
The Wise Still Seek Him...
12.20.21 (Tevet 16, 5782) "A Star shall lead from of Jacob..." Amazingly, the pagan seer Balaam – who may have been the forebear of the "magi of the east" (Matt. 2:1-2) – foresaw the coming of the Messiah: "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a Star shall lead from Jacob (דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקב), and a Ruler shall arise from Israel" (Num. 24:17). Balaam's prophecy described the coming of the Messiah and his reign in two distinct aspects: "A star from Jacob shall lead the way (i.e., דָּרַךְ)," this refers to Messiah's first coming as the way of life (John 14:6), "and a scepter (i.e., Ruler) shall ascend (וְקָם שֵׁבֶט) from Israel," this refers to Messiah's second coming to establish the kingdom after the final redemption.
דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקב
וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל
dah·rakh · koh·khav · mee·ya·a·kohv
ve·kahm · she'·vet · mee·yees·rah·el
"A Star shall lead from Jacob,
and a Ruler shall rise from Israel.
(Num. 24:17)
Hebrew Lesson:
Numbers 24:17b Hebrew reading lesson (click):
As I mentioned the other day, the very purpose and goal of salvation is for us "to turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God" (Acts 26:18). Hashivenu, Adonai... When the darkness seems to enshroud your way, pray for God's light to be rekindled within your soul. Happy holidays and love to you, friends.
Humility of the Messiah...
[ This time of year gives us an opportunity to focus on the truth of incarnational theology, to celebrate the revelation of God in Yeshua, and to proclaim the miracle that God "emptied Himself" by being clothed in human flesh as the great Lamb of God.... ]
12.20.21 (Tevet 16, 5782) Though the world system corrupts the message of the birth of Messiah for the sake of avarice and greed, take a moment to reflect on its ongoing spiritual significance, namely, that God emptied Himself (κένωσις) of His regal glory and power to become your Savior and High Priest, able to fully sympathize with your weakness, frailty, shame, and chronic sinfulness (Heb. 4:15-16; Phil 2:7-8). Almighty God, the Presence of Love, the Heart of Reality, clothed himself in human flesh and bone to become Immanu'el (עִמָּנוּ אֵל) - "God with us" - so that we could be touched by Him, healed by Him, and redeemed by Him... In light of this, it is only fitting we should join the refrain of heavenly host: "Glory to God in the highest, and upon earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:14). Amen! Yeshua is the Eternal Sign and Wonder of the LORD God Almighty...
כָּבוֹד לֵאלהִים בַּמְּרוֹמִים
וְשָׁלוֹם עֲלֵי אֲדָמוֹת בְּקֵרֵב אַנְשֵׁי רְצוֹנוֹ
kah·vohd · le·loh·heem · ba·me·roh·meem
ve·shah·lohm · a·lei - a·dah·moht · bee·ke'·rev · a·nee·shei · re·tzoh·noh
"Glory to God in the highest,
and upon earth peace, good will toward men."
(Luke 2:14)
Hebrew Study Card
Consider the absolute humility of God as He chose to enter into this world as "baby Jesus." Meditate on the glory and sheer paradox of God's love! "Baby Jesus" is the perfect disguise to hide the truth from the proud eyes of the flesh, though the humble of heart can see... "For since in the wisdom of God the world by its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased to save those who believe by the foolishness of preaching" (1 Cor. 1:21). For "who comprehends the mind of the LORD, or gives him instruction as his counselor?" Through his great plan to redeem people from the dominion of Satan and his agents in this evil world, God emptied Himself to become clothed in the frailty human flesh, born in a barn as the great Lamb of God, and born to die as the ransom for all who will believe. Ah, what would we do without the gift of God, friends? What hope would we have? Regardless of the exact date of his birth of His birth, let's thank God that our Moshia (Savior) was willing to be born into this dark world to offer Himself as our sacrificial Redeemer! "For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen."
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 8:2a Hebrew reading lesson (click):
But what to do, then, if you sincerely want to follow the Torah's calendar in light of entrenched Christian customs? Well, we certainly may commemorate the birth of Messiah during the holiday of Sukkot (or Shavuot, etc.), though we must be careful to show charity and use the "good eye" toward those who may adhere to the traditional date for "Christmas." Likewise we commemorate the death and resurrection of Messiah during Passover and Firstfruits, respectively, though we do not begrudge those of good faith who honor these great events of salvation during what they call the "Pascha" or even the "Easter" season. Often we are tested in exactly this way, chaverim! We must not miss the "weightier matters" of extending grace to others, as Yeshua clearly taught (Matt. 23:23). As it is written, "Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind" (Rom. 14:5; Col. 2:16).
Friends, we must test the spirits -- and that particularly includes our own! How do we treat the "stranger" among us? How do we regard the "weaker brother?" Do we demand that our doctrine be esteemed, or do we allow room for others to seek the Lord and his wisdom? Ask yourself: Does this person (or group) honor Yeshua as God the Son, the Redeemer of Humanity who died for our sins and rose from the dead? If so, then keep your heart warm and soft toward him or her, even if he or she has yet to discover the Jewish roots of their faith. "Strive for peace with everyone" (Heb. 12:14). "Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you" (Phil. 3:15). Though we desire unity with one another (John 17:11), we cannot reasonably insist on doctrinal uniformity, especially in light of the frailty of our shared human condition... The truth of God is known in humility and love.
The Book of Exodus...
12.19.21 (Tevet 15, 5782) Over the next several weeks (until the middle of March, 2022) we will be reading and studying the Book of Exodus (סֵפֶר שְׁמוֹת) and considering its message in light of revelation of Yeshua our Messiah (there are forty chapters in this book that are traditionally divided into eleven weekly Torah readings). Some of the greatest narratives of all the Scriptures are found in this amazing book, including the Israelites' enslavement and subsequent deliverance with the ten plagues by the hand of the LORD. After the great Passover, Moses led the people out of the land Egypt, crossing the Sea of Reeds, and arriving at Sinai to receive the Torah exactly 49 day later. While Moses was on the mountain, however, the people worshipped a Golden Calf, and a long period of repentance occurred until the covenant was reestablished. The remainder of the book describes the vision and construction of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) -- the great Altar upon which a defect-free lamb was offered every day and every night...
In English the word "Exodus" ("going out") comes from the title of the ancient Greek translation of the phrase Sefer Yetziat Mitzraim ("the book of the going out from Egypt"). Hence the Greek word ἔξοδος became "Exodus" in Latin which later was adopted into English. In the Hebrew Bible this book is called Shemot ("names"), following the custom of naming a book according to its first significant word.
Parashat Shemot - שמות
12.19.21 (Tevet 15, 5782) Our Torah reading for this week is the very first of the Book of Exodus, called parashat Shemot (שְׁמוֹת). This portion begins directly where the Book of Genesis left off, namely by listing the various "names" (shemot) of the descendants of Jacob who came to Egypt to live in the land of Goshen. Over time Jacob's family flourished and multiplied so greatly that the new king of Egypt – who did not "remember" Joseph - regarded them as a political threat and decided to enslave them. When the king's oppression did not curb their growth, however, he cruelly commanded the Hebrew midwives to kill all newborn Jewish boys. When the midwives bravely refused to obey, however, the Pharaoh commanded that all newborn boys were to be drowned in the Nile river (the Hebrew word for Egypt, Mitzrayim (מִצְרַיִם), can be rearranged to form the phrase tzar mayim (צַר מַיִם), meaning "torture through water," which was the plan of the nefarious Pharaoh).
During this time of terrible and appalling oppression, a family from the tribe of Levi bore a son and hid him for three months. When the baby could no longer be concealed, however, his mother Yocheved (יוֹכֶבֶד) set him afloat in the Nile River inside a basket, praying that he might somehow escape death. Miriam (מִרְיָם), the baby's sister, watched what would happen, and soon the basket was discovered by the daughter of Pharaoh, who decided to save the baby and adopt him as her own son. Miriam then cleverly offered to have her mother become the baby's wet-nurse for the princess. After the child was duly weaned, he was brought to Pharaoh's palace to live as the princess' son. The Egyptian princess named him "Moses" (משֶׁה), meaning "drawn out" (מָשָׁה) of the water.
Later, when Moses was a full-grown man, he "went out to his people and looked on their burdens." When he saw an Egyptian beating an Israelite slave, he killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand. The following day he tried to reconcile two Israelites who were fighting, but the one in the wrong prophetically objected: "And who made you a prince and judge over us? Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?" Upon hearing this Moses decided to flee from Egypt to Midian. There he rescued Zipporah (צִפּרָה), the daughter of Jethro (יִתְרוֹ), a Midianite priest. Soon afterward, Moses decided to work for Jethro and married Zipporah. They had a son named Gershom (גֵּרְשׁם).
After nearly 40 years living in Midian as a shepherd, God called out to Moses from the midst of a burning bush (סְנֶה בּוֹעֵר) to commission him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt back to the land He promised to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. When Moses protested that he was inadequate for this task, God gave him three "signs" to authenticate his message. God also appointed his brother Aaron to be his spokesperson. Moses and Aaron then went to the Pharaoh and demanded that the Israelites be permitted to leave Egypt to worship the LORD in the wilderness. The Pharaoh, however, dismissed Moses and his God, and increased the workload of the slaves by forcing them to make bricks without straw.
May we all have great joy and strength as we begin reading a new book of Torah this holiday week. Chazak ve'amatz, mechayil el-chayil chaverim...
The Struggle of Faith...
[ "He said not 'Thou shalt not be tempted, nor thou shalt not be travailed, nor thou shalt not be diseased'; but he said, 'Thou shalt not be overcome.'" - Julian of Norwich ]
12.17.21 (Tevet 13, 5782) In the Scriptures it is written: "You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way" (Deut. 12:4), which referred to various Canaanite practices of idolatry based on mystery, ignorance and superstition. Unlike religious cults that were based on vain speculations, however, Jews are duty-bound to carry out God's will as expressed by the truth of divine revelation. Our father Abraham was given revelation of Torah (Gen. 26:5) and at Sinai moral truth was enshrined in the Ten Commandments (Exod. 24:12; Deut. 5:22).
A basic assumption of Torah is that "ought implies can," or that we are genuinely responsible to know and to do moral truth (Rom. 1:18-20). Unlike the ancient "mystery religions" that abandoned themselves by "celebrating" the lower nature, God insists on overruling our base impulses and finding peace in the midst of the struggle to live in righteousness (Gal. 5:16-17). Therefore we do not understand the Hebrew word "shalom" (שָׁלוֹם), or "peace," to mean the absence of strife, but rather "wholeness," "completeness," and "healing" -- the integration of the heart and mind that comes through catharsis and personal struggle (Gen. 32:28). Faith does not mean passivity, but protest -- "arguing" for (and sometimes with) heaven, reminding God of his promises, lamenting over the divine absence; finding courage to oppose the status quo, and repeatedly appealing to heaven "be'khol levaveinu" (בְּכָל־לְבָבֵנוּ) -- with all our hearts -- precisely because we believe that our prayers can affect even the divine decrees... True faith confesses to "move mountains into the sea" (Mark 11:23) and refuses to let go of God until it receives the promised blessing to become "Israel" (Gen. 32:26).
Hebrew Lesson:
Isaiah 32:17 Hebrew reading:
Note: As many of you know, "tzedakah" (צדקה) refers to our duty to "do righteousness" (i.e., la'asot tzedakah: לעשות צדקה) which can take the form of good works or deeds (i.e., ma'asei tovim: מעשה טובים), doing acts of kindness (i.e., gemilut chassidim: גמילות חסדים), studying Torah (i.e., talmud Torah: תלמוד תורה), engaging in prayer (i.e., avodat ha'lev: עבודת הלב), and offering charity (i.e., mattan tzedakah: מתן צדקה). Living in accordance with the righteousness of Messiah (צדקת משיח) yields a life of peace, inner quiet, and confidence that comes from the Spirit of God.
What a week.... Shabbat shalom to you all.
Love's Great Humility...
12.17.21 (Tevet 13, 5782) "Unless you turn (shuv) and become like children, you will never (οὐ μὴ) enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 18:3). Such is the importance of simple trust in God... Indeed Yeshua repeatedly taught us to trust God as "Abba," our Father (אַבָּא אָבִינוּ). He taught that we are warmly accepted as part of his family; that we are under his constant care; and that we live within his household as beloved children... And even though God is utterly transcendent, the Infinite One (אין סוף) and Creator of all worlds, he humbles himself to feed the birds of the air, to water lilies of the field, and to count the number of hairs on your head (Psalm 113:5-6). He is as close as your next breath; he leans upon your bosom at the table; he anticipates what you need before you ask him... The "fear of the Lord" is that you might fail knowing his great love for you -- that you will forget or lose sight of your true identity in lesser things. Therefore affirm the truth that you are loved with an unending and everlasting love, that you are safe, that you are surely accepted, and that nothing can ever separate you from the power of love. God your Father hears you, he knows you, and he loves you bekhol levavo (בְּכָל־לְבָבוֹ) - "with all his heart."
May we know God as our beloved Abba. "For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and fellow heirs with Messiah - even if we may suffer together with him to the end that we may also be glorified together with him" (Rom. 8:15-17). Amen...
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 69:32 Hebrew reading:
Quick Health Update....
12.16.21 (Tevet 12, 5782) Shalom friends. Now that I'm at home, I can sleep better and recover more quickly than while I was at the hospital. And I am doing better, thanks be to God; my blood oxygen levels are holding; I am working on breathing exercises, and generally I am trying to take it easy. My legs are still weak from the dehydration (I have trouble going up stairs); I have numerous body aches, and asthma control is still a struggle. Of course I am very thankful for all your prayers and kindness shown to me!
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 136:1 Hebrew reading:
Cries of the Heart...
12.16.21 (Tevet 12, 5782) Life is oten a messy business for us. We are weak. We are tempted, and we regularly fail. We are filled with ambivalence; we contradict ourselves; we struggle; we falter, we sin. At times we may even feel lost and inconsolably alone. But faith is a gift from heaven - the gift of God's presence, and as such the miracle attests that "God is with us," even in our times of darkness, in moments of sadness, heartache, confusion, anger, and fear. Where is God in our sorrows, our losses, our nightmares? He is with us. Despite the blindness of our hearts, the Spirit whispers: "I am with you." Yea, God never leaves us; he never forsakes us. He cares. His heart spans "the breadth and length and height and depth" of all that we are, expressed in his eviscerated groans for our deliverance, in drops of blood sweat out in his passion, in the forsakenness and utmost anguish of the cross... Faith believes and then sees.
God is with us, yet in the busyness of the everyday we often lose sight of him. We forget. We go dark. We go into exile. And then in "the mercy of our misery" we sense the call of his heart once again: "Come unto me, you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest..." We slow down and again seek his "hidden" Presence, remembering his greatness and turning our thoughts back to what is ultimately real... What we thought was so big -- the dramas of this world -- suddenly seems small and insignificant. We remember the LORD our God; we revisit what matters most of all. And as we do so, the Spirit of God begins to flow within us as we reconnect with our true identity as God's beloved child. We come back to the open arms our Savior. He is alive; Jesus is real; we belong to him and he will lead us into the depths of his love forever and ever... Amen.
Friend, if you struggle inwardly with sin and despair over yourself, remember: Faith is itself the struggle to believe, and therefore the struggle reveals the presence of earnestness within you... God sees you and will hear the cry of your heart...
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 102:2 Hebrew reading:
Note: Some of what I share here is intended for those who are hurting, struggling, etc., so if you are not dealing with those issues, then ignore the post.... I am trying to reach out to many people in many different places in their lives. Unlike the idea that there is some "one-size fits all" medicine for everybody irrespective of their unique biochemistry, etc., in matters of the spirit every person is an individual with unique heart needs. Thank you for your understanding.
The Hope of Despair...
12.16.21 (Tevet 12, 5782) Our most serious struggles are inward, matters of heart that wrestle with dark emotions like fear, anger, disappointment, and guilt. We often despair over the contradiction between our ideals and our realities; we deny reality and then feel lost and unlovable in the hardness of unspoken shame...
On the deepest level, however, the presence of despair may be a sign of real hope, since it may express a holy "protest" over what the heart knows is wrong in its yearning for deliverance from its own wretchedness. The desperate heart knows it must find God or die. This sort of despair laments because it believes, and it believes in the midst of its lament.
As Yeshua said, "Blessed are those who are poor in spirit - the needy, the bankrupt, the powerless - for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:3). The hidden life of the seed is not released until it first is broken and dies (John 12:24).
Hebrew Lesson:
Matthew 5:3 Hebrew reading:
The fact that God knows the number of hairs on your head means that he knows you better than you know yourself... Your heavenly Father "sees in secret," and that also means that he can and will save you from whatever is hidden within you that still resists his love and touch... We have to trust in God's power to heal us, even when it seems that healing is not forthcoming, even when we still find ourselves divided, troubled, and anxious. We have to believe that God's help is always present. "Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who hope for the LORD" (Psalm 31:24).
God sees what He does within us, His "it-is-finished" work, the effect of His great salvation within our hearts, even if at this present hour this may be hidden from our eyes... There is appearance, and there is reality; and only God sees what is ultimately real. We have to trust in His promise to be transformed into the divine nature, even if today we find ourselves sinful, needy, and in disrepair... By God's grace we are what we are. So don't give up. We are saved by hope (ἐλπίδι ἐσώθημεν, Rom. 8:24), a hope for you today.
Breath of His Life...
12.15.21 (Tevet 11, 5782) Praise the LORD for "nishmat chayim" (נשׁמת חיים), the "breath of life.... More than ever am I aware that God's power is manifest in our weakness, and that His grace is always sufficient (2 Cor. 12:9). Before I had walked with a limp, but now I am carried by His Breath, His Spirit. We sojourn "b'eretz ha'chayim" (בארץ החיים) in the land of the living; we are "in but not of" this world; we hold fast to the witness of what great things the Lord has done for us. "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Messiah may rest upon me." Amen.
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 150:6 Hebrew reading:
And He said to me, "dai lekha chasdi" (דַּי לך חַסְדִּי): "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Messiah (גְּבוּרַת הַמָּשִׁיחַ) may rest on me" (2 Cor. 12:9). Amen may our heart respond: "ken, chasdekha dai li" (כֵּן חַסְדךָ דַּי לִי): "yea, your grace is sufficient for me."
Staying Focused...
12.15.21 (Tevet 11, 5782) The essential thing is to remain focused on what is ultimately real... We do this by praying "without ceasing," which means intentionally centering our thoughts and desires in light of the Divine Presence. King David said that he always "set" the LORD before him and therefore he was unmoved in times of testing (Psalm 16:8).
To know the truth means choosing before the audience of God's reality, before the holy witnesses of heaven and the sacredness that inheres in all things, as it is written: התקדשׁתם והייתם קדשׁים כי קדושׁ אני -- "Sanctify yourselves and you shall be holy; for I am holy" (Lev. 11:44). We walk this truth as we trust and learn God's love for us in Yeshua, the One who promises never to leave nor forsake us... As we live by faith, we begin to discover the great truth that "greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world."
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 16:8 Hebrew reading:
Blameless before God...
12.14.21 (Tevet 10, 5782) Being "blameless" (i.e., tamim: תמים) in God's sight means more than just not being guilty. That idea is a bit "neutral," don't you think? How would you feel if a judge said to you "Not guilty!" at the bar of judgment but then sent you on your way, with no further thought of you? The idea of being blameless means more than being exonerated or declared innocent: it is a matter of being drawn into God's love and blessing for you; it is the state wherein you are not only forgiven by God, but accepted, welcomed, wanted, and (if you will pardon the simplification) even "liked" by Him. It is the state of grace given in Yeshua; the blessing of knowing His heart.
God loves us with "an everlasting love" (i.e., ahavat olam: אַהֲבַת עוֹלָם) and draws us in chesed (חֶסֶד, i.e., His faithful love and kindness). As it is written: "I love you with an everlasting love; therefore in chesed I draw you to me" (Jer. 31:3).
Hebrew Lesson:
Jer. 31:3b Hebrew reading:
John's Health Update:
12.14.21 (Tevet 10, 5782) Shalom friends... I was in the hospital with Covid pneumonia for the last three weeks. I've lost 30 pounds and look a but emaciated at this point, though I am finally back from the hospital and recovering at home. I need to take it easy for awhile so my posts here will likely be a bit shorter until I regain more strength.
Olga has been very good to me. I had "ARDS" and lung failure and then severe malnutrition. It was the knock of death and indeed I nearly died. Trying to keep calm and keep oxygen up! The children are okay and Olga during this time, though sad and concerned about what has been happening. Thank you for your prayers for healing! And thank you, Lord, for walking with me in your love and great mercy....
Note: For quick updates about the ministry, go to the H4C Twitter Page.
Hope not cut off...
12.14.21 (Tevet 10, 5782) From our Torah portion this week (i.e., Vayechi) we hear the testimony of our father Jacob: "The days of the years of my sojourning are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life.." (Gen. 47:9). Note here that Jacob regards "life" in this vale of tears as a time of "sojourning" (מָגוּר) or pilgrimage as he wanders about until he reaches his true homeland, namely "the place" (הַמָּקוֹם) of the Foundations of God's Presence (see Heb. 11:10). And to you, dear friend, I plead: press on! "Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off" (Prov. 23:18). Stay strong and focused, chaverim: the hour draws near..
Hebrew Lesson:
Prov. 23:18 Hebrew reading:
Hebrew Lesson:
Jer. 31:17a Hebrew reading:
"Until Shiloh Comes..."
12.13.21 (Tevet 9, 5782) When the time came for Jacob (i.e., Israel) to die, he called all his sons together. According to midrash, Jacob wanted to tell them about the "End of Days" (i.e., acharit ha'yamim: אַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים) when the Messiah would come, but was prevented by the Holy Spirit. According to the Jewish sages, God prevented Jacob because He does not want anyone to know the "day or the hour" when the great King of Israel would appear...
Why not? Why wouldn't God want to tell his children the hour of the promised Messiah's appearance? According to tradition, if people knew how long they would have to wait, they might despair of life altogether, or, if they knew the exact time, they might "repent" just for that reason, and not because it came from the heart...
On the other hand, Jacob's prophecy regarding the coming of the Messiah as a future ruler from the tribe of Judah alluded to the timing of the Messiah's appearance. To review, Jacob prophesied that "the scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until 'Shiloh' (שִׁילוֹ) comes..." (Gen. 49:10). If the regency of Judah was established in the Jewish Sanhedrin, the scepter (rod of authority) would have departed from Judah in AD 6-7 after the Romans installed a procurator as the authority in Judea. This prophecy, then, would have failed. However, since the Messiah had indeed come and was in their midst as Yeshua mi-netzeret (Jesus of Nazareth) during this time, Jacob's prophecy didn't fail.
Nonetheless, like most prophecies in Scripture, this one has a "dual aspect" or "double fulfillment." The "King of the Jews" (a synonym for the Messiah, called "Christ" by Gentile Christendom) had indeed come "before the scepter departed from Judah," but he went unrecognized since he came to fulfill the role of the Suffering Servant (Mashiach ben Yosef). The second part of the prophecy, "and to him shall be the obedience of the nations," is yet to be fulfilled. It will become a visible reality only after his Second Coming, at the end of olam ha-zeh (this present age), when Jesus comes to judge the nations (the "sheep and the goats") and establish the Kingdom of God from David's throne in Jerusalem.
Note: Jacob's prophecy that "the scepter will not depart from Judah... until Shiloh comes" includes all the letters of the Hebrew alphabet except for the letter Zayin, which is the Hebrew word for weapons, suggesting that when the Messiah comes, it will not be by means of arms or weapons, but rather by the ruach ha-kodesh.
There is an old story of the Magid of Brisk who each year would bring proof from the Torah that the Messiah would come that year. Once a certain Torah student asked him, "Rabbi, every year you bring proof from the Torah that the Messiah must come that year, and yet he does not come. Why bother doing this every year, if you see that Heaven ignores you?" The Magid replied, "The law states that if a son sees his father doing something improper, he is not permitted to humiliate him but must say to him, 'Father, the Torah states thus and so.' Therefore we must tell God, who is our Father, that by keeping us in long exile, he is, in a sense, causing injustice to us, and we must point out, "thus and so it is written in the Torah," in hope that this year he might redeem us." This same principle, of course, applies to those of us who are living in exile and who eagerly await the second coming of the Messiah Yeshua. We should continue asking God to send Him speedily, and in our day, chaverim...
Regarding the Messiah's Second Coming, we therefore find ourselves in the same position of expectation as Israel's sons who heard the original prophecy. Though Yeshua told us about the "signs" of the time (and the "fig tree has brought forth its leaves," see Matt. 24:32-33), we do not know the exact "day or the hour" and therefore must be ready for his return at any time (Matt. 24:36-25:13). The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." Maran ata, Yeshua!
Hebrew Lesson:
Genesis 49:10 Hebrew reading:
Vayechi - "And He Lived..."
[ Our Torah for this week is Parashat Vayechi, the final portion from the Book of Genesis, which includes Jacob's great prophecy of the coming Messiah... ]
12.12.21 (Tevet 8, 5782) Our Torah reading for this week, parashat Vayechi (i.e., Gen. 47:28-50:26), recounts how the great patriarch Jacob adopted Joseph's two sons (Ephraim and Manasseh) as his own children. When Jacob blessed the boys, however, he intentionally reversed the birth order by putting the younger before the older, signifying that the old struggle he had faced as a child was over, and he now understood things differently. And note Ephraim and Manasseh's reaction: the older did not envy the younger, nor did the younger boast over the older. The family had apparently learned that blessing from God is for the good of all, and that there is no real blessing apart from genuine humility that esteems the welfare of others. Following this, Jacob was ready to summon his family to hear his final words. Among other things, he foretold how the King of Israel, the Messiah, would descend from the tribal line of Judah, and then he careully instructed his sons to bury him only in the promised land, and not in the land of Egypt (Gen. 49:10-12; 49:29-32).
Hebrew Lesson:
Genesis 47:28a Hebrew reading lesson (click):
After his death, Joseph and his brothers, with various dignitaries of Egypt, formed a funeral procession and returned to Canaan to bury Jacob in the Cave of Machpelah in Hebron. After the funeral, they returned to Egypt, but Joseph's brothers feared that he would now repay them for their former betrayal and threw themselves on his mercy. Joseph reassured them that they had no reason to fear him and reminded them that God had overruled their earlier intent by intending him to be a blessing to the whole world (Gen. 50:20).
The portion ends with the account of the death of Joseph, who made the sons of Israel promise to take his bones with them when the LORD would bring them back to the land of Canaan (alluding to the great Exodus to come). Joseph's faith in the Jewish people's return to the Promised Land is summarized by his statement: "God will surely remember you" (Gen. 50:24). He died at age 110, was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt, full of faith that he would be raised from the dead in the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Note: This Shabbat we will finish reading the Book of Genesis (סֵפֶר בְּרֵאשִׁית) for the current Jewish year... This incalculably great book begins with an account of the creation of the universe by the LORD and ends with Joseph being put into a coffin in Egypt. Note that the word translated "coffin" is the Hebrew word aron (אֲרוֹן), a word used elsewhere in the Torah to refer exclusively to the Ark of the Covenant (the ark that Noah built and the ark that Moses was placed in are both called "teivah"). Throughout their desert wanderings after the Sinai revelation, the Israelites actually carried two special arks - one holding the bones of Joseph and the other holding the tablets of the Ten Commandments.
Hebrew Lesson:
Genesis 1:1 Hebrew reading lesson (click):
November 2021 Site Updates
Essence of Chanukah...
[ The eight-day Festival of Chanukah runs from Nov. 28th - Dec. 5th this year... ]
11.29.21 (Kislev 24, 5782) The essence of Chanukah is simply to receive the light, to bear witness of the radiance of God's victory. We celebrate the work of God, his salvation, and the triumph of his love. Therefore its message is "wake up, open your eyes, and believe" the good news: darkness and despair will not prevail; your mourning will find comfort, your grief its solace. Your heart's deepest longing shines brightly, even now, if you will but believe... With God's help, fight the darkness of fear...
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The LORD said to Moses from the midst of the shining flame: 'Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy' (Exod. 3:5). The Chofetz Chaim comments: We all need to rise higher... Never say, I will be able to lift myself up at another time or different place. By faith see that this place, right now, is holy ground, and awaits your response. May God open the "eyes of your heart" to help you see (Eph. 1:18-19).
The Source of Light...
[ Chanukah begins this evening after sundown... Happy Holidays, friends! ]
11.28.21 (Kislev 23, 5782) "God is Light; in Him there is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). Yeshua said: "I am come a light into the world, that whoever believes in me should not abide in darkness" (John 12:46). The ultimate message of Chanukah is eschatological and full of hope. This world is passing away and the Kingdom of Heaven will one day be established upon the earth. We live in light of this blessed hope (Titus 2:11-13). The world's rulers are "on notice" from God Almighty: their days are numbered and they will surely face the judgment of the LORD God of Israel (Psalm 2). We must stand against evil by refusing to conform to the world around us (Eph. 6:11-18). Now is the time. "Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 5:16). Followers of Yeshua are made part of His Dwelling - extensions of His Presence in this dark world - and during this Chanukah season may we remember the call to rededicate our lives to Him! יְהִי אוֹר - May your light shine!
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 36:9 Hebrew reading:
Parashat Miketz - מקץ
[ The eight days of Chanukah run from Sunday, Nov. 28th (i.e., Kislev 25) through Sunday, Dec. 5th this year. The weekly Torah reading is not suspended for Chanukah (as it is for Passover and Sukkot), though additional Torah readings are read for each of the eight days of the holiday... ]
11.28.21 (Kislev 23, 5782) In our Torah portion for Chanukah week, we will read how Joseph successfully interpreted Pharaoh's dreams and rose to power in Egypt. Because of a famine in the land of Canaan, however, his brothers came to Egypt in search of food. A disguised Joseph then tested his brothers to see whether they were the same people who had callously sold him into slavery, or whether they had undergone teshuvah (repentance).
The eventual revelation of Joseph and his reconciliation with his brothers is a prophetic picture of acharit ha-yamim (the "End of Days") when Israel, in Great Tribulation, will come to accept Yeshua as Israel's true deliverer. Presently, the veil is still over the eyes of the Jewish people and they collectively regard Yeshua as an "Egyptian" of sorts. In this connection, I list some of the ways that Joseph is a "type" or foreshadowing of the coming Yeshua as the Suffering Servant (see "Mashiach ben Yosef").
Hebrew Lesson:
Genesis 41:1a Hebrew Reading (click):
Keep on Trusting...
[ Though he slay me, I wil trust in him... ]
11.25.21 (Kislev 21, 5782) When Yeshua said, "Let not your heart be troubled... I go to prepare a place for you" (John 14:1-2), he was assuring us that he had matters well under his control, and therefore we need not worry, since his passion rendered our salvation completely secure... The future is a "prepared place" for you, even if life in this world is often marked by testing and various refining fires. God has not promised to rescue us according to our own schedule, however, so if it appears that your prayers are not immediately answered, keep waiting in faith: "Rejoice, even if you have been grieved by various trials, because the tested genuineness of your faith -- more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire -- may result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Yeshua the Messiah" (1 Pet. 1:6-7). God works "all things together for good," and since the exercise of faith is your good, he engineers all things to build your faith. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD" (Isa. 55:8).
Recall the words: "Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God" (Isa. 50:10). Trusting in God (i.e., bittachon - בִּטָּחוֹן) doesn't mean that we are obligated to say this is "the best of all possible worlds," though it does mean we believe that eventually God will wipe away every tear and make all things right... Bittachon is a word for this world, which says, "Though he slay me, I will trust in him..." Those who call upon the LORD can trust not only in concealed good behind ambiguous appearances ("all things work together for good") but also in a future, real, substantive good that will one day be clearly manifest for us all... We fight the "good fight" of faith, which is a worthy struggle that eventually is realized for blessing. Meanwhile, may the LORD our God keep us from such depth of sorrow that leads to sickness, darkness and despair. Amen.
בטחו ביהוה עדי־עד
כי ביה יהוה צור עולמים
beet·choo · va·Adonai · a·dei–ad
kee · be·Yah · Adonai · tzoor · oh·lah·meem
"Trust in the LORD forever,
for in Yah the LORD is everlasting strength."
(Isa 26:4)
Hebrew Lesson:
Isaiah 26:4 Hebrew Reading:
The last promise of Scripture is "I come quickly" (אֲנִי בָא מַהֵר) and the last prayer is, "Amen, come, Lord Yeshua" (אָמֵן בּאָה־נָּא הָאָדוֹן יֵשׁוּעַ) [Rev. 22:20]. Meanwhile we "inwardly groan" for the fulfillment of our redemption, since presently we are suspended between worlds, walking in hope yet subject to the vanities that befall all flesh... And though God may tarry, He declares, "I am the LORD; in its time I will hasten it" (Isa. 60:22). So we are made captives to hope, clinging to the promise of our ultimate healing and redemption. Our hearts therefore affirm that God is faithful "to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 1:24). Amen. God will help us before He will help us, and may He come speedily, and in our day....
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 23:4a Hebrew Reading:
Gratitude and Seeing...
[ Happy Thanksgiving, friends. Despite contracting Covid, I put my trust in the LORD... ]
11.24.21 (Kislev 20, 5782) Gratitude is essential to the life of faith... We read in the Torah: "And you shall bless the LORD your God for the good" (Deut. 8:10). Whenever we derive benefit or enjoyment from something we are to bless (i.e., thank) God for his goodness. Indeed the Hebrew term for gratitude is hakarat tovah (הַכָּרַת טוֹבָה), a phrase that means "recognizing the good." The heart looks through the eye, and therefore how we see is ultimately a spiritual decision: "If your eye is "single" (i.e., ἁπλοῦς, sincere, focused)," Yeshua said, "your whole body will be filled with light" (Matt. 6:22). When we see rightly, we are awakened to God's Presence in the little things of life, those small miracles and "signs and wonders" that constantly surround us. The good eye of faith sees hundreds of reasons to bless God for the precious gift of life (1 Cor. 10:31) - even in times of testing...
"Give thanks to the LORD for He is good; his love endures forever" (Psalm 136:1); "give thanks to the LORD always" (Col. 3:17; Eph. 5:20; 1 Thess. 5:18)... Gratitude is foundational to our lives as followers of Yeshua. Indeed there are really only two prayers we ever offer to God, namely "Help, LORD!" and "Thank you, LORD." Meister Eckhart once remarked that if the only prayer you said in your entire life was, "thank you," that would suffice... Genuine prayer ultimately resolves to an expression of thanks. We are to "praise the Bridge that carries us over" into the Presence and Love of God, and that Bridge is Yeshua our Lord.
The "thank offering" mentioned in the Torah (i.e., zevach ha-todah: זֶבַח הַתּוֹדָד) is also mentioned in the New Testament. In the Book of Hebrews were are instructed to "continually offer up a sacrifice of thanks (זֶבַח תּוֹדָה) to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his Name" (Heb. 13:15). It is interesting to note that the Greek verb used to "offer up" (i.e., ἀναφέρω) is used to translate the Hebrew verb "to draw near" (karov) in Leviticus. In other words, the "offering up of thanks" for the sacrifice of Yeshua functions as "korban" and draws us near to God. Thanking God for personal deliverance constitutes "right sacrifices" (זִבְחֵי־צֶדֶק) as we draw near to God in the hope of His love (Psalm 4:5; Heb. 7:19).
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 103:1 Hebrew Reading:
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Thanksgiving and Sukkot...
11.23.21 (Kislev 19, 5782) The American holiday of Thanksgiving (חַג הַהוֹדָיָה) likely has its roots in the Jewish tradition of giving thanks to God, and some historians believe that the early "pilgrims" actually derived the idea for the holiday from the Biblical festival of Sukkot (i.e., "the feast of Tabernacles"). Before fleeing to the "New World," the pilgrims lived for a decade among the Sephardic Jews in Holland, since Holland was considered a safe haven from religious persecution at the time. Since the pilgrims were devout Calvinists and Puritans, their religious idealism led them to regard themselves as "new Israel," and it is likely that they learned that Sukkot commemorated the people of Israel's deliverance from their religious persecution in ancient Egypt at that time. After they emigrated to the "Promised Land" of America, it is not surprising that these pilgrims may have chosen the festival of Sukkot as the paradigm for their own celebration. As the Torah commands: "Celebrate the feast so 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. 23:39-43). The highly devout pilgrims regarded their perilous journey to the new world as a type of "Exodus event" and therefore sought the appropriate Biblical holiday to commemorate their safe arrival in a land full of new promise...
It is interesting to note that the Hebrew word for "turkey" is tarnegol hodu (תַּרְנְגוֹל הוֹדו), literally, "Indian chicken," which is often shortened to hodu (הוֹדוּ). It is a happy coincidence that we customarily eat turkey on Thanksgiving, and this reminds us of the "thanks" connection: "Give thanks (hodu) to the Lord for he is good," for His love endures forever."
הודו ליהוה כי־טוב
כי לעולם חסדו
ho·doo · la·Adonai · kee-tohv
kee · le·oh·lahm · chas·doh
"Give thanks to the LORD for He is good;
for His love endures forever."
(Psalm 136:1)
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 136:1 Hebrew Reading:
Note: For more on this subject, see "Thanksgiving and Sukkot."
Prayer request for healing...
11.21.21 (Kislev 17, 5782) After Olga received a flu vaccine recently, she developed Covid, and now I have it as well. We are extremely tired; unable to work; high fever, body aches, etc. I have respiratory issues as well which is a concern. Your prayers are appreciated. No fear: God is in control of our lives. We will get through this one way or another (Rom. 14:18).
Parashat Vayeshev - וישב
[ In our Torah for this week we read how Joseph's jealous brothers stripped him of his "coat of many colors" and threw him into a pit -- a providential event that eventually led to the deliverance of the Jewish people by the hand of a "disguised savior." Indeed, the life of Joseph foreshadowed the two advents of Yeshua our Messiah: first as Israel's Suffering Servant and second as the national deliverer of the Jewish people during the time of great tribulation... ]
11.21.21 (Kislev 17, 5782) Last week's Torah (i.e., parashat Vayishlach) recounted how Jacob had wrestled with a mysterious Angel before returning to the Promised Land to be reconciled with his brother Esau. This week's portion (i.e., parashat Vayeshev) begins with Jacob living back in the land promised to Abraham and Isaac with his 12 sons, but the narrative quickly turns to Jacob's favorite son Joseph, who was seventeen years old at the time. The Torah states that Jacob loved Joseph more than all his other sons since he was "the son of his old age," and he was the firstborn son of his beloved wife Rachel. Indeed, Jacob made him an ornamented tunic to indicate his special status in the family.
As the favored son, Joseph's job was to oversee the activities of Jacob's concubines sons (Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher) and to bring "reports" about their activities back to Jacob. However, this role as the overseer and "favored son" was too much for the other brothers, and they became jealous of him and hated him. To make matters worse, Joseph related two dreams to his brothers that foretold that he was destined to rule over them, increasing their envy and hatred of him (the implication of the dreams was that all of Jacob's family would become subservient to him). Jacob rebuked Joseph for arousing his brothers' hatred, but he inwardly took note and waited for the fulfillment of the dreams.
The portion records that one day the brothers went out to pasture their herds, but when they saw Joseph coming to check on them, they conspired to kill him, though later they decided to sell him to some slave traders instead. The brothers then staged Joseph's death by dipping his special tunic into goat's blood and bringing it to their father, who was deceived into thinking that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal.
Meanwhile Joseph was purchased at a slave trade by Potiphar, a captain of Pharaoh's guard. The LORD was "with Joseph," however, and blessed everything he did. In fact, soon he was promoted to be the head of Potiphar's entire household affairs. Potiphar's wife then began enticing Joseph to have an affair with her, and though he steadfastly refused her advances, she later falsely accused him of attempted rape. Potiphar was understandably outraged (at his wife?) and threw Joseph into the royal prison, but again God showed him favor there and soon was appointed to a position of authority in the prison administration.
The portion ends with two prophetic episodes in Joseph's life that eventually would bring him to the attention of Pharaoh himself. While in prison, Joseph met Pharaoh's wine steward and chief baker, both incarcerated for offending their king (according to Rashi, a fly was found in the goblet prepared by the butler, and a pebble in the baker's confection). Both men had disturbing dreams which Joseph correctly interpreted; in three days, he told them, the wine steward would be released but the baker would be hanged. Joseph then asked the wine steward to advocate for his release with Pharaoh. Joseph's predictions were fulfilled, but the wine steward forgot all about Joseph.
Hebrew Lesson:
Genesis 37:1 Hebrew reading:
Holiday Alert: Chanukah...
This year the eight days of Chanukah begin on Sunday, November 28th at sundown (1st candle) and will run through Sunday, Dec. 5th (until sundown). The tradition is that on the first night of Chanukah one flame is lit, on the second night two, and so on until the eighth night when eight flames are lit. In this way we remember the 'growth' of the miracle.
Note: I have been very ill the last few days with a high fever and body aches. I am experiencing computer issues as well. Your prayers are appreciated.
Healing from hidden faults...
11.19.21 (Kislev 15, 5782) All of us have unhealed parts, "hidden faults" (נסתרות) of which we are not fully aware. Therefore king David prayed, "Who can discern his errors? cleanse me from secret faults" (Psalm 19:12). We are cleansed by confession, that is, by looking within our hearts to uncover deeper motivations... If we are honest with ourselves we may discover, for example, that we are angry or fearful people, despite how we otherwise wish to regard ourselves. If you find yourself unable to let something go, for instance, some pain or failure of the past, remind yourself that you must do so if you want to move on with your life. Focusing on how things could have been different is to be enslaved to the past. The goal of teshuvah (repentance) is to turn us back to God for life, but to do this, we must be willing to let go of what makes us sick.
Note that the Hebrew word translated "errors" (i.e., שְׁגִיאוֹת) comes from a root word (שָׁגָה) that means to wander, stray, or transgress. The question raised by David is rhetorical: "Who can discern his errors?" No one – apart from divine intervention... David asked to be cleansed from his "secret faults," which are not those that were performed by him "in secret," but rather those that were unknown, unseen, and unconscious to his own sense of awareness. These are "mindless" sins, unthinking offenses, hidden dispositions, character defects and actions that a person unwittingly performs, perhaps because of deep forces of which he was oblivious. These are the "secret sins" set in the light of God's face (Psalm 90:8); the "sluggish darkness" of the human heart that leads to death and ruin: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and incurably sick; who can understand it?" (Jer. 17:9). How many of us, after all, are fully aware of what we are doing when we are doing something? How many of us are completely transparent both to ourselves and before God, with no unclear motives, etc.? We must always be vigilant... There is always the force of habit, or the subconscious desires or conflicts of the inner life, that work on us, not to mention the trauma of our past and the present devices from the enemy of our souls. May the LORD give us the willingness to be healed, even if there are parts of ourselves that seem to resist that healing. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 19:12 Hebrew reading:
The Aim of Torah...
11.19.21 (Kislev 15, 5782) "Blessed is the person who does not heed the counsel of the wicked, nor take the path of sinners, nor join the company of the insolent; but his delight is the Torah of the LORD (תּוֹרת יהוה), and in his Torah he meditates day and night" (Psalm 1:1-2). Note that the Hebrew word "torah" (תּוֹרָה), often confusingly translated as "law," comes from a verb (יָרָה) that means to aim or direct something to its goal. Torah therefore is a general term suggesting direction, focus, volition, training, instruction, or guidance as imparted by a teacher.
Now since the Torah of the LORD is comprised of sacred words spoken to guide our souls, its synonym is rightly called the Word of God (דּבר יהוה), the Agency that reveals heavenly truth to the heart of faith, as it says: "The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Heb. 4:12). In other words the Torah of the LORD "cuts to the bone," past all the outer layers to connect with the inmost of who and what we are. Torah is therefore not something abstract but intensely personal; its message penetrates and transforms the listening heart, directing it to understand God's passion that is behind the words.
"My child, keep your father's commandment (i.e., mitzvah, "connection"), and do not forsake your mother's instruction (i.e., Torah, guidance); bind them over your heart; fasten them around your neck. When you walk about, they will guide you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; when you wake up, they will talk to you. For the commandment (mitzvah) is like a lamp, instruction (Torah) is like a light, and rebukes of discipline (musar) are like the road leading to life" (Prov. 6:20-23). Dear LORD, help us to love your Torah and meditate upon it all day long (Psalm 119:97).
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 119:97 Hebrew reading:
Mystery and Humilty...
11.19.21 (Kislev 15, 5782) Though it is important to guard our sincere convictions and to be passionate about what we believe, we must nevertheless be careful to walk in humility before the mystery of life... After all, much is inscrutable to us, much is beyond our understanding, and therefore, if we are honest, we should be reverent before the "sacred secrecy" of everything. Fanaticism and intolerance (whether secular or religious) is motivated by willful ignorance of the marvelous complexities that pervade existence. The fanatic invariably seeks to reduce life to a simple formula, recipe, and a generalization. The humble person, on the other hand, freely confesses that they "walk by faith, not by sight" -- by hearing the Word of God and heeding what the Spirit of God is saying to the heart... For now we "see through a glass darkly," which literally means "in an enigma" (ἐν αἰνίγματι). An enigma (or riddle) is an analogy given through some resemblance to the truth, though quite often the correspondences are puzzling and obscure. Hence, "seeing through a glass darkly" means perceiving obscurely or imperfectly, looking "through" something else instead of directly apprehending reality. We see only a reflection of reality, and our knowledge in this life is indirect and imperfect. This is contrasted with the "face to face" (פָּנִים אֶל־פָּנִים) vision and clarity given in the world to come, when our knowledge will be clear and distinct, and the truth of God will be fully manifest and no longer hidden. Being "face to face" with reality means being free of the riddles, the analogies, the semblances, etc., which at best adumbrate our way.. Such reflection should make us humble whenever we share our faith. "Now we know in part, but then shall we know in whole" (1 Cor. 13:12). Let therefore repeat that an honest theology must find a place for mystery, for "seeing through a glass darkly," and for the apprehension of awe and wonder.
"There was a time when I had all the answers. My real growth began when I discovered that the questions to which I had the answers were not the important questions.... A genuine faith must recognize the fact that it is through a dark glass we see; though by faith we do penetrate sufficiently to the heart of the mystery so as not to be overwhelmed by it. A genuine faith resolves the mystery of life by the mystery of God. It recognizes that no aspect of life or existence explains itself, even after all known causes and consequences have been traced. All known existence points beyond itself. To realize that it points beyond itself to God is to assert that the mystery of life does not dissolve life into meaninglessness...." (Reinhold Niebuhr)
Since the LORD God is called the Infinite One (אֵין סוֹף) whose understanding is without limit (Psalm 147:5), we must use analogies, metaphors, symbols, allusions, parables, poetry, and other linguistic devices (as well art and music) to convey spiritual truth and meaning. We compare (συγκρίνω) spiritual things with spiritual (1 Cor. 2:13). Some of the classical "mystics" have said the way to God is through the transcendence of words altogether, though most of them use imagery and poetry to speak about "ineffable" reality. Others, like Soren Kierkegaard, use "indirect communication" to evoke the decision to believe, to find hope, and to walk by faith. The truth can be found, not by means of humanistic learning, but by special revelation and encounter with the Truth of God.
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 147:5 Hebrew reading:
For more on this topic, see "Mystery and Humility: Living in the Divine Connection."
Torah of Wresting...
11.18.21 (Kislev 14, 5782) Yeshua warned those who professed faith: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness'" (Matt. 7:21-23). Despite the practice and profession of their faith, these people were strangers to God... They had a false sense of assurance, believing that they were "serving God" when they were not... So the essential question here is whether Yeshua truly knows you. You may know a lot about God, religion, spirituality, and yet you may remain unknown by him... So where do you find life? What are you loving? Where are you going?
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 7:21). Yet what is the will of the Father but to trust in Messiah for life (John 6:40)? "What must we do, to be doing the works of God?" Yeshua answers: "This is the work of God, that you believe in the One whom he has sent" (John 6:28-29). The Torah of God centers on trusting the Messiah (Titus 3:5-7).
On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not ... do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I say to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness' (Matt. 7:22-23). From this we see that good works - even those done in the name of Messiah - are insufficient for life, and that something more is needed... That "something more" is the reality of relationship with him. However, even Yeshua's sacrifice on the cross can't bring you into relationship with him apart from receiving it for your healing... By faith you encounter Yeshua clothed in your flesh, your sin, and suffering death for you. "As long as Christ remains outside of us we are separated from him."
Some people feel frightened when they consider all this, but fear arises only if we miss Yeshua's point... Good works can't save you, even those performed in the Savior's name... What saves you is trusting in God's great love for your life: "This is the work of God, to trust in the One whom God has sent [for you]" (John 6:28-29). Genuine salvation is "from the LORD," that is, comes as a result of his loving intervention on your behalf (Titus 3:5-7; Eph. 2:8-10). This is the will of the Father, the true Torah of the LORD, namely, to honor the Messiah and know him by faith... You trust him for eternal life, you believe that he bears your sins, you seek to know his heart, and you desire to share your life with him. It is lawlessness to reject the Torah of the LORD that commands us to follow Messiah and know him in all our ways - including the ways of our struggles, our fears, and so on... Each of us must wrestle alone, in the dark places of fear, to find our new name from God (Gen. 32:24). Is the blessing for you or not? The essential thing is to know (and more importantly) to be known by Yeshua.... It is a matter of trust, of sharing your heart, being real with him, walking with him, loving him... "This is the work of God, to trust in the One whom God has sent [for you]." Trusting in the Lord means accepting that you are truly loved (and made safe) because of who God is...
The gospel is "the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Rom. 1:16). It is a miracle of being in a right relationship with God. We are pursued by his love, and he haunts us until we surrender to his will... 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 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. As we look to Yeshua, as we lean on him, he reveals more of himself to us. He gives us the grace and strength we need; he is always enough...
Whether Yeshua is living in you (and you are living in Him) is the most important question of your life upon which everything else turns. The great mystery is "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27). As Ravenhill once said, "I don't ask people if they're saved anymore; I look them straight in the eye and say, "Does Christ live inside you?" Indeed, He is present right now -- for you -- in this very moment... Are you connected with Him in the truth? Are you drawing life from His life? Do you really live in Yeshua? "God is making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Messiah, be reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:20).
Each of us must wrestle alone, in the dark places of fear, to receive our new name from God (see Gen. 32:24). Again I ask: Is the blessing for you or not? Are you willing to be loved and accepted by him? What is your name? What do you call yourself? You cannot know God apart from his love, yet for some people that is exactly where the struggle lies... Look within your heart; test yourself; do you believe God cares for you? Take hold of the promise and do not let go until you know who you are in his love. "To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it" (Rev. 2:17).
Repeat these affirmations of faith:
The blessing is there for you, though you might need to wrestle in faith to fully take hold of your identity in Christ. May God help you answer to the new name he calls out to you...
Seeking God's Face...
11.18.21 (Kislev 14, 5782) From our Torah portion this week (i.e., Vayishlach) we read: "And Jacob called the name of the place "the Face of God" (i.e., Peniel: פְּנִיאֵל) saying, "For I have seen God face to face (פּנִים אֶל־פָּנִים), and yet my life has been delivered" (Gen. 32:30). And where did Jacob see God "face to face" except in the struggle of faith, while seeking the blessing, even in the midst of his own inner conflict? And here too may we find the Shining Presence, the Face of God, even in the midst of our troubled lives, as we struggle, refusing to let go until we are taken hold by God's love...
"And Jacob called the name of the place 'Peniel,' translated "the Face of God." The "name of the place" (שֵׁם הַמָּקוֹם) here refers to the heart, the inner sanctuary, which is called the place of God. Where it says, "let them make me a Sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst" (Exod. 25:8), the text literally reads, let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell within them (בְּתוֹכָם), that is, within their hearts. The place (המקום) is therefore the holy ground of the heart; the place within where God's face is disclosed, and where we can apprehend God. It is noteworthy that the Hebrew word for "face," i.e, panim (פָּנִים), is written the same way as the word for "inside," that is, penim (פְּנִים). Indeed the word face comes from a root word panah (פָּנָה) meaning "to turn" (the Hebrew preposition "before," i.e., lifnei (לִפְנֵי) comes from the same root and literally means turning toward or facing something). We can come to "the place of God" when we turn our hearts in respect before what is real and true. "Respect precedes Torah," which means we cannot even begin to experience the Divine Presence apart from honoring the sacred, distinguishing it from the common, and understanding that we owe every fiber of our existence to the One before whom we shall give account (Heb. 4:13). The Spirit promises: "You will seek me and find me, when you seek me bekhol levavkha - with all your heart - and I will be found by you, declares the LORD" (Jer. 29:13-14).
Hebrew Lesson:
Jeremiah 29:13 Hebrew reading:
"With all your heart" -- with both your "good" heart and with your "evil" heart -- that is, with all that is within you do you seek... You don't wait until you are "cleaned up" to reach out to God, but come "just as you are" -- in the midst of the messiness and sin of your life...
Raised from the Dust...
[ The following entry is related to this week's Torah reading, parashat Vayishlach... ]
11.17.21 (Kislev 13, 5782) In his heartfelt appeal to God for help, Jacob prayed: "I have been diminished (קָטנְתִּי) from all the kindness and the faithfulness that you have done for your servant" (Gen. 32:10). Jacob was "made small" through the revelation of God's love and truth, and the focus therefore shifted away from himself to God: "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). Jacob's subsequent wrestling with the Angel pictured birth pangs, the throes of his spiritual rebirth. Rashi notes that the word translated "wrestled" (i.e., va'ye'avak: וַיֵּאָבֵק, Gen. 32:24) is related to the idea of "raising the dust" (i.e., avak: אָבָק), which suggests resurrection from the dust. The struggle – the "death match" – was to bury the old Jacob and to raise him up as "Israel," a prince of God the King.
Hebrew Lesson:
Genesis 32:10a Hebrew reading:
Yeshua told us we must "forget ourselves" in order to discover what really matters: "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it" (Matt. 16:24-25). Note that the phrase translated "deny himself" comes from a Greek verb (ἀπαρνέομαι) that means "to affirm that you have no acquaintance or connection with someone," and is the same verb used when Peter denied the Messiah (from α-, "not," + ῥέω, "to speak"). To deny yourself, then, means to be willing to disregard your own personal interests in a given moment -- to "betray" the selfish impulse that seeks to rule the ego in your daily life. It is a "putting off" of the old nature and a "putting on" of the new (Eph. 4:22-24). Put positively, denying yourself means "forgetting yourself" because you are overwhelmed with God's great love for your soul, and therefore you no longer "know yourself" according to the flesh but according to the Spirit of God (2 Cor. 5:16-17).
Personal Update...
11.17.21 (Kislev 13, 5782) Shalom friends. It's been a battle recently. I was hit by a car while driving to pick up my son from school today, and the driver fled the scene (I am okay, thank God). I've been experiencing some pretty rough issues with my health as well. The ministry has come under attack not only from social media and Google search algorithms that hide its content from view, but also from hackers who have crippled the forum, infiltrated the blog site, and so on. In addition, we learned recently that our Emanuel David ("Manny") has some serious medical issues... Olga is in school full-time and that adds to the mix. I currently operate the ministry from a small room in our house and rarely get out much these days... It was challenging doing ministry for the last 20 years, but the last few years have been exasperating, and sometimes I feel like I just want to climb in bed and pull a blanket up over my head. I won't give up, though, for "woe is me if I don't preach the gospel..."
Of course I realize you are struggling as well, and you may be dealing with greater challenges than I am facing. I don't think I am unique here, chaverim. I am not seeking your pity, just your prayers. I appreciate you taking a moment to listen to me, too.
Sharing like this makes me feel a bit vulnerable... I understand the psychological need people have to regard those in ministry as "put together" and able to lead others effectively, and exposing my weaknesses may undermine your confidence in this ministry. Well let me put your mind at rest immediately: I am not a "super hero" type believer; I have "feet of clay," and stumble every day I live. So please do not put your confidence in me but in the Lord. The blessing of this ministry, I believe, comes not from my efforts here (such as they are) but because of the grace of Yeshua and the prayers of people like you who love the things of the Lord and seek to give Him glory... I am humbled beyond all telling. Thank you for being vessels of the kindness and mercies of the Lord who expresses his heart through you....
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 119:81 Hebrew reading:
Appearance and Reality...
11.17.21 (Kislev 13, 5782) The Hebrew word for "world" or "age" is olam (עוֹלָם), which is derived from a root verb (עָלַם) that means "to conceal" or "to hide." God "hides" His face from us so that we will seek Him, and that means we must press through ambiguity to earnestly take hold of divine truth. Centuries before the time of the philosopher Plato, King David proclaimed that there was a "divided line" between the realm of the temporal world and realm of the hidden and eternal world. The temporal world is finite, subject to change, yet pointed beyond itself to an eternal world, which was the source of real significance, meaning, and life itself (2 Cor. 4:18). Therefore King David said, בַּקְּשׁוּ פָנָיו תָּמִיד/ bakeshu fanav tamid: "Seek His face at all times" (Psalm 105:4). Note that the numerical value for the word "fanav" (i.e., "His face") is the same as that for the word "olam." When we truly seek God's face (i.e., His Presence) we are able to discern the underlying purpose for our lives.
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 105:4 Hebrew reading lesson (click):
"Some day I will do it" – is self-deceptive. "I want to do it" – is weak. "I am doing it" – that is the right way. – Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk
The ancient Greek version of the Torah (i.e., the "Septuagint" or LXX) translates this verse as, "Seek the LORD and be strengthened; seek His face through everything (διὰ παντός)." Unlike Plato, however, who "saw through" the temporal world and regarded it as less than real, King David understood that how we live within the intersection of these two realms reveals our inner character of faith -- and therefore our ultimate destiny....
Blessed Discontent...
11.16.21 (Kislev 12, 5782) "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15). The way of faith always represents collision with the world (κόσμος) and its philosophy of the "good life." Happy are those who "hunger and thirst" for righteousness, who refrain from this world and make themselves poor because of inner heartache. For them no amount of the world's pleasures can obscure the difference between what is and what ought to be... This world is at best a corridor to the world to come, a "valley of decision" about what we ultimately choose to believe and to love...The heart of faith looks forward to "the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God" (Heb. 11:10).
There is a great danger to become so assimilated into this world that there is no longer any collision, no longer any protest, but merely the whimper of the soul that begs to be left alone from the general toil and troubles of this age... Conscience is seared; natural affections have been abandoned; and the "life" of the soul becomes a mere cipher, a phantom, a ghost... This is the scheme of the worldly dialectic that traps the human soul into living and dying for the sake of sheer vanity. May God help us not to so waste our days... The core prayer of the godly soul is always, "Help me, O LORD my God! Save me according to your steadfast love" (Psalm 109:26). Empty our hearts from vanity, O LORD, and afflict us with hunger and thirst for You, for you alone are what we really need....
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 109:26 reading (click):
Telling God your name...
[ The following entry is related to this week's Torah reading, parashat Vayishlach... ]
11.16.21 (Kislev 12, 5782) Some people make it the business of theology to know God's Name, but God begins by first asking for our name instead. Recall that Jacob had disguised who he really was in the hope of obtaining the blessing (Gen. 27), though his duplicity forced him into an exile that lasted until he was finally willing to be honest with himself. And like Jacob, each of us must answer God's question: "What is your name?" (Gen. 32:27). When we "wrestle through" this question to face who we really are, we encounter God and find our blessing, that is, our true identity. Each of us has to go through the process of being renamed from "manipulator" (i.e., Yaakov) to "one in whom God rules" (i.e., Israel). But note the order: it is only when we "tell God our name," that is, own who we really are, that He meets with us "face to face" (Gen. 32:30). You will not be able to say, "I will not let you go unless you bless me," until you are willing tell God your name (Gen. 32:26-27).
Let me add that while "telling God your name" can be painful and even frightening, it is not the last word about who you really are. We are faced with an inner dualism as we struggle to take account of our lives. On the one hand, we need to confess the truth of our sinfulness, brokenness, and so on, while on the other we must endure ourselves and find faith that God's blessing nevertheless belongs to us, despite the mess we've made of our lives.... We have to be willing to accept God's new name for us and to believe that God will miraculously transform our inner nature for good. We are renamed from Yaakov to Israel, though we still know ourselves as both. Jacob was renamed "Israel" but afterward he walked with a limp, seeing both the new and the old natures within him. Jacob still struggled, though his struggle was now focused on walking as God's beloved child in this world: the limp was given to help him lean on the Lord for support.
Part of spiritual growth involves learning to "endure yourself." Many are able, it seems, to receive the hope that they are forgiven for their past sins, but they are subsequently scandalized by encountering their own inner struggles, and they eventually despair over their ongoing weakness... Tragically, some are even tempted to regard the warfare within the heart as a sign of being devoid of all saving grace! We must remember, however, that there is a real struggle between the desires of the flesh and the desires of the Spirit (Gal. 5:17). We must never move away from simple trust in the message of God's unconditional love demonstrated at the cross; we must never seek to legitimize our place in God's heart. When we walk by the Spirit, we are no longer under the law (Gal. 5:18), which is to say, we no longer need to justify ourselves but instead trust in God's power to transform us. Just as we are saved by the love of God, so are we changed, so do we grow.
Hebrew Lesson:
Gen. 32:27-28 reading (click):
Honesty and Deliverance...
11.15.21 (Kislev 11, 5782) "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance" (Luke 5:31-32). Every one of us has a "dark side" or a "shadow self" that has destructive and selfish urges. We try to conceal this truth from others (and even ourselves) but such denial doesn't change the reality within our hearts (Matt. 5:19; Jer. 17:9; Eccl. 9:3). Indeed, when we pretend to be something we are not we are more likely to be overwhelmed by dark forces hidden within us. Paradoxically we most vulnerable when we think we are well, that is, when we deny our sickness our heart and minimize our need for deliverance.
The way of healing is to "own" or confess the truth of our inner condition and to acknowledge the dark passions that sometimes overmaster our best intentions. We must give ourselves permission to allow the hurt, angry, and fearful voices to be heard and sanctioned within us - and then to bring these dark and hidden aspects of our selves before God for healing. The failure to do so will split the soul and cause the hidden aspects of the self to seek "revenge" upon the "parent self" that censors their message. The struggle within our hearts is real and we should attend to it seriously. Denying evil by pretending that we are okay, or by blaming others, blinds us to the truth of our ongoing need for deliverance. May God help each of us to be honest with ourselves and to confess our great need before our Heavenly Father.
Why do we have such difficulty being genuinely honest with ourselves? Despite the fact that we may profess that we are "sinners saved by grace," we often make excuses for our failures, rationalizing that we are not "that bad," and therefore we postpone genuine teshuvah (repentance) and trifle with our spiritual lives. We do this because we feel an almost irresistible need to justify ourselves, to "save face" by pretending that we are not "incurably sick," or by attempting to find something about us that makes feel valuable and worthy. As H.L. Mencken once wittingly noted, "the 'truth' that survives is simply the lie that is pleasantest to believe."
The LORD wants us to be truthful in the "inward being" (Psalm 51:6), though that truth will cost us something, namely whatever worldly gains we might find through self-deception... Opening our hearts to divine examination eventually means colliding with the world of men and their conspiracies, since the godly man no longer abides their presence (Psalm 1:1-2). The Apostle Paul said there was an exclusive disjunction between seeking the approval of men and of the approval of God: "Do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of the Messiah (Gal. 1:10). Likewise we are told not to deceive ourselves (lit., "reason around" the truth, from παραλογίζομαι, from παρά, "around, beside" and λογίζομαι, "to reason") by merely hearing the truth of Scripture and not living it (James 1:22). God is not interested in "lip service" any more than he desires heartless sacrifice (Isa. 29:13; Hos. 6:6; Matt. 15:9). "Let your love be genuine (ἀνυπόκριτος, without a "mask" put on), abhor what is evil; cling to what is good (Rom. 12:9). God abhors those who pretend to know Him but who are really spiritual impostors (Matt. 7:21-23; 25:11-12; Luke 6:46).
Tragically (and paradoxically) many people can talk themselves into believing something without really believing it, and that is perhaps the most dangerous thing of all (Matt. 7:22-23). On the other hand, some people can talk themselves into believing (or accepting) something that they know is untrue (or morally wrong), and that self-deception leads to inner fragmentation, chaos, and dissolution of character. A "double-minded man is unstable in all his ways" (James 1:8). As I have said before, the word translated "double-minded" is dipsuchos (δίψυχος), a word formed from δίς, "twice" and ψυχή, "soul." The word describes the spiritual condition of having "two souls" that both want different things at once -- a state of inner contradiction and ambivalence.
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 51:6 reading (click):
Thank the LORD our God that there is real healing for our inner dividedness, ambivalence, and double-mindedness, but that healing demands rigorous honesty. As Kierkegaard rightly observed: "No person is saved except by grace; but there is one sin that makes grace impossible, and that is dishonesty; and there is one thing God must forever and unconditionally require, and that is honesty." Therefore we are instructed to confess our faults one to another, and pray for one another, that we may be healed (James 5:16). May the LORD our God help each of us to be wholehearted in our devotion to Him.
A Closing Thought...
Finally, friend, a closing thought. Do not despair thinking that you will never change. Simply enter into the presence of God in Yeshua. That is what "self-denial" means. Turn to God to know his heart. When you do, you receive a heart to know him in return... Believe to see the goodness of the LORD in your midst. Amen.
Jer. 24:7a reading (click):
Wresting the Blessing...
[ The following entry is related to this week's Torah reading, parashat Vayishlach... ]
11.15.21 (Kislev 11, 5782) In our Torah portion for this week (i.e., Vayishlach), we read how Jacob wrestled with a mysterious "Man" until the break of dawn, but refused to let go until he had secured God's blessing (Gen. 32:24-26). This climactic moment marked a "rebirth" experience for Jacob as signified by his new name "Israel" (יִשְׂרָאֵל), meaning "one who has striven (שָׂרָה) with God (אֱלהִים) and prevailed" (Gen. 32:28). It is fascinating to notice that Jacob was not renamed "God-fearer," or "God-lover," or even "Man of faith," but rather "God-wrestler" – one who struggles with God until the blessing comes... As Yeshua said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness" – that is, for those who struggle and search for truth – "for they shall be filled" (Matt. 5:6). The blessing comes with a wound, however: The limp that Jacob acquired constantly reminded him of his ongoing need for God's help as he walked through this life. "The one who falls on this Stone will be broken to pieces; but when it falls on anyone, it will crush him" (Matt. 21:44).
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So how are you struggling? How does that feed your hunger for God? The characteristically Jewish approach to life is to struggle, to fight, and to ask hard questions until we find out who we really are and what we call ourselves... We can change what has happened in our past by changing what is happening in our present: "For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel: dirshuni vichyu (דִּרְשׁוּנִי וִחְיוּ) - "Seek me and live" (Amos 5:4).
Hebrew Lesson:
Amos 5:4 reading (click):
Torah of Comfort..
11.15.21 (Kislev 11, 5782) "No one ever told me that grief felt so much like fear" (C.S. Lewis). We naturally feel sorrow when we experience loss in our lives, though we may experience a sort of consternation, too, since the very ground beneath our feet may seem to fall away, us leaving us feeling alienated and terribly alone. Over time our grief can make us numb and disconnected. We draw inward, afraid that whatever we love will be taken from us... As someone once confided: "Each loss makes a little hole in you; after awhile, they all add up, and there's just a gaping hole where your heart used to be."
We must go through the desert before we can live the promise. Since experiencing loss is part of life in a fallen world, we must first acknowledge our troubles and sorrows. "Don't call me Naomi ("my delight") but Mara ("bitterness"), for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me (כִּי־הֵמַר שַׁדַּי לִי מְאֹד). I went out full, but the LORD hath brought me home empty" (Ruth 1:20-21). Once we give voice to our pain (and that might have to be done over and again) the heart can reopen to hope once again. We then can turn to God and learn to live in the moment, trusting him to help us through the troubles of the day (Matt. 6:34).
"Every time there are losses, there are choices to be made. You choose to live your losses as passages to anger, blame, hatred, depression and resentment, or you choose to let these losses be passages to something new, something wider, and deeper" (Henri Nouwen).
There is a spiritual principle that can help us through our grieving and brokenness. When we care for others who have the same distress we ourselves feel, God will bestow the comfort we give and impart it back to us as well: tefillati al-cheki tashuv (תְּפִלָּתִי עַל־חֵיקִי תָשׁוּב) - "may my prayer return upon my own breast" (Psalm 35:13). "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy" (Matt. 5:7). As we give of our heart in compassion to another, so we will receive compassion in our own brokenness. Indeed we often receive far more than we give when we comfort others in their afflictions and help bind up their wounds. Showing kindness to others who are hurting helps them bear their burdens and so fulfills the law of Messiah (Gal. 6:2). Our wounds fill us the sufferings of Messiah and reveal God's heart of mercy: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulations so that we may be able to comfort those experiencing any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God" (2 Cor. 1:3-4).
"When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares." (Henri Nouwen: Out of Solitude)
It may seem counterintuitive and even absurd to the everyday mind, but our losses help us discover what really matters in life, and that is a great blessing, a gift... "Blessed are they that mourn." The bereavements of our lives, the small disappointments as well as the major heartaches, teach us to let go and yet keep love alive within us. Life is fleeting, fragile, and precious, and we come to know this in the poignancy and heartache of the moment. When we open our eyes each morning and recite modeh ani, "I confess before You," we have opportunity to believe in God's faithfulness (Lam. 3:22-24). "There are two great days in a person's life - the day we are born and the day we discover why" (William Barclay).
Sometimes there are sorrows and inner wounds that never seem to heal, despite our prayers for mercy and consolation. Then it becomes a matter of faith, that despite our present darkness, healing will ultimately come to us, perhaps when we are in heaven. Faith finds courage to go on living in hope, despite all temporal loss, fear, and abandonment. The groan of your heart is sacred, expressing a wound that binds you to the Healer of your life. "Blessed are they that mourn - for they shall be comforted" (Matt. 5:4). We all must walk through the "valley of the shadow of death" to find hope on its other side, but it is only by passing that way can we know the Name of God as the "I-AM-with-you-always."
"There is nothing that can replace the absence of someone dear to us, and one should not even attempt to do so. One must simply hold out and endure it. At first that sounds very hard, but at the same time it is also a great comfort. For to the extent the emptiness truly remains unfilled one remains connected to the other person through it. It is wrong to say that God fills the emptiness. God in no way fills it but much more leaves it precisely unfilled and thus helps us preserve -- even in pain -- the authentic relationship." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Hebrew Lesson:
2 Cor. 1:3-4 reading (click):
Note: For more on this topic, see "The Sickness Unto Life..."
Dates for Chanukah 2021..
11.14.21 (Kislev 10, 5782) On the Biblical calendar the month of Kislev (כִּסְלֵו) is the ninth of the year (counting from Nisan), and also one of the "darkest," with the days progressively getting shorter and the nights getting longer. Indeed, the Winter Solstice often occurs during the last week of Kislev, and therefore the week of Chanukah (which straddles the months of Kislev and Tevet) often contains the longest night of the year. It is no wonder that, among other things, the holiday of Chanukah represents an appropriate time to kindle the lights of faith - and to remember the Light of the World in the Messiah's advent to earth...
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The Hebrew word Chanukah (חֲנֻכָּה) means "dedication" and marks an eight day winter celebration that commemorates the victory of faith over the ways of speculative reason, and demonstrates the power of the miracle in the face of mere humanism. Although it is customarily observed as a "Festival of Lights," Chanukah is a "fighting holiday" -- a call to resist the oppression of this world and to exercise faith in the LORD (Rom. 13:12).
This year the eight days of Chanukah will begin on Sunday, November 28th at sundown (1st candle) and will run until Monday, December 5th just before sundown. On the first night of Chanukah one flame is lit, on the second night two, and so on until the eighth night when eight flames are lit. In this way we remember the 'growth' of the miracle.
Parashat Vayishlach...
[ We always read Vayishlach a couple weeks before Chanukah when we connect the vision and ministry of Joseph with that of Yeshua, the Suffering Servant Savior of the world... ]
11.14.21 (Kislev 10, 5782) Our Torah portion this week (i.e., Vayishlach: Gen. 32:3-36:43) contains the famous account of how Jacob "wrestled" with the Angel of the LORD (מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה) just before he encountered his estranged brother Esau. During the "grappling" session (recall the meaning of Jacob's name), the Angel injured Jacob's thigh, but Jacob refused to release his hold until he received the blessing (הַבְּרָכָה). The LORD then asked him, "What is your name (מַה־שְּׁמֶךָ)?" And he said, "Jacob" (i.e., Ya'akov: יַעֲקב). The Angel then replied, "Your name shall no longer be Ya'akov (i.e., "heel holder" [of Esau]) but Yisrael (i.e., "contender with God"), for as a prince (i.e., sar: שַׂר) you have contended (i.e., sarita: שָׂרִיתָ) with God and with men and have prevailed" (Gen. 32:28). This encounter teaches that Jacob finally received the blessing when he refused to let his past determine his spiritual identity and destiny. With God's help he overcame the pain and shame of his past through faith.
Likewise each of us must "go to Peniel" to wrestle with the Angel, just as each of us must be renamed from Ya'akov ("a supplanter") to Israel ("a prince with God"). When the Spirit of Truth asks, "What is your name," may the LORD God grant you the courage to refuse to "let go" until you receive the divine blessing of love and acceptance...
The word vayishlach (וַיִּשְׁלַח) means "and he sent" (from the verb shalach, שׁלח, "to send"). The sages comment that like Jacob, each person of faith is a shaliach (שָׁלִיחַ), or an "emissary" sent out to bear witness to others of the reality and true blessing of God. And may the LORD God of Israel help you, friend, serve as an extension (שְׁלוּחָה) of His loving and gracious Presence to all you may encounter this day.... L'shavuah tov b'Yeshua Adoneinu, chaverim...
Hebrew Lesson:
Genesis 32:3a reading (click):
Hear the Call of Hope...
11.12.21 (Kislev 8, 5782) The only way out of the painful ambiguity of life is to hear a message from the higher world, the Heavenly Voice, that brings hope to our aching and troubled hearts: "Faith comes by hearing the word of Messiah - ῥῆμα Χριστοῦ" (Rom. 10:17). And yet what is the meaning of this message if it is not that all shall be made well by heaven's hand? There is hope, there is hope, and all your fears will one day be cast into outer darkness, swallowed up by God's unending comfort... "Go into all the world and make students (תַּלְמִידִים) of all nations" (Matt 28:19), and that means sharing the hope that what makes us sick - our depravity and despair - has been healed by Yeshua, and that we escape the gravity of our own fallenness if we accept his invitation to receive life in him. "For it is you who light my lamp; the LORD my God will outshine my darkness."
כי־אתה תאיר נרי
יהוה אלהי יגיה חשׁכי
kee -a·tah · tah·eer · nei·ree
Adonai · E·loh·hai · ya·gee'·ah · chosh·kee
"For it is you who light my lamp;
the LORD my God will outshine my darkness."
(Psalm 18:28)
Exercising faith means actively listening to the Eternal Voice, the Word of the LORD that calls out in love in search of your heart's trust... To have faith means justifying God's faith in you, that is, understanding that you are worthy of salvation, that you truly matter to God, and that the Voice calls out your name, too.... Living in faith means consciously accepting that you are accepted by God's love and grace. Trusting God means that you bear ambiguity, heartache, and darkness, yet you still allow hope to enlighten your way.
The Rizhiner Rebbe once said, "Let your light penetrate the darkness until the darkness itself becomes the light and there is no longer a division between the two. As it is written, "And there was evening and there was morning, one day." Yea, the darkness and the light are both alike unto Thee, O LORD, as it is written: "If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night, even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you" (Psalm 139:11-12).
"To have faith is to perceive the wonder that is here, and to be stirred by the desire to integrate the self into the holy order of being. Faith does not spring out of nothing. It comes with the discovery of the holy dimension of our existence. Faith means to hold small things great, to take light matters seriously, to distinguish between the common and the passing from the aspect of the lasting. It is from faith from which we draw the sweetness of life, the taste of the sacred, the joy of the imperishably dear. It is faith that offers us a share in eternity." - Abraham Heschel
We walk by faith, not by sight - by hearing the Word of God, heeding what the Spirit of God is saying to the heart.... In light of the obscurity of life in this temporary age, we must not to lose heart, since though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being "raised into newness" (ἀνακαινόω) day by day (2 Cor. 4:16). "For our light and transient troubles are achieving for us an everlasting glory whose weight is beyond description, because we are not looking at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen. For what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal" (2 Cor. 4:17).
Therefore walk before the unseen good that always pervades your way. Stay strong and keep hope -- for through hope we are saved (Rom. 8:24). Faith is the conviction (ἔλεγχος) of things unseen (Heb. 11:1). Do not be seduced by mere appearances; do not allow yourself to be bewitched into thinking that this world should ever be your home. No, we are strangers and pilgrims here; we are on the journey to the reach "the City of Living God, to heavenly Jerusalem, to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven" (Heb. 12:22-23). Therefore do not lose heart. Keep to the narrow path. Set your affections on things above since your real life is "hidden with God" (Col. 3:1-4). Do not yield to the temptation of despair. Look beyond the "giants of the land" and reckon them as already fallen. Keep pressing on. Chazak, chazak, ve-nit chazek - "Be strong, be strong, and let us be strengthened!" Fight the good fight of the faith. May the LORD our God help you take hold of the eternal life to which you were called (1 Tim. 6:12). Shabbat Shalom dear friends...
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 18:28 Reading (with comments):
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Finding Real Treasure...
11.12.21 (Kislev 8, 5782) For what do you hope? What are your dreams? Your deepest desires? Where is your treasure? Yeshua cautioned those who sought their happiness in this world: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures upon earth... be rich toward God" (Matt. 6:19-20; Luke 12:21). When we treasure God, our focus is directed toward the eternal reality, and our interest in this world is minimal. We trust God to meet our daily needs and surrender our future to His care. The only worry we face concerns our own deficiencies in our obligations to the Savior. Our duty is to love God in the truth - bekhol levavkha - with all our heart, having no thought of ourselves. Indeed, self-denial means to quit thinking about yourself (from α-, "not," + ῥέω, "to speak") by accepting what God has done for you. After all, "It is not my business to think about myself. My business is to think about God. It is for God to think about me" (Simone Weil). Amen. Simply looking toward God as your greatest good is to lose sight of your fears...
מי־לי בשׁמים
ועמך לא־חפצתי בארץ
mee-lee · va·shah·mah'·yeem
ve·ee·me·kha · loh-chah·fatz'·tee · vah·ah'·retz
"Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you."
(Psalm 73:25)
Leah's "Weak" Eyes....
11.12.21 (Kislev 8, 5782) Both Rachel and Leah are considered beautiful women in Jewish tradition, but a verse in this week's Torah seems to suggest that Rachel was the "beauty queen" of the family: "Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was shapely and beautiful" (Gen. 29:17). Why are Leah's eyes described as "weak"? Is this a euphemism for saying she was unsightly? After all, Rachel is described in this verse as yifat mareh - "beautiful of sight" (i.e., attractive). Does this text therefore contrast the two women by implying that Leah was physically unattractive? Or does having "weak eyes" mean that she was perhaps nearsighted? How are we to understand Leah's weak eyes?
The word translated as "weak" is the Hebrew word rakkot (רַכּוֹת), the plural form of the word rak (רַךְ), meaning soft or tender. Rashi comments that Leah's eyes were made "weak" (tender) from crying "until her eyelashes fell out." But why was she so sad? According to midrash, Leah's eyes were reddened and puffy because she was constantly lamenting the prospect of marrying Esau. The adage of the town was: "Two sons to Rivkah; two daughters to Lavan; the older to the older, the younger to the younger." Another, and perhaps more likely reason for Leah's tears, however, was that her father Laban was an evil man...
Leah's eyes were tender and tearstained, then, but this is not intended to say she was physically unattractive. On the contrary, saying that she had "weak eyes" is a term of praise for her, since (according to the midrash) her greatest fear was to be forced to undergo an arranged marriage with Esau, and therefore she wept and wept to be the mother of the righteous.... God saw her tears -- and blessed her to become the most fruitful of the four matriarchs of Israel. Ironically, it was the less teary-eyed Rachel, who later died in childbirth, that was prophesied to weep for her children (Jer. 31:15).
Regarding this subject the Talmud states that the word rak (tender) connotes royalty (Bava Basra 4a). Indeed, two lines of Jewish royalty were destined to descend from Leah: the royal family of Judah (from whom would come King David and King Messiah himself) and the spiritual line of Levi, from whom would descend Moses, Aaron, and the Kohanim (the priestly class of Israel). Like their tenderhearted mother, both of these houses of Israel would shed tears of concern for the well-being of Israel.
Hebrew Lesson
Proverbs 30:31 reading (click):
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Jacob's Vision of Messiah...
[ The following is related to this week's Torah reading, Parashat Vayetzei... ]
11.12.21 (Kislev 8, 5782) The revelation at Sinai and Jacob's vision of the ladder share something in common. Just as Yeshua was the "Voice of the Living God (קוֹל אֱלהִים חַיִּים) speaking (davar) from the midst of the fire" at Sinai (Deut. 5:26), so He was the Ascended LORD standing above the ladder speaking the word of promise (Gen. 28:12-15). In this connection we note that the words for "ladder," (i.e., sullam: סֻלָּם), "voice" (i.e., kol: קל), and "Sinai" (סִינָי) have the same numerical value, which suggests a connection between the great visions. Yeshua is the Ladder to God, the means by which the Living Torah both descends and ascends for the sake of our deliverance (John 1:51). The "ladder of Sinai" is not meant for us to ascend but rather is for the LORD our Savior to descend and ascend on our behalf. This is always the way of the Righteousness of God rather than the religious aspiratoins of man... Yeshua is the way, the truth, and the life (הדֶּרֶךְ וְהָאֱמֶת וְהַחַיִּים): no one can draw near to the Heavenly Father apart from Him (John 14:6).
Note: For more on this subject, see "Jacob's Dream of Messiah."
Surrender to Peace...
11.12.21 (Kislev 8, 5782) "Be still and know that I am God..." (Psalm 46:10). This is something you must do; you must quiet your heart to know the Divine Presence. Therefore "set the Lord always before you" (Psalm 16:8) and refuse anxious thoughts that weigh in upon you, creating pressure and "dis-ease." Quieting your heart allows you to hear the holy whisper: "It is I; do not be afraid..." Once the storm of fear dissipates, you can access the truth of God. As the Spirit says, "In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength" (Isa. 30:15).
Worry is a place of exile and pain. Since God's Name (יהוה) means "Presence" and "Love," being anxious is to practice the absence of God's presence instead of practicing his presence... A divided house cannot stand. Where it is written, "cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you" (1 Pet. 5:7), the word translated "anxiety" comes from a verb that means to divide into pieces. Bring your brokenness to God – including those distractions that make you ambivalent and afraid – to receive God's healing for your divided heart.
"Be still..." Note that the verb translated "be still" (i.e., rapha: רפה) means to "let go," to stop striving, and to surrender everything to the care of God (Rom. 8:28). "Being still" means letting go of your "need" to control the world. Relax your hold and rely on God's care for your life instead, without "taking thought" for tomorrow and its concerns (Matt. 6:34). The past is gone, after all, and the future is God's business: all you have is the present moment to call upon our Lord. Be faithful in the present hour, then, asking God for the grace and strength you need to endure yourself and engage the task at hand. In this way you will experience the peace of God "which surpasses all understanding" (Phil. 4:7).
Walking with God isn't just a matter of "head education," but also of "heart education," and these two must always go together as Spirit and Truth (John 4:23). Head education seeks knowledge primarily as a means of defining what you believe (emunah); heart education, on the other hand, centers on fear, or rather, on overcoming your fear by trusting in God's love and healing grace (bittachon). When you accept that you are accepted despite yourself, you are delivered from the need to defend yourself. You can let go, quit denying who you are, and accept God's unconditional care for your life – regardless of the state of the world. When your heart learns to "be still," you can know that the Lord your God reigns over all things!
"Be still and know that I am..." Prayer is a type of listening (shema), a turning back to know the message of God's love and hope in Messiah. The word "teshuvah" (תְּשׁוּבָה) means an answer or response to a question. God's love is the question, and the heart's response is the answer. Some of us may find it difficult to trust, to open our heart to receive grace and kindness. For those wounded by abandonment, it can be a great struggle to hear the voice of God calling you "beloved," "worthy," "valued," and "accepted." When you find faith to receive God's word of love, however, your heart comes alive and you begin to heal... Yeshua speaks words of comfort: "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet still believe."
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 46:10 reading (click):
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Trust in Dark Hours...
11.11.21 (Kislev 7, 5782) We are living in dark times, perilous days (2 Tim. 3:1-5; 2 Pet. 3:3). The world has become more and more lawless, corrupt, irrational, and violent. Many live in dread, sensing that days of difficulty are ahead. Indeed, with the advent of the "Covid" pandemic 18 months ago, it is evident that things are likely never to return to "normal" as the world economy and the global political situation are restructured... God has sent strong delusion "so that those who do not love the truth should believe a lie" (2 Thess. 2:10-11). These are truly unprecedented times, and the hour draws near, friends....
Though we might not understand why God allows these things to happen, we nevertheless hold fast to our conviction that the Lord is our Good Shepherd who is restoring our souls. He speaks to us in the midst of uncertainty: "Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of his Servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the Name of the LORD and lean upon on his God" (Isa. 50:10).
מי בכם ירא יהוה שׁמע בקול עבדו
אשׁר הלך חשׁכים ואין נגה לו
יבטח בשׁם יהוה וישׁען באלהיו
mee · va·khem · ye·rei · Adonai · sho·mei'·a · be·kol · av·doh?
a·sher · ha·lakh · cha·she·kheem · ve·ein · no'·gah · loh?
yeev·tach · be·shem · Adonai · ve·yee·sha·ein · be·lo·hahv
"Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of his Servant?
Let him who walks in darkness and has no light
trust in the Name of the LORD and lean upon on his God."
Hebrew Lesson:
Isaiah 50:10 reading (click):
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Friend, the Lord allows the dark cloud of unknowing for his own sovereign purposes, perhaps as a means to teach us to abandon ourselves to his care. Surely God understands our powerlessness; "he remembers our frame, that we are dust" (Psalm 103:14); surely He knows that we cannot see and therefore he calls us to "lean upon Him" for guidance. As we walk through the valley of the shadow of death we find that he is with us, and therefore we must choose to fear no evil.
Trusting in God (i.e., bittachon - בִּטָּחוֹן) does not mean that we are obligated to affirm that this is "the best of all possible worlds," though it does mean we believe that eventually God will wipe away every tear and make all things right. Bittachon is a word for this world, which says, "Though he slay me, I will trust in him..." We do not need to trust for what is seen in this world but for an unseen good (Rom. 8:24). Those who call upon the LORD can trust not only in concealed good behind ambiguous appearances ("all things work together for good") but also in a future, real, substantive good that will one day be clearly manifest for us all... We fight the "good fight" of faith, which is a worthy struggle that eventually is realized for blessing. We die daily; we mortify ourselves and surrender to God's will. Meanwhile, we ask the Lord to be kept from such depth of sorrow that leads to self-destruction and despair....
We must press on without fear, trusting that our faithful LORD will strengthen us for "such a time as this." We must be brave, equipped for battle, and full of conviction that the message of the gospel is the only hope for this moribund and decadent world. We must be on guard lest we fear, for fear is the greatest tool of the enemy of our souls, and therefore we must resist him steadfast and full of divine assurance. "The Lord is faithful: He will establish you and guard you against the evil one" (2 Thess. 3:3). The Spirit says, "Fear not, for I am with you always." The Lord "will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the Day of our Yeshua the Messiah" (1 Cor. 1:8). He who calls you is forever faithful; He will surely do it (1 Thess. 5:24).
"In me there is darkness, But with You there is light; I am lonely, but You do not leave me; I am feeble in heart, but with You there is help; I am restless, but with You there is peace. In me there is bitterness, but with You there is patience; I do not understand Your ways, But You know the way for me." "Lord Jesus Christ, You were poor And in distress, a captive and forsaken as I am. You know all man's troubles; You abide with me When all men fail me; You remember and seek me; It is Your will that I should know You And turn to You. Lord, I hear Your call and follow; Help me." - Dietrich Bonheoffer
If you ask for bread, your heavenly Father will not give you a stone... Only God can deliver us from our "disordered loves" to take hold of what is truly essential. All we can do is ask, and keep on asking - even as we struggle on, despite ourselves, despite our losses... And we often revisit our sins over and over until we become "sick of our sickness," that is, until we begin to understand what our heart really needs. It's as if we are constantly being asked, "Is this what you want?" and our choices confess the truth... Only God does the miracle of real change within the human heart - only God can give life from the dead!
Seeing with Wonder...
11.11.21 (Kislev 7, 5782) The commandment not to take the Name of the LORD "in vain" (Exod. 20:7) implies that we must affirm the sanctity, meaning, significance, and worth of life itself. We must never live as though God does not exist, or, to state this positively, we must "set the LORD" always before us (Psalm 16:8). It is therefore forbidden to ignore the miracle of existence, to scoff at the value of life, or to debase ourselves by refusing to receive the truth. We are to take every thought "captive" to the reality of the Messiah (2 Cor. 10:5). Everything belongs to God, and every moment we have is beholden to Him...
Finding deliverance from profane thinking requires concentrated focus, or "kavanah" (כַּוָנָּה). As it is written: "We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Messiah" (2 Cor. 5:10). We are instructed to "bring down reasonings" (λογισμοὺς καθαιροῦντες) and every high thing that is lifted up against the knowledge of God (κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ θεου) and to bring every thought "as a captive" to the obedience (ὑπακοὴν, from ὑπό: by, under, + ἀκούω: hear, obey) of Messiah. We can do this negatively by fighting against evil thoughts and censoring the inner evil of our hearts, or we can do this positively by being "captivated" by the words and love of Yeshua, and often we have to do both! This is the deeper meaning of "profanity" - to deny reality, to live in willful ignorance, and to miss the wonder of God's presence. If we sanctify God in our hearts, we will be far less likely to use God's name in vain, of course.
God invites you to come to Him for relationship... Since God is a Person, He wants to know you as a person. He is not interested in formulaic prayers, religious rituals, or your membership at a particular religious organization. God wants to know your inmost thoughts and heart. Drawing near to God is God's way of drawing near to you... In other words, as you draw near to God, He will draw near and touch you.
Hebrew Lesson:
Exodus 20:7a reading (click):
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- Third Commandment podcast (mp3)
- Exod. 20:7a Hebrew page (pdf)
"Why are there beings at all instead of nothing"- this is obviously the first of all questions. Of course it is not the first question in the chronological sense [...] And yet, we are each touched once, maybe even every now and then, by the concealed power of this question, without properly grasping what is happening to us. In great despair, for example, when all weight tends to dwindle away from things and the sense of things grows dark, the question looms." - Martin Heidegger
"Not how the world is, but that it is, is the mystery." - Ludwig Wittgenstein
The Sacred Center...
11.11.21 (Kislev 7, 5782) "We are in God and God whom we do not see is in us" (Julian of Norwich). This follows from the meaning of the Name of God itself which is Eternal Life. YHVH (יהוה) means that God was (i.e., hayah: היה), God is (i.e., hoveh: הוֶה), and God always will be (i.e., yihyeh: יהיה) the Source, the Heart, and the End of our lives. "For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen" (Rom. 11:36). We may think of the LORD as being "out there" someplace apart from us, but that is untrue, for he constantly upholds all things by the word of his power (Heb. 1:3) and by Him all things "consist" or "hold together" (Col. 1:17). His will is the gravity that directs all of reality. We may sometimes feel like God is distant from us, but understand that feeling to be an invitation to wake up, come alive, and to live before his Presence. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for Him....
Hebrew Lesson:
Isaiah 6:3b reading (click):
God's Name means "I-AM-with-you-always," imanu-El (עִמָּנוּ אֵל) - always in the midst of you, in your heart, at the center of who you really are (Matt. 28:20; Isa. 41:10, Psalm 23:4, etc). The LORD is so named because he is never without his own, and we are who we are in relation to his presence in our lives. Yeshua is not simply the Lord of the past or the Lord of the future, but the Lord of this moment, this "here" and this "now." He is the same yesterday, today, and forever - the breath of life, our sustaining hope, the Shepherd of our souls... Whatever else may come of this day, this is the day that the LORD has made, and we find peace in God's Presence... Let us look to Him in this hour! Amen.
An Everlasting Love...
[ The following is related to this week's Torah reading, parashat Vayetzei... ]
11.11.21 (Kislev 7, 5782) Recall that when Isaac "was old and his eyes were dimmed from seeing," he thought to bless his son Esau as the family heir before he died (Gen. 27:1-4). When Rebekah learned of his intention, however, she decided to take matters into her own hands by tricking her husband into conferring the blessing upon his son Jacob instead of Esau. Rebekah must have felt justified in her actions; indeed, had not the LORD himself proclaimed that "the elder would serve the younger" before the twins were born (Gen. 25:23)? Regarding his role in Rebekah's scheme, Jacob was left with a terrible dilemma: Either he had to defy his mother or to deceive his father. To complicate matters, Rebekah realized that Isaac would discover the charade after the fact, though she may have reasoned that her ruse exposed his gullibility regarding the choice of Esau to be the chosen heir. It was not a real deception, then, but an object lesson for Isaac to wake up before it was too late! Rebekah's plan was to "open the eyes" of her blind husband, revealing to him that he had been guilty of sacrificing the righteous son Jacob for the sake of deceptive Esau.
The duplicity proved to be tragic, however, for everyone involved. Jacob desperately wanted the blessing of his father, but he agreed to get it through false pretenses. "Come close and kiss me my son..." (Gen. 27:26). This was Jacob's deep desire, and yet after "grappling" the blessing from his father he ironically lost his father's embrace. Indeed, Jacob lost not only his father's embrace, but his mother's as well (after fleeing to Haran, Jacob never saw his mother again). Moreover, Jacob's pathetic attempt to "be Esau" severed any hope of a relationship with his twin brother, who afterwards became his sworn enemy...
So it all went down. Isaac conferred the blessing to Jacob, and Esau was understandably enrages over his brother's (and his mother's) rejection of him as the chosen heir of the godly family and steward of the divine promise given to Abraham. When she overheard Esau's plan to exact revenge for his betrayal, however, Rebekah sought to send Jacob to her brother Laban who lived in the city of Haran, some 500 miles northeast of Canaan. To his credit, Isaac finally listened to his wife and reaffirmed the blessing over Jacob (Gen. 28:1-5). And Rebekah's faith in the prophecy was finally vindicated. Nevertheless, as Jacob ran away from his family home in Beersheva, he was confused and uncertain, though God mercifully intervened by giving him the vision of the Ladder and then ratifying the covenant blessing of Abraham and Isaac with him at Bethel (Gen. 28:11-22).
Jacob then continued his journey to Haran. When he finally arrived there, he went to the gathering place of the city well to learn where his uncle Laban (i.e., the grandson of Abraham's brother Nahor) lived and to inquire of his welfare. When the shepherds there told him that Laban was well, they then pointed to a young woman and said "and here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep" (Gen. 29:6). Jacob then rolled away the stone from the mouth of the well and began watering Rachel's flock. He then excitedly informed her that he was her close relative, her aunt Rebekah's son, who had come from the land of Canaan.
So prophetically and providentially, when Jacob first arrived in Haran he beheld beautiful Rachel who welcomed him in his distress and embodied his hope. It was love at first sight for him. Rachel represented the promise of his blessing to become the patriarch of a multitude of people, and that through his offspring all the families of the earth would be blessed (Gen. 28:14). Because of this, Jacob made haste and soon bartered with his uncle Laban to work seven years to gain the right to marry his daughter. "So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, but they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her" (Gen. 29:20).
The sages marvel over the perseverance that enabled Jacob to wait seven full years before marrying Rachel, and they ascribe his fortitude to divine grace that made "space shrink and time fly" (Sanhedrin 95b). By this they meant that Jacob's great love overcame the distance of time and space, that is, the sense of the exterior world, something which Jewish philosopher Martin Buber called the world of "It." The world of "It" is objective, outside of you, existing in its own independent modality. The world of "Thou," on the other hand, is that of personal relationship and inwardness, a realm distinct from the world of "It" with its objective categories and relationships. In other words, Jacob's great love made time "stand still" and drew Rachel close to him, despite the passing of years and the distance that separated them. The "math" of this passion made seven years - over 2,500 sunrises and sunsets - seem "as a few days," since the relationship they shared did away with physical and temporal barriers that separated them. Likewise we can endure the "It" of this world and regard it as quickly passing, "as a few days," when we are in loving "I-Thou" relationship with the Lord and with one another. We lose sight of worry, stress, and isolation, and rise above our present circumstances in our communion and in our hope. "For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night" (Psalm 90:4).
When we feel afraid or lonely, the world looms large, distant, and cold. We feel trapped in its contours and alienated from our own hearts. On the other hand, when we befriend others and engage in honest conversation with them - when "two or three are gathered in my name" - the miracle occurs and the Lord is present in our midst - timelessly alive, full of welcoming grace, kindness, and love (Matt. 18:20). Moreover, since the Lord is always with us, whenever we sincerely turn to Him we are drawn into his love. As we open our hearts to him, as we engage him in trust, we lose sight of the outer world that confines and defines us, and we find our place in his love and in his blessing.
Hebrew Lesson:
Jeremiah 31:3b reading (click):
Note: Some of you may feel uneasy over the duplicity of Rebekah and the rejection of Esau as Abraham's heir, but it must be remembered that Esau was not a true believer, as evidenced by his repudiation of the birthright, and indeed he was indifferent regarding matters of the promises given to Abraham and Isaac... Jacob, on the other hand, was the legal heir and because of his faith the blessing and legacy belonged to him. To allow Esau to interfere with the lineage of the family line (he married Canaanite women, after all) would threaten the coming of the Messiah Himself - and this was not a matter to be taken lightly.
Helmet of Salvation...
11.10.21 (Kislev 6, 5782) "O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, you have covered my head in the day of battle" (Psalm 140:7). We are in the midst of a great war for the sanctity of our souls, and the enemy is always fear. Fear amplifies our anxieties and magnifies our problems, since it heeds messages of unbelief and justifies despair. We must understand that fear is a false witness - an emissary that gainsays the truth and denies the power of God. In your struggle with fearful thoughts, take every thought captive and resolutely put your trust in the Lord. He will "cover your head" in the midst of the battle.
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 140:7 reading (click):
To Love the Truth...
11.10.21 (Kislev 6, 5782) Like most things that are important for our spiritual lives, this bears repeating: Those who follow Yeshua are responsible to love and walk in truth and to abhor and reject what is false (1 John 4:6). This implies that we have a moral and spiritual duty to think clearly and not to abuse our minds (Phil. 4:8; Rom. 12:2). The LORD our God will help us to do this, as Yeshua said: "I will ask the Father, and he will give you a Helper (παράκλητος, someone "called to one's side"), to be with you forever, even the Spirit of Truth (i.e., ruach ha'emet: רוּחַ הָאֱמֶת), whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him" (John 14:16-17). The Spirit of Truth helps us "discern what is the will of God, what is good, acceptable, and perfect" (Rom. 12:2) and empowers us to take "every thought captive" to the reality of the Divine Presence (2 Cor. 10:4-5). Truth is connected to memory - both in our personal histories as well as the history of God's redemptive actions performed on our behalf. Truth is described as "a-letheia" (ἀλήθεια), literally meaning "not forgetfulness..." Hence we are constantly commanded to remember what God has done for us and to "diligently repeat" (ושׁננתם) the truth to our children (Deut. 6:4-9). Similarly, the Spirit of Truth brings to remembrance the words of Yeshua to our hearts (John 14:26).
Hebrew Lesson:
Proverbs 22:6 reading with comments:
So followers of Yeshua are commanded to love the truth and to think clearly about their faith. The ministry of reconciliation (τὴν διακονίαν τῆς καταλλαγῆς) is defined as "the word of truth, by the power of God, through weapons of righteousness" (2 Cor. 5:18, 6:7). Indeed, the word of truth (τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας) is a synonym for the "gospel of salvation" itself (Eph. 1:13; Col. 1:5; James 1:18). We are saved by Yeshua, who is the "way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). God commands all people to believe this truth (Acts 17:30-31; 1 Tim. 2:4). People perish because "they refuse to love the truth and so be saved" (2 Thess. 2:10-12). Therefore we see that the issue of truth is central to salvation itself....
Genuine teshuvah (repentance) implies that we will change our thinking in order to be transformed by God's truth. The follower of Messiah "cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth" (2 Cor. 13:8). During this season before the return of the Lord, may God help us all to think clearly and to turn our thoughts to Him. May He protect us from the vanity of a darkened mind and from all distractions that attempt to seduce us away from Him. May the LORD give us the purity of heart to know and do His will in the truth. Amen.
The Ladder to Heaven...
[ Our Torah reading this week (Vayetzei) includes the famous vision of Jacob wherein he saw the angels of God ascending and descending a ladder that reached from earth toward heaven... ]
11.09.21 (Kislev 5, 5782) Recall that after Jacob had received the (second) blessing from his father Isaac, he fled for his life to escape the wrath of his brother Esau. He then came upon a certain place (וַיִּפְגַּע בַּמָּקוֹם) and stayed there for the night because the sun had set. Jacob then "took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep" (Gen. 28:11). And so began Jacob's journey from his homeland to attain the promise of God, and such is the way for us as well, as we first receive our Father's blessing but soon are consigned to desolate places to await things yet unseen. For the way of blessing comes not from the "fatness of the earth" but from the more rarefied "dew from heaven," which descends in mystery, after the sun has set (Gen. 27:28, cp. Gen. 27:39).
The faithful "descend in order to ascend," which means they first suffer and then they are glorified. This is the pattern of Yeshua, who emptied himself and suffered before he was raised up in everlasting glory. "Unless a seed of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit" (John 12:24; 1 Cor. 15:36). God humbles and tests those whom he loves so they may learn to trust in his promise - his word - and to demonstrate his faithfulness in the end (Deut. 8:3; Rom. 11:36).
Note, then, that after being driven from his homeland Jacob dreamed of the ladder with the angels ascending and descending as the LORD himself announced his blessing over his seed (Gen. 28:12-14). Yeshua, as we learn from the gospel (John 1:51) explained that the vision ultimately referred to him - about how the angels followed him during his ascent and descent as the ladder or "bridge" between God and man. The descent refers to Yeshua's incarnation wherein he entered the realm of this world, clothed in human flesh as the Promised Seed, the "Son of Man" who would restore the lost dominion of Adam; whereas the ascent refers to Yeshua's resurrection - the redemption and return of fallen humanity by means of ascension and glorification as LORD over all. Luther understands the angelic host descending and ascending to reveal how the angels love and follow after their Lord -- whose face they do always behold -- eager to witness His advent as our Savior and Redeemer (see Matt. 18:10; 1 Pet. 1:12; 1 Tim. 3:16). Yeshua is Emanuel (עמנו אל), the Heralded Seed through whom all the families of the earth be blessed (Luke 2:8-15).
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Returning to the account of the Torah, after Jacob received this dramatic vision, he awoke from his sleep and exclaimed: "Surely God is in this place, but I did not know!" And he was afraid, and said, "How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God (בֵּית אֱלֹהִים), and this is the gate of heaven" (וְזֶה שַׁעַר הַשָּׁמָיִם, Gen. 28:16-17). Amen, Yeshua is ha'makom (המקום), the appointed "Place" of God, the very "House" of His presence; he alone is the way that leads us back to the Father (John 14:6). Yeshua is the Bridge to the Father, the narrow way of passage that leads to life. He has healed us from the sting of death. He calls out to us in the storm saying, "Take heart. It is I; be not afraid" (Matt. 14:27). Amen.
Hebrew Lesson:
John 14:6 reading (click):
Forget not His Love...
11.09.21 (Kislev 5, 5782) If something is worth truly saying, it is worth saying more than once... We learn by repetition. Consider how Yeshua retold his parables and messages throughout his ministry. God knows we are dull of heart and full of ourselves and therefore he says: וזכרת את־יהוה אלהיך- "Now remember the LORD your God!" and "Take heed to yourself, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life" (Deut. 4:9). Likewise the Shema teaches us to rehearse Torah "diligently" - again and again - so that our lives are suffused in its language and its significance (Deut. 6:4-9). When we sit in our house, when we walk by the way, when we lie down, and when we rise up -- in every place and at every time -- we are to remember the truth and thereby walk before the Living God.
"Take heed to yourself..." This warning underscores the danger we face of "forgetting" God, of losing sight of the truth of reality, and thereby lapsing into the realm of the profane... We must, therefore, foster within us a state of ongoing vigilance that regards the greatness of God in the midst of our daily lives. "Give us this day our daily bread." Your life, your being, and your very existence come from God, but forgetting this leads to "tohu va'vahu," a life of vanity and chaos. Therefore practice God's presence; believe to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. The language God uses bespeaks his imperative passion for us: "Do not forget me! Keep your heart open to my Presence! Know me in all your ways..."
Hebrew Lesson:
Deut. 4:9a reading (click):
Draw near in your need...
11.09.21 (Kislev 5, 5782) "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you" (James 4:8). There are no conditions given here -- other than your raw need to connect with God for help. "Purify your hearts, you double-minded ones" (δίψυχοι, lit. "two-souled ones"); make up your mind and be unified within your heart: "How long will you go limping between two different opinions?" (1 Kings 18:21). You are invited to come; God has made the way; your place at the table has been set and prepared. "Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith (ἐν πληροφορίᾳ πίστεως), with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful" (Heb. 10-22-23).
Hebrew Lesson:
Isaiah 55:6 reading (click):
Deliver us from Offence...
11.08.21 (Kislev 4, 5782) Yeshua forewarned that just before the End of Days, "many shall be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another" (Matt. 24:10). What dreadful people, you might imagine... what terrible depravity will mark that time! And yet here we are today, with so many crusading for their own personal sense of victimhood, demanding special treatment, and threatening retaliation for being treated unfairly... It must be remembered, however, that whenever we find offence in others, we are reflecting the evil within ourselves (Matt. 7:1-5). What is this evil within you ask? How about being intolerant toward those who differ from us? How about be impatient – refusing to allow others to share their perspectives? Indeed, how many of us make the demand that others be "perfect" but turn a blind eye to our own imperfections? And what about the sin of unforgiveness? What about our attitude of suspicion -- using the "evil eye" regarding others' motives – looking for something impure – rather than extending to them the benefit of the doubt? Do you carry resentment with your heart? Do you hold on to a grudge over a real (or imagined) insult from the past? Do you harbor the desire to seek revenge? All of these evil attitudes are symptomatic of hardhearted unforgiveness, and failing to remember that all that is good in your life you owe exclusively to the mercy of God alone... When you feel offended, look within and carefully consider the assumptions at work in your thinking. Ask whether your indignation is based on the truth of God or something else. Are you demanding: "My will be done, in heaven as it is on earth?" Are you seeking to fulfill your own vision, or surrendering to the truth of Reality?
It is written, "Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor, but evil comes to him who searches for it" (Prov. 11:27). The one who seeks good is called shocher tov (שׁחֵר טוֹב), "a seeker of good." The shocher tov uses the "good eye" (ayin ha'tovah) to see worth and potential in others. The one who searches out evil, on the other hand, is called doresh ra'ah, "a searcher of evil." The doresh ra'ah has an evil eye (ayin ha'ra) that is "stingy," critical and faultfinding. The proverb may therefore be stated this way: When you seek the good of others, you will find God's favor (ratzon), but when you search for evil in others, it becomes your own. As the Baal Shem Tov once said, "When we see faults in others, we must understand that they only reflect the evil within ourselves." Likewise King David said, וּתְפִלָּתִי עַל־חֵיקִי תָשׁוּב, "my prayer shall turn back upon my breast" (Psalm 35:13). Some prayers are conscious words spoken to God, whereas others are expressions of heart attitudes. Our proverb teaches that when we harbor indifference, ill will, or resentment toward others, we hurt ourselves; when we favor others and desire their blessing, on the other hand, we will find God's favor and blessing. Tov ayin hu yevorakh: "The one with the good eye will be blessed" (Prov. 22:9; Matt. 6:22).
שׁחר טוב יבקשׁ רצון
ודרשׁ רעה תבואנו
shoh·cheir · tohv · ye·va·keish · rah·tzohn
ve·doh·reish · ra·ah · te·voh·e'·noo
"Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor,
but evil comes to him who searches for it." (Prov. 11:27)
Hebrew Lesson:
Proverbs 11:27 reading (click):
Addendum:
Someone might object by saying that it is not right to overlook the evil we see in others, for example, the unjust practices of deceptive and immoral politicians, or the actions of criminals who commit acts of lawlessness. When we see evil, how do we see the good instead? Should we ignore wickedness and close our eyes to what is happening?
Well of course we should uphold law and the prosecution of criminals, and we should admonish (and sometimes even rebuke) our brothers and sisters when they sin, but in an ultimate sense, we have to see past the evil, to let it pass, in trust that God is sovereign and orders all things according to his sovereign purposes -- and that implies understanding that God suffers evil to exist in order to demonstrate his judgment, as it says: "The LORD has made all things for its purpose -- even the wicked for the day of evil" (Psalm 16:4).
Seeing the Unseen...
11.08.21 (Kislev 4, 5782) Yeshua told us: "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29). Despite the struggle of this life - our sorrows, pains, and even death itself - we believe in God's love and promise for us, even if we do not presently see the fulfillment of our hope, just as Abraham believed the promise that he would be the father of an innumerable multitude long before he saw any sign of its fulfillment. Abraham "believed the impossible" and "hoped against hope" (παρ᾽ ἐλπίδα ἐπ᾽ ἐλπίδι), meaning that hope moved within him even though there was nothing to see in the realm of the natural -- he believed in an unseen good; he trusted in the One who gives life to the dead and who "calls into existence the things that do not exist" (Rom. 4:17). The Scripture comments: "He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the deadness of Sarah's womb. He did not stumble over the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in faith, and gave glory to God, fully persuaded that God was able to do what he had promised, and that is why his faith was counted to him as righteousness" (Rom. 4:19-22).
Likewise we are called to believe in an unseen good, an unimaginably wonderful destiny for our lives, as it says, "Things no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor mind imagined, are the things God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Cor. 2:9). Faith does not use natural reason or the evidence of the senses to see the unseen, but it "believes to see" through "eyes of the heart" to know the hope of God's calling and to attain the blessing (Eph. 1:18). Faith in God's love comes from a different source and has a different means of apprehension than human wisdom, so that no matter how things might appear in this fallen world, the LORD God may be known and trusted to work all things for our ultimate good. "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." Amen.
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 27:14 reading (click):
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