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Prayer Request (for site updates, see below)
I was laid off from my full-time job several years ago when -- after a lot of prayer, soul searching and discussion with my wife -- we decided to operate the Hebrew for Christians ministry entirely by faith in God's provision through the love and kindness of His people. I am not paid for doing this work, and therefore I ask you to consider supporting us. If you can help, please offer a donation or purchase some of the Hebrew study materials offered here. Encouraging other web sites to link here also helps us become more visible on the web. Above all, agree with us for the Lord's will to be done in our lives. Todah, chaverim.
    
Note: My wife and I have have three young children (Josiah, Judah, and Emanuel David ). The LORD has graciously provided for us as Adonai Yireh (יְהוָה יִרְאֶה), "the One who sees [our need]." We are living one day at a time by the grace and mercy of God, and I want to publicly praise Yeshua and acknowledge His faithful love in caring for my family -- despite the trials during this time. The LORD God of Israel is faithful and true! And to those of you who have sent us a word of encouragement or donation during this difficult time, please accept our heartfelt appreciation! Your chesed truly helps sustain us.
יהי שׁם יהוה מברך - "May the Name of the Lord be blessed."
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I want to offer a word of thanks for all your kindness and encouragement over the last 20+ years, chaverim... I could not be in ministry apart from the grace and love you have shown to me and my family. Thank you so much and may the great and unsurpassable blessings of the LORD God of Israel be upon you always. -John
Jewish Holiday Calendar
Note: For site updates, please scroll past this entry....
The Torah divides the calendar into two symmetrical halves: the Spring and the Fall, indicating the two advents of Messiah. The Biblical year officially begins during the month of the Passover from Egypt (called Rosh Chodashim, see Exod. 12:2), and the spring holidays of Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits both recall our deliverance from Egypt and also our greater deliverance given by means of the death, burial, and resurrection of the Messiah, the great Passover Lamb of God. The holiday of Shavuot (i.e., "Pentecost") both commemorates the revelation of the Torah at Sinai as well as the revelation of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) at Zion, in fulfillment of the promise given by our Lord....
The intermediate months of summer end with the advent of the sixth month of the calendar, the month of Elul, which recalls the time Moses interceded on behalf of Israel after the sin of the Golden Calf. To commemorate this time of our history, we likewise focus on teshuvah (repentance) in anticipation of Rosh Hashanah and especially in anticipation of Yom Kippur, the great "Day of Atonement." In Jewish tradition the 30 days of Elul are combined with the first ten days of the seventh month (called the "Days of Awe") to set apart "Forty Days of Teshuvah" leading up to the Day of Forgiveness for Israel. Immediately following Yom Kippur, the mood changes as we begin preparing for a joyous week-long celebration called Sukkot (i.e., "Tabernacles") that concludes with the holiday of Simchat Torah.
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The Spring Holidays:
The spring holidays (i.e., chagei ha'aviv: חגי האביב) provide a portrait of the death, burial, and resurrection of the Messiah: Yeshua was crucified on erev Pesach (during the time of the sacrifice of the Passover lambs), buried during Chag Hamotzi (the festival of Unleavened Bread), and resurrected from the dead on Yom Habikkurim (the Day of Firstfruits). Fifty days after Passover, on the climactic holiday of Shavuot (i.e., "Pentecost"), the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) fell on the believers in fulfillment of the promise given by our Lord. Note that the giving of the Holy Spirit occurred precisely according to the calendar countdown given in the Torah (Lev. 23:15-16), and that it occurred after the resurrection of Yeshua -- just as our Messiah foretold (John 16:7; Acts 1:6-8, 2:1-4). This proves that the feasts of the LORD (מוֹעדי יהוה) were not abolished after the crucifixion. The meaning of the gospel is prefigured in the holidays given in Torah. See Luke 24:27, 24:44; John 5:46; Acts 26:22, etc.
![Spring Holiday Timeline (H4C]](../../About_HFC/Site_News/roshchodeshim-line.gif) |
Kindly note that in accordance with both Torah and Jewish tradition, the following holiday dates begin at sundown (ויהי־ערב ויהי־בקר; Gen. 1:5):
- Month of Adar (Thurs. Feb. 27th [eve]) - Sat. March 29th [day])
Dates for Passover Week 2025:
Free Seder Guide
- Month of Nisan (Sat. March 29th [eve]) - Sun. April 27th [day])
- Month of Iyyar (Sun. April 27th [eve] - Tues. May 27th [day])
- Month of Sivan (Tues. May 27th [eve] - Wed. June 25th [day])
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Note: For more information, see the Calendar Pages....
March 2025 Site Updates
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Anticipating Passover:
Shabbat HaChodesh...
03.23.25 (Adar 23, 5785) The world system runs on a "clock" that operates under assumptions that are different than those revealed in the Scriptures.... The "wisdom of this world" (σοφία τοῦ κόσμου τούτου) is the prevailing cultural spirit that suppresses the reality of God's Presence and truth. Such "wisdom" is regarded as foolishness before God, and God has promised to "seize the so-called wise in their own craftiness" (1 Cor. 3:19). The life of faith, on the other hand, sees what is invisible. Faith (emunah) apprehends "the substance (ὑπόστασις) of things hoped for, the assurance (ἔλεγχος, conviction, "correction," "argument," i.e., hokhachah: הוכחה) of things not seen" (Heb 11:1). As the Scripture says, faith "looks not to the things seen but to the things unseen; for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal" (2 Cor. 4:18).
The Sabbath that immediately precedes (and sometimes falls on) the Biblical New Year is called Shabbat HaChodesh (שבת החודש), the "Sabbath of the Month" (of Nisan). This Sabbath is significant because it marks the start of the month of Redemption (i.e., the first month called Nisan) which God called "the beginning of months" (i.e., Rosh Chodashim). We honor this event by reading an additional passage from the Torah concerning the sanctification of the new moon (Exod. 12:1-20), and we spiritually prepare for this month by studying about Passover and the coming spring holidays:
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The commandment to sanctify the first new moon of the year (i.e., Rosh Chodashim) reveals that it is our responsibility to sanctify (i.e., observe) Biblical time in general. In other words, when we observe "the beginning of months," we are acknowledging that time itself is rooted in the Biblical calendar with its divinely inspired cycle of festivals (i.e., the moedim). Note that this year the Biblical New Year begins on Sat. March 29th at sundown, and therefore Passover begins exactly two week weeks later, Sun. April 12th at sundown:
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Originally Rosh Chodashim was called the "first month" because it marked the month of the Exodus and other months were named in relation to it, similar to the days of the week in the calendar (i.e., the first day, the second day...). Later it was called Chodesh Ha-Aviv (חודש חביב) - "the springtime month" (because the calendar is reset in the spring) and later still as Nisan (ניסן), to recall God's faithfulness after the Babylonian Exile (Neh. 2:1; Esther 3:7).
The word "Nisan" (נִיסָן) might come from either the word nitzan (ניצן), meaning "bud" (Song 2:12), or the word nissim (ניסים) meaning "miracles," both of which suggest physical and spiritual resurrection in our lives. Others think the word comes from the verb nus (נוּס), meaning "to flee," both in relation to Israel's flight from Egypt and Egypt's flight from Israel (i.e., when the pursuing Egyptian cavalry fled (נָסִים) before the sea closed upon them (Exod. 14:25, 27). We also see this usage in the verse: "The wicked flee (נָסוּ) when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion" (Prov. 28:1). The devil's power is found in the lie. If he can make you afraid, you will not think clearly. Establishing your faith in the truth will embolden you to deal with the lies and distortions that are intended to enslave you in fear. As Yeshua said, the truth will set you free (John 8:32).
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The new moon of Nisan is the most significant of the "new moons" of the Jewish calendar since it initiates the first month of the Biblical Calendar - and therefore represents the Biblical "New Year's Day." Of all the various Rosh Chodesh celebrations, then, Rosh Chodesh Nisan is foundational, since it presents the starting point for the cycle of the yearly festivals (mo'edim) that reveal prophetic truths about the LORD God of Israel and His beloved Son, Yeshua the Messiah, blessed be He.
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֵיךָ יהוה אֱלהֵינוּ
וֵאלהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁתְּחַדֵּשׁ עָלֵינוּ חדֶשׁ טוֹב
בַּאֲדנֵינוּ יֵשׁוּעַ הַמָּשִׁיחַ אָמֵן
ye·hee · ra·tzon · meel'·fa·ne'·kha · Adonai · e·lo·hey'·noo
vei·lo·hey · a·vo·tey'·noo · she·te·cha·desh · a·ley'·noo · cho·desh tov
ba'a·do·ney'·noo · Ye·shoo'·a · ha'·mh·shee'·ach · a·men
"May it be Your will, LORD our God and God of our fathers,
that you renew for us a good month in our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. Amen."
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Glory Fills the Temple
Parashah Pekudei...
03.23.25 (Adar 23, 5785) Our Torah this week is parashat "Pekudei," (i.e., פְקוּדֵי הַמִּשְׁכָּן, "accounts of the Mishkan") which is the concluding portion of the tremendously important Book of Exodus (i.e., ספר שמות). It begins with Moses' accounting of (פקודי) all the materials that were donated by the people for the construction of the Mishkan (i.e., Tabernacle). After Moses recorded the inventory of the building materials and furnishings, he carefully checked the special priestly garments. After all the work was confirmed to be in complete accordance with the LORD's instructions, Moses blessed the people. The LORD then commanded Moses to assemble the Mishkan on "the first month in the second year [from the date of the Exodus], on the first day of the month" (i.e., on Nisan 1, or Rosh Chodashim, Exod. 40:17).
Once the Tabernacle was completed and all its vessels were accounted for and inspected, Moses anointed all its components with the sacred anointing oil, called shemen ha-mishchah (note that the word "mishchah" (מִשְׁחָה) comes from the same root as "Messiah" (מָשִׁיחַ), indicating that the Mishkan (i.e., Tabernacle) would foreshadow God's plan of redemption given in Yeshua). Moses then formally initiated Aaron and his four sons into the priesthood, marking their hands and feet with sacrificial blood and "waving them" before the Lord to picture resurrection. God's Presence - manifest as the Shekhinah Cloud of Glory – then filled the Holy of Holies in the Tent of Meeting.
At the end of the portion we read, וַיְכַל משֶׁה אֶת־הַמְּלָאכָה / "Moses finished all the work" (Exod. 40:33), a phrase that has the same gematria (numeric value) as bereshit (בְּרֵאשִׁית, "in the beginning"), the very first word of the Torah (Gen. 1:1). This suggests that the creation of the universe was for the sake of the building of the Tabernacle, and by extension, for the sake of the sacrificial love of God to be demonstrated to all of creation. The Talmud states, "All the world was created for the Messiah" (Sanhedrin 98b) and indeed, Yeshua is called "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" in the New Testament (Rev. 13:8; 1 Pet. 1:18-20; Eph. 1:4; 2 Tim. 1:9).
The Presence of the Glory of God that descended from Sinai upon the newly dedicated Mishkan represented a climactic moment for the fledgling nation, since the Sin of the Golden Calf had jeopardized whether the God would indeed dwell within the midst of the camp of Israel... Recall that it was only after Moses had returned from Sinai bearing the second set of Tablets (on Yom Kippur) that the glow of the LORD's redeeming love radiated from his face, and new hope was given to Israel (prefiguring the New Covenant). The King of Glory would accompany the people from Sinai to the Promised Land! (The narrative continues in the Book of Numbers, beginning exactly one month after the Mishkan was assembled.)
Turn to God and be Saved...
03.21.25 (Adar 21, 5785) "Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth!" (Isa. 45:22). Though the LORD graciously seeks and saves the lost, He calls us to return to Him and be saved. This is the challenge we face, and on a daily basis, to truly turn to the LORD... And yet when we do, when we center all our heart in him, we experience salvation. All that oppresses us, all our fears and troubles begin to fade from view and we find refuge: "And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, but Yeshua only" (Matt. 17:8).
Rouse yourself, therefore, and return to the LORD. Look to Him now and earnestly seek His face. If ever there was a time to believe that "the end is near," it is in our day, and in the course of this generation. As the LORD appealed to apostate Judah in the time of Isaiah, so the appeal resounds to our day: "Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers" (Isa. 1:5-7).
We only have this hour. Today is the day... No matter what may beset your way, no matter the buffeting gale of your shame, no matter the wound you have made of your life -- return to the outstretched arms of Yeshua's mercy extended for your salvation. "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us," which is to say that He welcomes you into the utmost depths of his heart, to know and love Him forever... He promises that the one who comes to Him will never be refused (John 6:27). Friend, heed the Spirit's invitation and receive the salvation of the LORD.
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 45:22 reading (click):
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The Essence of Torah...
03.21.25 (Adar 21, 5785) The goal of the Sinai revelation was not to simply impart a set of moral or social laws, but rather to "accommodate" the Divine Presence in the midst of the people. This is not to suggest that the various laws and decrees given to Israel were unimportant, of course, since they reflect the holy character and moral will of God. Nonetheless, the climax of the revelation of the Torah - its goal or purpose or "end" - was the revelation of the altar which prefigured the sacrificial work of the Lamb of God.
The central sacrifice upon this altar was the daily sacrifice (i.e., korban tamid: קָרְבַּן תָּמִיד) of a defect-free male lamb with unleavened bread and wine. The LORD calls this "My offering, My bread..." (see Num. 28:1-8). In other words, the service and ministry of the Mishkan (i.e., Tabernacle) constantly foreshadowed the coming Lamb of God who would be offered upon the altar "made without hands" to secure our eternal redemption (Heb. 9:11-12). The sacrifice of the lamb is therefore central to the meaning and purpose of the Torah.
The meaning behind the blood that was shed, the very life that was given, is to ransom us from the grip of death. It is the sacrificial love of God that is the essence of Torah; it is the heart of God that offers himself up in sacrifice so that we may belong to him... There is no point for "laws" or decrees apart from the love of God that redeems us from our sin (selah).
The Talmud says "All the world was created for the Messiah" (Sanhedrin 98b). The Apostle Paul had earlier said the same thing: "All things were created by Him (i.e., Yeshua), and for Him" and in Him all things consist (συνεστηκεν, lit. "stick together") (Col. 1:16-17). Indeed, all of creation is being constantly upheld by the word of the Messiah's power (Heb. 1:3). Creation begins and ends with the redemptive love of God as manifested in the Person of Yeshua our LORD...
The Messiah is the Center of Creation - its beginning and end. As it is written: אָנכִי אָלֶף וְתָו רִאשׁוֹן וְאַחֲרוֹן ראשׁ וָסוֹף / "I am the 'Aleph' and the 'Tav,' the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End" (Rev. 22:13). "For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen" (Rom. 11:36). In everything Yeshua has the preeminence (Col. 1:18), and his "work" is of first importance (1 Cor. 2:2, 1 Cor. 15:3-4). Yeshua our Messiah is called מֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים / Melech Malchei Hamelachim: The "King of kings of kings." He is LORD of all possible worlds -- from the highest celestial glory to the dust of death upon a cross. Yehi shem Adonai mevorakh: "Let the Name of the LORD be blessed" forever and ever (Psalm 113:2).
So while we can agree with the Talmud's general statement that the world was created for the Messiah, we would insist that the Messiah is none other than Yeshua, God's Son, and indeed, the Messiah could be no other...
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 43:11 Hebrew reading:
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Note: For more on this subject, see the "Choosing to Belong" article.
The Tenth Red Heifer...
This coming Shabbat is called "Shabbat Parah," the Sabbath of the [red] Cow." Besides reading the regular Torah reading (i.e., Vayakhel), we read about the mysterious red heifer sacrifice....
03.21.25 (Adar 21, 5785) Jewish tradition says there have been nine Red Heifers (תשע פרות אדומות) historically offered on behalf of the Jewish people. The first was offered by Moses and Eleazar; the second by Ezra the Scribe; two more were offered by Simon the Righteous and another two by Yochanan the High Priest; a seventh was offered by the prophet Elijah; the eighth by Hanamel the Egyptian, and the ninth by Yishmael son of Piabi (15-16 AD). The tradition says that the tenth (and final) Red Heifer will be offered by the Messiah at the time of the rebuilding of the future Temple (Mishnah, Parah 3:5).
Many well-meaning Christians get excited over occasional reports that a new Red Heifer has been born, understanding this to be a sign from God that the time to rebuild the Jewish Temple is at hand. But even if a "kosher" Red Heifer be found and later sacrificed, how should we regard this -- especially in light of the Brit Chadashah and its clear teaching that Yeshua is the substance of the what the shadow of the Red Heifer represents?
It is important to remember that the red heifer that will be used for the Third Temple (i.e., the "Tribulation Temple"), and while there is prophetic interest in the ritual, it will be of no true consequence, since Yeshua embodies the Substance of the Red Heifer who cleanses us from the impurity of death... Yeshua will indeed establish the Temple of Ezekiel's vision during the Millennial Kingdom after His return in glory, called the "Fourth Temple," but that is not to be confused with the Third Temple of acharit ha'yamim ("end of days").
For more information about the Red Heifer sacrifice, see the "Gospel of the Red Cow" article as well as the "Tenth Red Heifer" (הפרה האדומה העשירית) page.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 51:7 reading (click):
The Gospel at Sinai...
03.21.25 (Adar 21, 5785) The tragic episode of the Golden Calf revealed that the Israelites were unable to keep the law, even though they had personally experienced the power of God's deliverance from Egypt and had heard God's Voice directly speaking the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai. The presence of the idol demonstrated that something more was needed, and that the law by itself was insufficient to change the heart (Rom. 3:20).
The poignant intercession of Moses on behalf of Israel - his willingness to die on behalf of the people - foreshadowed the need for a New Covenant (בְּרִית חֲדָשָׁה), a deeper revelation of the righteousness of God in terms of mercy and grace (Exod. 34:6-7; John 1:17; Rom. 3:21). The (second) revelation of the Name YHVH (יהוה) therefore represented a "gospel" moment for Israel. Just as the first set of tablets, based as they were on the justice and holiness of God, were broken, so a second set was graciously restored based on God's forgiveness and love. Likewise, Yeshua was broken on behalf of the law but was raised again so that all who trust in Him can understand that God is "merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and truth" (Exod. 34:6, Psalm 86:15, 103:8). Only at the cross of Yeshua are God's justice and love forever reconciled (Prov. 16:6; Psalm 85:10; Rom. 3:26).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 86:15 Hebrew reading:
For more on this subject, see the Ki Tisa article, "God's Stubborn Love."
Theology of Suffering...
This entry is also available on the H4C Substack page (click).
03.20.25 (Adar 20, 5784) How we answer the question of why we suffer depends on how we interpret its meaning and its potential purpose in our lives. For example, an atheist cosmologist likely will explain suffering in "mechanistic" terms, as a "brute fact" of life that has no intrinsic meaning or purpose. All that exists "naturally" comes into being and then disintegrates and dies. There is no reason for the existence of the cosmos and there is no discernible purpose in its random patterns and motions. There is therefore no answer to the deeper metaphysical question of "why is there something rather than nothing." Life is an "irrational given" and we must simply invent meaning and find the will to live until the inevitable end of life occurs.
People of faith, however, believe that a personal God created all things, including human beings, and therefore they regard such atheistic reductionism as simplistic and untrue to the lived experience and intuitions of spiritual reality. Life is regarded as a divine blessing be respected, and suffering and death are therefore regarded as tragic anomalies. Human conscience reveals transcendental moral truth and the consciousness of justice. The fact of suffering cries out for an explanation and therefore theological questions are raised for the heart of faith. For instance, does God sovereignly orchestrate suffering for our ultimate good, as part of his divine plan for our lives, or does God respond and intervene in our suffering, seeking to heal us from its influence? In other words, should we understand suffering as "inside" God's master plan for our lives, or somehow "outside" of that plan?
Such questions are surely not academic, since genuine suffering threatens our basic need to understand what is happening to us (and why), and therefore our heart cries out for a reason for our loss and pain. Indeed seemingly pointless suffering can lead to bitterness, chronic depression, the loss of faith, and even suicide, so it is vital to attempt to understand its function in our lives and to find hope in our struggles. After all, without some reason for suffering, some "why" that we can use to navigate and interpret our struggle, we may begin to feel victimized, prisoners of an absurd and pain-riddled world...
Most people of faith in the Hebrew Scriptures infer that there is a divine purpose for everything (i.e., the "principle of sufficient reason") which is grounded and determined in God's sovereign will. God is the Supreme Power who orchestrates history and its redemption according to a divine plan. The Lamb was slain from the "foundation of the world." The Lord is Ribbono Shel Olam, the "Master of the Universe," who directs all things after the counsel of his own will and in accordance with his sovereign good pleasure (see Isa. 40:13; Eph. 1:3-12; Rom. 8:28). This understanding implies that suffering is "inside" God's plan, not something "outside" of it, since by allowing suffering God in effect decrees its occurrence. Whatever touches our lives is bound up in God's overarching plan for creation, and since God is perfectly good, we can trust his plan for us, even if we suffer in this life (Jer. 29:11).
This exegetical approach to the question of why we suffer flows from various Biblical premises that God our Creator is infinite in power, wisdom, and love. Surely God can do anything he desires, and whatever He chooses is the best, which implies that this is the "best of all possible worlds," and - mystically accepted -- that everything is perfect -- even if we cannot fathom the deep purposes behind God's decrees (Isa. 55:8-9). Nothing is impossible for God (Luke 1:37); God never makes mistakes; God is not unaware, asleep, or unable to intervene in our lives. Indeed, God's power sustains the world at every moment, from the realm of the subatomic to the realm of cosmic (Heb. 1:3; Col. 1:16-17). And since God is supremely loving, compassionate, and perfectly good, we can trust his plan and feel secure that "all is well, and all manner of thing shall be well," even when we are in darkness (Isa. 50:10).
Perhaps the biggest objection to this optimistic view has to do with what appears to be "gratuitous" evil, such as senseless murders, "horrendous" evils such as wars of aggression and genocide, and "natural" evils such as earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and so on. It is difficult to fit such tragedies into a "perfect world scenario," and human outrage instinctively seeks for an alternative explanation. For instance, wouldn't the universe be better -- all other things being equal -- if just one child was not murdered rather than murdered? In other words, to successfully object to the idea that this is "the best of all possible worlds," we need to find only one logically possible counterexample which in turn would cast doubt upon the meaning of the original premises.... Put another way, are we prepared to say that it is necessary for God's perfect plan that every actual evil occurs, or can we say that it is at least possible that a world without one of these evils would be better than a world with it?
A different approach to the problem of why we suffer begins by rejecting the idea that suffering is "inside" God's plan, but instead should be regarded as "outside," as an alien force resulting from disobedience to God's moral will. Suffering is not an essential part of God's plan, but a derived part, a corollary to disobedience. Indeed, God's ultimate plan is to remove our suffering by means of our free response to his healing love. God "restricts" himself (tzimtzum) or "empties" himself (κενόω) to allow creatures some measure of real choice. Sin is the abuse of freedom for which God cannot be held responsible, and therefore suffering arises as a consequence for turning away from the reality of God's good will.
The appeal of this view is that it seems to make sense of the common "language of imperative" found in the Scriptures. Over and over we are commanded to love God, to love others as ourselves, to pursue justice, to walk in mercy, to do righteousness, and so on. We have a duty to serve God and follow the truth. "Ought implies can," and therefore the commands of Scripture imply that it is our responsibility to choose what is right and good, and to refrain from doing what is wrong and evil. In other words, it is up to us to turn to God and walk in his ways, and it's our failure to yield our will to God's direction (Torah) that leads to delusional thinking, and finally to suffering, pain, and death itself...
The "free will defense" (of God's goodness despite the presence of evil) as it's sometimes called, is not without complications, however. For instance, if we say that God cannot cause free moral agents to do what is right, and therefore that he must create them with the capability to choose evil, then this implies that God created the possibility for evil, and that when this possibility is considered in relation to God's foreknowledge, this further implies that God created moral agents knowing they would choose evil over good. However, if suffering is not "inside" God's plan, it is hard to understand why God wouldn't have created truly free moral agents who always choose the good in the first place. Certainly that is not a logical impossibility. Indeed, as Augustine said regarding the question of obedience and freedom, at first Adam and Eve were "able to sin" (posse peccare); but after they disobeyed God, they were infected with spiritual death and rendered "unable not to sin" (non posse non peccare). After regeneration through Yeshua, the soul is "able not to sin" (posse non peccare), though in heaven, finally, the soul will be "unable to sin" (non posse peccare), that is, free from the the possibility and presence of sin.
Let me explain this a bit further. According to Augustine, when God created man, he was in a state of "innocence" wherein he was entirely free to choose either to sin or not. After Adam sinned, however, death entered into the human race and the state of soul of all the descendants of Adam and Eve thereby became "unregenerated" (i.e., spiritually dead). Man's ability to choose was vitiated and he became enslaved to self-interest, driven by fear, and engulfed in spiritual darkness. His state of being as a "natural man" precluded him from apprehending the truth and living according to its light. After spiritual rebirth and "regeneration," however, the soul is "made alive" (ζωοποιεω) by the Holy Spirit and made free from the "law of sin and death," i.e., the power of sin. This does not mean, however, that the regenerated soul is able to attain a state of moral perfection and entirely cease from sinning, since the process of sanctification involves apprehending the soul's new identity through the ongoing practice of faith. Finally, the state of soul in olam haba -- the world to come -- is one wherein the soul is "glorified" and accorded the power both not to sin and the everlasting grace to be unable to sin against God. This is the heavenly state - the Holy Mountain - where the very presence of sin will forever be eradicated. If God will orchestrate such and end, why could he not have done so from the beginning?
A troubling implication of the classical "free will" defense, however, is that the possibility for doing evil seems necessary to be a free moral agent, which seems to suggest that evil is eternal... Like the (dubious) logic that claims we cannot know light apart from darkness, love apart from hate, and peace apart from strife, etc., so we will need these contradistinctions forever. But it seems contrary to the promise of Scripture that God will wipe every every tear from our eyes in the world to come, yet the language of pain will be known as well...
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 13:1 Hebrew reading:
The "free will defense of God" is popular because it permits us to feel outrage over suffering and evil without blaming God. Suffering is not something God intended for us (it is "outside" his plan), and therefore we must fight against it. Nevertheless we can make a distinction between evil and suffering, and though we agree that God does not will us evil, he may indeed will that we suffer, if that suffering "upbuilds the soul" or transforms our character to reveal the truth of Christ. The Chasidic School has said, "Man descends in order to ascend," meaning that the battle with yetzer hara (the "lower nature") is meant to strengthen us and develop qualities that we could otherwise not know. The Chassidic masters must have read Kierkegaard, who called suffering the process of being "educated for eternity." This world of shadows and decay is not our true home, and suffering is God's way of calling us away from the allure of its illusions. We only become a person, a self, in relationship with eternity, and suffering turns the soul's gaze away from the fleeting to the truth that unifies and heals us. As C.S. Lewis said, "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."
Marcel Proust once said, "To wisdom and goodness we make only promises; pain we obey," which I interpret to mean that suffering can teach us and help us develop into mature people. God "purges" the vine branches; he cuts back and reshapes our growth and direction (John 15:1-8). Our suffering builds endurance and strength, and unites us deeply with God's heart, with the goal of being glorified with Yeshua (Rom. 8:17). Suffering teaches us empathy, compassion, and humility, and God comforts us in our afflictions so that we can comfort others with the comfort we have been given by God (2 Cor. 1:3-4).
God graciously "delivers our soul from death, our eyes from tears, and our feet from stumbling" (Psalm 116:8) so that we are enabled to express his compassionate love to others in our lives... "For as we share abundantly in Messiah's sufferings, so we share abundantly in consolation (παράκλησις) of the Messiah, too" (1 Cor. 1:5). Therefore we can say, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort (אלהֵי כָּל־נֶחָמָה), who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God" (2 Cor. 1:3-4). Note that Paul links our present suffering (πάθος, pathos) with a divinely imparted comfort (παράκλησις, "paraklesis"), which he regards as a state of blessedness. God Himself "calls us to His side" (from παρά + καλέω) in the midst of our afflictions and pain.... The Greek text reads, ὁ παρακαλῶν ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ πάσῃ τῇ θλίψει ἡμῶν, and might be better rendered as, "The one calling to us [to His side] in all our tribulations" (2 Cor. 1:4). God invites us to come to His side for comfort so that we might offer his comfort to a lost and pain-riddled world.
In this view, suffering is "inside" God's plan as a means of ultimately healing us. Indeed, far from being a sign of God's abandonment, suffering is transformed to be a means of God's care for us. We are disciplined by God to bear a greater good (Heb. 12:7-11); we learn to endure trials for the sake of knowing and sharing the miracle of God's comforting love.
There are some other attempts to put suffering "outside" of God's plan that might be mentioned here. Some people regard life in this world as a cosmic battlefield and blame the devil for all the suffering and evil we experience. The proper response is not to blame God but rather to join Him in the battle of the ages against evil.
The traditional "problem of evil" may be stated that the three sentences: 1) God is all good; 2) God is all powerful; and 3) evil exists, are incompatible, if not logically, then at least existentially. The empirical philosopher David Hume succinctly put the problem this way: "Is He willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then He is impotent. Is He able, but not willing? Then He is malevolent. Is He both able and willing? Whence then is evil?" (Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion). In other words, if God is all good he would want to eliminate evil, and if God is all powerful he is able to eliminate evil, and yet evil exists, so we are left with the choice of accepting any two of these statements at the expense of the third. For example, someone could affirm that God is all good and evil exists, but God is unable to overpower evil; or someone could say that God is both all good and all powerful, and therefore (ultimately speaking) evil does not exist, and so on. Some people attempt to make suffering "outside" of God's will by denying his omnipotence -- by claiming that God literally cannot overcome evil because he has given moral agents their own sovereign will to choose... God logically cannot remove evil just like he can't make a square circle or cause 2+2 to equal 5. Others say that God does not know the future because reality is a process, and not a set of facts, and God simply leaves room for personal choices that are not predetermined to occur.
It should be clear that these other approaches are contrary to the clear teaching of Scripture, since God is the God of Truth (אֵל אֱמֶת) who indeed knows the beginning from the end, and indeed God's understanding and power are infinite (Psalm 147:5; Isa. 40:28; Psalm 145:3; Rom. 11:33). God is perfect in all his ways (Deut. 32:4). The Judge of the earth shall always do what is right (Gen. 18:25). Moreover God is utterly holy, absolute in moral perfections, and his will is beyond reproach. Additionally, Yeshua knew the truth value of "counterfactual conditionals" (Matt. 11:21-23), so it is simply incorrect to suppose that God cannot foresee future possibilities as well as actualities. God knows the truth conditions of all possible worlds, just as God knows the outcome of all actualized possibilities in the actual world.
Among those of us who trust God and the words of our Lord Yeshua the Savior, however, we are faced with paradox, with mystery, and therefore we must learn to accept that we "see through a glass darkly" (1 Cor. 13:12). On the one hand we unreservedly believe that God is the sole Authority of reality, the Master of the universe who decrees and ordains all things perfectly. God knows the number of the hairs on our head; he knows our thoughts before we think them and our words before we utter them (Psalm 139); he knows the bloom of every hidden wildflower and when the sparrow falls (Matt. 10:29). Surely He is our Good Shepherd who leads us through the world and orders all things to work together for our good (Rom. 8:28). His promises are secure because God is in control, and indeed God's Name YHVH (יהוה) means that he is the Faithful One who reigns over all states of being and time, in every realm of existence. God is Eternal and therefore he is the Possessor of Eternal Life, Truth, Being, and so on. YHVH is Lord of lords and King of kings whose word can never fail (Deut. 10:17; Dan. 2:47). Ein od milvado (אֵין עוֹד מִלְבַדּו): "there is no power apart from Him" (Deut. 4:35,9). Because our great God is in control of our lives and future, he must ordain suffering for us with only benevolent and healing intent.
On the other hand, the imperatives of Scripture implies that we have a real duty and responsibility to do truth, to love others, to receive the light, to trust in God, and so on. Like the rich man who asked Yeshua how to inherit eternal life (Mark 10:17-22), God does not force us to follow him or to accept his love, though there are real consequences for those who willingly choose to disregard moral and spiritual reality. Nevertheless -- and this is the problem given in the Book of Job -- it is very often the righteous that suffer, while the wicked seemingly prosper, and it this breakdown of the principle of "karma" (i.e., moral cause and effect) that is most problematic, at least in a reciprocal or rational sense...
In the end the question of why creatures suffer may be an unanswerable question, at least at the present time, because we are not omniscient and cannot ascertain the deepest reaches of God's redemptive purposes. Nevertheless we presently groan and seek for answers, because suffering is a ubiquitous part of our experience (צַעַר בַּעֲלֵי חַיִּים), and it threatens our sense of God's care for our lives... The academic question of how to reconcile faith in God with the prevalence of suffering is very different than the life of faith itself, where we trust God's heart, even if we cannot understand why things happen the way they do. Like a small child, we take hold of our heavenly Father's hand, not knowing why he is leading us the way we are going, but trusting in his care every step of the way.
"Son,'he said,' ye cannot in your present state understand eternity...That is what mortals misunderstand. They say of some temporal suffering, "No future bliss can make up for it," not knowing that Heaven, once attained, will work backwards and turn even that agony into a glory. And of some sinful pleasure they say "Let me have but this and I'll take the consequences": little dreaming how damnation will spread back and back into their past and contaminate the pleasure of the sin.
Both processes begin even before death. The good man's past begins to change so that his forgiven sins and remembered sorrows take on the quality of Heaven: the bad man's past already conforms to his badness and is filled only with dreariness. And that is why...the Blessed will say "We have never lived anywhere except in Heaven, and the Lost, "We were always in Hell." And both will speak truly."
― C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce
Every human being is a theologian of sorts, since thinking about what is ultimately real is inescapable, especially when we are confronted with questions regarding life and death.... The issue often isn't whether a person will believe in God, but rather how he or she will approach the question of God's Presence in light of suffering. Part of the difference between a "theology of rebellion" and a "theology of hope" is that rebellion is a mode of the intellectual (i.e., a deification of logic, a demand for temporal and this-worldly justice, and so on), whereas hope is a mode of personal trust (i.e., a "letting go" of the demand for answers in order to surrender to love). When you encounter God as the lover of your soul, you begin to apprehend the truth that "love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude; it does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth" (1 Cor. 13:4-6). Being in a love-relationship with God gives us the courage to face the ambiguity of a world filled with suffering with hope and compassion.
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Our Meditation all the day...
03.20.25 (Adar 20, 5784) The Scriptures declare: "Blessed is the man who ... delights in the Torah of the LORD (בְּתוֹרַת יְהוָה); all that he does shall prosper" (Psalm 1:1-3). And while it is true that we are no longer 'under' the terms of the covenant given at Sinai (Rom. 3:23), we still delight 'in' the Torah and meditate on its precepts day and night (Psalm 1:2; 19:8; 119:15, 47, 97; Neh. 8:12, etc.). After all, Torah "written upon the heart" is a mark of the New Covenant believer (Jer. 31:31-33). As it is written in Proverbs: "If you seek it [i.e., the wisdom revealed in the Torah] like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God" (Prov. 2:4-5).
Where it is written, "all Scripture is breathed out by God (θεόπνευστος) and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Tim 3:16-17), it is evident that the Scriptures referred to here are the Jewish Scriptures (i.e., the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings), since they are the foundation, the context, and the overarching matrix for the later New Covenant revelation. These were the Scriptures Yeshua used to contextualize and explain his ministry to his followers: "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself" (Luke 24:27; John 1:45).
This implies that the Torah has a logical, linguistic, and theological priority regarding our understanding of the New Testament, and the failure to read in context invariably leads to faulty interpretations and doctrinal errors of various kinds. "To the Jew first, and [then] to the Greek" (Rom. 1:16) is a principle not only of how the gospel message would transcend ethnic Israel to be offered to all the nations, but also about how we should approach the subject of Biblical "hermeneutics." God "breathed out" his revelation in order, and the message itself must be understood in light of that order (John 4:22).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 119:97 Hebrew commentary (click):
The Cry of our Hearts...
"It is not the absence of sin but the grieving over it which distinguishes the child of God from empty professors." - A.W. Pink
03.19.25 (Adar 19, 5785) Life is often a messy (and painful) 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 anxiety 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 34:15 reading (click for audio):
Deliverance from Evil...
03.19.25 (Adar 19, 5785) Do you sometimes feel out of control with your emotions? Have you ever felt overwhelmed by fear, anger, or inordinate desire? Yeshua said "out of the heart come evil thoughts" (i.e., διαλογισμοὶ πονηροί, literally, evil "dialogs") that result in bad feelings, wicked actions, and despair, and therefore we must understand the connection between how we think (and what we believe) and the emotional condition of our inner life.
Have you ever heard the saying, "Hurt people hurt people?" The word for "evil" in Hebrew (i.e., ra': רע) comes from a verb (רעע) that means to injure or harm others, though the word also connotes a despair of the heart that gives up and chooses to turn "hard" and difficult (קשה). Evil is also connected with cowardice, since the conscience (i.e., moral awareness) reveals judgment for sin, and therefore evil thinking leads to rationalizations, self-deception, and a running away from the truth about who we are...
The Scriptures liken a person without self-control (i.e., מעצר לרוּחוֹ, "rule over his spirit") as an ancient city without walls - vulnerable to attack and easily overcome by hostile forces (Prov. 25:28). If you are impulsive or easily agitated, you are rendered defenseless before the enemy of your soul, and therefore it is essential to repair any breach within your heart and to become unified in your thinking and resolve. The Holy Spirit is called the "Comforter" (παράκλητος) because he imparts strength that fortifies the heart. Therefore the fruit of the Spirit (פרי הרוח) is "self-control" (ἐγκράτεια), a word that means "inner strength" (from εν-, "in" + κράτος, "power") referring to mastery over one's desires and passions.
A person without self-control is easily overcome by evil. For example, a person who cannot control his anger cannot control what he says, and this reveals subjection to the lower nature. If a person says anything or everything that enters his mind, he is without boundaries, and there will be no door to close his lips... The same can be said of emotions that rise up with in the soul. Some strong emotions, of course, are appropriate to a given situation, but others are not, and without "taking every thought captive" by exercising self-control, we are liable to be brought into bondage to alien passions and obsessive thinking (2 Cor. 10:4). This is the source of addiction and all manner of self-destructive behavior in our lives. Being a "spirit without restraint" is to surrender yourself to dark forces that disregard the glory of your Creator.
God has not given us the spirit of fear but of "power and love and self-control" (2 Tim. 1:7). The Greek word used to translate "self-control" means to be sane, disciplined, restrained from the oppression of inner urges and impulses, and so on. The root word (σῴζω) means to healed from the tyranny of darkness, to be rescued and delivered from evil.... If you find yourself losing your temper or getting fearful when considering the rumors and "news" of this evil world, understand the limitations of your understanding and ask God for the blessing of self-restraint. King David asked the Lord to create in him a new heart that was willing to say "yes" to God's will, but we also need a new heart to say "no" to those impulses that seduce us to look away away from the truth. A double-minded person is "two-souled" (δίψυχος), living out the inner conflict of heart that has not decided what is most important.
"If there is no seed, there is no fruit;" and the type of seed always determines the type of fruit (1 Pet. 1:23; 1 John 3:9). We can sow to the flesh – and reap corruption - or we can sow to the Spirit - and reap life everlasting (Gal. 6:7-8). The formation of "Messiah-like character" is the result of discipline (παιδεία), a word that means to instruct or rear a child (παιδεύω) and is therefore connected with discipleship and education. Indeed, the Hebrew word for "discipline" is musar (מוסר), a term that refers to moral instruction and guidance, whereas the word for "education" is chinukh (חינוך), a term that shares the same root as the word "dedication" (i.e., chanukah: חנוכה). Unlike the Greek view that regards education as a pragmatic process of improving one's personal power or happiness, the Hebrew idea implies dedication/direction to God and His concrete purposes on the earth. Disciples of Yeshua are therefore called talmidim (תלמידים), a word that comes from lamad (למד) meaning "to learn" (a Hebrew word for teacher is melamed (מלמד), a word that shares the same root). There can be no discipline apart from education...
In the New Testament we read, "For the moment all discipline (παιδεία) does not seem full of joy but of sorrow, but afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness (פרי הצדק) to those who have been exercised by it" (Heb. 12:11). The Greek word used for "exercised" is gumnadzo (γυμνάζω), often used to refer to training for competitive gymnastic events. Despite the analogy of training or "exercising" the physical body to comply with the directives of the spirit, however, it is important to remember that the life of God is a miracle that comes from God's own source of Life. It is the fruit of the Spirit, after all, and not the result of human effort or moral reformation. See John 15:1-8. Our lives are sanctified in the manner in which they were initially justified: wholly by faith in the love and grace of God... Just as we are unable to "crucify ourselves," so we are unable to produce fruit for God in ourselves. As Yeshua said, "Without me you can do nothing..." (John 15:5).
The Scriptures state twice: שרש למטה ועשה פרי למעלה / "Take root downward and bear fruit upward" (2 Kings 19:30; Isa. 37:31). As Yeshua said, "unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it will produce abundant fruit (John 12:24). We pray we might surrender ourselves to the Lord fully, being immersed in His passion, "bearing fruit in every good work (ἐν παντὶ ἔργῳ ἀγαθῷ καρποφοροῦντες) and growing in da'at Adonai (ידיעת יהוה) - the knowledge of God" (Col. 1:10). The "fruit of the righteous is a Tree of Life" lit., etz chayim (עץ חיים), "the Tree of lives" (Prov. 11:30). It is the fruit of Yeshua, the Righteous One, who bears fruits of healing for the lives of those who turn to Him in trust...
All of us have "hidden faults" 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 covetous 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 be willing to let go of what makes us sick.
Ha'cholash yomer gibbor ani (החלשׁ יאמר גבור אני) - "Let the weak say I am strong." The LORD "gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength" (Isa. 40:29). Confess: "I can do all things through the Messiah who strengthens me," not "some things," or a "few things," but ALL things (Phil. 4:13). Yeshua is the Source of all our strength. "May you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being" (Eph. 3:16). Let's remember to pray for one another and ask the LORD to help make each of us fruitful to the glory of our Heavenly Father (John 15:8). Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Proverbs 25:28 reading (click):
May we all receive the willingness to say "no" to our impulses and "yes" to the truth of God's peace for our lives... May the Lord give us "sound minds" that rebuff demonic insinuations that attempt to manipulate our feelings and impair our thinking. May we be delivered of the "spirit of fear" and anxiety. Amen, may we take "every thought captive" before the reality of our Savior.
Salvation and Sanity...
"At bottom the whole concern is with the manner of our acceptance of the universe. Do we accept it only in part and grudgingly, or heartily and altogether?" - William James
03.18.25 (Adar 18, 5785) It is written that "God has not given us a spirit of fear (πνεῦμα δειλίας), but of power, and love, and a sound mind" (2 Tim. 1:7). Note that the Greek word for "sound mind" (σωφρονισμός) comes from a verb (i.e., sodzo: σῴζω) that means being made "safe" (i.e., soas: σωός) or healed because of the power and grace of the Living God.
Understand, then, the connection between fear and confusion, and note further the connection between having a sound mind and a heart of peace and courage. "The work of righteousness shall be peace; and the service of righteousness shall bequietness and confidence for ever (Isa. 32:17). A fearful or shameful attitude, weakens your resolve, quells your love, and introduces pain to your thinking.
It is the old trick of the enemy of our souls to lead us unto despair, the exile of shame, and cruel bondage to untruth. As always the answer is the same: namely, teshuvah, turning to God and embracing the grace and love given in Yeshua as our deepest reality, our power, our heart, and our mind.
The Name of the LORD (יהוה) means "Presence" and "Love" (Exod. 3:14; 34:6-7). Yeshua said, "I go to prepare a place for you," which means that his presence and love are waiting for you in whatever lies ahead (John 14:1-3; Rom. 8:35-39). To worry is to "practice the absence" of God instead of practicing His Presence... Trust the word of the Holy Spirit: "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for healing peace and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope (Jer. 29:11). Chazak ve'ematz, chaverim!
Take comfort that your Heavenly Father sees when the sparrow falls; he arrays the flower in its hidden valley; and he calls each star by name. More importantly, the Lord sees you and understands your struggle with fear... Come to him with your needy heart and trust him to deliver you from the burdens of your soul (Matt. 11:28).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 25:1-2a reading (click):
Awake to God's Glory...
"To become sober is: to come to oneself in self-knowledge and before God as nothing before him, yet infinitely, unconditionally engaged." - Soren Kierkegaard
03.18.25 (Adar 18, 5785) The essence of temptation is distraction. Sometimes it's not the obvious lusts and allurements of the world that tempt us, but something more sinister, namely the slow process of being seduced away from what is most essential to our lives. God's truth and reality should weigh upon our every thought and deed, but through various forms of distraction and anxious self-concern we lose sight of this until he is no longer a primary factor in our daily thinking.
Much of our trouble comes from unfiltered "thinking" and unguarded imaginations... Often we do not think at all but passively revert to godless assumptions and instinctive habits. Since our thoughts are unrestrained they may creep out of control until we cannot distinguish between the voice of divine truth from inner voices of despair and fear. We react and lose control... Which "voices" are you heeding in your everyday and spontaneous moments?
The Hebrew word for "glory" (i.e., kavod: כָּבוֹד) implies "heaviness" and significance. It is of "grave" concern, and regarding the LORD implies fear, awe, respect, honor, and even dread. In some cases it can imply "excessiveness" or "immeasurability." This is what is meant by the "weight of glory": God has infinite worth and value, and we do not know Him as we might know various things in the universe, but as the Holy One (הקדוש), the most important being in our lives (and in any possible world). God is of no significance if he is not of utmost significance, or as C.S. Lewis said: "Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important."
How does the truth of God "weigh in" on your life? Is it a source of magnetic attraction that directs and guides your way, or is divine truth incidental to your thinking? Is God an "afterthought" or a starting point for your decisions? Do you "seek first" the kingdom of God? (Matt. 6:33). How much do you allow God to affect your daily thought life and speech? Is relationship with God the priority of your existence? (Deut. 6:5). Is God the "ultimate concern" of your life, or is God essentially "weightless" or insignificant regarding the course of your life?
The great Commandment not to take the Name of the LORD "in vain" (see Exod. 20:7) implies that we must affirm the sanctity, meaning, significance, and worth of life itself. We must never live as though God does not exist, or, to state this positively, we must "set the LORD" always before us (Psalm 16:8). We must not waste our lives. It is therefore forbidden to ignore the miracle of existence, to scoff at the value of life, or to debase ourselves by refusing to receive the truth. We are to take every thought "captive" to the reality of the Messiah (2 Cor. 10:5). Everything belongs to God, and every moment that we have is beholden to Him...
Hebrew Lesson
Exodus 20:7a reading (click):
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Finding deliverance from profane thinking requires concentrated focus, or "kavanah" (כַּוָנָּה). As it is written: "We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Messiah" (2 Cor. 5:10). We are instructed to "bring down reasonings" (λογισμοὺς καθαιροῦντες) and every high thing that is lifted up against the knowledge of God (κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ θεου) and to bring every thought "as a captive" to the obedience (ὑπακοὴν, from ὑπό: by, under, + ἀκούω: hear, obey) of Messiah. We can do this negatively by fighting against evil thoughts and censoring the inner evil of our hearts, or we can do this positively by being "captivated" by the words and love of Yeshua, and often we have to do both. This is the deeper meaning of "profanity" - to deny reality, to live in willful ignorance, and to miss the wonder of God's presence. If we sanctify God in our hearts, we will be far less likely to use God's name in vain, of course.
God invites you to come to Him for relationship... Since the LORD is a Person, He wants to know you as a person. He is not interested in formulaic prayers, religious rituals, or your membership at a particular religious organization. God wants to renew your inmost thoughts and heart. Drawing near to God is God's way of drawing near to you... In other words, as you draw near to God, He will draw near and touch you (James 4:8; Psalm 145:18; Isa. 55:6). This is the way of transformation and healing for the depths of our lives.
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Seeing God's Promise...
03.18.25 (Adar 18, 5785) Just as Noah foresaw the great cataclysm to come, so we are to understand that the world above our heads and under our feet is destined to destruction, as we likewise await the promised world to come: "Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die in like manner; but my salvation will be forever (וישׁוּעָתִי לְעוֹלָם תִּהְיֶה), and my righteousness will never be dismayed" (Isa. 51:6).
This idea is repeated in the New Testament: "For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man" (Matt. 24:37). "But the Day of the LORD will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the Day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn? But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish and at peace" (2 Pet. 3:10-14).
In light of all this, we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. "For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal... For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead. Therefore we are strangers and exiles on the earth, looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God" (2 Cor. 4:18; Rom. 1:20; Heb. 11:10,13).
Faith sees the invisible... Our father Abraham was promised descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky or sand on the seashore, despite the fact that he was an old man and his wife had long past the age of bearing children. Abraham believed in the One who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist: "He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform: And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness" (Rom. 4:19-22).
Hebrew Lesson:
Genesis 15:6 reading (click):
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Seeing your New Face...
"And he (Betzalel) made the large basin of bronze and its pedestal of bronze from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance of the tent of meeting" (Exod. 38:8).
03.17.25 (Adar 17, 5784) At the entrance of the Mishkan (i.e., "Tabernacle") a bronze (or copper) "laver" (i.e., wash basin or cistern) was built, the place where we wash and prepare ourselves to come before the Divine Presence (Exod. 30:18). The Torah says the basin was made from the mirrors of women who offered them to help build the sanctuary (see Exod. 38:8). Spiritually understood, the mirror was transformed from a place where we encounter our own appearance to a place where we encounter God.
Instead of focusing on our superficial face – how it looks and how we esteem ourselves, we now see ourselves in light of God's love, with our former self-image "sacrificed" or surrendered for the gift of a deeper self (2 Cor. 5:16). This is the "new self" cleansed by the Word of God, reflecting back the radiance of His Presence, as it says: "put on the new self (הָאָדָם הֶחָדָשׁ) created after the likeness of God in righteousness and holiness" (Eph. 4:24).
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The "sacrificed mirror" represents turning to face reality, to see ourselves as God see us... Because of Yeshua, we have access to the inner heart of God (Heb. 4:16). Know who you are in Messiah: "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit" (2 Cor. 3:18).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 18:28 Hebrew reading (with comments):
Broken and Remade...
03.17.25 (Adar 17, 5785) No one wants to say they are needy, broken, weak, and so on, and indeed such a confession is blasphemy to the heart of the proud. The truth, however, is that we are indeed all these things, and Yeshua told us we were blessed if we understood this (Matt. 5:3-6). There is great danger to pretend you are strong and capable of living life on your own terms, since eventually you will be blindsided by the truth about your condition. On the other hand, the confession of our weakness opens the way to God's power, as Yeshua said to Paul in his affliction: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor. 12:9). Paul came to see that the various trials and afflictions in his life taught his profound dependence on God: "for when I am weak, then I am strong."
Access to this grace, however, comes at the expense of our pride. We must humbly confess who and what we are, and therefore we must entirely abandon hope in our own strength and virtues. "We are only as sick as the secrets we keep," especially those secrets we keep from ourselves - those self-deceptions and illusions we use to defend ourselves.
Suppose, for instance, that you have the bad habit of complaining and even cursing when you are beset by troubles, and you want to stop doing these behaviors. You may resolve to be more optimistic and grateful, or you may read self-help books -- or even take anger management classes -- but nothing will do you any lasting good until you know "in your bones" that you are powerless to change your heart. That is the first step to being set free. Or suppose that you are habitually unhappy, troubled, anxious, and in pain, yet you want to find inner peace and joy. Again, apart from the miracle of God there is no lasting remedy. You must be honest with yourself and confess the truth of your condition, asking God to do in you what you cannot do for yourself. As Yeshua said: "What is impossible with man is possible with God." So in this way God uses your sins to correct you or bring you to the end of yourself, and in that way awareness of your personal weakness is a blessing from God.
Recall that Yeshua said out of the heart proceed "evil thoughts," or more literally, "evil dialogs" or reasoning within yourself (διαλογισμοι πονηροι). You are tethered to yourself - you cannot escape yourself - yet a divided house cannot stand. Attempting to relate to yourself apart from a relationship with God leads to ongoing despair -- either the despair of resigning into yourself or else the despair of fleeing from yourself -- but either way, to a condition of anxiety derived from not being grounded in the life of God... "Unless a seed of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it abides alone..." (John 12:24). Yeshua is the source of all life, and we find nourishment, strength, and the meaning of who we are as we connect with him. By faith we affirm: "I have been crucified with Messiah, and it is no longer 'I' who live, but Messiah who lives in me" (Gal. 2:20). There is a new self that comes from above, known only in spiritual relationship with the Savior. The miracle of the exchanged life comes as we surrender to the truth of what God does for us (2 Cor. 5:17). That is the essence of the gospel, "the power of God for salvation for all who believe" (Rom. 1:16). Therefore we do not attempt to crucify ourselves, or labor to reform our corrupted lower nature, but we instead accept that we already have been crucified and healed by the mercy and miracle of God. We clothe ourselves in the robes of His righteousness as we celebrate God's redeeming love for our lives. Only then are we miraculously empowered by the Spirit to truly "love the LORD and keep his charge" (see Deut. 11:1).
The gate is narrow that leads to life, and few there be that find it (Matt. 7:14). That is part of the offense of the cross, after all - the confession you are lost, in darkness, and in need of salvation. Few receive this truth into their hearts because they want to be in control and refuse to let go; few regard their weakness as a blessing that opens the gate to God's strength. Let the weak say "I am strong" because of what the LORD has done. God's grace is sufficient, and his strength is perfected in weakness: "So then, I will boast most gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Messiah may reside in me" (2 Cor. 12:9). "I can do all things through the Messiah who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13). Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 40:29 reading (click for audio):
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A Personal Note
I apologize that I've not kept up with many of you via email recently, but I've had a hard time keeping up with things over the last year. After some family upheaval, I've dealt with depression and health-related issues. As most of you know, I don't have a staff that helps me with the ministry and I am not a part of a larger organization that supports this work. Your prayers are therefore most sincerely appreciated. Thank you, chaverim. - John
Sabbath of the "Red Cow"
This coming Shabbat is called "Shabbat Parah," the Sabbath of the [red] Cow." Besides reading the regular Torah reading (i.e., Vayakhel), we read about the mysterious red heifer sacrifice....
03.16.25 (Adar 16, 5784) The Sabbath that immediately follows Purim is called Shabbat Parah - the "Sabbath of the [red] Cow." In traditional synagogue services, two Torah scrolls will be removed from the ark, and from the first scroll will be read the Torah portion for the week (e.g., Ki Tisa), and from the second will be read the chapter regarding the laws of the sacrifice of the "Red Heifer" (Num. 19:1-22). The early sages decided to recite the laws of the Red Heifer at this time to recall the remedy of the sin of the Golden Calf, and to remind the people to purify themselves before coming to Jerusalem for the pilgrimage festival of Passover. It is thought that since the sprinkling of the "waters of separation" cleanses from the uncleanness of death, reading this portion will help prepare our hearts for the time of Passover when we celebrate deliverance from death.
The Red Heifer offering is considered a paradox to most Jewish thinkers, though it can be seen as a revelation of the Yeshua our Messiah. The paradox is that the one who offers this sacrifice becomes ritually impure, while the sprinkling of the ashes is used to make people clean... The ritual is considered chok within the Jewish tradition, meaning that it makes no rational sense. The Talmud states that of all the 613 commandments given in the Torah, even King Solomon with all his wisdom could not fathom this decee. However, the sacrifice of Yeshua the Messiah can be understood as the fulfillment of the symbolism of the parah adumah. Both were entirely rare and without defect (sin); both were sacrificed "outside the camp"; both made the one who offered the sacrifice unclean but made the one who was sprinkled by it clean; and finally, both sacrifices cleanse people for priestly service.
The parah adumah had to be a perfect specimen that was completely red, "without blemish, in which there is no defect (mum)." The rabbis interpreted "without blemish" as referring to the color, that is, without having so much as a single white or black hair. This is the only sacrifice in the Torah where the color of the animal is explicitly required. Moreover, the parah adumah was never to have had a yoke upon it, meaning that it must never have been used for any profane purposes.
Unlike all other sacrifices offered at the altar, the parah adumah was taken outside the camp and there slaughtered before the priest, who then took some of its blood and sprinkled it seven times before the Mishkan (thereby designating it as a purification offering). [During the Second Temple period, the High Priest performed this ceremony facing the Temple while atop the Mount of Olives.] Then the red heifer would be burned in its entirety: its hide, flesh, blood, and even dung were to be burned (unlike other Levitical korbanot). Unlike other offerings, all the blood of the sacrifice was to be burned in the fire.
Hyssop, scarlet yarn, and a cedar stick would then be thrown upon the burning parah adumah (these same items were used to cleanse from tzara'at, skin disease). In other words, the blood was assimilated into the ashes of the sacrifice, which were then gathered and mixed with water to create the "water of separation" (mei niddah) for the Israelite community. Note that the word "separation" (niddah) refers to menstrual impurity and harkens to Zech. 13:1: "On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and from niddah."
Anyone (or anything) that came into contact with a corpse (the embodiment of sin and death) was required to be purified using the mei niddah. The purification procedure took seven days, using stalks of hyssop dipped into the water and shaken over the ritually defiled person on the third day and then again on the seventh day. After the second sprinkling, the person undergoing the purification process would be immersed in a mikvah and then be unclean until the following evening.
According to Jewish tradition, the Red Heifer sacrifice was to atone for the sin of the Golden Calf, though the Torah itself does not make this association. The LORD Yeshua, our High Priest of the New Covenant, is the perfect fulfillment of the Parah Adumah, since he was completely without sin or defect (2 Cor 5:21; John 8:46); he was sacrificed outside the camp (Heb 13:13); he made himself sin for us (2 Cor 5:21); his sprinkling makes us clean (1 Pet 1:2; Heb 12:24; Rev 1:5); and the "water of separation" that his sacrifice created is the means by which we are made clean from the impurity of sin (Eph 5:25-6; Heb 10:22).
Hebrew Lesson
Num. 19:2a Hebrew (click):
Note: The red heifer to be used for the Third Temple (i.e., the false "Tribulation Temple") is of prophetic interest but of no real consequence... Yeshua will establish the Fourth Temple of Ezekiel's vision during the Millennial Kingdom after His return in glory.
For more information about the Red Heifer sacrifice, see the "Gospel of the Red Cow" article as well as the "Tenth Red Heifer" page.
Constructing the Tabernacle
Parashat Vayakel...
03.16.25 (Adar 16, 5784) According to tradition, Moses descended from Sinai (with the second set of tablets) on Yom Kippur (Tishri 10), and on the following morning he assembled (i.e., vayakhel: וַיַּקְהֵל) the people together to explain God's instructions regarding building the Mishkan (i.e., Tabernacle). First, however, Moses reminded the people to observe the Sabbath as a day of rest, and then he asked for contributions of gold, silver, bronze, and other materials for the construction of the sanctuary and its furnishings. Each contribution was to be a "free-will offering" (i.e., nedivah zevach: נְדָבָה זֶבַח) made by those "whose heart so moved him." As a sign of their complete teshuvah (repentance) for the sin of the Golden Calf, the people gave with such generosity that Moses finally had to ask them to stop giving!
Betzalel ben Uril and Oholiav were appointed to be the chief artisans of the Mishkan, and they led a team of others that created the roof coverings, frame, wall panels, and foundation sockets for the tent. They also created the parochet (veil) that separated the Holy Place (ha'kodesh) from the Holy of Holies (kodesh ha'kodeshim). Both the roof and the veil were designed with embroidered cherubim (winged angelic beings). Betzalel then created the mysterious Ark of the Covenant and its cover called the mercy seat (kapporet), which was the sole object that would occupy the innermost chamber of the Holy of Holies. Betzalel also made the three sacred furnishings for the Holy Place – the Table of Bread (shulchan), the lamp (menorah), and the Altar of Incense (mizbe'ach ha'katoret) – as well as the anointing oil that would consecrate these furnishings.
Betzalel then created the Copper Altar for burnt offerings (along with its implements) and the Copper Basin from the mirrors of women who ministered in the entrance of the tent of meeting. He then formed the courtyard by installing the hangings, posts and foundation sockets, and created the three-colored gate that was used to access the courtyard.
The "Passion" of Moses...
03.15.25 (Adar 15, 5784) In the solitude of his tent Moses was deeply troubled, even distraught. Undoubtedly he pondered everything in his life that had brought him to this difficult place... Alas, in light of the recent disaster at Sinai, Moses realized he was now at an utter impasse. Would God continue His redemptive plan or was this the end of the great dream? He prayed, he fasted, and he waited for many days and nights...
After languishing some time before the LORD he poignantly appealed to God in hope: "If I have found favor (grace) in your eyes, let me know your ways, that I may know you and continue in your favor" (Exod. 33:13). God responded by reassuring Moses that His Presence would be with him (alone) and that he (alone) would "enter His rest." But Moses protested: "Unless You go in the lead, do not make us leave this place. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight -- I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?" And the LORD said to Moses, "This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name" (Exod. 33:15-17). Moses' poignant intercession touched God's heart, causing Him to change from a mode of strict judgment (middat ha-din) to one of mercy and forgiveness (middat ha-rachamim). This was the "gospel" moment at Sinai....
Upon hearing God's words of comfort, Moses was so overcome with joy that he exclaimed: "Oh, let me behold Your Presence!" (Exod. 33:18), whereupon God answered, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim before you the name LORD (יהוה), and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy" (Exod. 33:19, cp. Rom. 9:15). Note that Moses would receive the revelation of the Name when he "stands upon the Rock" (Exod. 33:21).
The LORD then instructed Moses to carve a new set of tablets and to meet him again at the place (i.e., makom: מָקוֹם) on the top of Sinai, where He would descend in the cloud to "declare His Name" (Exod. 33:17-34:7). This dramatic experience of revelation was later called middot ha-rachamim (מדות הרחמים) or the revelation of the attributes (or "measures") of God's mercy, and was considered a divine "addendum" to the original covenant terms. Rabbinic tradition later incorporated the recitation of middot ha-rachamim into the Yom Kippur service.
Hebrew Lesson
Exodus 34:6 reading (click for audio):
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So what are some of these attributes? Note first that the LORD calls himself rachum v'chanun (רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן), often translated "merciful and gracious." The noun rechem (רֶחֶם) means "womb" in Hebrew, indicating that God's compassion is like a mother's deep love for her child. The word chanun (חַנּוּן) comes from the word for grace or favor (i.e., chen: חֵן), and indicates that God is a graceful giver who is favorably disposed to help those in need. The LORD is compassionate to those who call upon Him.
The phrase erekh apayim (אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם) literally means "long of nose," an idiom used to describe someone who is patient and slow to anger, i.e., "longsuffering" (Prov. 14:29), one who inhales slowly and with equanimity. The word chesed (חֶסֶד), is often translated as "lovingkindess" or "steadfast love," and implies devotion and fidelity. God describes Himself as rav chesed v'emet (רַב־חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת), that is abundant in His kindness and faithful love.
It is fascinating to see that this revelation prefigures the New Covenant (הברית החדשה) that was given to Israel. Just as the first set of tablets, based as they were on the justice and holiness of God, were broken, so a second set was given based on the middot (attributes) of the LORD's mercy and grace. Indeed, Yeshua was broken on behalf of the law but was raised again so that all who trust in Him can truly understand that God is "merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and truth" (Exod. 34:6, Psalm 86:15, 103:8).
It can be readily argued that the revelation of the Name YHVH (Exod. 34:5-7) was a "gospel" moment for Israel. The episode of the Golden Calf revealed that the Jews were unable to keep the law, even though they personally experienced the power of God's deliverance from Egypt and His ongoing care on the way to Sinai. Despite the judgments brought upon Egypt, despite the overthrow of Pharaoh and his armies in the sea, despite the bitter waters made sweet, despite the manna from heaven, despite the miraculous well of Miriam, despite the awesome revelation at Sinai, and despite the pledge of the Israelites: kol asher diber Adonai na'aseh v'nishma, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient" (Exod. 19:8; 24:7), the Sin of the Golden Calf revealed that something more was needed, and that the law itself was insufficient to change the inner heart of man (Rom. 3:20). The intercession of Moses on behalf of Israel - his willingness to die on behalf of the people - revealed the heart of the New Covenant (בְּרִית חֲדָשָׁה) of the LORD, the deeper revelation of the God's character of mercy and grace. Apart from God's gracious love and compassion, the law by itself rendered only the righteous verdict of death for Israel...
For more on this, see "God's Stubborn Love: Further thoughts on Parashat Ki Tisa."
Shabbat shalom and love and blessings be upon you, friend...
The Heart of the Matter...
03.14.25 (Adar 14, 5784) What was the essence of Yeshua's message to us? What did he teach? What was the point of his ministry? Why did he come to us? What was the reason for his being with us?
The Gospels relate that Yeshua was an itinerant teacher and prophet who invited people to turn to God and believe in his mission to redeem the world. He explained that he came to offer himself up as the "Lamb of God" who would take away the sins of the world. He called everyone to repent and believe the "gospel," that is, the good news of God's kingdom.
But he was far more than a human teacher or prophet, as he declared himself to be the very incarnation of God who had come to take the place of fallen Adam as the "Son of Man" and to undue the curse of death that befell humanity. He came to restore the place originally given to Adam and Eve to be priests and kings of the LORD forever.
To receive the blessing of his sacrifice given on our behalf, each person must trust him to be their intercessor and mediator before God as the atonement of their life. This trust puts us into right relationship with God by means of the "new covenant" that exchanges the old nature bequeathed through Adam with a new nature bequeathed through Yeshua. This divine "exchange" is sometimes called the "new birth" wherein the divine life is implanted within the regenerated heart.
This is the good news that God has come to give you life, eternal life, and you will be part of God's family as a dear child of His forever and ever. This is the promise given to Adam and Eve that God would undue the curse of death by redeeming the human race from their exile.
But there is more. Yeshua wants those who are redeemed and reborn to be his emissaries in the world, that is, to passionately "follow" him by sharing his message of eternal life with others. He calls his followers to be extensions of himself, to live out the life he has given them, and that means sacrificially offering themselves for others. That's what he meant when he said you must take up your cross and follow him, offering yourself in love and sacrifice for others. This is the "cost of discipleship," to give up everything for the gain of partaking in the life of Yeshua that was given on your behalf.
In other words, Yeshua came to die for us and to give us his life in exchange, and he taught us to do the same for others... He was born to die, but he was also born to teach us how to die. "Take up your cross daily, and follow me" (Luke 9:23).
Yeshua taught us that the way to life is through death. "Unless a seed falls to the ground and dies, it abides alone, but if it dies, it brings forth much fruit" (John 12:24). This pertains first of all to Yeshua who opened the way by means of his sacrificial death, but it also applies to his followers who likewise must go through that way.
This is the heart of the "gospel," the teshuvah of Messiah. "Taking up the cross," counting the cost, being willing to surrender everything for the sake of God's love... It is a matter of the will, a conviction of the truth and earnestness of heart to give your utmost in response to the call of the Lord. This is the "Torah of Messiah," to love one another," and that means bearing one another's burdens in intercession for them (Gal. 6:2; John 15:12).
Paradoxically, the heart of the gospel is to sacrifice the very life that God imparts to you in the new birth, for the "old life" is not sacrificed but buried and put away from you (Col. 3:3; Gal. 2:20). The blessing of spiritual and eternal life is to share in the life and sacrifice of Yeshua (Col. 1:24).
Now who can do any of this but the Lord? That's the point, however, that it's not the "old life" that is being put down that matters but the new life from above - the life given by the Holy Spirit - that empowers you to live in an entirely new realm of being, with the grace to sacrifice yourself by partaking of Yeshua's life...
The redeemed family of God is called the "kingdom of God" (Matt. 24:14) and the gospel is the call to become members of that kingdom. A kingdom is ruled by a king, of course, who is God embodied in Yeshua, the King of kings and Lord of Lords. He is the "federal head" of a new kind of humanity - recreated from above - the "Adam" from heaven that would be resurrected to restore all of creation. His followers are therefore called "kings and priests" unto God (Exod. 19:6, Rev. 1:6, 5:10, 1 Pet. 2:5). As it is written: "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1 Pet. 2:9).
There is life after death that we live today as we sacrifice ourselves by surrendering to God's love.... This is what life in the kingdom means for us today. Presently we collide with the world's kingdom, since we live in a different sphere or realm, and one day the heavenly kingdom will become manifest for all the world to see. That is why we are instructed to "seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Then when Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory" (Col. 3:1-4).
So how do you follow Yeshua in your own life? Do you regard yourself as a member of his kingdom wherein you are called to serve as his royal priest? Do you relate to him not only as your beloved Savior but as your King before whom you swear allegiance, even unto death?
It's important to remember that all of this is possible by the mercies and grace of God, and not by our own best efforts. The great commandment of the Torah of Moses is to love God with all your being and to love others as yourself, but this is impossible apart from the miracle of God. If we could do this, there would be no need for deliverance from the sickness of our human condition...
Yeshua didn't call us to "try harder" to follow Moses, but to give us a new heart that is changed by God's power, "life from the dead." He came to impart the divine image within us and to empower us to live by means of the Spirit of God. Praise God that Yeshua died for our sins, but praise him that he died to give us new life from above! He died for our sins so that we would be brought back from the dead as new creations (Gal. 2:20-21).
The gospel is not about what we do, but what Yeshua does, and that changes everything. Yeshua is not the "second coming of Moses" but the Lord and healer over all of life. The "gospel," the really good news, is the reality and power of who Yeshua is... It is the good news of God regarding his Son (Rom. 1:1-3). It is "of God," the very power of God for salvation and everlasting healing to all who trust in him for life. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Ezekiel 36:26 reading:
Endurance and Hope...
03.14.25 (Adar 14, 5784) We are promised that God will not let us be tested beyond what we are able to bear, "but with the test will also provide the way of escape (τὴν ἔκβασιν) so that we may be able to endure it" (1 Cor. 10:13). Indeed, in light of suffering what we really need is perseverance, or what the New Testament calls hupomone (ὑπομονή), a word that means "remaining [μένω] under [ὑπο]" the Divine Presence while being tested (the English word "suffer" comes from the Latin word sufferre, from sub- (under) + ferre, to carry, and therefore denotes "bearing under" difficulty).
Suffering people often do not need moral platitudes or correction from others, but rather the will to believe, the strength to stay constant, and the rise of hope that gives life to simple prayers that focus the heart upon the Lord's Presence: "God have mercy..." "Help me, O God..." "I need Thee, O Lord..." When we receive grace to faithfully suffer, we hear the Spirit whispering back to us: "Be not afraid..." "Live in me..." "Walk in the light..." "I am with you always..." "You are loved..."
רַבּוֹת רָעוֹת צַדִּיק
וּמִכֻּלָּם יַצִּילֶנּוּ יְהוָה
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 34:19 reading (click):
The blessing from above draws us away from our attachments as we learn that nothing ultimately belongs to us... We learn to make peace with our sorrows and disappointments, to let go of them and to accept that this day - despite its frailty and trouble - is nevertheless a precious gift from above. "My peace I give to you" (שלי שלום אני אתן לך), said Yeshua, "not as the world gives, I give to you" (John 14:27). Not as the world gives... When we let go, when we put everything in God's hands, we acknowledge that all we have is a gift from God.
The Cleft of the Rock...
The following is related to our Torah reading for this week, parashat Ki Tisa...
03.14.25 (Adar 14, 5785) When Moses asked the LORD, hareini na et-kevodekha - "Please show me your glory" (Exod. 33:18), the sages said he wanted to reconcile God's supreme power and goodness despite the prevalence of evil in the world. God answered, "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim before you my name the LORD (יְהוָה)... but," he said, "you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live" (Exod. 33:19-20).
The early sages interpreted God's answer to mean that once we encounter God's goodness and love (defined by the essential name י־ה־ו־ה), we must trust that what is beyond our understanding nevertheless works for our ultimate good, even if its purpose may be unknown to us at the present time (Rom. 8:28). The LORD said both: "I will make my goodness manifest to you," and "you cannot see me and live," which means that we "see through a glass darkly" as we sojourn through this world (1 Cor. 13:12). God manifests yet still we can't fully see...
In this life you may stand near God in the "cleft of the rock," on the very mountaintop of revelation, but you will still be in a cloud of unknowing (Exod. 33:22-23). Nevertheless God promises to "shelter you with his hand"; he will provide you a place of refuge and the strength to keep trusting despite incomprehensible times of testing...
Hebrew Lesson
Exodus 33:22b reading (click for audio):
There is an opinion in the Talmud that says Moses was the author of the Book of Job, the ancient story that investigates why the righteous suffer (Bava Batra 15a). At the end of the book, God answers Job from the midst of a whirlwind, reminding him that while people can't comprehend His ways, he is the nevertheless the Source of all goodness and truth in the universe. After Job hears God speak, he says, "Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth... I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes" (Job 40:4, 42:2-3,5-6). Both Job and Moses realized that trusting in the love of God is the key to accepting all other experiences that might befall him...
Note that God said that "no man can see My face and live" (Exod. 33:20), and yet Moses spoke with God "face to face" (Deut. 34:10). We reconcile this by understanding "face to face" (פָּנִים אֶל־פָּנִים) to be an idiom that means "intimately," or "personally," that is, without the use of mediators or outside agents. Nevertheless the "face of God" was disclosed in the advent of Yeshua, as it is written: "No one has ever seen God; the only begotten God (μονογενὴς θεὸς), the One who is in the heart of the Father (ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ πατρὸς), has made him known" (John 1:18). Yeshua is the "image of the invisible God" (εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου) who reveals the meaning of the Father (John 14:9). As it is written, "God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Yeshua the Messiah" (2 Cor. 4:6). Our Savior is "the radiance of the glory of God and the representation of his essence (χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ), the One who upholds the universe by the word of his power" (Heb. 1:3). All this is very mysterious, of course: the Infinite enters the realm of the finite; God is revealed yet concealed; he is made known yet beyond our understanding. Indeed, the very One who entered the "leper colony of the world" and willingly died on the cross for our meanness and sin is none other than "the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light (φῶς οἰκῶν ἀπρόσιτον), whom no one has ever seen or can see" (1 Tim. 6:15-16).
That Yeshua dwells in "unapproachable light" recalls the story of the Roman emperor who once asked Rabbi Joshua if the universe had a ruler. The sage answered, indeed, the LORD is the Creator of all things, as it is written, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." The emperor then asked, "Why is God not like the emperor of Rome, who is seen twice a year so that people may know and worship him?" Rabbi Joshua said that unlike human kings, the LORD was too powerful for people to see; as it is written in the Torah: "No person shall see Me and live." The emperor was skeptical, however, and insisted that unless he could see God, he would be unable to believe. Joshua then pointed to the sun high in the sky: "Look into the sun and you will see God." The emperor tried to look into the sun, but was forced to cover his eyes to keep them from burning: "I cannot look into the sun," he said. Joshua then replied: "Listen to yourself: If you cannot look into the sun which is but one of God's creations, how can you expect to look at God?" (Sefer HaAggadah).
It is interesting to compare this story with another... Lev Tolstoy tells the parable of an old cobbler who despaired of life and yearned to finally see God. In a dream one night a heavenly voice told that he would see God's face the very next day. The cobbler began the day on the alert, hoping to catch a glimpse of God, but he was distracted when he encountered a needy family. They were cold and desperate, so he took them in and cared for them. The day passed and as he finally laid down to sleep, the cobbler realized he had completely forgotten to look for God. He apologized to God and once again asked to die... As he fell asleep he dreamed that he saw the family he had helped walking by when the heavenly voice then said, "Rest assured: you saw God today in the faces of those you helped." "Truly, as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me" (Matt. 25:40).
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Purim Deliverance in Yeshua...
03.13.25 (Adar 13, 5785) The holiday of Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) is also known as Yom Kippurim in the Torah (יוֹם כִּפֻּרִים, see Lev. 23:28), which can be read as Yom Ke-Purim, a 'day like Purim' (i.e., יוֹם, "day" + כְּ, "like" + פֻּרִים, "purim"). Both Purim and Yom Kippur celebrate our deliverance from the great enemies of sin and death, and both holidays foreshadow the great purim (deliverance) we have in Yeshua our LORD.
It is written in the prophets: ""Behold, it was for my healing that I had great bitterness;but You in love have delivered my life from the pit of destruction,for you have cast all my sins behind your back" (Isa. 38:17). In this great verse, we read that God loves the soul "from the pit of nothingness," which pictures a loving father running to rescue his child from being swallowed alive by the earth (the Hebrew verb chashak (חָשַׁק) suggests pulling someone up out of a hopeless pit). That God casts all our sins behind His back figuratively denotes oblivion – and sins of the forgiven soul can are not brought to remembrance ever again. This is similar to the image given by Micah: "He will turn again, and have mercy on us: he will put away our iniquities: and he will cast all our sins into the bottom of the sea" (Micah 7:19).
הִנֵּה לְשָׁלוֹם מַר־לִי מָר
וְאַתָּה חָשַׁקְתָּ נַפְשִׁי מִשַּׁחַת בְּלִי
כִּי הִשְׁלַכְתָּ אַחֲרֵי גֵוְךָ כָּל־חֲטָאָי
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The "ultimate" meaning of Purim is to be forgiven and accepted by God on account of the winning performance, the impeccable works of righteousness, and the victory of love over judgment secured by Yeshua the Messiah at the cross... Our deliverance depends not only on the substitutionary death of Yeshua as our kapparah (atonement), but also on the substitutionary life He lived (and still lives) on our behalf. Yeshua fulfills the Torah on our behalf. The cure for our lawlessness is not more laws but a deeper sense of God's grace given to us in Yeshua, who kept the law perfectly and ransomed us from its righteous judgment.... Because of Yeshua we have grace and peace (shalom) with God.
We must be careful not to confuse cause and effect in the realm of the spiritual. After the original transgression of Adam and Eve, death became the root problem of the human condition, so to speak, with indwelling sin as its fruit (i.e., the "works of the flesh"). It is this inherited "spiritual death" that causes sin. To focus on outward behavior without first of all dealing with the underlying problem of death is therefore a spiritual misstep. It is to clean the outside of the cup or to wash the outside of a tomb in a vain attempt to disguise the truth about our unclean and dead condition. The good news is not that God wants to make bad people good, but rather wants to make dead people alive... The cure for spiritual death is to be reborn and to partake of the resurrected life of Yeshua.
Following Yeshua is not a sort of "moral reformation" or self-improvement program to make us acceptable to God. Yeshua did not die on the cross so that we would become entangled in the old ways of being... No! He is Lord and Master and we find new life in His acts of deliverance done on our behalf and for our benefit. The temptation is always to go back to the law of sin and death (i.e., the principle of self-justification), but as Luther once said: "The sin underneath all our sins is the lie of the serpent that we cannot trust the love and grace of Christ and that we must take matters into our own hands."
"LORD, I need Thee every hour..." There never will be a time when we "get past" the need for God's grace given in Yeshua, since the only antidote to power of indwelling sin is the greater power of God's redeeming love within our hearts (1 John 3:8). The gospel is - not was - "the power of God for salvation (δύναμις θεοῦ ἐστιν εἰς σωτηρίαν) for everyone who believes" (Rom. 1:16); it is an ongoing source of power for our lives... Our identity is made secure in the finished work of the Messiah - we trust in His strength, not our own; it is "Messiah in you" that is the hope of glory (Col. 1:27). Just as we are given a new life entirely by means of God's grace, so we are also sanctified as we walk in that newness of life... "As you received Yeshua the Messiah the LORD, so walk in Him" (Col. 2:6). The focus is always on Yeshua and His righteousness and obedience... Every step of the way is a miracle and a wonder when we walk "in Messiah."
We walk "in Him," that is, in His strength, in His power, in His love... we don't walk "to" Him or attempt to climb the "stairway to heaven." Yeshua is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He is the Bridge - sha'ar hashamayim (שַׁעַר הַשָּׁמָיִם) and the Divine Ladder upon whom the angels of God ascend and descend. We look to Him, not to ourselves for life. Because of the life of Yeshua within us, we are now able to bear fruit of the Holy Spirit as the Torah is written upon our hearts (Jer. 31:31). We are able to keep the Torah because the life of Yeshua empowers us to do so... Amen! Chag Purim Sameach b'Yeshua chaverim!
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The Listening Heart...
"God, from your goodness, give me yourself; you are enough for me, and anything less that I could ask for would not do you full honor. And if I ask anything that is less, I shall always lack something, but in you alone I have everything." - Julian of Norwich
03.13.25 (Adar 13, 5785) Being a disciple of Yeshua is to be bonded to his heart: He is our Teacher and his curriculum is the way of our lives... The danger we face is losing sight of his living truth by attending to other matters. For instance, we can substitute our heart connection with him by focusing on "lesser matters of the law" (Matt. 23:23), i.e., by being "religious," or we can fool ourselves by presuming that the law "has come to an end" in order to justify our sins (Matt. 5:17-18). Either way, however, whether we be Torah observant "legalists" or lawless "antinomialists," we disregard what Yeshua wants from us.
It is God's Spirit and truth that enable us to have an intimate heart connection with the Living God (אֱלֹהִים חַי). This connection is grounded, first of all, in the confession of our great need for God's healing and love, and secondly, in our gratitude (faith) for God's Presence in our lives. "If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another" (1 John 1:7). It is the truth of Yeshua that sets us free, and the gift of the freedom that God gives us is to learn to walk with Him and to know him in all our ways (Prov. 3:6).
Hebrew Lesson
Prov. 3:6 Hebrew reading:
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Purim Haggadol Prophecy...
The holiday of Purim occurs this evening at sundown...
03.13.25 (Adar 13, 5785) Both Chanukah and Purim are holidays that celebrate God's victory over the forces of darkness... Just as the prophet Daniel foresaw the events of Chanukah, that is, the rise of "Epihpanes," the "Messiah of Evil" who will one day attempt to "assimilate" all of humanity into a "New World Order" (Dan. 9:27, 2 Thess. 2:3; Rev. 13:7-9, etc.), so Purim foretells how this wicked one will attempt to destroy the Jewish people during the End of Days (אַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים), though he will be destroyed by his own wicked devices.
The Midrash Esther says that Purim, unlike many of the other holidays, will be celebrated even after the final redemption after the End of Days. This is because the story of Purim -- i.e., God's covenantal faithfulness and defense of His people -- will be magnified in the deliverance that leads to the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom upon the earth. Indeed, the Second Coming of the Messiah will be regarded as the final fulfillment of Purim! So while it is a often seen as time of unbridled celebration in Israel (ad lo yoda), the holiday of Purim has a very sober prophetic message that foretells the glorious end of this age.
Here is a vision of the coming "Purim haGadol," the great deliverance to come:
"Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True (נֶאֱמָן וְיָשָׁר), and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 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 (דְּבַר הָאֱלהִים). And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron. And He will tread the winepress of the fierce fury of the wrath of God, the Ruler over All (παντοκράτωρ), the LORD God Almighty (יְהוָה אֱלהֵי צְבָאוֹת). On his robe and on his thigh he has a Name written, the King of kings (מֶלֶךְ הַמְּלָכִים) and the Lord of lords (אֲדנֵי הָאֲדנִים). And with the breath of his lips He will slay the wicked" (Rev. 19:11-16).
Amen! May that day come speedily, and in our time...
Hebrew Lesson
Zeph. 1:41a reading (click):
HAPPY PURIM CHAVERIM!
During this Purim 5785, let us remember the nation of Israel in our prayers, and let us trust in God's providential hand in our lives -- that He will work all things together for the good of his people -- and that like wicked Haman, the enemy of our souls will likewise meet his fate, and then finally shall all our mourning be turned into dancing! Halevai!
The Miracle of Teshuvah...
03.12.25 (Adar 12, 5785) Have you ever considered what the "self" really is? We tend to think of it, I suppose, as a conscious and emotional "center" of experience that is distinct from others and that has a sense of continuity through time and place. However, the self (or soul) has the ability to "transcend" itself, that is, to become conscious of itself, and this sets up an inner "dialog" within that enables the self to examine its own thinking, or to regard itself in relation to itself.... In this connection Soren Kierkegaard wrote of two types of "despair," by which he meant a condition of being wrongly related to your self. First, you can despair by rejecting (or denying) the self, and second, you can despair by elevating and exalting your self. In the first case the self is "lost" or abandoned by various forms of escapism; in the second case, the self is "idolized" and given god-like prerogative; in either case, however, the self is in despair because it is not grounded in the truth of reality, since there can be no true "self" apart from relationship with God who is the ground of all being...
This is connected with the task of cheshbon ha'nefesh (חֶשְׁבּוֹן הַנֶּפֶשׁ), or taking account of ourselves to do teshuvah (i.e., repent). Note that Kierkegaard understood the experience of the "self" as a conscious "synthesis" of the infinite/finite, the temporal/eternal, and freedom/necessity, all in relationship to God, who is the Source and End of self-conscious life. We will exist in a state of "despair" when we attempt to deny any one of these paradoxes and thereby choose to understand ourselves apart from relationship with God. We all stand at the "crossroads" of the eternal and the temporal, and we can only know ourselves for what we are when we surrender to God for each irrepeatable choice of our lives. Because of this, teshuvah (or "repentance") is an ongoing activity of the heart - the "daily bread" and sustenance in the way of becoming whole before God.
In your fight against evil, it is important not to become evil yourself, or as Nietzsche once lcucidly said, "Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you." Applied inwardly this means that we are careful not to hate ourselves in the battle we have with our sin. We can escape the "shame-pride" cycle when we turn away from ourselves by knowing ourselves only in relationship with the Lord who loves and gave himself for newness of life. We turn away from the hell of our past mistakes and turn to God who is our only remedy from death. When we know ourselves only through God's love in Yeshua, we find ourselves as beloved in relation to Him.
Any idea of the "self" apart from God is a dead-end (Prov. 14:12). Indeed, if we find the courage to honestly look within we soon discover that we are filled with violent desires and are loveless at heart: "For out of the heart comes evil..." (Mark 7:21; Jer. 17:9). The essence of Torah is to love, to "do good and no evil," but we are inherently selfish, judgmental of others, calloused, and proud. So how can we do the impossible?
There is a persistent temptation to regard our inability to love as the result of something other than our own inner perversity, or what the Bible calls "spiritual death." If we are not careful, we will pray that the Lord will show mercy and compassion on that which is to crucified, buried, and taken away! God does not reform our carnal nature but puts it on the cross to be done away with, and then he replaces it with a new nature given by the Spirit and resurrection life... This miracle of God is found in union with the Messiah's life. "Live in me and I will live in you," Yeshua says, "as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it finds life in the vine, neither can you, unless you find life in me; for apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:4-5). You cannot do the impossible, but with God all things are possible (Mark 10:27; Phil. 4:13).
Therefore the ability to love comes by the miracle of God (Ezek. 36:26; 1 John 4:19). As we live in Yeshua, we find life, love, light, truth, and salvation from the hell of a loveless heart. Unite yourself with his death, burial, and resurrection; reckon yourself to be immersed into him, death-for-death, life-for-life (Rom. 6:8-11; Col. 3:1-4). "Unless a seed of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it abides alone..." (John 12:24). Yeshua is the source of all life, and we find nourishment, strength, and fullness of joy as we connect with him.
By faith therefore affirm: "I have been crucified with Messiah, and it is no longer 'I' who live, but Messiah who lives in me" (Gal. 2:20). There is a new "I" that comes from above, known only in spiritual relationship with the Savior. The miracle of the exchanged life comes as we surrender to the truth of what God has done for us (2 Cor. 5:17). That's the essence of the gospel, "the power of God for salvation to all who believe" (Rom. 1:16). Therefore we do not attempt to crucify ourselves, or labor to reform our lower nature, but we instead accept that we already have been crucified by the mercy and power of God. We clothe ourselves in the robes of his righteousness as we celebrate God's redeeming love for our lives. Only then are we empowered by the Spirit to truly "love the LORD and keep his charge"; and only then will we have a true self... Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 139:23-24 reading (click for audio):
A Closing Thought...
Though we are given a new heart at the time of our regeneration, we are still saddled with the sinful lower nature, and that explains why we are instructed to become sanctified by "putting on" our spiritual self and "putting off" the carnal one (see Gal. 3:27; Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10; 1 Thess. 4:3; etc.). We are to "mortify" (put to death) the sinful nature by faith in the power and provision of God (Col. 3:5; Rom. 8:13) As it is written: "The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Yeshua the Messiah, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires" (Rom. 13:12-14).
Though followers of Yeshua are made into a "new creation" and all things are "made new" (2 Cor. 5:17) we nevertheless must practice our spirituality by being "renewed in the spirit of the mind" and by consciously choosing to "walk in the Spirit" (Eph. 4:23-24; Gal. 5:16). Therefore go forward in faith; do not focus on your failures but on His victory secured on your behalf. We all struggle with sin in our lives, but the difference for some is that they are called by God and are chosen to know him despite the common failings of the fallen human condition. Count yourself among those who must "fight the good fight of faith," and above all else, never let go of your hope in God's passion and love for you.
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Revelation and Awe...
"Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe, the oftener and the more steadily we reflect on them: the starry heavens above and the moral law within."- Kant
03.12.25 (Adar 12, 5785) While at Mount Sinai the Ten Commandments were dramatically uttered amidst thunder, lightning, smoke, and the roar of the heavenly shofar, they essentially restate spiritual and moral truth intuitively known by all people (see Rom. 1:19-32). In light of this, we may wonder why God made such a terrifying presentation of principles already implanted within the souls of those he created in his image, and especially to the direct descendants of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses... After all, God's truth may be spoken using a "still small voice" rather than in fiery displays (1 Kings 19:12).
In reply, it may be said that while most people intuitively understand the whisper of "right and wrong," they often suppress the voice of conscience because they do not genuinely fear God, and therefore they fail to connect the significance of their choices with the Divine Lawgiver who is the Source of moral reality. They separate, in other words, the idea of transcendental "Supreme Being" (i.e., the cosmic Creator) from the Source of immanent value and meaning (i.e, the Judge of all). The First Commandment, however, reminds us: "I AM (anokhi) the LORD (YHVH) your God (Elohim)," which identifies divine power with righteousness and holiness. The drama of the revelation at Sinai was therefore intended to instill yirat haShem - the awe of God - within the heart, connecting the Supreme Power with moral truth and its implications (i.e., conscience).
The Israelites drew back in fear because they realized that the Holy One himself was present in their private thoughts, attitudes, and motives of the heart, and this produced a sense of dread within them (Exod. 20:19). Moses reassured them, however, by saying that the surrounding terrors - which undoubtedly resembled the wonders they had witnessed in Egypt - would do them no harm if they would heed the Voice of the LORD. In other words, the terrifying glory of Sinai was meant to impart a sense of reverence and to help the people know that the LORD God is the Source of all power and glory...
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 97:6 Hebrew reading:
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The Friend of Sinners...
"God be praised that it is not because of my worthiness that God loves me. Otherwise, I might at any moment die of fear lest the next moment I cease to be worthy." - Kierkegaard
03.12.25 (Adar 12, 5785) "The Son of Man came ... and they say, 'Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'" (Matt. 11:19). People -- and especially the religious people -- were scandalized by Yeshua because he was a "friend of tax collectors and sinners!" Yet what sickness of heart is this, to despise those who are sick? It is a sorrow of heart to realize that religion often creates an "in-group" mentality that attains its status at the expense of the "outsider," the "stranger," the "sinner," and so on... The prayer of the self-righteous is always: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people: extortionists, unrighteous people, adulterers – or even like this tax collector" (Luke 18:11).
The religious leaders of Yeshua's day were offended because he "welcomed sinners" and enjoyed eating meals with them (Luke 15:2). We can almost hear their disapproving whispers and their dismissive accusations: "How could a good Jew behave like this? Does he not understand the call to personal holiness? Does he not know the Torah of "clean" and "unclean"? If a man is known by the company he keeps, we know enough about Yeshua to know that he's not truly pious..." And to this very day the self-righteous find offensive the idea that God welcomes the sinful, the needy, the broken, the despised, and the "outsider" into His presence... As Yeshua said, "those who are well have no need of a physician," and indeed offering them God's cure will always be regarded as a kind of poison...
We greatly rejoice that God indeed is the friend of sinners; He is the Good Shepherd who seeks and saves the lost. Thank the Lord that he comes not for the "righteous" but for those who are brokenhearted, for those mortally wounded by their own sin... Any so-called theology or religion that repudiates or minimizes God's love for the sinful, the needy, the broken, is little more than a shrine to human pride and vanity... On the contrary: the heart of the Compassionate One always welcomes a sinner who sincerely turns to Him.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 23:3 reading (click):
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Parables and Revelation...
The holiday of Purim celebrates God's hidden miracles and providential deliverance of his people.
03.11.25 (Adar 11, 5785) Yeshua often used various agricultural images in his parables. For example, he explained that people are known by the "fruits" of their lives (Matt. 7:16-20). He likened the spread of his message in terms of "sowing and reaping" (Matt. 13:3-23) and compared the Kingdom of Heaven to the secret working of a mustard seed (Matt. 13:31-32). Yeshua regarded the world as a "field" for planting with different "types of soil" (Matt. 13:38-43), and warned of the "great harvest" of souls at the end of the age (Luke 10:2; Matt. 13:30). He pointed to signs from a fig tree to indicate the nearness of the prophesied End of Days (Matt. 24:32-33). Yeshua also used the metaphor of a "vine and its branches" to explain how his followers are to be connected to Him (John 15:1-6).
Undoubtedly Yeshua taught in parables because they simultaneously conceal and reveal the truth. A parable obscures the truth to those who don't really want it; just as it reveals the truth to those who do (Luke 8:9-10; Psalm 72:8; Matt. 13:34-35). Since Yeshua's whole life was a parable of sorts - a "disguise" that led to the victory of our deliverance (Phil. 2:7) - it is not surprising that he regularly used "figures of speech" to provoke people to examine their own heart attitude and faith... In this connection note that Yeshua never explained the "mysteries of the kingdom of God" directly to the crowds, nor did He ever pander to the crowd's clamor or interests. His message is always meant for the individual soul who was willing to follow Him -- to the one who had "ears to hear."
Reading the parables can help us take inventory of our lives. For example, whenever we hear the famous "parable of the sower" (Matt. 13:3-23) we are reminded that God is like a farmer who sows seed upon the soil of human hearts (the quality of which may be hard, shallow, choked, or good). If we are honest with ourselves, we will see our own hardness, shallowness, and selfishness in contrast to the fruitfulness marked by the good soil, and this may prompt us to seek God for help. Only the new heart (lev chadash) created by power of God's Spirit can possibly yield the fruit of the Spirit. Yeshua therefore warns us: "Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away" (Luke 8:18).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 78:2 Hebrew with comments (click):
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With God all things are possible, and the life of God is a miracle that comes from God's own source of Life. It is the fruit of the Spirit, after all, and not the fruit of human effort or moral reformation... Amen and Chag Purim Sameach!
Seek First God's Kingdom...
"Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you... " - Yeshua (Matt. 6:33).
03.11.25 (Adar 11, 5785) When we worry, are we not afraid that God will leave us unprotected and vulnerable? Are we not questioning his heart for us? Are we not asking, as the people of Israel once did as they thirsted in desert places: הֲיֵשׁ יְהוָה בְּקִרְבֵּנוּ אִם־אָיִן - "Is the LORD with us or not?" (Exod. 17:7). Indeed, does not the presence of worry within our hearts amount to a confession of our unbelief?
The Scriptures warn us not to "spy after our heart and after our eyes" (Num. 15:39). The Torah mentions the heart first and then the eyes to indicate that the eyes follow the heart. We see as we believe with our heart: "According to your faith be it done unto you." When the spies said, "We are not able to go up (לא נוּכַל לַעֲלוֹת)... for they are stronger than us" (Num. 13:31), they revealed their unwillingness to believe in God's promise, or, to put it another way, they revealed their faith in God's inability to deliver on his word.... Indeed, the Hebrew word for "than us" (מִמֶּנּוּ) can also mean "than Him," suggesting that the spies believed that even God would be unable to uproot the Canaanites. According to their faith, so it was done; by believing that it was impossible, they lost the possibility of God's promise...
Are we truly seeking God "first" or are there other things that have a higher priority in our hearts? Do we wonder if God is to be trusted in the "desert experiences" of our lives? Do we think that God has been unfair to us? Have we sometimes lamented that our way is too hard for us, and more than we can bear? "Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed" (Matt. 25:24).
It is possible to misjudge God and misinterpret our relationship with him. "We walk by faith, not by sight." This is true for all people, since every soul lives by faith of some kind or another. Our ability to know him is based on the blessing of the Spirit, not on our own merits. How can we, broken vessels, seek first the kingdom of God, apart from faith in him? Is that not presupposed in all our seeking of the heart? It is faith in God's promises, and faith that God will keep his promises to us, that is the key to seeking first God's kingdom. Those who do not seek do not believe that God is the ultimate concern of their lives.
Faith sees what is possible and refuses to yield to the artificiality of mere appearance. Indeed, appearances are often a test of our courage. We may never know how often a test was given and - just before victory was manifest - the heart grew faint and was lost to fear. "According to your faith be it done to you" is a spiritual principle that applies to everyone. In that sense, it is not that we have faith that matters (since we all do), but whether our faith is grounded in the promises and power of the LORD God of Israel, or something else....
When God told Abram to "get out of your land," he called him to focus on heavenly places – to find his identity there. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness" (Matt. 6:33). The "righteousness of God" is his love, mercy, glory, and goodness. Therefore King David says, אַחַת שָׁאַלְתִּי מֵאֵת־יְהוָה - "One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire before his presence" (Psalm 27:4). Likewise, followers of Yeshua no longer find their identity in this world but rather through their spiritual union with the resurrected LORD (Gal. 2:20; 6:14; Eph. 1:3; 2:6)... Therefore we are told to "seek the things that are above (τὰ ἄνω ζητεῖτε) where the Messiah is seated at the right hand of God; focus your thoughts on the things above - not on things here on earth - for you have died, and your life has been hidden (κέκρυπται) with Messiah in God. Then when the Messiah, who is your life, appears, you too will appear with him in glory" (Col. 3:1-4).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 16:8 reading (click for audio):
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Esther and God's Providence...
The holiday of Purim begins Thursday March 13th at sundown this year...
03.11.25 (Adar 11, 5785) Much is made over the fact that the book of Esther is the only book of the Tanakh that does not explicitly mention the Name of God. However, the idea of God's sovereignty and diivine providence (i.e., hashgachah, הַשׁגָחָה) is clearly implied throughout the entire story. Indeed the sages teach that the message of Purim concerns the kingship of God (ממלכת האל), with the word "the king" (המלך) appearing over 100 times and the word "kingdom" (מלכות) appearing ten times in the scroll. In most cases the word "king" refers to King Achashverosh, though the sages say that when Achashverosh is not explicitly named, it may also refer to the King of the Universe.
The phrase hester panim (הסתר פנים) means "hiding of the face" and is often used when discussing the Book of Esther. In this sense of the term, hester panim is somewhat like the sun on an overcast day: Just because you don't see it doesn't mean it isn't there. God's providential love is at work at all times, whether we perceive it or not. This is suggested in the name of the scroll itself: the phrase Megillat Esther (מגילת אסתר), literally "the Scroll of Esther," can be rearranged to say megallat ha'seter (מגילת הסתר), "the concealed scroll."
In light of this nes nistar (נס נסתר), or "hidden miracle" of the Jew's deliverance, Esther and Mordecai ordained that Purim should be observed as a "day of feasting and merrymaking" and of sending gifts to the poor (Esther 9:22,28). By the way, Purim (פורים) was so named because Haman had cast lots (purim) to determine the day on which to destroy the Jews.
So what does Purim teach us? Well first of all it teaches that the LORD is in control of everything, even if may seem otherwise. Nothing happens apart from God's sovereign will, and therefore everything works together for the ultimate good for those who trust in Him (Rom. 8:28). The term hashgachah pratit (השׁגחה פרטית) refers to God's personal supervision of our lives (hashgachah means "supervision," and pratit means "individual" or "particular"). Since He is the Master of the Universe (אדון עולם), God's supervision and providence reaches to the smallest of details of creation - from subatomic particles to the great motions of the cosmos. God not only calls each star by its own name (Psalm 147:4), but knows each particular lily and sparrow (Matt. 6:28-30, 10:29). Each person created in the likeness of God is therefore under the direct, personal supervision of God Himself -- whether that soul is conscious of that fact or not. As Yeshua said, even the hairs on your head are all numbered (Matt. 10:30). The God of Israel is called אלהי הרוּחת לכל־בּשׂר / Elohei ha-ruchot lekhol-basar: "The God of the spirits of all flesh" (Num. 16:22), and that means He is LORD even over those who vainly attempt to suppress His Presence and reality. Second, Purim teaches that God's plans for Israel will never (ever) fail and that those who disregard Israel in their theology do so at their peril. Third, the story of Esther provides a warning for those tyrants and princes of this world who oppress God's people: Like the false usurper Haman, you are likewise doomed to failure, and the LORD will vindicate all who trust in Him for deliverance.
There is great comfort when we understand that God has complete authority over 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 somehow incapable of handling our troubles or that He is unable to help us. No, we acknowledge that the God most High (אל עליון) sustains all things by the Word of His power (Col. 1:17). He is "the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings (מלך המלכים) 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
Proverbs 16:9 reading (click):
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Healer of the Sabbath...
03.10.25 (Adar 10, 5785) In this week's Torah portion (i.e., Ki Tisa) we read: "Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath (לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת־הַשַּׁבָּת) throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. It is a sign forever (אוֹת הִוא לְעֹלָם) between me and the people of Israel that in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested (שָׁבַת) and was refreshed (וַיִּנָּפַשׁ)" (Exod. 31:16-17).
Upon a closer consideration of this text we might wonder how we can both "do" and "not do" something at the same time? Note that the phrase "observing the Sabbath" (לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת־הַשַּׁבָּת) can literally be understood as "making" or "doing" (עשׂה) the Sabbath, and yet we are told to "rest" -- שָׁבַת -- meaning to cease or desist from any labor (מְלָאכָה). Indeed God calls the Sabbath day "shabbat shabbaton" (שַׁבַּת שַׁבָּתוֹן), a day of complete rest, holy to the LORD (Exod. 31:15). So how can we "make" the Sabbath and yet cease from work?
The sages have attempted to resolve this paradox by saying that the words, "on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed" (וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי שָׁבַת וַיִּנָּפַשׁ) imply that God did something after he created the universe, namely he "made rest" by celebrating the work of his hands and savoring the beauty of his creation. God "set the table" for creation and paused to reflect on its significance and purpose, and he wants us to do likewise.
We can "make" the Sabbath day a time of "rest" or menuchah (מְנוּחָה), by letting go of our weekly concerns and the usual preoccupations that surround our lives. Sabbath is an invitation to "ascend" to a higher level, to consciously re-connect with God as both our Creator and our Redeemer. We lift up the cup of God's salvation; we partake of the bread of heaven.... We glorify the great Lamb of God. If we make the Sabbath a delight, a time of holiness and honor, then God "will cause you to ride upon the high places of the earth, and he will feed you with the heritage of Jacob thy father" (Isa. 58:13-14). "Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither is his ear heavy, that it cannot hear."
The Fourth Commandment says we are to keep the Sabbath day holy (קָדוֹשׁ), and it further connects this with separating from worldly preoccupation: "six days shall you labor and do all your work" (Exod. 20:9). Resting from work, as Abraham Heschel once said, "is not a depreciation but an affirmation of labor, a divine exaltation of its dignity." And because we are called aside from the burden of the mundane, we are "lifted out" of the process of time, not focusing on what we do but rather who we are as God's redeemed people...
This is further exemplified in the ministry of Yeshua who "worked" on the Sabbath in the sense of doing acts that were derived from his connection with heaven. It can be assumed that Yeshua and his family faithfully observed the Sabbath and regularly attended synagogue (Luke 4:16). However later on, during the time of his active ministry we read that Yeshua's idea of the Sabbath included doing works of lovingkindness (גְּמִילוּת חֲסָדִים): "At that time Yeshua went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, 'Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.'" But he said to them, 'Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the Temple is here'" (Matt. 12:2-6).
Here we see Yeshua's understanding that Sabbath is to be centered upon life and healing and not merely the abstention from work. When Yeshua later was accosted by the Pharisees regarding healing a man on the Sabbath day, we read that he said to them, "Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath" (Matt. 12:11-12). This is the principle of pikuach nefesh (פִּיקוּחַ נֶפֶשׁ), saving a life, which preempts other considerations of religious observance... As Yeshua said, "man was not made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath was made for man" (Mark 2:27).
"And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, 'Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?' He answered them, 'What did Moses command you?' They said, 'Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.' And Yeshua said to them, 'Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment...'" (Mark 10:2-5; see also Matt. 19:8-9). Note here that Yeshua plainly explained that the "law" on divorce was given to accommodate the evil impulses of the heart, though such a law was never intended to be enacted. In other words, there are many laws given in the written Torah that, were it not for the problem of the heart, should never have been written down in the first place (see Mark 7:20-23). The various laws against adultery, lying under oath, stealing, dishonoring parents, turning away from God, and so on, all were given in light of the "hardness of heart" (קשיות הלב) that is here referred to by Yeshua. Likewise the apostle Paul spoke of the law as being given to restrain the evil latent within the unregenerated heart: "We know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane..." (1 Tim. 1:8-9). Indeed much of the law was written - not for the god-fearing and righteous, but for the unrighteous - as a "gilded cage" intended to restrain evil impulses until the blessing of salvation would transform the human heart. That is the message of the gospel, after all - that God would recreate people and impart a new nature that would willingly walk in ways of divine righteousness and truth (Jer. 31:33).
The Torah clearly forbade touching those afflicted with tza'arat (or "leprosy"; see Lev. 14:1-9), though the New Testament provides testimony that Yeshua did just that. "And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, 'Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.' And Yeshua stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, 'I will; be clean.' And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Yeshua said to him, 'See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them'" (Matt. 8:2-4; see also Mark 1:41; Luke 5:13). Likewise the Torah forbade touching a corpse at the expense of becoming unclean, yet Yeshua both touched corpses and brought people back to life (Luke 7:14; Matt. 9:25). How was it possible for Yeshua to do these things and not be regarded as "unclean," unless he is the Authority of the Torah of God (for more on this see the Mystery of the Red Heifer and the Gospel of the Red Cow).
Again we read in the gospel: "And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, 'Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?' -- so that they might accuse him. He said to them, 'Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep. So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.' Then he said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him" (Matt. 12:10-14). Note how Yeshua used a kal va'chomer inference (i.e., קַל וְחמר, "light and weighty") to make his point, namely, that if a light condition is true, then a heavier one is certainly true. If saving the life of an animal is important, even if doing so involves "working" on the Sabbath day, then how much more should we save the life of a human being made in the image of God?
When we read the Scriptures, it is we ourselves who are tested so that our heart's condition is manifest (Jer. 17:10). Therefore we are instructed are to "rightly divide (ὀρθοτομέω, lit. "cut straight") the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15). This is our responsibility as talmidim. Yeshua clearly taught the laws of Torah and moved them "inward," to be made a part of the heart. He faulted the Pharisees for tithing "mint and cumin" while neglecting the "weightier matters" of the law – that is, the deeper truth to love and care for others (see Matt. 23:23). He repeatedly stressed the need for the law to be "written upon the heart" and not to be regarded as a set of external decrees written upon tablets of stone. It is our personal responsibility, then, to apply these matters to our lives. May God give us his wisdom!
Hebrew Lesson
Hosea 6:6 Hebrew reading:
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Purim and Deliverance...
03.10.25 (Adar 10, 5785) Do you remember this scene from the Fiddler on the Roof? A young man named Labish approaches the dear and wise old Rabbi and asks him, "Is there a proper blessing for the Czar?" Everyone is shocked at the very idea. A blessing for the czar? The gentle Rabbi responds that indeed there is indeed a proper blessing for the czar: "May God bless and keep the Czar -- far away from us!" (Amen!)
The holiday of Purim is one of the most joyful of the Jewish year. We remember that long ago, in the city of Shushan (in ancient Persia), a wicked political sycophant named Haman attempted to blame the Jews for being different and to initiate a pogram for their extermination. The Jews were saved through the intervention of a queen named Esther (Hadassah) and her cousin Mordechai, both of whom were providentially enabled by God to overturn the evil decree of the King of Persia (the story is told in the Book of Esther). Throughout the centuries, in various places, many others have likewise tried to destroy the Jewish people, but none has succeeded. עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי / am Yisrael chai: "The people of Israel live!" God's sovereign hand works all things together for good, even if at times things appear bleak and desperate (Rom. 8:28).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 31:4 reading (click for audio):
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The name Purim (פּוּרִים) refers to the "lots" (i.e., dice) that Haman used to determine the "best day" to carry out their nefarious plan (there is irony regarding the word, however, since the word "pur" (פּוּר) also can refer to being "crushed" or "brought to nothing"). Haman's dice rolled "Adar 13," but since the Jews were delivered on the following day, the holiday is celebrated on the 14th of Adar. In other words, Adar 14 was ironically transformed from a day of potential tragedy and grief into a time of great rejoicing! (In Israel, Purim is observed a day later still (i.e., on Adar 15th) and is called Shushan Purim, since the deliverance of the Jews of Shushan did not occur until the 15th.) Among other things, the delicious irony of the Book of Esther reveals that there is no "chance" in God's universe, since He is the Master of the universe and supervises all it outcomes - even the "roll of the dice" (Prov. 16:33).
During the festive holiday of Purim it has become customary to dress up in costume and listen to the Book of Esther (i.e., megillat Esther, מְגִלָּת אֶסְתֵּר, or "the megillah") recited from the Hebrew scroll (before we hear the Megillah read, we recite three Purim blessings). Some people will dress as the noble Mordechai, others as the foolish king Ahashuerus, others as Esther, and so on. Part of the fun is that we are told that it's very important that we hear every word recited clearly, so we must keep very quiet as the story is being read. However, whenever we hear the name "Haman," we whirl groggers (ra'ashanim), blow whistles, stamp our feet, and make such a commotion that we can't hear his name. This is the only time we are encouraged to be boisterous when the Scriptures are being read.
After reading the Megillah, many communities put on their own "purimspiel" (Purim play) to reenact the dramatic story, with children dressed up as the characters of the play... Others put on "Purim puppet shows" at this time. It is a time of merrymaking and fun. Later we eat a festive meal (called a seudah, סְעֻדָּה) and enjoy three-cornered pastries called oznei Haman (אָזְנֵי הָמָן), or "Haman's Ears," for dessert (legend says that Haman's ears were twisted and triangular in shape). In Yiddish, these are called a hamantaschen (המן־טאַשן) and are often filled with prunes, chopped nuts, apricots, apples, cherries, chocolate, and so on. Eating Haman's Ears fit the delicious irony recounted in the Book of Esther....
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Getting reading for Purim...
The festive holiday of Purim begins Thursday March 13th at sundown this year...
03.09.25 (Adar 9, 5785) The Scriptures state that the holiday of Purim "should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed" (see Esther 9:28). According to Jewish tradition, we remember the miracles of Purim by means of four mitzvot (i.e., blessings): 1) honoring the appointed time as directed by the Scriptures (Esther 9:26-28); 2) performing acts of tzedakah and kindness (Esther 9:22; i.e., misloach manot: מִשְׁלוֹחַ מָנוֹת); 3) hearing the story of Esther read (i.e., Megillat Esther); and 4) enjoying a holiday Purim meal together.
The Midrash Esther says that Purim, unlike many of the other holidays, will be celebrated even after the final redemption after the End of Days. Maimonides says that the Book of Esther will enjoy the same status as the Torah of Moses in the world to come (Mishneh Torah, Megillah). This is because the story of Purim -- i.e., God's covenantal faithfulness and defense of His people -- will be magnified in the deliverance that leads to the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom upon the earth. Indeed, the Second Coming of the Messiah will be regarded as the final fulfillment of Purim (Rev. 19:11-16).
Purim is all about God's irrepressible, invincible, insuperable and sovereign love for His people. Though the wicked seem to sometimes have the upper hand in olam ha-zeh (this present hour), we need not fret or become anxious (Psalm 37:1, Prov. 24:19, Phil. 4:6). God is in control and His love and purposes overrule the counsel of the wicked. He will one day speak to the princes of this dark world in His wrath and terrify them in His fury (Psalm 2:5). God's great vision for Zion, the "City of the Great King," will never fail, friends, nor will His love for those who are trusting in Him. God's sovereign love is our great hope. As King David said, בָּרְכוּ־נָא אֶת־יהוה אֱלהֵיכֶם / Barekhu-na et-Adonai Elohekhem: "Now bless the LORD your God" (1 Chron. 29:20). פּוּרִים שָׂמֵחַ / Purim Sameach: "Happy Purim" chaverim!
Hebrew Lesson
Esther 9:28 reading (click):
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For more on this topic see the article: "Should Christians Celebrate Purim?"
Parashat Ki Tisa:
Brokenness and Atonement...
03.09.25 (Adar 9, 5785) In our last two Torah readings (Terumah / Tetzaveh), Moses was upon Mount Sinai receiving the vision of the Sanctuary (i.e., the Mishkan or "Tabernacle") and its various furnishings.
In this week's portion, Ki Tisa (כִּי תִשָּׂא), God commanded that all Israelite men over the age of twenty were required to pay a tax for the upkeep of the Sanctuary: "each shall give (וְנָתְנוּ) a ransom (i.e., kofer: כּפֶר) for his life to the LORD" (Exod. 30:12). After this tax was defined, the LORD described some additional elements that would be required for the priestly service at the Sanctuary, namely, a copper washstand, sacred anointing oil, and incense for the Golden Altar in the Holy Place.
The Lord then named Betzalel, a man "filled with the Spirit of God" to be the chief architect of the Mishkan. Before the construction would begin, however, the Lord warned the people to be careful to observe the Sabbath day. Immediately following this admonition, God gave Moses the two tablets of the Ten Commandments as inscribed directly by the hand of God.
Before Moses returned to the camp, however, "certain people" had talked his brother Aaron into making a golden idol which they began to worship as their "god." The LORD then told Moses of their treachery and threatened to destroy all the Israelites, but Moses interceded on their behalf. As he rushed down the mountain, with the tablets in hand, he saw the people dancing about the idol and smashed the Tablets in anger. Moses then destroyed the idol and led the Levites in slaying 3,000 of the ringleaders.
The following day, Moses returned up the mountain and begged God to reaffirm the covenant. After a 40 day period of intercession, the Lord finally told Moses to carve a second set of Tablets and to meet him again at the summit of Sinai, where He would show Moses his glory and reveal to him the meaning of His Name (יהוה). When Moses encountered the LORD in a state of brokenness and forgiveness, his face began to shine with glory - a glory that foretold of the New Covenant of God's mercy and grace to come in Yeshua.
When the people saw Moses coming down the mountain with the second set of Tablets, they understood they were forgiven and that the Covenant had been renewed. When they approached him, however, they drew back in fear, because his face was radiant with the glory of God. Moses reassured them, however, and then told them all that the Lord had commanded while he was on the mountain. When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil (מַסְוֶה) over his face. From that time on, Moses wore a veil in the camp, though he removed it whenever he went before the Lord for further instructions.
Heirs of the Spirit (יורשי הרוח)
03.07.25 (Adar 7, 5785) "Not all who are (physically) descended from Israel (οἱ ἐξ Ἰσραήλ) are (spiritually) Israel, nor are all (physical) descendants (σπέρμα) of Abraham his (spiritual) children (τέκνα); but ביצחק יקרא לך זרע - 'in Isaac shall your seed be called'" (Rom. 9:6-7; Gen. 21:12, 32:28), which is to say that a child of promise is brought forth by the power of God, and not by means of human agency (see John 1:12-13). Though both Ishmael and Isaac were physical descendants of Abraham, the former was born "of the flesh" (κατὰ σάρκα) whereas the latter was born "of the Spirit" (ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος), and this is why Isaac was the true heir of the faith.
Note how faith expresses the direction of life. Isaac surrendered himself as a sacrifice to God, whereas Ishmael contended for worldly power. The "children of the flesh" often regard themselves as "free" when in fact they are slaves since they do not know the blessing of true surrender to God. Friend, if you are depending on your own inner strength, your resolve, or your "religion" to save you, then you have not taken hold of the promise, for it is receiving the promise of God that imparts life. You may regard yourself as a "spiritual" person but be a stranger to the heart of Reality. We are healed from the sickness of spiritual death only by the power of God, by being reborn with a radically new nature though the agency of the Spirit, not by attempting to "reform" our lower nature nor by taking pride in our lineage, religion, or our status in this world (Matt. 3:9, John 8:39-45). As Yeshua said, "It is the Spirit that makes alive; the flesh is of no use at all" (John 6:63).
Hebrew Lesson
Genesis 15:6 reading (click for audio):
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Knowing God Truly....
A brief meditation on Matthew 7:21-23 and how we can truly know God...
03.07.25 (Adar 7, 5785) "I never knew you..." O dreadful vision to consider that we, even though we profess faith in God, may become strangers to the truth, and that the essence of our life was discovered to be a lie, a vanity, everlasting loss...
That is the substance of Yeshua's warning to all who profess faith in him. "The outer is not the inner" (and vice versa). Not every one who says that he believes in him truly does so, and not every one who thinks he knows him does so truly (Matt. 7:21). Truth is revealed by what a person does with his or her life, since this manifests who they are and what they really believe, far more than mere words. We can say a lot of things about what we may believe, but the test is whether we are doing the will of God - or not. Those who "enter the kingdom" are those who seek to do the will of God as the utmost passion of their existence.
Clearly none of this is about religion or religious "scrupulosity." It is far more serious than that. Yeshua warned that many people do various religious activities, "good deeds" such as feeding the poor, protesting social injustice, or ministering to the oppressed, and so on. Some may even teach or preach the very gospel message itself, but alas! all these may be outsiders who break the inmost law of truth by refusing to surrender to God.
Hear Yeshua's words: "Many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons and do many powerful deeds?' (Matt. 7:22). But note the plural pronoun used in this self-reference. Why does the crowd speak on its behalf regarding what "they" have done to justify themselves? Are these people trusting in their religious associations or virtues to make them right with God? Do they identify themselves with some church or righteous cause and assume that should suffice to obtain favorable judgment from heaven? Be careful. Yeshua always speaks to the individual heart, not to groups, tribes, or political parties... "I never knew you" is spoken in the plural: Οὐδέποτε ἔγνων ὑμᾶς, that is, He is unknown except for the individual heart that trusts in Him...
But nonetheless, Yeshua is saying something more. In this admonitory vision of judgment there is a surprising twist. There is no indication that he denied that some people objectively did such patently "good" things. Many did prophesy (or teach) about God; many did cast out demons and do "powerful" or miraculous works. The essence of the judgment, however, is that despite all this, despite their ostensible allegiance to God, they were really practitioners of lawlessness, they were workers of iniquity, and therefore they were cast out: "I never knew you" (Matt. 7:23).
Yeshua had warned us before. He made the matter clear: "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. But the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few" (Matt. 7:13-14). The "wide" gate is the way of the crowd, spacious enough to accommodate the masses. It's the way of open-ended "tolerance" coupled with the unthinking repudiation of moral convictions. The "paradox of tolerance" is that absolute tolerance is self-contradictory and ultimately leads to self-destruction. As Karl Popper said: "If everyone is tolerant of every idea, then intolerant ideas will emerge. Tolerant people will tolerate this intolerance, and the intolerant people will not tolerate the tolerant people."
The "narrow way," on the other hand, leads to life. It is not the popular way. It is not the way of the masses or the "politically correct" crowd. It is not amenable to the way of the jaded skeptic who has no faith in truth. It is not the path of the proud or arrogant. Nor is it the way of "religion" or social justice organizations. It does neither "jihad" nor affect compassion through worldly philanthropy. It is certainly not the way of the State nor political movements driven by mass appeals of the tyrants, demagogues, and their followers. Nor is it the way of the "institutional" churches. It is not a mass "Christian" movement. It is not concerned with teachings of theologians, or professors, or even preachers who are simply "interested" in the things of God but who never engage in raw personal struggle and agony of heart to do the will of God. No, the way of true surrender involves confessing your brokenness and poverty - your need for deliverance from yourself - and in humility coming before the light to ask God for the miracle of salvation, for "life-from-death" deliverance, resurrection, and newness of life...
Something more is therefore needed than merely thinking about God or doing various forms of good works, and that "something more" is having an honest and genuinely tested relationship Yeshua, knowing him in the secret communion of your heart as you live whatever remains of your days in surrender to his will. What is more is the death of Yeshua given on your behalf and your regeneration. It is life "built upon the Rock" - the solid foundation of God's heart given in Christ - that will enable you to weather the inevitable storms of life without failing (Matt. 7:24-27).
So do you truly know the Lord, friend? Or better - does He really know you? Again, this does not concern abstract knowledge about God or the practices of religion, but the passion of the heart. It is the "knowledge" of knowing someone that you truly love. And that is the key: love. To know God is to know his love and to receive his passion. You simply cannot know Yeshua apart from knowing his love for you, for these are bound together as one.
God loves you despite yourself. It's not your love for God that saves you but God's love for you: ῾Ημεῖς ἀγαπῶμεν αὐτόν, ὅτι αὐτὸς πρῶτος ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς. "We love him because he first loves us" (1 John 4:19). We were born into this world alienated, lost, spiritually dead, and therefore unable to know the truth of God's heart. Our love (and knowledge) of God comes from God's love for us, and we receive that love by the miracle of his intervention in our lives. There is no other way. We do not ascend a "stairway to heaven" to find God, but he descends to the depths and rescues us from the shadowy world of exile and fear.
Yeshua was once asked: "What shall we do to do the works of God?" and he answered: "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he sent" (John 6:28-29). This, then, is the will of God; this is what the Lord requires from us; this is the key that opens the door to enter in the Kingdom: to believe and trust in God's personal love for us given in Yeshua and to live the truth of that love humbly and in all our ways.
If you forget the essence of your soul you may begin to lose sight of your reason for being, the "why" that underlies all other whys... This essence, however, is not discovered by means of reason, but by revelation -- it is a divine disclosure that awakens you to newness of life. Teshuvah is a return to the arms of your Heavenly Father...
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 139:23-24 Hebrew reading:
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Robes of His Righteousness...
The following is related to this week's Torah reading, parashat Tetzaveh...
03.07.25 (Adar 7, 5785) The special vestments of the priests -- namely the beautifully crafted apron (ephod) made of gold and blue, purple and scarlet, and adorned with engraved onyx stones; the breastplate (choshen) that was held over the ephod by golden chains, and its twelve precious gemstones engraved with the names of the children of Israel; the robe (me'il) made of blue linen (techelet) and its hem of embroidered pomegrantes with bells of gold dangling from the border; the linen sash (avnet) and tunic (ketonet), and the crown (mitznefet) with its headband (tzitz) of pure gold and blue thread inscribed with the words "Holy to the LORD" -- all these together were designed by God to be "for glory and for beauty" (לְכָבוֹד וּלְתִפְאָרֶת), as it says in Exodus 28:2.
Many of the same materials used to create the Mishkan (Tabernacle) were used to create these vestments, which suggests that our bodies are to be clothed in God's holiness and the "robes of his righteousness" as we serve within his habitation (Isa. 61:10). The various colors, the use of gold, the jewelry with names of beloved children, and the headcovering that proclaims holiness to the LORD, further pictures Yeshua as He served within God's house to secure our place in heaven. Likewise we are called to be a "kingdom of priests" (ממְלֶכֶת כֹּהֲנִים), a holy people (גוֹי קָדוֹשׁ), called by God to serve as a light to the nations (אוֹר לגּוֹיִם) - shining forth Gods' love and truth to others (Isa. 49:6; 1 Pet. 2:5-9). Indeed we are called to "be My salvation to the ends of the earth' (לִהְיוֹת יְשׁוּעָתִי עַד־קְצֵה הָאָרֶץ).
To serve as His priests, we must "abide in the light" or become conscious of the divine light within our hearts (Isa. 2:5; John 8:12). Like the sacred flame of the menorah, this "flame of awareness" is precious - illuminating the truth of what is most real -- not only the superficial matters of life but the deeper things of who we really are -- beloved children of God, given eternal life, chosen to serve God and to be with him forever (Rev. 18:16). "For God who commanded light to shine out of darkness has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Yeshua the Messiah" (2 Cor. 4:6).
We must be careful to distinguish between the "natural light" and the spiritual light, because the exegencies of the moment can blind us to the light of the eternal... We must therefore repeatedly seek the divine light - first within us - and secondly the "deeper light" that penetrates the vain dramas and cares of this fleeting world. In this way we practice God's presence, knowing Him in all we do, and attaining sacred wisdom whereby our "eyes of the heart" (ὀφθαλμοὺς τῆς καρδίας) are enlightend to know what is "the hope of His calling, the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe" (Eph. 1:17-19). Halleluyah!
The scene of the priest arrayed in his beautiful garments, serving God in the "beauty of his holiness" pictures heavenly reality, wherein we will forever be in God's House, covered with the ceremonial robes of his kindness and favor, knowing Him as his beloved children who reflect the love and glories of the Lord forever. Amen!
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 61:10 reading (click for audio):
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Intercession and Incense...
The following is related to this week's Torah reading, parashat Tetzaveh...
03.06.25 (Adar 6, 5785) The last item described in the Mishkan (i.e., the "Tabernacle") was a "Golden Altar" (הַמִזְבַּחַ הַזָּהָב) that was to be placed in the Holy Place just before the veil separating the Holy of Holies (parochet). Every morning and evening the High Priest would burn sacred incense on this altar (symbolizing prayer and intercession), and the blood of atonement was also applied there during the Yom Kippur service (Exod. 30:6-10).
The sages say that the word "incense" – i.e., ketoret (קְטרֶת) – can be thought of as an acronym of the words kedushah (קְדוּשָׁה), "holiness," tahorah (טָהֳרָה), "purity," rachamim (רַחֲמִים), "compassion," and tikvah (תִקוָה), "hope," characteristics that marked the passion of Yeshua who interceded for us as he offered his blood before the heavenly kapporet as our High Priest of the new covenant. Indeed, the word ketoret comes from a root word (קטר) that means to offer sacrifice, further alluding to the intercession of Messiah on our behalf (Heb. 7:25). Disciples of Yeshua are likewise called priests of God (Rev. 1:6; 1 Pet. 2:5), and our prayers and service are regarded as a "sweet-smelling savor" offered to the Lord (Rev. 8:4). As it says in the Psalms: "Let my prayer be counted as incense before You; the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice" (Psalm 141:2).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 141:2 Hebrew reading:
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Note: The Talmud states that the sacred incense recipe was made of eleven different spices, ten of which had pleasant fragrance, but one of which (i.e., galbanum) had an unpleasant odor. The sages have said the presence of an unpleasant odor in the sacred mixture represents our laments, our cries, and confession for the foulness of our sins.
The Lord our Refuge...
I happened to be reading Psalm 7 the other day and took a few notes about the its opening words... This may be of interest to those of you who are learning Hebrew. Shalom.
03.06.25 (Adar 6, 5785) Psalm 7 begins with a word of musical direction, "shigayon" (שִׁגָּיוֹן), that likely means "in a wandering" or "plaintive" style (from a root word that means to "wander" or to "muse"). David apparently composed these words while under duress, as he was being persecuted by an adversary named "Cush, the Benjamite," thought either to be a member of King Saul's court or as another name for King Saul himself. At any rate, the psalm records David's heartfelt lament and appeal to God to be vindicated and delivered from his enemies, and it expresses his confidence that God alone is his Savior: "My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart" (Psalm 7:10).
The psalm itself begins, "O Lord my God." In Hebrew: "Adonai Elohai" (יהוה אלהי). This can be read, "O Lord, you are the God of me." David's focus is on the one who says "I am the Lord your God" (אנכי יהוה אלהיך), the first words of covenant with God. "I am the Lord your God" are the opening words of the very First Commandment (Exod. 20:2). It is the call of God to be in relationship with him. We begin here. "Our heavenly Father..."
The sages note that the opening words: "O Lord my God" (יהוה אלהי) has the same numerical value as the word "chesed" (חסד), which means love, mercy, or "lovingkindness." God's name means "compassion" to the trusting heart. "Like a Father who has pity on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who revere him" (Psalm 103:13).
"In you I trust." In Hebrew the phrase "bekha chasiti" (בְּךָ חָסִיתִי) means "you are my refuge, my "hiding place" in the storm. The root of the verb means to shelter, to show pity, and to console. "God is our refuge and strength, "in troubles he is found near" (בצרות נִמְצָא מאד). Note that phrase. God permits troubles in our lives to move us to seek his love and healing. These are the "troubles of love" (יסרים של אהבה) I've written about elsewhere.
So David opens his prayer saying, "O Lord, you are my God; I take refuge in you..." I paraphrase: "O Lord, you alone are my God, my help, my strength... I come to the place of your refuge; I seek myself in your heart and love..." These are words of deep trust and humility. "Without you I can do nothing" (John 15:5). Humility is the attitude of trust, or "bittachon" (בטחון). It is total reliance on God as his child, secure in his mercy and love.
Therefore David cries out, "O save me!" In Hebrew: "hoshiani" (הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי). The form of the verb "yasha" (ישע) affirms that only God can deliver him, only God can rescue him. God alone controls the future, and therefore this is a plea to be set free from anxiety and fear. The name "Jesus" comes from this word (ישוע). The parallel word "hatzileni" (הַצִּילֵנִי), which David added to his appeal to God, means "deliver me," from a root (נצל) that means to be rescued from captivity. This idea here is that God alone has the power to overcome David's enemies, to those who pursue him, and to release him from their hold over his soul.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 7:1 Hebrew reading:
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Trusting God's Providence...
03.06.25 (Adar 6, 5785) The Scriptures teach us that creation is "teleological," which means that it is "going someplace," and that there is order and purpose to our existence. Your life is not adrift in a random universe that is destined to ultimately fade away but is grounded in the Divine Mind and Will that personally supervises and pervades all things. A lack of emunah (faith) has been likened to a passenger flying on an airplane who doesn't believe there is a pilot in the cockpit... Faith in the LORD believes that a single supreme, all-knowing, all-powerful and benevolent spiritual Power directs all things, and that God is the beginning, middle, and end of all conscious meaning, truth, and substance, as it is written: כִּי הַכּל מִיָּדוֹ הַכּל בּוֹ וְהַכּל לוֹ הוּא, "For from him and through him and to him are all things" (Rom. 11:36). A life of faith in the one true God imparts the blessing of shalom (inner peace) and assures the heart that all shall be made well by the love of God. Everything God does is for the very best, and there are no exceptions to this truth (Rom. 8:28).
Our faith that everything God does is for the best is not some rationalization that denies or minimizes the suffering we encounter in life, but is an affirmation that there is an unseen (though knowable) good at work that ultimately will heal us and comfort our shattered hearts... The phrase gam zu l'tovah (גַּם זוּ לְטוֹבָה) is an affirmation that "this too is for good," and that this "this" includes the various challenges and struggles we face during our days of sojourn here on this earth. Every "down" in life prepares us for an "up," with the ultimate end being beatitude and everlasting joy. Challenges draw us closer to God, igniting our hearts to cry out for his Presence and blessing. Even death itself is a passageway to eternal life (Psalm 16:10; 49:15; 1 Cor. 15:12-58). בַּעֲצָתְךָ תַנְחֵנִי וְאַחַר כָּבוֹד תִּקָּחֵנִי - "You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory" (Psalm 73:24).
By faith "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" (2 Cor. 5:1). God is our good Shepherd who leads us along the byways of the desert of this world (Psalm 23:4). In God's presence is total and absolute joy; at his right hand there are pleasures forever (Psalm 16:11). As it is written in the sacred testimony of the prophets: "No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him" (Isa. 64:4; 1 Cor. 2:9). The LORD "will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away" (Rev. 21:4, Isa. 25:8). God carefully foresees your way and prepares a place for you (John 14:1-3); he has ready a precious white stone with your "hidden" name inscribed (Rev. 2:17); the table is being set and your place has been reserved... There is great consolation and unimaginable blessing to come.
So be encouraged, friend. You do not need to struggle alone – afraid that you might be swallowed up in your infirmities... God knows the groan of your struggle and invites you to find solace and strength in Him. "It is enough to open your heart the smallest amount - even the width of a pin - to repent, so that you feel a stab within your heart, like a piercing sting in living tissue, not like a needle thrust into dead flesh" (Menachem Mendel of Kotzk). Bittachon (בִּטָּחוֹן) is a Hebrew word that means trust in God... Those who have bittachon do not worry about the future because their faith permeates their heart and mind, enabling them to surrender their cares and burdens to the Lord.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 23:4 Hebrew reading (click):
Seeing beyond the Seen...
"Faith is the assurance that the best and holiest dream is true after all." - Frederick Buechner
03.06.25 (Adar 6, 5785) 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 kindled 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 Hebrew Reading:
Receiving True Freedom...
03.05.25 (Adar 5, 5785) "If the Son shall set you free, you shall be free indeed" (John 8:36). The sages say, "Being free means that I am in the place I am supposed to be." In other words, freedom means surrendering, accepting, and yielding to God's path of blessing for you. This a place of great spiritual contentment where you are liberated from the slavery of fear and disappointment. Yeshua lived in this freedom, since He completely yielded Himself to His father's daily care (John 5:19; 8:29; 14:10).
Some anxious people say that we first come to God by faith alone, but then we are responsible to keep God's law and to submit entirely to him. The problem here is the language. It is all of faith that we both come to him and live in accord with his heart and will. The work we do is the work of faith, or the "obedience of faith." As Yeshua explained to the rabbis of his day, "This is the work of God, that you believe in the one God sent" (John 6:29). If we truly believe in the Lord and live in His presence, if we truly seek to walk with him, the matter of obedience to the law is somewhat moot... His life and heart "within us" imparts the grace we need to fulfill his will. It is our heartfelt relationship with the Lord that is the goal and deeper meaning of the law (Rom. 13:8).
Surrendering yourself to God's care is also the means of finding self-acceptance. God knows all your sins and has paid for them upon the cross, and therefore His love for you is the basis for which you can properly forgive and accept yourself... A Yiddish proverb reads, "If I try to be someone else, who then will be like me?" When you die, God won't ask why you weren't more like Moses, Elijah, etc., but rather, why you weren't more like the person He created you to be. Live with all your heart awake to Him.
No one else can do the things you are called to do, and therefore God created you as a distinct individual who reflects His glory in a unique way... "To the one who conquers I will give a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it" (Rev. 2:17). Those who follow Yeshua can intellectually understand and emotionally trust that God is working all things together for good in their lives (Rom. 8:28).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 103:13-14 reading (click):
The Strength of God's Peace...
I don't need to understand as much as I need to trust. How my sins were taken away at the cross is a mystery, though I need to believe that God loves and heals me. What good is knowledge - even of things divine - without comfort? The struggle is to trust the heart of God - for everything - and especially for what breaks your heart...
03.05.25 (Adar 5, 5785) The ultimate question is whether you feel "safe" with the truth of who you really are... When you are all alone, in a moment of still silence, when the entire world is asleep and suspended, what is the message of your heart's cry? Are you okay? Do you trust who you are or what is happening to you, or do you experience anxiety, a sense of lostness, inner pain?
Comfort is found in God's grace. His promise is given to the sick at heart, to those who understand their need for a physician (Matt. 9:12). Since there is nothing about you to commend before God, you are made free to abandon yourself to the divine love. This is the "Name of the LORD," after all, and your heart's cry for love is a "prayer" uttered in that Name.
Your heavenly Father sees in secret (Matt. 6:6). Consider the birds of the air; they are unreflective, alive in the atmosphere of God's care. What a great blessing to let go of your fear; what sweet relief! Surrender to the truth of your helplessness; rejoice that you are "poor in spirit," and discover that yours is the Kingdom of Heaven (Matt. 5:3).
So don't give up your faith! The Lord will give strength to his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace. There is hope for your future. God has promised to be with you to the end, leading you to the place where your heart will forever be satisfied in his love.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 29:11 Hebrew Reading:
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The Place of His Name...
03.04.25 (Adar 4, 5785) The revelation of the Mishkah (Tabernacle) presents a great mystery. God brings us out of Egypt, delivers us from slavery, carries us through various trials, all in order to be "our God" (אֱלֹהֵינוּ), and that means being in relationship with Him, brought to a place of conscious service by being made alive to His glorious reality that is hidden beneath the superficial appearance of things. Among other things, our freedom (חוֹפֶשׁ) means being set free from the vanity and illusions of this world by means of God's redeeming and atoning love. "In God's light we see light" (Psalm 36:9).
Just as the physical Mishkan was intended to accompany us in our journey to the promised land, it was always meant to represent a "pattern" (תַּבְנִית) or parable -- symbolizing a deeper design, namely God's inner light and presence within the heart of faith. Hence it says in the Torah, "Let them make for Me a holy place (מִקְדָּשׁ) so that I may dwell within them (וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם)", that is, within the midst of their hearts (Exod. 25:8). It is the heart that is to be the place where God's presence is manifest...
This "pattern" foretold and revealed Yeshua as well, for He embodies the true inner meaning of the Mishkan and invites us into His heart for communion with God. Indeed, Yeshua is ha'makom (הַמָּקוֹם), "the Place of God," and in his life we find our redemption and atonement. Attired in the humility of the High Priest during the Yom Kippur avodah, Yeshua identifies with his people and presents the blood of atonement in the inmost sanctum of God on our behalf. His heart is torn open for us in intercession and He will never leave nor forsake us.
Our lives are meant to live within God's heart and presence. The Holy Spirit reveals the pattern and we experience freedom as we abide within his love (John 15:10; John 14:21). The center of his passion is revealed in the cloud above God's Ark, where the blood offered over the shattered tablets of our lives, and it is there that the voice of His intercession is eternally uttered on our behalf (Exod. 25:22; Luke 23:34; Mark 15:33-38; Matt. 27:51).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 23:6 reading (click):
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Names upon his Heart...
The following is related to this week's Torah reading, parashat Tetzaveh...
03.04.25 (Adar 4, 5785) The two onyx stones attached to the shoulder pieces of the High Priest's vest (i.e., ephod: אֵפד) were meticulously inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel: "Take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, in the order of their birth. As a jeweler engraves signets, so shall you engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel. You shall enclose them in settings of gold filigree. And you shall set the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the High Priest's vest (i.e., ephod: אֵפד), as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel. And Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD on his two shoulders for remembrance" (Exod. 28:9-12).
Likewise the twelve precious stones arrayed on the breastplate (i.e., choshen: חשֶׁן) that hung over the front of the High Priest's robe were inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel: "You shall make a breastpiece of judgment (i.e., choshen ha'mishpaht: חשֶׁן הַמִּשְׁפָּט) in skilled work... and you shall set in it four rows of three precious stones enclosed with gold in their settings. There shall be twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel. They shall be like signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes... "So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment upon his heart, when he goes into the Holy Place, to bring them to regular remembrance before the LORD" (Exod. 28:15-29).
The sages comment that just as a father carries his young child on his shoulders, or a shepherd his lamb, so the High Priest carried his people before the LORD in intercession. Similarly, at the cross Yeshua carried our names on his shoulders, bearing the burden of our sins on on breast as he cried out in prayer for us before the Father. As our great High Priest of the New Covenant, Yeshua "bore the judgment of the people upon his heart" as he made intercession for them (Isa. 53:12; Rom. 8:34).
Hebrew Lesson
Isa. 53:12b Hebrew reading:
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Looking for Home...
03.04.25 (Adar 4, 5785) "By faith Abraham sojourned in the land of promise as in a strange country... for he looked for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (Heb. 11:8-9). Notice that Abraham was "in the land of promise" while he looked for something deeper still. He was "there yet not there," abiding in the expectation of hope.
Likewise faith in Yeshua brings us into collision with the world and its vanities. We are to be "crucified to the world," and therefore we seek matters above, out of sight of other men. "We do not look at things that are seen, but things that are unseen" (2 Cor. 4:18). We are estranged from the world because we look away from its attractions, heeding the promises of the Eternal Lord, longing for that place that transcends the temporal pleasures and fleeting dramas of this age. God has subjected this world to vanity yet has set "eternity within our hearts" so that we abide in hope.
Meanwhile we regard all things as they relate to the truth of spirituality as taught by our Lord. We recognize God's moral law and the voice of conscience that overrules the vagaries of man's self-serving laws, understanding that all that we say, do, and think will be judged upon our death before the truth of God (Matt. 12:36-27). We therefore look askance at worldly politics and the machinations of the godless, understanding that we groan in this life and are burdened, earnestly desiring death to be "swallowed up" in life, and that we should be clothed in the immortality of eternal life (2 Cor. 5:4).
Just as you trust and accept that Yeshua was crucified for you, identifying with you, taking your place in judgment, exchanging his life for your own, so you trust and accept that you have been crucified with him, and that your old life was taken away and replaced with a new, indestructible nature of his resurrection life. In other words, a union is created where his "for me" is answered by my "with him." Χριστῷ συνεσταύρωμαι – "I already have been crucified in Messiah" (Gal. 2:20). Indeed the two go together: to trust in the finished work of Messiah for you is to trust in his finished work within you... When he died on the cross for you, which sins didn't he bear on your behalf? which remedy did he leave unfulfilled?
Yet like father Abraham, we are still "in" but not "of" the world, wayfarers looking for the abiding reality to come. We see the promises afar off, we are persuaded of them, we embrace them, and thereby we confess that are are strangers and sojourners on the earth. We await the completion of our redemption, the true place of God, "heavenly Jerusalem," our true and abding home with the Lord forever. Dear friends, let us look up and "lift up our heads," for our redemption draws near!
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 73:24 reading (click):
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Rest for your Soul...
03.03.25 (Adar 3, 5785) Yeshua says, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matt. 11:28-29). When he said, "Live in me, and I will live in you" (John 15:4), he didn't insist you first be found worthy or good; no, he set no other condition than that of trust: "Now are you clean through the word which I speak" (John 15:3). The separation is gone; God has made the way past your shame. You are invited to come, so come just as you are, come without delay, but come trusting that you are entirely welcome because of who Yeshua is and what he has done for you...
O Lord, help us to live the newness of life that you so graciously offer to us.... help us to come to you and receive your rest. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Isa. 30:15b reading (click):
The Will to Believe...
"When you have to make a choice and don't make it, that is in itself a choice." - William James
03.03.25 (Adar 3, 5785) The central issue of our spiritual life is the willingness to do God's will, or the willingness to believe, since these amount to the same thing.... Believe what? That God is real, that He has (personally) called you by name, that he has particularly redeemed you by Yeshua's own blood poured out for your sins, and that therefore that your identity and life are forever bound up with his mercy and truth... Perhaps this message seems too good to be true, and yet it is the heart's duty to take hold of hope and to refuse to yield to despair, as it is written: "Let not love and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart" (Prov. 3:3).
The spiritual danger is being "pulled apart" in opposite directions, dissipating the soul so that it will not be unified, focused and directed. Both loving and hating the good is a state of painful inner conflict, ambivalence, and self-contradiction. "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? there is not one" (Job 14:4), yet this is our starting point: "I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand" (Rom. 7:21). We are often willing and unwilling, or neither willing nor unwilling, and this makes us inwardly divided, weak, fragmented, anxious, and "soulless." An honest faith that "wills one thing" binds the soul into a unity, or an authentic "self." As King David said, "One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple" (Psalm 27:4).
Healing a divided heart comes from making a decision: "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you" (James 4:8). There are no conditions given here -- other than your raw need to connect with God for help. "Purify your hearts, you double-minded ones" (δίψυχοι, lit. "two-souled ones"); make up your mind and be unified within your heart: "How long will you go limping between two different opinions?" (1 Kings 18:21). You are invited to come; God has made the way; your place at the table has been set and prepared...
Our Heavenly Father "sees in secret.." As William James once said: "The deepest thing in our nature is this region of heart in which we dwell alone with our willingnesses and our unwillingnesses, our faiths and our fears" (James: Is Life Worth Living, 1896). Or as Albert Camus later wrote, "There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide. Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy" (Myth of Sisyphus, 1942).
It is there, in the secret place of the heart, that the sound of the "knock" is either heard or disregarded (Rev 3:20); the stakes are nothing less than everything. May the Lord give us the willingness to do His will and the courage to believe in His love. And may God deliver us from doubt and from every other fear. May we all be strong in faith, not staggering over the promises, but giving glory to God for the miracle of Yeshua our LORD. May we all be rooted and grounded in love so that we are empowered to apprehend the very "breadth and length and height and depth" of the love of God given to us in Messiah, so that we shall all be filled with all the fullness of God (Eph. 3:14-19). Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Proverbs 3:3 reading (click):
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Crushed for the Light...
03.03.25 (Adar 3, 5785) From our Torah portion for this week (i.e., parashat Tetzaveh) we read: "You shall command the people of Israel that they bring to you pure olive oil "crushed" for the light, that an eternal or continual lamp (i.e., ner tamid: נר תמיד) may be set up to burn" (Exod. 27:20).
The Hebrew word for "pure" olive oil is zakh (זך), which refers to the clearest oil derived from squeezing out (or crushing) the very first drop from the choicest olive. The purest of oil was obtained by a process of "crushing for the light" (כתית למאור), which symbolizes the Light of the World, the One Crushed for our iniquities, the "Man of Sorrows" (אישׁ מכאבות) who offered himself up for our healing and illumination (Isa. 53:1-5).
Some things are seen only through the process of tribulation, breaking, and surrender. When we kindle this lamp, we are able to see the truth; we perceive how God's heart was crushed for the sake of our salvation...
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 53:5 Hebrew reading:
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Behind the Sacred Veil:
Blood over Broken Tablets...
The following is related to this week's Torah reading, parashat Tetzaveh...
03.02.25 (Adar 2, 5785) The earthy Tabernacle (i.e., Mishkan) and its furnishings were "copies" of the heavenly Temple and the Throne of God Himself (see Heb. 10:1). Moses was commanded to make the Sanctuary according to the "pattern" revealed at Sinai (Exod. 25:9). As it is written in our Scriptures, "For Messiah has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are representations (ἀντίτυπος) of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf" (Heb. 9:24).
The centermost point (heart) of the earthly Tabernacle was the Ark of the Covenant (אֲרוֹן־הַקּדֶשׁ), a "three-in-one" box that contained God's Holy Word (i.e., the tablets of the Torah). As such, the Ark served as a symbol of kisei ha-kavod (כִּסֵּא הַכָּבוֹד), the Throne of Glory. The Ark stood entirely apart as the only furnishing placed in the "three-in-one" space called the Holy of Holies (קדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים). Upon the cover of the Ark (i.e., the kapporet) were fashioned two cherubim (i.e., angel-like figures) that faced one another (Exod. 25:17-18). According to the Talmud (Succah 5b), each cherub had the face of a child - one boy and one girl - and their wings spread heavenward as their eyes gazed upon the cover (Exod. 25:20). This was the sacred place where the blood of purification was sprinkled during Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and this is the Place (הַמָּקוֹם) that prefigured the offering of the blood of the Messiah, our eternal Mediator of the New Covenant. "For I will appear in the cloud over the kapporet" (Lev. 16:2; Exod. 25:22). As it is written in the prophet Isaiah: "I have blotted out your transgressions like a thick cloud and as a cloud your sins; return to me (שׁוּבָה אֵלַי), for I have redeemed you (Isa. 44:22).
Hebrew Lesson:
Isaiah 44:22 Hebrew reading:
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The central ritual of atonement given in the Torah is that of the anointed High Priest sprinkling sacrificial blood over the tablets of the law upon the kapporet (the "mercy seat") of the Ark of the Covenant - the Place where "Love and truth meet, where righteousness and peace kiss" (Psalm 85:10). It was from the midst of the surrounding cloud in the Holy of Holies that the Voice of the LORD was heard, just as it was in the midst of the surrounding cloud of darkness upon the cross that Yeshua cried out in intercession for our sins (Luke 23:44-46).
Just as Moses alone approached God in the thick clouds at Sinai to receive the revelation of the Altar as mediator of the older covenant (Exod. 24:15), so Yeshua, the Mediator of the New Covenant, went through his severest agony on the cross as the darkness covered the earth (Luke 23:44; Matt. 27:45).
Attending to God's Light:
Parashat Tetzaveh...
[ "All truth and understanding is a result of a divine light which is God Himself." - Augustine ]
03.02.25 (Adar 2, 5785) Shavuah tov, friends. Last week's Torah reading, parashat Terumah (תרומה), explained that God had asked for a "donation" (i.e., terumah) from the people for the sake of creating a portable, tent-like sanctuary called the Mishkan (משׁכּן), or "Tabernacle." God then showed Moses the pattern (תּבנית) according to which the Mishkan and its furnishings were to be made. First the Ark of the Covenant (ארון בּרית־יהוה) and its golden cover (called the kapporet: כּפּרת) would occupy an inner chamber of the tent (אהל) called the Holy of Holies (קדשׁ הקדשׁים). Within an adjoining chamber of the tent called the Holy place (הקדשׁ), a sacred Table (שׁלחן) would hold twelve loaves of unleavened bread (לחם פּנים) and a seven-branched Menorah (מנורה) would illuminate the tent. God gave precise dimensions of the tent with the added instruction to separate the Holy of Holies by a hanging veil called the parochet (פּרכת). The entire tent was to have a wooden frame (מסגּרת) covered by colored fabric and the hide of rams and goats. Outside the tent an outer court (חצר) was defined that would include a copper sacrificial altar (מזבח נחושת) and water basin (כּיּור נחשׁת). The chatzer, or outer court, was to be enclosed by a fence made with fine linen on silver poles with hooks of silver and sockets of brass.
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Our Torah reading for this week, parashat Tetzaveh (תצוה), continues the description of the Mishkan, though the focus shifts to those who will serve within it, namely the kohanim (כּהנים), or the priests of Israel. First Moses was instructed to tell the Israelites to bring pure olive oil (שׁמן זית זך) for the lamps of the Menorah, which the High Priest (הכּהן הגדול) was instructed to light every evening in the Holy Place. Next God commanded Moses to ordain Aaron and his sons as priests and described the sacred garments (בּגדי־קדשׁ) they would wear while they were serving in the Mishkan.
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All priests were required to wear four garments – linen breeches, tunics, sashes, and turbans, but in addition to these the High Priest (Kohen Gadol) was to wear a blue robe that was decorated with pomegranates and golden bells. Over this robe, an ephod (אפוד) – an "apron" woven of gold, blue, purple, and crimson – was to be worn, upon which was attached a "breastpiece" (חשׁן) inlaid with precious stones inscribed with the names of the 12 tribes of Israel. The ephod also contained a pouch holding two unique gemstones called the urim v'tummin (אורים ותומים), usually translated as "lights and perfections." According to the Targum Jonathan, when a matter was brought to the High Priest for settlement, he would sometimes hold the urim (from אוֹר, "light") and tummin (from תָּם, "integrity" or "completeness") before the Menorah in the Holy Place and the Shekhinah would light up various letters inscribed on the gemstones to reveal the will of God. Finally, the High Priest would wear a golden plate (i.e., tzitz zahav: צּיץ זהב) engraved with the words, "Holy to the LORD" (קדשׁ ליהוה) upon the front of his turban.
The priests were to be ordained in a seven-day consecration ceremony that involved washing, dressing, and anointing them with oil and blood, followed by the offering of sacrifices. The priests were instructed to present burnt offerings twice a day upon the copper altar. The portion ends with a description of the Golden Altar (מזבּח הזהב) also called the Altar of Incense (מזבּח הקטרת) upon which incense (i.e., ketoret: קטרת) was offered twice a day by the priests when the Menorah lamps were serviced. In addition, the blood of atonement was to be placed on its corners once a year, during the Yom Kippur ritual.
February 2025 Site Updates
Truth and the Sacred...
02.28.25 (Shevat 30, 5785) Our Torah portion this week (Terumah) proclaims God's word: "Let them make me a mikdash ("holy place," "sanctuary"), that I may dwell in their midst" (Exod. 25:8). Though this verse refers to the physical mishkan (i.e., the "Tabernacle"), it more deeply refers to the duty of the heart to sanctify the Name of God and bring a sense of holiness to the inner life. This requires that we focus the mind and heart to honor the sacredness of life, taking "every thought captive" to the truth of God in Messiah (2 Cor. 10:5). The truth of God is for life, chaverim...
Since our minds and hearts are gateways to spiritual revelation, we must be careful to not to abuse ourselves by indulging in sloppy thinking or unrestrained affections. God holds us responsible for what we think and believe (Acts 17:30-31), and that means we have a duty to honor moral reality and truth. There is an "ethic of belief," or a moral imperative to ascertain the truth and reject error in the realm of the spiritual. Since God holds us responsible to repent and believe the truth of salvation, He must have made it possible for us to do so ("ought" implies "can"). And indeed, God has created us in His image and likeness so that we are able to discern spiritual truth. He created us with a logical sense (rationality) as well as a moral sense (conscience) so that we can apprehend order and find meaning and beauty in the universe He created. All our knowledge presupposes this. Whenever we experience anything through our senses, for example, we use logic to categorize and generalize from the particular to the general, and whenever we make deductions in our thinking (comparing, making inferences, and so on), we likewise rely on logic. We have an innate intellectual and moral "compass" that points us to God.
God created people so that they could discern truth about reality. The mind functions according to logical laws because it is made in the image and likeness of God Himself... God Himself is the ground of all logic, since He created reality and structured the world to be knowable according to its laws. As it is written: "In the beginning was the word/logic (ὁ λόγος), and the λόγος was with God, and the λόγος was God" (John 1:1). God created a world that exhibits order and great beauty. And since human beings were created b'tzelem Elohim, in the image of God, our thoughts (and the words used to formulate our thoughts) as well as our actions are likewise intended to exhibit order and beauty. "For the fruit of light (καρπὸς τοῦ πνεύματος) is found in all that is good and right and true" (Eph. 5:9). Therefore "whatever is true... think on these things" (Phil. 4:8).
Followers of Yeshua are commanded to love the truth and to think clearly about their faith. The ministry of reconciliation itself is defined as "the word of truth, by the power of God, through weapons of righteousness" (2 Cor. 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....
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 25:10 reading (click):
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Audio Discussion:
Rich toward Heaven...
02.28.25 (Shevat 30, 5785) In our Torah for this week (i.e., Terumah) we read: "Take for Me an offering..." (Exod. 25:2). The midrash says that this teaches that when you give tzedakah (charity) to those in need, you "take" God to yourself, as it is written: "For the LORD stands to the right of the needy" (Psalm 109:31), and "whoever shows pity to the poor lends to the LORD, and his kindness will be repaid to him" (Prov. 19:17).
It may seem counter-intuitive to carnal and worldly reasoning, but when you give to others, you will receive even more in return (Mal. 3:10). Indeed the person who seeks treasure for himself is not rich toward God, since we only have what we have given away in kindness (Luke 12:21). As our Lord taught: "Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you" (Luke 6:38).
מַלְוֵה יְהוָה חוֹנֵן דָּל
וּגְמֻלוֹ יְשַׁלֶּם־לוֹ
"Whoever shows pity to the poor lends to the LORD,
and his kindness will be repaid to him."
(Prov. 19:17)
"Take for me an offering..." (Exod. 25:2). This is a paradoxical statement: Is it a command or a freewill offering? The answer is that it is both, for we are compelled to come to the Lord who kindly invites us to draw near to him.
Consider that the One who fills heaven and earth condescends in profound humility to dwell with us... And it is from his heart of amazing grace that He says, "There I will meet with you" (Exod. 25:22). The infinite one becomes finite so that we can connect with him, just as Yeshua emptied Himself, "tabernacling" with us, so that we could be raised up and eternally drawn into the heart of God.
The Place of God...
The following is related to this week's Torah reading, parashat Terumah...
02.28.25 (Shevat 30, 5785) "Let the people make me a sacred place (מִקְדָּשׁ) that I may dwell in their midst" (Exod. 25:8). But what is this other than heartfelt and earnest prayer? The materials of the sanctuary come from "freewill offerings" (נְדָבוֹת), which derive from the inner yearning of the soul...
We offer our hearts up to God, and the Lord, in his great mercy, fills us with faith, hope, and love. Our spiritual need for God is his habitation with us; our hunger and thirst for healing and life is a gift from heaven (Matt. 5:6). Our blessed desperation impels us to pray because we cannot help praying. As Abraham Heschel once said, "prayer is more than a light before us; it is a light within us." At its deepest level, prayer is not about asking but receiving; it is not so much appealing to God as it is allowing God to appeal to us.
As John Bunyan once wrote, "Rather let thy heart be without words than thy words be without heart." Amen. Adonai sefatai teef'tach, "O Lord, may You open my lips," oo'fee yageed tehilate'kha, "and my mouth will declare your praise" (Psalm 51:15).
אֲדנָי שְׂפָתַי תִּפְתָּח
וּפִי יַגִּיד תְּהִלָּתֶךָ
"O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise"
(Psalm 51:15)
Half-Cubits and Mystery...
The following is related to this week's Torah reading, parashat Terumah...
02.28.25 (Shevat 30, 5785) The renowned "Ark of the Covenant" (ארון ברית־יהוה) was constructed using fractional measurements (i.e., "half-cubits") to specify its length, width, and height: "They shall make an Ark of acacia wood (ועשׂוּ ארוֹן עֲצֵי שִׁטִּים). Two cubits and a half (אַמָּתַיִם וָחֵצִי) shall be its length, a cubit and a half (ואַמָּה וָחֵצִי) its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height" (Exod. 25:10). The sages comment that the "half-cubit" is symbolic of our fractional understanding, alluding to mystery and even paradox.
"You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and outside shall you overlay it, and you shall make on it a crown of gold (זֵר זָהָב) around it" (Exod. 25:11). The heart of the Tabernacle held the law of God, a picture of Yeshua who bore the law of God within his heart (Matt. 5:17-18). And though the Ark was made of wood from the common thorntree, it was covered inside and out with pure gold and bore a "crown" where the sacrificial blood was offered for atonement, a picture of Yeshua who clothed himself in our humanity, bore the crown of thorns, and shed his blood for our eternal atonement (Heb. 9:12).
Note that the Hebrew text says "they shall make an ark of acacia wood" (Exod. 25:10). Unlike other furnishings of the Tabernacle that were made by Betzalel, the text uses the plural verb here: "they shall make an ark" (וְעָשׂוּ אֲרוֹן), which implies that every person had a part in upholding the Torah. More - each person had a part in the place of blood atonement offered upon the kapporet - the cover of the Ark - which again symbolizes that Yeshua offered his life for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). Shalom chaverim.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 85:10 reading (click for audio):
The Light of the Servant...
The following is related to our Torah portion this week, parashat Terumah...
02.28.25 (Shevat 30, 5785) One of the main components of the Mishkan (i.e., Tabernacle) was the Menorah (מְנוֹרָה), a beautifully designed lampstand that illuminated the Holy Place. Our Torah portion this week (Terumah) reveals that all its intricate parts (i.e., its seven branches with seven lamps, nine flower blooms, eleven fruits, and twenty two cups) were formed from a single piece of pure gold (זָהָב טָהוֹר) that was "beaten" or "hammered" into shape (Exod. 25:36). The gold color is symbolic of the divine substance (gold has a hint of the color of blood combined with the pure white). The six lamps of the menorah faced the central lamp, called the shamash or "servant," so called because it bore the flame from which the other lamps were kindled.
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The seven lamps of the menorah were lit daily, "from evening until morning," starting from the central lamp (i.e, the shamash) and then moving right to left (Exod. 27:21). According to the Talmud (Shabbat 22b), while all the lamps received the same amount of olive oil, the "westernmost" lamp (according to Rashi, the center lamp, due to its orientation) miraculously never ran out of oil, even though it was kindled first in the sequence. When Aaron would rekindle the lamps every evening, he saw the shamash still burning, so he simply refilled it with oil and trimmed its wick. This miracle is also said to have occurred during the Temple period, though it abruptly ended about 40 years before the destruction of the Second Temple (c. 30 AD), after the death of Yeshua the Messiah, the true Servant and Branch of the LORD. As it is attested in the Talmud: "Our Rabbis taught: During the last forty years before the destruction of the Temple the lot ['For the Lord'] did not come up in the right hand; nor did the crimson-colored strap become white; nor did the westernmost light shine" (Yoma 39a).
The Scriptures declare that God is light, and Yeshua is the true Light of God (1 John 1:5; John 1:9). The light from the menorah reveals spiritual light. It was hidden from view from the outside of the Tabernacle, but was seen while inside the holy chamber, before the holy place of sacrificial atonement. The light itself came from the burning of pure and beaten olive oil - a symbol of anointing and the Holy Spirit (רוּחַ הַקּדֶשׁ). It enabled service to God to be performed, though it was not a light to be used for profane purposes. Notice that the six lamps faced the central lamp - a picture of Yeshua, the Light of the World whose arms and legs were "hammered" for our sins.... He is the suffering servant (shamash) who lightens everyone in the world; He is the central light that upholds the other branches (John 15:5).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 36:9 Hebrew reading:
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For more on this fascinating subject, see "A Closer Look at the Menorah."
Remedy for the Soul...
02.27.25 (Shevat 29, 5785) A great lesson is found in the Psalms: "I lift up my eyes to the hills, from where comes my help? My help is from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth" (Psalm 121:1-2). The sages recommend this verse to be better read as: "Will I lift up my eyes to the hills to find help? No, for my help is from the Lord..." The focus should not be upon the physical "high places" of the earth but upon the Ground of all being itself. We are to look to Lord, "oseh shamayim va'aretz," "the Maker of heaven and earth."
Some people look for "high places," ideals, "mountain top" experiences to bring heaven down to earth, and therefore they have little use for rawness of gospel truth. In their striving to attain virtue, they are offended at the cross because it bespeaks our need, brokenness, and the sigh of human frailty. Divine Wisdom, however, is distilled through real experience, which inevitably reveals our poverty of spirit and our powerlessness to heal ourselves. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of such wisdom, since this fear is the realization of our inability to transcend our own "fallenness," that is, to be delivered from our perverse inclination to destroy ourselves. The fear of the Lord reveals our alienation from what is truly good and what we truly need, regardless of whatever we imagine to be ideal.
Moses was a case in point. Trained and educated in the wisdom and ideals of ancient Egypt, as a young man he became a "failed messiah" when he sought to ascend to the truth in his own virtue and strength, and consequently was he sent into exile for 40 years to learn his own nothingness. When the Lord called out to him from the paradoxical bush that he was chosen to lead Israel from Egyptian bondage, Moses replied "Who am I?" And that marked the moment of Moses' revelation. The lesson of Moses in Midian is that encountering God comes from emptying the "self" of its illusions. Salvation, if it is possible at all, is the sovereign work of God; the "flesh" has nothing to do with it.
Poor human nature sighs over what might have been but has been lost to fecklessness and sinful frailty. Time reveals the abandonment of all carnal hope, even of ethical and religious ideals, and to look only to the Lord the maker of heaven and earth, for help. And that is the message of the cross again, which scandalizes romantic conceits of pride by revealing them useless before the heavenly verdict. The cross reveals our need for salvation from ourselves, from the albatross of sin slung heavily about our necks.
Yeshua did not come to present a higher ideal than was given in the law of Moses, for if we despair to keep the law of God and understand our powerlessness, how would teaching an even higher ideal help? He did not come as a teacher but as our deliverer, and for that he was born to die. He emptied himself and made himself nothing to so that he would offer his life upon the altar of the cross, and by his death we are healed.
He speaks to those who hunger and thirst for salvation: "Come to me you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am humble and lowly of heart, and you shall find rest for your soul. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matt. 11:28-30). The answer is found in him - in his work for us - wherein he dies in our stead and remakes us through the power of the Holy Spirit. By means of his death we are freely given his blessing of life, everlasting holiness, and deliverance from sin. This is the "good news" of the gospel - encouragement for those whose hearts have fainted, who have despaired over lost ideals and who desperately know they have failed in life.
The message of Yeshua is to come to him to find your help in the Lord. He will take you up, remake you, and restore your wasted years, made safe in the arms of the one who alone is your help, the Maker of heaven and earth.
The old hymn sings true:
"Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee -
O Lamb of God, I come, I come."
Whatever your present condition, God loves you with the very passion that led Yeshua to the cross. The Lord is present for you now, if you will believe, not some time later, after you've attempted to remedy yourself or after you have somehow "endured to the end." Chaverim, we never get beyond this place of need wherein we come to know God as the only sure help for our lives, which is to say that we never get beyond our need for the cross...
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 121:1-2 reading (click):
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Trusting love for you...
"When you think of what you are, and despair; think of what He is, and take heart." - Spurgeon
02.27.25 (Shevat 29, 5785) "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). Yeshua's intercession is not just for the sins we have consciously committed but to the sins done in the blindness of our unconscious; his sacrifice was offered not just for our known acts of sin, but for the wayward condition of our darkened hearts... This is essential. When God forgives our sin, it goes beyond forgiveness of the sinful behavior to the innate and underlying sickness of the heart. Divine forgiveness is remedy for our alienation, our lostness. It is healing of our deepest self, our secret heart, the "who we are" place of our new creation. If God accepts us at all, he accepts us completely, and that means we are made righteous by means of his love and grace.
Teshuvah ("repentance") is not about becoming better but about becoming different. It is about newness of life. As Yeshua said, "Unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of heaven." Believe that you have received it and it will be yours (Mark 11:24).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 63:3-4 Hebrew reading:
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Eternal life is found in the one who "loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20). I put no trust in religion, nor in the reformation of my character, nor in my will to believe, but solely in the kindness of the one who heals me from the ruin of myself.
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