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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. Yeshua was crucified on erev Pesach, buried during Unleavened Bread, and was resurrected on Yom Habikkurim (Firstfruits). The holiday of Shavuot (i.e., "Pentecost") both commemorates the revelation of the Torah at Sinai as well as the revelation of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) at Zion.
The intermediate months of summer end with the advent of the sixth month of the calendar, called the month of Elul, which recalls the time Moses interceded on behalf of Israel after the sin of the Golden Calf. To commemorate this time of our history, we likewise focus on teshuvah (repentance) in anticipation of Rosh Hashanah and especially in anticipation of Yom Kippur, the great "Day of Atonement." In Jewish tradition the 30 days of Elul are combined with the first ten days of the seventh month (called the "Days of Awe") to set apart "Forty Days of Teshuvah" leading up to the Day of Forgiveness for Israel. Immediately following Yom Kippur, the mood changes as we begin preparing for a joyous week-long celebration called Sukkot (i.e., "Tabernacles") that concludes with the holiday of Simchat Torah.
The winter holidays (חגי החורף) remember special times when God acted on behalf of His people so that they would triumph over their enemies, and therefore they prophetically picture the final victory in the world to come:
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The Winter Holidays:
Note that in accordance with tradition, the following holiday dates begin at sundown:
- Month of Tevet (Mon., Dec. 30th [eve] - Wed. Jan. 29th [day])
- Month of Shevat (Wed. Jan. 29th [eve] - Thurs. Feb. 27th [day])
- Month of Adar (Thurs. Feb. 27th [eve]) - Sat. March 29th [day])
- Month of Nisan (Sat. March 29th [eve]) - Sun. April 27th [day])
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Note: For more about the dates of these holidays see the Calendar pages....
January 2025 Site Updates
Note: Please refresh the page (or press F5) to see the latest updates...
Sefer Shemot - ספר שמות
[ "All names of God remain hallowed because they have been used not only to speak of God but also to speak to him." - Martin Buber ]
01.12.25 (Tevet 12, 5785) Over the next several weeks (until the end of March, 2025) we will be reading and studying the Book of Exodus (סֵפֶר שְׁמוֹת) and considering its message in light of the revelation of Yeshua our Messiah. Some of the greatest narratives of all the Scriptures are found in this amazing book, including the Israelites' enslavement and subsequent deliverance with the ten plagues by the hand of the LORD. After the great Passover, Moses led the people out of the land Egypt, crossing the Sea of Reeds, and arriving at Sinai to receive the Torah exactly 49 days later. While Moses was on the mountain, however, the people worshipped a Golden Calf, and a long period of repentance occurred until the covenant was reestablished. The remainder of the book describes the amazing vision and construction of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) -- the great Altar upon which a defect-free lamb (קָרְבָּן תָּמִיד) was offered every day and every night...
In English the word "Exodus" ("going out") comes from the title of the ancient Greek translation of the phrase Sefer Yetziat Mitzraim ("the book of the going out from Egypt"). Hence the Greek word ἔξοδος became "Exodus" in Latin which later was adopted into English. In the Hebrew Bible this book is called Shemot (i.e., שְׁמוֹת, "names"), following the custom of naming a book according to its first significant word.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 66:6 reading (click):
Parashat Shemot - פרשת שמות
01.12.25 (Tevet 12, 5785) Our Torah reading for this week is the very first of the Book of Exodus, called "parashat Shemot" (i.e., Exod. 1:1-6:1). This portion begins directly where the Book of Genesis left off, namely by listing the various "names" (shemot) of the descendants of Jacob who came to Egypt to live in the land of Goshen.
Over time Jacob's family flourished and multiplied so greatly that the new king of Egypt – who did not "remember" Joseph - regarded them as a political threat and decided to enslave them. When the king's oppression did not curb their growth, however, he cruelly commanded the Hebrew midwives to kill all newborn Jewish boys. When the midwives bravely refused to obey, however, the Pharaoh commanded that all newborn boys were to be drowned in the Nile river (the Hebrew word for Egypt, Mitzrayim (מִצְרַיִם), can be rearranged to form the phrase tzar mayim (צַר מַיִם), meaning "torture through water," which was the plan of the nefarious Pharaoh).
During this time of terrible and appalling oppression, a family from the tribe of Levi bore a son and hid him for three months. When the baby could no longer be concealed, however, his mother Yocheved (יוֹכֶבֶד) set him afloat in the Nile River inside a basket, praying that he might somehow escape death. Miriam (מִרְיָם), the baby's sister, watched what would happen, and soon the basket was discovered by the daughter of Pharaoh, who decided to save the baby and adopt him as her own son. Miriam then cleverly offered to have her mother become the baby's wet-nurse for the princess. After the child was duly weaned, he was brought to Pharaoh's palace to live as the princess' son. The Egyptian princess named him "Moses" (משֶׁה), meaning "drawn out" (מָשָׁה) of the water.
Later, when Moses was a full-grown man, he "went out to his people and looked on their burdens." When he saw an Egyptian beating an Israelite slave, he killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand. The following day he tried to reconcile two Israelites who were fighting, but the one in the wrong prophetically objected: "And who made you a prince and judge over us? Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?" Upon hearing this Moses decided to flee from Egypt to Midian. There he rescued Zipporah (צִפּרָה), the daughter of Jethro (יִתְרוֹ), a Midianite priest. Soon afterward, Moses decided to work for Jethro and married Zipporah. They had a son named Gershom (גֵּרְשׁם, "a stranger there").
After nearly 40 years living in Midian as a shepherd, God called out to Moses from the midst of a burning bush (סְנֶה בּוֹעֵר) to commission him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt back to the land He promised to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. When Moses protested that he was inadequate for this task, God gave him three "signs" to authenticate his message. God also appointed his brother Aaron to be his spokesperson.
Moses and Aaron then went to the Pharaoh and demanded that the Israelites be permitted to leave Egypt to worship the LORD in the wilderness. Shelach et ammi! "Let my people go!" The Pharaoh, however, dismissed Moses and his God, and increased the workload of the slaves by forcing them to make bricks without straw. This set the stage for the great "showdown" between the LORD and the worldly power of Satan, as embodied in the Pharaoh...
May we all have great joy and strength as we begin reading a new book of Torah for this new (secular) year. Chazak ve'amatz, mechayil el-chayil chaverim...
No One Knows the Hour...
Our Torah reading for this week is Parashat Vayechi, the last portion from the Book of Genesis, which includes Jacob's blessing of his sons...
01.10.25 (Tevet 10, 5785) When the time came for Jacob (i.e., Israel) to die, he called all his sons together. According to midrash, Jacob wanted to tell them about the "End of Days" (i.e., acharit ha'yamim: אַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים) when the Messiah would come, but was prevented by the Holy Spirit. According to the Jewish sages, God prevented Jacob because He does not want anyone to know the "day or the hour" when the great King of Israel would appear...
Why not? Why wouldn't God want to tell his children the hour of the promised Messiah's appearance? According to tradition, if people knew how long they would have to wait, they might despair of life altogether, or, if they knew the exact time, they might "repent" just for that reason, and not because it came from the heart...
On the other hand, Jacob's prophecy regarding the coming of the Messiah as a future ruler from the tribe of Judah alluded to the timing of the Messiah's appearance. To review, Jacob prophesied that "the scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until 'Shiloh' (שִׁילוֹ) comes..." (Gen. 49:10). If the regency of Judah was established in the Jewish Sanhedrin, the scepter (rod of authority) would have departed from Judah in AD 6-7 after the Romans installed a procurator as the authority in Judea. This prophecy, then, would have failed. However, since the Messiah had indeed come and was in their midst as Yeshua mi-netzeret (Jesus of Nazareth) during this time, Jacob's prophecy didn't fail.
Nonetheless, like most prophecies in Scripture, this one has a "dual aspect" or "double fulfillment." The "King of the Jews" (a synonym for the Messiah, called "Christ" by Gentile Christendom) had indeed come "before the scepter departed from Judah," but he went unrecognized since he came to fulfill the role of the Suffering Servant (Mashiach ben Yosef). The second part of the prophecy, "and to him shall be the obedience of the nations," is yet to be fulfilled. It will become a visible reality only after his Second Coming, at the end of olam ha-zeh (this present age), when Jesus comes to judge the nations (the "sheep and the goats") and establish the Kingdom of God from David's throne in Jerusalem.
Note: Jacob's prophecy that "the scepter will not depart from Judah... until Shiloh comes" includes all the letters of the Hebrew alphabet except for the letter Zayin, which is the Hebrew word for weapons, suggesting that when the Messiah comes, it will not be by means of arms or weapons, but rather by the ruach ha-kodesh.
There is an old story of the Magid of Brisk who each year would bring proof from the Torah that the Messiah would come that year. Once a certain Torah student asked him, "Rabbi, every year you bring proof from the Torah that the Messiah must come that year, and yet he does not come. Why bother doing this every year, if you see that Heaven ignores you?" The Magid replied, "The law states that if a son sees his father doing something improper, he is not permitted to humiliate him but must say to him, 'Father, the Torah states thus and so.' Therefore we must tell God, who is our Father, that by keeping us in long exile, he is, in a sense, causing injustice to us, and we must point out, "thus and so it is written in the Torah," in hope that this year he might redeem us." This same principle, of course, applies to those of us who are living in exile and who eagerly await the second coming of the Messiah Yeshua. We should continue asking God to send Him speedily, and in our day, chaverim...
Regarding the Messiah's Second Coming, we therefore find ourselves in the same position of expectation as Israel's sons who heard the original prophecy. Though Jesus told us about the "signs" of the time (and the "fig tree has brought forth its leaves," see Matt. 24:32-33), we do not know the exact "day or the hour" and therefore must be ready for his return at any time (Matt. 24:36-25:13). The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." Maran ata, Yeshua!
Hebrew Lesson:
Genesis 49:10 reading (click):
Yeshua the True Vine...
01.10.25 (Tevet 10, 5785) Shalom chaverim ahuvim. Yeshua said, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the Gardener. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit He purges (καθαιρει), that it may bear more fruit" (John 15:1-2). In other words if you bear fruit you will experience the "purging process," and that means suffering affliction...
This might seem to you backward: Why does the fruitful branch need to be cut back? Indeed, the promise of suffering is not meant for an evil person, but for the righteous soul who trusts in God. Purging is painful but it is also purifying, yielding new growth within our hearts. Yeshua taught, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matt. 5:8). The Greek word translated "pure" is katharos (καθαρoς), sometimes used describe the cleansing of a wound (catharsis), or to describe the unalloyed quality of a substance revealed through refining fire.
We "rejoice" in testing because that is the way of real growth, sustained hope, and the revelation of God's deep love (Rom. 5:3-4). In our afflictions we are given heavenly consolation that helps us to persevere (2 Cor. 1:3-5). Remember that we are being weaned from this present age to be made ready for heavenly glory, for things unimaginably wonderful, soon to be revealed to you. Stay tuned, friends: the best is yet to come!
Yeshua warned us, however, that "if anyone does not live in Me, he is cast off as a branch, and withers..." (John 15:6). We find life only as we remain connected to the Source and Conduit of life, who is the Messiah, the Savior and LORD. True life grows out a heart connection with Yeshua, and without that connection our lives become vain and yield no eternal significance (John 15:5). Be forewarned: it is the Torah of Messiah that if you do not live in the Vine you will wither away, since life is found in no other Source (John 14:6; Luke 3:9). But be encouraged, trusting friend: we cannot create new life by our own efforts or effect regeneration by means of our own "good works." No, the work of salvation is God's alone, and we partake of that work as we abandon our self-efforts and forsake our religious conceits (see Isa. 32:17; Mark 4:26-29).
There remains, therefore, a Sabbath for the people of God, "for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his" (Heb. 4:9-10). This "deep Sabbath" is a matter of trusting that the work of salvation has been accomplished on your behalf. Therefore "strive to enter into that rest," for the LORD always effects what is best for you. The path of peace is to surrender to God's care for your life and let the evils and dramas of this world flow past you. This is "the work of faith." Look to heavenly reality and not to the vanity and deceits of this world (Col. 3:1-4); live in Yeshua's Presence, drawing strength and vitality from your relationship with Him. The fruit of the Spirit is produced as we surrender and yield ourselves to the love and presence of God.
Hebrew Lesson
John 15:1 reading (click):
The Source of Light...
01.10.25 (Tevet 10, 5785) It is written in our Scriptures: "God is light and in him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). Our Savior is "the Light of the world," the overarching Reality that gives light to every soul who is born (John 1:9). As the Source of all light, the Light before physical light, his power is irrepressible, invincible, and overcomes every shade of darkness (Gen. 1:3). Yeshua is the Logos (Λόγος), the underlying "logic" of all of creation. Unlike the transient radiance of the heavenly bodies, the Divine Light remains constant and supreme over all of creation, without any diminution or variation: God is the "Father of Lights" (James 1:17). And just as we know that the sun still shines even on the most overcast of days, so we understand that the Divine Presence is always there -- always giving, always shining, always loving us... We can trust in the power of our God to help us, since His radiance and truth pervade the darkness to enlighten our way (Psalm 112:4). As Yeshua said of his mission, "I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness" (John 12:46). O precious LORD our God, let your light shine upon us...
God's blessing flows, but we must open the eye of faith for the light of God's love to shine within us brightly. As our Savior said, "Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, such is the one who loves me. And the one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him" (John 14:21). Note that the Greek word for "manifest" means to "shine inside" (i.e., ἐμφανίζω, from ἐν, "in" and φαίνω, "shine"), indicating that the revelation would be the inward light of the Divine Presence. Indeed, the Hebrew word for "praise" (i.e., tehillah: תְּהִלָּה) comes from a verb that means "to shine" (i.e., halal: הָלַל), from which the word "halo" is derived. Similarly, the word "aura" comes from the Hebrew word "ohr" (אוֹר), meaning "light." Let your inner light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give honor to your heavenly Father" (Matt. 5:16).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 31:16 reading (click for audio):
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Healing and Anxiety...
01.10.25 (Tevet 10, 5784) There are different levels of awareness, and different levels of ignorance as well. Regarding awareness, which we may call light of the mind, there are things we know that we know, and things that we know we do not know, the common term here being knowledge of the status of our ideas. Regarding ignorance, which we may call darkness of the mind, there are unknown things that we supposedly know, and unknown things that we have no idea about. The former is a darkness that does not know of its darkness, while the latter is utter blindness.
The things we know that we know are truths that certain within our souls. For example, Descartes' axiom that "I think therefore I am" is a foundational truth of thought. Some would also say that "God exists" is a truth that once known cannot be unknown. Other known truths include empirical observations such as oxygen is necessary for respiration, fire burns, and so on. Of course truth also includes things we know that we do not know, such as how God exists within himself and many (many) other things that we know that we do not understand.
There is a sort of twilight or "gray" area when we consider things we somehow "know" but are unaware of why we know such, and these may be "blind spots" in our thinking, or the hidden biases and assumptions that we might use when we interpret ourselves or the world around us. If knowledge is defined as "justified true belief," then such unknown "knowns" are more like superstitions, hunches, and unreflective opinions than genuine knowledge itself... They are shadows below Plato's "divided line." Often such "unknown knowns" are fallacies based on generalizations and cultural programming.
The shadowy twilight that does not know its darkness is dangerous because it does not see that it does not see, or it doesn't understand its limitations, and therefore it assumes, perhaps unconsciously, that it sees well enough and thereby ignores the duty to engage in self-examination or critical thinking. "If the light that is in you be darkness, how great is that darkness!"
Finally there is realm of the "unknown-unknowns," that is utterly unknown things of which we have no idea, and of which if we had an idea would no longer be in the realm of the utterly unknown. This is the darkest pitch of the mind, utter blindness of which we simply cannot speak... As such there is nothing that can be said of this darkness other than that it is darkness unto itself, and therefore irrelevant.
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I should mention, however, that we should be careful not to equivocate when using the words "darkness" and "light." For instance there a "darkness of the heart" that may be sorrowful and full of gloom, though if this darkness is known as being in darkness it is still in the light of truth. Many godly people have experienced this darkness yet were still in God's light. Think of Job, Elijah, Jeremiah, Amos, Zechariah, King David, and of course Yeshua himself. This sort of darkness is not so much a cognitive darkness (though it can be) as much as an emotional darkness experienced in feelings of sorrow, grief, affliction, and even abandonment. And while this darkness may afflict the heart and soul, if it is expressed in communion with God it is given its voice in the life of faith.
The same may be said of the light. Some people may experience the light of revelation but abide in darkness by refusing to accept its authority. Think, for instance of someone who professes faith in God but it does not yield any significant difference in his life, or think of the atheist scientist who observes the wonders of nature but consigns their source to irrational and meaningless forces.
But what of the darkness that believes it is in the light but is not truly so? What about the darkness of hypocrisy or self-deception? Well first of all, we all sin and fall short of God's standard, so our sinfulness is an ongoing problem as we learn to surrender more and more of our hearts to God. But if someone seriously questions whether they are a hypocrite, the mask of self-deception is already being removed and the heart confesses its great need for God's healing and mercy. And in a sense we never get beyond that place, do we? However the one who loudly affirms that he is a true believer, one who says, "though others may forsake you, I never will!" has yet to fully know the depths of his need. Ironically it is the one who is sure that he has no need is the neediest one of all.
Here again we note the essential need to be honest with ourselves, for there can be no genuine spirituality apart from honesty of heart. "Lord I believe, help my unbelief" is the prayer of an honest soul. It is a confession of ambivalence, of double mindedness. "I hope, but I feel hopeless." "I want to love, but I feel empty inside." "I want life, beauty, and truth, but I feel numb, fading, and uncertain."
The answer to our ambivalence is always to turn to the Lord and focus on him. So I doubt God? Have I sinned? Am I self-deceived? No matter! Turn to the LORD and realize that whatever you are, whatever you have gone through, and whatever you hope to be, is held in His heart, and as you draw close to his heart, you will no long be anxious over yourself if only you are with Him...
Do you really love God? Don't think of love as a noun but as a verb. "O Lord, you know that I love you," said Peter, after turning away from himself (John 21:17). Perfect love casts out fear. When we quit wondering if we are of any use to God and simply surrender to his love for us, we will be filled with his glorious light. Amen.
Hebrew lesson
Psalm 36:9 reading (click):
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Overcoming Anxiety...
"To look away from the world, or to stare at it, does not help a man to reach God; but he who sees the world in Him stands in His presence." - Martin Buber
01.09.25 (Tevet 9, 5784) Why do we often feel anxious? Why are we filled with unease and worry about what might happen to us? Is it not because everything seems out of our control? The world around us seems threatening and unstable; our interpersonal relationships are fragile and vulnerable; our bodies are sick and faltering; we grow despondent, lonely, and grieved. Time relentlessly passes and dissolution seems omnipresent; we feel distressed, swallowed up, overwhelmed, and powerless: the smoke and ashes from our depths....
Now while it is true that everything is out of our control, it is not true we are utterly alone, the victims of unhappy chance and sorrowful fortune, for we find life in relationship with a loving God who has repeatedly told us that he is with us always, through all the byways and valleys, and that he will never leave nor forsake us. The Lord has promised to shepherd us through the present darkness; he is the ground of our being, the place of our refuge.
We do not deny reality or pretend that we are not in struggle between hope and despair. But while it is true that we are in a world that is frightening and uncertain, we are given strength by God to walk in shalom here, to bear witness of his radiant light. We are "in" but not "of" the world -- a realm that God has subjected to vanity in order to redeem it to a heavenly and eternal hope (Rom. 8:20). You are not alone, friend; you are part of God's blessing. The Lord is with you and he provides you sure refuge and abiding comfort in the midst of the storm. God is always between you and your wounds...
Just as humanity was plunged into darkness through unbelief, so we are brought to the light through faith in God's deliverance. Therefore hold fast to hope, and keep the fire of your heart burning, friend... Rabbi Nachman once told a person who was struggling with his faith: "It is written that all creation was brought into being because of people like you. God saw there would be people who would cling to our holy faith, suffering greatly because confusion and doubt would plague them. God perceived that such would overcome these doubts and troubles of heart and remain strong in their belief. It was because of this that God brought forth all creation." Amen. Repudiate anxiety and never yield to despair, since that leads to further darkness and fear. "Do not be anxious (i.e., inwardly divided, two-hearted) over anything, but in every thing by prayer bring your needs before God with gratitude, and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding (שלום אלוהים העולה על ההבנה) will guard your hearts and minds in Yeshua the Messiah (Phil. 4:6-7).
Press on and keep fighting the "good fight" of faith (1 Tim. 6:12). When the aapostle Peter lost courage at the sight of the swelling waves, Yeshua reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt (lit., think twice)?" Remember that you infinitely matter to heaven; your life has great value; you are significant and you are truly loved by our Heavenly Father. "The LORD your God goes with you to fight on your behalf against your enemies to give you victory" (Deut. 20:4).
We are not alone; God will help us get through... "I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion (ἐπιτελέω) at the Day of Yeshua the Messiah" (Phil 1:6). The LORD is able to guard you (φυλάξαι) from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy (Jude 1:24). "The LORD upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down" (Psalm 145:14). "He will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the Day of our Yeshua the Messiah" (1 Cor. 1:8). He who calls you is forever faithful; He will surely do it (1 Thess. 5:24). Yea, "the Lord is faithful (נֶאֱמָן הוּא): He will establish you and guard you against the evil one" (2 Thess. 3:3). The Spirit of the Lord says, "Fear not, for I AM with you always." Amen and amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 41:13 reading (click):
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The Shepherd of Israel...
"Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light." - Helen Keller
01.08.25 (Tevet 8, 5785) Among other things, the story of Joseph reveals how God's hidden hand moves for good in our lives. At the end of this week's portion (i.e., parashat Vayigash), we read that Jacob had finally arrived in Egypt and met with Pharaoh, whom he blessed. When the king asked Jacob how old he was (i.e., kamah yemei sh'nei chayekha - כַּמָּה יְמֵי שְׁנֵי חַיֶּיךָ), Jacob said he was 130 years old, though he added that his days had been "few and evil" (מְעַט וְרָעִים) when compared to the lives of his fathers (Gen. 49:7-10).
Surely Jacob had reason for regarding his life as full of troubles. Estranged from his family at a young age, he became a fugitive to escape the wrath of his wicked twin brother Esau. He fled the land of his fathers only to become an exile who was ruthlessly exploited by his uncle who tricked him into marrying his older daughter Leah instead of the younger daughter Rachel whom Jacob had requested to be his bride. Though later he was permitted to marry Rachel in exchange for additional years of servitude, he lived in the midst of a sibling rivalry and acrimonious strife between the sisters and their concubines. When he finally fled from his uncle's ranch some 20 years later to return home, Jacob learned that his mother Rebekah had died, and some time later, as he finally set foot in the promised land, his beloved Rachel died while giving birth to their son Benjamin. Tragically Rachel never got to meet Jacob's mother or father before she died.
Later, Jacob gave Joseph - who was his firstborn son from Rachel - a special tunic in recognition of his privileged status, but Joseph was cruelly betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery. The brothers then told their father Jacob that Joseph had been killed by wild animals and showed him his blood-splattered tunic. Jacob's hope that his beloved son would become a great leader and heir of the family was shattered, and he lived under that cloud for another 22 years before learning that Joseph was indeed alive, after all...
The sages say that Jacob appeared older than his years because of his suffering, and that is why he regarded his days as "few and evil." However in this connection they note the linguistic similarity between the Hebrew word "evil" (רָעָה) and the word "shepherd" (רֹעֵה) which they thought suggested that what we perceive as evil or misfortune is nevertheless conducted by our Shepherd who guides our way (Psalm 23:1). Often we do not understand why things happen the way they do, but a person of faith refuses to indulge in self pity or to be embittered over what God has decreed for their life.
So while Jacob said that the days of his life had been "few and evil," he nevertheless reconciled himself to God's will and regarded the LORD as his Shepherd. Indeed before he died Jacob asked Joseph to bring his sons Manasseh and Ephraim to his bedside so that he could bless them as his own children. When Joseph brought them to Jacob he said: "God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my Shepherd (האֱלֹהִים הָרֹעֶה אֹתִי) all my life long to this day, the Angel who has redeemed me from all evil bless the lads; let my name be named upon them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth" (Gen. 48:15-16).
At this point in his journey we see that Jacob's heart was resolved as he affirmed that the LORD was the Shepherd who had guided all his days. And just before died, he insisted on being buried in the Promised Land, in the Cave of Machpelah where Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Leah his wife were buried, being fully assured that his salvation and the redemption of Israel would be forthcoming as well.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 23:1 reading (click):
The Suffering of Love...
01.08.25 (Tevet 8, 5785) "From suffering I have learned this: That whoever is sore wounded by love will never be made whole unless she embrace the very same love that wounded her" (Mechtild of Magedburg).
Many of our deepest wounds come from those closest to ourselves. The pain of betrayal or abandonment hurts so much because our love and our need for love have been shattered.
We find healing for our brokenness by accepting the love that wounds us. We can do this because it is our love that must bear the wound and forgive its loss.
It's paradoxical that it is our own love that bears the wound, but the answer is not to forsake that love but to allow the voice of our pain to become intercession within us...
We can find consolation in our hope for complete redemption. Our pain and wounds are temporary and one day our tears will be wiped away. Our end is one of happiness and eternal life, despite the valley of the shadow of death through which we must pass.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 71:20 reading (click):
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Endurance and Hope...
01.07.25 (Tevet 7, 5785) Sometimes we feel overwhelmed in our lives. There's so much going on; troubles, uncertainties, and so on. The world seems out of control; disinformation and "mind games" are the substance of the "postmodern news." We've become alienated, disorientated, and anxious; our emotions get the better of us, and we lapse into fearful thinking.... We are tempted to despair over our sins, our sufferings, and our ignorance.
At such times it is essential to redirect our attention by turning to God in "teshuvah" (תְשׁוּבָה) or "repentance." Teshuvah is our response to the question given by our present life circumstances. Deliberately seeking God's presence in the midst of our struggles is sometimes called "kavanah" (כַּוָנָה), a word that means "focus," "attention," or "concentration."
"When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him" (Isa. 59:19). Set your heart in trust before God and reaffirm that his presence is both with you and for you. Despite the apparent chaos, look up and find your bearings. When we turn to the Lord with all our heart — with "all-that-is-within me" earnestness — then he will guide us and make our paths straight, despite ourselves... As it written in the holy words of Torah: "If from there you will seek the LORD your God, then you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul" (Deut. 4:29). The "there" mentioned in this pasuk (verse) is the "there" of where we find ourselves, in our exile, awaiting the completion of our redemption... In this context teshuvah means believing that concealed good is present, despite the adversities we face...
Some people think they should turn to God for help only with their big problems, but not with the everyday struggles and inner conflicts that we face on a daily basis. This is a serious mistake. If God wants us to seek him be'khol levavkha -- "with all our heart," then understand that God wants all of us — and that includes our daily concerns, our missteps and sins, our sorrows and our joys. We turn to God in all that we are and in all that we do....
Yeshua taught us that the essence of Torah is mercy (Matt. 9:13; Matt. 23:23), and that God is close "in all our calling to Him" (Deut. 4:7), that is, in every appeal of our heart for Him. The Talmud says the central verse of Torah is "Know Him in all your ways" (Prov. 3:6), since by seeking the will of our heavenly Father, we attain the mitzvah (connection) of Torah.
The Hebrew word for trouble is "tzarah" (צָרָה), from the root idea of "constricting" or being bound (i.e., צָרַר). Indeed the land of Egypt, the house of slavery, is called mitzrayim (מִצְרַיִם), from a cognate root (צוּר) that means to "bind." This suggests that a narrow perspective is unable to understanding the "big picture."
Of course it is impossible for us to fully fathom God's ways (Isa. 55:8), though we can rely on Him to lead us and to trust that our testing in this life is not in vain. That is why the sages remark that the Hebrew word lamah (לָמָה) "why?" also spells the word le'mah (לְמָה) meaning "for what?" In other words, instead of asking why afflictions befall you, ask how they may help you grow closer to God...
"Relax, nothing is in your control," though everything is in the hands of your Heavenly Father who is faithful and who has has promised to guide your way. Amen.
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Faith in God's Plan...
The following is related to our Torah reading for this week, parashat Vayechi...
01.07.25 (Tevet 7, 5785) Recall that after Joseph dramatically revealed his true identity to his brothers, he asked them to draw near to him and then reassured them saying: "Do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God" (Gen. 45:4-8). Here we see that Joseph was completely assured that everything that had happened to him up to this moment in time was by divine design, and that even his brothers' cruel betrayal was used by God to elevate him so that he would save many lives and to preserve the future of Israel (Rom. 8:28).
The brothers still wrestled with the shame of their past, however, not fully realizing that Joseph's elaborate charade as a disguised Egyptian was designed to give them opportunity to confess their sin and find healing. Because Joseph was so confident in the providential plan of God, however, he bore no ill-will or grudge against his brothers.
The sages note that after the burial of their father Jacob, however, the brothers were fearful that Joseph would finally seek retribution for what they had done to him, so they sent a fabricated a brief message to him which said: "Your father gave this command before he died: 'Say to Joseph, "Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you."' And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father'" (Gen. 50:16-17). Joseph wept when he heard this because he realized that his brothers did not believe in his love for them. He repeated that God had sent him there to save lives, and for that he was grateful.
In this connection it is interesting to wonder how Jacob might have reacted after he had discovered the truth that his sons had lied to him after they had maliciously sold his beloved firstborn son into slavery. Perhaps Jacob would have identified with the plight of Joseph because they had much in common. After all, Jacob, like Joseph, had experienced slavery through the betrayal and animosity of his brother Esau. He may also have reviewed his own complicity with his mother when he treacherously "stole" the blessing" from his brother... Perhaps he blamed himself for showing partiality to Joseph after the death of his chosen wife Rachel, too... And we wonder: Did Jacob recall the vision of the ladder that ascended to heaven with the LORD standing above, proclaiming his promise to give him the land, and that in his descendants, all the families of the earth would be blessed. and moreover that the LORD God would never leave nor forsake him? (Gen. 28:12-15). Did he remember wrestling with the Angel, agonizing in his struggle to surrender his life to God's care by holding him to his promise? (Gen. 32:24-28). And how did he understand his beloved Joseph after he realized that he had been alive all along? When he was released from Pharaoh's dungeon, surely he could have sent messengers to inquire of his father and to tell him that he was alive? The story is bittersweet throughout.
Though we are not told of Jacob's emotional reaction to all of this, we later read in the Torah that he blessed all of his sons, both Joseph (and his sons Ephraim and Manasseh) and his other sons, despite having grieved his heart for over 22 years because of their cowardice and duplicity. But like Joseph, Jacob believed that God had orchestrated the affairs of his life - both the good and the evil - according to His sovereign will. Jacob would affirm Joseph's words to his brothers: "It was not you who sent me here, but God," though he also would confess his struggles and suffering along the way: "Few and evil have been the days of my life" (מְעַט וְרָעִים הָיוּ יְמֵי שְׁנֵי חַיַּי) he had told the Pharoah (Gen. 45:8).
Despite the ambivalence he undoubtedly felt, Jacob did not question God's justice or impugn God's character, nor did he blame his sons for his heartache. Jacob's silence in the face of his grief teaches us how to endure by faith, even in the midst of our own fears, struggles, and losses along the way.
And there remains a blessing to impart to others, despite all the troubles that beset our way, too. Our wounds are wounds borne within a heart of faith that refuses to let go of hope and healing. We may have made a mess of our lives; we may have hurt others and betrayed the duty to love, but we do not give up, we do not let our fear be the last word, we do not consign ourselves to despair. We find our consolation in the promise of God. As the book of Job teaches, we receive both the evil and the good from God's hand while affirming his justice, so that even though we return to the dust, we will keep our hope in him (Job 13:15).
We suffer, and life hurts. Often we are afraid. And if suffering is part of God's overarching plan for creation, if it is part of the "divine idea," then how do we learn to emotionally accept it without becoming bitter? We earnestly desire the love and blessing of God, but we are shaken when terrible things happen. We are told not to be afraid, that we are not alone, but we often do feel afraid and alone in our suffering...
First we must find faith that God's decision to create us is for our blessedness rather than for evil, or minimally that it is better for us to have been created than never to have been born (Jer. 29:11). In that sense trusting God represents an affirmation of our life and its value. Whether this is the "best of all possible worlds" is an abstract question for speculative theology, but where we live, in the raw and messy struggles of life, in the midst of our joys and elations, but also in our darkness and pain, we need faith to believe that our existence has some meaning and purpose, that our lives carry some significance, and that not everything is hevel havalim, "vanity of vanities."
The late Frederick Buechner reminds the heart of faith: "The worst isn't the last thing about the world. It's the next to the last thing. The last thing is the best. It's the power from on high that comes down into the world, that wells up from the rock-bottom worst of the world like a hidden spring. Can you believe it? The last, best thing is the laughing deep in the hearts of the saints, sometimes our hearts even. Yes. You are terribly loved and forgiven. Yes. You are healed. All is well." Amen.
So never yield to despair, since that leads to further darkness and fear. Press on and keep fighting the "good fight" of faith (1 Tim. 6:12). Remember that you infinitely matter to heaven; your life has great value; you are significant and you are truly loved by our Heavenly Father. There is a "future and a hope" reserved for you; there is "a white stone, and on that stone will be written a new name that no one can understand except the one who receives it" (Rev. 2:17). May "the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tested with fire, be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Yeshua the Messiah" (1 Pet. 1:7).
Hebrew Lesson
Jeremiah 29:11 reading (click):
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The Courage to Believe...
01.06.25 (Tevet 6, 5785) When you feel like you are losing hope, King David offers encouragement and wisdom, if you are willing to receive it: "Be strong and he shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope for the LORD" (Psalm 31:24).
To the doubting heart David simply says "be strong." The Hebrew word is just one word, "chizku" (חִזְקוּ), an imperative that means "take heart!" or "be brave!" or "be resolute!"
But how can we be commanded to be strong or brave when courage is just what we need in our time of fear? Is this some sort of wishful thinking? What might David mean?
The Hebrew root for the command to "be strong" (i.e., chazak: חזק) means to "harden" or to steel yourself inwardly - to make firm your conviction, and to resolutely decide to have hope despite your fear. Interestingly this same verb is used to describe when Pharaoh's heart was hardened as he refused to let Israel go.... With the same tenacity are we to refuse to let go of our hope, even to the very end.
King David then offers a promise based on his own experience. Once you have earnestly decided to hold fast to your hope, the Lord will "ratify" your decision by strengthening your heart. The logic goes something like this. If you decide to keep faith in God, then God will intervene and strengthen your resolve. The Hebrew verb used for "strengthen" (יַאֲמֵץ) is "hiphil," meaning it is causative: God's Spirit will cause your heart to be strengthened, to be strong, and to be full of courage.
As you make up your mind, the LORD will give you the heart and the will to go forward... Align your will with God's will ("thy will be done") and in your hope you will be empowered to do the miracle. "According to your faith be it done unto you."
When Ruth decided to cleave to her mother-in-law Naomi instead of going back to her former life, the Scripture says she was courageous: "And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more" (Ruth 1:18). The Hebrew phrase "she was determined" uses the same language David used when he said God would strengthen the heart of faith. Ruth had inwardly reflected on the question whether to leave or to stay, but she made up her mind to remain with Naomi no matter what the cost. "For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God."
The Hebrew word for courage (i.e., ometz: אוֹמֵץ) comes from the same Hebrew root (אמץ) used by David to say that God will give strength to your heart. It was the remarkable courage of Ruth - a Moabitess - that enabled her to become a member of Israel, the grandmother of King David and indeed of Yeshua himself!
Ruth's passion, as it was David's, was to press on in hope and cleave to God's promise. And this is God's appeal to us, too, for David adds that the relationship of the trusting heart and the power of God is available for all who sincerely look to him. The Hebrew word for "wait" (i.e., yachal: יָחַל) is a "piel" (intensive) form that expresses passionate and earnest desire or expectation -- a longing of the soul for God's presence.
Amen. When we decide to believe the promise, God will supply us with the strength and courage that reveals the blessing of Yeshua.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 31:24 reading (click):
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The Listening Heart...
01.06.25 (Tevet 6, 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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Vayechi - "And He Lived..."
Our Torah for this week is Parashat Vayechi, the final portion from the Book of Genesis, which includes Jacob's great prophecy of the coming Messiah...
01.05.25 (Tevet 5, 5785) Our Torah reading for this week, parashat Vayechi (i.e., Gen. 47:28-50:26), recounts recounts how the great patriarch Jacob adopted Joseph's two sons (Ephraim and Manasseh) as his own children. When Jacob blessed the boys, however, he intentionally reversed the birth order by putting the younger before the older, signifying that the old struggle he had faced as a child was over, and he now understood things differently. The family had apparently learned that blessing from God is for the good of all, and that there is no real blessing apart from genuine humility that esteems the welfare of others.
Following this, Jacob summoned his sons together to hear his final words of blessing before he died. Of particular importance was Jacob's vision of the coming Messiah, the future King of Israel. It may have been supposed that Reuben, Jacob's firstborn son, would receive the honor of being heir to Messiah, but he was rejected because of his ill-conceived scheme to be regarded as the head of Israel after the death of Rachel, when Reuben "consorted" with Rachel's handmaid Bilhah. This must have been terribly painful to Jacob who was still in mourning over the death of his beloved wife. The betrayal of Bilhah would also have been a crushing blow. So, Reuben was not to be the heir of the promised one. Nor would Simeon, his second son, nor Levi, his third, for they had a history of violence and anger that appalled Jacob over the years - first exhibited when they murdered the Shechemites after their sister had been seduced and violated by a Canaanites prince there (Gen. 34).
When Jacob turned to regard his son Judah, however, he saw the promise of God. Judah, you will recall, had willingly offered up his life to save his brother Benjamin in accordance with his father's will. Because he was willing to die to fulfill his word to his father, Judah was to be praised and his brothers would bow before him. Judah is courageous a lion, willing to die for the sake of honor. Because of this, Judah was chosen be heir to the Messiah himself, the coming one who would exercise dominion over the nations: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, not the ruler's staff from beneath his feet, until "Shiloh comes" (i.e., he to whom it belongs, namely the Messiah), and "to him shall be the obedience of the nations" (Gen. 49:10). Note that the second part of this prophecy refers to Messiah's coming as "ben David," the great "Lion of the tribe of Judah," who would wash his garments in the blood of God's enemies and subject the nations to the kingship of God (Gen. 49:11-12; Isa. 63:3). After this great declaration of the coming of Messiah, prophecies and blessings were then given over Jacob's other son's, and then Jacob carefully instructed his sons to bury him only in the promised land, and not in the land of Egypt (Gen. 49:10-12; 49:29-32).
Upon Jacob's death, Joseph and his brothers, with various dignitaries of Egypt, formed a funeral procession and returned to Canaan to bury him in the Cave of Machpelah in Hebron. After the funeral, they returned to Egypt, but Joseph's brothers feared that he would now repay them for their former betrayal and threw themselves on his mercy. Joseph reassured them that they had no reason to fear him and reminded them that God had overruled their earlier intent by intending him to be a blessing to the whole world (Gen. 50:20).
The portion ends with the account of the death of Joseph, who made the chiefs of Israel promise to take his bones with them when the LORD would bring them back to the land of Canaan (foreseeing the great Exodus to come). Joseph's faith in the Jewish people's return to the Promised Land is summarized by his statement: "God will surely remember you" (Gen. 50:24). He died at age 110, was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt, full of faith that he would be raised from the dead in the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Later he was buried in the area of Shechem, the first area of land purchased from the Hittites by Abraham (Gen. 23) that was given to Joseph as an inheritance (Gen. 48:22; Josh 34:22).
Hebrew Lesson:
Genesis 47:28a reading (click):
Concluding the Book of Genesis...
01.05.25 (Tevet 5, 5785) This week we will finish reading the Book of Genesis (i.e., Sefer Nereshit: סֵפֶר בְּרֵאשִׁית) for the current Jewish year... This incalculably essential book begins with an account of the creation of the universe by the LORD and the creation of man in His image and likeness. Genesis not only explains the origin of life itself but also the origin of death that came about through Adam's transgression, a condition of "spiritual death" that was passed on to Adam and Eve's descendants and that affects the very fabric of creation. The book then reveals the corruption of the first ten generations of humanity that eventually led to divine judgment by means of the worldwide flood (mabbul). From Noah's line, however, would come Abraham who was called by God to become the patriarch through whom the promised Deliverer would come. The remainder of the book focuses on the lives of the three great patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), and ends with the story of Joseph, Jacob's firstborn son of Rachel, who eventually brought the entire family of Jacob to Egypt to escape famine. This of course set the stage for the great Exodus from Egypt under the leadership of Moses...
The book of Genesis ends with Joseph dying and being put into a coffin in Egypt (Gen. 50:26). Note that the word translated "coffin" is the Hebrew word aron (אֲרוֹן), a word used elsewhere in the Torah to refer exclusively to the Ark of the Covenant (the ark that Noah built and the ark that Moses was placed in are both called "teivah"). Throughout their desert wanderings, then, after the Sinai revelation, the Israelites carried two special arks - one holding the bones of Joseph and the other holding the tablets of the Ten Commandments.
Hebrew Lesson
Genesis 1:1 reading (click):
The Resurrection of Jacob...
01.03.25 (Tevet 3, 5785) In our Torah portion this week, parashat Vayigash, Jacob's sons returned from Egypt and told their father that his beloved son Joseph was not dead but was very much alive, and that indeed he was none other than the Egyptian ruler who had earlier accused them of being spies! Jacob's response to this news was altogether remarkable: "And Jacob's heart went numb, because he did not believe them" (Gen. 45:26).
The Hebrew word used to describe Jacob's reaction is "vayafag" (וַיָּפָג), from a root (פּוג) that means to become numb, to faint, to cease or even to fail altogether. The Rambam comments on this word saying that his breathing stopped, his heart stopped within him, and he became like a dead person. He died inside.
What was the reason for this great shock, especially because the text says that he did not believe the report given by his sons? Well let's revisit how much Joseph had meant to Jacob - how he was the firstborn son of his chosen wife Rachel and the appointed family heir who would inherit the promise given to Abraham, Isaac, and to Jacob. Recall the coat of many colors that was given to honor his son; remember the visions Joseph received as a young man and that Jacob held in his heart (Gen. 37:9-11). Was not Joseph chosen by God, the "firstborn" of Israel? Were not the promises of God bound up in his son like the ropes that held his father Isaac upon the altar? Imagine his disappointment and sorrow when he heard that Joseph had been killed. The test wasn't like Abraham's who lifted up the knife to slay his son; Jacob's son was gone forever, and somehow he had to reconcile this with his hope that God was at work in his family. Jacob lived in an ongoing state of grief, so when he heard the "good news" that Joseph was alive and exalted, his heart could not comprehend the possibility, and he relived the death all over again.
The cognitive dissonance must have been extreme. Would the greatest loss of his broken heart be restored to him, but if so, would that imply something else had happened to his son, and perhaps his other sons had betrayed him? Like Thomas who doubted the resurrection of Yeshua, Jacob did not believe the testimony that Joseph was alive.
Another possibility that I've discussed before is that Jacob may have blamed himself for the death of his son and his guilt haunted his soul. Recall that it was Jacob who sent Joseph to report on his other sons like an overseer, and his brothers deeply resented this. And surely Jacob knew of the brother's jealousy for Joseph, and he only made matters worse by dressing him up as the favored son with his fancy tunic of many colors... The last time Jacob saw Joseph alive was when he sent him to his brothers, and he likely blamed himself for his death. He must have felt like he was the animal that tore Joseph apart. Perhaps reasons like these may explain why Jacob could not believe that his son was alive...
After Jacob listened to his sons emphatically declare that Joseph was alive, and when he saw the wagons full of goods, and that these were sent by Joseph to carry his father to Egypt to finally see his long lost son, "the spirit of their father revived, and Jacob said: 'Enough! My son Joseph is alive! I must go see him before I die" (Gen. 45:27).
We might ask whether this was enough to really change Jacob's mind to believe that Joseph was truly alive. Rashi said that among the various things in the wagons was a special "token" sent by Joseph that would prove that he was alive, and when Jacob saw it he believed. There is some speculation by the sages about what this sign was, though I think it must have been the extra gifts that were given exclusively to Benjamin -- the five extra sets of clothing and the 300 shekels of silver -- or perhaps it was something else, maybe a ring his father had given him as a young man, but regardless it was enough for Jacob's heart to revive and to believe that his son was alive.
On a psychological level the sign provided great comfort, because Jacob then understood that all that had happened was indeed part of God's greater plan. His beloved Joseph, the beautiful dreamer, the prophet of the family, the one who received visions from God about the destiny of the family, was assuredly alive! Jacob had not failed as a father or lost his son; the sign showed that Joseph understood all this... No wonder Jacob's heart revived within him as if he came back from the dead!
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 116:10 reading (click):
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The Disguised Egyptian...
01.03.25 (Tevet 3, 5785) Our Torah reading this week (Vayigash) includes Judah's sincere expression of teshuvah (repentance) on behalf of his brothers for the betrayal of Joseph, an act that finally convinced the (disguised) brother to reveal his true identity: אֲנִי יוֹסֵף הַעוֹד אָבִי חָי / ani Yosef, ha'od avi chai / "I am Joseph; is my father alive?"
Before this dramatic disclosure took place, however, Joseph (thought to be an unknown Egyptian satrap) ensnared his brothers by hiding a silver divination goblet in Benjamin's sack and then sending his steward (his son Manesseh) to arrest Benjamin for stealing the goblet. All this was designed by Joseph to test his brothers. Would they abandon Benjamin, just as they had abandoned him to die in an empty well years earlier? After the arrest, the brothers returned to face the charges, and Judah nobly stepped forward and begged to take Benjamin's place for the "crime." When Joseph understood that Judah was willing to sacrifice his own life for his brother -- and when he saw the anxious looks of his other brothers -- he realized that they had learned their lesson.
Joseph then sent all the Egyptians out of the room, to spare his brothers embarrassment. According to Midrash, he then turned to his brothers and said, "You told me that your brother Joseph died. Are you sure?" "Yes, we are; he's dead," the brothers assured him. Joseph then became angry and said, "How can you lie? You sold him as a slave. I bought him and can call him right now." Joseph then called out, "Joseph, son of Jacob, come here right now to speak to your brothers."
Terrified, the brothers turned to see if Joseph was coming. When Joseph saw that his brothers were prepared to meet their brother and ask for his forgiveness, he then spoke to them in Hebrew, "Who are you looking for? I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?" (Notice that Joseph revealed himself to his brothers using Hebrew speech as the token of his identity.) When Joseph saw his brothers draw back in fear at his shocking disclosure, he reassured them by saying, g'shu na elai - "Please come near to me; come and see..."
The revelation of Joseph and his reconciliation with his brothers is a prophetic picture of acharit ha-yamim (the "End of Days") when the Jewish people, in Great Tribulation, will come to Yeshua as Israel's deliverer. Presently, the veil is still over the eyes of the Jewish people and they collectively regard Yeshua as an "Egyptian" of sorts.
On a pe'shat level (i.e., literal sense), when Joseph revealed his identity: ani Yosef ha'od avi chai ("I am Joseph; is my father alive?"), he was asking his brothers if his father Jacob was still physically alive. This is puzzling, since in earlier encounters the brothers attested that Jacob was very much alive... On a sod level (i.e., in a mysterious sense), since Joseph is a picture of Yeshua (Mashiach ben Yosef), the question can be phrased, "I am Yeshua - is My father alive?," that is, do you now understand the righteousness of God the Father in raising me from the dead and promoting me to His right hand? Yeshua therefore evokes the confession of faith from the beloved Jewish people: "I am your brother Yeshua: do you now understand that My Father is alive?"
Time is short, chaverim... We are approaching the End of Days and time of "Great Tribulation." In a soon-coming hour Yeshua will speak comforting words to His long-lost brothers (in Hebrew, to be sure!) and restore their place of blessing upon the earth. May He come speedily, and in our days. Maran ata, Yeshua!
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 69:18 reading (click):
The Family of God...
01.03.25 (Tevet 3, 5785) When Jacob and his family left the land of Canaan to be reunited with his long-lost son Joseph in Egypt, the Scripture says: "All the persons of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt were seventy" (Gen. 46:27), though the Hebrew text literally reads, "all of the soul (singular) of Jacob's household was seventy."
Rashi noted that the extended "household" of Jacob is referred to as "one soul" (i.e., kol ha'nefesh: כָּל־הַנֶּפֶשׁ), that is, an interconnected unity before the LORD. Perhaps this thought was the reason for the famous statement of the Talmud: "kol Yisrael arevim zeh ba'zeh," which means "all Israel is responsible for one another" (Shavuot 39a). This principle expresses the deep sense of communal responsibility among the Jewish people.
The idea of being an interconnected unity also applies to the "body of Messiah," that is, the worldwide community of those who have been redeemed by Yeshua, for he emphatically taught us to love one another as he has loved us (John 13:34). Indeed our love for one another bears witness that we are truly his people: "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35).
The Apostle Paul therefore wrote: "For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread" (1 Cor. 10:17), and he went on to use the analogy of the parts of the body united to form a whole to illustrate how the several parts should understand their mutual dependence, and that if one member were to suffer, all the others would suffer along with it (1 Cor. 12:26). We are as "one flesh" (בשר אחד) through our shared covenant with the Lord, and each of us therefore partakes of the lives of others.
Since we are all interconnected, we must esteem and care for one another. Let the honor of your brother and sister be as dear to yourself as if it were your own. As Paul said: "Let love be sincere. Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good. In love of the brothers be tenderly affectionate with one another, in honor preferring one another" (Rom. 12:9-10). The very law of Messiah (תורת המשיח) is to bear one another's burdens (Gal. 6:2).
For the same reasons, holding a grudge or wanting revenge is forbidden. Can the right hand cut off the left without itself suffering loss? Indeed we mirror one another in our hearts. "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets" (Matt. 7:12). This is the great law of reciprocity: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."
Life is a test to establish our souls in the truth of faith. We are instructed to take every thought "captive" to the love of the Lord. If an unworthy thought enters your mind, cast it out and refuse it audience within your soul. Love your enemy and do good to those who hurt you, for doing so reveals you are a child of the heavenly Father (Matt. 5:44).
Since we are reading parashat Vayigash this week, let's consider again the story of Joseph who was a great tzaddik of Israel (צדיק ישראל). Despite the betrayal of his brothers he refused to harden his heart and become bitter. Joseph repaid his brothers with goodness and mercy, rescuing them from their own dark pit of rejection and shame. Because he was righteous, he drew near to them by grace based on the deepest of bonds of his heart.
The children of Joseph are God's beloved flock. In the Psalms we read "Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who leads Joseph like a flock" (Psalm 90:1). Just as Joseph stored up food for years of famine, so God stores up blessing for us in the world to come. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 31:23a reading (click for audio):
A Life that Matters...
01.02.25 (Tevet 2, 5785) The Jewish sages likened the life of faith to be one of preparation: "This world is like a corridor before the World to Come; therefore prepare yourself in the corridor, that you may enter into the banquet hall" (Avot 4:21). We prepare ourselves by learning to be in relationship with the LORD. The great commandment is דִּרְשׁוּנִי וִחְיוּ - "Seek Me and live" (Amos 5:4), and as the prophet Isaiah cried out, "Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near" (Isa. 55:6).
It is an opportune occasion, at the outset of another "new year," to soberly revist the truth that our lives are relatively short and therefore we ought prepare ourselves for our ultimate destiny while we still have the chance. To borrow a cliche, "today is the first day of the rest of your life," and consequently whatever you do or don't do today will effect all of your tomorrows -- and even carry over into the world to come.
What isn't a cliche is the profound truth that even the seemingly smallest of decisions matter and that nothing is trivial. There is a "butterfly effect," and a small change in your life will produce big effects. Therefore, since by necessity "one thing leads to another," we must soberly realize the importance of our decisions and choose wisely. What we do today, the choices we make, will yield future blessing in our lives if we seek the good.
So what to do? How, then, shall we live today? Well for starters make some time to pray to the Lord. Make an effort to read and study the holy Scriptures. Memorize verses that speak to your heart. Meditate on God's Presence and love. Be filled with the Holy Spirit and turn away from dark thoughts and fears. Call or visit a friend. Listen to your friend and share their burdens. These are just a few suggestions, but the point is that the time we have today is our opportunity to live a life that really matters. Therefore choose life!
We can't turn back the clock but we can ask God to help us "redeem the time." He can restore the years that the locust has eaten, so it's never too late to begin! Let us seek lasting wisdom. Prepare your heart today so that when your hour comes to "enter the banquet hall," you will not be ashamed but overjoyed and ready to meet the Lord!
Above all do not let your heart be troubled; have faith in God, for he "prepares a place for you" on the other side of the veil of this temporal world (John 14:1-3). "Whoever is born of God conquers the world (νικᾷ τὸν κόσμον), and the overcoming power that conquers the world is our faith" (1 John 5:4). God will help you live a life that truly matters, if you ask him. Therefore while you still have breath, choose life....
Hebrew Lesson
Jeremiah 29:13 reading (click for audio):
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Mystery and Humility...
"God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are mighty, and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, so that no flesh should glory in His presence." - 1 Cor. 1:27-29
01.02.25 (Tevet 2, 5785) Though it is important to guard our sincere convictions and to be passionate about what we believe, we must nevertheless be careful to walk in humility before the mystery of life... After all, much is inscrutable to us, much is beyond our understanding, and therefore, if we are honest, we should be reverent before the "sacred secrecy" of everything. Fanaticism and intolerance (whether secular or religious) is motivated by willful ignorance of the marvelous complexities that pervade existence. The fanatic invariably seeks to reduce life to a simple formula, idea, or generalization. The humble person, on the other hand, freely confesses that they "walk by faith, not by sight" -- by hearing the Word of God and heeding what the Spirit of God is saying to the heart...
For now we "see through a glass darkly," which literally means "in an enigma" (ἐν αἰνίγματι). An "enigma" (or riddle) is an analogy given through some resemblance to the truth, though quite often the correspondences are puzzling and obscure. Hence, "seeing through a glass darkly" means perceiving obscurely or imperfectly, looking "through" something else instead of directly apprehending reality. We see only a reflection of reality, and our knowledge in this life is indirect and imperfect. This is contrasted with the "face to face" (פָּנִים אֶל־פָּנִים) vision and clarity given in the world to come, when our knowledge will be clear and distinct, and the truth of God will be fully manifest and no longer hidden. Being "face to face" with reality means being free of the riddles, the analogies, the semblances, etc., which at best adumbrate our way..
Such reflection should make us humble whenever we share our faith. "Now we know in part, but then shall we know in whole" (1 Cor. 13:12). Let therefore repeat that an honest theology must find a place for mystery, for "seeing through a glass darkly," and for the apprehension of awe and wonder.
"There was a time when I had all the answers. My real growth began when I discovered that the questions to which I had the answers were not the important questions.... A genuine faith must recognize the fact that it is through a dark glass we see; though by faith we do penetrate sufficiently to the heart of the mystery so as not to be overwhelmed by it. A genuine faith resolves the mystery of life by the mystery of God. It recognizes that no aspect of life or existence explains itself, even after all known causes and consequences have been traced. All known existence points beyond itself. To realize that it points beyond itself to God is to assert that the mystery of life does not dissolve life into meaninglessness...." (Reinhold Niebuhr)
Since the LORD God is called the Infinite One (i.e., ein sof: אֵין סוֹף) whose understanding is without limit (Psalm 147:5), we must use analogies, metaphors, symbols, allusions, parables, poetry, and other linguistic devices (as well art and music) to convey spiritual truth and meaning. We compare (συγκρίνω) spiritual things with spiritual (1 Cor. 2:13). Some of the classical "mystics" have said the way to God is through the transcendence of words altogether, though most of them use imagery and poetry to speak about "ineffable" reality. Others, like Soren Kierkegaard, use "indirect communication" to evoke the decision to believe, to find hope, and to walk by faith. The truth can be found, not by means of humanistic learning, but by special revelation and encounter with the Truth of God.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 147:5 Hebrew reading:
For more on this topic, see "Mystery and Humility: Living in the Divine Connection."
Love's Great Humility...
01.01.25 (Tevet 1, 5785) "Unless you turn (shuv) and become like children, you will never (οὐ μὴ) enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 18:3). Such is the importance of simple trust in God... Indeed Yeshua repeatedly taught us to regard God as "Abba," our Father (אַבָּא אָבִינוּ). He taught that we are warmly accepted as part of his family; that we are under his constant care; and that we live within his household as beloved children... And even though God is utterly transcendent, the Infinite One (אין סוף) and Creator of all worlds, he humbles himself to feed the birds of the air, to water lilies of the field, and to count the number of hairs on your head (Psalm 113:5-6).
The Lord is as close as your next breath; he leans upon your bosom at the table; he anticipates what you need before you ask him... The "fear of the Lord" is that you might fail knowing his great love for you -- that you will forget or lose sight of your true identity in lesser things. Therefore affirm the truth that you are loved with an unending and everlasting love, that you are safe, that you are surely accepted, and that nothing can ever separate you from the power and truth of love. God your Father hears you, he knows you, and he loves you bekhol levavo (בְּכָל־לְבָבוֹ) - "with all his heart."
May we know God as our beloved Abba. "For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and fellow heirs with Messiah - even if we may suffer together with him to the end that we may also be glorified together with him" (Rom. 8:15-17). Amen...
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 69:32 Hebrew reading:
The Good Eye of Faith...
The following is related to this week's Torah reading, Parashat Vayigash...
01.01.25 (Tevet 1, 5785) Among other things, the story of Joseph reveals how God's hidden hand moves for good in our lives. Despite the terrible betrayal of the pit, the unjust suffering of the prison house, and the sorrow of losing his family, there was light, exaltation, and joy to come forth. God knows how to take our emptiness to yield "storehouses in Egypt..." As Joseph later told his brothers, "you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good" (Gen. 50:20). Resist the temptation to judge by mere appearances. Forbid your sorrow to blind the eyes of faith. Do not unjustly judge God's purposes or try to understand His ways; accept that He works all things together (συνεργέω) for good -- making even the wrath of man to praise Him (Psalm 76:10).
Faith "sees what is invisible" (2 Cor. 4:18) and understands (i.e., accepts) that the "present form of this world is passing away" for purposes that are good (1 Cor. 7:31). It affirms that underlying the surface appearance of life (chayei sha'ah) is a deeper reality (chayei olam) that is ultimately real, abiding, and ultimately designed for God's redemptive love to be fully expressed. In this world we must "see through" a mirror (i.e., indirectly) to begin to see the dawn of our eternal home; but one day we will behold God panim el panim (פָּנִים אֶל־פָּנִים), "face to face" (1 Cor. 13:12). In the meantime, faith beholds the invisible light, the truth of God's love that overcomes all the powers of darkness, hate, and fear.... "I believe. I believe in the sun even when it is not shining; I believe in love even when feeling it not; and I believe in God, even when God is silent" (from an anonymous poem found on the wall of a cellar in Cologne, Germany, where some Jews hid from the Nazis).
"Faith in divine providence is the faith that nothing can prevent us from fulfilling the meaning of our existence. Providence does not mean a divine plan by which everything is predetermined, as in an efficient machine. Rather, providence means that there is a creative and saving possibility implied in every situation, which cannot be destroyed by any event. Providence means that the demonic and destructive forces within ourselves and our world can never have an unbreakable grasp upon us, and that the bind which connects us with the fulfilling love can never be disrupted." - Paul Tillich
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 31:5 Hebrew reading (click):
For more on this important topic, see "Joseph and the Good Eye."
The Providential Prince...
01.01.25 (Tevet 1, 5785) Though Joseph was given great wisdom to interpret Pharaoh's dreams and to serve as Egypt's regent, his foresight did not prevent the famine from coming in the first place, and the testing that came was part of God's hidden plan. The role of the true prophet is to bear witness to God's truth and to shepherd God's people through the unfolding vision. Joseph could not control the outcome, though he worked within the context of revelation to bring about deliverance. In both the "fat times and the lean" we look to God for comfort and strength: We "show up" every day to ready ourselves for what is coming, even if we currently find ourselves in darkness. We refuse fear because we trust that the LORD our God is guiding our way...
The term hashgachah pratit (הַשְׁגָּחָה פְּרָטִית) refers to God's personal supervision of our lives (hashgachah means "supervision," and pratit means "individual" or "particular"). Since He is the Master of the Universe, 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 wildflower 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 also called אלהֵי הָרוּחת לְכָל־בָּשָׂר / Elohei ha-ruchot lekhol-basar: "The God of the spirits of all flesh" (Num. 16:22), and that means that he has providential purposes for every human being brought into this world (John 1:4).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 139:7 reading (click):
A New Year Blessing...
01.01.25 (Tevet 1, 5785) At the outset of the new civil year, let us recall the ancient priestly blessing, the great expression of hope and grace that transforms us into "name bearers" of God. The blessing of the LORD guards us from illusion, directing our hearts to focus on what matters most; His radiance changes us, revealing the miracle of grace. As God "lifts up his face," he discloses his Presence within all things, and imparts to us his healing peace. God's Name is "put upon" us so that we become vessels that carry redemptive love and healing to the world. We are endowed with divine energy to be made fruitful; we are empowered to serve God in the truth. The consciousness of our blessedness touches every moment, and we begin to see all of life as sanctified, sacred, full of wonder and meaning.
יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהוָה וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ
יָאֵר יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וִיחֻנֶּךָּ
יִשָּׂא יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם
ye·vah·re'·khe·kha' · Adonai · ve·yeesh'·me·re'·kha
yah·eir · Adonai · pah·nav · e·ley'·kha · vee·khoon·ne'·kah
yee·sah · Adonai · pah·nav · e·ley'·kha · ve·yah·seim · le·kha · shah·lohm
"May the LORD bless you and keep you;
May the LORD shine his face upon you and be gracious to you;
May the LORD lift up his face upon you and give you his peace."
(Num. 6:24-26)
Hebrew Study Card
Note that the text of this great "priestly blessing" (i.e., birkat kohanim) begins with three words, is comprised of three parts, invokes the divine Name three times, and is therefore quite appropriately called "the three-in-one blessing." Note further that each of the three phrases begins with the Hebrew letter Yod (י), suggesting the threefold hand of YHVH (יהוה) that touches you: the Father blesses you (יְבָרֶכְךָ); the Word of God shines upon you (יָאֵר), and the Spirit of God lifts you up and carries you in the way of life (יִשָּׂא). The threefold blessing is One, of course, just as Adonai echad: יְהוָה אֶחָד, the LORD is One (Deut. 6:4), and the essence of the blessing is to partake of healing and wholeness as expressed in the Hebrew word shalom (שָׁלוֹם). Amen. Without oseh shalom, without peace made within our hearts, any other blessings are only apparent and without genuine substance...
Hebrew Lesson
Numbers 6:24-26 reading (click):
December 2024 Site Updates
About the Secular New Year...
12.31.24 (Kislev 30, 5785) In most countries of the world, "New Year's Day" is usually celebrated as a "revelry" on January 1st, though this date comes from the arbitrary decree of the consuls of ancient (and pagan) Rome -- certainly not from anything taught in the Torah and the Hebrew Scriptures. Nevertheless, some Christian churches plan their own celebrations, offering a religious service to make resolutions and to offer up special prayers. (and because it falls eight days after December 25th, some liturgical church tradtions observe this date as the "Festival of Christ's Circumcision.") Some of these churches plan "midnight" communion services so that the sacraments could be taken just before the start of the "new year." Now while all this might be encouraging and helpful on some level, it needs to be stressed that the civil New Year that the world celebrates is not a Biblical holiday at all, and in fact is contrary to the Biblical Calendar that was revealed in the Torah and Scriptures.
As I have mentioned over the years, according to Torah there are two mirroring "New Years" observed during the year. The first occurs two weeks before Passover (Nisan 1) and the second occurs ten days before Yom Kippur (Tishri 1). The first is called Rosh Chodashim (see Exod. 12:2), which commemorates the month of the redemption of the Jewish people (i.e., the month Yeshua was sacrificed for our sins), whereas the second is called Yom Teru'ah that is associated with the "Feast of Ingathering" at the "end of the year" (Exod. 23:16, 34:22). Later Yom Terua'h became known as Rosh Hashanah ("the head of the year") which began a ten-day "trial" of humanity climaxing on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur).
The two "new years" of the Jewish calendar mirror each other and reveal the two advents of Messiah. For more information about the secular New Year and its relationship to the calendar of Torah, see the H4C article:
Hebrew Lesson:
Exodus 12:2 reading (click):
The Heart's Truth...
12.31.24 (Kislev 30, 5785) According to Jewish tradition, it was Joseph's firstborn son Manasseh who was "the steward" who planted the silver goblet in Benjamin's sack and had him arrested as a thief (see Gen. 44:1-13). But did Manasseh knowingly participate in Joseph's orchestrated charade? Did he understand that his uncles had come to Egypt or did he regard them simply as "Canaanite strangers"? Was he was simply "obeying orders" from his father as "Joseph's steward," or was he willingly conspiring against his uncles as Joseph's son? Regardless of his exact motivation, however, Jewish tradition maintains that Manasseh forfeited part of his inheritance for causing his uncles to rend their garments. As a divine consequence, the descendants of Manasseh were decreed to be the first of Israel carried into captivity by the Assyrians (c. 740 BC).
The moral of this story is that duplicitous words and actions -- even if they are intended to promote a greater good -- are unjustified and can even cause us to lose a portion of the blessing intended for our lives. The end never justifies the means. God is not a pragmatist, and there are no "noble lies" for sake of the Kingdom of Heaven.
But what are we to make of Joseph's words and actions? Wasn't his charade and his scheme to entrap his brothers based on a similar sort of deception? What's the difference between Manasseh's deception and his father Joseph's? Why does Jewish tradition forgive Joseph for his duplicity but blame his son? Moreover, why didn't Joseph send a message to his father after he became a man of power in Egypt? For that matter, why didn't he show compassion for his obviously needy family during the time of famine? Why did he exacerbate their suffering by arresting Simeon, thereby greatly increasing the heartache of Jacob (Gen. 42:24)? If Manasseh was punished for causing his uncle's garments to be rent, should not Joseph have been punished for the suffering he caused his entire family?
Various answers to these questions have been offered by the sages. Maimonides claimed that Joseph acted the way he did to see if his brothers had genuinely regretted their actions. Other sages have said that Joseph might have thought his father was somehow involved in the conspiracy to sell him. After all, Jacob had publicly reprimanded his son for his dreams (Gen. 37:10) and was the one who initially sent his son on the mission to spy on his brothers (Gen. 37:14) -- which eventually led to his sale to the Ishmaelites (Gen. 37:28). Moreover, wasn't Joseph's firstborn son called Manasseh (מְנַשֶּׁה), meaning "forgetting" in reference to "all my father's house" (Gen. 41:51)? Still others disagree and say that Joseph "forgot" his father's house because had he disclosed the truth, Jacob would have cursed his sons, and Joseph did not want this to occur. Joseph's withholding of his identity was therefore to be understood as an act of mercy toward his brothers. Still others say that Joseph's neglect of his father was the consequence of his father's neglect of his father Isaac while he was captive to Laban (i.e., the "sins of the fathers" are passed on to their children). And so on...
Perhaps the difference lies in the inward heart motivation. Joseph was endued with prophetic wisdom that was evidenced early in his life. His family listened as he recounted his God-given dreams. They must have understood the stakes of being the firstborn son (bechor) of Israel and therefore the stakes for the fledgling nation... Moreover, the battle between Joseph and his brothers was Joseph's -- not Manasseh's -- and therefore Manasseh was wrong to "take on" the offense of his father. Joseph's deception was therefore strategic, intended to defeat the initial deception of his father Jacob by his brothers... Furthermore, the silver goblet surreptitiously put into Benjamin's sack and the phony charges might have come from another motive: perhaps he could not tolerate the pain of further separation from his only full-blooded brother (and son of his mother Rachel). Perhaps Joseph didn't want to risk never seeing Benjamin again, so his deception was based on love itself. Maimonides wrote that "Joseph was afraid that the brothers hated Benjamin, or were jealous of their father's love for him as they had been jealous of Joseph. He was afraid that Benjamin had realized that they had harmed Joseph and this had led to acrimony between them. Therefore Joseph did not want Benjamin to go with them lest they harm him, until he had verified their love for him" (Ramban, 42:9). Still, there is the nagging question, if Joseph had such compassion for his brother, why didn't he send word to his father after he began his ascent in Egypt?
There are various other cases of seemingly justified cases of deception in the Bible, of course. Both Abraham and Isaac deceived Avimelech yet were prospered by God (Gen. 20:14-15; Gen. 26:11-16); Jacob deceived his father Isaac yet inherited the divine blessing (Gen. 27:19,33); Leah and Rachel deceived Jacob yet became the matriarchs of Israel (Gen. 29:25); Joseph deceived his brothers yet was elevated as a savior of the family (Gen. 39-45); the Jewish midwives lied to Pharaoh concerning the birth of Jewish babies yet were rewarded by God (Exod. 1:17-20); Rahab lied to the king about the whereabouts of Joshua's spies yet became part of the lineage of Messiah (Josh. 2); Jael pretended to offer Sisera protection but hammered a tent peg into his head while he was asleep (Judges 4); Nathan the prophet "deceived" David into confessing his sin with Bathsheeba (2 Sam. 12); Mordecai and Haddasah hid the fact that they were Jews, etc. I am sure you can think of other examples.
There are a lot of questions regarding all of this, though wisdom explicitly instructs us to refrain from the practice of deception in our lives. The Scriptures clearly teach that deception is morally blameworthy: "Shall I acquit the man with wicked scales and with a bag of deceitful weights?" (Micah 6:11). The Holy Spirit, moreover, is called the Spirit of Truth (John 14:17, 16:13), and it is "impossible for God to lie" (Num. 23:19, Heb. 6:18, Titus 1:2). The Apostle Paul wrote: "Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another" (Eph. 4:25), and "Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices" (Col. 3:9). Throughout the ethical teaching of the Scriptures, the tzaddik, the righteous man, is always described as yashar - full of integrity and moral righteousness. In the heavenly Jerusalem to come, truth will reign completely, and "outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood" (Rev. 22:14).
Nonetheless, if deception is sometimes sovereignly "allowed" for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven, the converse also appears to be true. Truth is sometimes expressed for the sake of the kingdom of Hell...
Sometimes true words and actions performed in an unloving or spiteful manner are morally blameworthy. Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945) tells the story about how a teacher once humiliated one of her students by standing him up in front of the class to ask whether his father -- notoriously known as the town drunk -- had been out drinking the night before. The little boy knew the accusation was true but bravely announced "No." When the teacher mockingly asked him again, pressing him for "the truth," the boy was adamant: "NO!" Bonhoeffer's comment was that this little boy spoke more truth by his lie than if he had merely reported the "facts" to the class -- and thereby betrayed the dignity of his father... The truth is not some objective state of affairs that can be reported dispassionately. Without love as its context, such "truth" becomes a lie. Satan keeps his own books.
It is said that Joseph never told Jacob the truth about his betrayal by his brothers, not even when Jacob was on his deathbed. His love forbade him to engage in lashon hara (evil speech) or to bring further pain to his father. Love overlooks a multitude of transgressions. May God help us all "speak the truth in love" -- or else help us to keep silent.
Hebrew Lesson
Proverbs 10:12 reading (click):
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The Revelation of Joseph...
12.31.24 (Kislev 30, 5785) Before he revealed his identity to his brothers, Joseph (arrayed as an unknown Egyptian satrap) ensnared his brothers by hiding a silver divination goblet in Benjamin's sack and then sending his steward (his disguised son Manesseh) to arrest Benjamin for stealing the goblet. All this was designed by Joseph to test his brothers. Would they abandon Benjamin, just as they had abandoned him to die in an empty well years earlier? After the arrest, the brothers returned to face the charges, and Judah nobly stepped forward and begged to take Benjamin's place for the "crime." When Joseph understood that Judah was willing to sacrifice his own life for his brother -- and when he saw the anxious looks of his other brothers -- he realized that they had learned their lesson.
Joseph then sent all the Egyptians out of the room, to spare his brothers embarrassment. According to Midrash, he then turned to his brothers and said, "You told me that your brother Joseph died. Are you sure?" "Yes, we are; he's dead," the brothers assured him. Joseph then became angry and said, "How can you lie? You sold him as a slave! I bought him and can call him right now." Joseph then called out, "Joseph, son of Jacob, come here right now to speak to your brothers..."
Terrified, the brothers turned to see if Joseph was coming. When Joseph saw that his brothers were prepared to meet their brother and ask for his forgiveness, he then spoke to them in Hebrew, "Who are you looking for? I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?" (Notice that Joseph revealed himself to his brothers using Hebrew speech as the token of his identity.) When Joseph saw his brothers draw back in fear at his shocking disclosure, he reassured them by saying, g'shu na elai - "Please come near to me; come and see..."
When Joseph's father Jacob later learned that his long-lost son was indeed alive, vatechi ruach ya'akov avihem - "the spirit of their father Jacob was revived." Though for over 22 years Jacob was bereaved, all along his beloved son was only a few days journey away from him. According to Jewish tradition, Joseph never told Jacob about his betrayal by his brothers, not even when Jacob was on his deathbed. His love forbade him to engage in lashon hara (evil speech) or to bring further pain to his father.
The revelation of Joseph and his reconciliation with his brothers is a prophetic picture of acharit ha-yamim (the "End of Days") when the Jewish people, in Great Tribulation, will come to Yeshua as Israel's deliverer. Presently, the veil is still over the eyes of the Jewish people and they collectively regard Yeshua as an "Egyptian" of sorts.
On a pe'shat level (i.e., literal sense), when Joseph revealed his identity: ani Yosef ha'od avi chai ("I am Joseph; is my father alive?"), he was asking his brothers if his father Jacob was still physically alive. This is puzzling, since in earlier encounters the brothers attested that Jacob was very much alive... On a sod level (i.e., in a mysterious sense), since Joseph is a picture of Yeshua (Mashiach ben Yosef), the question can be phrased, "I am Yeshua - is My father alive?," that is, do you now understand the righteousness of God the Father in raising me from the dead and promoting me to His right hand? Yeshua therefore evokes the confession of faith from the beloved Jewish people: "I am your brother Yeshua: do you now understand that My Father is alive?"
Time is short, chaverim... We are approaching the End of Days and time of "Great Tribulation." In a soon-coming hour Yeshua will speak comforting words to His long-lost brothers (in Hebrew, to be sure!) and restore their place of blessing upon the earth. May He come speedily, and in our days. Maran ata, Yeshua!
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 69:18 reading (click):
Joseph and his brothers...
We always read the story of Joseph during the season of Chanukah...
12.31.24 (Kislev 30, 5785) The Torah says that "Jacob loved Joseph more than all his other sons" (יִשְׂרָאֵל אָהַב אֶת־יוֹסֵף מִכָּל־בָּנָיו), since he was the son of his old age, and the firstborn son (bechor) of his beloved wife Rachel (Gen. 37:3). Indeed, Jacob and Joseph shared a lot in common: Both had infertile mothers who had difficulty in childbirth (Rebekah and Rachel); both of their mothers bore two sons (Rebekah: Esau/Jacob; Rachel: Joseph/Benjamin); both were hated by their brothers, and perhaps most significantly, both had lost their mothers (Joseph was present when his mother died, whereas Jacob never saw his mother again after he fled from his brother Esau). Perhaps this explains why Jacob favored his Joseph and made for him the ketonet passim (כְּתנֶת פַּסִּים), a full-sleeved robe or ornamental tunic that set him apart from his other sons, and perhaps this also explains Joseph's juvenile boasting about his "dreams of preeminence" over his brothers.... Indeed, the story of Joseph is, among other things, a story about his dreams. As a young man, his dreams centered on himself, which led to his betrayal and fall; after being humbled in prison, he focused on the dreams of others, which led to his exaltation...
There is a lot of mystery surrounding the life of Joseph ben Yisrael. Like his father who fled from the hatred of his brother Esau, Joseph became a victim of his brothers' malice. After being betrayed and sold into slavery as a teenager, Joseph later seemed to abandon his family identity, perhaps like his estranged uncle Esau. He had no "Bethel" experience along the way, however. Indeed, upon his release from prison he was thoroughly "Egyptianized." Joseph wore Egyptian clothes, spoke fluent Egyptian, married an Egyptian wife, assumed an Egyptian name, and named his firstborn son "Manasseh" (מְנַשֶּׁה), a word that comes from the verb nasah (נָשָׁה), meaning "to forget." It's clear that Joseph wanted to forget his past life. After all, despite his ascendancy in Egypt -- when he had the means to reconnect with his long-lost family (including his father and brother Reuben who were deceived into thinking he was dead) -- he did nothing to contact them. (For more on this, see "The Heart's Truth.")
The truth (i.e., aletheia: ἀ+λήθεια) cannot be forever forgotten, however. When his brothers finally reappeared in his life seeking help, it had been 22 long years since they had last seen him (incidentally, the very same amount of time Jacob had been away from his family as well). Joseph was now forced to deal with his past life. But he played the part of a "stranger" and withheld his true identity... As part of his charade, Joseph bound and imprisoned Simeon (who, according to tradition was the brother who originally threw Joseph into the pit). It was then that the brothers remembered what they had done to Joseph when they betrayed him as a child. Here the Torah adds a detail not originally given in the story of Joseph's betrayal, namely, that the brothers had ignored Joseph's desperate cries for help (Gen. 42:21-24). Perhaps the shock of seeing their helpless brother Simeon bound before them reminded the brothers of the terrible pain they had once caused Joseph...
If you are familiar with the drama, you recall how Joseph then demanded that his brother Benjamin be brought from Canaan in order to corroborate the brothers' story. Benjamin - the last link to Jacob's deceased wife Rachel and full brother to Joseph - had surely taken Joseph's place as Jacob's favorite son, and Jacob was unwilling to part from him. The famine, however, forced the issue and Judah swore to his father to take personal and eternal responsibility for the welfare of his beloved son... Jacob finally relented in a state of fearful resignation.
So the brothers, this time with Benjamin, trekked back to Egypt. Although the sages argue about the exact chronology, it is clear that Benjamin was not a child when Joseph was thrown into the pit at age 17. When he finally saw his brother again, Joseph was so overcome with emotion that he left the room to weep. A midrash tells of the conversation between Joseph and Benjamin that brought tears to Joseph's eyes. Joseph asked Benjamin, "Have you a full brother, one who has the same mother as you?" "I had a brother," answered Benjamin, "but I do not know where he is." "Do you have sons?" asked Joseph. "I have ten." "What are there names?" "I named them all after my brother and the troubles that befell him. One is called "Bela" because my brother was nivlah - swallowed up - and disappeared. Another is called "Bechor" because he was the bechor (firstborn) of his mother. A third is called "Achi" because he was achi, my brother, and a fourth is called "Chuppim" because he did not see my chuppah (i.e., wedding day)." So Benjamin explained the names of his ten sons and Joseph was full of love for his brother and sadness for the time they had not shared together.
Another midrash tells the story about how Joseph seated his brothers from youngest to oldest (Gen. 43:33). He wanted to have Benjamin sit next to him but was unsure how to arrange the seating without arousing suspicion. Picking up his goblet and pretending that it had magic powers, Joseph called out the brothers names: "Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah," and so on from oldest to youngest. When he came to Benjamin, he said, "He has no mother and neither do I. He had a brother who was separated from him at birth, and so did I -- let him sit next to me!" The fivefold portion given to Benjamin was meant to test the brothers to see how they would react to a brother being shown preferential treatment.
When Joseph later "framed" Benjamin for stealing the "divination goblet," he was masterfully recreating a situation similar to the one in which he was sold by his brothers. Had they changed? Would his brothers abandon Benjamin as they had abandoned him in his hour of need? In order for there to be genuine reconciliation, Joseph needed to see if his brothers had really undergone teshuvah. When Judah stepped forward to take the place of his brother, he willingly accepted the guilt of them all. When Judah said, "What can we say, my lord; God has found out our sin" (Gen. 44:16), he was not confessing to the theft of the divination cup, but rather to the brothers' crime of throwing Joseph into the pit and selling him as a slave...
The Hebrew word "Miketz"(מִקֵּץ) means "at the end of" and points to prophetic future (i.e., the "end of days" or acharit ha-yamim). Just as Joseph was a "dreamer" who was betrayed by his brothers but was promoted to a place of glory by the hidden hand of God, so Yeshua was betrayed by his people yet was exalted over all the nations (מֶלֶךְ הַגּוֹיִם). And just as Joseph later disguised himself as a "stranger" and an "Egyptian" to his brothers but was finally revealed to be their savior, so will the Jewish people come to see that Yeshua is the true Savior of Israel. Then will come true the hope of Rav Sha'ul (the Apostle Paul) who wrote, "And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer who shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob" (Rom. 11:30).
Amen. Let that day come! Happy Chanukah, chaverim...
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 59:20 reading (click):
Wisdom for a New Year...
"Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away." - Psalm 144:4
12.30.24 (Kislev 29, 5785) It is tragic that so many people go about their lives as if God doesn't exist... Instead of soberly acknowledging that their days are numbered in this world, they subconsciously assume they will live forever, and they steadfastly ignore any idea of judgment to come. Yeshua warned us, however, that "nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light" (Mark 4:22). We should tremble before such words. Each of us will give account for what we have done with the time given us (Heb. 9:27; 2 Cor. 5:10; Matt. 12:36).
Moses therefore prayed to God: "Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" (Psalm 90:12). Each soul is given a finite amount of time in this world, and therefore Moses asked God to teach us how to live in light of our ultimate destiny... For this we need wisdom, which primarily consists of knowledge of the holy (דַעַת קְדשִׁים) and the experience of the awe of the LORD (יִרְאַת יְהוָה, Prov. 9:10). Note then the connection between learning to "number our days" and apprehending the sacredness of life. As we learn to esteem our days, so we discover wisdom for our sojourn to eternity. Reflecting on the brevity of life awakens us to consciously reflect upon the course of our lives and to distill the ultimate concerns of our hearts.
Consider, then, the "measure of your days..." Your life in this world will end far sooner than you expect, and then what will become of you? I am not here thinking of the end of "the" world, but rather the end of your world - when you will die and face the light of eternity. Today, this moment, you are on the way, going someplace; your "latter days" are already come upon you... If you are not prepared today, how will you be better prepared tomorrow? Today is the day of salvation, the hour that matters most. Learn to die to the world now, to let go of what presently holds you captive, so that you are free to meet that which forever shall come. Don't put off genuine teshuvah: turn while there is still time. As Jim Elliot once said: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose." And may God give us mercy to say from the heart: "For me to live is Messiah, and to die is gain" (Phil. 1:21).
Yet how many of us take all this to heart? How many of us "number our days" that we might attain wisdom? Do we appreciate the brief amount of time we are given in this life? When we were young we believed we will live forever. King David prayed, "make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!" (Psalm 39:4). Amen. May the Lord so awaken our hearts to the reverence and wonder and blessing of life.
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 90:12 Hebrew reading (click):
The Meaning of Life...
12.30.24 (Kislev 29, 5785) Every human culture engages in the art of storytelling to explain its origin, its values, and its destiny. Ancient myths, fables, and folklore were devised to serve that purpose, as were various religious dramas, legends about saints, and other sagas. Since art imitates reality, however, this implies that people everywhere intuitively understand that their individual roles find meaning in the context of a larger story of which they are part... In other words, people invariably tell stories because life itself is a great story, namely, God's story (i.e., His-story), and they sense a profound need to "find themselves" in the story line. Without an ultimate story about the meaning of life as revealed in the Scriptures, however, people are left to their own imaginations and will be unsure about who they really are, why they exist, and where they are inevitably going...
Since people need to find the meaning of life in order to cope with the chaos, suffering, and apparent pointlessness of this world, they invent stories to help them find some provisional comfort. However, the story we tell ourselves - namely, where we come from, who we are, and where we are ultimately going, has profound yet very practical consequences for the development of our inner character. For instance, to instill courage we must find meaning in suffering, but that implies that we see our personal suffering as part of a larger story. Even the pagan philosopher Nietzsche said that he could withstand any "how" in life as long as he had a "why," or a reason. The heart of faith takes this a step further, however, as when the Berditchev Rebbe prayed, "O God, I don't ask you to tell me why I suffer, but only whether I suffer for Your sake." If we fail to find any real purpose for our lives, or if we are unable to believe there is a "cosmic story" behind all things, namely, God's own story, then we will surely lose heart, because the suffering we experience will seem irredeemably pointless...
Over 40% of the Bible is composed of stories and narratives -- and these all weave together into a "transcendental story" about the meaning and purpose of human life. Another 30% of the Bible is written in prophetic poetry, much of which references the other stories found in the Scriptures, from the story of the creation, the fall of mankind into sin, the subsequent judgment upon the earth and the call of Abram and the patriarchs of Israel, the story of the great Exodus from Egypt with its numerous vignettes, and so on. The grand or "meta-theme" of the Bible is the story of God's love, redemption, and his ultimate healing of humanity from the sickness of "spiritual death" by the coming of Yeshua the Savior of the world... It is the story of the Gospel message itself, and the remainder of the Bible concerns explicating the theological implications and doctrines of our faith.
As I've written about before, our hearts speak the language of "poetry," using poetic expressions of truth, since declarative words are never enough to convey the heart of the matter. When God created the heavens and the earth, he "sang" them into being - the words he used composed a song - and its melody resounds with the emotional weight of his grace and his glory. Likewise it was said that God created people in order for them to sing of His glories and love forever. Therefore we can speak of the "poetry of creation" - its meaning, form, sound, rhythm - expressing the artistry of God as the Creator (Psalm 19:1-4). The various psalms of the Bible are also musical and lyric (i.e., to be accompanied with a lyre), because prayer, meditation, and worship are expressed in the hue and color of emotional feelings, or the language of the heart... These include expressions of praise, cries of lament, sighs for deliverance, and so on. In fact, poetic language is found throughout the Scriptures. Consider the various metaphors, similes, hyperboles, symbols, allusions, equivocations, parables, allegories, prophetic signs and visions - all formed from words of the heart.
The Hebrew prophets often used poetic expression in their messages: "Let judgment run down as the waters / and righteousness as a mighty stream!" (Amos 5:24). Moreover dirges (kinnot) and lamentations are expressed poetically in the Scriptures. For example, the Book of Lamentations is an acrostic poem chanted using a rhythmic formula of a long line followed by a shorter line to evoke feelings of sorrow and woe.
We sometimes want to talk about God "theologically," using language of fact or "objectivity," though it's important to remember that God is a Person, a Subject, and the Bible often uses anthropomorphic language to help us connect with him. The sages said "Torah is written in the language of men." The words of God are often emotional, passionate, and vibrate with meaning and feeling - words of the divine pathos for us. The message of the gospel, the "story" of God's astounding love for us, is a message from his heart to ours... It is the greatest story ever told, full of mystery, suspense, romance, heroism, sacrificial love, the very depths of sorrow, the ecstasies of joy, and so on.
Our secular world today is irrational, heartless, and spiritually bankrupt because godless people in power have systematically inculcated a "world view" (i.e., grand narrative of humanity's "evolution" from the primordial ooze) that relegates, denigrates, and censors the Biblical account of God's great redemptive story. In the intellectual wasteland of the postmodern age, there is no "grand narrative" that we are allowed to tell ourselves, there is no moral truth about what is objectively right or wrong, and there is no personal God that directs the history of the universe toward an end -- unless it is a grand narrative based on the illusions of scientific and humanistic thinking. Because of this rank suppression of the Bible and modernist propaganda, people today have lost the ability to discern between good and evil, and therefore they are unable to see any real difference between righteousness and unrighteousness, between villains and heroes, and consequently they are devoid of moral fiber, ethical strength, and honor of soul. Contrary to the spirit of this depraved and benighted age, as followers of Messiah we must be resolute regarding our identity as God's redeemed children. We are in the midst of a great spiritual war, called to fight the good fight of faith, and we will overcome the world by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony.
To ask for the "meaning of life" is to ask for the means to life, for the way to find its purpose and significance... According to the Torah of Yeshua, there is a supreme "end of life," an overarching reason for all things, a superlative purpose for the existence of the universe and all that is in it, and that end is found in the greatest story ever told, namely, the story of the glory of God and His redemptive love for us all. This is the true message of Christmas: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). Let's not miss the point of the story - that God chose to enter this space-time as "one of us" so that we could be touched by Him, healed by Him, saved by Him... That's the real miracle, and it's a real miracle for every day of our lives. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 41:4 reading (click):
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Keep the Flame Burning...
"Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light." - Helen Keller
12.29.24 (Kislev 28, 5785) Keep the flame within your heart burning, friend... A sage once told a person struggling with his faith: "It is written that all creation was brought into being because of people like you. God saw there would be people who would cling to our holy faith, suffering greatly because confusion and doubt would plague them. God perceived that such would overcome these doubts and troubles of heart and remain strong in their belief. It was because of this that God brought forth all creation." Indeed, it was because of this that Yeshua our LORD suffered and died for you... Amen. Therefore never yield to despair, since that leads to further darkness and fear.
Press on and keep fighting the "good fight" of faith (1 Tim. 6:12). Remember that you infinitely matter to heaven; your life has great value; you are significant and you are truly loved by our Heavenly Father. There is a "future and a hope" for you; there is "a white stone, and on that stone will be written a new name that no one can understand except the one who receives it" (Rev. 2:17). May "the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tested with fire, be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation to come" (1 Pet. 1:7).
"I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion (ἐπιτελέω) at the Day of Yeshua the Messiah" (Phil 1:6). The LORD is able to guard you (φυλάξαι) from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy (Jude 1:24). "The LORD upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down" (Psalm 145:14). "He will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the Day of our Yeshua the Messiah" (1 Cor. 1:8). He who calls you is forever faithful; He will surely do it (1 Thess. 5:24). Yea, "the Lord is faithful (נֶאֱמָן הוּא): He will establish you and guard you against the evil one" (2 Thess. 3:3). The Spirit says, "Fear not, for I AM with you always."
Hebrew Lesson:
Isaiah 41:10 Hebrew reading (click):
Parashat Vayigash:
The Intercession of Judah...
12.29.24 (Kislev 28, 5785) Shavuah tov and happy holidays, chaverim! In our Torah portion for this week (i.e., Vayigash: Gen. 44:18-47:27) we read about Joseph's dramatic revelation of his identity to his long lost brothers.
Recall that Benjamin had been falsely accused of stealing the Viceroy's chalice and was arrested and brought before Joseph for immediate judgment. Judah then "drew near" (vayigash) and offered to bear the penalty for his brother, pleading with Joseph to spare his aged father the loss of yet another son.
Joseph was so moved by Judah's act of mesirat nefesh (self-sacrifice) that he decided the time had finally come for him to reveal his identity to his brothers. After clearing the room, he began speaking in Hebrew and said, אֲנִי יוֹסֵף הַעוֹד אָבִי חָי / ani Yosef, ha'od avi chai / "I am Joseph; is my father alive?" When the brothers drew back in dismay, Joseph said, "Draw near to me, please" (from the same verb nagash) and explained how God providentially brought him to Egypt to save the family's life....
Hebrew Lesson:
Genesis 44:18a reading (Vayigash):
The revelation of Joseph and his reconciliation with his brothers is a prophetic picture of acharit hayamim (the "end of days") when the Jewish people will come to understand that Yeshua is indeed the One seated at the right hand of the majesty on high as Israel's Deliverer. At that time Yeshua will speak comforting words to His long lost brothers and restore their place of blessing upon the earth.
Indeed, the entire story of Joseph is rich in prophetic insight regarding our Lord and Savior. Vayigash (וַיִּגַּשׁ) means "and he drew near," referring first to Judah's intercession for the sins of his brothers, and then to Joseph's reciprocal desire for the brothers to draw near to him (Gen. 44:18, 45:4). Joseph initiated the reconciliation by saying, גְּשׁוּ־נָא אֵלַי / ge'shu na elai - "Please draw near to me," and indeed there is a play on the verb nagash (נָגַשׁ), "draw near," throughout this story.
Yeshua is depicted both in Judah's intercession (as the greater Son of Judah who interceded on behalf of the sins of Israel) and in Joseph's role as the exalted Savior of the Jewish people in time of tribulation. When Joseph disclosed himself and asked, "Is my father alive," we hear Yeshua evoking the confession of faith from the Jewish people: "I am Yeshua: do you now understand that My Father is alive?" Upon His coming revelation, all Israel will confess that indeed God the Father is "alive" and has vindicated the glory of His Son.
מָהוּת חֲנוּכָּה
Essence of Chanukah...
The eight-day Festival of Chanukah runs from Wed. Dec 25th - Thurs. Jan. 2nd this year...
12.27.24 (Kislev 26, 5785) The essence of Chanukah (מָהוּת חֲנוּכָּה) is simply to receive the light, to bear witness of the radiance of God's victory. We celebrate the work of God, his salvation, and the triumph of his love. Therefore its message is "wake up, open your eyes, and believe" the good news: darkness and despair will not prevail; your mourning will find comfort, your grief its solace. Your heart's deepest longing shines brightly, even now, if you will but believe... With God's help, fight the darkness of fear...
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The LORD said to Moses from the midst of the shining flame: 'Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy' (Exod. 3:5). The Chofetz Chaim comments: We all need to rise higher... Never say, I will be able to lift myself up at another time or different place. By faith see that this place, right now, is holy ground, and awaits your response. May God open the "eyes of your heart" to help you see (Eph. 1:18-19).
The Light of Chanukah...
[ The eight day holiday of Chanukah began Wednesday, December 25th at sundown this year. ]
12.27.24 (Kislev 26, 5785) The Hebrew word Chanukah (חֲנֻכָּה) means "dedication" and marks an eight day winter celebration that commemorates the victory of faith over the ways of speculative reason, and demonstrates the power of miracle in the face of mere humanism. Although it is customarily observed as a "Festival of Lights," Chanukah is better understood as a "fighting holiday," since its central message is to resist assimilation to this world and to exercise faith in the LORD (1 John 2:15; Rom. 12:2). For us, Chanukah further remembers the light of Yeshua, the One who overcame the world for us (John 16:33).
Notice that the word chinukh (חִנּוּךְ), "education," shares the same root as the word chanukah (i.e., chanakh: חָנַךְ). Unlike the Greek view that regards education as a pragmatic process of improving one's personal power or happiness, the Jewish idea implies dedication/direction to God and His concrete purposes on the earth: "Train (חֲנךְ) a child in the way he should go..." (Prov. 22:6). Disciples of Yeshua are likewise called talmidim (תַּלְמִידִים) -- a word that comes from lamad (לָמַד) meaning "to learn" (the Hebrew word for teacher is melamad (מְלַמֵּד) from the same root). In the Greek New Testament, the word "disciple" is μαθητής, a learner or a pupil of a διδάσκαλος, or a teacher. True education is therefore foundational to being a disciple of the Messiah.
An essential part of our education in the Holy Spirit is to learn our identity as God's beloved children (1 John 3:1; James 4:4). We are to know ourselves in terms of what God has done for us, and not as the world defines us (2 Cor. 5:16). "If then you have been raised with Messiah, seek the things that are above (τὰ ἄνω ζητεῖτε), where the Messiah is seated at the right hand of God; focus your thoughts on the things above - not on things here on earth - for you have died, and your life has been hidden with Messiah in God" (Col. 3:1-4).
If we are spiritually identified with Yeshua, we are "dead" to this age (olam hazeh) and awakened to a realm that transcends the appeals of the flesh (olam habah). We no longer live chayei sha'ah (חַיֵּי שָׁעָה, "fleeting life") but chayei olam (חַיֵּי עוֹלָם, "eternal life"). The aorist verb "you have died" indicates "you have died once for all," that is, that this is a condition granted by the power and agency of God on your behalf. You don't "try to die" to the flesh; you accept what God has done by killing its power over you through Yeshua...
You are dead to this world; you are dead to sin's power; you are set free and no longer enslaved to the deception of the worldly matrix, etc. Now you are made alive to an entirely greater and more powerful order and dimension of reality, namely, the spiritual reality that is not disclosed to the vanity of this age. Therefore we are to consciously focus our thoughts (φρονέω) on the hidden reality of God rather than on the temporal world that is passing away: "For we are looking not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient (i.e., "just for a season," καιρός), but the things that are unseen are eternal" (2 Cor. 4:18).
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 60:1 reading (click):
Priests of His Light...
"All truth and understanding is a result of a divine light which is God Himself." - Augustine
12.27.24 (Kislev 26, 5785) As we celebrate and remember the Chanukah holiday at this time, may we all rededicate the "Temple" of our lives to serve the Lord and walk in His light wholeheartedly... We are called to be a "kingdom of priests," a set-apart people, and a light to the nations (Exod. 19:6; Isa. 42:6; 1 Pet. 2:9). Note that the very first responsibility given to the priests of Israel was to care for the ner tamid (נר התמיד), the light of the Menorah (Exod. 27:20-21), to signify our consciousness of the Divine Presence (Psalm 18:28; 36:9).
The challenge we all face is to remain "in the light as God is in the light" and not to be seduced by the world of fleeting appearances (Isa. 2:5; 1 John 1:7, 2:17). God's eternal light radiates through all things (Isa. 6:3; Psalm 139:11-12), just as the great "yehi ohr" (יְהִי אוֹר) - "let there be light" - is the first word spoken to creation (Gen. 1:3). To be a priest means being so filled with the truth of God that you radiate peace; your inner light shines and you glorify your Father in heaven (Matt. 5:16). That is how we draw others to the truth, by first receiving the beauty of the LORD (Psalm 27:4).
Of course being a "witness to the light," that is, being a "priest," does not mean you are a "perfect person" who walks about with a blissed-out attitude despite the various trials and tests we all face in this life. No, we all still sin, and we therefore need to confess the truth of our condition to abide in the light (1 John 1:9; James 5:16). Like everything else in Scripture, here we encounter paradox, as Yeshua taught: "Blessed are the impoverished in spirit (πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven; blessed are the ones who mourn (οἱ πενθοῦντες), for they shall be comforted; blessed are the meek (οἱ πραεῖς), for they shall inherit the earth" (Matt. 5:3-5). Yea, "God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God" (1 Cor. 1:27-29).
The Hebrew word for priest (i.e., kohen: כּהֵן) may come from the word ken (כֵּן) meaning "yes" and the word kivun (כִּווּן) meaning to "direct" or "lead," implying that a priest helps direct a person toward affirming the Reality and Truth of God. The role of a priest is to draw us to God, then, but how is that possible if the mediator cannot genuinely understand our sorrows and struggles? What draws others to God is his love, but how can we come to believe in that love were it not for the priesthood of the leper, the priesthood of the outcast, the priesthood of the reject? Even so Yeshua was afflicted with our infirmities and therefore sympathizes with our brokenness and frailty (see Heb. 4:16).
As a priest of brokenness, you are called to be a wounded healer, and you can testify of God's saving grace and love for you despite your sorrow, anger, weaknesses, and failures... Accepting God's compassion for you - just as you are - allows you to show grace and kindness to others who are also hurting, and therefore you can serve as a priest of God.
Be encouraged, friends... "For the commandment is a lamp and Torah is light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life" (Prov. 6:23). Here we may understand the "reproofs of discipline" as the (ongoing) process of consciously turning away from darkness (of fear, anger, etc.) to the behold the divine light. We have to start here, after all... The way of life is teshuvah (repentance, turning to God), which is a painful process to the lower nature, but is necessary to walk in the light. Confession brings light into our hearts (James 5:16; 1 John 1:5-9), and the end of our struggle is healing and life.
Hebrew Lesson
PIsaiah 42:6 reading (click):
ישוע מקור האור
The Source of Light...
12.27.24 (Kislev 26, 5785) Did you know that Yeshua observed the Chanukah festival? "Now it was the Feast of Dedication (i.e., chag Chanukah) in Jerusalem, and it was winter, and Yeshua walked in the Temple, in Solomon's porch. Then the Judeans surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Messiah, tell us plainly...." And Yeshua answered them: "I have told you, but you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. "I and My Father are one" (John 10:22-30).
Those of faith see the light of God. "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Pet. 2:9).
"God is Light; in Him there is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). Yeshua said: "I am come a light into the world, that whoever believes in me should not abide in darkness" (John 12:46). The ultimate message of Chanukah is eschatological and full of hope. This world is passing away and the Kingdom of Heaven will one day be established upon the earth. We live in light of this blessed hope (Titus 2:11-13). The world's rulers are "on notice" from God Almighty: their days are numbered and they will surely face the judgment of the LORD God of Israel (Psalm 2). We must stand against evil by refusing to conform to the world around us (Eph. 6:11-18).
Now is the time. "Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 5:16). Followers of Yeshua are made part of His Dwelling - extensions of His Presence in this dark world - and during this Chanukah season we remember the call to rededicate our lives to Him! שהאור שלך יאיר - May your light shine!
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 36:9 Hebrew reading (click):
Happy Chanukah!
Knowing God's Name...
12.25.24 (Kislev 24, 5785) You may feel anxious about knowing God, about how to relate to him or how to understand or interpret the Scriptures, though the heart can only know the essential meaning of God in the state of its need, as its ultimate concern, and therefore unless you cry out "from the depths" of your being, you are merely intellectualizing or playing games... After all, the inner heart asks "How can I find God?" "How can I relate to God?" "How can I find hope and life?" but the answers to such questions are found by personal encounter with the reality of the Spirit of God, not by theological rationalizations.
It is one thing to say "Lord" or "Master" but quite another to say "my Lord," or "my Master..." The Torah teaches that the name of God refers to that which God alone is, namely, the "I am that I am"(אהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה) which is unknowable apart from the miracle of further disclosure within the heart. That is why we find so many different names and titles for God in Scripture, for these are additional disclosures to the heart in a time of its need.
For instance, to know God's name as "Savior" (מוֹשִׁיעַ) means experiencing deliverance from your struggles, pains, and fears by the agency of God's victory, comfort, and consolation as given in Yeshua. To know God's name as "the Rock" (הסלע) means experiencing his strength during times of upheaval or crisis.
However, unlike the experience of worldly education that might enable you accomplish certain tasks, spiritual education often leads to a "dark clouds of unknowing" where you must regularly confess your weakness and your need for divine connection.
God's name is therefore bound up with the quest within the heart for meaning, healing, and the desire of unconditional love. Knowing the name of God is an ongoing process as you struggle to accept and trust your life to be a blessing, and as you are enabled by the Holy Spirit to say "yes" and "amen" to life despite your failures, pains, fears, sorrows, and even your unanswered questions... It means opening your heart to life and believing that you are loved, that you are accepted, that you will be okay, and that God is holding you in his everlasting arms. Amen.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 63:3 Hebrew reading (click):
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Thomas Aquinas' most significant work was his Summa theologiae or 'Summary of Theology,' a massive book that attempted to "systematize" all of Christian theology. He worked on it for many years, but when he was nearly finished he underwent a spiritual experience that, as he himself explained, made everything he had written "seem like straw." He thereafter gave up writing about "theology" after he encountered the Reality itself. Aquinas apparently moved from the realm of theoretical emunah (i.e., cognitive faith) to the realm of heartfelt bittachon (i.e., existential trust). Similarly, toward the end of his life and career someone asked the prolific theologian Karl Barth if he could sum up all that he had learned and written. Barth thought a bit and then replied, "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so."
Wounds of Loneliness...
12.24.24 (Kislev 23, 5785) The late Henri Nouwen said that there are two great fears (or wounds) that we all face. The first is the fear that we were not wanted at the time of our birth into this world, and the second is that we will not be wanted at the time of our death. "Not being welcome is your greatest fear. It connects with your birth fear, your fear of not being welcome in this life, and your death fear, your fear of not being welcome in the life after this. It is the deep-seated fear that it would have been better if you had not lived" (Inner Voice of Love). If you carry a wound of abandonment within your heart - if you live in dread over your worth as a human being, seriously wondering whether it would have been better had you never been born, then you know the taste of hell itself - the emotional prison of feeling lost, defective, rejected, shameful - unable to love or to be loved...
Is not the lament of the lonely heart to find a sense of welcome, or acceptance, or peace within? Is it not the heart's cry for connection? Yet even the very gospel message cannot make traction within a heart lost to its own shame... Therefore the miracle of salvation is profoundly connected with faith that you are loved and lovable - despite yourself - and that this love derives from the core of all that truly exists. Is this not "home" in the spiritual sense? Is this not "Zion, the perfection of holiness?" That God prepares a table for you in the presence of your enemies, yea, those enemies of self-rejection, abandonment, fear, and shame? And that there - in the midst of your lost and forlorn condition you are found, treasured, and celebrated? Is not that "place" God's very heart - Jesus dying upon the cross, gasping for each breath - knowing everything about you and loving you anyway?
In our Torah reading this week (Eikev), Moses asks us to "soften our hearts" by remembering that we are beloved of God (Deut. 10:12-16). He reminds us that the though Lord is "the God of gods" (אֱלהֵי הָאֱלהִים) - the power that transcends the gods of our idolatry (i.e., our fears, our disordered attachments, our shame), and the "Lord of lords" (אֲדנֵי הָאֲדנִים) - the Center and Authority of what is most real, he nevertheless cares for the lowly orphan and the grieving widow - he reaches out to the needy and the abandoned - and he desires to console the "stranger," the one shattered of heart, who has no sense of belonging, no pride of tribe, nor place to lay his head (see Deut. 10:17-18). God cares about those who are lost, hurting, and alone: He came to save all such from their despair.
But how does God reach the bound soul that walks alone among the tombs, cutting himself in his torment? How can he heal the deep trauma, the disassociated and broken of heart? How else but by the miracle of his intervention, quickening an otherwise numb and dead heart to come alive, to breathe in hope, and to begin to believe that - despite everything that has happened - he was wanted all along, from the very beginning, and that the wound of his sorrow was given so that he could find out who he really is and where he really belongs... The wound you were given is part of your story, and healing comes from accepting God's love for you -- and understanding how the Lord goes through the wound with you and for you...
Life in this fallen world is likened to a vapor or a passing shadow (Psalm 144:4). Nothing abides; good things here never last; and we labor under the unmentionable anxiety that death will separate us from everyone and everything we love. However, death is not the end for the us, for "love is stronger than death, passion fiercer than the grave; its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD" (Song 8:6).
"What will death be like?" they asked the Master. "It will be as if a veil is ripped apart and you will say in wonder, "So it was you all along!" (De Mello). Death is a most poignant homecoming, a place of joyful welcome, wherein all shall be well for ever. The righteous have an everlasting foundation in the faithful heart of God. Faith in the LORD believes that a single supreme, all-knowing, all-powerful and benevolent spiritual Power directs all things, and that Messiah 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. So then, "if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we belong to the Lord" (Rom. 14:8). For the believer in Messiah, death does not define us, and indeed, we trust that God will attend to us in the moment of our utmost extremity (John 5:24; 11:25-26). If we desire eternal life with all our hearts and remember our end before the Lord, we will be free of the fear of death. Amen v'amen.
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The focus of Christmas:
He was born to Die...
12.24.24 (Kislev 23, 5785) Though the promised birth of Yeshua may have occurred during the holiday of Sukkot (Tabernacles) with the incarnation occurring during Chanukah (the Festival of Lights), other people of good faith observe the traditional date of December 25th, for reasons that I have explained in some detail elsewhere. Regardless of your particular conviction regarding the date of Yeshua's birth, however, the most important thing to remember is that He was born to die (Heb. 10:5-7). The story of his birth is only significant in relation to His sacrificial death (Mark 8:27-33).
This is of "first importance" (1 Cor.15:3-4). The "manger" scene leads directly to the Cross at Moriah. Indeed, in Jewish tradition the day of one's death is more important than the day of one's birth, since death summarizes the meaning and significance of a person's life in this world. Birth represents potential, whereas death represents inheritance... Therefore the Jewish custom is to commemorate the anniversary of a person's death (i.e., yahrzeit: יארצייט) rather than the date of birth (though the date of birth is also important, especially with regard to matters of circumcision, naming, etc.). Nevertheless, the custom of honoring the day of death is derived from the Scriptures: "A good name is better than precious oil, and the day of death (is better) than the day of birth" (Eccl. 7:1).
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The day of Yeshua's death (on Erev Pesach) represents the essential message of the Gospel story itself: "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). This is of "first importance": Yeshua was born to die for our sins, to make us right with God, and was raised from the dead to vindicate the righteousness of God (1 Cor. 15:3-5). "For our sake God made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor. 5:21). The birth of the Messiah (or rather His incarnation) was the "first step" toward His sacrifice for our deliverance (Heb. 2:9-18). As Rabbi Paul said, "I decided to know nothing among you except Yeshua the Messiah - and him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2).
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Yeshua came to earth and emptied himself (κένωσις) of His regal glory and power in order to be our High Priest of the New Covenant. The life he lived in complete surrender to the Father was meant to demonstrate that He alone is the efficacious Healer and High Priest (Mediator) of us all: "But [He] made himself nothing (εκενωσεν), taking the form of a slave, being born in the likeness of men; and being found in human form, he brought himself low by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Phil 2:7-8). "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Yeshua the Messiah. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Yeshua the Messiah from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit" (Rom. 8:1-4).
Though Christmas is customarily the time that many people observe the birth of the Messiah and Savior, it is surely appropriate to celebrate Yeshua's glory as our risen King and Lord every day of our lives.... Therefore I sincerely wish each and every one of you a wonderful Christmas (and Chanukah) season. May we all take time to reflect upon the profound gift of the One who was so great that He emptied Himself (κένωσις) of all His regal glory and power to be clothed in human flesh in order to die as our sin offering before the Father.
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By putting our trust in Yeshua, Light of the World (האור העולם), we partake in His chayei olam - eternal life - sharing in His invincible love. He is faithful and true, our Prince of Peace and Beloved Savior. Yehi Shem Adonai mevorakh: יְהִי שֵׁם יְהוָה מְברָך - "Blessed be the Name of the Lord."
Addendum:
Let me add that it's one thing to speculate on the anniversary of the birth date of Messiah, and quite another to submit to His rule in your heart at this present hour... We must be careful. "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, nor is he able to know them because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14).
Note that the "natural person" mentioned here is not carnal or bodily-focused (σαρκικός), but is "soul-focused" (ψυχικὸς), emphasizing the life of the intellect and rationality. The "soulish" person may find the idea of God or matters of religion "interesting," but not as a matter of life and death.
The Spirit of God must first awaken a person to reveal their need for a healing so radical that everything will be transformed, and a new "spiritual person" (πνευματικός) will be quickened to receive the truth of God. The Scripture says we are to ask in order to receive, but we do not know enough to truly ask until we accept the reality about our condition. When we ask according to God's will, however, God sets in motion the miracle and the answer to our heart's cry.
Regarding these matters, I quote Augustine of Hippo:
In necessariis unitas (in essentials unity),
In dubiis libertas (in doubtful things liberty),
In omnibus autem caritas (but in all things love).
How I make the Hebrew Graphics...
I was very happy to work on the Hebrew (and Greek) for John 3:16 tonight. It took awhile because the Hebrew is a translation from the Koine Greek, and I had to work backwards and then forwards to get the language correct.
In matters of the Torah and Tanakh, I always work with the Hebrew first and then check the ancient Greek for translation help, but in matters of the New Testament, I first work with the Greek text and then work on how it would be translated into Hebrew, cross-checking the Torah's usage of words with the Greek usage of their translation (I never consult the Syriac or Aramaic translations except if they concern the Torah, but for the NT, the ancient Greek preceeds those versions). It's a real yo-yo of exegesis -- and that has to be done before doing any commentary and translation into English!
These language charts I make might not seem like much, but they are time-intensive! I create them using Word, then type all the Hebrew (and Greek) myself, including all the grammatical information I look up in various lexicons to ensure accuracy. Sometimes I recheck my translations if I am in doubt of a particular syntax... Then I'll record the passage on my computer using a mic on my desk, reading very slowly, then a bit more fluently, and I often need a few passes to get the audio just right. When it's pretty clean I export it as an mp3 file and upload to the H4C site.
After that I create the JPG file (of the Hebrew table with the translation, grammar info, etc.) using an illustrator program and then make the Hebrew Lesson page using a PDF creator tool. I add graphic art touches if I have the time too.
I do this process countless times a day and add commentary to make my posts... FINALLY I upload them first to the H4C site and then to Facebook (and sometimes Substack). Each one of these Hebrew graphics are unique pieces that can be helpful tools to learn "the language of the Kingdom." The PDF files I create allow you to print your favorites and then review them in a Hebrew notebook you are using to learn Hebrew. Reviewing them regularly will help you read (and hopefully understand) the Hebrew more fluently...
I hope some of you are being helped by them, as I have found the best way to learn Hebrew is to read meaningful things from the Scriptures!
My eyesight (and backside) has suffered over the years because of dealing with the meticulous and often tiresome details of the various languages and their interpretation and exegesis. I certainly believe it's worth the effort, however, because there is NOTHING more precious than God's word... nothing!
Shalom and happy holidays chaverim.
Yeshua our Philosopher...
12.24.24 (Kislev 23, 5784) I can sympathize with those of you who may feel "unsettled" during this season - whether it's because of the crass commercialism and trivialization of the message of the birth of Yeshua, or because of the Hollywood caricatures of the gospel as a "Santa Claus" fairy tale intended to beguile children, or, on the other hand, because you feel the original message has been so compromised by godless culture that it needs to be "retooled" for our generation, and through careful study of Scripture you are assured that Yeshua was actually born during Sukkot, when God "Tabernacled" with us (John 1:14).
I understand the tensions, but I want to remind you that Yeshua calls us to be "philosophers" of sorts -- those who see the "big picture" and understand the deeper meaning of things. Often he chided his disciples for missing the analogical meaning of his teaching, that is, missing the spiritual point of his message (Matt. 16:6-12; Mark 8:15-21). He summarized this several times by saying things like "Man was not made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath was made for man," thereby putting human need above ritual and religious observance, and he repeatedly taught that the "essence" of the law is mercy, not justice (Matt. 23:23).
Yeshua regularly spoke in stories and parables rather than "straight-line" thinking to help us get past our biases and predispositions (Matt. 13:13; Matt. 23:24). He sometimes used irony (John 9:40-41; John 10:31-32, Luke 7:35; Luke 12:16-20) and hyperbole (Luke 14:26; Matt. 18:21-22; Matt. 23:24) to make his points. He spoke in paradox (Matt. 10:39, Mark 9:35; Luke 12:49-51 ). He used similes (Matt. 10:16; Matt. 13:43; Matt. 24:27) and metaphors (Matt. 5:14-16; 12:34; John 6:35; John 10:7-9; 1 Cor. 2:13). He spoke in proverbs (Matt. 6:21; Matt. 15:14) and often used wordplay (Matt. 16:18; John 3:8). Yeshua was a philosopher in the truest sense -- a "lover of wisdom," and indeed, He is the very embodiment of all wisdom and truth (Col. 1:16-19; Heb. 1:3; John 14:6; John 17:3).
I say all this just to remind you to take the "high road" and to remember that it is the glory of a man to pass over an offense (Prov. 19:11) and to recall that we are to follow peace with everyone - and holiness - for without such no one will see the Lord (Heb. 12:14). Remember that the central reason for the conception and birth of Yeshua was for Him to die as the great Lamb of God who offered himself up to save lost humanity. This is of "first importance," and if we miss this point we miss it all (1 Cor. 15:3-4; 1 Cor. 2:2). Shalom chaverim!
Hebrew Lesson
John 14:6 reading (click):
Sanctifying the Name...
"God, Who is everywhere, never leaves us. Yet He seems sometimes to be present, sometimes to be absent. If we do not know Him well, we do not realize that He may be more present to us when He is absent than when He is present." - Thomas Merton
12.23.24 (Kislev 22, 5785) The reason for what happens in our lives is often (always?) beyond our understanding and control, and therefore we must trust God for whatever happens in our lives, and especially in times of trouble...
When Job was tested with trouble and suffering he said, "The LORD gives; the LORD takes away; blessed is the name of the LORD" (Job 1:21), and he later reaffirmed his conviction that God was to be trusted, despite the darkness and pain he was experiencing: "Should we receive what is good from God, but not receive what is evil?"he asked (Job. 2:10).
Job teaches us that all things - both the good and the evil - are under the sovereign control of the LORD, and since "all things work together for good" (Rom. 8:28), we trust God and bless Him for perceived evil as well as for perceived good. Despite appearances that sometimes seem to the contrary, we believe in an all-powerful, supreme LORD who has not abandoned the world, but who actively sustains and upholds it with benevolent intent. "We walk by faith and not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7).
When bad things happen to the righteous, we trust in God's care for their ultimate good, despite their present troubles (Jer. 29:11). As Job further said: "Though he slay me, I will trust in Him" (Job 13:15). This is the heart behind the Kaddish, the mourner's prayer, that expresses acceptance of God's world, despite the pain, sorrow, loss, and so on....
In this life we "see through a glass darkly" and therefore we must surrender our need to understand God's sovereign purposes: "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isa. 55:9). There is danger here, for if we refuse to accept what we cannot understand (or change), we will find ourselves in further pain and exile. Indeed exalting our need to "understand" or justify suffering is a hopeless venture, and it is also a category mistake -- as if an intellectual "answer" could assuage the emotional pain and loss we experience...
Faith goes beyond the realm of reason to trust in God's goodness and care, especially when we are enshrouded within a "dark cloud of unknowing." Surely our Lord understands the test (i.e., our need to practice trust) and therefore Spirit encourages us: "Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God" (Isa. 50:10).
There are many people who find it difficult to accept the idea of God -- not because of the "problem of evil," that is, the puzzle of why an all-powerful and all-loving God would allow so much suffering and pain to be present in the world, but rather because of the problem of their own secret fears, their own personal heartaches, their own searing disappointments... A person who was abused or mistreated as a child might reason that if God wasn't there for them when they needed him most, that is, when they were in such a helpless state, how can they trust in him when facing the abandonment of their own death? The question is not intellectual but emotional; a matter of trust, not of rationalization. Comfort is what is needed, that is, the assurance that God is nevertheless for you, that he is your friend, your good shepherd, even if you were to be thrown into a fiery furnace...
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a prisoner in the death camps of WWII, trusting God for deliverance. He never gave up hope, even in the midst of all that darkness. He was hanged on April 9, 1945 during the collapse of the Nazi regime. Bonhoeffer died kiddish HaShem, sanctifying the Name of the LORD: Adonai natan, va'Adonai lakach; yehi shem Adonai me'vorach (Job 1:21).
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It is written, "Your eyes saw me when I was inside the womb. All the days ordained for me were recorded in your scroll before one of them came into existence" (Psalm 139:16). In light of God's providential ordering of our lives, Blaise Pascal asked, "What is left for us but to unite our will to that of God himself, to will in him, with him, and for him the thing that he has eternally willed in us and for us." The Mishnah says it this way: "Do His will as if it was your will that He may do your will as if it was His will" (Avot 2:4). In other words, what else can we do but learn to trust, accept, and to say "yes" to life -- even if at times we may feel like orphans, lost in a fatherless world... All our days (and tears) are recorded in God's scroll.
Again, where it says, "Ve'ahavta et Adonai be'khol levavkha" – you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart" (Deut. 6:5) that includes both your "good heart" and your "bad heart" – that is, all of you, all of your being, all of your soul. So come as you are - broken, fragmented, divided within - and ask God to restore your heart by the miracle of his grace...
Hebrew Lesson
Job 2:10b reading (click):
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Love not the World...
"You and I have need of the strongest spell that can be found to wake us from the evil enchantment of worldliness." -- C.S. Lewis
12.23.24 (Kislev 22, 5785) Regarding the portentous verse, "And the earth was without form and void (תהוּ וָבהוּ), and darkness was upon the surface of the deep" (Gen. 1:2), the midrash comments: "Darkness – these are the Greeks who darkened the eyes of the Jewish nation with their evil decrees." The utter darkness of Hellenistic thought came disguised as an angel of light, as "enlightened" thinking, but whenever such humanism usurps the authority of divine revelation, the result is exile and darkness. Indeed, the very worst kind of exile is to be unaware that you are in exile, to be so blinded that you do not see that you do not see... As Yeshua said, "If the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!" (Matt. 6:23); and "be careful lest the light in you be darkness" (Luke 11:35). In the end, the world and its blind lusts will pass away, for it is "tohu" (תּהוּ) - confusion and unreality - but whoever does the will of God abides forever (1 John 2:15-17).
The realm of this "fallen world" -- understood in terms of the "fellowship" (κοινωνία) of darkness -- is something from which we are delivered and of which we are no longer to be enslaved. As it is written, "God has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son" (Col. 1:13). Likewise Yeshua said, "If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own" (John 15:19). In other words, we are "in" but not "of" this world (John 17:15), and though we physically coexist with others in this time-space, we are no longer citizens of this fallen world and its underlying value system. We are not to love this world, nor the things this world values, since doing so embraces a philosophy of life that is at war with the Father and contrary to the truth of eternity (1 John 2:16; James 4:4). The fallen world values "the flesh" and the "desire of the eyes" that is patterned according to the "arrogance of life." In other words, it is a "beauty pageant" that esteems others based on their accidental qualities instead of their inner and essential qualities. In this connection, let me quote from Henri Nouwen regarding slavery to the world and its perverse value system:
At issue here is the question: "To whom do I belong? God or to the world?"... As long as I keep running about asking: "Do you love me? Do you really love me?" I give all power to the voices of the world and put myself in bondage because the world is filled with "ifs." The world says: "Yes, I love you if you are good-looking, intelligent, and wealthy. I love you if you have a good education, a good job, and good connections. I love you if you produce much, sell much, and buy much." There are endless "ifs" hidden in the world's love. These "ifs" enslave me, since it is impossible to respond adequately to all of them. The world's love is and always will be conditional. As long as I keep looking for my true self in the world of conditional love, I will remain "hooked" to the world - trying, failing, and trying again. It is a world that fosters addictions because what it offers cannot satisfy the deepest craving of my heart." (Nouwen: Return of The Prodigal Son; p42-43)
"Love not the world, neither the things of this world" (1 John 2:15). We see then the connection between worldliness and idolatry, since idolatry essentially involves trying to find your identity, your worth, your satisfaction, and your ultimate fulfillment in the realm of the transitory and the finite rather than in God.... We are (rightly) warned against the vices of "worldliness" and are admonished to abstain from popular culture and its spurious values, but note well that worldliness extends well beyond all this, since it concerns understanding the identity and nature of the person as a whole. The fruit of worldliness is the result of being rooted in this world rather than in God's kingdom. The various desires of the human heart - even the desire for "normal things" like personal happiness in this world - may be regarded as entirely "worldly" if they are devoid of submission to God and His rule....
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A principle of spiritual life is that the "inner is not the outer," and vice-versa. People are easily deceived by mere appearances, yet the eye of faith must be trained to look beyond surface phenomena to discern the underlying Reality that upholds the world. This is perhaps most evident in the case of the cross of Yeshua, which the carnal eye regards as a matter of shame and defeat, but the eye of faith regards as the very wisdom, power, and love of Almighty God Himself... Of Yeshua it is said, "he [Messiah] grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him."
Those who rely on mere appearances will invariably find themselves confounded. The LORD therefore commissioned the prophet: "Go, and say to this people: 'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive'" (Isa. 6:9). Where it is written, "God gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own devices" (Psalm 81:12; Rom. 1:24); and "they went backward and not forward" (Jer. 7:24), we learn there is no place of "neutrality" or studied indifference toward God... We are either going forward with Him or going backward; we are either drawing near or pulling our hearts away (Rev. 3:16).
Why Chanukah Matters...
The eight day holiday of Chanukah begins Wednesday, Dec. 25th at sundown...
12.23.24 (Kislev 22, 5785) Many Bible scholars infer that the prophet Daniel (6th Century BC) foresaw the rise of Alexander the Great centuries beforehand in the vision of a "male goat running from the west" that had a conspicuous horn between its eyes (see Dan. 8:1-12; 21-22). This goat destroyed the power of the kings of Media and Persia (symbolized by two horns on a ram, see Dan. 8:20). Though the "goat" (Alexander) became exceedingly great, eventually its horn was "broken into four [kingdoms]," and out of these four horns arose a "little horn" (i.e., the Seleucid king Antiochus "Epiphanes," c. 175-163 BC) who had authority over "the glorious land" (i.e., Israel). This "little horn" (קֶרֶן מִצְּעִירָה) greatly magnified itself, cast down some of the stars (i.e., righteous souls), took away the sacrifices, and defiled the very Sanctuary in Jerusalem. As we will see, Chanukah ultimately is a prophetic message regarding the End of Days and the victory of our Messiah...
Antiochus is perhaps most notorious for setting up an altar to Zeus over the altar of burnt offering in Temple compound and sacrificing a pig within the Sanctuary of the Temple itself. This sacrilege is otherwise known as the "abomination of desolation" (שִׁקּוּץ מְשׁמֵם) that was decreed to occur 2,300 days into Antiochus' reign (Dan. 8:13-14). Notice, however, that Daniel's prophecy has a "dual aspect" to it, and the description of the rise of the "little horn" (in Dan. 8:9-10) suggested something far more portentous than the reign of a local tyrant. This horn "grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land. It grew great, even to the host of heaven. And some of the host and some of the stars it threw down to the ground and trampled on them."
In light of other New Testament scriptures, it is clear that this "exceedingly great horn" refers to future world leader (sometimes called the "Antichrist") who would one day attempt to "assimilate" all of humanity into a "New World Order" (Dan. 9:26-27, 2 Thess. 2:3; Rev. 13:7-9, etc.). It is likely that it was this sense of the "abomination that makes desolation" that Yeshua referred to in Matt. 24:15 and Mark 13:14, and it is this "abomination that makes desolation" that will be overthrown by Yeshua at the end of the Great Tribulation period (Dan. 8:23-25; Matt. 24:30; Rev. 19:11-16; 20:2, etc.).
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The intertestamental Book of Maccabees (c. 2nd Century BC) tell us more about this "little horn" and his vicious oppression of the Jewish people. Antiochus installed Hellenistic Jews to the priesthood and demanded the adherence to Hellenistic cultural ideals. He established edicts that prohibited observing the weekly Sabbath and the other biblical festivals. The reading of the Torah was outlawed and all copies of it were ordered to be burned. Temple sacrifices were forbidden; circumcision was outlawed and the penalty for disobedience was death. Women who disobeyed the edict by circumcising their sons were paraded about the city with their babies hanging at their breasts and then thrown down from the top of the city wall (2 Macc. 6:1-11). Many Jews fled and hid in the wilderness and caves and many died kiddush HaShem - as martyrs (see Heb. 11:36-39). Eventually Jewish resistance to this imposed Hellenization meant war. In 164 BC, in Modin, a small town about 17 miles from Jerusalem, Mattityahu (Matthias), a Hasmonean priest, and his five sons took refuge. When Antiochus' soldiers arrived at Modim to erect an altar to Zeus and force the sacrifice of a pig, Mattityahu and his sons rose up and killed the Syrians. They then fled to the Judean wilderness and were joined by other freedom fighters. After some organizing, they soon engaged in successful guerrilla warfare against their Syrian/Greek oppressors. The three-year campaign culminated in the cleansing and rededication of the Temple (for more on this subject, see Chanukah and Spiritual Warfare).
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Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 60:1 Hebrew reading (click):
Note: For more on this subject, see "Why Christians should celebate Chanukah."
Happy Chanukah!
Parashat Miketz - מקץ
The eight days of Chanukah run from Wed. Dec. 25th (i.e., Kislev 25) at evening until Wed. Jan. 1st this year. The weekly Torah reading is not suspended for Chanukah though additional Torah readings are read for each of the days of the holiday...
12.22.24 (Kislev 21, 5785) In our Torah portion for Chanukah week, parashat Miketz (i.e., Gen. 41:1-44:17), we will read how imprisoned Joseph successfully interpreted Pharaoh's dreams and suddenly rose to power in Egypt. Because of a famine in the land of Canaan, however, his brothers (who had earlier betrayed him) came to Egypt in search of food. A disguised Joseph then tested his brothers to see whether they were the same people who had callously sold him into slavery, or whether they had undergone teshuvah (repentance).
The eventual revelation of Joseph and his reconciliation with his brothers is a prophetic picture of acharit ha-yamim (the "End of Days") when Israel, in Great Tribulation, will come to accept Yeshua as Israel's true deliverer. Presently, the veil is still over the eyes of the Jewish people and they collectively regard Yeshua as an "Egyptian" of sorts. In this connection, I list some of the ways that Joseph is a "type" or foreshadowing of the coming Yeshua as the Suffering Servant (see "Mashiach ben Yosef").
Hebrew Lesson
Genesis 41:1a reading (click):
Beyond Understanding...
12.21.24 (Kislev 20, 5785) I am glad that the Lord gives us "peace beyond our understanding," because if my inner peace depended on what "made sense" to me, I would be most miserable and sad, since nearly everything is inscrutable and beyond my cognitive reach (let alone my ability to control).
Oh we make try to give explanations (i.e., tell ourselves stories) to help us cope with what is unknown, but deep down we realize that we walk in the dark.
Yea, sometimes even God Himself may seem inscrutable to us, especially when we go through trials that appear senseless and even cruel. But I have found that even in the deepest pitch of darkness there is a holy glimmer that outshines it, and, when we are sufficiently stunned into silence, the inner voice of Yeshua may be heard assuring us that He is present even in our loss and confusion... May God help us attune our hearts to him.
And He is all we really need anyway. Is heaven a place with golden streets and joyous celebration? Perhaps it is so, but that means nothing to me apart from Yeshua's heart for me -- his love that knows me in my depths and who loves me anyway. That is heaven for me, locking eyes with my Savior whose face is aglow with compassion and love for me, and my heart made forever sure in him. Amen and Shabbat Shalom chaverim.
Hebrew Lesson
Proverbs 3:5-6 reading (click):
Matters of First Importance...
"A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats" (Spurgeon). The following article, I hope, moves in the way of the Shepherd who offers the bread of truth for his sheep...
12.21.24 (Kislev 20, 5785) The Apostle Paul summarized the message of the gospel by means of four empirical propositions, namely: 1) that Messiah died for our sins according to the Scriptures; 2) that he was buried; 3) that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures; and 4) that he was seen alive by various eyewitnesses after his death (see 1 Cor. 15:1-8). Paul went on to argue that the reality of the resurrection is the center of salvation, for if Yeshua had not been raised from the dead, his repeated declarations that he would suffer, die, and come back to life would be untrue, and therefore we would still be captive to our sins. The great fact that Yeshua was indeed raised from the dead, however, demonstrates that his mission to redeem humanity was successful, and that death has been "swallowed up" by means of his victory over the curse of sin (1 Cor. 15:36). This is the core message that Paul regarded as being of "first importance" and essential to salvation.
Now if we take a moment to reflect on Paul's summary, we soon realize that he had made certain assumptions that were presupposed in his description of the essential gospel message. First, of course, is that his summary declaration appeals to the reliability and trustworthiness of the Jewish Scriptures (as clearly indicated by the repeated phrase "according to the Scriptures" (κατὰ τὰς γραφάς). If someone were to question why they should believe what the Jewish Scriptures say, Paul would have had to provide "evidential reasons" for their authenticity, veracity, and credibility, since he couldn't just appeal to the Scriptures to establish their truth without begging the question. This in turn would have implied appealing to the historical experience and traditions of the Jewish people, including their origin as the descendants of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, their 400 year enslavement in Egypt, their deliverance from bondage during the Exodus, the awesome revelation of the Torah given at Mount Sinai, and so on.
As one trained in the learning of the Pharisees (Acts 22:3), it is likely Paul would have retold the "grand narrative" of the Jewish Scriptures, beginning with the creation of Adam and Eve, their transgression and exile from the original paradise, and the subsequent degeneracy of the human race. Paul would have explained the deliverance of Noah from the worldwide judgment of the flood and the subsequent genealogy of Noah's sons culminating in the advent of Abraham, the first patriarch of the Jewish people. The history of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would be retold particularly in relation to the oath of blessing and the divine promise regarding the coming "Seed" (i.e., descendant) who would be the Heir and Savior of the world. Paul would then have reviewed the history of the Israelites and their deliverance from slavery in Egypt under Moses, the giving of the law code and the covenant at Sinai, the vision and establishment of the Tabernacle (and later the Temple in Jerusalem), and so on.
Throughout his historical review Paul doubtlessly would have focused on how Yeshua fulfilled the prophetic promises of God regarding the coming of the Messiah, quoting from the Torah, the Writings, and the various prophets of Israel. Moreover Paul would have appealed to the great oral tradition of the tzaddikim, the faithful ones of Israel, who were eagerly awaiting the coming of the Messiah.
If someone persisted to question the truth of the testimony of Scripture, it is likely Paul would have appealed to the meticulous scribal traditions of Israel, how the texts were scrupulously preserved for millennia using the most rigorous of standards of scribal transmission (soferut), and so on. Regarding the identity of Israel's promised Messiah, Paul would have appealed to the various prophetic witnesses recorded in Scripture, words from Abraham, Jacob, Moses, King David, Isaiah, Jeremiah (among others), as well as eyewitness reports regarding the miracles of Yeshua, including his own personal encounter with the risen Lord on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3-19; Acts 26:12-18; Gal. 1:11-16; Phil. 3:3-7; Acts 17:17). Paul also would have appealed to extra-biblical sources of confirmation of the testimony, such as historical accounts of the life of Yeshua by his contemporaries, including accounts provided by the Jewish Sanhedrin and Roman officials regarding his crucifixion. In addition, Paul would have provided logical reasons for faith, including the argument from creation (Acts 17:24-28; Rom. 1:20), arguments from moral experience and conscience (Rom. 2:14-15; 2 Cor. 5:11), and arguments from intuitive awareness of God's existence as the first cause of existence (Rom. 1:18-20; Acts 17:28). It was Paul's custom to reason with his fellow Jews from the Scriptures regarding the truth of the gospel message (Acts 17:2, Acts 18:4), but to Gentiles who did not know the Torah he used logic, appeals to empirical fact, common religious sentiment, and sometimes philosophical reasoning (including quotations from pagan philosophers and poets) to make his case for the veracity of special revelation (Col 2.8; 1 Cor. 9:22; Eph. 4:17-24).
Concerning the more philosophical approach, Paul would have argued on behalf of basic monotheistic personalism, that is, the idea that there is one (and only one) God who is a omniscient (all-knowing), omnipotent (all-powerful), omnibenevolent (all-good), and who is the Source of all moral truth (Deut. 6:4-6; Psalm 139:17; Psalm 78:41, etc.). As the Supreme Being, God is One (not two or more) and the universe is a "creature" brought into existence yesh me'ayin, "out of nothing," that is, by an act of God's sovereign will. God is transcendent over creation yet immanent within its sustenance (Heb. 1:3; Col. 1:16-17, John 1:3; Rom. 11:36). This implies that reality is "two-tiered," composed of both material and spiritual dimensions, though humanity is thought to bridge both realms by being a physical creation endowed with a spiritual soul. God is reveal in "anthropomorphic" terms because human beings are made in the divine image and likeness (Gen. 1:26), and the spiritual is discerned through analogy with the physical (2 Cor. 2:11-13).
The spiritual realm is revealed by God in two primary ways: 1) by general revelation (i.e., intuitive awareness of first principles of reason and logic that God exists and is the source of reality, see Rom. 1:19-20; Acts 14:17; Psalm 19:1, etc.) and 2) by special revelation (i.e., God interacting with select individuals in history who were entrusted to preserve and proclaim his message to others, see Deut. 4:7-8; Psalm 103:7; 147:19-20; John 4:22; Rom. 3:1-2; 9:4, etc.). Those narratives and words of special revelation esteemed as Scripture provide a semantic matrix for understanding the human condition of alienation, suffering, and the problem of death, apart from which the gospel message cannot be understood or proclaimed. For instance, the revelation at Sinai to the Jewish people distills and enshrines both the moral imperatives of human conscience as well as the need for blood atonement and deliverance from the guilt of sin (Lev. 17:11). The "korban principle" of "life-for-life" vicarious substitution was prefigured in the primordial garden (Gen. 3:21), symbolized in the sacrifice of Isaac (Gen. 22; Heb. 11:19), foretold in the Passover sacrifice of the lamb of God (Exod. 12:21-27), enshrined in the sacrificial system of the Mishkan by the "korban tamid," or daily offering, of the lamb (Num. 28:1-8); dramatized in the elaborate Yom Kippur ritual that culminated with the sacrificial blood being put over the broken tablets of the law in the holiest place (Lev. 16; Heb. 9), and so on. All of these special revelations signified the coming Redeemer of Israel, the great Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29).
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The advent of "God in the flesh," that is, incarnation of Yeshua, however, is the climax of all special revelation, the ultimate "Word of God" (John 1:1-14). Yeshua, who is fully God and the Creator of the universe (John 1:1-3; Col. 1:15-17; Heb. 1:3; Isa. 44:6; Rev. 22:13, etc.), emptied himself of all regal glory by clothing himself in human flesh to become the "Second Adam" and the atoning sacrifice for the fallen human race (Phil. 2:7; 2 Cor. 8:9; Rom. 8:3). Yeshua was "born to die" as humanity's exchange (1 Cor. 15:45; 2 Cor. 5:21). The "deeper truth" of grace is thereby revealed: because of Yeshua's intercession, the verdict of the law is overcome by God's mercy and yet God is both fully just (in upholding the verdict of the law) yet the justifier of the ungodly who trusts in the divine work of deliverance given in Messiah (Rom. 3:26; Psalm 85:10; John 1:17). The resurrection further reveals not only that Yeshua died for our sins but that his sacrifice was fully accepted for our atonement. Faith in his sacrifice for your sins means you trust that his blood was shed for you, that his resurrection means that he is alive, your Living God, Redeemer, and Savior.
For more on this topic see the full article here:
Humility of the Messiah...
12.20.24 (Kislev 19, 5785) Though the world system profanes the message of the birth of Messiah for the sake of avarice and greed, let us take a moment to reflect on its ongoing spiritual significance, namely, that God emptied Himself (κένωσις) of His regal glory and power to become your Savior and High Priest, able to fully sympathize with our weakness, frailty, shame, and chronic sinfulness (Heb. 4:15-16; Phil 2:7-8). Almighty God, the Presence of Love, the Heart of Reality, clothed himself in human flesh and bone to become Immanu'el (עִמָּנוּ אֵל) - "God with us" - so that we could be touched by Him, healed by Him, and redeemed by Him... In light of this, it is only fitting we should join the refrain of heavenly host: "Glory to God in the highest, and upon earth peace, good will among all people!" (Luke 2:14). Amen! Yeshua is the Eternal Sign and Wonder of the LORD God Almighty...
Hebrew Lesson
Luke 2:14 reading (click):
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Consider the absolute humility of God as He chose to enter into this world as "baby Jesus." Meditate on the glory and sheer paradox of God's love! "Baby Jesus" is the perfect disguise to hide the truth from the proud eyes of the flesh, though the humble of heart can see... "For since in the wisdom of God the world by its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased to save those who believe by the foolishness of preaching" (1 Cor. 1:21). For "who comprehends the mind of the LORD, or gives him instruction as his counselor?" Through his great plan to redeem people from the dominion of Satan and his agents in this evil world, God emptied Himself to become clothed in the frailty human flesh, born in a manger as the great Lamb of God, and born to die as the ransom for all who will believe. Ah, what would we do without the gift of God, friends? What hope would we have? Regardless of the exact date of his birth of His birth, let's thank God that our Moshia (Savior) was willing to be born into this dark world to offer Himself as our sacrificial Redeemer! "For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen" (Rom. 11:36).
But what are you to do, then, if you sincerely want to follow the Torah's calendar in light of entrenched Christian customs? Well, we certainly may commemorate the birth of Messiah during the holiday of Sukkot (or Shavuot, etc.), though we must be careful to show charity and use the "good eye" toward those who may adhere to the traditional date for "Christmas." Likewise we commemorate the death and resurrection of Messiah during Passover and Firstfruits, respectively, though we do not begrudge those of good faith who honor these great events of salvation during what they call the "Pascha" or even the "Easter" season. Often we are tested in exactly this way, chaverim! We must not miss the "weightier matters" of extending grace to others, as Yeshua clearly taught (Matt. 23:23). As it is written, "Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind" (Rom. 14:5; Col. 2:16).
Friends, we must test the spirits -- and that particularly includes our own! How do we treat the "stranger" among us? How do we regard the "weaker brother?" Do we demand that our doctrine be esteemed, or do we allow room for others to seek the Lord and his wisdom? Ask yourself: Does this person (or group) honor Yeshua as God the Son, the Redeemer of Humanity who died for our sins and rose from the dead? If so, then keep your heart warm and soft toward him or her, even if he or she has yet to discover the Jewish roots of their faith. "Strive for peace with everyone" (Heb. 12:14). "Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you" (Phil. 3:15). Though we desire unity with one another (John 17:11), we cannot reasonably insist on doctrinal uniformity, especially in light of the frailty of our shared human condition... The truth of God is known in humility and love.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 8:2a reading (click):
Birth Date of Jesus Revisited...
12.20.24 (Kislev 19, 5785) Was Jesus (Yeshua) really born on December 25th, as Western Christian Tradition maintains, or does the careful study of Scripture allow us to infer a different time for His advent here on earth? Two cases can be reasonably made: one case for a Tishri (Sukkot) birth, and the other for the traditional late December (or early January) date. As I hope you will see, the crux of the arguments both for and against the late December dating of the birth of Yeshua depend upon when we think Zechariah (John the Baptist's father) was in the Temple when he was visited by the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:5-80).
First we need to understand that King David divided the sons of Aaron (i.e., the priests) into 24 "courses" or groups to create an orderly schedule by which the Temple of the LORD would be staffed for the given year (1 Chr. 24:1-4). Once these courses were established, lots were drawn to determine the sequence each group would serve in the Temple (1 Chr. 24:7-19) beginning with the first course in the Spring on Nisan 1 (i.e., Rosh Chodashim). According to the chronicles each of the 24 courses of priests would begin and end their service on the Sabbath day for a tour of duty of one week (2 Chr. 23:8, 1 Chr. 9:25).
The Jewish calendar begins in the spring (i.e., Nisan 1), so the first course of priests would serve for seven days, and then on the following week the second course would serve. The third week would mark the festival of Passover when all priests would be present for service, so the schedule would be suspended until the following week when the third course of priests would serve. The weekly arrangement would then resume until the next major holiday of Shavuot (Pentecost) arrived, and then the schedule was suspended again for the ninth week. By the tenth week the eighth course (of Aviyah, meaning "My Father is Yah") would be called for Temple service and the courses would continue without further interruption until the 24th course was completed (see the table below). Note that after the 24th course served, the first half of the calendar would be complete and the schedule would then reset for the second half of the year. By means of this arrangement each group of priests would serve in twice per year (in addition to the three major festivals of Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot).
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This weekly schedule of the Temple service allows us to infer the birth date of both John the Baptist and thereby the birth date of Yeshua the Messiah. Of particular interest is the eighth course of the priests, called the "Course of Aviyah" (mentioned in 1 Chr. 24:10) which was the course that Zechariah served (see Luke 1:5). Now since the eighth course would serve either during the month of Sivan or later during the month of Kislev (see the table above), we have two possibilities regarding establishing the birth date of Yeshua the Messiah.
First, if the visitation of Gabriel occurred during Zechariah's first course of service (i.e., the 10th week), then John would have been conceived sometime during the month of Sivan (Luke 1:23-4), and adding 40 weeks to this (the normal time of human gestation) John would have been born sometime in the month of Nisan, perhaps around the time of Passover. Furthermore, since Yeshua was conceived six months after John was conceived (Luke 1:24-27, 36), adding six months (or 24 weeks) to the end of Sivan implies his miraculous conception would have occurred in mid to late Kislev (near the time of Chanukah). Adding 40 weeks to this (again, the approximate time of human gestation), Yeshua then would have been born sometime in the month of Tishri, during the season of Sukkot (i.e., "Tabernacles").
On the other hand, if the visitation by Gabriel occurred during Zechariah's second service (i.e., 35th week), then John would have been conceived after Yom Kippur (Luke 1:8-23) and born 40 weeks later during the month of Tammuz. Again, since Yeshua was conceived six months after John was conceived (Luke 1:24-27, 36), adding six months (or 24 weeks) would imply he was conceived during Passover and was born later during the month of Tevet, that is, sometime in late December. According to church historians, this was the original view of the early church.
So there you go. If you have followed my reasoning, it is clear that Yeshua could have been born either near the holiday of Sukkot to celebrate God "tabernacling" with humanity, or he could have been born in late December, perhaps near the Fast of the Tenth of Tevet which remembered the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. There are perhaps other options as well, but I believe God meant for the issue to be a bit obscure because He came into the world in disguise -- the Lord of Glory given in swaddling clothes... Hallelujah!
For more reasoning about this topic see the H4C article: "Christmas Day: Was Jesus Really Born on December 25th?" or download the printable version here:
Concluding Addendum
The fact that various church groups have chosen different dates to memorialize certain historical events (such as the birth date of Jesus) is something we must tolerate, especially because the Scriptures do not provide enough information to conclusively determine the matter, and therefore we must exercise "epistemic humility" and follow peace (Heb. 12:14).
It should be noted, however, that the early church recognized the later December dating (rather than a Sukkot date), though assuredly not because of any pagan influences (such as Saturnalia or Roman sun worship). Indeed the early church suffered terrible persecution from the pagans in Rome and there is no historical evidence that they sought to assimilate with any of the pagan customs of that time. The suspicion that Christianity "appropriated" pagan culture to celebrate the birth of Christ actually first arose during the so-called "Age of Enlightenment" (17th century) when the use of human reason and the scientific method were dogmatically declared to be the only way to truth...
The question of the date of Jesus' birth is not one regarding his empirical reality and the historicity of the gospels, since these are not seriously questioned by honest historical scholars. However the Scriptures accommodate divergent convictions on such matters, as Paul gave the principle: ῝Ος μὲν κρίνει ἡμέραν παρ᾽ ἡμέραν, ὃς δὲ κρίνει πᾶσαν ἡμέραν. ῞Εκαστος ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ νοῒ πληροφορείσθω - "One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind" (Rom: 14:5). "So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding" (Rom. 14:19).
You might not agree with my thinking on the subject here, but if you want to make a case for a different date, then do your own careful research on the question. Read the relevant Hebrew texts, do the math, consult the Jewish calendar, read the New Testament, check the Greek, and then determine whether you think Zechariah was serving at the Temple during the month of Sivan or later, during Tishri, perhaps during the time of Yom Kippur. Shalom!
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 9:6 Hebrew reading (click):
A Closing Comment
This topic sometimes brings up contention, probably because many sincere Christians are turned off by the commercialism and phony glitz of "Hollywood-style" Christmas which completely disregards the tremendous significance of God becoming a man and giving up His life for our redemption... I get it. However, if you want to "push back" against the world, you ironically run the risk of disregarding the miracle of the story of Yeshua and His birth as well!
Even though the world has "culturally appropriated" Christmas and made it into a farcical "feel-good" holiday, those who truly love the Lord want to honor the blessing of His life, and it is therefore good to give thanks to God for the advent of Yeshua at this time (and during other times as well, including Passover, Shavuot, and of course Sukkot). Redifat Shalom!
The War for Truth...
12.19.24 (Kislev 18, 5784) The holiday of Chanukah reminds us that we must remain committed to Torah truth in a godless, and therefore insane, world. After all, since reality is the "handiwork" (i.e., conscious design) of an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving, morally perfect, purposive, personal, and spiritual Agency who has been revealed in the Jewish Scriptures, those who deny this reality are living in a state of ongoing delusion. In a sense, the history of humanity - especially as it has been expressed philosophically and politically -- has been nothing less than the conscious design to redefine reality as something that it isn't. "The kings of the earth station themselves, and the dignitaries take counsel together against the LORD and His Messiah" (Psalm 2:1-3). Spiritual warfare is therefore the fight for sanity and truth in a world that prefers madness and self-deception.
In a prophetic sense the story of "Epihpanes" foreshadows the coming time of the "Messiah of Evil" (antichrist) 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.). At first he will appear to be a "world savior" who will broker peace for Israel and the Mideast, but after awhile, like his archetype Epiphanes, he will savagely betray the Jewish people and set up a "desolating sacrilege" in the Holy Place of the Temple (Matt. 24:15). His satanic rise will occur during acharit hayamim - the "End of Days" - otherwise called the period of the Great Tribulation (Matt. 24). The Final Victory of God will be established when Yeshua returns to destroy this Messiah of Evil at His Second Coming. The Holy Temple will then be rebuilt and dedicated by the hand of the true Mashiach of Israel.
The Gemara says that Javan, the descendant of Noah's son Japheth (Gen. 10:2), became the founding father of ancient Greece who inherited Japheth's blessing: "May God give beauty to Japheth (יַפְתְּ אֱלהִים לְיֶפֶת) and let him dwell in the tents of Shem" (Gen. 9:27). This blessing gave him the special ability to found the arts, philosophy, and science, though if these were exercised apart from the influence of Shem, that is, apart from a Torah perspective, such pursuits would ultimately become vain and even dangerous. In other words, even though "all truth is God's truth," human learning must be contextualized in light of the divine revelation. The humanistic mindset deifies knowledge and technique; it understands to believe, instead of believing to understand. For this reason, among others, the spiritual war between Zion and the secular world rages to this hour...
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 27:1 reading (click):
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Note: Chanukah is not "Jewish Christmas." Nor should we conflate the holiday of Chanukah with Christmas to make "Christnukah" or "Messiahmas." Chanukah is a holiday that celebrates the victory of God over the powers of darkness (i.e., Greek humanism), and while the "Christmas" message also concerns victory over darkness, the focus is more on the advent of the Lord as our Redeemer and Savior. I will post more about these distinctions later this week, including a discussion about whether Yeshua was born in December or during Sukkot, so stay tuned! Meanwhile see "Chanukah and Spiritual Warfare" for more on this topic.
Celebrating Chanukah...
The eight-day Festival of Chanukah begins at sundown on Wednesday, Dec. 25th this year...
12.19.24 (Kislev 18, 5784) Celebrating Chanukah is an easy and enjoyable experience that does not require a lot of cost or effort. All you will need is a Chanukah menorah, a box of 44 Chanukah candles, and a blessings sheet (available free from Hebrew for Christians). Optionally you can get a dreidle to spin for amusement and some Chanukah decorations. Traditionally we eat some simple foods that are cooked in oil, such as potato latkes, kugel, jelly donuts, etc. Overall the mood of the holiday is festive and joyful - a time to remember how God performs miracles for his people as he did for Israel when the holy Temple was recaptured and restored from Greek-Syrian oppressors during the second century B.C.
For each of the days of Chanukah we light candles, kindling one for the first day, two for the second, and so on until we reach the climactic eighth day, when all shine together. Some of the sages say the word "Messiah" (i.e., mashiach: מָשִׁיחַ) may be regarded as an acronym for the phrase "we light throughout the eight days of Chanukah," i.e., מַדְלִיקִין שְׁמוֹנָה יְמֵי חֲנוּכָּה: madlikin (מ) shemonah (שׁ) yemei (י) Chanukah (ח). Indeed, the central lamp of the Chanukah menorah is called the shamash (שַׁמָש), the "Servant" that bears the original flame that kindles all the others. The salvations, wonders, and solace that God performed for us "in those days, at this time" therefore prefigure the greater deliverance we have in Yeshua, the Suffering Servant and Light of the World...
Hebrew Lesson:
Psalm 36:9 Hebrew reading:
The Word Made Flesh...
This time of year provides an opportunity to one again focus on the truth of incarnational theology, to celebrate the revelation of God in Yeshua, and to proclaim the miracle that God "emptied Himself" by being clothed in human flesh as the great Lamb of God....
12.19.24 (Kislev 18, 5785) At Mount Sinai we heard the voice of God (קוֹל אֱלהִים) speaking from the midst of the Fire (Deut. 4:33), an event that foreshadowed the great advent of the King and Lawgiver Himself, when the Eternal Word (דְבַר־יְהוָה) became flesh and dwelt with us (Phil. 2:6-7; John 1:1,14). Any theology that regards God as entirely transcendent (i.e., God is beyond any analogy with the finite) will have a problem with divine immanence (i.e., God is inherent and involved within the finite), since the highness, holiness, and perfection of God will make Him seem distant, outside of us, far away, and unknown...
Incarnational theology, on the other hand, manifests the magnificent humility and nearness of God to disclose the divine empathy. Indeed, the LORD became Emanu'el (עִמָּנוּ אֵל), "God with us," to share our mortal condition, to know our pain, to experience the wounds of sin, and to be abandoned, alienated, forsaken. It is God's own bittul hayesh (בִּטּוּל הַיֵּשׁ) - his "self-nullification" for the sake of love and truth. The "Eternal made flesh" bridges the gap between the realm of Ein Sof (אין סוף), the "infinitely transcendent" One, and the finite world of people lost within their sinful frailty. Of course we believe Adonai Echad (יְהוָה אֶחָד) - that the "LORD is One" - both in the sense of being exalted over all things but also in the sense of being compassionately involved in all things (Rom. 11:36). We therefore celebrate the giving of the Torah both at Sinai and especially at Bethlehem with the birth of Messiah. We celebrate that God is indeed the King and Ruler over all, but we further affirm that God's authority and rule extends to all possible worlds - including the realm of our finitude and need...
As I've mentioned elsewhere, the climax of Sinai was the revelation of the Sanctuary. The two tablets of the law, summarizing the Ten Commandments, were stored inside the famous Ark of the Covenant (אֲרוֹן בְּרִית־יְהוָה), a sacred "three-in-one" box placed in the innermost chamber of the Tabernacle called the Holy of Holies (קדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים). As such, the Ark served as kisei ha-kavod (כִּסֵּא הַכָּבוֹד), the Throne of Glory itself. Upon the cover (or crown) of the Ark (i.e., the kapporet) were fashioned two cherubim (i.e., angel-like figures) that faced one another (Exod. 25:17-18). According to the Talmud (Succah 5b), each cherub had the face of a child - one boy and one girl - and their wings spread heavenward as their eyes gazed upon the cover (Exod. 25:20). It was here that God's Voice would be heard during the Yom Kippur service, when sacrificial blood was sprinkled upon the crown to symbolize the atonement of sin secured through Messiah, the Word that became flesh for us... In the very heart of the Sanctuary, then, we see the Word of God and the sacrficial blood.
The LORD God Almighty was clothed with human skin: our flesh, our bones... The miracle of the incarnation is the "Absolute Paradox," as Soren Kierkegaard once said, wherein the infinite and the finite meet in the inscrutable mystery of the Divine Presence. Here God "touches a leper," eats with sinners and prostitutes, sheds human tears, and suffers heartache like all other men... The gloriously great God, the very Creator of the cosmos, has "emptied Himself" to come in the form of a lowly servant (δοῦλος) - disguised to the eyes of the proud and hardhearted, but is revealed as High Priest to those who are genuinely broken and in profound need. The LORD God is God over "all possible worlds," and that includes both the celestial realms of the heavens but also the world of the fallen, the ashamed, the alienated, and the lost... God's infinite condescension reveals and augments the majesty of His infinite transcendence. There is no world - nor ever shall there be such - where the LORD God Almighty does not reign and have preeminence.
Do not suppose for a moment that the Torah of Moses does not teach "incarnational" theology. Since God created human beings in his image and likeness, the "anthropomorphic language" of Scripture is meaningful. The LORD reveals himself in human terms - using human language, expressing human emotions, and so on, as it says: Moses spoke to God panim el panim - "face to face" (Deut. 34:10). The Torah always has to take on human form - the Word made flesh - for the sake of human beings who live in flesh and blood reality...
The greatest expression of God's word is found in the Presence of Yeshua. This is the Word of God that "tabernacles" with us, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). Yeshua is the "Living Torah" who empties himself to enter our world to rescue us from death. Our Scriptures state that "in these last days God has spoken to us by his Son, whom He appointed the Heir of all things, through whom also He created the worlds" (Heb 1:2). Note that the Greek construction for the phrase translated, "by his son" is ἐλάλησεν ἡμῖν ἐν υἱῷ, which literally means "he spoke to us in Son" -- that is, in the language or voice of the the Son of God Himself... God speaks the language "of Son" from the midst of the fire revealed at Zion. "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe (μετὰ αἰδοῦς καὶ εὐλαβείας) - for our God is Esh Okhelah - a Consuming Fire" (Heb. 12:28-29).
Hebrew Lesson
Isaiah 7:14b Hebrew reading:
Addendum: Consider further the metaphorical and anthropomorphic language of the Scriptures: God "sees," God "hears," the "hand of the LORD" saves, etc. Without an implied incarnational theology, there would be no language that we could comprehend about God who is the Infinite One that transcends all things... God gets angry; God feels sorrow; God is jealous; God is a lover, etc. all these metaphors bring the language of heaven into the world of humanity... The Spirit that imparts revelation does so inside a human brain and is translated into human apprehension. Yeshua is the Substance of the shadowy talk of analogical language; he embodies God-life before us.... Yeshua is the Word of God made flesh -- able to touch us, know us, share in our suffering, heal us of our sin-sickness, etc.
H4C Podcast:
Crying out for Healing...
"I saw a great oneing between Christ and us, because when he was in pain, we were in pain. All creatures of God's creation that can suffer pain suffered with him. The sky and the earth failed at the time of his dying because he too was part of nature." - Julian of Norwich
12.18.24 (Tevet 17, 5785) Where it is written in our Scriptures: "O LORD my God, I cried out to you, and you healed me" (Psalm 30:2), the sages comment that the heartfelt act of crying unto God is in itself a source of healing for spiritual ailments, and that the promise, "I am the LORD who heals you" (אֲנִי יְהוָה רֹפְאֶךָ, Exod. 15:26) means the knowledge that "the LORD is God, and there is none other" (הוָה הוּא הָאֱלֹהִים אֵין עוֹד מִלְבַדּוֹ, Deut. 4:35) is the true cure for troubles of the heart and mind.
Often, however, we resist turning to the LORD God for healing... Like Jonah we first must be "swallowed up" in the consciousness that we are undone and without remedy apart from His direct intervention and deliverance. עָקב הַלֵּב מִכּל וְאָנֻשׁ הוּא מִי יֵדָעֶנּו (Jer. 17:9). Often we find ourselves there - in the "belly of the fish" - and later are resurrected to go forth by God's mercy and grace. Likewise we first see ourselves as dying and go to the cross, finding pardon and given the power of the ruach HaKodesh to live unto God according to the truth.
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The sages say the reason the matriarchs of Israel were barren was so that he could hear their prayers... The same may be said for our afflictions. I have been sick recently and today I am again sick. This provides another opportunity for me to go deeper into prayer and speak with the Lord.
The Star Still Leads...
12.18.24 (Kislev 17, 5785) During the holiday season we may recall Balaam's enigmatic prophecy: "There shall come a star out of Jacob..." Amazingly, this ancient Aramean seer – who may have been the forebear of the "magi of the east" (Matt. 2:1-2) – foresaw the coming of the Messiah: "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob (כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקב), and a ruler shall arise out of Israel" (Num. 24:17).
Balaam's prophecy described the coming of the Messiah and his reign in two distinct aspects: "A star from Jacob shall lead the way (i.e., דָּרַךְ)," this refers to Messiah's first coming as the way of life (John 14:6), "and a scepter shall ascend (וְקָם שֵׁבֶט) from Israel," this refers to Messiah's second coming to establish the kingdom after the final redemption.
The story of Balaam took place "out of view" of the Israelites, which teaches us that the LORD our God is always at work - even among our enemies - for our blessing and confessing our ultimate good... No weapon formed against God's people shall prosper, and every tongue that speaks in judgment shall be made to stammer out praise.
"He who vindicates us is near; who will contend with us?" Indeed, "who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Yeshua the Messiah is the one who died -- more than that, who was raised -- who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us" (Rom. 8:33-34). Those of faith understand that history - including the "End of Days" - as the expression of God's sovereign and providential hand. The Savior always works "all things together for the good" of those who are trusting in Him. The Star of Messiah still shines and reveals the way of life to those willing to believe...
Hebrew Lesson
Numbers 24:17 reading (click):
obscure -- to test our hearts....
No Followers at Secondhand...
12.17.24 (Kislev 16, 5785) Soren Kierkegaard reminds us that there are no followers of Yeshua "at secondhand," and that all of us are therefore truly "contemporaries" of the resurrected Messiah. God is not a "respecter of persons," and there remains the same proximity between Yeshua's contemporaries and those of us who are living today, near the end of this age. No one can "follow Jesus" by reading the abstract speculations of theologians, just as no one can learn about Him as an archaeologist might study a relic of the past... No, the Name of God, the Tetragrammaton (יהוה), means: "God is Present" (i.e., it is a play on the Hebrew verb hayah [הָיָה], "to be"), and therefore we only come to know God through living faith - just as Yeshua's first disciples came to realize who He was...
The same may be said regarding our spiritual "adoption" in heaven: Each person, whether Jew or Gentile, must be adopted into God's family... Our identity is a matter of faith in God's promises, not on race, DNA, or family lineage. This is the reason Abraham is called the "father of the faithful" (see Rom. 4:11-16). If you are truly one of God's children, understand that God is your Heavenly Father and that relationship takes priority over the seeming way of the flesh in this world... Just as there are no "secondhand" disciples so there are no secondhand children. God doesn't have any grandchildren in heaven, only children: He is not your "heavenly grandfather" but your heavenly Father (אֲבִיכֶם בַּשָּׁמַיִם).
Dwight Moodly once said, "God sends no one away empty except those who are full of themselves." Similarly, Matthew Henry observed that "many ask good questions with a design rather to justify themselves than inform themselves, rather proudly to show what is good in them than humbly to see what is bad in them." It is rarely the "professor" or even the "admirer" who evidences real faith, since they are often moved by motives that disclose something other than the heart of the Father:
"Loftiness is naturally an easy thing, and to feel oneself drawn to it is easy enough. But Christ who from on high draws all men to Himself does not take them out of the world where they live, and therefore to everyone who is drawn unto Him in the heights will experience lowliness and humiliation as a matter of course.
This Christ knows very well; and He knows also that the permission to begin with the easiest, or with what seems the easiest, is a necessary deceit in the process of education, and that the fact of it's becoming harder and harder is in order that life may become in truth a probation and examination… A man has to be handled carefully, and hence it is only little by little that his task is made clear to him, little by little he is screwed tighter and tighter by the greater and greater and greater effort of probation and examination. So little by little it becomes for the individual a serious truth that to live is to be examined, and the highest examination is this: whether one will be in truth a Christian or not." (Kierkegaard, Training in Christianity)
While many people may "admire" Yeshua's ethical teachings, they stumble when they are confronted with His cross... Yet this is the heart of the message of God's love: the greatest good is revealed in the suffering of Yeshua for our sins (1 Cor. 2:2). The Master of Life was "despised, rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquinted with sickness" from whom people turned away their faces in disgust (Isa. 53:3) -- and we are called to take up the cross and follow Him... "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die..." We identify with the mission of God's love and smolder through the days and nights under constant self-examination our heart's motivation. Following Yeshua means being a witness to His truth, and retaining the message of His love in a world of ambiguity, pain, and testing....
For those who are God's children, testing in this age is designed to impart the character and image of God's son within our hearts. As C.S. Lewis once remarked, "God doesn't love you because you are good, but He will make you good because He loves you." He shows us a "severe mercy..." It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God (אֱלהִים חַיִּים), though I would rather be corrected by our LORD than to be judged along with this world.
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 143:8 reading (click):
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Israel's Rejected Prince...
12.17.24 (Kislev 16, 5785) From the beginning of this week's Torah portion (Vayeshev) until the very end of Sefer Bereshit (the Book of Genesis), the focus shifts from the patriarch Jacob to his twelve sons, and particularly to his beloved son Joseph (יוֹסֵף). Recall that Joseph's jealous brothers had stripped him of his "coat of many colors" and then mercilessly threw him into a pit -- a providential event that eventually led to the deliverance of the Jewish people by the hand of a "disguised savior." Indeed, story of Joseph's ordeal is a story of divine hashgachah (providential supervision) that foretells the glory of Yeshua our Messiah, both as the Suffering Servant and as a national deliverer of Israel.
Parashat Vayeshev begins, "Jacob settled (vayeshev Ya'akov) in the land of his father's sojourning, in the land of Canaan" (Gen. 37:1), but then immediately turns to the story of Joseph, who was seventeen years old at the time: "And these were the generations of Jacob: Joseph being seventeen years old..." (Gen. 37:2). Why does the toldot (genealogy) of Jacob begin with Joseph rather than Reuben (the firstborn son of Leah) here? Was the Torah suggesting that Joseph was regarded by Jacob as his (chosen) "firstborn" son?
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Jacob and Joseph undoubtedly shared a lot in common, and this surely caused Jacob to prefer his firstborn son (of Rachel) over his other sons. For instance, both men had infertile mothers who had difficulty in childbirth; both mothers bore two sons; and both were hated by their brothers. In addition, the Torah states that Jacob loved Joseph more than all his other sons since he was the son of his old age, and was the firstborn son (bechor) of his beloved wife Rachel. Indeed, Jacob made him an ornamented tunic (ketonet passim) to indicate his special status in the family.
At any rate, the Talmud (Sanhedrin 106a) notes that whenever the word vayeshev (וַיֵּשֶׁב) is mentioned in Torah, it introduces a painful episode. Immediately following the statement that "Jacob settled (vayeshev Ya'akov) in the land of his father's sojourning," the Torah states that Joseph brought an "evil report" about his brothers to his father. This act ultimately led to the selling of Joseph into slavery and to further heartache for Israel. The Jewish sage Rashi notes that whenever someone called by God wants to "settle down" and live at ease, God orchestrates events to keep him free from complacency. This certainly happened in the case of Jacob, where sibling rivalry and baseless hatred (called sinat chinam: שִׂנְאַת חִנָּם) so disrupted the peace of the family that his children were eventually led into exile and slavery.
But there is redemption and healing, even in the midst of betray and loss... We note that Joseph was sent by his father from the "depth of Hebron" (מֵעֵמֶק חֶבְרוֹן) to seek the welfare of his brothers (Gen. 37:14). Hebron (חֶבְרוֹן) is one of the very first places Abraham lived after he entered the Promised Land (Gen. 13:18). The word itself comes from a root (ח.ב.ר) that means "union," or "friendship," suggesting that from the depth of family union would come struggle but eventual deliverance. The "depths of Hebron" therefore suggests that Joseph's assignment was ultimately redemptive in nature - to restore love to the family by means of God's providential salvation...
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 130:1-2 reading (click):
Teshuvah's Sweet Sorrow...
12.17.24 (Kislev 16, 5785) While it's true that we express sorrow and regret for our sins - we mourn over our lives - this is an essential part of the healing process, with the end result of obtaining comfort from God (Matt. 5:4). Mere regret over sin is not enough, however, since the motive may be from shame (pride) or disappointment over some selfish loss. Esau "repented" with tears, but his wasn't true repentance since he didn't lament the loss of his heart to God's love (Heb. 12:14).
True repentance always leads to healing and life. When the woman from Magdala wept and washed Yeshua's feet with her tears, he said, "I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven -- for she loved much" (Luke 7:44-48). In other words, she was lavish in her love because she deeply regretted that she had missed what was most important, what she desperately needed all along... She saw her sin as blindness to God's love... After all, why would she weep over her sins unless she loved him? And how could she love him unless he first revealed his love to her? (1 John 4:19)
"For grief (λύπη) as intended by God produces a repentance (תְּשׁוּעָה) that leads to salvation, leaving no regret, but worldly grief produces death" (2 Cor. 7:10).
Hebrew Lesson
Click to learn to read the Hebrew text:
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Echoes from the Future...
12.17.24 (Kislev 16, 5785) Yeshua forewarned of the alienation and moral sickness that would pervade mankind just before the time of his return: "Because lawlessness (i.e., ἀνομία, from -α ('not') + νομος, 'torah') will be increased," he said, "the love of many will grow cold (i.e., ψύχομαι, 'be extinguished')" (Matt. 24:12). Note the link between Torah and love: true love requires respect for God's authority, for without that the divine image is disfigured.
Likewise the Apostle Paul foresaw that the "End of Days" (אַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים) would be a time of peril (καιροὶ χαλεποί) because people would become increasingly narcissistic, self-absorbed, infatuated with their own sense of self-importance, abusive toward others, disrespectful to elders, ungrateful, heartless, unforgiving, without self-control, brutal, treacherous, and so on (2 Tim. 3:1-4).
Therefore, in light of the spiritual war that rages all around us, it is essential that we are firmly rooted in what is true by taking hold of our identity and provision as children of God. God gives us courage to by the Holy Spirit. As it says, "God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power (גְּבוּרָה / δύναμις) and of love (ἀγάπη), and of a "sound mind" (σωφρονισμός), i.e., a "delivered" mind -- centered and "healed" from inner chaos (2 Tim. 1:7).
The very Name of the LORD (i.e., יהוה) means "Presence," and in Him "we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). He is as close as our heart and our very breath (Rom. 10:8; Deut. 30:11-14). Nothing can circumvent his promise given to us. We are not to be troubled like the world that lives in terror of man, nor are we to crave security from the vain devices of mere men. No - we look to the LORD God Almighty, the Master of the Universe. He alone is our Refuge and Defense, the One who gives us steadfast love in the midst of these storms. "Let not your heart be troubled" - God is in control of the whirlwind, friends...
According to some orthodox Jewish eschatological tradition, the period of time immediately before the Messiah's arrival is sometimes called ikvot meshicha (עִקְּבוֹת מְשִׁיחַ), the time when the "footsteps of the Messiah" can be heard. Some of the "signs" of this period include the rise of various false prophets, numerous wars and "rumors of wars" (including the rise of Magog: Iran), famines, earthquakes, worldwide apostasy from the faith, persecution, and a globalized sort of godlessness that is revealed in unbridled selfishness, greed, chutzpah (audacity), shamelessness, and a general lack of hakarat ha-tov (gratitude). The greatest sign, however, will be that Israel will exist once again as a sovereign nation, despite the prophesied exile among the nations (Deut. 4:27-31; Jer. 30:1-3). The time draws near...
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 30:10 reading (click):
The Way of your Life...
[ "If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there." - Lewis Carroll ]
12.16.24 (Kislev 15, 5784) The Hebrew word derekh (דֶּרֶךְ), often translated as "way," can refer to a physical road or pathway, but metaphorically it often refers to the journey, manner, or course of one's life.
Everyone who is alive and conscious is "on the road," and every day presents us with choices about how we will walk down that road. If you are reading these words, you are presently on the way, and there is no escape from this journey you are on...
Walking a road implies decisions. You simply cannot walk anywhere without having a "where" or destination in mind (even the decision to be aimless is itself a decision). When we make decisions, consciously or not we are choosing what we believe will bring us nearer the goal or end or our journey.
Along the way we will always encounter "forks in the road" – junctions where we must decide whether to turn to the left or the right, or to go backward in our journey. Such decisions are unavoidable, though many will choose to become victims of their own unreflective consciousness by choosing the path of "least resistance." People choose this path because they do not know "the end thereof" they walk…
So there is a way, or road, that you are walking, comprised of a (finite) series of choices you have made, are making, and will make, which are leading you somewhere. You cannot get off this road, and no one can walk it for you.
Since this road represents the way of your life, you are ultimately responsible for how you choose to walk it. You are not free to choose the "what" of your journey (which is a brute fact), but you are free to choose its "how." The LORD offers wisdom to all those who wish to make their days count for eternity...
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 25:4 Hebrew reading (click):
Note: For more on this topic see: "Derekh HaYashar: Finding the Straight Way."
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